Mobilise against the cuts

The North Edinburgh and East Edinburgh Save Our Services campaigns are calling an online meeting on 10th September at 6.30pm.

The meeting will discuss how to mobilise opposition to the latest round of cuts in jobs and services. Edinburgh City Council meets on Thursday 17th September.

To join this event register in advance via this link

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0oceirrD0uGt0TO6s_SIKPshqmgVQVCeC4

and you will then be sent a link to the Zoom meeting.

It is time to end the cycle of cuts to vital local services in our city. Austerity, outsourcing and privatisation has been pushed down from Westminster via Holyrood and implemented by the City Council for too long. But we need a powerful campaign if we are to be successful.

Since 2012/13, Edinburgh City Council budget cuts have amounted to £320 million. Prior to Covid19 the estimate was that there would be further cuts of £87.3 million by 2023.

These cuts have had a terrible effect on essential services. The most vulnerable, who have also been hit by cuts in social security benefits, have suffered most. Edinburgh has the lowest expenditure per capita on local services in Scotland.

The City Council’s press releases fail to reflect the reality of life for many of Edinburgh’s citizens. Wrapped in the language of ‘savings’, ‘inclusion’, ‘progress’, ‘just recovery’ and sustainability, they accept that there is no alternative to an ideology that supports a relentless increase in inequality.

Covid19 has added to an already bleak picture with increases in unemployment, child poverty and mental distress. The pandemic has shone a harsh light on the gaps in local services and underlined the importance of key workers and health, social care, housing and education.

Edinburgh Council argues that falling revenues and increased costs as a result of Covid19 now mean that further cuts are required. The Edinburgh Integration Joint Board, through which the Council and the NHS administer integrated health and social care, has already agreed cuts of £8 million.

At the Council meeting on September 17th the City Council will discuss further cuts.

Community Council to act on fly tipping

Don’t Dump in Drylaw!

Drylaw Telford Community Council held their first meeting since lockdown last week.

Social distancing has made it impossible to hold normal public meetings, so Wednesday’s Zoom meeting was an opportunity to catch up and discuss the most pressing issues affecting the area.

Top of the agenda was fly tipping: illegal dumping is blighting the area, with hotspots in Wester Drylaw particularly affected. The community council plans to work with the local Neighbourhood team to address the issue over the coming weeks.

Problems associated with parking at Drylaw Shopping Centre were also discussed.

Zoom meetings are not to everyone’s taste, and it’s hoped that further relaxation in social distancing rules could see September’s community council meeting being a ‘new normal’ one in a community facility!

Edinburgh Leisure announces further venues to reopen

Edinburgh Leisure announces further venues to reopen and new ‘what to expect’ video

Edinburgh Leisure has added a further two venues, Leith Victoria and Gracemount Leisure Centre to its list of venues that will reopen on Monday, 14 September 2020. 

These will join the already announced venues of the Royal Commonwealth Pool, Drumbrae Leisure Centre, Craiglockhart Leisure and Tennis Centre, and Ainslie Park.

Edinburgh Leisure’s other venues will be opening up on an incremental basis over the next few weeks after this.  Their six golf courses and outdoor tennis courts at the Meadows and Craiglockhart are already open too.

In preparation for helping customers understand what to expect when Edinburgh Leisure reopens its venues, they have produced a helpful ‘walk-through’ video, which is now live on the Edinburgh Leisure website.

There are also some helpful guidelines for each of the activities:  swim, gym, fitness class and tennis and badminton booking.

An Edinburgh Leisure spokesperson said:  “We’ve missed our customers and are really looking forward to reopening our doors and welcoming our customers back. Over the last five months, we’ve been overwhelmed by the support we’ve received and have loved seeing the creative ways our customers have found to continue keeping active while in lockdown.

“All our efforts are focused on making our venues as safe as possible and we hope the guidelines and our video, showing customers what their fitness experience will look like in a post-lockdown world, will be helpful.

“Edinburgh Leisure is committed to ‘building back better’ to a sustainable Edinburgh Leisure and to continue making a positive impact to the citizens of Edinburgh’s health and wellbeing – as we have done for the last 22 years.”

Find out more about Edinburgh Leisure’s reopening plans: 

https://www.edinburghleisure.co.uk/fitness-at-home/reopening-plans

While some leisure venues have reopened their venues on Monday, Edinburgh Leisure is different from some organisations/companies who might operate just one or two venues, which might make it easier for them to open yesterday.

However, Edinburgh Leisure has such a diverse range of venues and bringing venues and services back to life in a new Covid-19 environment, after being closed for five months, is a big and complex task.

It is, unfortunately, not just a case of reopening doors again. Whilst properties and pools have been maintained during the course of lockdown, we furloughed over 900 staff during this time.  We only kept a small cohort of staff working throughout the lockdown, in a bid to manage costs. In the main, this has been senior operations management, finance, and our maintenance team.

To ensure the safety of our customers and staff, and before we can reopen our doors, we need to ensure that our staff’s compliance training is refreshed and any qualifications are current.

We also need to prepare each venue individually, with the necessary signage, sanitisation stations, and ensure they comply with any Covid guidelines.  Pools also need to be cleaned and heated to an acceptable level, which can take up to a week and gyms, fitness studios and courts prepared to allow for social distancing.

Perhaps more than ever before there is recognition of the importance and value of good health. Edinburgh Leisure remains committed to supporting and enabling the citizens of Edinburgh to live active and healthy lives, working with the City of Edinburgh Council to deliver on our shared goals to achieve this.

In summary:

  • When we do re-open (as per our golf courses) – venues will look different, services will change, the activity programme will be different, the Edinburgh Leisure experience will be different. In short, everything will have to adapt and change to ensure a safe operating environment for customers and employees. For example: all activities will be bookable to allow for track and trace and we will be cashless. However, we will continue to provide an enjoyable experience for our customers.
  • The senior management team at “Edinburgh Leisure is committed to ‘building back better’ to a sustainable Edinburgh Leisure and to continue making a positive impact to the citizens of Edinburgh’s health and wellbeing – as we have done for the last 22 years.”
  • Since opening on 4th June Edinburgh Leisure golf has been performing very well. We have undoubtedly benefited from the good (in the main) weather, people having more time, a lack of alternative activities and, also the 5 mile travel restrictions that were in place for the first three months of lockdown. The gradual relaxation of lockdown measures has of course changed things e.g. more people are returning to work and golfers can travel freely to other courses but golf has continued to perform well. So, the golf income has been a big positive amidst all the financial challenges and uncertainties facing Edinburgh Leisure and has helped to reduce our monthly financial deficit.

How are communities responding to Covid-19?

Public Health Scotland would like to understand more about how communities have responded to the impact of Covid-19 on the way we live our lives, right now and in the next few months, and how local community groups and organisations have supported this.

We are looking for examples in two areas: 

  • Firstly, how communities have adapted to the challenge of how we get around – has the way you travel changed as a result of Covid-19? Perhaps by walking, wheeling and cycling more, or as a result of changes to public and community transport services. What impact has this had?
     
  • Secondly, we are looking for examples of how communities and organisations have used their local areas differently by adapting streets and spaces, for example for children’s outdoor play or for leisure and relaxation, or how they have used or changed existing spaces for example parks, areas with trees or grass.

If you have examples to share you can submit your information and we will be in touch with you.

Did your community group or local project receive copies of the COVID Food Group August newsletter? If not, don’t worry – a few are still available!

Email northedinnews@gmail.com to arrange delivery.

Suspicious behaviour in Wardieburn

Police are appealing for information following a number of reports of a man acting suspiciously in the Wardieburn area over the past several days.

The man in question is described as being black, around 5ft 7, with short dark hair and a scruffy beard. He has been seen wearing a green waterproof jacket.

Inspector Claire Masterton said: “We have had several reports of this man approaching women in the street and behaving in a strange manner, as well as knocking on doors in the local area.

“In addition to those individuals who have reported concerns to Police Scotland, we are aware that there have been a number of posts on social media about this man’s activities.

“I would firstly like to reassure residents that we are investigating the matter thoroughly and there will be a police presence in the area. I’d also ask anyone with information to please contact police, quoting incident 2699 of 30 August.

Following our earlier appeal about a man acting suspiciously and approaching woman in the Wardieburn area over the past several days, we can confirm a 37-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection. He is due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today (Wednesday, 2 September, 2020).

Sergeant Aaron Chadha said: “We continue to carry out enquiries and would ask anyone with information to contact police on 101, quoting reference number 2699 of 30 August.”

Guidance on children with non-COVID ailments

Education Secretary John Swinney has asked council Directors of Education and Head Teachers to assist in sharing more information on coronavirus to parents and carers.

In addition, Scotland’s National Clinical Director Jason Leitch has written an open letter for parents with answers about when children need to be tested for coronavirus.

Cold-like Symptoms

  • We recommend testing only for those with a continuous cough, fever, or loss of or change in the sense of taste or smell. The UK senior clinicians continue to keep the symptoms for case definition under review and will continue to use evidence to adjust these if it becomes necessary.

COVID-19 Symptoms

The key symptoms to be aware of are:

  • A new continuous cough
  • fever/high temperature
  • loss of, or change in, sense of smell or taste

If a young person or a child in your care develops any of the above symptoms, they should self-isolate and you should book them a test as soon as possible using the online portal at NHSinform.scot/test-and-protect, or by calling 0800 028 2816.

Education Secretary John Swinney said: “We know that many concerned parents, acting in their children’s best interests, have been keeping children off school. Parents, carers and schools need clear and simple national information, and that is why we are providing further advice today.

“It is critical that we remain vigilant for the symptoms of COVID-19 and this information explains the actions that we should take if someone develops signs of COVID-19 symptoms, either at school or at home.

“We will ensure that pupils, teachers and other school staff get the support they need to remain safe and feel comfortable in the school environment.”

Read National Clinical Director, Jason Leitch, letter here.

Clear information has also been published on the Parent Club website.

Link to relevant NHS Inform web page.

Guidance on how COVID-19 symptoms differ from those of other infections circulating at this time of year, from Scotland’s National Clinical Director:

Common cold and COVID-19 symptoms

To parents/carers

I understand these last few months have often been challenging, particularly for parents and carers. Now that schools and nurseries have returned I am writing to provide some advice where a child or young person in your care presents with symptoms of the common cold or similar bugs during this pandemic.

Following the return of schools after a prolonged break, it is common for colds and similar viral infections to circulate. In many cases, children will be well enough to attend school and continue their learning with little or no interruption to their education. In other cases, for instance where they have quite a heavy cold, they may need to take a day or two off to recover.

This is not the case for children and young people with potential COVID-19 symptoms, they are required to self-isolate and seek a test through www.NHSinform.scot/test-and-protect or by calling 0800 028 2816.

In order to ensure your children do not miss out on their education, it is important to be clear about how COVID-19 symptoms differ from those of other infections that we normally see circulating at this time of year.

COVID-19 symptoms

It is important that all of us – including those who make up the community around a school – are vigilant for the symptoms of COVID-19 and understand what actions we should take if someone develops them, either at school or at home.

The main symptoms to be aware of are:

  • new continuous cough
  • fever/high temperature
  • loss of, or change in, sense of smell or taste

If a young person or a child in your care develops any of the above symptoms, they should self-isolate and you should book them a test as soon as possible at www.NHSinform.scot/test-and-protect, or by calling 0800 028 2816.

We recommend testing only for those with a continuous cough, fever, or loss of or change in the sense of taste or smell. The UK senior clinicians continue to keep the symptoms for case definition under review and will continue to use evidence to adjust these if it becomes necessary.

It is essential that people who have COVID-19 symptoms, or who share a household with someone who has symptoms, do not attend school, nursery or other childcare settings, and must self-isolate along with all members of their household. If the test is negative, self-isolation can end for everyone. If the test is positive, Test and Protect will give you further advice.

Cold-like symptoms

If, however, your child does not have symptoms of COVID-19 but has other cold-like symptoms, such as a runny nose, they do not need to be tested and they and you do not need to self-isolate. Your child can go to school if fit to do so.

The Scottish Government appreciates the huge effort being made by parents, carers and school staff to ensure the risk of COVID-19 is minimised and to support children’s education.

Further information

For further advice please visit the Parent Club website at: www.parentclub.scot or www.nhsinform.scot.

Professor Jason Leitch
National Clinical Director
Scottish Government

Heart Research UK Healthy Tip: Eatwell guide

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by Dr Helen Flaherty, Head of Health Promotion at Heart Research UK

Using the Eatwell Guide to plan your meals

A healthy, well-balanced diet is important for managing your weight and preventing serious health problems, including heart disease. The Eatwell guide is a visual tool that represents government guidelines on healthy eating.
In this Healthy Tip, we give you some tips for planning a healthy, well-balanced diet using the Eatwell Guide.

What is the Eatwell Guide?

The Eatwell Guide shows the proportions of different types of food that make up a healthy diet. This is represented as a plate, which is divided into five food groups.

The Eatwell Guide is appropriate for most people, but it should not be used in meal-planning for very young children.

It is not essential to achieve this balance with every meal, but it is good to try to get the proportions right over a day or longer. Try to consume a variety of foods from each of the food groups to ensure you consume a range of nutrients.

Fruit and vegetables

Fruit and vegetables should make up over a third of the foods in your diet as they are a good source of vitamins, minerals and fibre. However, most people do not eat enough.

Fresh, frozen, tinned, dried or juiced fruit and vegetables all count.

Fruit juice and/or smoothies should be limited to around 150ml a day due to their high sugar and low fibre content. Try adding fruit to breakfast cereals and increase the amount of veg or salad in your lunches and evening meals.

Potato, bread, rice, pasta and other starchy carbohydrates

Starchy foods, such as pasta, rice, bread, breakfast cereals and potatoes provide us with energy and essential nutrients. These starchy foods should make up just over a third of your diet.

Choose wholegrain versions, such as wholemeal pasta, brown rice, wholemeal bread and wholegrain breakfast cereals.

You can also try to leave the skin on potatoes for extra fibre. Get your day off to a good start with a bowl of wholegrain cereal or a slice of wholemeal toast with some fruit.

Beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other proteins

Try to include beans, pulses, fish, eggs, meat or other protein with most meals.
These foods are a good source of protein, vitamins and minerals. Try to choose a lean cut of meat, such as chicken without the skin, as it is lower in saturated fat.

If you eat fish, aim to have two portions every week, including a portion of oily fish, such as salmon, mackerel or sardines as these contain the essential fatty acids that are good for your heart.

Oils and spreads

Try to choose unsaturated oils and spreads, such as rapeseed, vegetable, olive and sunflower oils. Try to cut down on butter, hard margarine, coconut oil and animal fats as these are all high in saturated fat, which can increase your risk of heart disease. When cooking fatty meats, such as bacon, cut away as much of the fat as possible. All fats are high in calories (energy) and should be consumed in small amounts.

Dairy and alternatives

Try to include some dairy or a dairy alternative with each meal. Products such as milk, cheese and yoghurt are a good source of protein as well as some vitamins. They are also a key source of calcium which is vital when it comes to keeping your bones strong. Choose lower fat and sugar dairy products where possible. This includes reduced fat cheese or fat-free and sugar-free yoghurt.

High fat, salt and sugar foods

Foods that are high in fat, salt and sugar should be consumed in small amount.
These foods, which can be eaten as an occasional treat, include chocolate, cakes, biscuits, sugary soft drinks, butter and ice cream.

Water, lower fat milk, sugar-free drinks.

Aim to drink around six to eight glasses of fluid every day. Water, lower fat milk and low sugar/sugar free drinks (including tea and coffee) all count. Fruit juice and smoothies can also count towards our fluid consumption. However, they can be high in sugar and low in fibre, so we should drink no more 150ml of these in a day.

You can find more healthy tips, recipes and advice at heartresearch.org.uk.

Caeden’s done it!

Ben Nevis victory for seven year old boy with cerebral palsy

Caeden Thomson (7) from Corby in Northamptonshire has conquered Ben Nevis to raise money for disability equality charity Scope and his local hospital.

The climb in total took 13.5 hours up and down.

Mum Lisa, who along with Caeden’s brother, sister and dad were with him every step of the way, said: “Caeden is an absolute legend. We started at 9am and reached the top at 5.30pm – and got back to the bottom at 10.30pm.

“It was such a massive challenge and much, much harder than any of us expected. There were many hard time along the way – from three quarters of the way up the pathway is just massive boulders and very hard to climb, and even at the top we didn’t think he would make it down.

“There were danger areas where carrying was very difficult, so Caeden did have to walk down a lot of it too. The temperature dropped hugely and many climbers said they were turning back. But we made it!

“We are all super proud of him, he deserves a medal! People we have spoken to at the campsite said they climbed it once and they will never climb it again – we now know why! Last night no-one could move or celebrate, so today we are resting up and will celebrate tonight!! We all love Caeden so much and can’t believe his passion for getting to the top.”

Caeden said: “My body hurts a lot but I’m ok! It was really, really hard! I felt sick and exhausted at the top, and I felt exhausted but happy at the bottom!”

Money raised will give back to the NHS Children’s services and the physiotherapy department at Kettering General Hospital and disability equality charity Scope.

To donate, click here

Scottish Construction Leadership Forum releases recovery plan

A draft recovery plan for the construction sector in Scotland has been launched by the Scottish Construction Leadership Forum (CLF).

The plan, which has been created collaboratively with industry, sets out the pathway for joint action between industry and the public sector in response to the impact caused by the global pandemic on the on the construction sector.

The construction industry in Scotland has, like many others, been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic. The sector in Scotland which provided £7.8 billion GVA to the Scottish economy and employs 143,000 people in over 50,000 enterprises, is estimated to have contracted by 28.6 per cent in June as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic compared to the same month a year ago (June 2019). 

The recovery plan has been created through extensive consultation and collaboration with more than 50 organisations across business, Scottish Government, trades unions and other bodies, including the Construction Industry Coronavirus (CICV) Forum, and represents a shared view from across the sector of a plan to get industry back on its feet. 

The plan outlines the immediate and short-term response to Covid-19 and sets out a pathway between this and the longer-term transformation required to build a stronger, fairer and greener economic future for Scotland.

Peter Reekie, chief executive of the Scottish Futures Trust and chair of the editorial group of the Construction Leadership Forum, said: “The construction industry in Scotland has received a major blow from the Covid-19 pandemic.

“However, the level of collaboration which has gone in to preparing this Recovery Plan is unprecedented and sets a strong foundation for transformative recovery for the industry. I urge all stakeholders with an interest in the construction and related industries in Scotland to feed in your thoughts to make it even stronger.”

Ken Gillespie, chair of the Industry Leadership Group, said: “This plan has only been possible through the depth of collaboration across the sector, and hard work of all involved, and demonstrates the sector’s ability to come together in a time of crisis.

“This is only the beginning though. The plan will evolve and respond to reflect the feedback and the needs of the sector. We are therefore calling for industry to review and contribute to the plan.”

The plan identifies five areas for concerted and collaborative efforts over the coming months and has established Sub-Groups to develop and progress joint action plans:

  1. Pipeline & Commercials
  2. Skills & Workforce
  3. Transformation
  4. Supply Chain Resilience & Capability
  5. Industry Data & Insight

The plan calls for key actions to respond to immediate needs which include: 

  • A clear pipeline of work brought to market quickly and efficiently on fair commercial terms which reflect the reality of the Covid-19 environment.
  • Support of employment, fairness of work and those who may become unemployed through what will be a difficult period.
  • Transformation of working practices to maintain and enhance worker safety whilst enabling productivity in the Covid-19 working environment.

Housing Minister Kevin Stewart said: “The construction sector supports many other areas of our economy so it is important that we maintain the health and vitality of the industry.

“In order to develop this plan, we have reached new heights of collaboration but we are now keen to hear from the wider industry to ensure that we arrive at a plan that will preserve jobs and help to revive our economy.”

The Scottish Construction Leadership Forum (CLF), which has led the development of the plan, is a collaborative initiative of Construction Scotland and the Scottish Government.

It was established in March 2019. Chaired by Housing Minister Kevin Stewart for the duration of the crisis, it widened its membership in response to Covid-19 and has already developed and implemented plans to get the industry safely back to work to develop and implement an action plan of improvement initiatives aligned with Government policies and the Construction Scotland Industry Strategy.

Several streams of work are ongoing and prior to Covid-19, the Forum was at the early stages of considering a wider agenda for change across the industry.

The CLF shared vision is of an industry that promotes a safe, productive, profitable, digitally-enabled, low-carbon, and socially responsible construction industry which offers quality jobs and fair work to a highly skilled and diverse workforce and a quality and life-time value product to its customers.

The recovery plan is available to view on https://www.constructionforum.scot/. 

Industry is invited to send feedback, comments and questions via the website on enquiries@constructionforum.scot by 15 September.

CLF will take all feedback on board to help develop the plan further, with regular updates published on the CLF site.