Council hotline

Published on 14/01/2013 00:00

Please call upon your Edinburgh readers to sign the petition “A Safer Way To Report Edinburgh Council Mismanagement”. It seeks an independent whistleblowing hotline to which council staff could report not just malpractise and nascent scandals, but also the many unintended consequences of council decisions that can cause misery to so many.

To do so, visit www.edinburgh.gov.uk, go to “support a petition”, then “support an existing petition”.

Under this proposal, whistleblower jobs and careers would be safe, their identity secure. Thus the petition seeks to avoid any more Mortonhalls, property conservation scandals, tram debacles, Water of Leith flood prevention overspends, mistaken school closures and the many other nightmares that may even now be brewing up at City of Edinburgh Council.

The hotline could be run by Expolink (a business) or Public Concern at Work (a charity) and could cost as little as £3,000pa. These two agencies run their hotline to half the local authorities in the UK. Our target is to get 500 signatures by 5pm today. If we do, then the petition will go to committee on 22 January. More details at www.roseburn32.plus.com.

James Grant

Kids Not Suits