Scaffold Cathedral.

Preparations are underway on the Royal Mile for Edinburgh's Hogmanay, a focus of which is near the old Tron Church.

The Tron used to be the traditional focus of New Year celebrations, with all and sundry from Edinburgh and the surrounding districts congregating there for The Bells.

But in recent years Hogmanay has been expanded and commercialised by the City Council, repackaged as an essential destination for foreign tourists to the perceived exclusion of many of Edinburgh's citizens.

This year these celebrations take place with a backdrop of cuts and rationalisation of Council services, with hundreds having to deal with redundancy and the dole with less than a month before Christmas.