Port of Leith secures finance deal to build hundreds of homes

Granton Harbour

Port of Leith Housing Association (PoLHA) has secured a new £35m private funding facility to support its plans to build over 480 homes for social and mid-market rent in Leith and North Edinburgh by 2020. Continue reading Port of Leith secures finance deal to build hundreds of homes

Lesley Hinds: time for the next generation


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After serving 33 years as a city councillor, Lesley Hinds has decided to not seek re-election in 2017. Below, she reflects on her political career and the difference Labour has made to Edinburgh over that time:

By May 2017 I will have been a Councillor for 33 years. But when I was selected to contest the Edinburgh Northern and Leith parliamentary seat, I made a private decision that it would be my last election. Therefore I will not be putting my name forward for the election for Edinburgh City Council in 2017. It’s maybe an appropriate time to reflect on my career since 1984.

After all this time in politics, I feel that I have done as much as I can and it is time for the next generation of change-makers to take over. I entered politics determined to make a difference – both in my local community and across Edinburgh – and I believe my record demonstrates that I have done just that. 

Of course, while I made my personal contribution, I know I couldn’t have achieved as much as I did without the support of many, many people along the way, from the Party members who first selected me as a candidate and gave me a chance, to all the Labour Party activists who gave up their time to knock doors and deliver leaflets. 

A large vote of thanks has to go to the many thousands of voters who have given me their endorsement at election after election (8).  All my election agents (you know who you are) and the Council staff who have worked for me and given me support over the years.  The community groups who have campaigned to make the lives of their communities better. The various Labour Groups I have been a member of and finally my family – without their support I couldn’t have done it.  Collectively I believe we made a tremendous difference for the city and its citizens.

I was first elected for the Telford ward in 1984, beating the then Liberal Group leader. At the time I was a young mother with two small children, and this naturally gave me some concern. However, I was assured that Labour would be in opposition and I shouldn’t worry. How wrong we were.

Labour achieved an historic victory, winning outright control of the Council for the first time on a radical agenda of change. Anyone who was at the count at Meadowbank that night will remember just what a watershed moment it was. Today I am the very last of that group of councillors to still sit on the Council.

Edinburgh in 1984 was a very different place. It was a very divided city between rich and poor.  It still is, but maybe less so.  Following years of Conservative control, the city was crying out for change and investment in sports facilities, cultural facilities, housing and economic regeneration. As a party, we set out to improve services and create jobs – and we did it.

We established Edinburgh’s reputation as a dynamic, go-ahead city, attracting many talented officials. Some of the choices we made were controversial – the decision to establish a Women’s Committee was viewed quizzically at the time. But perhaps the committee reflected, not so much a choice to be ‘controversial’, but the make up of that first Labour Group, which had a significant number (but still less than a third of the Group) of very capable women in it. Some of my more ‘traditional’ colleagues dubbed us the ‘Knitting Circle’, which became a badge of honour for some, including the honorary male.

I have always been committed to the community I live in. I have served as a councillor for Telford, Drylaw, Muirhouse and now Inverleith, and I have played my part in achieving improvements in these areas. For example, the introduction of local community centres in Drylaw and Muirhouse; a new library and arts centre in Muirhouse; new and improved housing; new primary and secondary schools; a refurbished swim centre at Glenogle (threatened with closure at one point) and new parks are just some of our many achievements.

Ever since I was first elected I have held weekly surgeries and I am now the only councillor in the Inverleith ward to do so. After more than 30 years’ service, I believe I merit my reputation for being open, accountable, hard working and effective at driving change.

A lot of local politics takes place in the City Chambers, a place many of my family would now call my second home. So much so, my son chose to have his wedding there last year! And over 30-odd years in this building I have had several high-profile positions, which have afforded me the opportunity to make change. I have been the convener of the old General Purposes Committee, Leader of the Council, Convener of the Lothian Police Board, Lord Provost for four years, and I currently serve as the Convener of Transport and Environment. 

Achievements over my time in office include: creating Edinburgh Marketing to establish Edinburgh’s position as a tourist destination; working with the Anti-apartheid movement (the woman and child statue on Lothian Road commemorates that time); the building of the EICC; the Zero Tolerance Campaign; the One City Trust;  the incredibly successful Winter Festival; building several new libraries and sports centres; Make Poverty History; helping with the aftermath of the tsunami in Banda Aceh, and establishing the Edinburgh Award.

One of my proudest moments, however, was while in opposition. Working with others, we were able to prevent the privatisation of services for the care of vulnerable people, some of them severely disabled. This is one achievement that was truly appreciated by the local community.

Most recently I have been Convener of the Transport and Environment Committee, responsible for some of the most controversial areas of Council responsibility. After all, everyone has a view on refuse collection and the Trams!

Despite nine years of frozen Council Tax and reduced budgets, we have managed to achieve so much. The Tram project was finally completed on the revised timescale and budget, we massively increased the budget for cycling, recycling has increased and we have reduced the amount of waste going to landfill, Lothian Buses has remained in public ownership, we have set up a Transport Forum and an Active Travel Forum, the roads and pavement budget was doubled two years ago (I know it’s still not enough – tell the Scottish Government), and we have also set up Edinburgh Energy and the Edinburgh Community Solar Cooperative.

I have lived and worked in Edinburgh for almost 40 years now. It’s a city I can proudly call home, where I have brought up my three children (although one has escaped to Glasgow) and made friends for life. I was so pleased and grateful to receive personal recognition in the form of honorary degrees from city institutions such as Edinburgh University, the Royal College of Surgeons and Telford College. Looking back, it’s hard to recognise the city from the one I first moved to in 1979. Edinburgh is now an immeasurably better place to live and I’m proud to have played my part, alongside many others, in its success. 

However, Edinburgh, and Scotland, faces unprecedented challenges, following the referendums in 2014 and this year.  Local government, once responsible for so many crucial community services, has been squeezed remorselessly.  Our future is uncertain.  The Labour Party itself faces some difficult challenges.  It will be up to the next generation of politicians to try to find a way through.  For myself, I will still be around, but looking for new challenges.  Onwards and upwards.

Thank you 

Lesley 

Letters: No time to lose

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Dear Editor

For decades Unions and Associations of working people have struggled to reduce working hours: the employers have always resisted.

It has taken many generations to get the working week reduced from seven days to five days and from having to work unlimited hours reduced to a forty hours week.

As time went on, new technology produced a greater output: this, coupled with worker pressure, helped to gain justice. Again, it was not a change of heart by the employer.

Today’s technology has vastly raised output needing a highly regulated distribution service. Also, employers in increasing numbers are operating different forms of employment: zero hours contracts, split duties spread over seven days and sometimes ‘flexible’ hours – all these schemes are designed to have a workforce available to suit the employer. It costs them less, saving on pension schemes, sick pay benefit and no security of employment.

Unions and Workers Associations have to urgently rethink their ideas on working hours and conditions. As new technology is and will be developed, we must ensure the value created by them is used to benefit all people in whatever way they want it, not simply tomake the very wealthy even more so.

A. Delahoy, Silverknowes Gardens

Getting Together, Making A Difference at Royston Wardieburn

Continue reading Getting Together, Making A Difference at Royston Wardieburn

All welcome at Granton Gardeners BBQ

Walk Leader training at PCHP

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PCHP are running some Walk Leader training for anyone wanting to become a walk volunteer. The training will be run by a Paths for All trainer and will be on Monday 26th September 10am – 4pm.

PCHP are running a new pilot walking group with NW Carers and are looking for willing volunteers to help lead walks with people who are affected by dementia. There will be additional training in dementia for those who wish to become walk leaders with this project.

Here is the Course Overview for the walk leader training:

A one day course to enable volunteers to lead safe and effective Health Walks in a community setting as part of a Health Walk Project.

Learning Outcomes:

After attending this course, you will be able to
•Outline the main benefits to be gained from becoming more active
•Recognise moderate intensity physical activity
•Be able to describe a Health Walk and know what makes a suitable route for a Health Walk
•Outline the roles and responsibilities of a Walk Leader
•Have an understanding of risk assessment and recognise potential hazards on a Health Walk.

Please contact Clare Symonds at claresymonds@pchp.org.uk or 0131 551 1671 for a place.

 

Green Tease: creative solutions to temporary sites

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Green Tease: Creative Solutions to Temporary Sites

Date/time: Tuesday 30 August 4 – 6pm

Venue: North Edinburgh Arts, 15a Pennywell Court, Edinburgh EH4 4TZ

Centipede Project, based in North Edinburgh, are offering a guided tour of and discussion about their three public spaces in Muirhouse all within a 1 km of each other, developed in collaboration with local residents, businesses and schools, and latterly in partnership with City of Edinburgh Council.

These brownfield interventions include a huge grass labyrinth, a natural play area, and a former low rise housing block site now under development into a wildflower meadow, and natural play area. We will also include their most recent construction, a 25m rammed earth Amphitheatre and stage. During the session we’ll learn about the different values that creative practices can bring to sustainable brownfield sites and public space developments.

This event will appeal to those working in areas including: urban planning and regeneration, green and brownfield space development, community development, landscape architecture, urban playground development,creative practices. It is run as part of our Green Tease Open Call Fund.

Find out more and register here: http://www. creativecarbonscotland.com/ event/green-tease-creative- solutions-temporary-sites-2/


Joanne McArthur
Project Coordinator
0131 315 2151


centipedeproject.wordpress.com

The cost of going back to school

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Getting a child ready to return to school can be an expensive business. The cost of uniform, coat, shoes, bags and PE kit soon adds up. Despite this, the amount of financial help offered to low income families varies massively, with some local authorities offering as little as £20 per child for the whole year.

CPAG in Scotland want to make sure all local authorities pay an adequate minimum school clothing grant and that the Scottish Government is doing all it can to help families cover the costs of school clothing.

This year, the Scottish Government has a new power to set a minimum school clothing grant for the whole of Scotland – and we want them to use it.

Take 5 minutes to message your MSP and tell them what it really costs to clothe a child for school and explaining why you think every child in Scotland has the right to start term warm, comfortable and ready to learn. 

To get started, enter your postcode and click “Participate”.

UK government data provided by GovEval.

School Costs is a new short film jointly sponsored by the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) and CPAG in Scotland. Directed by Iain Henderson, winner of the BAFTA Scotland New Talent Award 2015, the film highlights the struggle of families on low incomes to meet the costs associated with their children attending school.

The testimony of the parents involved is drawn directly from qualitative research conducted as part of our Early Warning System.

Watch the film here

David Dickson: an appreciation

DAVID DICKSON 26.12.1950 – 8.8.2016

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David was Manager of North Edinburgh childcare for over 10 years.  He joined as the founding manager and developed the organisation from an ambitious local project to a thriving social enterprise with partners and connections across the city and beyond.

He lived and breathed youth and community work and had a wide and varied background from a range of both voluntary and statutory provisions. He developed many strong connections during his time at the Centre – some becoming lifelong friends, including his Chairperson Betty McVay.

In his latter years as Manager, David “commuted” to his home in Skye and took early “retirement” at the age of 55.  He was a keen hillwalker and traveller and planned to mix spending time with family with heading further afield for adventures.  It was during one of these adventures that David took ill unexpectedly in New Zealand and after an emergency operation found out that he had cancer and his time may be limited.

Once home, in true David fashion, he pushed boundaries and even after being told he couldn’t travel outside the UK, managed a trip to the Scilly Isles – a place he had always wanted to visit at almost the furthest he could go without leaving the UK.

He is survived by his wife Pat, (who he met while working at the Childcare Centre), his children Jenny and Justin and grandchildren Ossian and William.

David was a great story teller over a good meal and a bottle of wine and had many interesting stories and fond memories of his time with the centre.

PAT ARMSTRONG