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Category: North Edinburgh News
Breathe easy at Drylaw Church!
Gentle Exercise sessions start this week
Morrison Street assault and robbery: Renewed appeal for information
Police are continuing to investigate a serious assault and robbery which took place in the city centre earlier this year.
The incident took place around 3.10pm on Thursday, 2nd January, 2020 within a common close on Morrison Street. A 25-year-old man was assaulted and had his phone stolen.
Officers believe that the males pictured may have information to assist their investigation and anyone who recognises either of them is urged to come forward.
The male (above) in images one and two is white, believed to be about 6′ tall, around 25-years-old and of medium build. He is pictured wearing a full light grey tracksuit, a blue hat and blue trainers.
The male in images three and four is white and believed to be about 5’10″ tall. He is pictured wearing a full grey tracksuit with the hood up and a black gilet over the top.
They were last seen on Gardner’s Crescent heading towards Fountainbridge, Edinburgh.
Police Constable Chris Docherty from Corstorphine CID said: “The victim suffered a serious injury as a result of this attack and was understandably very shaken.
“We are appealing for anyone who can help us locate these men to get in touch with us.”
“Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting the reference number 1774 of 2 January, or can make an anonymous report through the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
Future young leaders to benefit from £1.4 m boost
Scottish youth projects putting young people front and centre of their work are today sharing in £1.4m from the Young Start fund.
Amongst the 25 projects receiving the dormant account and building society cash is Youth Vision in Edinburgh which receives £76,000 to get young people outdoors taking part in educational activities that boost their physical and mental health.
Young leaders, like 21-year-old committee member, James, will support the planning and delivery of the programme while taking part in training and achieving qualifications.
James, who joined Youth Vision at the age of 13 after experiencing mental health difficulties, said: “Before I joined the project, I was severely depressed. I was having a horrendous time at school and was badly bullied. It wasn’t until much later that I got a diagnosis of Asperger’s and Autistic spectrum disorder, so for a long time I felt quite low and isolated.
“The project is special because it gave me something to put my focus into – I was already quite an outdoorsy person, but the one to one support and skills I learned such as, chopping wood, starting fires, tool safety and gardening, were great things for me to get started with.”
Now on the committee, James attributes much of his personal and career development to the project. He said, “I would never have seen myself as a leader before joining and I certainly would not have seen myself teaching people new skills – let alone enjoying it! It’s important for young voices to heard so we are very excited about this funding.”
Wester Hailes-based About Youth have received £75.000. The group will use the funding to run a programme of youth work activities for young people aged 8-19 living in The Calders area.
This will include three weekly youth groups, holiday activity programmes, outreach projects, training opportunities, and one to one support. The
project will benefit 290 young people and involve 9 volunteers over 3 years.
Also welcoming their Young Start grant today is Sports Futures Trust who will use an award of £76,995 to deliver a youth-led health and wellbeing community programme, for vulnerable children living in the north east of Glasgow.
Led by a team of Young Leaders, this will include physical activities and training opportunities, coupled with nutritional and wellbeing advice for young people and their families.
Welcoming the funding, Project Lead, Jim Boyd, said: “SSF are delighted to receive the Young Start funding for the next two years. The investment means we can support children and young people to make positive changes in their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing while building better connections with their local community.”
Young Start is delivered by The National Lottery Community Fund and awards dormant bank and building society cash to projects led by and for young people, to help build their confidence and reach their potential.
Announcing the funding, The National Lottery Community Fund Scotland Director, Neil Ritch, said: “I am very pleased to announce this funding, which will help children and young people to have their voices heard while growing in confidence and develop new skills.
“The Young Start programme creates opportunities for children and young people to achieve their potential and every one of these projects reflects that aim.”
Groups wanting to know more about Young Start should visit https://www.tnlcommunityfund.org.uk/funding/programmes/young-start or contact 0300 123 7110.
UK NO to Scottish Visa
Proposals for a new Scottish Visa to address depopulation and cut skills gaps were unveiled yesterday by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon – but the initiative was swiftly scuppered by the Home Office, who said that ‘immigration will remain a reserved (to Westminster) matter.”
The visa proposals have been designed to work with devolution – but the principles and the practical measures proposed could be adapted should Scotland become independent in future.
Under the current constitutional arrangements, the Scottish Government plan would see responsibility for immigration policy split with the UK Government.
Migrants wanting to live in Scotland could choose to apply for a Scottish Visa, or one of the existing immigration routes offered by the UK Government.
Residence in Scotland and maintaining a Scottish tax code would be a requirement for such a visa.
The Scottish Government says these proposals are important and urgent. In contrast to the rest of the UK, all of Scotland’s population growth for the next 25 years is projected to come from migration, and yet new UK Government immigration controls and the end of free movement after Brexit are expected to exacerbate the risk of skills gaps and labour shortages in Scotland.
The First Minister said: “Migration to Scotland supports economic growth and the delivery of public services and helps to address the serious issue of long term demographic change – as well as enhancing and sustaining our communities.
“Yet the latest proposals from the UK Government to control immigration and end freedom of movement would be disastrous for our economy and society and would risk acute labour shortages.
“Migration is an issue which is crucial for our future, but the Scottish Government doesn’t currently have the powers needed to deliver tailored immigration policies for Scotland.
“Devolving immigration powers by introducing a Scottish Visa would allow Scotland to attract and retain people with the skills and attributes we need for our communities and economy to flourish.”
Migration minister Ben Macpherson said: “Scotland’s migration needs are different to the rest of the UK.
“Today Nicola Sturgeon & I launched The Scottish Government’s proposals for a Scottish Visa, & other changes to UK immigration policy that would help us to deliver solutions that better met Scotland’s needs, values & aspirations.”
SNP MSP Gordon MacDonald has also backed proposals for a new Scottish Visa to address the skills gaps in Edinburgh, set to be made worse by Brexit.
Under plans announced by the First Minister, migrants who want to live in Scotland could choose to apply for a Scottish Visa – or one of the existing immigration routes offered by the UK Government.
All of Scotland’s population growth for the next 25 years is projected to come from migration. However, new UK Government immigration controls and the end of free movement after Brexit are expected to exacerbate the risk of skills gaps and labour shortages in Scotland.
Without migration, Edinburgh could face a demographic crisis that could hammer public services like the NHS – with an ageing population leaving Scotland with fewer working-age taxpayers.
A cross-party report by Holyrood’s Finance Committee found that, without additional powers for the Scottish Parliament, Scottish public spending may be put at risk by demographic changes.
Member of the finance committee, SNP MSP Gordon MacDonald said: “Brexit, and the end of freedom of movement, poses a huge risk to our economy and public services in Edinburgh.
“It is vital for the capitals’s future prosperity that we continue to attract people to live and work here. Migrants make hugely valuable contributions to our economy, public services, and communities – and that must continue.
“The one-size-fits-all approach by the UK government ignores Scotland’s needs and could put our ability to fund public services like the NHS at risk.
“UK government proposals to end freedom of movement and put in place inappropriate salary and skills requirements for all migrants would be disastrous for our economy and society, and would risk acute labour shortages.
“These sensible Scottish Government proposals, in line with other regional migration systems such as in Canada and Australia, would give us the ability to create a system which secures the future prosperity of Edinburgh.
“If the UK government refuse to deliver that plan it will yet again underline the urgent need for Scotland to take these decisions for ourselves.”
You can read the paper here:
https://www.gov.scot/
United Indian Support Rally
Dozens of organisations came together on Saturday – a day before Indian Republic Day – to congratulate and show their support to the Indian Government on enacting the Citizens Amendment Act (CAA) 2019 (India), writes PUNEET DWIVEDI.
The Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 coming into force is the beginning of a new dawn in the lives of those who feared religious persecution in theocratic countries of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.
Neil Lal , Rajdeep Sarkar from Glasgow, Abhay Kumar and Puneet Dwivedi from Edinburgh were the key organisers of this support rally outside the Indian Consulate in Rutland Square, Edinburgh.
Around 200 people from various age groups, ethnicity and faiths participated in the Rally. The drafted a letter and collected 295 signatures (100 signature collected before the rally, who can’t participate) for a letter to be written to All MPs , MSP and MEPs of Scotland.
Dr Amjad Mirza, one of the activists originally for Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoJK) said “CAA is wonderful initiative by Indian Government” and,being a resident of PoK, he welcomes this Act.
He added that since the Talibanization of Pakistan, there is systematic persecution of people in Sindh and other parts. He said: “Hindu Temples in Mirpur as well as in Pok has been destroyed and converted into residential houses. Gurudwaras been attacked in Pakistan. So all these minorities find a natural home in India, and can now be given proper citizenship and considered part of India. “
Puneet Dwivedi, vice president of Hindu Forum Britain (the largest Umbrella body of British Hindus) displayed a copy of the CAA Gazette and FAQs released by Govt of India, and said: “There was been lot of misinformation campaign in India as well as here in UK about the Citizenship Amendment Act.
“People have not read the bill and started protesting against it. The Citizenship Bill is wonderful initiative and give dignity to the refugees already in India till 2014.
“There have been few protest in Scotland against the Act stating this act is against a faith, however when challenged where does the act mention anything against any faith? No one was able to point out. The Indian Citizens, be it of any faith, will not be impacted by this Act.
“The protest in Assam to some extend was legitimate however the rest of India the protest being hijacked by misinformation campaigners. Even for Assam and North East , if you read point 12 of the FAQ released by Govt it says – “The CAA protects the interests of the tribals and indigenous people of the North-Eastern region by excluding areas under the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution and areas covered by the Inner line Permit system.”
Neil Lal said this is historic moment for Scotland: “For the first time Indian Diaspora and people of Indian origin have shown their unity. There are people from Glasgow, Dundee, Edinburgh and some from Aberdeen as well on this chilly Saturday afternoon.
“We are standing united with Indian Government and PM Mr Modi for passing this Act which gives shelters to all the minorities of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh where the minorities have declined drastically. We are here to congratulate the Indian Government and their representative Consul General of India Mr Hitesh Rajpal.
Rajdeep Sarkar from Scotland Friends of India said he wanted to thank everyone taking out time to support this important gathering to show our support.
Abhay Kumar said he was very delighted to be part of this show of unity adding that we need to fight against misinformation campaign in Scotland and rest of UK to malign India’s image.
The gathering was very peaceful and tea and snacks were served. The rally ended with everyone standing up to sing India’s national anthem.
Video Footage of Dr Amzad Mirza https://youtu.be/FaV5Ebia7RQ
Who Cares? Tory concern over hard to fill job vacancies
The Care Inspectorate and Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) published new figures on the levels of staff vacancies in Scotland’s social care services yesterday.
Edinburgh has the highest percentage, 57%, of services reporting that vacancies are hard to fill and almost half of posts unfilled 49%.
West Lothian, Midlothian and Edinburgh have all shown an increase in the number of vacancy rates with East Lothian dropping slightly to 32%.
Latest figures show West Lothian had 78 vacancies, 35%, Midlothian had 47 vacancies, 40%, and Edinburgh had the highest number of vacancies in Scotland 334, 49%.
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said: “This report highlights the ongoing challenges of recruitment in Social Care and is another example of SNP Ministers’ terrible record on workforce planning.
“The continued high rate of vacancies for social care makes if very difficult to see improvement to services.
“Issues such as delayed discharge in hospitals and shortages in adult care homes are not going to be fixed until recruitment of staff is resolved.
“Edinburgh and the Lothians have particularly high vacancies for Social Care staff and have higher than average services struggling to fill posts.”
The report comes as the Scottish Government launches a new campaign to promote careers in adult social care ‘There’s More To Care Than Caring’.
The staff vacancies report provides a national overview of vacancy levels and recruitment difficulties reported by care services registered with the Care Inspectorate. It also includes data on the actual number of vacancies services have, which is held by the SSSC.
In the past year, 38% of services reported having vacancies, which is unchanged from the previous year.
However, care homes for adults, care homes for older people, housing support services, care at home services, nurse agencies and residential special schools all had a proportion of services with vacancies significantly above the national average for all care services.
Daycare of children and adoption services were significantly below the national average for all care services reporting vacancies.
At 31 December 2018, the rate of WTE vacancies for all services in Scotland was 5.5%, down from 5.9% in 2017. This was higher than the overall vacancy rate across all establishments in Scotland of 3.1%.
Lorraine Gray, Chief Executive of the SSSC said: “A vital consideration when looking at vacancies in care services is making sure that social care attracts people with the right values, skills and experience to work in the sector.
“We’ve worked with Scottish Government on the adult social care recruitment campaign, launched today, which aims not only to encourage more people to consider a career in care but also emphasises the values you need.
“The social service workforce is growing, there are more than 200,000 people working in the sector, which is almost 8% of all employment in Scotland, so there are lots of opportunities and different types of roles.
“It’s a fulfilling and rewarding career which gives you the opportunity to work towards qualifications as part of a professional workforce making a positive difference to people’s lives.”
Peter Macleod, chief executive of the Care Inspectorate said: “We know that an effective and stable staff team is important for providing the world class care everyone wants to see.
“It allows trusting relationships to be developed between people providing and experiencing care, often supporting positive experiences and outcomes.
“The Care Inspectorate recognises that recruitment and retention into some parts of the social care sector remains a challenge, and we collect significant data about the places and parts of the sector where recruitment problems are more challenging.
“This report has been prepared to provide a national overview of the vacancy levels and recruitment difficulties reported by care services in their Care Inspectorate annual returns.
“We know, of course, that numbers do not tell the whole story. The skills, experiences, and values of social care staff are just as critical as the right number of staff being employed.
“However, going forward we expect to see more innovative solutions embraced by care providers and commissioners, as well as increased partnership working between social care services, local authorities and other key partners to ensure that the underlying issues around filling problem vacancies can be addressed.”
Every care service is asked to complete an annual return every year to provide statistical and other information. The vacancy questions are asked for every care service type apart from childminders, who are typically sole providers.
Inside Story: Report raises health concern over home air pollution
There is growing evidence that respiratory problems among children may be exacerbated by indoor air pollution in homes, schools and nurseries, according to a joint report by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) and the Royal College of Physicians.
The report, informed by a RCPCH commissioned systematic review of 221 studies, presents evidence linking indoor air pollution to a range of childhood health problems including asthma, wheezing, conjunctivitis, dermatitis, and eczema.
Sources of indoor air pollution include smoking, damp, the burning of fossil fuels and wood, dust, chemicals from building materials and furnishings, aerosol sprays, and cleaning products.
The authors warn that indoor air quality tends to be poorer in low quality housing where ventilation may be inadequate or insufficient.
The report recommends that local authorities should have the power to require improvements where air quality fails to meet minimum standards in local authority schools and houses. This should be extended, according to the authors, beyond damp and mould (where powers already exist) to include other pollutants.
The report recommends:
- Legally binding performance standards for indoor air quality to include ventilation rates, maximum concentration levels for specific pollutants, labelling of materials, and testing of appliances
- Air quality tests when local authority construction is complete and before the building is signed off
- Compliance tests after construction stages and assessment of buildings once occupied – this may require ring-fenced resources for local authorities to take enforcement action
The report recommends local authorities should follow the NICE guidelines for ‘Indoor air quality at home’. It warns “exposure to indoor air pollution from cookers, damp, cleaning products and fires can irritate the lungs and exacerbate asthma symptoms.”
It encourages people to ensure rooms are well ventilated by opening windows or using extractor fans, especially when cooking, drying clothes inside, or using sprays, solvents, and paints.
Professor Jonathan Grigg, Paediatric Respiratory Consultant from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) said: “We’re finally paying attention to the quality of our outdoor air and this is long overdue.
“It’s harder to get population level data on the quality of indoor air but the evidence in this report paints a worrying picture. Children in the UK spend most of their time indoors, with just 68 minutes spent outside on an average day. Too many of our homes and schools are damp and poorly ventilated – this is adversely affecting the health of children.”
The report says local authorities should provide free indoor air testing for residents. It recommends a national fund to support improvements for low income residents who report issues with ventilation and air quality.
Professor Stephen Holgate, Special Advisor for the Royal College of Physicians said: “Poorer households have fewer choices about where to live and where to go to school. More than three million families live in poor quality housing in the UK.
“Most will not have enough money to make improvements and have no option but to make do with damp, under-ventilated environments. We need to offer support at local authority level – likewise with schools. If we ask our children to spend their childhood days in unhealthy spaces, then we’re storing up problems for future health.”
The report ‘The Inside Story: Health effects of indoor air quality on children and young people’ makes further recommendations:
- A cross-governmental committee to co-ordinate working in health, environment, education and homes for indoor air quality
- Advice for the public about the risks of, and how to prevent, poor indoor air quality
- Investment in high quality research and evidence to support decision making.
The Inside Story: Health effects of indoor air quality on children and young people is jointly published by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) and the Royal College of Physicians (RCP).
It is funded by Allergy UK, Airtopia, Asthma UK, British Heart Foundation, British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Dyson, and the Greater London Authority.
Council will set budget on 20 February
The city council has announced a new timetable to enable councillors to agree a three-year budget on 20 February.
Following confirmation from the Scottish Government that the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Economy and Fair Work intends to outline his spending plans on 6 February, a special Finance & Resources Committee has been added to the council diary on 14 February, where proposals for spending and investing will be considered in more detail.
A series of proposals developed by Council officers, which have been shared with all political groups in the City Chambers, will be developed into Coalition proposals and published on 10 February.
No decisions have yet been made and officers continue to explore a number of options based on previous feedback from residents and council employees.
However whether the budget is for one year or three, one thing is inevitable: communites face yet more cuts to services.
Council Leader Adam McVey said: “Despite the uncertainty brought about by delays to the UK Government’s budget announcement, we’re committed to setting a balanced three-year budget for Edinburgh – paving the way for record capital investment in our schools and transport over the next 10 years.
“We’ve already started outlining our long-term plans for making the city more sustainable and accessible while managing our city’s growth more fairly and effectively. But to reach these goals, we need to act now and make the smartest use of the resources we have available.
“Yes, there will be some difficult decisions we’ll need to make – that’s no secret. But it’s extremely disappointing that budget information, much of it inaccurate, has found its way into the public domain, causing unnecessary alarm in our communities.
“We won’t let this cloud the process or stand in the way of our priority, which is to agree the best budget for the people of Edinburgh; one that supports people out of poverty, responds to the climate crisis and allows our residents to share in our city’s success.”
The ciy council is currently run by a SNP – Labour ‘Capital Coalition’ – the majority SNP group supported by Labour’s twelve councillors.
Council Depute Leader, Labour’s Cammy Day, added: “While many Councils across the country will be meeting next month or even later to set a one-year budget, we’re going further, outlining our spending plans until March 2023.
“Despite challenging budgets and continued pressure on local government finance, we will set a three year budget to allow the Council, partner organisations and our residents some certainty for the next few years.
“We will prioritise and invest in the areas our citizens have told us really matter to them, with a focus on poverty and sustainability. I’m confident that our future planning will see the capital city with a positive and progressive outlook for the future.”
Sell out performance in support of the Edinburgh Crisis Centre
Leading mental health charity, Penumbra, hosted a sell out performance of ‘The Bench’, a play written and produced by Watch This Space Productions last week. Jay Lafferty of Watch This Space put on the special free showing of the performance in support of the work of the Edinburgh Crisis Centre which is managed by Penumbra.
Penumbra is a leading mental health charity providing a range of support services to around 1800 people each week. Penumbra works with partners across 17 local authority areas to provide innovative mental health support in a community setting.
The Edinburgh Crisis Centre is managed by Penumbra as a partnership with NHS Lothian, City of Edinburgh Council and the Edinburgh Carers’ Council, and supports around 2000 people each year.
People can contact the Centre for support by email, text or freephone: mailto:crisis@
Watch This Space Productions’ performance of The Bench took place on Thursday in the Traverse Theatre.
Edinburgh Crisis Centre Manager, Barrie Hunter, commented: “Our team here at the Edinburgh Crisis Centre provides short term emotional and mental health support to around 2000 people in the city who are in distress or who are at risk of suicide and self-harm, and we provide a safe and non-judgemental environment where people can talk in confidence.
“There’s constant demand for support from the Crisis Centre, and it’s not unusual that we get several calls in the space of a few hours from people who are extremely distressed and need support immediately.
“It’s vital that people know they can ring up, text or email and get face to face support – potentially on the same day – and stay overnight if they need to. This is especially important because a mental health crisis is an extremely difficult thing to experience and key to recovery is early support.
“That’s why we’re so delighted that the hugely talented team at Watch This Space Productions have really got behind the work of the Edinburgh Crisis Centre in raising awareness of what we do through The Bench. The performance was a sell out and no wonder because of the talented team behind it.”
Jay Lafferty of Watch This Space Productions added: “We are delighted to be able to support Penumbra’s work. Since its debut at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2018 ‘The Bench’ has been on a nationwide tour.
“In early 2019 the play was published by Josef Wineberger and is currently being translated into German and French. We are excited to be back in Edinburgh for this one off performance and feel that the topics addressed in the play fit well with the work undertaken by the Crisis Centre.”