The Edinburgh Report

The Calton Hill Conservation Trust is asking the council to help them with funding for the returning and regressing of the areas on top of the hill. The trust says the council already has the funding to do it.

John Thomson a supporter of Save the Roseburn Path campaign asked us to meet him to speak about the campaign which has been active ahead of the tram consultation beginning on 25 August.

Here he agrees that the campaign has been running without knowing the full details of the council proposals to extend the tram northwards to Granton where 3,500 homes are being built.

He says he is a regular cyclist on the path and does not use the tram, and that the campaign is not for or against tram simply one to save the green space on the path.

On a walkabout with a Tracy Gilbert in Muirhouse to see for ourselves what the litter and flytipping problems are in the area.

Here Nina who founded the charity walk for Breast cancer research talks about the beginnings, the charity return since Covid and also moving out of Edinburgh after this year's walk

We spoke with artist and musician Lomond Campbell about MUO which will be an installation at the French Institute as well as live performances on certain dates….and it is all about muons - an invisible force of the surrounding cosmos….

The play Nancy's Philosopher being staged by the Arkle Theatre Company, with Nicole Burnett Smith as Nancy Ord is on daily (not 10 August) at The Royal Scots Club.

The story centres on a young woman who scandalised Edinburgh society by falling in love with the much older David Hume, historian and philosopher.

David Black, the former journalist who write the play lives and works in Edinburgh and here he talks about the idea for the play and the story - which is set in the capital's Queen Street.

The Rare Cancers Bill is what is known as a ballot bill - a type of Private Members' Bill used in the House of Commons. Around ten months ago Dr Arthur was chosen to pick a numbered ping pong ball out of a goldfish bowl at the start of the parliamentary term to give him the chance of proposing a Ballot Bill. He was then able to choose his own subject matter.

Dr Arthur said: "It feels like things are lining up. The vast bulk of these bills do fail, so it's tremendous to get this far. And let's hope it doesn't fail, but what it's done so far is it's really got people talking about rare cancers, and it's really put some of the charities which support this sector in the spotlight, and it's been a chance for them to connect with people as well."

Tracy Gilbert MP for Edinburgh North and Leith was chosen in October last year to introduce the Absent Voting (Elections in Scotland and Wales) Bill.

This "Ballot Bill" or private members bill received its second reading on 17 January 2025 and has been making progress through the Commons. It will now be considered by the House of Lords where it has already had its first reading. It is open to any MP who is not a government minister to propose a Private Members’ Bill, and then they can proceed with it if their bill is chosen in the ballot.

Ms Gilbert told The Edinburgh Reporter: "My bill has gone through all the stages in the House of Commons and we now need it to pass through the Lords. I'm still waiting to hear from the civil servants when that'll happen, but fingers crossed it should become law. And the bill is about absent voting. So in October 23, the UK gGovernment introduced an online digital service to enable people to apply online for a proxy or an absent voting application. If you were going to be on holiday for the general election or if you were not able to vote and you wanted to have someone else voting on your behalf you could apply online. But that only applied to England and Scotland and Wales for General Elections. It didn't apply for Scottish Government and Senedd elections, or for local government elections. My law, if passed, will enable us to use that digital service in Scotland and Wales for all elections so we're trying to get that through so that it's in place for May 2026."

In this episode of The Edinburgh Report, Louis Scott who is second generation in the family business, discusses the legacy and future of Howie's Restaurants which is celebrating 35 years in Edinburgh. He shares insights into the restaurant's evolution, the importance of teamwork, and the challenges faced in the hospitality industry today. Louis also highlights the significance of using local produce and their plans for the restaurant's anniversary, including a collaboration with New Barns Brewery in Leith.

Nominations have opened for people to put themselves forward as community councillors. Here we speak to Alan Gordon the Secretary of Longstone Community Council about the successes they have had recently.