Consultation and Engagement Hub

Every year the City of Edinburgh Council consults its tenants regarding the Housing service.  With a five-year rent strategy approved by the Council in February 2024, this year’s consultation asked tenants for their views on how their rent is spent and what their key investment priorities are. 

Tenants were presented with six core investment commitments that the Housing service want to deliver and were asked to rank them in the order they think they should be prioritised, and to provide comment on their ranking and/or the investment priorities.

Tenants were also asked if they were aware of the five-year rent strategy agreed last year and to provide any additional comments they may have about the rent strategy.

Finally, with many tenants still experiencing financial pressures because of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, the consultation asked if tenants had found it more difficult to pay their rent in the last 12 months.  Where applicable, tenants were also asked about their experiences when seeking advice and support.  Suggestions for improvement were sought from all respondents on how we could do more in terms of financial advice and support.

We received 773 responses through our online and postal survey, which equals just over 4% of all Council tenants.

Tenants were given six investment priorities and were asked to rank them in order of preference.  The result was as follows:

1^st - Deliver and improve housing management and repairs and maintenance services

2^nd - Build more new social rented homes

3^rd - Improve energy efficiency standards of existing homes and meet net zero targets

4^th - Deliver improvement in mixed tenure blocks to make them more warm, modern and secure

5^th - Improve wider estates for areas surrounding our homes

6^th - Support and enable large scale regeneration of strategic importance to the city

Additional comments made by tenants on their investment priorities showed that there was strong support for upgrading properties both inside (windows, kitchens, boilers etc) and outside (gutters, harling etc).  Improvements to the repairs service, better insultation, and dealing with damp/mould issues were also popular themes identified by the consultation.

68% of tenants who responded to the consultation were not aware of the approved five-year rent strategy.  The additional comments to this question showed many tenants felt that rent increases should be linked with property conditions.

The consultation also found that 39.8% (308) of the respondents had found it more difficult to pay their rent over the last 12 months, and 39.8% (124) of them had sought advice or help to assist with paying the rents.  For those who had sought advice or help, nearly 40% were very or fairly satisfied that the assistance they received met their needs.

To improve this advice and help, tenants said that it was important to make people aware of the support available, with better communication and better accessibility.  Tenants said that help should also be provided to those tenants who do not get benefits, and personal circumstances should be taken into account when help is given or not. 

(*Please note, not all tenants answered all of the questions)

The Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Budget Strategy 2025-26 to 2034-35 was considered by City of Edinburgh Council at its budget meeting on 20 February 2025. 

At the budget meeting, Councillors agreed to increase rent by 7% in 2025/26, which is the second year of the five-year rent strategy agreed by the Council in last year’s budget, and to continue with the rent increase assumptions for the following five years from 2029/30 to 2033/34.

Council also agreed to continue to help with the ongoing cost of living challenges experienced by tenants by increasing funding for the Tenant Hardship Fund, to help support tenants experiencing financial hardship.

And in line with the consultation results, Council agreed that investment priority should be given to improving existing homes.

For your views on proposals to introduce street trees along both Priestfield Road and Prestonfield Road, and install new footway build-outs at various locations to provide greater footway space and reduce crossing widths. We also wanted to hear your views on proposals to improve the rear entrance to Prestonfield Primary School by closing a section of the road between Clearburn Road and Clearburn Gardens to all vehicles, except refuse vehicles serving Clearburn Road.

We received 322 responses to the online survey.

Street trees

• 69% of the survey respondents are in favour of installing new trees along Priestfield Road and Prestonfield Road.
• 24% of the survey respondents raised concerns about installing new trees, specifically along Priestfield Road.
• 7% of the survey respondents shared no opinion.

Road closure outside Prestonfield Primary School

• 64% of the survey respondents agreed with closing a section of Prestonfield Road and making improvements outside the school.
• 13% of the survey respondents disagreed with the proposed closure of the section of road outside the primary school.
• 23% of respondents shared no opinion.

Based on the overall responses, there was very positive feedback for the introduction of new street trees and particularly for improving safety at the rear entrance to Prestonfield Primary School. There was also a lot of support for introducing footway build-outs, shortening crossing points and resurfacing both roads.

However, concerns were raised on the following:

• Long-term maintenance of any new tree pits and fallen leaves.
• Removal of parking specifically along Priestfield Road.
• Restricted visibility and sight lines due to the planting of new trees.
• Proposed tree pits being located too close to entrances.

Based on the feedback we received, we will:

• Revise the overall design by relocating or removing certain tree pits to suit various requests and eliminate any problem areas.
• Consult further with road safety, active travel, and accessibility groups to ensure measures for all user groups are considered and incorporated.
• Consult further with Parking colleagues to ensure a balance is reached between providing adequate parking provision and installing new tree pits, particularly along Priestfield Road.
• Work with emergency services to ensure any new design accounts for their accessibility requirements.
• Continue to work with tree officers and landscape architects to ensure any new species of tree are suitable for their proposed locations.
• Start the relevant statutory procedures for traffic orders.

Future Event

We are also planning a local in-person event, where members of the public will be able to view the final design plans and discuss any other matters further. Details for this event will be communicated to all residents once the design plans are finalised.

We wanted to hear your views on design proposals for restoring Lindsay Road Bridge in Newhaven. The bridge has been closed to all users since November 2021 due to its poor condition.

Prior to its closure, the bridge was used as a link for walking, wheeling and cycling between North Fort Street and Lindsay Road. It was also used in recent years as a community space and outdoor seating area. A community-backed project painted the bridge in rainbow colours in August/September 2021, which led to the bridge being referred to locally as the ‘Pride’ or ‘Rainbow’ Bridge.

A project to design a replacement bridge deck and community space has been funded Sustrans Places for Everyone Fund. The design aims to:

• re-establish a direct, safe and segregated active travel route for commuters, local residents and businesses;
• restore a well-used community space; and
• reinstate an important LGBTQ+ landmark.

To ensure the project meets the needs of the community, consultation on the proposals took place between 22 February 2024 and 4 April 2024. People were invited to share their views via an online survey, two public information/drop-in sessions and a Youth Group Meeting hosted by LGBT Youth Scotland. There were also discussions with a range of consultees and stakeholders.

The consultation was advertised via social media, press releases, local advertising and leaflet drops.

There were 910 responses to the online survey, with 179 people attending the information sessions.

• 77% of the survey respondents felt that they would likely walk or wheel more short journeys due to the proposals.
• There was a positive response to the plans to restore an accessible active travel route, create an improved public realm and maintain the LGBTQ+ artwork and symbolism.
• The bridge continuing to be used as a community space was strongly supported. The online survey highlighted that environmental features (72.97%) and meeting spaces with seating and planting (70.66%) would be valued.
• There were requests for artwork or interpretation boards related to the bridge’s history or LGBTQ+ theme, which could enhance the bridge's aesthetics and functionality. History plaques documenting the history of the bridge were also a popular feature highted by the online survey (73.19%).
• A preferred parapet design option was chosen by respondents to the online survey.
• Concerns of the impact of the pride/rainbow surfacing on users who are neurodivergent or have neurodegenerative conditions were raised. It was also noted that the colour scheme does not match the order of the Progress Pride flag.
• Concerns were raised about the potential tree losses and impact on green spaces due to the project.
• There were also concerns about relocating the sports court to accommodate the amphitheatre/stepped access.
• Lighting was highlighted as an important feature to be included in the design.

Based on the feedback received, we have revised the design proposals. The main changes are:

• Proposed changes to ‘Pride’ surfacing including the corrected colour order.
• Reduced sized amphitheatre/steps, which will reduce its impact on greenspace and avoid the need to relocate the sports courts, while still providing an enlarged community space/seating area.
• A ramp access will not be progressed, which would have had a significant impact on greenspace and result in the loss of several trees.
• Existing ramped accesses can still be utilised.
• The chosen parapet design from the online survey will be used.
• Lighting will be provided.
• Any tree losses will be minimised. Additional planting and environment features such as bird/bat boxes will be included in the design.

The next steps are:

• Complete design of proposals.
• Further consultation with the community, accessibility organisations and specialist agencies to ensure the ‘Pride’ surfacing is aesthetically pleasing and inclusive.
• Further consultation with the community to create interpretation boards, which was a key outcome from this engagement.
• Apply for planning permission for the design.
• Apply to Transport Scotland for construction funding (Expected 2025).