Police are appealing for information following a road crash in Buckstone.
At around 12:45pm yesterday (Wednesday, 30 September), police received a report of a road crash involving one vehicle on Buckstone Terrace. The incident happened at the junction of Buckstone Road and involved a grey Hyundai Getz.
Emergency services attended and the male driver of the vehicle, who was the only occupant of the car, has been taken to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.
An investigation is under way and officers from Road Policing are appealing for any witnesses to the incident or to anyone who was in the area around the time of the crash to contact them, in particular, anyone who saw the car prior to the crash.
Also, any motorist with dash cam is asked to check their footage as it may have captured footage relevant to officers’ enquiries.
Anyone with information is asked to call Police Scotland via 101, quoting incident number 1354 of 30 September, 2020.
The City of Edinburgh Council and event producers, Underbelly, have announced an update on this year’s Edinburgh Christmas, following latest advice and discussions with public health experts.
Following the recent national restrictions and taking into consideration the likely additional strain on services over winter, it has been agreed that any sort of event which could attract a gathering or crowd will be avoided. This includes market stalls, rides and all other attractions.
Instead, the focus will move to celebrating Edinburgh’s Christmas 2020 online.
In August, Councillors unanimously agreed proposals to adapt this year’s festivals to prioritise Edinburgh’s residents and businesses whilst also recognising the uncertainty of running live events during a pandemic. All parties committed to continue with developing plans in order to meet the significant changes required to follow appropriate public health guidance.
Planning continued to reflect up-to-date government guidelines with the intention to have a far smaller scale physical presence in the city centre, however it is now clear that the best place to experience Edinburgh’s Christmas and Hogmanay will be from home.
Further details of the revised plans for both will be announced in due course.
Cllr Adam McVey, Council Leader at City of Edinburgh Council, said: “As we’ve continued to adapt to the changing circumstances presented by the pandemic, we’ve continued to work with our partners to develop potential plans for events, which could meet public health guidance, to mark the end of what has been one of the most challenging years in living memory.
“However, as we’ve maintained throughout, our utmost responsibility is to keep our residents safe. Following the latest restrictions and through the development of plans, it became apparent that activities for Christmas were not going to be possible.
“Christmas is a special time in our city and hugely exciting for individuals and families who take advantage of the City’s winter offer. Whilst we understand the absence of popular events will bring some disappointment, we want to be clear that Edinburgh’s Christmas isn’t cancelled and our businesses right across the City will be offering their usual festive cheer for us to take advantage of.
“We look forward to announcing details of an innovative digital 2020 programme soon to help in these celebrations.”
Cllr Cammy Day, Depute Leader at City of Edinburgh Council, said: “Christmas is usually an extremely special time for our Capital City and, as well as contributing to the wellbeing of our residents, our Winter Festivals deliver real economic impact, benefitting tourism, hospitality and leisure sectors in particular.
“Whilst, of course, we’re extremely disappointed we won’t be able to go ahead with public events and the city centre sites this year, our absolute priority must always be the health and wellbeing of the public, traders and the city as a whole and to follow public health advice.
“I would like to thank Underbelly and our other event partners for all their work as we tried to plan for Christmas in an evolving situation and, whilst Christmas 2020 will take a different shape this year, rest assured the city of Edinburgh will celebrate Christmas.”
Charlie Wood, director of Underbelly, producer of Edinburgh’s Christmas and Edinburgh’s Hogmanay said: “We very much wanted to bring some festive cheer and light to Edinburgh this Christmas and to support local makers and producers, at the end of what has been a challenging year for everyone.
“Public health is our absolute number one priority, and with the ongoing uncertainty concerning Covid-19 and the possibility of further restrictions, we have taken the collective and very sad decision with the Council, NHS Lothian and Scottish Government not to proceed with this year’s Edinburgh’s Christmas sites in the city centre.
“There will be no public events which might encourage gatherings of people at either Edinburgh’s Christmas or Edinburgh’s Hogmanay.
“We appreciate today’s announcement will be disappointing to the many people, particularly families, who come each year to enjoy the Christmas sites; but we are exploring a different Edinburgh’s Christmas this year which will deliver a series of digital opportunities for residents and visitors to enjoy from their own homes. We will share more information on the revised winter festival programme in the near future.”
On Edinburgh’s Hogmanay, Charlie Wood added: “We announced back in July that the world-famous Street Party would not be taking place this year.
“Since then, we have been developing plans to mark New Year in the world’s home of Hogmanay, and to help Scotland celebrate with a sense of hope and new beginnings. We’ll be making further announcements in the coming weeks.”
Lothian MSP Miles Briggs said:“Given the circumstances surrounding Covid-19 this is the correct decision.
“It is now important for Edinburgh Council to focus on the economic recovery for Edinburgh and focus on the promotion of future festivals and ensure that these events can bounce back.
“Considerations needs to be given to innovative Covid-19 safe events for young families, to make Christmas as normal as possible for everyone.”
SNP, Labour and Tory councillors in Edinburgh have rejected Scottish Greens calls to investigate and act on unlawful short term lets highlighted by a report by Lothians MSP Andy Wightman.
In July, Scottish Greens housing spokesperson Andy Wightman’s Homes First survey revealed just one property out of the 477 surveyed had the appropriate planning consents, suggesting 99.8% of commercial short term lets in the capital could be operating unlawfully.
Green councillors brought an amendment to the council’s Planning Committee which would have compelled the council to investigate the unlawful cases highlighted by Andy Wightman, but this was rejected by SNP, Labour and Tory councillors.
Cllr Chas Booth, Edinburgh Greens spokesperson on Planning, said: “This is a deeply disappointing decision from Edinburgh’s Planning Committee, to effectively ignore Andy Wightman MSP’s detailed Homes First report on short term lets.
“Unregulated holiday flats can make life misery for neighbours, and are a cause of skyrocketing rents in the capital.
“On the day the Edinburgh Poverty Commission warned that high housing costs are forcing people into poverty, it is completely unacceptable for the SNP, Labour and Tories to combine to do nothing to respond to Andy’s report. (see previous post – Ed.)”
Andy Wightman MSP said: “The Scottish Government’s action on regulating short term lets is welcome and long overdue, but there is no reason for the City of Edinburgh Council to wait for this before enforcing existing rules when it comes to planning consent in response to my report.
“If owners are so willing to flout planning laws and councils are unwilling to enforce them, any new licencing powers are at risk of being undermined before they even come to pass.”
The City of Edinburgh Council Leader Adam McVey has pledged that eradicating poverty will stay at the heart of the Council’s future actions and policies.
The report identifies seven key areas of action to end poverty in Edinburgh by the end of this decade, including Edinburgh becoming a living wage city, tackling the housing crisis and closing the educational attainment gap.
It marks the end of the work of the Edinburgh Poverty Commission as it hands over to End Poverty Edinburgh – a new independent group of residents with first-hand experience of living on a low income and civic allies drawn from business, public services and the third sector.
As a group, they will work to raise awareness and understanding of poverty, influence decisions, and hold the city to account for ending poverty in Edinburgh.
Adam McVey, Council Leader, said: “On behalf of the Council, I would like to extend my thanks to those in the Edinburgh Poverty Commission and End Poverty Edinburgh for the time, dedication and research that has gone into creating this report.
“I’m also extremely grateful to those who shared their personal experiences and those of their families in helping get to the root of the issues. Tackling poverty in our city is one of our key priorities as a Council – helping those who need it, making resources available for people and, ultimately, doing everything we can to eradicate it in Edinburgh.
“We know that the pandemic has been incredibly challenging for those who were experiencing or at risk of poverty in our city.
“The Commission has pulled no punches and got to the heart of the issues – while there is no doubt that the pandemic has exacerbated the situation, poverty in Edinburgh is a crisis that goes beyond one cause and we cannot ignore it.
“If we’re to make progress on the scale required, it needs a concentrated effort from us, our partners and allied organisations, local business and residents acting as one Team Edinburgh.
“The seven areas of action give our City clear and defined areas for us to focus on and we appreciate that they are interlinked and support each other.
“Our 2050 Edinburgh City Vision is of a fair city where all residents share in its success and have a good level of wellbeing and life experience and we have been working with the Commission throughout our continued response to the pandemic to make that vision a reality, ensuring that as we rebuild our city we do it with our most vulnerable in mind.
“The educational attainment gap is a big priority for us and has been for a long while now. We were making good progress in this area before the pandemic but we’re mindful that the disruption to the school term earlier this year has widened that gap. Now we need to work with our schools and educational partners to double down on that work and ensure the progress continues to be made.
“We also know that access to and cost of housing is a central issue in Edinburgh and needs a focused and strategic approach in collaboration with the Scottish Government to deliver the new homes needed to make significant impact.
“We’ve already made progress around short term lets and will be ready to act quickly when regulations come into effect. We’re proud that Council houses being built right now are some of the best homes being built in the City but there is still work to be done to make sure we can provide good quality and affordable homes for everyone in our city who need them.
“The Edinburgh Poverty Commission has spent over two years listening to the voices of the people of Edinburgh and the reality faced by many of our residents, with COVID making it harder than ever for too many.
“That’s why the Council and the city has to come together to tackle both the cause and consequences of poverty. It will take time and won’t be easy, but we will ensure it remains at the heart of our policies as we drive the change needed across the Capital in partnership.”
While over 200 people attended the online launch of the report, local mum Ashey was picking her children up from school.
She had just left her youngest at her Nan’s as it was raining and the bairn has a cold. Nan had also given Ashley £5 to tide her over until partner gets paid on Friday. He has two cleaning jobs but he expects to be paid off at any time as one big office contract has just been terminated and the other is also looking vulnerable.
Ashley will just have time to pick up the kids, go to Farmfoods, collect the bairn then make the tea for her partner getting home, as he has to be back out for his evening cleaning job.
Tomorrow … well, we will face that tomorrow.
Surviving, not living. There are families just like Ashley’s all over Edinburgh, one of the richest cities in the world.
Edinburgh Poverty Commission set out a ten year ‘horizon’ for eradicating poverty in the capital. For all the ‘horizons’ and the council’s ‘visions’, you wonder where Ashley and her family will be in ten years time, when for now just gettting by, getting through from one day to the next is the ever-present challenge.
The TSB bank branch on Boswall Parkway is among 164 to be closed, TSB has announced. Edinbugh’s Corstorphine and Gorgie branches also face the axe.
TSB blames “a significant shift in customer behaviour” as more customers bank online. (Perhaps more customers ‘choose’ to bank online as more and more of their local branches are shut down? – Ed.)
Debbie Crosbie, Chief Executive of TSB, said:“Closing any of our branches is never an easy decision, but our customers are banking differently – with a marked shift to digital banking.
“We are reshaping our business to transform the customer experience and set us up for the future. This means having the right balance between branches on the high street and our digital platforms, enabling us to offer the very best experience for our personal and business customers across the UK.
“We remain committed to our branch network and will retain one of the largest in the UK.”
THIS ‘RESHAPING’ WILL SEE THE TSB CLOSE ONE THIRD OF IT’S BRANCHES
Robin Bulloch, Customer Banking Director at TSB, said:“Alongside these changes, we will continue to invest in our remaining branch network to offer high quality banking services, fully integrated with improved digital capability.
“We are working to ensure the transition towards digital – which is being seen right across the economy – is handled sensitively and pragmatically for our colleagues and customers. We’re taking steps to support vulnerable customers and those in rural locations.”
The latest figure is in addition to the 82 branches it said it would close in November, when TSB set out plans to save £100m by 2022.
Unite trade union described the TSB’s announcement as “a dark day for the finance sector”.
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said:“These bank closures are extremely concerning and a sign of the impact that Covid-19 is having on the economy in Edinburgh and the Lothians.
“In recent years there have been a number of bank closures which affect people’s access to banking facilities and makes it harder for people to manage their finances.
“It is crucial that bank employees who are being made redundant are fully supported in finding new roles and any training for those roles.”
Charity at the forefront of the Online Harms Bill urges UK Government to deliver on Boris Johnson’s determination for ambitious regulation
NSPCC sets 11th hour demand for Government: ‘Pass our tests for online regulation so children don’t continue to suffer avoidable harm and abuse’
Online sex crimes recorded against children in Scotland surpass five a day; as Ian Russell backs calls for Bill to also tackle suicide and self-harm posts
The NSPCC has laid out six tests the UK Government’s regulation of social media will be judged on if it is to achieve bold and lasting protections for children online.
The charity’s How to win the Wild West Web report, released today, sets out how the upcoming Online Harms Bill must set the global standard in protecting children on the web.
With crucial decisions just days away, the charity is urging the UK Government to ensure it levels the playing field for children, and new laws finally force tech firms to tackle the avoidable harm caused by their sites.
The call comes after figures released by Police Scotland show the number of online sex crimes against children recorded by the force during lockdown (April – June) reached the equivalent of more than five a day – a 20% increase on the same quarter last year.
The pandemic is likely to result in long-term changes to the online child abuse threat, with high-risk livestreaming and video chat becoming more popular. Changes to working patterns, meaning more offenders working at home, could result in a greater demand for sexual abuse images and increased opportunities for grooming.
The NSPCC has routinely highlighted the growing levels of abuse and harm caused to children on social media platforms, and believes the problem has been exacerbated by the fallout from coronavirus.
At the UK Government’s Hidden Harms summit earlier this year, the Prime Minister signalled his personal determination to legislate for ambitious regulation that successfully combats child abuse.
But the NSPCC is worried the landmark opportunity to change the landscape for children online could be missed if this is not translated by the UK Government into law.
The charity has released its six tests ahead of a full consultation response to the White Paper, amid concerns Ministers are wavering in their ambitions for robust regulation.
Regulation must:
Create an expansive, principles-based duty of care
Comprehensively tackle online sexual abuse
Put legal but harmful content on an equal footing with illegal material
Have robust transparency and investigatory powers
Hold industry to account with criminal and financial sanctions
Give civil society a legal voice for children with user advocacy arrangements
The charity believes, if done correctly, regulation could set a British model that leads the world in child protection online.
But in a stark warning, NSPCC CEO Peter Wanless, said: “Failing to pass any of the six tests will mean that rather than tech companies paying the cost of their inaction, future generations of children will pay with serious harm and sexual abuse that could have been stopped.
“The Prime Minister has the chance of a lifetime to change this by coming down on the side of children and families, with urgent regulation that is a bold and ambitious UK plan to truly change the landscape of online child protection.
“The Online Harms Bill must become a Government priority, with unwavering determination to take the opportunity to finally end the avoidable, serious harm children face online because of unaccountable tech firms.”
Mr Russell, who is due to be made an Honorary Member of Council for the NSPCC this week, said: “Today, I can’t help but wonder why it’s taking so long to introduce effective regulation to prevent the type of harmful social media posts we now know Molly saw, and liked, and saved in the months prior to her death.
“Tech self-regulation has failed and, as I know, it’s failed all too often at great personal cost. Now is the time to establish a regulator to protect those online by introducing proportionate legislation with effective financial and criminal sanctions.
“It is a necessary step forward in trying to reclaim the web for the good it can do and curtail the growing list of harms to be found online.”
The six tests the Government must pass if it is to create game-changing and lasting protections for children online are:
An expansive, principles-based duty of care; tech firms should have a legal responsibility to identify harms caused by their sites and deal with them, or face tough consequences for breaching regulation.
Tackling online sexual abuse; platforms must proactively and consistently tackle grooming and abuse images facilitated by dangerous design features. There must be no excuses. In the current state of play abuse images have been left online with the excuse that a child’s age cannot be proven, and images signposting abuse are not removed.
Tackling legal but harmful content; current Government proposals will see companies set their own rules on legal but harmful content. This is not good enough. The law must compel firms to respond to the harms caused by algorithms targeting damaging suicide and self-harm posts at children and avoid a two-tier system that prioritises tacking illegal content. The danger of harmful content should rightly be balanced against freedom of expression, but focus on the risk to children.
Transparency and investigation powers; tech firms currently only dish out information they want the public to see. The regulator must have the power to lift up the bonnet to investigate platforms and demand information from companies.
Criminal and financial sanctions; fines are vital but will be water off a duck’s back to some of the world’s wealthiest companies. Government can’t backslide on a named manager scheme that gives the regulator powers to prosecute rogue tech directors in UK law.
User advocacy arrangements; to level the playing field there must be strong civil society voice for children against well-resourced industry pressure. Big tech should be made to clean up the damage they have caused by funding user advocacy arrangements.
The NSPCC has been the leading voice for social media regulation and the charity set out detailed proposals for an Online Harms Bill last year, which informed much of the White Paper.
The Government has said the consultation response will be published in the autumn, with legislation expected to be delivered in the new year.
People on low incomes will be eligible to receive a new £500 grant if asked to self-isolate.
The new Self-Isolation Support Grant will help those who would lose income if they needed to self-isolate, such as those unable to carry out their work from home.
This grant is for those who will face financial hardship due to being asked to self-isolate and will be targeted at people who are in receipt of Universal Credit or legacy benefits, with some discretion to make awards to others in financial hardship.
Applications are due to open from 12 October and will be delivered through the existing Scottish Welfare Fund, which is administered by local authorities.
Social Security Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville (above) said: “Self-isolation can be tough, but it is essential to protect people and reduce the spread of coronavirus. To ensure people do not experience financial hardship as a result of doing the right thing, we are introducing this new £500 grant for people on low incomes who have been told to self-isolate.
“We want to do everything we can to support people throughout this challenging time and these payments will help ensure people do not have to make a choice between self-isolating and supporting themselves financially.
“While we continue to press the UK Government for clarity around consequential funding for the support scheme they recently announced, it is essential that we act swiftly so that people who need support are able to access it. I am glad that the scheme has the support of local authorities and that we have a means of delivering it from next month.”
COSLA Community Wellbeing Spokesperson Councillor Kelly Parry said: “COSLA, on behalf of Scottish local government, welcomes this scheme. It will help ensure those who are affected and qualify are looked after and won’t need to go to work, which will help reduce the community spread of the virus.
“Councils have vast experience of providing local support of this type to communities and are the best placed to deliver this measure. We are keen to agree the details with the Scottish Government as soon as possible and look forward to getting much needed support to the people who need it.”
Minister says physical and mental wellbeing the priority
Scottish universities must ensure students self-isolating on campus receive the highest possible standards of support to maintain their physical as well as their mental wellbeing, according to Higher Education Minister Richard Lochhead.
He was updating Parliament on the latest Government measures to mitigate the effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on the university sector.
Mr Lochhead also said every possible effort is being made to allow students to return home safely at Christmas if they wish to do so, and that the Government is now exploring the merits of some ‘targeted surveillance COVID testing’, to better understand the level of asymptomatic cases of the virus among the student population.
Universities Scotland, which represents Scotland’s 19 universities and higher education institutions, has now confirmed a package of 10 measures it will be using to support student wellbeing.
The Government published additional guidance to inform students wishing to return home right now, of their options and how the latest national restrictions apply to student households.
Mr Lochhead said the Government continues to work alongside universities, accommodation providers, unions, and other key stakeholders to keep campuses and their wider communities safe, and to support students and staff to comply with existing COVID-19 measures.
In its planning for the return of thousands of students for the new academic year, Mr Lochhead added the Government had balanced the negative impact of limiting access to education on students’ personal development, their wellbeing and life chances, with the country also needing the stream of talented and trained individuals produced by Scotland’s world-leading colleges and universities that underpins the economy.
He emphasised to manage that, the Government had consistently planned for some face-to-face teaching in colleges and universities as part of a blended return to campus, during phase three of the Government’s route map.
Mr Lochhead said: “Universities and student accommodation providers have a duty of care to their students – right now, this must be their number one priority and I expect them to take every possible step to look after their safety and wellbeing.
“That is why all universities will now provide a stay-at-campus support package for any students self-isolating, and we have asked the sector to ensure that’s gold standard.
“Our key message right now encourages students to remain living in their current households and on campus if they are able to. We are now working together with the sector on the best approaches on how to handle the Christmas break.
“Universities should also look sympathetically at students who have left or want to serve notice on their tenancy and re-apply at a future point – Ministers are urging the sector to apply the utmost flexibility on this point.
“We remain mindful of clinical advice about the limitations of asymptomatic testing and the need to prioritise our testing capacity. However, we are also exploring the merits of some targeted surveillance testing focused on institutions which present particular concerns, to understand the level of asymptomatic cases.”
Proposals for a Low Traffic Neighbourhood in East Craigs will be considered by Transport and Environment Committee this morning (Thursday 1 October).
The temporary measures are being proposed as part of our Spaces for People programme and, following concerns raised by the local community, will be brought to committee for a final decision by councillors.
In response to feedback from residents, the design of the scheme has been amended to ensure that every area in the Low Traffic Neighbourhood can access (entry and/or exit) two of the major distributor roads, Drum Brae, Glasgow Road or Maybury Road.
The council says that by making these amendments, it will alleviate the requirement for right turns across Drum Brae South and Glasgow Road, which have been key concerns of residents. However, it will also ensure that routes used by vehicles to avoid the A8 corridor are closed, particularly during Craigmount High School’s opening and closing times. In addition, it will take traffic away from the West Edinburgh Link north-south cycle route.
Councillor Lesley Macinnes, Transport and Environment Convenor, said: Low Traffic Neighbourhoods allow residents to move around their own areas safely and with more space. They encourage physical activity and reduce through traffic.
“We know through feedback we have received that local people want to see measures improved for walking, wheeling and cycling and this is an opportunity to make this a reality on a temporary basis.
“However, we recognise that a number of people have been opposed to the measures we are looking to implement, so we felt it was right to refer this matter to the Transport and Environment Committee for proper scrutiny by elected members.
“We have listened carefully to local concerns and are proposing a number of changes to address the issues raised by the community. This will make vehicle access easier for local residents while moving ahead with some elements that will bring positive changes for residents. There is also a clear commitment to continue monitoring its effect and to modify it where necessary.
Councillor Karen Doran, Transport and Environment Vice Convenor, said: “We know that Low Traffic Neighbourhoods reduce emissions and calm traffic due to the number of successful schemes that have already been implemented across the UK.
“Nevertheless, there is local opposition to this scheme and it should be discussed and agreed by the Transport and Environment Committee before we take steps to implement. We will continue to engage with residents and stakeholders regarding this matter and ensure that their voices are heard as we move forward.”
The report will also consider other potential Low Traffic Neighbourhoods across the city, including the Meadows, Leith and the South Corstorphine area.
The East Craigs Low Traffic Neighbourhood involves temporary measures and is not a permanent scheme. Once implemented we will continue to monitor its success and engage with local residents. If a view is taken to make the scheme permanent full consultation with residents would take place.
Low Traffic Neighbourhoods are used in a number of cities to reduce the impact of through motor traffic. They create people-friendly spaces which encourage physical activity and active travel choices while maintaining local access. Our consultation on the West Edinburgh Link (WEL) project showed support for proposals to improve conditions for active travel. We also received a number of suggestions via our Commonplace online tool on how the area could be made safer for residents.
The amended measures for the East Craigs scheme include –
Removing the Craigmount Avenue and Craigs Loan modal filters
Changing the position of the Craigs Gardens modal filter
Changing the North Gyle Terrace filter to No Entry east bound (from Maybury Road)
Altering the Craigs Road bus gate so that it always permits one-way westbound traffic and restricts eastbound traffic at peak times (07:30 – 09:30 and 16:00-18:30)
