Emergency meeting called to save Edinburgh children's taxi outing from axe

An emergency meeting has been called by Edinburgh councillors in a bid to allow an annual taxi outing for sick kids in Edinburgh to go ahead.

The Edinburgh Trades Taxi Outing, which takes children with special needs and life-limiting illness for a day across the city, was effectively forced to cancel its run on June 9 this year due to a lack of support from the police.

But councillors at Tuesday’s policy committee agreed to call an emergency meeting to bring the event organisers and police together to find a solution.

And a top Police Scotland officer said the service would explore ways to help the event go ahead.

Labour councillor Mandy Watt said a determined effort was in place at the council to find a way forward, telling fellow councillors it “won’t be for a lack of trying” if the event can’t go ahead.

And council leader Jane Meagher said she was on the phone in the late hours of the evening with Edinburgh’s top officer and the council’s head exec working to find a solution.

The event sees youth and other passengers in cabs equipped with water guns, which they use to spray water at the many people lining the route of the outing.

It is seen as an annual high point for many of the young people involved, with members of the taxi trade taking part without pay.

Cllr Meagher said her calls had “set the ball rolling”, adding that she had fond memories of riding in the cabs during previous runnings of the event.

The last-minute cancellation came due to Police Scotland’s interpretation of new guidance issued by the National Police Chiefs’ Council.

The police service said they could support the cross-city tour if it followed the flow of traffic, but that they could not offer the support to provide a rolling road closure for the cabs.

Event organisers said running the event through traffic was a non-starter, as it could create uncertainty and discomfort for some of the children involved.

Taxi outing chief secretary Keith Bell said the event’s top priority “has been, and always will be” the comfort and safety of the children involved.

Conservative group leader Ian Whyte contributed during the meeting that, when a similar issue happened with an event he helped organise, a workaround had been found.

He said the organisation behind the event he was involved in was able to resolve a lack of police support through the event, providing extra stewarding, though the arrangement did add cost.

Police Scotland chief inspector Craig Rogerson said: “I have spoken with the event organisers and provided clarity regarding the operational considerations associated with this year’s event.

“We remain committed to working constructively with the organising committee and other key delivery partners to explore alternative options that would allow the event to proceed safely.”