Sue Bruce: Collaboration and co-operation will ensure capital’s future

ECONOMY, employment and the environment: these are three key priorities for the capital’s leaders in coming years and therefore the natural themes for a recent address I gave to the Institute of Directors Scotland.

And when I say “leaders”, that is regardless of whether they work in the public, private or voluntary sectors. The IoD has senior members from a wide spectrum of organisations and rightly so, as no city or region can prosper without excellent direction and cross-sector collaboration at the highest levels.

When it comes to attracting inward investment, creating jobs for school-leavers or managing the city’s infrastructure, partnerships are essential. The council can provide facilitation, but it is the business sector that ultimately generates income. And in a city such as Edinburgh, not-for-profit organisations are equally important, from universities’ research to arts initiatives and social enterprises.

While the city may be holding its own economically in many ways, one aspect that concerns all of us is the lack of opportunity for our young people. Despite the continued strength and growth of these sectors, too many school-leavers are not learning, training or working. As well as it being a waste of talent and productivity, it is storing up problems for the future, and the solutions can only come through the efforts of employers or the education and training sector.

In doing the best for Edinburgh, we all face pressures on our finances. This requires of the city’s leaders a renewed spirit and determination to innovate with the resources that we do have at our disposal. We must also create a climate in which creativity can flourish. This means embracing and managing risks and reducing bureaucracy.

And as well as collaborating when it is easy or natural to do so, we need to look harder at long-term opportunities, particularly where preventative initiatives could make a world of difference. The future relies on that vision and strategic co-operation.

• Sue Bruce is chief executive of the City of Edinburgh Council