Leader: 'Even if heads do not roll, learn lessons'

The publication of the results of council chief executive Sue Bruce's investigation into the Gathering may finally draw a line under the debacle.

Consultants have found no wrongdoing on the part of Lib Dem council leader Jenny Dawe and her SNP deputy Steve Cardownie, and instead highlighted "governance and procedural deficiencies" at the local authority.

That will surprise MSPs who labelled the pair's evidence "not credible" when they tried to explain away a press release which wrongly said local tourism body Dema would cover 344,000 of debts incurred by the event.

It is also not the result that the council leaders' opponents at the City Chambers hoped or expected to see, and there are already predictable accusations of a "whitewash".

One thing that is clear is that the investigation cost 32,000, and the Edinburgh public will rightly demand that even if heads don't have to roll, lessons are learned.

It is therefore imperative that the answer to every burning question about what went wrong is made public. Nothing else will do.

At the time, the News described this as a "murky affair" and it remains a severe embarrassment to the Capital and all those directly involved.

Today's report should leave councillors Dawe and Cardownie clear to get on with the challenging job of running the city.

But they should nevertheless take a long, hard look at themselves over their willingness to let a junior employee take the flak when they found themselves in the firing line.

And if they aren't ultimately responsible to the public for "governance and procedural deficiencies" at the council, then who is?

We are the people

when we launched the Best of.. awards we wanted to celebrate the wide range of talent and dedication that helps makes Edinburgh and the Lothians such an inspiring place to live.

But we could not have foreseen just how popular they would be. You voted in your thousands and we are delighted today to be honouring your favourites.

They range from janitor George Parakevakis, whose Herculean efforts kept St Peter's in Morningside open through the worst of the harsh winter, to Hearts superfan Frankie Morton and our new pub of the year Caf Habanna, near the Playhouse.

Thank you to everyone who voted, and our warmest congratulations to all our winners, you truly are the Best of Edinburgh and the Lothians.