Concerns over serious failures within Edinburgh Council 's care services for young people should be discussed in public "as much as possible", councillors have agreed - as an emergency meeting was held in private over the issues.
An emergency meeting of the Education, Children and Families Committee was held on Tuesday (May 3) on the request of Conservative members after reports emerged that an investigation into the culture of Edinburgh Secure Services (ESS) – the local authority's provider of care and accommodation for youngsters aged 10 to 17 – was requested by the council's Chief Executive Andrew Kerr in 2017 but never took place.
Tory group leader Iain Whyte argued the public "has a right to know" about any potential "corporate failure" in the council, however officials said there were legal concerns about holding discussions in public "at this time", adding that doing so could lead to the identification of victims.
