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This weekend is the deadline for contributions for our relaunch issue, so if you have news you’d like to share with the people of North Edinburgh email northedinnews@gmail.com or telephone 0792 540 5972.
The NEN is your community newspaper – use it!
The Granton Community Gardeners now have a Tuesday morning gardening club. We meet at 10.30 at the Salvation Army building on Wardieburn Drive for a cup of tea and to pick up tools. Then (weather permitting) we go to work on the community gardens at either end of Wardieburn Road. All very welcome! You don’t need to know anything about gardening to join in. For more information and updates you can now follow us on Facebook at: http://tinyurl.com/grantoncommunitygardeners
Tom Kirby
Granton Community Gardeners
PYCP’s Christmas party was a spectacular end to a busy year!
Over 80 children attended our Christmas party and were entertained by Alexander the great with his magic tricks and balloon skills. The children enjoyed a fabulous buffet and participated in party games enjoying all the old favourites such as musical statues, bumps and pass the parcel. We had some amazing disco dancers who boogied the day away and were awarded a fantastic prize for their hard work and energy levels!
To end the party all of the children who attended met Santa and received a wonderful gift! The project applied to Radio Forth’s cash for kids who provided us with toys and a grant to buy all the children a gift for Christmas!
We would like to thank all the children who attended, our volunteers who helped out and radio forth. The day would not have been as successful without the support of all of these agencies and people.
Lesley Ross
Pilton Youth & Chidren Project
Who should choose the timing of the independence referendum? Who should be allowed to vote, and what should the questions be? A furious row has broken out between Holyrood and Westminster governments over Scotland’s future – the Scottish government says it has a mandate from the Scottish people, but Westminster argues that the Scottish Parliament does not have the constitutional powers to conduct the referendum, and cannot do so without it’s approval.
The row broke out last weekend when Prime Minister David Cameron made clear that he wanted to resolve the ‘legal uncertainty’ surrounding the vote and said: “We want to work with the Scottish government to give the people of Scotland of a fair and more decisive question”.
Scotland’s Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was quick to respond, accusing Mr Cameron of ‘a blatant attempt to interfere in a decision that should be for the Scottish government and Scottish people’. She added: “It’s the attachment of conditions that gives the game away – this is Westminster trying to interfere. Perhaps I should be relaxed about that because the more a Tory government tries to interfere in Scottish democracy, then I suspect the greater the support for independence will be, but there is a key issue of democratic principle here”.
Secretary of State for Scotland Michael Moore weighed in to the debate on Tuesday when he outlined the Westminster government’s position, but he struck a more conciliatory note. “I think the important point is that we would not want to carry out the whole referendum process, make the decision at the ballot box and then discover somebody somewhere wanted to challenge that. Isn’t it better to resolve that potential, get rid of any risk – which I think is clear-cut risk? Let’s get on with it”.
He went on: “I am happy to work with Alex (Salmond) to sort out the legal issue and then let’s have a debate about whether or not Scotland should be part of the UK or not – that is the crux of this matter”.
Since it’s election victory in May the SNP government at Holyrood has said that the referendum will take place in the second half of the current parliament. Last night, that position was firmed up when the First Minister announced that the referendum will be held in autumn 2014.
Mr Salmond said: “The date for the referendum has to be the autumn of 2014. That’s because this is the biggest decision that Scotland has made for 300 years. If you are going to do things properly and have the debate in the way it must be had then that is the date we are going to move towards”.
The Scottish government plans to launch a consultation on the referendum later this month.
Westminster and Holyrood disagree over a number of issues. The UK parliament favours a straight yes or no question on the ballot paper, while the Scottish government favours a third ‘devo-max’ option that would give more powers to Scotland short of absolute independence. The Scottish government would also like 16 and 17 year olds to take part in the vote, but this is opposed by Westminster. Also disputed is the timing of the referendum vote. Westminster wants the ballot to take place as early as possible while the Scottish government believes the ballot should take place in autumn 2014.
Unless a consensus is reached, it’s likely that these constitutional issues could well end up being decided by the Supreme Court, the highest court in the land. Scotland’s biggest decision for over 300 years may yet be delayed beyond 2014.
A report published today says that nearly one in three children living in the Forth ward are living in poverty. The report shows that 13 Scottish councils have wards where more than 30% of children live in pockets of severe poverty, and campaigners are urging politicians to do much more to tackle this ‘shameful’ social problem.
The Campaign to End Child Poverty has produced a map of child poverty for every ward, council and constituency in the country. Scottish members of the Campaign to End Child Poverty include Action for Children Scotland, Barnardo’s Scotland, Child Poverty Action Group in Scotland, Children 1st, the Church of Scotland, One Parent Families Scotland, Poverty Alliance and Save the Children.
The map classes children as living in poverty if they are in families on out of work benefits or work tax credits where income is less than 60% of median – before housing costs. The Campaign to End Child Poverty said the latest official figures showed that overall in Scotland 20% of children live in poverty on this measure.
In Edinburgh, Sighthill/Gorgie shows the highest levels of poverty at 36%, followed by Forth (30%), Portobello/Craigmillar (30%), Leith (29%) and Liberton/Gilmerton at 28%.
Child Poverty Action Group’s John Dickie, speaking on behalf of Scottish members of the campaign, said: “It is shameful that in almost every part of our country there are children who are missing out and seeing their future life chances seriously harmed. With public spending budgets under severe pressure the need to invest to prevent the numbers of children living in poverty spiralling is greater than ever.”
A Scottish government spokeswoman said: “We are determined to address the root causes of child poverty. That’s why last year we launched Scotland’s first ever national strategy to tackle child poverty, which will see Scotland’s poorest families benefit from help to increase their household incomes and improve their children’s life chances.”
ATTACKS on firefighters attending blazes in the Lothians are on the rise with crews reporting everything from assaults with beer cans to thugs trying to steal appliances.
At least 46 violent attacks were launched against firefighters tackling blazes in the last year, a rise of more than 25 per cent since 2010 and the first increase in four years.
Crews have been attacked with bricks, eggs and even berries as they responded to emergency incidents. They have also been threatened with pool cues and have experienced youths stubbing out cigarettes on their uniforms, spitting at them and trying to cut up hoses.
Today fire bosses blasted the “senseless” attacks.
David Lockhart, community safety manager at Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service, said chiefs would not hesitate to prosecute anyone who carried out such anti-social behaviour. He said: “Any attack on operational firefighters is totally senseless. They play a vital role in the community, protecting the public from fire and other emergencies.
“We now have added legislation in the form of the Emergency Workers Act, which has been used to successfully prosecute people who have impeded firefighters and other emergency service personnel from carrying out their duties.
“Although we have seen an increase in figures this year, over the longer term attacks are down and in part this is due to our continued efforts to educate the public about the need to respect firefighters and the risks of prosecution should they choose not to.”
He added: “We’re always alert to the possibility of these kind of incidents, and as alcohol can often play a part, this is something we are very aware of over the festive period. We get a lot of support from the police if we attend an incident.”
Throughout the course of 2011 firefighters endured dozens of call-outs where they were showered with rocks and bricks and abused in the street. During one incident, on Niddrie Mains Road, small children ambushed a fire crew.
It followed a previous incident when a large gang of children aged between six and 16 attacked firefighters, leaving one injured. They targeted six firefighters from Bathgate, pelting them with stones while their backs were turned, resulting in a leg injury.
Earlier this year, a 15-year-old schoolboy was charged with trying to steal a fire engine while up to 30 children pelted firefighters with eggs at West Pilton Children’s Centre.
In 2010 one home owner tried to attack crews with a pool cue. Children later attacked them with full beer cans, eggs and berries.
The number of attacks was at its highest in 2006, when nearly 80 incidents were recorded by the service. Firefighters were punched, kicked, spat on and dog excrement was thrown at them. There were around 50 attacks in 2007, 45 in 2008 and 45 in 2009.
The Royal Yacht Britannia is tilting towards its starboard side
Emergency services are trying to pump water out of the Royal Yacht Britannia after it started listing while it was being moved to have its hull repainted.
The iconic yacht is tilting on its starboard side after developing a leak in a door seal.
The leak was discovered when officials noticed the boat was tilting and went to alter ballast levels.
The boat was due to be moved at 09:30 to a dry dock a few hundred metres across the harbour in Leith.
At least four fire engines are at the scene.
It is the first time it has been moved from its berth in Edinburgh in almost 14 years.
It is due to reopen to the public on 1 February.
Work began on the ship at John Brown’s shipyard in Clydebank in June 1952 and it was launched in April 1953.
Last year was one of the attraction’s busiest years with more than 275,000 visitors, a 12% increase on the previous year.
What’s the way forward for transport in Edinburgh? Edinburgh Labour is holding a consultation event in Stockbridge House next week to let local people have their say on transport priorities for the city.
Inverleith councillor Lesley Hinds, who is also Labour’s Transport spokesperson, explained: ” I want to listen to a range of views and ideas from a variety of groups and individuals. I want to feed them into our manifesto promises and Edinburgh Labour wants you to be part of our vision for moving Edinburgh forward after the elections in May. Here are some of the key issues I believe are facing Edinburgh’s transport system today:
The consultation event will take place at Stockbridge House in Cheyne Street on Monday evening from 7pm. If you are unable to attend but would like to put forward any ideas or comments please contact Lesley Hinds by email at lhinds@blueyonder.co.uk
THE Royal Botanic Garden is today counting the cost of this week’s storm after the gales toppled more than 40 trees and smashed hundreds of windows.
The visitor attraction has been left reeling after hurricane-force winds lashed the Inverleith site, with a number of the trees blown down dating back 125 years.
Among the most valuable is the ailanthus altissima – also known as the Tree of Heaven – which was torn from its roots by 100mph winds.
Curators at the Botanics hope they can propagate the rare Chinese tree – brought to Scotland in 1925 by the collector Joseph Rock – along with other rare varieties struck down by the winds.
Many were uprooted or snapped off at ground level, damaging smaller trees, shrubs and herbaceous plants around and beneath them as they fell.
The public glasshouses and research houses also suffered severe damage, leaving plants exposed to the elements, with 400 panes of glass in all smashed.
David Knott, curator of the living collections said “I have never experienced storm damage at RBGE like this before. We will attempt to propagate the wild origin trees that have come down.”
It comes as property experts at the city council continue to survey the damage caused by the high winds at 110 city sites.
Insurance industry sources said many individual claims for damage to roofing or building fabric could total tens of thousands of pounds.
At Edinburgh Airport, a Jet2 cargo plane is being repaired after being struck by a flying bus shelter.
Scottish Power said around 600-700 homes across Edinburgh and the Lothians were still without power, with extra engineers drafted in from down south to help fix the faults.
A spokeswoman said they had received the same number of faults in a single day as they would normally in three months.
Forecaster for the Met Office Dave Clark said gusts reaching around 50mph would return to the Lothians on Sunday.
Kirkliston Leisure Centre will be closed for the foreseeable future until a new roof can be installed and the climbing centre at Ratho was closed after its roof was damaged, and later partly reopened. Leith Waterworld, which was closed due to storm damage, will reopen for its final weekend.
POLICE have warned residents who received bikes as Christmas presents to invest in good-quality locks to help deter thieves.
Professional gangs are cashing in on the city’s cycling boom, taking bikes from streets, common stairways and sheds.
Pc Janie Harman said: “I would encourage bicycle owners to think about security and to use strong D-locks, never leave their bicycle unattended without securing it and to park in well-lit areas covered by CCTV, if possible.
“I would also ask people to take a few minutes to register their bicycle details on a national register at www.immobilise.com.”
The number of bikes reported stolen in Edinburgh fell four per cent between April 2010 and last March compared with the previous year, from 1706 to 1635.
Last month, figures revealed that only one in ten bikes stolen by thieves in Lothian and Borders is recovered.
Between 2008 and 2010, 6047 bikes were reported as stolen in the area with just 627 being recovered.
