Lord Provost of Edinburgh

Last updated

Lord Provost of Edinburgh
Scottish Gaelic: Morair Pròbhaist Dhùn Èideann
Coat of Arms of the Edinburgh City Council.svg
Coat of Arms of the City of Edinburgh Council
Incumbent
Robert Aldridge
since 26 May 2022
City of Edinburgh Council
Style The Right Honourable
Type Convener/Chairperson
Member of City of Edinburgh Council
Reports to City of Edinburgh Council
Seat Edinburgh
Nominator City of Edinburgh Council
Appointer City of Edinburgh Council
Inaugural holderJohn of Whiteness
Formation13th Century
First holderJohn of Whiteness
DeputyDeputy Lord Provost of Edinburgh
List of Lords Provost in Edinburgh City Chambers Edinburgh-lord-provosts.jpg
List of Lords Provost in Edinburgh City Chambers

The Right Honourable Lord Provost of Edinburgh is elected by and is the convener of the City of Edinburgh Council and serves not only as the chair of that body, but as a figurehead for the entire city, ex officio the Lord-Lieutenant of Edinburgh and honorarily the Admiral of the Firth of Forth. It is the equivalent in many ways to the institution of Mayor that exists in many other countries.

Contents

While some of Scotland's local authorities elect a Provost, only the four main cities (Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee) have a Lord Provost. In Edinburgh this position dates from 1667, when Charles II elevated the Provost to the status of Lord Provost, with the same rank and precedence as the Lord Mayor of London. The title of Lord Provost is enshrined in the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 .

Roles and Traditions

A Baillie lamp in George Square, Edinburgh A Baillie lamp in George Square, Edinburgh.jpg
A Baillie lamp in George Square, Edinburgh

Prior to the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 the City of Edinburgh was run by a single-tier body called the Edinburgh Corporation, of which the Lord Provost was chair. Akin to the Corporation of the City of London, the body included council representatives from the Incorporated Trades of Edinburgh and the Merchant Company of Edinburgh. The corporations security was provided by the High Constables of Edinburgh, who also serve as the Provost's bodyguard. Although the 1973 Act changed the governance of the City, the Lord Provost retains a relationship with the Merchants Company and Incorporated Trades. The High Constables continue to serve as the Lord Provost's bodyguards. The Lord Provost is also by virtue of their office the Lord High Admiral of the Firth of Forth. [1]

The Lord Provost chairs meetings of Edinburgh City Council at the Edinburgh City Chambers, originally opened in 1760 by Lord Provost George Drummond as a meeting place for Edinburgh merchants and known as the Edinburgh Royal Exchange. The Lord Provost takes part in a number of ceremonies and traditions, including The Edinburgh Ceremony of the Keys, the Kirking of the Deacons, The Riding of the Marches and the Edinburgh Hogmanay. The Lord Provost also coordinates Armed Forces Day parades with both the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards and The Royal Regiment of Scotland.

Whilst the Lord Provost technically has no official residence, Lauriston Castle - a property bequeathed to the Edinburgh Corporation and now under the ownership of Edinburgh City Council - has been used to host the Lord Provost's annual Garden Party. [2] It was suggested in 2013 that Lauriston Castle be renovated and turned into an official residence for the Lord Provost, however the cost at the time was deemed too prohibitive. [3]

Lord Provosts are entitled to two ceremonial Baillie's Lamps outside their home in the city (few chose this to be done). These are green and gold street lamps. These lamps remain in place for the duration of the Lord Provost's term in office. When they demit the office one was removed, while the other remains for the duration of the Lord Provost's life or occupancy of said building. [4]

The Lord Provost's official car bears the licence plate S0. This licence plate was issued specially by the Ministry of Transport after the Edinburgh corporation missed out on acquiring Scotland’s first number plate, S1 at the turn of the 20th century. A number of other licence plates are owned by the council for other official vehicles, including S10 and SS10. In 2012 it was proposed that the licence plates could be sold to help raise funds for the city, however this plan does not appear to have gone ahead. [5] [6]

The High Constables of Edinburgh serve as the Lord Provost's ceremonial bodyguard and form the Lord Provost's Platoon at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. [7]

The Lord Provost also has a team of six bailies to support their work, appointed by Edinburgh City Council.

Whenever the monarch is in residence in Edinburgh, the Lord Provost is called upon to undertake the Ceremony of the Keys (Edinburgh). [8]

The Lord Provost has a reserved pew at Kirk of the Canongate. This is because historically the gift of the living lay with the bailies of Canongate, but when Canongate merged with Edinburgh in 1856, so too did this power. [9]

Current and past Lord Provosts

The incumbent Lord Provost is Robert Aldridge. He has served on the council continuously since 1984, and was previously the leader of the Liberal Democrat group. He was elected Lord Provost unanimously. [10]

In total, there have been 258 Provosts and Lord Provosts.

Related Research Articles

The politics of Edinburgh are expressed in the deliberations and decisions of the City of Edinburgh Council, in elections to the council, the Scottish Parliament and the UK Parliament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leith</span> Port district of Edinburgh, Scotland

Leith is a port area in the north of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Queensferry</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Queensferry, also called South Queensferry or simply "The Ferry", is a town to the west of Edinburgh, Scotland. Traditionally a royal burgh of West Lothian, it is now administered by the City of Edinburgh Council. It lies ten miles to the north-west of Edinburgh city centre, on the shore of the Firth of Forth between the Forth Bridge, Forth Road Bridge and the Queensferry Crossing. The prefix South serves to distinguish it from North Queensferry, on the opposite shore of the Forth. Both towns derive their name from the ferry service established by Queen Margaret in the 11th century, which continued to operate at the town until 1964, when the Road Bridge was opened.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burgh</span> Former autonomous corporate entity in Scotland and Northern England

A burgh is an autonomous municipal corporation in Scotland, usually a city, town, or toun in Scots. This type of administrative division existed from the 12th century, when King David I created the first royal burghs. Burgh status was broadly analogous to borough status, found in the rest of the United Kingdom. Following local government reorganisation in 1975, the title of "royal burgh" remains in use in many towns, but now has little more than ceremonial value.

The High Constables of Holyroodhouse are a small corps of ceremonial bodyguards at the Sovereign's official residence in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh. Created in the early sixteenth century to protect the Monarch in residence at Holyrood, as well as to guard the Palace and Abbey, and enforce law and order within the precincts of the Palace and the Holyrood Abbey Sanctuary.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of Edinburgh history</span>

This article is a timeline of the history of Edinburgh, Scotland, up to the present day. It traces its rise from an early hill fort and later royal residence to the bustling city and capital of Scotland that it is today.

A bailie or baillie is a civic officer in the local government of Scotland. The position arose in the burghs, where bailies formerly held a post similar to that of an alderman or magistrate. Baillies appointed the high constables in Edinburgh, Leith and Perth. Modern bailies exist in Scottish local councils, and the position being a courtesy title, appointees are often requested to provide support to the lord provost or provost - the ceremonial and civic head of the council - in their various engagements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dalmeny</span> Human settlement in Scotland

Dalmeny is a village and civil parish in Scotland. It is located on the south side of the Firth of Forth, 1 mile (1.6 km) southeast of South Queensferry and 8 miles (13 km) west of Edinburgh city centre. It lies within the traditional boundaries of West Lothian, and falls under the local governance of the City of Edinburgh Council. Dalmeny is on the route used as the X99 Queensferry off-service loop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lauriston Castle</span>

Lauriston Castle is a 16th-century tower house with 19th-century extensions overlooking the Firth of Forth, in Edinburgh, Scotland. It lies on Cramond Road South, between Cramond, Davidson's Mains, and Silverknowes. The substantial grounds, Lauriston Castle Gardens, operate as a local park. The castle was bequeathed to the Edinburgh Corporation and hosts the Lord Provost's annual Garden Party. The house is a Category A listed building and the grounds are included in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland.

George Darlington Wilson Grubb was a Scottish politician who served as the Lord Provost and ex officio Lord-Lieutenant of Edinburgh from May 2007 until May 2012. He was also a Liberal Democrat councillor of the City of Edinburgh Council for Almond ward. In 2012 he stood down as a councillor, at the end of his five-year term as Lord Provost.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Holyrood Palace</span> Residence of the British monarch in Scotland

The Palace of Holyroodhouse, commonly known as Holyrood Palace, is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. Located at the bottom of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, at the opposite end to Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood has served as the principal royal residence in Scotland since the 16th century, and is a setting for state occasions and official entertaining.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">City of Edinburgh Council</span> Local government body in Scotland

The City of Edinburgh Council is the local government authority covering the City of Edinburgh council area. Almost half of the council area is the built-up area of Edinburgh, capital of Scotland. With a population of 514,990 in mid-2019, it is the second most populous local authority area in Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Craigroyston Community High School</span> School in Edinburgh, Scotland

Craigroyston Community High School is a non-denominational community secondary school in Muirhouse, Edinburgh.

Events from the year 1828 in Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Incorporated Trades of Edinburgh</span> Trade and craft bodies of the City of Edinburgh, Scotland

The Incorporated Trades of Edinburgh are the trade and craft bodies of the City of Edinburgh, Scotland, in much the same way as the Livery companies are in The City of London, but on a much smaller scale. The Incorporations are not "guilds", that term being properly reserved in Scotland for the merchant bodies in the various burghs. The Incorporations have never referred to themselves as guilds; indeed they came into existence, mostly in the latter part of the fifteenth century, in order to counter the growing power of the merchant guild, known as the Royal Company of Merchants of the City of Edinburgh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High Constables of Edinburgh</span> Now-ceremonial group of constables based in Edinburgh, Scotland

The High Constables of Edinburgh are a prestigious body of constables, founded in 1611 and located in Edinburgh, Scotland. Historically, the High Constables were charged with policing the streets of Edinburgh, the capital city of Scotland, however today their duties are mostly ceremonial. It is believed that the High Constables of Edinburgh are the first example of a statutory police force in the world. At one time they formed part of the now defunct Corporation of the City of Edinburgh and continue to serve a ceremonial function in the local government of Edinburgh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ceremony of the Keys (Edinburgh)</span> Annual ceremony held at Holyrood Palace

The Ceremony of the Keys is held in Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh, at the start of the British monarch's week-long residence there in July. Soon after the monarch's arrival, in the forecourt of the Palace, the King or Queen is symbolically offered the keys to the city of Edinburgh by the Lord Provost:

We, the Lord Provost and the members of the City of Edinburgh Council, welcome Your Majesty to the capital city of your Ancient and Hereditary Kingdom of Scotland and offer for your gracious acceptance the Keys of Your Majesty's good City of Edinburgh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of Edinburgh</span> Overview of and topical guide to Edinburgh

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Edinburgh:

Sir John Smith of Grothill and Kings Cramond was a 17th-century Scottish landowner and merchant who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1643 to 1646.

Walter Brown (c.1770–c.1840) was a Scottish wine merchant who served as Lord Provost of Edinburgh from 1827 to 1829.

References

  1. "The Lord Provost".
  2. "In Pictures: First Lord Provost garden party". www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com.
  3. "Lord Provost wanted Lauriston Castle for parties". www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com.
  4. "Ceremonial Lamp Posts outside the home of Edinburgh's Lord Provost at 10 Wellhead Close, South Queensferry, 2011Ceremonial Lamp Posts outside the home of Edinburgh's Lord Provost at 10 Wellhead Close, South Queensferry, 2011". www.edinphoto.org.uk. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  5. Henry, Jayne (18 April 2012). "Lord Provost's numberplate S 0 is to be sold" . Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  6. Stewart, Kirsty (13 January 2016). "Lord provosts urged to sell car registrations for funds as plates worth £3m". Daily Record. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  7. "High praise for city's first police". www.scotsman.com. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  8. Mcilkenny, Stephen (12 September 2022). "Ceremony of the Keys Edinburgh: What is the Ceremony of the Keys as King Charles III and Queen Consort attend traditional ceremony | The Scotsman". The Scotsman . Archived from the original on 12 September 2022. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  9. "A History of Canongate Kirk – Canongate Kirk". 6 July 2020. Archived from the original on 6 July 2020. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  10. "Edinburgh appoints new Lord Provost". www.edinburgh.gov.uk. Retrieved 26 May 2022.

Sources