We are looking for Trustees to work with the existing Board during this exciting time of development of the Western Harbour.
If you think you can contribute or you would like more information, do not hesitate to contact chair@grantonhub.org
We are looking for an enthusiastic and skilled individual to join our existing board of trustees as secretary.
See http://grantonhub.org/trustee or email to chair@grantonhub.org for more information.
POLICE are appealing for information following disorder after the football match between Hibernian and Motherwell at the weekend.
On Saturday, 5 October 2024, incidents of violence and disorder were directed towards officers in the St Andrew Square area after the conclusion of the game.
Four officers suffered minor injuries as a result and four men aged 16, 17, 18 and 22 were charged in connection with incidents of violence and disorder. They were released on an undertaking to appear in court at a later date.
Two other people were also arrested and later released without charge.
Chief Inspector Craig Rogerson said: “We have a zero-tolerance approach to violence of any kind and are working to identify those responsible and bring them to justice.
“A proportionate policing plan was in place and officers being targeted with violence while carrying out their duties is wholly unacceptable.
“Officers acted swiftly in challenging circumstances to deal with what amounted to totally unacceptable behaviour.
“A dedicated team of officers are carrying out enquiries to identify those involved and appropriate action will be taken.”
Anyone with any information is asked to contact 101 quoting reference 1311 of 5 October 2024.
CONSULTATION: HAVE YOUR SAY!
Have your say!
Muirhouse Park Play Area
New designs for Muirhouse play area are available to view and add your comments here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/MuirhousePark
Let us know what you think before Friday 25th October
More than 10,000 payments worth £12.5 million have been made through the new digital service to boost people’s State Pension since it launched in April 2024, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has revealed.
People have until 5 April 2025 to maximise their State Pension by making voluntary National Insurance contributions to fill any gaps in their NI record between 6 April 2006 and 5 April 2018.
HMRC and Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) are encouraging people to act now and use the Check your State Pension forecast tool on GOV.UK to see if they can increase their retirement income.
The service enables people to check if they have gaps in their National Insurance (NI) record, calculate if making a payment would increase their State Pension, and then make a payment if they wish to do so.
Further analysis of the use of the online service shows:
After the 5 April 2025 deadline, people will only be able to make voluntary contributions for the previous 6 tax years, in line with normal time limits.
Since its launch in April, 3.7 million people have used the online checking tool on GOV.UK to view their State Pension forecast.
Emma Reynolds, Minister for Pensions, said: “We want pensioners of today and tomorrow to enjoy the dignity and support they deserve in retirement.
“That’s why I urge everyone to check if they could benefit by filling gaps before the deadline passes. Using our online tool means only a few clicks could make a huge difference to your future.”
Customers can use the Check your State Pension forecast tool by logging into their online account or via the free and secure HMRC app. Those without an online HMRC account can register on GOV.UK.
HMRC app users can see their pension details at their fingertips including their current potential retirement date as well as annual, monthly and weekly forecasts as well as checking their NI record.
Everyone should be aware of the risk of falling victim to scams and should never share their HMRC login details with anyone. HMRC scams advice is available on GOV.UK.
More information on voluntary NI contributions
Firrhill High School is celebrating after being selected by a Tesco customer to receive a £5,000 donation.
On Saturday 21st September, Tesco customers in Edinburgh were given the chance to take part in a lucky dip to find a specially created gold version of Tesco’s famous blue voting token.
Firrhill High School was one of three local charities that customers could vote for to receive the £5,000 Golden Grant as part of Tesco’s Stronger Starts scheme.
Alexa Brown, Pupil Support Officer at Firrhill High School, said: “£5000 will make an enormous difference to us – it will mean security for the Breakfast Club and the ability to continue providing a healthy and nutritious breakfast to ensure the best start to the day for all our pupils.”
Over one hundred Tesco stores across the country took part in the Golden Grants event, with £500,000 in total being donated to good causes that help children and young people.
Golden Grants are awarded twice a year as part of Tesco’s £8 million Stronger Starts grant programme, in partnership with the charity Groundwork UK.
Stronger Starts grants help schools and children’s groups provide nutritious food and healthy activities that support young people’s physical health and mental wellbeing, such as breakfast clubs or snacks, as well as purchasing equipment for healthy activities.
Claire De Silva, Tesco Head of Communities said: “We know that £5,000 can make a huge difference to a school or community project, so we are incredibly proud to have been able to award Golden Grants to over one hundred schools and local projects to support the vital work they do for our children and communities.
“Our Stronger Starts programme continues to support our local communities year-round, and we encourage all customers to get involved by using a blue token to vote for a local project they feel will benefit people in their community.”
Since Tesco launched its Community Grants programme in 2016, more than £120 million has been given to more than 67,000 local schools and community groups.
Emily Carr from Kier Construction takes home Local Hero award for Scotland at this year’s Top 100 Most Influential Women in Construction
The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) is delighted to announce the winners for the Top 100 Most Influential Women in Construction Awards 2024. Congratulations to Emily Carr from Kier Construction, who took home the Local Hero award for the Scotland.
The awards ceremony, which celebrates and honours the outstanding individuals within the sector, took place on 30 September at Birmingham’s Burlington Hotel at the start of UK Construction Week.
The Awards Ceremony was hosted by National Federation of Builders, and showcased the influential women that work in construction, making female and non-binary role models more visible and accessible to inspire others, and demonstrating that the sector is open to everyone.
The category winners were:
The Top 100 Most Influential Women in Construction were also unveiled at the awards with the UK’s Most Influential Overall accolade awarded to Katherine Evans from Bold as Brass.
Danny Clarke, Engagement Director, England at CITB, said: “Congratulations to our award winners and to all of those who were shortlisted for the Top 100 Most Influential Women in Construction. We are delighted to recognise the incredible women and allies who are driving real change in the construction industry.
“The award ceremony and Top 100 shortlist celebrate the women that work at every level within the sector and their phenomenal achievements, while inspiring others and encouraging the next generation to pursue careers in this field. We are proud to showcase those who are leading in our industry and hope to see more even more applicants next year.”
Richard Beresford, Chief Executive Officer at National Federation of Builders (NFB), said: “It was a privilege to attend the Top 100 Most Influential Awards event and celebrate the outstanding women and allies that have gone above and beyond this year.
“It is testament to the positive changes taking place in the industry and we must build on its success and continue to empower and support women in construction.”
£14 MILLION FOR COASTAL COMMUNITIES
First Minister John Swinney has confirmed that 67 projects will share a total of £14 million in support from the latest round of Marine Fund Scotland.
The First Minister made the announcement in Shetland, where this morning he will tour Lerwick’s daily electronic fish auction and meet the Shetland Fishermen’s Association before attending the Convention of the Highlands and Islands.
This year’s awards include seven to Shetland-based projects, including support for a new fisher from Scalloway to help secure a vessel to enter the industry, along with grants for Blueshell Mussels in Brae to enhance its mussel-growing process and to Cooke Aquaculture to trial an innovative water-borne feeding system.
Other awards to island-based businesses include for Vonin Scotland to help establish a net service station for the aquaculture sector at Kyleakin on Skye, initially creating 15 new jobs. This project means nets will now only need to be transported a short distance by boat rather than via an extended road journey to the Central Belt, reducing CO2 emissions, and will improve recycling rates of nets preventing material ending up in landfill or incineration.
First Minister John Swinney said: “Our island and coastal communities and the marine industries based here make a huge contribution to Scotland – not just to our economy but also to our efforts to drive innovation and sustainability.
“I’m very pleased therefore to be here in Shetland to confirm these awards to a wide range of projects, all of which have demonstrated that they will help to drive innovation in the marine sector and help sustain coastal communities.
“Over the last four years, Marine Fund Scotland has supported hundreds of pioneering projects that are already contributing to building prosperity whilst at the same time protecting the planet.”
The First Minister is also expected to visit Scottish Sea Farms salmon processing facilities later before meeting Lerwick Port Authority leadership.
Sectors receiving support include sea fisheries; aquaculture; seafood processing; wild fisheries including wild salmon; projects that tackle marine litter and improve recycling; and the wider marine environment. Applicants are assessed against strict eligibility criteria including alignment with Scotland’s Blue Economy Vision.
David Brown, Shetland Regional Manager at Cooke Scotland, said: “We are grateful for the grant assistance which will enable us to trial and develop a new waterborne feed delivery method where rural communities such as Shetland can continue feeding the world with premium Scottish salmon.
“The health and welfare of our fish is a top priority and the project aims to enhance their wellbeing by encouraging the salmon to feed lower down in the pens, minimising the impact from environmental challenges and wildlife, as well as reducing our energy consumption and ensuring the durability of our feed pipes.”
Lothian MSP Miles Briggs has slammed the Housing Minister over his statement to the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday last week saying “Paul McLennan should be ashamed of his out-of-touch statement, which seems to be an embarrassing attempt from the SNP to congratulate themselves on their own failures.”
Mr Briggs highlighted the damage that rent controls have done to the rental sector, as well as the disastrous impact of SNP Ministers slashing £200 million from the housing budget.
Edinburgh, Midlothian, West Lothian and East Lothian have received a total of 6,513 homelessness applications in the last year. The number of live homelessness applications across the four local authorities is 9,971.
The shockingly high number of children living in temporary accommodation, across Lothian local authorities, has risen to 3,700, well over the a third of the total number of children living in temporary accommodation across Scotland, 10,110.
Miles Briggs spoke in Labour party business on Housing last week to again raise the issue of homelessness as well as lack of appropriate housing stock in Scotland.
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said: “Over the last eight years in which I have served as an MSP, I have never seen a more out if touch statement delivered by a Government Minister.
“After 17 years of this SNP Government homelessness across Lothian is dramatically worse than when the SNP came to power.
“The number of children living in temporary accommodation is shockingly high, with local authorities in Lothian having over a third of all children living in temporary accommodation across Scotland.
“SNP Ministers have made blunder after blunder leading to a national housing crisis, which could have been avoided with better leadership.
“We urgently need to see a new Scottish Government, with new ideas to start tackling Scotland’s homelessness crisis.”
MS Teams Meeting on Tuesday 22 October 2024 from 6-7:30pm
In advance of Community Council elections in February 2025, we are reaching out to invite you to the above meeting to discuss how community councils and the Council can collaboratively work together to promote community councils.
Some of the areas we are keen explore are:
If you would like to attend, please use the MS Teams link below:
Microsoft Teams Need help?
Meeting ID: 315 878 447 216
Passcode: BsEd9c
Over 130 organisations, including NGOs, social justice charities, think tanks and economists, have come together to urge First Minister John Swinney to give the government’s backing to Sarah Boyack MSP’s Member’s Bill.
In a letter organised by WEAll Scotland, they tell Mr Swinney that “this is a key opportunity for the Scottish Parliament to work together to pass world leading legislation that delivers for the people of Scotland”.
Ms Boyack’s Member’s Bill aims to create better outcomes for future generations by placing new definitions of sustainable development and wellbeing into legislation.
It also seeks to establish a Wellbeing and Sustainable Development Commissioner to end short-term thinking in policy decisions.
The bill received cross party support but has not yet been formally endorsed by the SNP.
In the SNP’s 2021 manifesto they committed to bringing forward a Wellbeing and Sustainability Bill, however only put a consultation forward after Ms Boyack published her bill.
In the open letter, signatories highlighted the benefits of this bill and urged Mr Swinney to support Sarah Boyack in bringing it into law
Commenting on the support, Ms Boyack said: “It is great to have such a wide range of support from stakeholders across sectors, for my bill.
“There is clearly a deep recognition of the benefits that this bill can bring Scotland.
“This gives us in Scotland the opportunity to be a real leader in this field.
“I hope the First Minister listens to these stakeholders and supports my bill to ensure that we can finally embed wellbeing into the heart of Scotland’s politics.”
WEAll Director Aileen McCleod added: “In a just and compassionate Scotland, everyone should have the opportunity to live a good and dignified life.
“We know that people are struggling as we face multiple crises for people and planet. It doesn’t have to be this way.
“Right now, the Scottish Government is not utilising the full extent of their devolved powers. The recent Programme for Government was a missed opportunity to deliver lasting change.”
Sarah Davidson, Chief Executive of Carnegie UK also commented: “New wellbeing legislation could help Scotland make headway with the biggest challenges of our time by forcing more long-term thinking.
“The Scottish Parliament should get behind Sarah Boyack’s Bill because the only way we’re going to tackle issues like climate change or child poverty is through thoughtful action, co-ordinated across government and the wider public sector.”
