Breaking news

City Centre councillor Alasdair Rankin is backing moves to set up a new, independent service for Council whistleblowers.

Perhaps buoyed by sunshine, Environment Vice Convener Jim Orr yesterday thanked Edinbugh residents for recycling 38 percent of their waste – a 5 percent increase on last year.

The Council aims to recycle 50 per cent in 2014.

Spurtle has it on good authority that councillors will not after all vote on whether to bring in a trial City Vision at today's meeting of the Transport and Environment Committee.

Councillors had been due to vote on a range of temporary measures including:

If you’ve been toying with the idea of buying a spacious, 'iconic', A-listed church building in the New Town for offers of over £500,000 recently, you’ve probably missed your chance.

The deadline for bids on St Stephen’s Church on St Stephen Street was noon on Friday.

Broughton, meet Ben – guerilla barrista and smiling face of LOCK_UP_COFFEE on Broughton Street Lane (between Picardy Place and Forth Street).

Spurtle has 2 tickets to give away for the premiere of Sanctuary, a new play being staged this month at Whitespace Gallery on Gayfield Square as part of the Leith Festival.

Sanctuary is the work of emerging playwright David McFarlane, and explores a young man's guilt over a relationship breakdown and the difficulties around it.

It asks: How many losses go into the process of growing up?

The sun is out, the sky is blue, and the June issue of your local independent stirrer is bursting from the presses like ragwort out of an A-listed palace frontage.

A report by Planning officers into the proposed redevelopment of the former Royal Mail Sorting Office at 10 Brunswick Road has recommended that amended proposals by Long Harbour and Barratt (East Scotland) Ltd be granted planning permission. 

However, Councillors on the Planning Subcommittee – aware of multiple objections – yesterday opted for a site visit next week before meeting again to discuss the matter on 12 June.

Summer is here again and the Broughton Place gutters and pavement edges are bursting into flower, writes local resident and optimist Michael Anderson.

Last year there were at least 27 species of flowering plants (excluding grasses!) in the street and along the pavement edges.

Prospects for this year look even better – in particular, watch out for foxgloves before too long!

The new Alpine House at the Royal Botanic Garden opened to the public last Thursday, and Spurtle has now taken a look.