Tag: consultation

Creating a robust future for Gaelic and Scots? Consultation launched

A commitment to ensure the long-term growth of Gaelic and Scots is at the heart of a new public consultation launched today.

The consultation seeks views on how to raise the profile of Scots, a new strategic approach to Gaelic medium education (GME) and the creation of a Gàidhealtachd, areas with a higher percentage of Gaelic speakers. It also covers the structure and function of Bòrd Na Gàidhlig – the principal public body promoting Gaelic in Scotland.

This feedback will help develop the forthcoming Scottish Languages Bill.

The 2011 census indicated that 57,375 people spoke Gaelic and 87,100 said they had some Gaelic skills and over 1.5 million people identified themselves as Scots speakers.

Launching the consultation during a visit to the GME unit at Goodlyburn Primary in Perth, Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Gaelic and Scots are a significant part of Scotland’s culture and we want to ensure they thrive and grow.

“The situation for Gaelic speakers is an improvement on ten years ago as there are increased numbers in Gaelic medium education and more initiatives in place to support Gaelic in Scotland.

“We now need to build on what is in place and this consultation will show how we can make our measures more effective, ensuring Gaelic medium education continues to grow and provides a high quality education, that Bòrd na Gàidhlig operates effectively in the promotion of Gaelic, and consideration is given to the creation of a Gàidhealtachd.

“Scots is spoken throughout Scotland, but has never benefited from formal support through legislation and it may be time to consider this to help promote, strengthen and raise the profile of the language.”

The consultation will run until 17 November.

Have your say on Inch Park plans

A consultation has launched seeking the views of residents on the plan for Inch Park and what improvements people would like to see.

The City of Edinburgh Council’s Thriving Green Spaces Project is producing a vision masterplan for regenerating Inch Park, which aims to set out what could happen at the park in the future.

The proposals are now on display during an eight-week public consultation to gain feedback from the local community and park users.

Since last summer, work on a draft masterplan has been underway with a working group of interested parties involved in coming up with proposals on how Inch Park can better serve the community and capitalise on its potential and popularity. 

The group includes Council staff, representatives from the local community councils, Inch Community Association and community sports clubs who have all worked together to come up with a plan that would make improvements in the area.

Participants will be asked about the overall concept plan, the wider park improvement ideas, opportunities to make the park better for nature and wildlife and proposed new visitor facilities and new café.

They will be asked for their views on the following objectives:

  • Celebration of Inch’s history – including things such as restoration of the historic Inch House and outbuildings
  • Activities for all – such as a new all-weather 11-a side sports pitch and facilities and new visitor centre
  • Accessibility – other improvements to the park including new paths, lighting, entrances and furniture
  • Play – such as a new play area and facilities for children
  • Sustainability – creating habitats for wildlife and connecting them to other city areas and using sustainable low/zero carbon heating and power generation.

The masterplan also formed the basis of a Levelling Fund bid that the Thriving Green Spaces team have submitted to the UK Government. A result on the bid is expected this autumn and if successful it will enable the project to proceed immediately to the next stage, detailed design followed by a planning application. 

Culture and Communities Convener, Councillor Val Walker, said: “Inch Park is a popular park in the capital and has lots of potential. The proposed masterplan suggests some very exciting ideas and I very much look forward to hearing the feedback.

“Of course, masterplans give us a vision – but what will actually be possible depends on local support and on funding. Which is why we want to make sure it has everything users and visitors to the park need and we have an accurate account of what residents want to see there.

“The responses we receive will help further develop our masterplan, which funding and resource permitting will form the basis for improvements to Inch Park. I’d urge as many local residents as possible to have their say in this consultation so we can develop a truly community-based proposal.”

Master planning gives an overall broad plan for an area and is an aspiration. Whether or not it is delivered in full depends on many things, including funding and resource and checking if the ideas are feasible.

Thriving Green Spaces Project has been made possible thanks to funding from the National Heritage Lottery Fund and National Trust ‘Future Parks Accelerator’ programme.

Find out more about Inch Park Masterplan consultation and take part on the Council website. The consultation will close 28 September.

INCH-PARK-Consultation-BoardsDownload

Relaxing planning rules for electric vehicle charging points could spell disaster for walkers

Proposals to permit more electric vehicle charging points could pave way for problems for pedestrians, according to Living Streets Scotland, part of the UK charity for everyday walking.

Proposals to permit more electric vehicle charging points could pave way for problems for pedestrians, according to Living Streets Scotland, part of the UK charity for everyday walking.

The charity is concerned about a consultation from the Scottish Government designed to accelerate the roll out of electric vehicle (EV) chargers by removing some existing planning safeguards.

Currently, electric chargers usually don’t have Permitted Development Rights[1], therefore planning permission is usually required. But new permitted development rights could be made available to councils and private charging companies as part of the biggest change to Scotland’s streets in a generation.

Living Streets believe that planning permission is an important safeguard ensuring footways space isn’t lost in housing developments, especially avoiding the creation of pinch points below a 1.5 metre clearance. This is the acknowledged minimum for comfortable passage of a wheelchair or person being assisted by a guide dog.

The charity believes more extensive work with disabled people is required to determine the true impacts of the changes. Living Streets Scotland, together with RNIB Scotland, Sight Scotland and Sight Scotland Veterans, Guide Dogs Scotland, and Disability Equality Scotland, argues that all charging equipment must be on the road and not cluttering pavements.

Stuart Hay, Director, Living Streets Scotland, said: “Footways cluttered with EV charging points and trailing cables present serious problems for people with wheelchairs, buggies or guide dogs, preventing them from getting around easily and safely. Attention to detail is critical, and in almost all cases pavements aren’t suitable for electric chargers.”

“The impact the proposed changes will have on disabled people is greatly underplayed in the consultation. Further engagement is needed, which must be accessible, including the use of non-technical language appropriate to the public.”

“Cluttered pavements also impact on everyone’s desire to walk their short journeys instead of driving them. If we want to encourage cleaner, sustainable ways to travel then we need streets that are walkable.”

Craig Spalding, CEO of Sight Scotland and Sight Scotland Veterans, said: “We’re fully behind initiatives to bring about positive environmental impacts, but it’s important these are balanced with access to community spaces.

“We’re concerned that the rapid rollout of e-chargers without sufficient planning procedures could see charging points appear in places that cause accessibility issues and obstacles for people with sight loss.”

Niall Foley, External Affairs Manager, Guide Dogs Scotland, said: “While we welcome measures to reduce our carbon footprint, EV charging points can prove a hazardous obstruction for people with sight loss if they are not installed with care. It’s important to have consistent guidance and standards to ensure that EV charging points are not barriers to pavement users.”

“Research released by Living Streets in July 2022, found that over one in four Scottish people (28%) would walk more if their streets were clutter free. The option of reducing planning controls therefore flies in the face of government policy which is trying to create better infrastructure to get people walking.”

The full response from Living Streets Scotland to the Transport Scotland consultation can be viewed here.  

The Art Works at Granton: second consultation event next week

TUESDAY 23 rd AUGUST from 3 – 7pm

Granton Hub at Madelvic House

In advance of the submission of a planning application, the National Galleries of Scotland is holding a series of drop-in public consultation events. 

The second and final event is taking place on the following dates, providing an opportunity to attend in person or online:

In person drop-in public exhibition:

Tuesday 23 August 2022
Between 3pm and 7pm
Granton:Hub, Madelvic House, Granton Park Avenue, Edinburgh EH5 1HS

Online Question & Answer session:

Wednesday 24 August 2022
Between 5pm and 7pm
Online – instructions on how to join available at www.nationalgalleries.org/theartworks

Invites to this event have also been issued to other local stakeholders and to residents/businesses in the local area. Please do pass the invitation on to any other parties that you think may be interested.

NHS Lothian consults on the future of local healthcare

Local health and care services are asking for the public’s views on the future of care in Lothian.

The Lothian Health & Care System (LHCS), which is made up of NHS Lothian and the four local health and social care partnerships, is urging people to help shape healthcare in their region.

The pandemic has forced a major re-think across all services and systems, including healthcare. The NHS as a whole is facing sustained pressures and the LHCS wants people to have their say around the future of services over the next five years.

Together, the LHCS works to plan, commission, and deliver health and care services locally to a population of nearly one million which is projected to grow by 8% in the next decade.

Colin Briggs, Director of Strategic Planning, NHS Lothian, said: “We’re all aware that health and social care services are under significant and sustained pressure at the moment. That is why the LHCS is setting out its strategic direction for the next five years.

“Our Lothian Strategic Development Framework (LSDF) describes what we’re trying to achieve, now and in the future, the challenges we face and the direction we want to take over the next five years. It also lays out what we think the people of the Lothians can expect from us over that time, some of which will be hard for all of us”

“However, we can’t do this in isolation. Health and care belong to us all and we really want people to tell us their thoughts and ideas, their priorities, and their expectations, and also for us to be able to work together to find the best way forward.”

Through a combination of consultations, question and answer sessions and online feedback, NHS Lothian and partners are asking for the public’s feedback on the LSDF.

More than 400,000 postcards have been landing on doormats of households across Edinburgh, West Lothian, East Lothian and Midlothian giving details of how people can get involved and share their views. This builds on a successful initial engagement period during April, May, and June.

Mr Briggs added: “We’ve tried to be as accessible as possible in how we enable people from across our communities to give us their views.

“We want our patients, their families, our staff and the population we serve to be as involved as possible, both now and going forward.

“We are also being candid with our communities by saying that our performance and outcomes are not what we would want them to be. We need a new direction of travel in a post-pandemic world.

“The priorities currently outlined in the LSDF include moving care closer to home, supporting self-care, learning lessons from the pandemic, working closer with partners, improving our facilities, better utilising technology and reducing waiting lists.

“If you think we’re going in the right direction, or if you think we’re not, we’d really like to hear from you. Please get involved and tell us what you think the future of health and care should look like.”

Go here to give your feedback now.

Transforming heating in new homes

Proposals for all new buildings to be fitted with climate-friendly alternatives to fossil fuel heating systems have been published.

The New Building Heat Standard (Part II) consultation sets out plans that would mean direct emissions heating systems (DEH), such as those run on fossil fuel, would no longer be installed in any homes and non-domestic buildings warranted from April 2024. They would be replaced by alternatives such as heat pumps, solar and electric energy.

To launch the consultation, Zero Carbon Buildings Minister Patrick Harvie visited Saughton Park and Gardens in Edinburgh, where two ground source heat pumps provide the buildings’ heat.

Mr Harvie said: “Scotland’s homes and buildings account for approximately a fifth of all our emissions, and we know that we need to take bold, ambitious steps to ensure we meet our climate obligations.

“New buildings will lead the way in cutting emissions, and earlier this year we published new energy standards that will cut emissions of all new-build homes by nearly a third.

“The proposed regulations are another major change to achieve our climate targets and make our homes and buildings warmer, greener and cheaper to run.

“We have been working with industry to inform the development of the proposed new regulations and I would urge individuals and organisations to share their views to help shape and inform their delivery.”

The New Build Heat Standard Part II consultation runs for 12 weeks until 20 October 2022.

New consultation on civil penalties to tackle illegal migration

To help tackle illegal migration, the UK government is proposing tougher penalties for hauliers and vehicle drivers found carrying clandestine migrants

The UK Government has launched an industry consultation on proposals for tougher penalties to tackle illegal migration, including increasing the maximum penalty for hauliers and vehicle drivers who are found carrying a clandestine entrant from £2,000.

As part of the continued fight against illegal migration and the criminal gangs behind it, changes to the existing clandestine entrant civil penalties scheme will be made through the Nationality and Borders Act.

These include new civil penalties for hauliers and vehicle drivers who fail to adequately secure their vehicle and conduct proper checks, regardless of whether a clandestine entrant is found, as part of efforts to prevent dangerous journeys which risk serious injury or even death.

Since 2020, the number of clandestine entrants coming to the UK via HGV and goods vehicles has continued to increase year on year. The government is determined to stop this, including via these refreshed penalties for hauliers and vehicle drivers who leave themselves vulnerable to exploitation.

Ahead of implementation, we are seeking the views of vehicle drivers, companies and other interested parties on all these new measures.

The consultation with the industry will run for 8 weeks and will close on 12 September 2022.

Alongside the consultation, the Home Office will be running a series of engagement events to explore these issues in more detail.

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Simon Baynes MP said: “We are determined to do all we can to prevent illegal entry into the UK.

“Criminal gangs who risk the lives of desperate people for profit are taking advantage of those whose vehicles travel in and out of the country.

“Far too many vehicles are currently not adequately secured, and we will seek to increase penalties on those who are negligent and prosecute those who are complicit.

“This consultation is the next vital step in achieving this, and we look forward to working with the haulage industry and other interested parties to ensure that they are aware of the necessary requirements.”

The recently enacted Nationality and Borders Act is part of the UK government’s New Plan for Immigration to make it fairer for those in genuine need, deter illegal entry into the UK, break the business model of people-smuggling networks and remove those from the UK with no right to be here.

Council consultation: Have your say on Community Payback Orders

The city council wants to know your thoughts on Community Payback Orders (CPO). These alternatives to custodial sentences are given out by the Court as a way for people to pay for their crimes.

In particular, it wants to know what you think about the unpaid work part of a CPO, which replaced community service in 2011. This is when an individual who has committed an offence does unpaid work within the community.

Below are some of the key questions:

  • Have you experienced people doing unpaid work in your community?
  • Do you believe unpaid work gives people the opportunity to repay the community for their offences?
  • Do you have any thoughts about residents, community projects or organisations who could benefit from unpaid work support by individuals completing CPOs?

These questions and a desire to improve service delivery is why the city council has launched it’s annual consultation in line with their commitments to the Scottish Government.

Councillor Val Walker, Culture and Communities Committee Convener, said: “We are taking a dynamic and evaluative approach to Community Payback Orders and the views of our citizens are crucial to this process.

“One major goal of the consultation is to find new areas and opportunities in the capital for unpaid work to be undertaken. Past examples of this work include community clear-ups, repainting community centres and the ‘Brake The Cycle’ scheme, wherein individuals serving CPOs are involved in renovating bicycles, learning new skills and gaining confidence in themselves and their wider community.

“These along with other activities allow key organisations such as charities to receive support whilst simultaneously allowing individuals serving CPOs to give back to their communities.

“Through this consultation and collection of information we want to promote more discussion with communities about unpaid work opportunities. These processes are key to properly understanding how CPOs help not only the individuals serving them in terms of reoffending, but the tangible benefits these brings to communities across our capital city.”

This consultation is open now and will run until 25 September 2022.

Consultation: What impact has COVID-19 had on the Scottish labour market?

The COVID-19 Recovery Committee is to analyse the impact of the pandemic on the Scottish labour market, including how long Covid, long-term sickness and early retirement is affecting the number of those in work.

Submit your views – Road to recovery: impact of the pandemic on the Scottish labour market

As the country starts the process of recovery from the pandemic, a key issue that has emerged is a persistently high number of people no longer part of the workforce, termed ‘economically inactive’. 

A blog by the Fraser of Allander Institute concluded in April 2022 that: “More worrying for the outlook for the Scottish labour market is the fact that we now have over 20,000 more people economically inactive because of long-term sickness than we had pre-pandemic.”

The Committee will investigate the reasons behind these high numbers, including the emergence of above average numbers of long-term sick.

They want to understand if this is this due to pre-existing conditions, or new conditions, such as long COVID, or other factors, such as stress brought on by pandemic experiences. The Committee will also look at whether early retirement is one of the drivers behind this change in the labour market.

COVID-19 Recovery Committee Convener Siobhian Brown MSP said: “Unlike previous economic shocks, where the labour force numbers recovered much more quickly, we are seeing concerning persistent numbers of long term economically inactive people.

“We want to find out why this has happened and what needs to be done to encourage these people back into the work place.

“We are keen to learn more about the labour market impact of the pandemic on people with pre-existing health conditions, what influenced people to take early retirement and whether specific groups of society or areas of the country have been impacted more than others.

“There is no doubt that the reasons behind this will be complex but in order to address this issue we must first understand why people are no longer working.”  

Let the Committee know your views:

Road to recovery: impact of the pandemic on the Scottish labour market

The call for views closes on 9 September.