Charges brought over council repairs in Edinburgh

Four former Edinburgh Council workers and 11 contractors have been charged with fraud and corruption following an investigation into repair work.

The former employees, who are male and aged 42, 45, 59 and 62, have been charged in relation to repairs carried out at council buildings in Edinburgh.

The contractors, between the ages of 30 and 64, have also been charged with money laundering offences.

A full report will be submitted to the procurator fiscal.

Lothian and Borders Police said the charges were not connected to their investigation into the council's statutory notice repairs scheme, but that they came to light as part of their investigations.

Customer complaints

Mark Turley, Edinburgh City Council's director of services for communities, said: "The council's investigation has identified major concerns in both property care and property conservation.

"As a result, seven staff have been dismissed so far with a number of cases still under consideration.

"This shows that since this service became my responsibility in March 2011 these concerns have been taken very seriously.

"We are working hard to deal with the significant numbers of customer complaints and to ensure that in future services are accountable to customers and that the necessary checks and balances are built-in.

"I would thank people for their patience and re-assure them that we will deal with their complaints thoroughly and as quickly as we possibly can."