It has been three and a half weeks since a fire ripped through 109-112 Princes Street, closing the thoroughfare to traffic and cutting off trams to the north and east of Edinburgh. 

The blaze is still under investigation, but its impact has already been felt. Traders along the tram line, particularly in Leith, have reported a decline in footfall following the fire, as well as a corresponding decline in revenues.  

However, prior to last Friday, when the government put out a brief statement saying that Deputy First Minister Jenny Gilruth (John Swinney must be busy) would hold talks with City of Edinburgh Council leader Jane Meagher, three weeks passed with no comment from Holyrood.

The long-awaited summit is expected to be held in the capital on Thursday.

Princes Street is expected to remain closed until mid-August while work continues. (Image: City of Edinburgh Council)

Until The Herald approached the government on Tuesday, August 28 (nineteen days after the fire) to ask if ministers would open up their emergency coffers to the cash-strapped local........

© Herald Scotland