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Jenny Dawe, Leader of City of Edinburgh Council

Jenny Dawe, Leader of City of Edinburgh Council, gave her support to an emphasis on action rather than words – and pledged her administration to long-term solutions. “The recession has brought into sharp relief the futility of short-termism,” she said. “Today is part of a long journey of sensible consistent long-term investment.”

There was support also from Keith Winter, Head of Development Services at Fife Council. “A lot of this is about relationships,” he said. “You have to be clear about what you want, be prepared to concede to gain sometimes and understand other people’s needs.”

Economist Jeremy Peat, added a sombre note in terms of the impact the global banking crisis is likely to have on the region, whilst showing support for the ambition of the goals set out by Dave Anderson.

“You will be living in the worst economic climate for several decades,” he said. “This region could suffer significantly. But to make the best of a bad set of circumstances, the proposals delivered today have to be the best way forward.”

Meanwhile Dermot Finch, Director of research group Centre for Cities, urged the region to assess itself unflinchingly to isolate its true strengths. “Identify what you really are world class at, not what you’d like to be world class at,” he said. “And remember that city regions are not an end in themselves. They must have a purpose.”

Dermot Finch, Brendan Dick and Mike Smith answer question from delegates

Dermot also recommended concentrating efforts on a “big win” that would secure the confidence of both the public and investors in the ability of all stakeholders within the region to work together. Based on his experience of city regions in England, he suggested focusing on transport. “The risk of putting everything on the ‘front’ burner is that you can’t deliver them all,” he warned.

“This is a last chance to get transport right,” agreed Jeremy Peat, who reflected on 20 years of stalled initiatives. “It is a huge challenge but it has to be done.”

Brendan Dick, Director of BT Scotland and Chair of the Edinburgh Business Assembly, drew a metaphor between the successful evolution of his organisation and the challenges ahead for the city region. His verdict is that the region is currently too inward looking, too reliant on government solutions, prone to short-term thinking – and guilty of too much talking and not enough action. He urged a menu of strong leadership, an emphasis on sustainable growth (both economically and environmentally) and a determination to take care discussions about the organisations,” he said. “Let’s just get an agenda and get on with it.”

Brendan also suggested encouraging the establishment of carbon clubs across the region for businesses and members of the public to swap ideas on sustainability. It’s a theme that fitted neatly with the contribution from Mike Smith, Director of Product and Innovation at the URS Corporation, who examined the importance of building carbon emission targets into Edinburgh’s economic development plans.

However, it was left to Jeremy Peat to summarise the mood of the event. And having provided a stark warning regarding the economic prospects for Scotland over the next two years, he pointed to the importance of remembering the end game. “You’ve got to be thinking about the period when we come out of this horrible recession,” he said. “You need to know which areas you are best at so that you can focus on them, and emerge lean, mean and ready to compete with the rest of the world.”

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