North Edinburgh residents have an opportunity to have their say on how best to tackle the growing gulf between rich and poor at a session in the City Chambers next week.
The city council is to host a ‘tackling poverty and inequality’ workshop session, specifically for North Edinburgh residents, on Wednesday 3 July from 10am – 12.30pm at the Business Centre, Centre Chambers.
The city council’s Tracy Boxall explained: “This workshop has been organised by the Poverty and Inequality Theme Group, part of the Edinburgh Partnership’s community planning arrangements in the city. The Theme Group currently has four main work streams, one of which is considering actions or interventions to tackle poverty and inequality in the city.
A sub-group of city partners, headed up by Dr Margaret Douglas from NHS Lothian, is progressing the development of a ‘framework’ of actions, with the aim of shaping future work to tackle poverty and inequality. The sub-group is now seeking wider input to the framework’s development. The workshop you have been invited to is part of this process. It will be facilitated by the independent organisation, Poverty Alliance.
Workshop participants (local people and other representatives from Neighbourhood Partnerships) will be asked to work together, firstly by considering the causes of poverty and inequality. The workshop will then explore what actions are needed to address the issues; the extent to which the actions are in place already in the city; their impact; and what more might be done.
The outputs from the workshop will be written up and passed back to the Poverty and Inequality Theme Group, to help inform their future work and that of city partners. The overall findings will also be shared with you as soon as possible.
Prior to the session, a background paper on poverty in the city will be circulated for your information. I hope that you are able to attend to help with this important work.“
Interested? Please RSVP to tracy.boxall@edinburgh.gov.uk
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Prejudice is the first thing which must be dealt with. There is a prejudicial attitude towards people in areas high on the index of multiple deprivation like Pilton, Muirhouse & Granton. This is shown in many ways, some subtle and some blunt like the ‘ghetto wall’ proposed between Muirhouse and Davidson’s Mains.
People in this area have a proud history of independently funding and creating the facilities required by the community. This meeting time at the City Chambers is only suited to paid council officials or people not working during the day.
As an outreach community gardener working in the area, food poverty is one of the issues we are trying to tackle by growing fruit, vegetables and herbs on underused council land. Working with local people to generate an interest in food growing, cooking together and sharing skills between members of our community. Allotments have become the preserve of the middle classes or those with enough disposable income and transport. They are not an option for most people in this area. Only 17 people out of the thousands on Edinburgh’s waiting list come from this area.
Food bank usage is increasing in this area and we have been trying to combat food poverty in our own way which is not charity. Our wee gardens have had amazing outcomes cutting across cultural and age barriers, bringing people together to share the most basic of necessities, food!
Unfortunately some members of the city council are not supportive and are creating financial barriers by stating the council is a business and must generate revenue from our food growing activities.
K