Community meeting at Granton Youth Centre
Tuesday 2 February 5.30pm 
Day: January 23, 2016
A place for all at Edinburgh College
Edinburgh College guarantees a place to local school leavers
Edinburgh College is guaranteeing a place to study to all school students in Edinburgh, East Lothian and Midlothian, to make sure they can achieve their education and career ambitions. The college is promising to help every eligible school student who applies find a course for 2016/17 at the right level in the right area. Continue reading A place for all at Edinburgh College
Letter: Frozen Out
Dear Editor
The freeze on Council Tax by the Tory government was seen by many as a good move to help people; many others said look into the why and the consequences of that action.
The average saving brought about by the freeze was around 50p per week; the shortfall in council income would be made up – but not fully – by a government grant. This money could only be spent on issues approved by the government, with councils having no control, and that is why many people raised the questions ‘why?’ and ‘what consequences would there be?’
Government policy is to cut public services and controlling their finances: the council tax freeze was a step in that direction.
It now seems, at last, that councils are beginning to understand the government’s intention to break local services, decision-making and control.
Councils everywhere will have to pressure the Scottish Parliament to end the council tax freeze and work towards the abolition of the council tax itself, introducing a new fairer tax. In the meantime we have to make sure councils do not attempt to impose large increases but to look at other ways of easing the burden on their communities, for example:
A Tourist Tax, as in other countries
Private schools to pay tax on their income by abolishing their status as charities
Loan deals made by the Council to be renegotiated
These ideas among other things
A.Delahoy
Silverknowes Gardens