In Edinburgh, The SNP have bounced their LibDem 'coalition partners' into backtracking on their support for a scheme that would see owners of the most heavily polluting vehicles pay more to park in the city. The original proposals were drawn up after the full council accepted an amendment by Green councillor Steve Burgess in November last year.

Despite the fact that the modest proposals would see 66% of permit holders pay less (if they owned lower emissions vehicles) and that the scheme was revenue neutral overall, the SNP seen to have allowed the petrol heads on the Evening News discussion boards dictate their policy. This move is just as wrong headed as their decision to subsidise fisherman's fuel costs up North. 

Cllr Burgess said:

"The SNP have succeeded in rolling the LibDems over on this. At the beginning of the week the Council leader Jenny Dawe was arguing in favour of the scheme but now her group have accepted an SNP tactic that kicks the scheme into the long grass. Sadly, it now remains to be seen whether the SNP will succeed, with Tory support, in totally scuppering the scheme.

"The time for dilly-dallying over action to reduce climate pollution should be over. The Council could have shown leadership today. Sadly it has missed an opportunity."

It's touching to hear Alex Salmond is going to share his personal story about living with Athsma. Maybe the rest of his party could support him, me, and the thousands of others, whose asthma is affected by poor air quality in the city, by backing this measure?

On building standards the council has just made an even worse decision by refusing to take action that would improve the energy efficiency of new medium size buildings in the city. For buildings 500m2 - 1000m2 the current standards are lower than those recomended by the Scottish Government. The LibDems promised to make Edinburgh a sustainable city. I'm not seeing how this is going to happen anytime soon with 'leadership' like this.