Edinburgh North and Leith MP Deidre Brock is leading a debate at Westminster this afternoon (Tuesday) on bank branch closures, after recent announcements from both RBS and TSB that their branches in Leith are set to close.
Ms Brock called for the debate after RBS announced last month that a further 18 of its 86 branches are set to close, including Leith. The MP will call for more robust action from government to protect access to bank branches and to increase the roll out of initiatives like banking hubs.
Ms Brock has written to the banks and is meeting with representatives of both RBS and TSB to discuss the proposed local closures in Leith.
Deidre Brock said:- “We have seen almost 6000 bank branches close across the UK since 2015 at a rate of 54 each month. Enough is enough. If banks keep shutting up shop at this pace we will deepen the digital divide and leave many people without access to the financial services they need.
“It’s hard to believe Leith could soon be down to its last branch standing. As one of the most densely populated parts of Scotland, there’s a continued need for accessible services for the many small businesses and customers in the area who don’t use digital.
“RBS was founded in Edinburgh in 1727 and paved the way for much modern banking so it’s sad to see them cut back to just three city centre branches. The success of Edinburgh’s financial sector was largely built on Scotland’s famous multi-bank system which gave stability and security in the sector. While times have changed, the increased centralisation of banking doesn’t seem like progress to me.
“Banks should still have a responsibility to the community and the customers they serve. The UK government needs to step in and take stronger action to protect our bank branches before they disappear altogether.
“We should introduce a community right to bank branches and incentives to roll out initiatives that help banks cut the costs while keeping face to face services, like banking hubs.
“The RBS website proudly claims “the bank has a history of making life easier for its customers. The bank is committed to serving Scottish communities and putting the interests of customers first.”
“It’s time for that commitment to be made clear in actions, not just warm words.”
Nine people have been charged in connection with road traffic offences in Leith during a day of action to target illegal e-bikes and e-scooters.
Officers visited the Leith Walk area on Friday, 10 May, 2024 following concerns from local residents.
Six riders were charged in connection with road traffic offences relating to the illegal use of the electric bikes and scooters resulting in their vehicles being seized.
Three drivers were charged in connection with using mobile phones while driving.
Constable Allan MacDonald, Leith Community Policing Team, said: “The safety of all road users is a priority for us and we’ll continue to tackle illegal, dangerous acts which put others at risk.
“Unregistered electric scooters and non-compliant electric bikes should not be used on public paths or roads. They can only be used on private land with the owner’s permission. They are classified as Personal Light Electric Vehicles (PLEVs) and are subject to the same legal requirements as any other motor vehicle, meaning that they must be insured and drivers must have a valid driving licence.
“Anyone purchasing an e-scooter or e-bike should be aware of the law and the implications of using one in a public place.”
Banking group TSB has announced plans to close 36 bank branches across the UK in a move that will see 250 job losses.
TSB’s branch on Leith Walk is among the branches on the hitlist. It will close in September.
Edinburgh North and Leith MP Deidre Brock commented:“I’m sorry to read of yet another bank closing its doors in Leith. This comes hot on the heels of the RBS closure announcement and it’s another bad move from the banks.
“It’s time for a pause to be called on these closure programmes and solutions sought to stop this rapid decline in high street banking.
“Plenty of my constituents don’t bank digitally, while others just prefer dealing in cash or dealing with human beings.
“They shouldn’t be expected to hotfoot it up to town whenever they need to do a transaction. Taking away options is not progress.
“I’ve written to the bank and asked for a meeting. I will do all I can to help find a long-term solution which can keep local banking services in the community of Leith.”
The Scottish Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate for Edinburgh North and Leith Mike Andersen has hit out at both the Royal Bank of Scotland and the TSB Group, after they respectively announced the closures of their last remaining branches in Leith.
Mike Andersen said: “Access to cash is a hugely important issue to the thousands of residents in the north of the city.
“Not only will locals be losing yet another important service, but it hurts tourists and visitors who may be seeking cash out with normal shop hours to use in local bars and restaurants.
“Lib Dems have consistently called on both our governments, in Edinburgh and London, to do more to support local businesses and find a solution to bank branch closures by introducing schemes such as community hubs.
“Both RBS and TSB need to halt these closures and restore the confidence of local people.”
Jack Caldwell, Liberal Democrat Councillor for Leith Walk said: “Leith as a whole is one of the most densely populated areas in the UK.
“RBS and TSB both need to rethink this announcement and ensure local residents are fairly supported.”
Sanne Dijkstra-Downie, Liberal Democrat Councillor for Forth ward said: “Given that residents are keen for more local services near their homes, it’s incredibly disappointing for my constituents who will now have to travel much further for in-person banking services.“
A spokesman for TSB said: “The decision to close a branch is never taken lightly, but our customers are now doing most of their banking digitally and we need to move to a better balance of digital and face-to-face services.
“We remain committed to a national branch network and through innovation and integration with video, telephone, digital, branch and other face-to-face services TSB customers have more ways to bank with us than ever before.”
LIFT @ Millenium Centre and the Living Memory Association are two of three good causes across the East of Scotland to have received a share of a £25,000 funding pot, thanks to Scotmid’s Community Connect initiative.
LIFT @ Millenium Centre offers support to families from the most disadvantaged areas of Edinburgh and those that are vulnerable either socially or financially. They have received £5,000 from Scotmid to deliver ‘Family Teatime’ sessions, an opportunity for families to play and learn together in a supported environment.
The Living Memory Association has secured £5,000 to continue their work connecting and supporting those isolated or living with dementia. The charity is based in Ocean Terminal, where it offers exhibitions, including The Wee Museum of Memory, as well as recording podcasts and videos.
Jayme Nisbet, Community Base and Family Support Worker, LIFT@ Millennium, said:“We are so thankful to receive £5,000 Scotmid Community Connect funding, which will help us expand our Family Teatime program.
“This is something that is so needed for the local communities in North Edinburgh.”
Russell Clegg, Project Worker Living Memory Association, said:“The Living Memory Association is delighted to have received a £5,000 Community Connect funding award from Scotmid.
“This will allow us to develop new projects for older people in areas of reminiscence, celebrating lived experience and combatting the loneliness and isolation our users can often face.”
The final charity to have secured funding in the East of Scotland is The Children’s Clothing Bank Dunfermline, which provides pre-loved good quality and new clothes in a dignified manner for children aged 0-18 years in the local community.
The next round of funding has shortlisted three charities across the East, Wed and Mid Lothian. Leuchie House provides people living with neurological condition and their families with access to short respite breaks.
Play Therapy Base works with children aged 3 -14 who are experiencing emotional distress and provides a playroom that hosts 1-1 sessions with art therapists.
The Rosebery Centre supports older people living with dementia combat isolation with things like befriending, dance therapy and outings.
Winners will be announced in October.
Keen to support local good causes? Pop into your local Scotmid and pay £1 to become a member.
A joint community venture by Pilmeny Development Project and FENIKS has received a major funding boost from Harbour Homes via the National Lottery’s Community Fund. This will allow its weekly Multi-Cultural Cook Along to continue until at least March 2025.
Harbour Homes’ social enterprise subsidiary, Harbour Connections, offered £14,225 funding to Pilmeny Development Project as part of its local placemaking work.
Mary O’Connell who runs the project said: “It’s an amazing group of people.
“To see how they all come together while cooking, playing bingo and getting competitive during Play Your Cards Right after the meal is brilliant.”
One attendee, aged 83, has been attending the events for several months now. He said: “Just look around the table, I’m English, there are Scots, Canadians, Polish and Irish here and we all get on really well.”
The funding will also help provide transport allowing group members to attend the cook-alongs at the Pilmeny Development Project Youth Centre.
In addition to the Multi-Cultural Community Meals, the funding will go towards supporting Older People’s Meals and Pilmeny Development Project Youth Centre community food provisions for their youth clubs.
John Murray, Placemaking Manager at Harbour Homes said: “There’s a genuine warmth and togetherness about the group which speaks volumes about the work being done here.
“It’s a privilege for Harbour Homes to be in a position to help support projects like this.”
Police Scotland are appealing for assistance in tracing Keith Brodie who has been reported missing from the Leith area.
Keith is 30 years old. He is a white male, with short fair coloured hair, 5ft 6, broad build, last seen wearing a red baseball cap, red tartan jacket and grey jogging bottoms.
He was last seen in Chambers Street, Edinburgh, at about 1.45pm today (30/4/24).
If anyone has any information as to his whereabouts or has seen him, please can they contact police on 101 quoting incident number 3719 of 30/4/24.
The owners of Ocean Terminal have confirmed they have signed a deal which will bring a Tesco Express to the Leith waterfront development as part of multi-million pound plans to regenerate the site.
The addition of the supermarket to the retail section of the redevelopment is expected to create up to 20 jobs as part of a major investment in Leith’s waterfront. The 4,700 sq ft ground floor unit will look out over a new public realm and future residential development.
The announcement is the latest in a chain of positive developments on the site, including the relocation and upgrade of the 24/7 PureGym to a brand new unit earlier this month.
Last year Ocean Terminal revealed it had agreed a long-term lease with Level X, the gaming and immersive entertainment provider, which will see a new purpose-built, state-of-the-art leisure venue open at the centre adjacent to a brand new Club 3000 Bingo venue which promises to be one of the best clubs ever developed in the UK, enhancing the leisure offering at the new look centre.
Chris Richardson, Managing Director of Ambassador Investment Management, the Scottish owners of Ocean Terminal, said:“We are delighted to confirm a fifteen-year lease with Tesco which will bring significant benefits to the Leith waterfront development, cementing our commitment to ensure this project delivers for the local and wider community.
“The addition of a new major retailer is a huge boost to the project and our longer term vision to to regenerate this waterfront area into a thriving, sustainable development creating an outward-looking, mixed-use town centre here in Leith.
“We’re thrilled to have Tesco fully on board, which further enhances the multi-use, dynamic offering within the leisure space at the Ocean Terminal site.”
Head of Campaigns for Tesco, Tony McElroyadded: “We are excited to be opening a new Tesco Express in Ocean Terminal, as part of our ongoing investment and job creation plans across Edinburgh.
“We look forward to serving our customers and supporting local community groups through our Stronger Starts and Community Food Connection initiatives.”
The major redevelopment of Ocean Terminal has hit its first goal with the reopening of PureGym, the UK’s largest gym operator, in a new location on the first floor.
The newly upgraded 24/7 gym is the first commercial unit to open as part of a complete overhaul of the shopping centre, and a wider project to regenerate Leith. Following the refurbishment, PureGym Edinburgh Ocean Terminal includes a larger free weights area, a new look functional zone with prowler track, a dedicated cycle studio and a new look fitness studio.
Ocean Terminal’s Masterplan was unanimously approved by City of Edinburgh Councillors in January this year, and includes plans for the provision of a pedestrian-centred waterfront, new mixed-use community amenities comprising residential, retail and commercial spaces, and high-quality public realm spaces.
Chris Richardson, Managing Director of Ambassador Investment Management, the Scottish owner of Ocean Terminal, said: “It’s an exciting time to see years of planning coming to fruition with the opening of PureGym.
“We are committed to working with the local community to deliver on a vision which brings positive social, economic and environmental benefits to the whole of Leith as part of a wider regeneration project, so we’re delighted to see the first steps of this becoming reality.”
A PureGym spokespersonsaid: “We’re delighted to bring PureGym Edinburgh Ocean Terminal members a new look and feel to their gym.
“Ocean Terminal Shopping Centre is a fantastic location for PureGym and the brand new, upgraded gym will ensure members have 24/7 access to the latest state of the art gym equipment to meet their fitness needs.
“We look forward to seeing everyone, both returning members and new ones, enjoy our upgraded gym!”
Launches Sunday 26 May 2 – 4pm at Earth in Common, Leith Links
Announcing a new collaboration between Earth in Common and Deborah Shaw (Aurora Engine), supported by the National Lottery Community Fund’s Together for Our Planet Fund
Highlights include environmental songs from Karine Polwart, works from Tinderbox Sparks Orchestra, stories from Edinburgh’s Gaelic community and Scottish International Storytelling Centre, poems from Ash Dickinson and Alec Finlay, folksong from Kirsty Law, sonic works from Siôn Parkinson and Aurora Engine, incorporating political themes of land rights, references to highland clearances and the Edinburgh housing crisis as local rents continue to increase
Coinciding with Earth Day, a new soundwalk at Earth in Common has been announced, with an upcoming launch event scheduled from 2 – 4pm on Sunday 26th May 2024, with live performances and a guided tour of the new installation with Deborah Shaw.
Tickets are now on sale for the launch event with various price options available. Book now: https://bit.ly/harksoundwalk
Environmental organisation Earth In Common presents HARK!, an immersive soundwalk nestled within the grounds of Leith Community Croft.
This unique experience will offer a tapestry of compositions, soundscapes, poetry and stories, curated by composer and sonic artist Deborah Shaw (Aurora Engine), supported by Together for Our Planet fund.
HARK! aims to foster a deeper connection to nature and reflect Earth In Common’s values regarding crofting, land and the intrinsic relationship between arts and the environment.
Alongside the pastoral, is the political, with themes of land rights, references to highland clearances and the Edinburgh housing crisis as local rents continue to increase. Some works explore the effects on communities, raising the importance of nature access in urban landscapes which the Croft provides.
Visitors will be able to access recordings through their electronic devices, and experience sonic folk tales, haunting choral compositions and immersive soundscapes featuring the collected sounds from nature and wildlife.
HARK! contributors include renowned musician Karine Polwart with a brand new song composed for the croft, “Earth In Common” inspired by her passion for nature and environmental causes. Tinderbox Orchestra will present “ICE” from their Sparks collective a piece composed in response to an ice installation at Dynamic Earth.
There will be pieces from Edinburgh’s Gaelic community, a story from Donald Smith, Director of Scottish International Storytelling Centre, and a haunting choral from Earth In Common’s own climate choir and a song from folk singer Kirsty Law.
Poet Ash Dickinson will be featured with poem ‘Fox Fishing’ about declining nature, and Alec FInlay’s words from their Push the Boat Out Poetry festival commission ‘Manifesto for Urban Crofts’ will also play as part of the soundwalk.
Sonic works will include pieces from Siôn Parkinson, composer and sound artist currently an AHRC Research Fellow at RBGE with ‘Pastoral blah’, curator Deborah Shaw (Aurora Engine) with a sound work about land rights and pieces inspired by birdsong.
As participants navigate the Croft with a provided map on their smartphones, they are invited to immerse themselves in the sounds and music at their own pace. A visit to the charming farm shop/café can enhance the experience, allowing for leisurely exploration of the works on display.
Deborah Shaw, HARK! curator, said: “I wanted to create a magical world that invites audiences to leisurely experience music while immersing themselves in nature.
“HARK! facilitates this journey, inviting listeners to tune into music, sounds, poetry and stories while also sparking conversations about land rights, climate and current housing issues”.
Alec Finlay, featured artist in HARK!, said: “I was inspired by Leith Urban Croft, which was conceived by Evie Murray, and is a contemporary twist on the traditional allotment, with an attempt to encourage a more communal approach, as well as broadening the social activities, helping with wellbeing, and giving young people an experience of nature and nurture.
“Some of the growing plots are run by schools. There’s a wee cafe, they sell produce, and are developing a visitor centre. It’s used by parents and toddlers … I think in terms of pandemic culture and climate breakdown, every park and green space should have an urban croft.
“It aligns with the idea of a ‘culture of recuperation’, which I’ve been thinking about for the past few years, and more specifically, with a project I did in Glasgow, with the Walking Library, exploring ideas of urban rewilding.”
Evie Murray, Earth in Common’s Founder and CEO said, “The Soundwalk project embodies Earth in Common’s ethos and builds on all we have achieved over the last decade.
“Leith Community Croft is an established hub for social, cultural and environmental regeneration. The Soundwalk enhances our identity at a crucial time for Earth in Common, when we are recovering from disruption caused by a major capital building project and our reserves are running low.
“If people like our work, they can visit the ‘Soil-idarity’ page on our website to learn how they can help us survive and thrive.”
