Dawe denies unpopularity

COUNCIL leader Jenny Dawe has denied that negative opinions about the Liberal Democrat/SNP coalition in Edinburgh helped Labour win all but one of the city's Westminster seats.

Councillor Andrew Burns, leader of the Labour group on the council, claimed that the way the coalition run the city was a "major issue" during election campaigning.

But Councillor Dawe said the Lib Dem share of the vote was up on the European Parliament election and on the first preference vote for the 2007 local elections.

"I do not think that it had an impact," said Cllr Dawe. "If it did, it helped our vote come up."