SNP councillors back push to sell off Edinburgh Provost's two BMWs and 18-carat gold chain

A row has erupted between Edinburgh councillors over a bid to sell-off the Lord Provost’s chain and cars.

The City Chambers’ Green Group proposed exploring the move to cut costs from the £518,000 civic budget – and were backed by all but two SNP councillors who voted against their party in defence of the historic regalia.

The Provost has two BMWs and is often ferried to engagements, which the council says is necessary “for the purposes of safety and security” to safeguard his 18-carat gold chain encrusted with 492 diamonds.

The luxury vehicles, which are also used to transport the Deputy Provost and the city’s Bailies – a role fulfilled by councillors from all political groups – ran up costs of nearly £50,000 between 2019 and 2022. 

Robert Aldridge is Edinburgh's Lord Provost. Picture: Greg Macvean

The Greens questioned whether there was “scope to reduce use of civic vehicles, such as through ... reduced use of, or sale of, civic regalia” and “sale of surplus vehicles” in an addendum tabled as Edinburgh’s Lord Provost Robert Aldridge presented his annual report at a full council meeting on August 29.

And SNP councillor Neil Gardiner asked: “Do we really need to take the jewels out on the streets every day?”

He added: “I find it a really tenuous argument that we need a car that costs tens of thousands of pounds to buy and maintain to protect the necklace when we’re in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis.”

Conservative councillor Jo Mowat hit back, saying: “This is not a man wandering around the city in a necklace; this is the Lord Provost wearing the chain of office, representing our city. We demean the role if we regard it in other ways.

“These are chains of office that belong to the city and they link us back to our past. They are part of the visible thread that connects us back through the 900 years and the history of this council.”

At the meeting Cllr Aldridge, who has been the capital’s figurehead since 2022, defended one of the cars being allowed to park on Cockburn Street by the City Chambers’ back entrance during the festival while residents were prevented from doing so.

One local forced to park several streets away while strict restrictions were in place over August was reported to have said at the time the Provost was “hardly leading by example”.

Green Group co-leader Chas Booth said: “What some people have said to me about the recent issue of the civic car on Cockburn Street is that it sends a message of one rule for us and another for the Lord Provost.”

Cllr Aldridge said the civic cars “were granted an exemption to permit them to use Cockburn Street during the festival period”. Responding to the original report last month, he said: “I use public transport where I can.”

However council leader Cammy Day said it was not up to councillors to sell-off the civic regalia which belonged to the city. “There’s a huge risk to [officer] health and safety for potentially walking around the streets with millions of pounds of jewellery that belongs to the city, and a risk to their health and safety,” he said.

The Green’s proposal was defeated 35 to 27 in a vote.