While walking is a hugely popular pastime for many people, Christmas and the festivities surrounding it can sometimes leave us all feeling a little exhausted and stressed out. This can be the best reason to get outside on a walk and enjoy the fresh, winter air. Continue reading A guide to enjoying The Festival of Winter Walks with your dog
VICTORY FOR COMMUNITY CAMPAIGNERS
The Leith community is celebrating news today that the Scottish Government’s Reporter has upheld the city council’s decision to reject Drum Property’s development plans for Leith Walk. It’s a huge victory for people power and in particular Save Leith Walk’s energetic grass roots community campaign. Continue reading Leith Walk SAVED!
The team at the Amazon Customer Services Centre in Edinburgh is joining in the festive cheer in the run up to Christmas with a two-month-long series of activities, fun events and special surprises.
Party games, prizes, festive food giveaways and Christmas Jumper Day are just some of the fun activities ongoing at Amazon’s Customer Services Centre in Edinburgh. The Amazon team was also treated to a three course Christmas lunch at a local restaurant.
Speaking on the fun events, Stephen Lumsden, Site Leader at Amazon’s Customer Services Centre in Edinburgh, said: “Christmas is a really exciting time of the year at Amazon and there’s no better way to celebrate than by having two months of fun with our team.
“My favourite event has been the Christmas Jumper Day. This has been a brilliant year for our team and it’s great to end it with lots of festive cheer.”
A recent Edinburgh Napier graduate has had her excellent internship work recognised with a leading student impact award.
Caroline Tocher – who first graduated in 2018 with a degree in International Festival and Event Management before graduating in October this year with a Masters in Business Management with Entrepreneurship – recently undertook an internship at Business Fives, a company which runs corporate sports events with a charitable impact. Continue reading Intern of the Year award for graduate Caroline
An Edinburgh After School club has dug deep and donated £2,000 to Cash for Kids as the charity’s Mission Christmas campaign reaches its final few days. Continue reading Edinburgh After School club digs deep for Mission Christmas as campaign reaches final few days
People living on low incomes in Edinburgh have decried the city’s high living costs and called for increased action to loosen the grip of poverty in their lives, in a new report.
New research undertaken by the Poverty Alliance on behalf of the Edinburgh Poverty Commission has revealed the range of challenges faced by people struggling financially in Edinburgh, with high housing and living costs combining with low-paid work and benefit issues to lock them into poverty.
Many participants were struggling to afford day-to-day basics like food, transport and households bills due to a combination of low incomes and high living costs in the city. As a result, people are being forced to rely on foodbanks and on friends and family.
You can read the full report below.
The research revealed problems with the social rented housing system in Edinburgh, including a lack of adequate, available housing and long-term stays in inadequate temporary accommodation, which were having a significant impact on people’s lives.
Many participants felt displaced from Edinburgh city centre and had a perception that those with power valued tourism over the needs of local residents living on low incomes.
There were also major challenges faced by people seeking advice and support, with many either not knowing where to access this support or being faced with long waits for appointments at advice services.
Research participants shared their solutions to Edinburgh’s challenges. The need to recognise the higher cost of living in Edinburgh was the dominant theme, with solutions including greater action on housing (including more socially-rented properties and action to reduce private rents), more affordable transport, and more action to improve people’s awareness of their social security entitlements.
One Edinburgh resident who participated in the research said: “I’ve always believed that it’s very expensive to live and work in Edinburgh. Many people commute into Edinburgh because it’s cheaper to live outwith Edinburgh.
“But, you know, some of us ‘Edinburghers’ don’t want forced out of the city, we want to live in the city and I’ve always thought that Edinburgh should be treated a little bit like London is with a higher salary scale to incorporate the cost of living in the city centre.”
Jim McCormick, Chair of the Edinburgh Poverty Commission, said: “It cannot be right that, on the eve of a new decade, one in five children in our wealthy capital city are living in poverty.
“This timely report shows the problem to be damaging, costly and spread across the city. Poverty can be solved if we involve people with first-hand experience. City-wide, further action to boost affordable housing and cut the cost of travel needs to be backed by employers offering a living wage and secure hours.
“Easy access to quality advice on money, debt, housing and care should be available to every neighbourhood. We can start to solve poverty by stopping the ‘pillar to post’ experience that too many citizens struggle with.”
Vice Chair of the Edinburgh Poverty Commission said: “At this time of year, more than ever, we need to consider those less fortunate than ourselves. Most of us will be downing tools and enjoying food, fun and games with family and friends but the stark reality is that there are too many people who still don’t have enough money to meet their basic needs over the festive season, let alone all the trimmings that come with it.
“The research published today is a startling reminder of this. The result of focus groups carried out with people who are actually experiencing poverty in Edinburgh today, it spells out their personal experiences, providing a valuable platform for setting policies and improving people’s lives in the future.”
Since the Edinburgh Poverty Commission was established in November 2018, three calls for evidence have received over 120 written responses, and forty face to face evidence sessions have been held.
Yesterday, as well as launching the new report, the Edinburgh Poverty Commission launched an online survey to find out what the people who live and work in Edinburgh think about solving poverty in their city.
The survey is open to everyone who works and lives in the city of Edinburgh, and aims to be the largest ever public consultation about poverty in the city.
The survey will remain open until Friday 11th January 2020 and can be accessed here: www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/Edinburgh_Poverty_Barometer_2019.
Poverty-in-Edinburgh-EPC-Dec-2019
Craigroyston Primary School bade the fondest of farewells to their much-loved ‘jannie’ Brian Gilchrist yesterday. Continue reading Goodbye, Mr Gilchrist!
Legislation in the Queen’s Speech will allow us to get Brexit done, leave the EU on 31 January, and forge a bright future for Scotland and the rest of the UK, Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said yesterday.
Mr Jack was speaking after Her Majesty The Queen had delivered a speech which set out the UK Government’s ‘ambitious and optimistic’ legislative agenda for the coming Parliamentary session.
The Scottish Secretary said: “Legislation outlined in the Queen’s Speech will mean we can finally get Brexit done, leave the EU on 31 January and forge a bright future for Scotland and the rest of the UK.
“We will take back control of our fishing waters, introduce a modern, fairer points-based immigration system. We will free our farmers from the bureaucratic Common Agricultural Policy, and move to a system that works for them. We will put the arguments and uncertainty behind us, agree the Prime Minister’s deal, and go on to strike ambitious trade deals around the world.
“Today, the Prime Minister has once again made clear his unwavering commitment to strengthening the Union and bringing all parts of our country together. People in Scotland are fed up with constant political wrangling and wasteful debate. That is why we will not support the First Minister’s plans for another unwanted referendum on separation.
“We will also take steps to improve the environment and keep the UK at the forefront of tackling climate change. The UK Government is bringing world leaders to Glasgow for the COP26 conference next year. It will showcase our advanced renewable sector, give a huge boost to the local economy and have a lasting legacy for our global environment.”
The Tories’ bright new dawn has now been universally welcomed, of course. Scotland’s First Minister yesterday outlined her alternative future for Scotland (see previous blog post) and the Queen’s Speech also came in for criticism from a number of organisations.
TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady criticised the Queen’s Speech for failing to live up to the promises made to working families during the election. She said: “Working people will want to check the small print before trusting this government’s promises.
“Ministers should be taking action to outlaw hated zero-hours contracts, which trap working families in poverty. And they should get wages rising by empowering workers to negotiate fair pay.
“We know that many in the cabinet are desperate to drive down labour standards. That’s why the government has launched another attack on the democratic right to strike to make it harder for working people to stand up for their rights.
“No more excuses – the new government must improve rights at work and get wages rising to help working families.”
Jonathan Carr-West, Chief Executive of the Local Government Information Unit said: “The big question about this UK government is whether it represents continuity or radical change. This was the most ambitious Queen’s Speech we have seen for some years, seeking to signal that the Government has ambitions beyond Brexit with a wide ranging domestic policy agenda.
“But most of the measures relating directly to local government, will be of only academic interest to Scottish councils as funding and social care are devolved and English devolution is, by definition, concerned only with England. On all these issues, local government in England is likely to feel that it is as far as ever from sustainable solutions.
“In Scotland, interest is likely to focus on the broader issues addressed in the Queen’s Speech, Brexit, climate change and a commitment to a constitutional review. Across all these areas, the stage seems set for a constitutional showdown between Westminster and Holyrood.
“It is clear that we are heading for a difficult period with a UK civil service trying to work with trust and integrity for two very different governments. The key rub will be how the Barnett consequential monies for the NHS and other services are used and applied. And where will that leave local government funding.
“It’s essential that local government and its partners be part of that conversation and that whatever constitutional settlement we end up with recognises the importance of autonomous, well-funded local government as a crucial vehicle for delivering on the hopes and aspirations of communities across Scotland.”
The democratic case for Scotland having the ability to choose its own constitutional future has been published.
The paper – entitled “Scotland’s Right to Choose: Putting Scotland’s Future in Scotland’s Hands” – lays out the detailed case for how and why the country should be able to have the choice of independence in a referendum. Continue reading ‘Democracy must and will prevail’: Scotland’s right to choose
