The Council is a Vortex

I have been an Edinburgh City Councillor for four months now and in that time I have discovered a vast world that gloriously reflects the past while promising a great future! 

Walking through the archway of the Courtyard and into the splendid Council Chambers off  Edinburgh's High Street it's hard not to be impressed by the sense of history and the "ghosts of councillors past" in the halls and stately rooms of the chambers.

 

But the past and the history disguises the energy, dedication and industry which currently goes on behind the doors in every nook and cranie of the building.  I have only discovered tiny parts of the building and I still get lost in the corridors but I am hugely impressed by the army of dedicated staff who work for the good of the city.

 

While we, the new councillors slowly learn how systems work, the staff both in the Chambers and in the council departments around the city seem to have infinite patient with our questions, our problems and our anxieties! 

 

People ask me how I'm enjoying the Council. The truth is The Council is a huge vortex of meetings, decisions, problems and issues all waiting to be sorted. A bit like the Church of Scotland, with which I am much more familiar, I do feel one could spend every waking hour of every day in meetings without sorting anything!  On the other hand it is amazing how a couple of phone calls or an e-mail in the right direction can change people's lives for the better.

 

The past four months have been an incredible adventure. I am hoping that once I know what I'm doing I can begin to make a difference to DrumBrae Gyle! Watch this space!