ANY move to sell off Edinburgh's historic city chambers building for luxury flats should be made a local election issue or be put to a referendum, it was suggested yesterday, writes Jim Robertson.
Vacating the Royal Mile address and moving into the former New St Andrew's House, in the capital's east end, is said to be an option being considered to solve the council's accommodation problems.
However, Conservative group leader, Councillor Daphne Sleigh, described the suggestion as ''absolutely disgraceful'' and accused Labour of being ''prepared to sell off our grannies next''.
She said: ''The city chambers building isn't the Labour Party's to sell. It belongs to the people of Edinburgh.
''If there is any question of this being seriously put forward, it should be as an election issue or we should simply have a referendum on it. It is sheer madness.''
Edinburgh's Labour Lord Provost, Eric Milligan, described the sell-off of the chambers for flats as ''speculation''. He said: ''Edinburgh councillors have been in the centre of the High Street at one location or another since about the 1200s, so it is not a decision that would be taken lightly. If it was to be brought up, there would have to be an awful lot of consideration given to it, with suitable sensitivity.''
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