Solutions to graffiti around Leith and Broughton?

Councillor Jack Caldwell has met with the Council to find solutions to the senseless tagging across the area.

Jack said “After many residents have raised this as a concern, I recently met with a Council officer on the graffiti team. I'm pleased to report that the team are looking to expand their capacbilities in the next year and hear about how departments such as the Bridges and Structures team are deploying preventative measures.”

Residents are encouraged to report grafitti on Council property at edinburgh.gov.uk/graffiti. The Council teams can clear tagging from:

• Bins and foodwaste bin cases
• Bus stops
• Lamp-posts
• Bicycle storage hangars
• Parks' equipment and walls
• Schools' equipment and walls
• Council-owned buildings and houses

Additionally, utility companies that operate street cabinets and and mobile phone mast equipment have a legal duty to ensure their assets are kept maintained. Most cabinets have the name of the utility provider on the side (this was easier when telecoms were nationalised!).

The Council does not have a firm legal footing, nor the resource currently, to be able to clear graffiti from private property. However, Councillor Caldwell has been in discussions with various teams about how to assist residents in shared stairwells can get kits to clear their tenement doors, as some constituted groups (such as Parks Friends) can apply for a free graffiti cleaning kit provided they have the proper insurance.

So far in 2024, Councillor Caldwell has reported over 30 pieces of tagged equipment across Leith, Broughton, Hillside, Bonnington, Abbeyhill, Pilrig, Easter Road, and Canonmills.

Some of the potential new developments above, as well as any new “legal walls” for proper graffiti art, will be reported to various committees in 2025.