Edinburgh Sucks! | Maginnis goes for closure on renowned community resource

Elizabeth Maginnis

Maginnis goes for closure on renowned community resource

By The Basa ⋅ October 17, 2006 ⋅

Bunty Backhander, the loser in the labour leadership race in the city who never even got a cabinet position is now sure to come under intense fire over one of her other jobs.

As well as being a full-time councillor, she also draws the salary of the full-time Manger of the Pilton Elderly project. A third job is the consultancy company she runs with her husband; but the job that will get her a bit of a kicking from her constituents is that as Chair of the Ultra-Secretative Waterfront Edinburgh.

It has come to our notice that Waterfront Edinburgh who, after months of thuggery, intimidation and downright lies, have now come clean and said that the lease will not be renewed on the amazing and world renowned Lighthouse Studio Complex in Granton. If something is not done, then they will close doors next year.

The complex houses a unique organisation, which not only provides superb facilities for music, film and TV professionals, unrivalled in Scotland, but also works with schools throughout the city, children excluded from school, young people who want to develop their musical skills, school and youth groups.

The majority of the high schools and colleges in Edinburgh use the complex almost on a weekly basis and usicians who have worked at the Lighthouse include Seu Jorge from Brazil, Sway, 3Style, Myagi, Hip Hop artist S-Kay, Aberfeldy, The Proclaimers, Amplifico, Scottish Piper Henry, Streetside, The Magnificents, Nikki King, Quinn and Katie Targett Adams, Music produced, mixed and mastered at the Lighthouse includes 3Style, Streetside, Damien Taylor of the Prodigy, comedian Bill Bailey and a live album by Goodbye Mr. McKenzie.

Film projects at the Lighthouse have included productions by BBC, Channel 4, Nobles Gate, Green Room Films, Hee-Haw Productions, Blimey Productions and Junction Films; Clerkenwell Films produced ‘Quite Ugly One Morning’ starring James Nesbitt, and the BBC’s BAFTA award-winning programme Shoebox Zoo. Film Four/Extreme Film title shots were filmed at Lighthouse and produced by Channel 4/Nobles Gate with Mark Kermode. Other projects at the Lighthouse include ‘Wedding Belles,’ the new production by Irvine Welsh and BBC Scotland recorded and filmed a new production, ‘Scotland’s Archive’

TRL in conjunction with Lighthouse/Black Sugar shot and produced a programme for MTV on the Edinburgh music scene.

All of this done in by local business, run by local people and making a difference in their own community. They even offer their premises half price to people who are unemployed to help them become wage earners. Facilities like this do more for the community of Edinburgh that the majority of the council funded ventures.

We are told that the Lighthouse receives zero public funds and is obviously ultra-successful not only in business terms but also for the work they do for their local community including Bunty Backhander’s constituents. Why would she want this closed down.

Why is Maginnis trying so hard to get this shut down?

Together on the board with Maginnis are two other city councillors Ian Perry and Baillie Billy Fitzpatrick (who we now believe is off the bottle, or at least has cut back the drinking). Perry is Executive Member for Social Inclusion - funny position to have when he is on the board of Waterfront which is so exclusive that it doesn’t have their phone number on their website.

More to come…….