Call for rich Edinburgh residents to fund city projects

Wealthy Edinburgh residents could be asked to help pay for projects around the city after councillors agreed to look into setting up a fundraising team.

The proposal was brought forward by Liberal Democrat Lewis Younie, who highlighted frustration at delays to major projects through lack of funds.

He highlighted Edinburgh's "fantastic record of philanthropy and generosity among its residents, right across the city".

Council officials will now investigate how a fundraising team to support specific council projects might work.

There is a long history of private funding of public statues in Edinburgh, including monuments to Adam Smith, Henry Dundas and the Duke of Wellington.

The memorial statue to Earl Haig which stands on the esplanade at Edinburgh Castle was also privately commissioned.

City hotelier Norman Springford previously offered to help finance the demolition and replacement of the Ross Bandstand in Edinburgh's Princes Street Gardens.

And Stockbridge residents have raised all the money for a statue of a cat in their neighbourhood.

Donors would have their names on a plaque on a statue or entrance to a park they had helped fund.

Introducing his motion to members of the finance and resources committee on Tuesday, Mr Younie said: "I think we have a very generously minded citizenry, we have people who would want to contribute to making the city a better place to live."

Conservative councillor Phil Doggart took issue with the proposal, suggesting it could be seen as an attempt by councillors to avoid taking "hard decisions" around which projects to fund.

"I was surprised when I read this motion," he said. "It looks like the Lib Dems will do anything to avoid hard decisions.

"If I was a philanthropist looking to do something for the good of the city I would just go ahead and do it, rather than handing over my money to an organisation which could be seen as not massively efficient.

"There are plenty of philanthropists already around the city and it's quite strange that we would go to try and get them to give money to this organisation, where they would then lose control of the project.

"This motion is unnecessary, it is abdicating our responsibility on this committee, and that is why we are opposing it."

The proposal was backed by Green councillor Alex Staniforth, who said: "Very often you have a number of people who have a little bit of money to spare who would like to put it towards their community.

"This idea would allow us to facilitate people who want to collectively put their money towards the benefit of the city. Crowd funding rather than a single philanthropist.

"I think this would allow people to invest in their communities and is worth supporting."

Mandy Watt, committee convenor, said she felt there was "no harm in asking" for a report on the proposal.

After a vote councillors agreed to pass the motion 9 votes to 2.

A report on the possibility of a fundraising team is now set to be prepared for a future meeting of the committee.

Reporting by local democracy journalist Joe Sullivan.