Final confirmation that Edinburgh children's taxi outing can go ahead after all
Council will control traffic lights to allow convoy to pass through together
Organisers of Edinburgh's annual children's taxi outing have secured final confirmation this year's event can go ahead despite earlier fears it would have to be cancelled.
The outing, for children with additional needs, life-limiting conditions and terminal illnesses, is put on and funded by city taxi drivers and dates back to 1947.
But on Monday it was announced that it would not be able to go ahead this year due to a change of policy by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) which meant the outing no longer qualified for a police escort.
The event involves a convoy of decorated cabs which drives through the city centre, with the children firing water pistols from inside the taxis, and then heads out to East Lothian.
The Edinburgh Taxi Outing committee said the parade would not be able to go ahead without an escort because the convoy would get split up at traffic lights. But the prospect of the outing being cancelled caused a public outcry.
A petition launched on change.org received more than 2,000 signatures. MSPs and councillors said they were inundated with emails from people upset that it wasn't going to go ahead. And Justice Secretary Neil Gray was urged to intervene.
City council leader Jane Meagher contacted Edinburgh police commander Chief Superintendent David Robertson on Monday evening and tabled an emergency motion at the council's policy committee on Tuesday, calling the relevant parties together to find a solution.
It then emerged that despite the NPCC policy change, it was up to individual police forces across the country to decide how they implemented the policy. Police Scotland held discussions with the outing organisers on Wednesday and said an "outline plan" had been agreed which would allow the event to go ahead on June 9.
And a meeting on Thursday brought together the organising committee, the city council, East Lothian Council, Police Scotland, Lothian Buses and Edinburgh Trams to agree details of the arrangements.
It is understood the council has agreed to control traffic lights along the route in such a way that the convoy can pass through together.
Keith Bell, secretary of the Edinburgh Taxi Outing, said: "Thanks to a considerable amount of effort from all parties, we have been able to find a way to allow the outing to proceed as a single convoy whilst still complying with relevant legislation This will be wonderful news for everyone involved.
"The outing committee knew that the outing held a special place in the hearts of many, but even we were surprised at the level of love and support we have received from places as far away as the USA and Australia.
"Now that we are certain that the event can go ahead, we are still welcoming Edinburgh taxi drivers to volunteer to come on the outing with their taxis - details are on our Facebook page.
"The last thing we need is someone to sort out the weather for us but, even if it’s raining, I know that people will still come out to meet us."
Cllr Meagher said: "I'm so excited that it's now going ahead. When my daughter Ellie was at Graysmill special school she used to go on the outing and I used to go with her, so I've got personal experience of how much it matters to the children and how excited and proud they are."
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