NHS cuts: 'These jobs are simply the first chill winds'

AFTER all the pre-election talk about public spending cuts, the reality is about to hit the Capital.

We were warned that what was needed, regardless of who won the keys to Downing Street, was nothing less than the deepest cuts this country has seen for a generation.

The news that 2,000 NHS Lothian jobs are to go over the next two years should therefore be no surprise. This is simply the first chill winds of what is going to be a Siberian winter for our public services.

The days of increased budgets year-on-year for our local health service, the police and others are behind us. In their place, we all have to get used to a new economic reality.

The only crumb of comfort regarding the NHS Lothian cuts is the assurance from health chiefs that front line services will be protected.

They may be sincere, but the Royal College of Nursing's concerns in this regard appear well founded.

It is hard to see how the health board can cut its total staff levels by almost seven per cent without having some impact on front line services, whether directly or indirectly.

In being the first to bite the bullet, the health service has become the testbed for how these cuts will affect the city's public services. Like local patients, the News will be watching closely to see how events unfold.

The inn crowd

ONE of the surest signs of Edinburgh leading Scotland's recovery from recession has been recent interest from hotel groups.

Just last week the News reported that 4,000 new rooms and suites were being lined up for completion across the city within five years.

Investors are looking to build because they believe that tourists will continue to want to come here in big numbers, and because they can see a pick up in business trips too.

Today we reveal that another new hotel could be on the horizon – and this one could let the Capital join an elite club of cities which are home to prestigious Hyatt hotels. There are currently only three in Britain, and two of those are in London.

Any planning application, never mind a hotel itself, is a long way off. But it is an encouraging sign, not just that such a globally renowned chain is considering locating here, but that those charged with the city's development appear to be on the ball.

And if something as attractive as a Hyatt could replace or even modernise one of our eyesore sites, then all the better.