Readers' Best Comments

Protesters are campaigning against the threatened closure of Colinton Mains Community Centre.

Not an essential service, so taxpayers should not be funding this in the current environment. Cumulatively, this is the sort of nonsense that causes massive government deficits. These centres primarily seem to exist to provide soft employment for touchy-feely workers wanting part time jobs on the government teat. Why don't they all just chip in to fund this place?

Jock MacSprog

Spot on! We are all going to see our tax bill go through the roof in the coming years! Let's fund the ESSENTIALS!

Big T

What a fiasco.

digestive biscuits V

Never has there been such a lack of community as there is now. I would say we actually need more of these to try and get people feeling part of communities again which hopefully would have the knock on of less crime/antisocial behaviour. The sum of money saved seems small in the scheme of things – surely alternative income streams for these centres could be looked into (eg hiring out for events) to try and bridge this.

married to a teacher

This place could stay open for over 4,000 years if the trams cost were diverted.

Hong Kong Fooey

And it doesn't get any better, I'm afraid. This year's TreeFest in Inverleith Park has been axed due to a lack of funds.

TreeFest in the first couple of years was very good. Sadly, traders and exhibitors drifted away and now it is basically a collection of fast food stands with no real attractions. Last year's centrepiece was a BMX display team – what was that all about?

toblerone

I've thoroughly enjoyed TreeFest in the past, and looked at it as another community gala day. I agree that the taxpayer should NOT fund these events but they are very good weekends out and one of the things that I think modern society is missing out on.

Speedy Gonzales

They were barking up the wrong tree for funds, but I'm sure they'll leaf behind quite a legacy. It's a real beech in these straitened times but I wood think they'll be back soon, by poplar demand.

VIOLENT ANGRY SHOUTING KOREAN GENTLEMAN

That's clearly the root of the problem. Anyway, the Scotsman Steps are to have gates installed to close off the stairs overnight.

So where are you supposed to go for a pee at 2 o'clock in the morning?

fresian

Set of steps closed for 6 months whilst they're tarted up at a cost of 125,000. Only in Edinburgh.

Glenda

I use these steps to get from the bus stop down to Sportsters and back again around 10-11ish. Don't see any vagrants or dossers in there nowadays. Seems a bit of a waste of cash given the current bank balance. The little amounts keep chipping away.

James Collins

The rights of access laws would say different about the said closure of the steps. If the public have been using an access, for a certain amount of time, the law I believe states that that access must remain for the benefit of the public. If that is correct, which I do believe it is, then a premeditated crime of access denial is going to take place.

Kdv