Jane Meagher was elected as the new leader of the council, replacing Cammy Day who was forced to quit earlier this month amid allegations he sent unsolicited sexual messages to Ukrainian refugees.
Both Councillor Day and his replacement joined the meeting remotely, with Cllr Meagher dialling in from 5,000 miles away as she had already left the country for Christmas.
The SNP and Greens challenged the status quo by proposing a coalition offering a “fresh start” for the city.
They hoped the rhetoric of some Labour members over the last two weeks around the instability of their group would translate into votes.
However only backbench Labour councillor Katrina Faccenda broke the whip in the end, and abstained from voting at the meeting on Thursday, December 19.
Cllr Faccenda said she believed the administration had failed over the last two years and “turned a blind eye to dishonestly”.
She criticised other political groups for propping it up: “This is not politics, you are putting your own interests above the people of Edinburgh,” she said, adding the system set up to create political plurality in local authorities had also failed.
“It doesn’t take into account the very particular, very special division of votes that takes place in Edinburgh,” she added. “What that’s actually done is allow people who put their own vanity, self interest, and also ambitions to be seen as kingmakers, in positions of too much power.”
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Fellow Labour councillor Lezley Marion-Cameron raised doubts over her group’s “capability and energy” to handle the workload of carrying on with their current numbers, but did not rebel in the vote.
She said: “It is not acceptable for followers or members of political groups to sit on their hands whilst an inept leader drives the proverbial bus off the cliff.”
Cllr Cameron said she was “saddened” and “shamed” by her group’s new leader, who joined the session remotely from Tanzania where she is visiting family, as she did not initially volunteer to speak to make the case for being elected as the council’s new leader.
Cllr Meagher, whose brief as the authority’s housing convener will be taken over by Cllr Cameron, then raised a virtual hand and said she would focus on getting “basic services like waste, cleansing and transport right”.
She said: “We’ve made good progress against our agreed priorities over the first half of this administration, despite the huge pressures on our services and on our budget. But there’s clearly a huge amount still to do.
“Our aim is to eradicate poverty and reach net zero by 2030.
“I want to build consensus for that.”
Also joining online was Councillor Day, who is sitting as an independent after being suspended by his party pending further investigation. With his camera turned off, he was only heard when voting for the Labour motion, as the SNP group demanded a vote by roll call.
Mr Day had been encouraged by councillors not to visit the City Chambers while investigations are ongoing, both by the police and Standards Commission into allegations of inappropriate behaviour, and also by the council into claims he has been letting out a property illegally as an unregistered landlord.
Deputy council leader Mandy Watt said the council had been through “a very difficult time” following the reports about Cllr Day, whilst arguing Labour in the council had “many achievements over the last few weeks, months and years”.
SNP group leader Simita Kumar said Labour “cannot and should not be allowed to continue in a 10-person, fractured administration”.
She said: “The Labour group are in complete denial and are blindly following the directive set by their national party, instead of one that has been set out by their own councillors or our residents.”
Greens co-leader Chas Booth said the coalition with the SNP was a chance to “end the current crisis” the council faced, adding it was the “only viable choice”.
Booth said: “We are offering to take on the responsibility of administration, but to do so in a way that reaches out across the council chamber.”
Ross McKenzie, the chamber’s only independent councillor who quit Labour last year in frustration over his group’s reliance on Lib Dem and Conservative votes, took aim at those two parties calling them “cowards”.
In an excoriating attack on the minority administration he said: “Every councillor in this chamber knows how weak it is, every councillor in here knows how incompetent it is – we can all see it.
“And yet Tory and Lib Dem councillors will put them back in because they’ve judged that that’s the politically expedient thing to do.”
It had been a “very difficult week and a half” for Tory group leader Iain Whyte, who supported continuing the decision until after the new year and a by-election in January where two vacant council seats will be filled.
He said: “There has been a great deal of turmoil about the council and I expect members of the public will think there is utter chaos going on in this building.
“While it’s not quite like that, there have been a lot of discussions going on between groups, and I’m happy to say there have been perhaps more discussions between groups than there have been on previous occasions and more efforts to come to a consensus.
“Our aim is to work for the basic core concerns of our citizens, to improve core services. And I think our best chance of doing that is to continue as we are and have influence on a minority administration.”
Commenting after, Cllr Meagher said: “This has been an extremely difficult and damaging time for the council. Today was an opportunity to restore stability and to get on with the business of running the city.
“As we count to down to 2025 – and to the challenging budget and other decisions that await us in the new year – we need stability, confidence and consensus.
“I know from speaking to colleagues from other political groups that they agree – and that’s what I’ve committed to today.
“I am, by my nature, a consensus builder – willing to take on board others’ views, willing to compromise and willing to take the type of decisions that will help and benefit the people of Edinburgh – particularly those most in need of our support.
“That’s the kind of leadership we need, and that’s what I’m determined to deliver for the city I’ve lived in for 50 years.”
Cllr Kumar said: “I congratulate Cllr Meagher on her appointment as the new leader of the council. There have been far too few women holding this position over the years.
“However, this cannot be simply more of the same that we have seen over the last two and a half years. I have severe concerns whether continuing this weak Labour administration will bring the change that Edinburgh so badly needs.
“We put forward a bold, progressive and positive proposal for change at the Chambers, after all the recent upheaval – a fresh start. I’m disappointed that there was not sufficient support for that today. Instead, the Lib Dems and Tories have got together to keep this ailing and discredited Labour administration to keep limping on. This is not in the interests of this city.
“We will continue to work positively across different parties in the chamber to hold this weak administration to account and strive to get the best outcomes for the people of Edinburgh.”
Lib Dem group leader Kevin Lang, who had been accused of “meddling” in Labour’s group leader contest ahead of the meeting by backing Cllr Meagher for the role, said: “Liberal Democrats have given Jane Meagher and the Labour group a second chance to lead. They still have a lot to do to rebuild trust and confidence in their administration.
“The last 10 days have been incredibly difficult for the council. However, we need to move on and look to the future.
“In just the next two months, we have big decisions to make on the proposed new visitor levy and on next year’s budget.
“That needs to be our focus.”