An official agreement on the day-to-day management of the Water of Leith basins has been approved by the City of Edinburgh Council and key partners the Water of Leith Conservation Trust (WOLCT), Forth Ports Limited, Water of Leith 2000 Limited, Bluefield 1502 LLP and Friends of the Water of Leith Basin.

Amongst the actions to be carried out are regular patrols of the basin area by the Friends of the Water of Leith Basin to check for litter and, where necessary, for WOLCT to organise volunteer clean-ups along the length of the Water of Leith, supported by Council Natural Heritage Service and cleansing teams. Forth Ports Ltd, Water of Leith 2000 Ltd and Bluefield 1502 LLP will also maintain areas of the basin under their ownership while supporting actions by volunteers.

Welcoming the new agreement, Council Leader Adam McVey said: "I'm delighted that a formal agreement amongst partners has been developed, which makes clear everyone's commitment and responsibility to better maintenance and care for the Water of Leith basins.

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"It's important to residents that we work together to tackle the unsightly and damaging build-up of debris in the Water of Leith and by working collaboratively, we'll be able to effectively deal with any issues and make real improvements."

Water of Leith Basin Partnership Statement February 2020:

"It is the intention of the partnership to review the accumulations of litter and debris regularly and after a high flow event. This information will be gathered by local residents and FOWLB, then passed to the WOLCT who will assess if a clean-up is required. If a clean-up is required the WOLCT will endeavour to clean-up within a month of this assessment, weather permitting.

"Should the accumulations be significant and require specialist contractors the WOLCT will inform Forth Ports, who will arrange specialist contractors to access the accumulations at Victoria Bridge and liaise with The City of Edinburgh Council over waste disposal. A clean-up will be scheduled no longer than a month after this assessment, weather permitting.

"WOLCT has confirmed that they are able to fulfil the role as set out in the agreement and require no additional revenue support to do so in the short term. WOLCT currently receives grant funding from the City of Edinburgh Council's Parks, Greenspace and Cemeteries department and there are is no intention to reduce this grant further in recognition of the key role that WOLCT play in fulfilling this agreement. Capital funding has been provided to WOLCT by Water of Leith 2000 Ltd for the purchase of equipment to assist in undertaking the clearance of litter and smaller items of debris.

"The financial arrangements and burden on the WOLCT and Forth Ports will be reviewed after six months.

"Overall the agreement will be reviewed after six months by all parties, with all parties providing feedback of what action has taken place during that period and a partnership update meeting will follow after 12 months, to review the efficacy of the agreement."

(MH/JG)