Monday September 22nd 2025
Edinburgh City Chambers
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Joe Sullivan
Bringing security staff in-house at three council buildings is a ‘victory for workers’ rights’, according to Edinburgh councillors.
At Thursday’s finance committee meeting, councillors voted to have the city deliver security services at the City Chambers, the customer hub on High Street, and the Waverley Court headquarters building.
Speaking after the meeting, Green councillor Claire Miller said: “Our security personnel provide a vital service to the city, making sure that Council premises are safe for staff and visitors.
“Yet for years the Council has been content to hire them via private companies with a terrible track record on workers’ rights – denying them basic employment rights like sick pay and pensions.
“Over the past years, Greens have been taking every opportunity to call for our hardworking security staff to be in-housed, and we’re so pleased to see progress on this as last.
It has been one of the nicest parts of the role so far to be able to tell our familiar faces who greet us each morning and see us off each night that the Council is finally going to be treating them properly as they deserve.”
The in-housing at the three buildings set to run, in part, as a trial to see what benefits might be associated with bringing more of the council’s security service under its own roof.
A report before councillors at that meeting said pulling the council’s entire security estate away from the private sector would see a £1 million per year increase on current costs.
In February, a three-year contract for security services in the council began, with two possible year-long extensions, at a total contract value of £13.9m.
At Thursday’s meeting, committee convener and Labour councillor Mandy Watt said: “Very pleased that we’re progressing this. I think it’s really, really important.
“I think what’s needed from our security services has changed, as the council has changed, the environment we’re operating in has changed.
“I do think that we absolutely need to take cognisance of that and change it.”
Currently, 15% of the city property estate’s security services are delivered by the council.
Security staff provide static guarding of buildings, patrols, and mobile incident support, as well as other services.
They also maintain a 24/7/365 contact centre and control room, and monitor over 2,100 CCTV cameras in the city.
Green councillor Alex Staniforth said: “While of course the council must make prudent decisions with public money, what we must remember is that when things seem cheap, it’s normally because somebody somewhere isn’t paying what they should.
“Making a saving by denying loyal workers their rightful terms and conditions isn’t the sort of thing that we should be doing as an employer who cares about justice and equality.
“This is a really positive move, and I hope we will see all staff in-housed soon and stop spending public money on private third parties who don’t share our values.”
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