An election is to be held for membership of Leith Links Community Council due to the volume of nominations submitted, but it’s a different story for two local community councils: both Drylaw Telford and Muirhouse Salvesen CCs failed to attract sufficient nominations to reform.
The nomination process closed on 26 September and membership has now been confirmed for the city’s other community councils.
Leith Links is the only CC to be over-subscribed, with more nominations than places available, so local residents will be invited to vote online and in person. Anyone aged 16 or over who is registered on the electoral role from 1 September 2016 can take part and decide who should represent their local area.Votes can be registered securely over a special website from Wednesday 19 October 2016 until the voting period closes at 8pm Thursday 27 October 2016.
Councillor Maureen Child, Convener of the Communities and Neighbourhoods Committee, said: “Our aim is to deliver democratic processes that people can take part in and trust. To offer different methods of voting including online, we hope to make it easier for people to have a say and that can only be a good thing. We hope that by offering flexible ways to vote that it will attract even more interest in the Leith Links election.”
“Community councils are an ideal way to support communities to thrive, to allow people from all backgrounds to meet and share ideas and to make change happen. They are a fantastic way of making public sector agencies aware of the needs of local areas, and can really help to make changes for the better.”
Online voting will open on Wednesday 19 October 2016 and eligible voters will receive information in the post on how to get involved. Polling day will be on Thursday 27 October 2016 from 2pm – 8pm at Leith Community Education Centre.
Four community councils did not receive enough nominations and have not been established: Drylaw Telford, which was one of the city’s very first community councils; Muirhouse Salveson; Old Town and Craigmillar.
Drylaw Telford aside, community councils were established in the old Greater Pilton area to enable community participation in the then new Neighbourhood Partnership community planning arrangements when they were introduced in 2007. These replaced the old Community Alliance structures.
The fledgling community councils were first supported by professional community development staff from North Edinburgh Trust to help the new organisations find their feet. This support was subsequently lost when North Edinburgh Trust was wound up, however, and Muirhouse Salvesen in particular has struggled to continue over recent years.
Muirhouse does at least have a tenants organisation, but Drylaw Telford is now left without any community voice. Drylaw Telford Action Group, once supported by community education and North Edinburgh Trust, ended some years ago and Easter Drylaw Residents Association wound up earlier this year.
Community councils, despite their shortcomings, are at least nominally democratic and accountable – prospective members must put themselves forward for public election, with elections taking place every three years – and the failure of Muirhouse Salvesen and Drylaw Telford to reconstitute leaves a vacuum in existing community planning structures: community councils currently provide community representation on the Neighbourhood Partnerships.
It’s understood talks are now underway to resurrect the community council in Drylaw.
Craigmillar was once the scene of a particularly acrimonious community council election which split the community into two very divided camps and ended up in the Sheriff Court. Changed days, indeed – this time around, barely a handful of people showed any interest.
For more information on community councils visit www.edinburgh.gov.uk/communitycouncilsor contact the community.councils@edinburgh.gov.uk.
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and so it began
but no it was here already
who voted for the European UKIPS?
who voted for don’t know don’t care?
in the words of our new Noble laureate
” the answer is blowing in the wind”