THE current leader of the City of Edinburgh Council looks back on his tumultuous time in office with a sense of relief, he says.

SNP leader Adam McVey’s time in office has been turbulent. Four of his councillors have quit the party and McVey’s administration has been forced to deal with the impact of Covid-19, particularly devastating for the capital, as one of the UK’s premier tourism spots.

And with a growing population and a housing crisis without parallel in Scotland, whichever party comes out on top will have a lot to sink its teeth into.

McVey (below) seems confident of his party’s abilities to take on the challenge.

The National:

Holiday flats, known as short-term lets, have long been a scourge of Scotland’s most international city – pricing out residents, as unscrupulous landlords realise they can make more money renting to tourists than long-term tenants.

“We have driven forward national legislation on this – Edinburgh has been the driving force,” he told The National.

The city is waiting on Scottish ministers to sign off on its proposals to institute strict measures that will force landlords to apply for planning permission to convert properties into short-term lets.

But Chas Booth, a Greens ­councillor hoping for re-election, thinks the move must be “the first step” in properly taking the reins on Edinburgh’s housing crisis.

Edinburgh is the most expensive city in Scotland in which to buy a home, and for renters the picture is even worse – with rents outstripping house prices for the past five years, according to research by the Edinburgh Poverty Commission (EPC).

Housing costs were the number one thing forcing people into poverty, respondents to an EPC survey said in 2020. “We want to see more affordable housing which, of course, means ­socially-rented housing,” said Booth. “When people come to my advice surgeries, they don’t say, ‘I want a mid-market rent house’. No, they say, ‘I want a council house.’”

While McVey says his ­administration has overseen the ­construction of 20,000 affordable homes, the ­issue is murkier than it might seem, his ­opponents say.

The Greens want to ensure ­affordable housing does what it says on the tin. Booth said: “‘Affordable’ ­currently includes some tenures which are, frankly, not affordable to most people on low incomes.”

His party wants to see the ­percentage of affordable homes built in new developments pushed up to just under half.

Incomes are significantly higher in Edinburgh than the Scottish average; it is, as McVey says, a “rich city”.

But it is also unequal and the SNP want to eradicate poverty by 2030. “The next five years are crucial,” said McVey.

McVey’s administration, jointly run with the support of Labour, may experience some barriers in getting voters to lend them their votes again.

The Tories especially have made “political hay” over measures such as the temporary cycle lanes, which proved so unpopular many of them have now been removed.

But McVey thinks people are ­behind the broader vision of ­making getting around the capital easier, cheaper and greener.

“The long-term projects we need to build, that’s where our focus is,” he said.

“[The Tories] have no plans whatsoever on how we can build better permanent structures, and that’s what people in Edinburgh are really worried about – how do we address climate change if we can’t encourage more people to cycle?”

BOTH the Greens and SNP are determined to meet ambitious net zero targets and slash Edinburgh’s emissions.

The two big challenges they face, according to Booth, are ­improving public transport and reducing ­people’s energy bills in a city full of old, draughty homes.

“Action on climate change needs to be urgent and it needs to be fair,” he said. “It needs to not penalise people on low incomes.”

The Greens propose a large scale programme of insulating buildings. They say it will bring down ­household bills, key as energy prices skyrocket, as well as tackling the city’s ­emissions.

Tackling Auld Reekie’s carbon footprint is a “huge challenge”, says McVey, whose party also proposes retrofitting (making existing ­buildings more eco-friendly).

Big insulation projects might make residents fearful of mass decants – costly for the council and disruptive for residents. Though the Greens say external insulation panels could be the solution for Edinburgh’s newer buildings, Booth admits changing an inch of the famous faces of both the Old and New Town will not fly.

But all of this remains academic ­before the final votes are counted.

The denizens of Edinburgh may well have good reason to feel fed up. Since Covid hit, they have been denied the things that make the city truly special.

The Edinburgh International ­Festival and the Fringe were both cancelled in 2020, and then scaled back significantly last year. Its world-famous Hogmanay celebrations were ditched because of Covid fears in 2021.

“There is a lot of disillusionment,” said Booth.

“Especially in my part of the world, Leith, the tram works have been ­going on far too long, and that the council is not listening to local people’s ­concerns over issues like the tram works, over high-quality greenspace, air pollution and climate change.”

McVey points out the recent ­extension of the trams to Newhaven has been within budget.

But it is the Tories his party really need to beat if they are to hold on to the top spot – the party was just one seat behind the SNP at the last poll and were on an upward trajectory.

Former Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson held a constituency seat right in the heart of Edinburgh, and it was only turned back to yellow by party heavyweight Angus Robertson.

If McVey is worried about his chances, he doesn’t show it.

“We became the largest party for the first time ever in 2017,” he said. “That was quite a historic result for us. I’m very much hoping to build on that and keep the trust of the people of Edinburgh.

“But really it’s a decision for them, as to whose aspirations, whose plans they want to see delivered and then, once the votes are counted, it’s incumbent upon all of us to work together.” And despite the challenges posed by the last five years of running Scotland’s capital, McVey is hopeful voters will continue to put their trust in him.

He said: “This has been the most challenging time for anyone since the 1940s.

“I look back on the last more than two years with a sense of relief that it’s coming to an end. This has been a terrible time for literally everyone.”

No party is standing enough candidates to command a majority – so McVey’s vision of cross-party working is the only possible outcome for the city. But whoever comes out on top will need to convince Edinburgh voters they are up to the task of making sure this historic city is back for business – and fit for the future.