‘The Greens will have a strong voice’

labour red and SNP yellow and black may be the dominant colours at the City Chambers now, but the new council has a definite green tinge to it as well.

After doubling its number of councillors to six, the Green Party now has a significant presence on the local authority. They may not have their hands on the levers of powers, having rejected the idea of joining a Labour-led coalition, but they will have a strong voice nevertheless.

The fact Gavin Corbett topped the poll in Fountainbridge-Craiglockhart, the first Green to come first in Scotland, shows the party has strong support in the Capital. And their thoughts will often be echoed by our Prius-driving, solar panel-owning new Lord Provost, Donald Wilson.

The provost may be largely a ceremonial role but previous Labour incumbent Eric Milligan showed it is possible to carve out an influential role from the post. These envionmentally-conscious voices will add to the breadth of the debate in the city over the coming years – and that has to be a good thing.

Mr Wilson’s suggestion of ditching the provost’s BMW saloon for a greener vehicle is an appealing one.Most people in the Capital would welcome that – as long as it did not mean higher council tax bills.

Green policy is often simply common sense, looking at ways to save resources and reuse whatever we can. That can go a long way towards helping in cash-strapped times.

But parts of the Green agenda, such as restricting the growth of Edinburgh Airport, would be extremely damaging to the Capital’s economy. That is where most voters would withdraw their support.

So, welcome to the city’s growing green lobby, we look forward to your input to the city’s big debates.

Scrumthing special

in a city packed with some of the richest historical heritage to be found anywhere in the world, the home of Edinburgh Accies perhaps remains an undervalued treasure.

But the site of the world’s first rugby international deserves to be better celebrated. The idea of creating a museum at the ground is a great idea.

Such an attraction would surely draw a steady stream of visitors and complement the appeal of neighbouring Inverleith Park, the Botanics and Stockbridge itself.

This setting however also makes the proposed development of a new rugby stadium and shops at the site extremely sensitive.

These plans will be very closely scrutinised, but properly executed they could be an asset to the city.