The Edinburgh city council is located at the City chambers, High street. Local self-government has a long history in Scotland dating back to the 12th century. The burgh county and parish councils have evolved over the centuries to operate on a democratic basis. Local Councilors take decisions for their specific areas or wards. Edinburgh city council has 58 councilors who are elected every four years. Edinburgh council is the second largest employer in the city with over 15,000 employees. Edinburgh city council is responsible for providing key public services such as urban development, housing, police, fire, education, road safety, recreation and public transport. The Education department of the Edinburgh city council concerns itself with pupil support services, youth work and adult education programmes. The Edinburgh city council has a housing department that oversees development of new and improved housing, services for homeless people and special housing services. The city council of Edinburgh is considering issuance of spot fines of ?100 for noisy neighbors. This is seen as a move against rowdy students staying in apartments who have been resorting to anti-social behaviour. The business park in West Edinburgh is a joint venture between the Miller Group and the Edinburgh City Council. This has been hit severely by the sliding demand for office rentals across the U.K. consequently, it has reported dropping profits.
