Have your say on policing plan

Police Scotland has launched an online survey that aims to give people in Edinburgh the opportunity to shape policing in the Capital. The survey, which is now available on the Police Scotland website, seeks the views of residents and stakeholders on how policing should be delivered across the city over the next three years.

The Edinburgh Policing Plan 2014-2017 will outline the approach that will be taken in communities across the Capital, based on local priorities. Police want people who live and work in the city to have their say on the plan, and are making contact with community groups, businesses and other organisations in order to canvass views.

The consultation process gets underway today with the launch of the online survey, which can be accessed through the following link http://svy.mk/159rXJe to surveymonkey.com.

There will also be a series of community sessions held across all city neighbourhoods later this year, as well as a stakeholder summit.

Superintendent Matt Richards, from Police Scotland, said: “The policing plan will be fundamental to our approach to policing Edinburgh over the period 2014-2017, and it is vital that people play their part in helping to inform the content of the plan.

“The online survey is a great opportunity for people to have their say in how policing is delivered in the Capital, and we want as many as possible to get involved, so that we can shape our plans around what is important to local communities.

“Policing our communities and keeping people safe are enduring priorities for Police Scotland, and we are committed to ongoing engagement with those who live and work in Edinburgh as we follow a common path to make our communities safer and stronger.”

Cllr Mike Bridgman, Convener of the Interim Police and Fire Committee, said: “We welcome the opportunity residents are being given to comment on the new plan. It is important now that we further develop partnership working with Police Scotland, particularly in the area of community policing.”

Help with heating bills

A new national campaign to ensure households know what energy initiatives they are entitled to was launched today (October 7). The campaign following a recent survey which shows 75 per cent of Scots are worried about their energy bills.

Deputy First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, launched the campaign which highlights the benefits available to Scots through the Scottish Government’s Home Energy Scotland hotline [0808 808 2282] which offers free impartial energy advice and support.

The Scottish Government has a budget of £74 million this year to help Scots reduce their fuel bills and transform Scotland’s housing stock into warmer, more efficient, greener homes – all part of actions to increase energy efficiency and tackle fuel poverty in 2013/14.

Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “The Home Energy Scotland hotline is an invaluable source of support for householders all over the country, providing a one stop shop for the Scottish Government’s home energy-saving initiatives.

“Many people are losing money by not taking up initiatives, yet anyone can apply for up to £1200 towards home improvements that will make their home warmer, greener and more cost-effective.

“Many people will also qualify to get energy-saving home improvements such as insulation, boilers or central heating for free. The hotline’s advisers are friendly and impartial and one call is all it takes to see what you might be eligible for.”

A YouGov survey recently found that three-quarters of Scots are concerned about the cost of their energy bills this winter, while more than 70 per cent of Scottish bill payers said last winter’s energy bills had a negative impact on their disposable income. Around 80 per cent (81 per cent) of householders also admit to being energy wasters at home.

More than 800,000 Scots have been offered energy advice or assistance on heating bills since 2009 , accessible through the Home Energy Scotland hotline.

Thousands of households across Scotland are eligible to have insulation, boilers and central heating installed for free. One call to the hotline is all it takes to find out if you qualify.

A home that isn’t well insulated can lose more than 50 per cent of its heat through its roof and walls, yet just a quarter of Scots surveyed would consider getting new insulation compared to the 71 per cent that said they would consider wearing a coat or extra jumper indoors in order to keep their bills low.

The Home Energy Scotland hotline’s expert advisers can inform callers which of the Scottish Government’s Home Energy Efficiency Programmes they qualify for, as well as giving personalised advice on how to make homes more efficient.

Home Energy Scotland hotline

0808 808 2282

Ainslie Park housing consultation today

Community Consultation Exhibition

Former Telford College North Campus (Ainslie Park School) Crewe Road North

Miller Homes is hosting a second consultation regarding its proposal to develop this site. A drop-in exhibition to view the latest proposals is being held today:

Thursday 3 October between 2pm and 7pm

At Varcity North – Sales Centre

Crewe Road North

Further information from Caroline Owen at GVA on 0131 469 6068 or caroline.owen@gva.co.uk

Port of Leith’s bean busy supporting charity coffee morning

Port of Leith Housing Association (PoLHA) has raised nearly £1300 for Macmillan Cancer Support. PoLHA’s sheltered housing developments at St Nicholas Court in Ferry Road and Hermitage Court in Academy Park in Leith hosted events for their residents and locals as part of the charity’s ‘World’s Biggest Coffee Morning’ initiative.

Around thirty people attended Hermitage Court’s light lunch and over forty people enjoyed the delights of home-made soup, home bake sale and raffle at St Nicholas Court. The complexes raised a very tasty £1087 between them, and a staff coffee morning at PoLHA’s Constitution Street office raised a further £209!

Maureen Tait, Senior Sheltered Housing Coordinator for PoLHA who manages St Nicholas Court, said: “We are delighted so many people came along to help makes the coffee mornings a success. Without their generosity we would not have been able to raise such a vast amount of money to this fantastic cause.”

Work under way on West Pilton’s 21st Century Homes

Pupils from St David’s and Pirniehall Primary Schools rolled their sleeves up to lend a hand when work on the new 21st Century Homes development at West Pilton Crescent got underway last week. The children had the honour of cutting the first little sods … and no, definitely no further comments!

Our thanks for Councillor Vicki Redpath for the photographs

Date set for NEN AGM

agm notice

It’s been quite a year for your community newspaper North Edinburgh News. You can find out what’s happened, what’s happening now and future plans when the NEN annual general meeting takes place next month.

The AGM will be held at 7.30pm on Tuesday 12 November at Spartans Community Academy’s club rooms, Ainslie Park. All welcome. A full agenda will be published here on the blog nearer the meeting date.

Fresh Start gets down to business

Resettlement charity Fresh Start has welcomed it’s first ever Business Manager as the charity goes through a period of growth. Joyce Clark takes up the newly created role with the Pilton-based charity, which works to help people make a home for themselves.

Ms Clark comes from a business and marketing background, with her most recent role in the third sector at Sacro, the national community justice voluntary organisation.

The new Business Manager role was created to help the charity grow as demand for its services continues to rise. Fresh Start’s board of directors decided at the start of the recession to promote a programme of expansion which has helped them to meet some of that demand – but the charity is still unable to help all those who need it.

Fresh Start provides a range of services: a Starter Pack service to help people with the basics needed to set up a new home; a Hit Squad service to help people decorate their new home and provide social support; and a training and employability service for people who have been homeless through its social enterprise in PAT Testing.

Keith Robertson, Fresh Start’s Managing Director, said: “We are delighted to welcome Joyce to Fresh Start in this newly created role as we expand and grow. Fresh Start has already come far from its roots, based in one of the member’s garages, helping just a handful of people in Pilton. But we are growing faster than ever before and we’re delighted Joyce is starting to help steer the ship in the right direction.”

Business Manager Joyce Clark said: “Fresh Start is a place where real tangible results can be seen in helping people to turn their lives around, thanks to the right kinds of support. I’m delighted to work with such a committed organisation and team – and look forward to helping the charity continue to support people to have a fresh start in life and develop ways of meeting the growing demand.”

Letter: public services paying the price

Dear Editor

Wage increases restricted to 1% maximum. Price increases averaging 3%, with gas, electricity and rail fares rising even more. This is not a one-off, it is a policy continuation over the last three years. Every working person is feeling the pinch, more so those on low incomes – in very many households the question of heating the home is decided by how much cold one can stand first.

Passing the cost of the colossal greed and mismanagement by the banks and financial institutions onto the people is bordering on criminal – especially as huge salaries and bonuses are still being paid to the people at the top, Their political supporters have been very busy making sure the people pay, but that is not enough for them.

They have also seized the chance to break up, privatise and destroy as many public services as possible – the very services, both local and national, that are needed more than ever. These services have been struggled for and paid for in taxation; they haven’t been given to us, this begs the question: how has the Tory/Lib government been able to do so much harm to so many?

First, any resistance had to be broken or diverted, pointing out people to blame, setting one section against another – those in work (‘hard workers’) against those out of work (‘layabouts’), people not on benefits against those on benefits (‘scroungers’), disabled people (‘shirkers’, or ‘work shy’). That so many people were taken in by these tales is a disaster, not only for the scapegoated but because every individual is under the same threat.

Emboldened by this success the Tory/Lib government felt confident enough to go even further and dictate how much space a hame needs (the ‘bedroom tax’) and in doing so giving the like-minded controllers licence to dictate, if on benefits, what people should or should not buy.

It is important every person listens very carefully to what is being told to them and why, and by defending others’ rights you defend your own.

The famous speech by Pastor Neimoller is really worth recalling:

First they came for the communists

And I did not speak out because I was not a communist

Then they came for the socialists

and I did not speak out because I wasn’t a socialist

Then they came for the trade unionists

and I did not speak out because I wasn’t a trade unionist

Then they came for me

and there was no one left to speak for me.

Most people have one asset, the ability to work; when the opportunity to exercise this is denied it has disastrous consequences on individuals and families, made worse by destroying public services.

A. Delahoy

Silverknowes Gardens

Last call for community councillors

Elected Representative CC Application Form 2013

Do you care about your community? Would you like to make your neighbourhood a better place to live? Well, there’s still time to put your name forward to become a community councillor – but nominations close at 4pm TODAY!

Indications are that nomination forms have not exactly been flooding in to Returning Officers in some neighbourhoods so far so it’s hoped that there will be a last-minute rush today!

Community councils are groups of people who care about their community and want to make their area a better place to live. Community councils give residents a say in how their communities are run by representing the views of local people on Neighbourhood Partnerships and convey these views to the Council and other organisations and agencies.

In North Edinburgh, Drylaw Telford was one of the city’s original community councils while Muirhouse Salvesen (pictured below), West Pilton/West Granton and Granton and District were formed to give communities a voice in new community planning arrangements when Neighbourhood Partnerships were introduced in 2007.

Community councils are always keen to hear from local people, and want more people to get involved in their work. They usually meet once a month, and in between meetings many organise and support local projects and initiatives that help the community or improve the area.

Get involved – get that nomination form completed and handed in today!

The inaugural meeting of Muirhouse Salvesen Community Council in March 2007

Do Not Adjust Your Set

Drylaw sees the big picture

Drylaw now has it’s own public big TV screen. The high-tech equipment was installed last night and community leaders believe the big screen will attract new visitors to the area.

A spokesman for Drylaw Telford Community Council said: “Although it’s not as large as we were promised we accept that money is tight and are delighted that the council has agreed to locate a big screen in Drylaw. Drylaw has really needed this for a long time – we don’t think it’s right that the city centre gets everything, Edinburgh is more than Princes Street, the Bridges and Lothian Road. Now local people will be able to gather together in their own community to watch major sporting events and Strictly Come Dancing – it will help generate a new community spirit and will become a talking point, a bit like the Angel of the North. I’m convinced tourists will flock to Drylaw.”

A council spokesperson said: “The City of Edinburgh Council is often accused of wasting council tax payers money on expensive vanity projects like education and roads. This exciting initiative clearly demonstrates that this council is listening to communities.”