Centipede gets set for Big Easter Bash

The Centipede Project’s Big Easter Bash takes place on Sunday (Easter Sunday, 31 March) from 2-3.30pm at the brownfield site on Muirhouse Avenue where we did the original Hollywood-style MUIRHOUSE planting (pictured above).

It will be a great, free, fun filled day for the community – more planting, Easter egg decorating and rolling; children’s activities, community information stalls, free BBQ and hot drinks.

If any groups wants to take a stall, they can get in touch with me at centipedeproject@gmail.com

Linda Dunbar

DIY – Don’t Injure Yourself – this Easter!

DIY stands for ‘Don’t Injure Yourself’ this Easter!

As many people across Lothian prepare to make the most of the Easter holiday weekend by reaching for the tools or lawnmower, a major health campaign is urging DIY and gardening enthusiasts to be prepared. As part of the NHS Scotland Be Ready for Easter campaign, DIY and gardening enthusiasts are being urged to take care and be prepared to deal with any minor accidents before tackling those home and garden improvements.

By taking a few simple steps and knowing when their GP surgery is open, re-stocking their medicine cabinet and first aid box if needed, and using local pharmacies to seek advice and to treat any minor cuts, bumps, bruises and scrapes, any enthusiastic painters, builders and carpenters can help ensure they stay healthy this spring.

Sheena Wright, Executive Nurse Director at NHS 24, said: “Every Easter we see an increase in calls resulting from DIY accidents and we would encourage Scots to be prepared before they open the toolbox or garden shed. We are encouraging DIY enthusiasts to keep treatments for minor injuries, such as plasters and antiseptic, in the first aid box, visit their pharmacist for health advice and know when they can get an appointment at their GP surgery. With many GP surgeries closed for four days over the Easter weekend, these are a few simple steps people can take to stay healthy.”

Although many GP surgeries will be closed at Easter, some GPs will be working throughout this period supporting out of hours services across Scotland.

The key steps that Be Ready for Easter recommends this spring are:

Restock your medicine cabinet if needed

Minor injuries such as small-scale burns, scratches, knocks and cuts can often be effectively treated at home with readily available treatment such as pain relief, plasters, iodine, antiseptic cream and wipes, gauze and tape. Parents are also reminded to restock their medicine cabinet with child-friendly remedies.

Use your local pharmacy

Your pharmacist can offer advice or help if you need over-the-counter remedies or have run out of any prescribed medication.

Know when your GP surgery will be open

Your local doctor’s surgery may be closed for four days during the Easter weekend from Friday March 29 to Monday April 1.

General advice and information on how to stay healthy this Easter can be found at www.nhsinform.co.uk or contact NHS inform on 0800 22 44 88.

Don’t blame us for Bedroom Tax – COSLA

Don’t shoot the messenger was the clear message from Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) President Councillor David O’Neill today ahead of the welfare system changes being introduced by the Westminster coalition government on 1 April. The COSLA President said that Scottish local government was bracing itself to deal with the devastating fallout which the welfare and benefit reforms would bring.

Councillor O’Neill also expressed his anger that it would be Scotland’s Councils who would be the ones left to pick up the pieces – despite them having nothing whatsoever to do with the introduction of the controversial reforms. The COSLA President added that this legislation would have a real and long term damaging effect on many of the most vulnerable in society and put even more strain on local government services that are already creaking under pressure.

Councillor O’Neill said: “It is ironic that the first batch of these welfare and benefit reforms come into force on April fools’ day, because believe me there is nothing remotely humorous about them. Make no mistake here – no blame whatsoever can be put at the door of Scotland’s Councils for either introducing these measures or for the devastating impact that this legislation is about to have on our communities. Our role in this is to manage the consequences in the way that does the least possible damage to our communities and that will be a very, very difficult task.

“COSLA as an organisation and I as President cannot stand idly by and allow local government’s reputation and the credibility of individual councils to take the hit for this because these welfare changes are not of our doing. No part of my speaking out on this issue should be seen as a suggestion that we do not embrace change or that we do not recognise the need for some change within the current system.

He went on: “I am simply pointing out to those who will be hardest hit by these changes that it is not their local council to blame. Indeed Councils are going to be hit themselves with the double whammy of the massive increase in people seeking our help at a time of diminishing resources. Sadly, what is actually being proposed in terms of welfare reform and the damage it will do is both extreme and ill thought out. The huge damage it will do to our communities is not something that COSLA can support, and nor should others.

“The UK Government is transferring cost and responsibility for the needs of people on benefit onto local government. It is impossible for Councils to subsidise the levels of cuts people will experience but we will do everything within our power to support the most vulnerable in our communities.”

Councillor O’Neill (pictured below) concluded: “We had hoped that the Coalition Government at Westminster were willing to work with us, and listen to some of these concerns. We had hoped that they would be reasonable and consider how to prevent the negative impact of these changes on councils, services and most importantly on people. That seems not to be the case.”

Help strengthen Neighbourhood Partnerships

As you may know, Neighbourhood Partnerships across the city are being reviewed as part of the Council Governance Review. The aim of this is to strengthen and develop their role in delivering better outcomes for communities. Please could you take a few minutes to complete the following online survey to give us your views:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/MM262F5

If you’d prefer a paper copy, please contact saty.kaur@edinburgh.gov.uk or 0131 469 5281.

The survey is open until 2 April 2013, and it would be great to have the views on all of you who have been involved so far in the Neighbourhood Partnership.

Elaine Lennon, Partnership Development Officer

Tel: 0131 529 5270

Scotland set for lower drink drive limits

Scotland is on course to adopt stricter drink driving limits than the rest of the UK following a government consultation. The vast majority of people who responded would like to see a lower drink drive limit in Scotland, with almost three quarters (74 per cent) of respondents to Reducing the Drink Driving Limit in Scotland believing that drink drive limits should be reduced.

The analysis also revealed that amongst those who want to see a lower limit, there was widespread agreement (87 per cent) with the Scottish Government’s proposal to lower the blood alcohol limit from 80mg of alcohol in every 100 ml of blood to 50 mg of alcohol in every 100 ml of blood.

The consultation responses suggested the likely benefits of a lower limit would be fewer road accidents and fewer casualties. A number of respondents also called for the Scottish Government to be given further powers to tackle drink driving.

Speaking at an event at Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh to highlight the harm caused by drink driving last week, Justice Secretary cKenny MacAskill confirmed that the Scottish Government will now be taking the necessary steps to bring in a lower drink driving limit in Scotland.

Mr MacAskill said: “Drink driving can shatter families and communities and we must take action to reduce the risk on our roads. On average, 30 families every year have to cope with the loss of a loved one and around 900 people are treated for injuries caused by someone who thought it was acceptable to drink alcohol and get behind the wheel and drive. We cannot let this continue. Lowering the drink drive limit will help make Scotland’s roads safer and save lives. The evidence is clear and the vast majority of those who responded to our consultation support the Scottish Government’s plans for change.

“The consultation now allows us to progress formal discussions with the police and the UK Government on the recalibration and testing of drink drive enforcement devices to ensure prosecutions are as robust as possible. Before a lower limit is introduced we will also consider issues such as how motorists driving into Scotland from England will be made aware of the lower limit. We are exploring options with Transport Scotland, police and justice and road safety partners as we move forward with our plans. Once we have progressed these issues over the next few months, I will be asking the Scottish Parliament to approve regulations to lower the limit.”

Dr Dave Caesar, Clinical Director of Emergency Medicine, NHS Lothian, said: “NHS Lothian runs Scotland’s busiest Emergency Department and we are too often faced with alcohol related emergencies in our hospitals. We welcome the results of the consultation to lower the drink drive limit. Alcohol in your blood stream slows your reaction times and how long it takes to process visual information. A lower drink drive limit would prevent road traffic accidents and deaths on our roads and therefore reduce the number of people who needlessly die each year.”

Kathleen Braidwood, road safety officer for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) in Scotland, added: “Far too many people are being killed on our roads as a result of people who drink and drive, so RoSPA is delighted to see that a clear majority of people are in favour of the Scottish Government’s proposal to reduce the current drink-drive limit. One of RoSPA’s long-standing campaigns is for the drink-drive limit to be lowered from 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood to 50mg, not just in Scotland but across the whole of the UK.

“People need to realise that any amount of alcohol impairs a driver’s ability to judge speed and distance while behind the wheel. Alcohol also slows reaction times and can make drivers over-confident and more likely to take risks. Lowering the drink-drive limit will not only contribute to making our roads safer but also have a wider social impact.”

Council takes steps to tackle empty homes

The City of Edinburgh Council is set to introduce changes to council tax to tackle the issue of empty homes in the Capital. The Council’s Finance and Budget Committee agreed last week to reduce the council tax discount rate for empty and unfurnished homes from 50% to 10% after 6 months. After 12 months council tax will be charged in full with a 100% surcharge.

The planned changes come following new Scottish Government arrangements enabling councils, in certain circumstances, to use council tax as an incentive for encouraging owners of empty homes to bring them back into use and increase the available property stock. This is specifically to tackle empty and unfurnished homes that have been lying unused for extended periods of time. Council tax would continue to be waived for the first six months of a property being empty and generous discounts would be applied if the property is actively being marketed.

Councillor Alasdair Rankin (pictured below), the city’s Finance and Budget Convener, said: “Even though Edinburgh has a relatively low level of empty homes in both the social and private sectors, the Council has a duty to look at all the options open to us to deliver more homes. “It is of utmost importance that we bring more empty homes back into use and council tax is just one of the avenues that the Council is looking to use. This report is undoubtedly a major step forward in tackling this pressing issue.”

The work forms part of the city’s Empty Homes Task Force, which was established by the Council with the objective of bringing empty homes back into use. The Task Force has representatives from all political groups, Shelter/Scottish Empty Homes Partnership, Orchard and Shipman and Link Housing Association.

Councillor Cammy Day, the city’s Housing Leader, said: “The Capital Coalition has set up an Empty Homes Task Force to examine ways of bringing empty homes back into use. Link Housing Association – one of the task force members – has secured funding from the Scottish Government’s Empty Homes Fund. The Council also support a number of letting schemes to help owners of empty homes bring them back into use.”

Council records indicate that there are over 1700 properties classed as long term empty and approximately 5800 properties attracting second home discounts. The Council will review all classification to ensure accuracy on an ongoing basis. It is planned that the policy will be implemented in the second half of 2013/14 supported by an information campaign to raise awareness.

Welfare cuts ‘intolerable’ – Sturgeon

The true impact of the UK Government’s benefit reforms have been revealed by a new Scottish Government analysis that shows people in Scotland could be hit with a cut of £4.5 billion in the five years to 2014-15 – £2 billion more than the UK Government originally claimed.

The report also estimates that £1 billion of the welfare cuts will have a direct impact on children living in Scotland – a situation Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon today described as “intolerable”.

Ms Sturgeon (pictured below) said: “The Scottish Government’s analysis we are publishing today suggests that the true scale of the cuts on Scottish households as part of the UK Government’s welfare reforms could be much greater than previously anticipated. In 2011, the Department for Work and Pensions claimed Scotland’s benefits bill would be reduced by £2.5 billion by 2014-15. We believe that today’s new analysis shows this to be a huge underestimation, with hard working families and children among those being hit with a reduction in benefits that may will actually reach over £4.5 billion. The UK Government must urgently clarify the true scale of the impact in Scotland.

“These unfair cuts to the welfare system have been imposed on Scotland and will hit a million working age households in Scotland, weakening consumer demand and damaging economic growth. The fact that around £1 billion of the welfare cuts will directly impact on children in Scotland is particularly worrying – it is an intolerable situation that represents a devastating blow to the hard working people of Scotland.

“Our vision of an independent Scotland, is one where the welfare system will reflect our nation’s values and provide fair and decent support for those who need it most. It will encourage those people who can – and should work – into work. But it will also support people who are unable to work, allowing them to play a full and active part in society, and it will tackle poverty where this exists. It is clear that the UK Government’s agenda is completely at odds with the aspirations we have for our country. With every day the case for independence becomes even more compelling.”

Hospitals to become smoke-free

NHS grounds to be completely smoke-free by 2015 under new Scottish Government plans

In a move to promote smoke-free environments and healthier lifestyles, patients, visitors and staff will no longer be able to smoke on NHS sites. Under the plans, people who smoke will be offered advice and support to help them not to smoke during hospital visits as well as access to specialist smoking cessation services for those wanting to quit. NHS Boards will be required to implement and enforce smoke-free policies across their grounds by March 2015.

Health Secretary Mr Alex Neil (pictured below) said: “This Government has ambitious plans to reduce the number of people choosing to smoke. To this end, we want to build on the ban on smoking in public places, which was introduced seven years ago this week, by ensuring that our hospital grounds become smoke-free.

“We know that smoking is extremely harmful to health and causes in excess of 13,000 deaths per year in Scotland. The toll of smoking on our nation’s health cannot be underestimated. Creating smoke-free hospital grounds sends out a powerful message that every visit to our health service is an opportunity to promote and improve people’s health.

“We all know how unpleasant it can be to walk through a cloud of smoke in order to enter or leave a building. These measures will help to ensure that we create a healthier environment for people who use, visit and work in our health service. That is why we believe staff, patients and visitors will support and respect this decision and refrain from smoking until off-site.”

In 2005 the Scottish Government issued guidance on smoking policies for the NHS, local authorities and care providers which gave NHS boards the power to ban smoking on their premises. The new measures will not apply to mental health facilities, which have an exemption to allow the provision of designated smoking rooms under the original smoke-free legislation.

Letter: Unite against the Bedroom Tax

Dear Editor

The ‘Bedroom Tax’ is an immoral tax, hitting people who are already on low incomes. The consequences can be devastating for a family, even being forced to move out of their home: to where, and how?

If the impacts of this benefit cut are known to most people, then it is also known to Tory/Lib government. Do they not care, but are quite prepared to break up families and destroy their home life, all this in pursuit of breaking up our hard-won welfare system? If so, what a bunch of bullies and cowards they are!

They also know that local councils are forced by law to implement the Bedroom Tax, the tragedy of which is the potential division between local communities ans their councils – but councils should make every effort to help people affected, and operate a No Eviction policy.

We see in this again the Tory principle of divide the people and rule them being put into practice. This must be resisted by a united pressure from people, their local councillors, their MPs, MSPs and all community organisations. It Can Be Done.

A. Delahoy
Silverknowes Gardens

Easter hols: lots to do despite the weather!

The school holidays are upon us, the weather is still wintry and parents across Edinburgh are frantically planning how best to fill their children’s fortnight. Help is at hand, however, in the shape of the City of Edinburgh Council, which offers a wide variety of entertaining and educational activities for children and young people.

Cllr Richard Lewis, Culture & Sport Convener, said: “The challenge of filling a child’s holidays, particularly at this time of year, is not to be underestimated, which is why I would encourage parents to try something different during the Easter break.

“Between the Council and our partners, we can offer children of all ages and interests a wealth of exciting and rewarding activities, many of which are free.”

The Museum of Childhood is a fun day out for the whole family. Young people can learn about the children of the past and see a fantastic range of toys and games, while adults enjoy a trip down memory lane. Admission is free.

Meanwhile, just down the hill is the Museum of Edinburgh. Housed in the beautifully restored 16th Century buildings on the Canongate, it is the city’s principle museum of local history. Again, admission is free.

The museum’s newest attraction is Foundation Edinburgh. Watch the City’s dramatic history unfold in only 17 minutes – from the volcanic creation of Arthur’s Seat in prehistoric times to events today. Ticket prices are £4 (adults), £3 (concessions) and £2 (children).

The City’s 28 community libraries are, of course, open for borrowing – and much more besides. Visit the libraries’ website for further details or contact your local library for details of special holiday events.

But what if spring finally arrives? Where better to enjoy the breathtaking views of Edinburgh than from atop the tallest tribute to a writer in the world, the Scott Monument in East Princes Street Gardens? And at 287 steps high, it’s not bad for the calves either. Equally impressive is the Nelson Monument on Calton Hill. Admission for both is £3.

Edinburgh has another 140 parks aside from Princes Street Gardens and the new digital service Edinburgh Outdoors provides a unique way of exploring each and every one of them. The beautiful grounds of Lauriston Castle, laid out by William Henry Playfair in the 1840s, are also well worth a wander – especially this Saturday and Sunday (from 10am) when the cheery Castle staff host their annual Easter egg hunt. Further details of this and other Family Workshop Programmes are available from the website.

In case you haven’t noticed, the terrific Britain from the Air exhibition (picture below) is now taking pride of place in our streets and parks – where it will remain until 20 May. Featuring 111 breathtaking aerial photographs, including 11 of the capital, the exhibition is situated across 15 sites on a three-mile long and winding trail through Edinburgh’s historic city centre.

Finally, Edinburgh Leisure has a range of dedicated holiday activities for ages 3-13 years running throughout next fortnight at venues across the city including Ainslie Park, Craiglockhart, Drumbrae, EICA Ratho, Gracemount and the Royal Commonwealth Pool. Visit their website for further details.