The NEN – North Edinburgh News – Page 3225 – The community media resource for north Edinburgh

Making it clear: Holyrood committee proposes improved transparency of MSPs financial interests

‘This is a piece of work that our Committee has been examining over the course of this session and before developments elsewhere have come to light.’ – Stewart Stevenson MSP

Measures to improve the transparency of information about MSPs’ financial interests are today being proposed by the Scottish Parliament’s Standards Procedures and Public Appointments Committee.

The report comes just two weeks after former Foreign Secretaries Jack Straw and Malcolm Rifkind were suspended by their respective political parties at Westminster following allegations of financial wrongdoing – but Holyrood committee chair Stewart Stevenson stressed that his committee had been working on the report long before the Westminster revelations surfaced.

In its report, the result of a detailed inquiry conducted over the course of this session, the Committee proposes a committee bill to amend the Interests of Members of the Scottish Parliament Act 2006 which sets out requirements for Members to register and declare certain financial interests.

The new bill is aimed at streamlining the reporting requirements for MSPs so that all their registrable financial interests are reported in one place, in the Parliament’s register of interest. Currently MSPs have to report financial interests both to the Electoral Commission and to the Parliament.

The proposals would also strengthen the sanctions available to the Parliament to deal with breaches to Members’ interests rules as well as widening the definition of paid advocacy.

Committee Convener, Stewart Stevenson MSP said: “The Scottish Parliament prides itself on its openness and accountability and nowhere is this more important than in relation to the conduct of its Members. Our proposed bill will not only build on the existing robust regime, but will also streamline reporting for MSPs, ensuring all information about MSPs’ financial interests is in one easily accessible place for the public.”

“We have also suggested broadening the definition of paid advocacy. Whilst no MSP has ever been found to have breached the current rules, the Committee is clear of the gravity with which paid advocacy should be treated. This is why our Committee is proposing an expansion to the scope of the criminal offence.”

Mr Stevenson added: “This is a piece of work that our Committee has been examining over the course of this session and before developments elsewhere have come to light.”

Other recommendations contained within the Committee’s report include:

Lowering the threshold limit for registering gifts to 0.5% of a member’s salary (currently 1% or £570)
Amending the threshold for registering remuneration received solely as expenses from 1% to 0.5% of a member’s salary.
Increasing the range of sanctions available if a member breaches the Interests Act, to include withdrawal of salary or privileges as well as exclusion from Parliamentary proceedings.

Benji’s coming to North Edinburgh!

Benji the PlayTalkRead bus is coming to North Edinburgh next week:

You can catch Benji at

West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre on MONDAY 9 March

Muirhouse Library on TUESDAY 10 March

Pennywell Road Shops THURSDAY 12 March

Don’t miss the bus!

Benji-Edinburgh-March-2015-Poster-Small

Jewellery robbery: latest developments

A man has been detained in connection with an armed robbery at an Edinburgh jewellers during which watches worth about £100,000 were taken.

The robbery took place at Laing the Jewellers in Frederick Street on Monday.

The man is being held after police carried out a search of a house in Chesser Grove earlier.

The man and a woman who had been detained earlier in the week in Easter Drylaw were later released without charge.

Council Chief Executive Sue Bruce stepping down

City Council Chief Executive Dame Sue Bruce has announced she is to retire from local government.

Dame Sue Bruce has informed Council Leader Andrew Burns and his deputy Steve Cardownie of her plans to leave her post when she turns 60 in October. She will formally give notice at next Thursday’s council meeting.

Sue took up her post as Chief Executive of the City of Edinburgh Council in January 2011 having previously held the same role at both Aberdeen City Council and East Dunbartonshire Council. She began her local government career 39 years ago.

She said: “From my first job as a Youth and Community Worker for Strathclyde Regional Council back in 1976, I have been hugely proud to dedicate my entire working life to local government and public service.

“Serving as Chief Executive of the City of Edinburgh Council, particularly during such a challenging and exciting time for the Capital, has undoubtedly been the pinnacle of my career and I am proud of what we have achieved together during my time here. There is still much to do and I will continue to focus on that until I handover to my successor. ”

Councillr Andrew Burns said: “Sue has successfully tackled some key challenges during her time as Chief Executive and has achieved real progress for the Council.

“Of particular note was her leadership in resolving the tram dispute, paving the way for the completion of the project and successful launch of passenger services last May, and her decisive yet sensitive handing of the Mortonhall baby ashes investigation.

“From the outset, she has worked tirelessly and well beyond the normal expectations of the role. This is particularly true of her support of charities, building relationships with the business community and other key partners and improving the job prospects of young people across Edinburgh.”

Cllr Steve Cardownie added: “Our attention now turns to finding a high calibre replacement; an individual capable of building upon the platform laid by Sue during her years in post while taking on the undoubted challenges we face as a council in the years ahead.”

In November 2013, Sue was awarded the Chief Executive of the Year in the Hr NETWORK National awards. October 2014 saw her named the UK City Leader of the Year in the prestigious MIPIM UK awards for her work in driving the city’s economic development achievements and most recently, Sue was made a Dame Commander of the order of the British Empire in the 2015 New Year’s Honours list.

The search for a replacement will begin immediately.

You need friends: Montgomery Street Park to be transformed

‘Improving the facility in this way will undoubtedly enhance our school, and wider community’ – Jackie Reid, Head Teacher at Leith Walk Primary School

The Friends of Montgomery Street Park are celebrating a £40,000 grant from Biffa Award, a multi-million pound fund that helps to build communities and transform lives through awarding grants to community and environmental projects across the UK.

Montgomery Street Park will get a major upgrade after a group of local residents were successful in their funding bid. The grant from Biffa Award means that the hard-surface sports area, which is currently cracked, uneven and pot-holed, will be completely refurbished. The area will be levelled and resurfaced with rubber, then painted with lines for both football and basketball. New goal posts and basketball hoops will be installed and new seating added, in the form of long-lasting and low-maintenance recycled plastic benches.

The work will start in mid-March and should be finished by the end of April.

The application was the result of a public consultation exercise and several local groups, including schools, churches and youth organisations, wrote letters of support.

Jackie Reid, Head Teacher at Leith Walk Primary School, said: “Many of our pupils make excellent use of the park, which has become a hub of our community. As a school, we use the park extensively to ensure our pupils are active and healthy. We also hold our Nursery Sports Day there each year in June. Improving the facility in this way will undoubtedly enhance our school, and wider community.”

Rev. Gordy Mackay, Minister of Abbeyhill Baptist Church and local resident, said:“Montgomery Street Park is a vital and very valued space within our community. Over many years Abbeyhill Baptist Church has benefitted from our close proximity to the park. We have used the park for picnics, participated in fun days and enjoy taking groups of children and teenagers there to play games. These improvements to the park and the facilities within it will bring significant benefit to the park’s many users and will be greatly welcomed.”

Gillian French, Programme Manager at Biffa Award, said “Biffa Award is delighted to support this project, which has been led by local residents and involved local children. Outdoor spaces are incredibly important; the improved area will be a fun, stimulating and engaging place where children and their parents can meet and socialise.”

The funding from Biffa Award will go directly towards creating a safer and more usable space for park users, in what is the most densely populated area of not just Edinburgh, but Scotland (Census 2011). The upgraded sports facilities will be free to use. The improvements will promote active living and sports engagement, directly benefiting the health and wellbeing of local residents, who – having small or no private gardens – make good use of the park.

For more information about the Friends of Montgomery Street Park or to get involved in the group, visit

website montgomerystreetpark.org.uk

and Facebook page facebook.com/montgomerystreetpark

General Election 2015: your questions matter!

Come along and ask candidates the questions that matter to you! Pilton Community Health Project will be holding hustings in each of the two constituencies in the area.

Candidates for Edinburgh North and Leith have been invited to attend hustings on Thursday 19 March from 6.30 – 8pm at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre. A light soup supper will be available from 6 with questions starting from 6.30. The event will be Chaired by the very able Harry Woodward.

Candidates for Edinburgh West have been invited to attend hustings on Thursday 26 March from 6.30 -8pm at Muirhouse Millennium Community Centre. A light soup supper will be available from 6 with questions starting from 6.30. The event will be Chaired by the very able Harry Woodward.

Get in touch if you would like some help with childcare or have any questions – contact Anita on 0131 551 1671.

Craigroyston initiative tackles bullying and violence

‘Law enforcement agencies and governments can only take things so far. The way to change attitudes is to identify and build on the assets you have in your communities. You guys – the students and young people – are the assets’ – Justice Secretary Michael Matheson

Craigroyston Community High School pupils who have learned how to tackle violence and bullying through a training initiatve shared their experiences with the Cabinet Secretary for Justice Michael Matheson yesterday.

The Justice Secretary watched a presentation on the Mentors in Violence Prevention(MVP) initiative and listened to the experiences of participants before chatting informally with students about their participation in the groundbreaking project.

Craigroyston staff and students explained that the Mentors in Violence Prevention(MVP) scheme is already having some success in changing unacceptable behaviour – early feedback suggests improved attitudes amongst those who have taken part.

MVP Scotland trains senior pupils to become mentors who, in turn, equip younger students in ways in which to intervene and prevent incidents that could lead to gender violence, which can be domestic abuse, sexting, assault or homophobia. Pupils are taught to challenge their own friends and peers about their behaviour if and when it’s appropriate.

It was first piloted in Portobello High by the Violence Reduction Unit in 2011 and has since been rolled out to 11 secondary schools in the Capital. The unit’s Chief Inspector Graham Goulden spoke to pupils during the morning’s visit about its work.

Chief Inspector Goulden (above) said: “The MVP programme is emerging as a great way to continue to safely discuss many issues that contribute towards abuse and violence in Scotland. It provides schools with an approach that supports learning, as young people are faced with a range of external influences that impact on their resilience, such as online media. Bullying is still an issue in our schools and also strips young people of control.

“At the heart of violence and abuse is a breakdown in relationships. Let’s use relationships in the form of friendships to counter all of these issues allowing young people to do their best at an important time in their academic lives.”

Forth Councillor Cammy Day – who is also Edinburgh’s Community Safety Convener – also attended the event and spoke about how MVP is an important part of the local anti-crime #StrongerNorth campaign.

He said: “MVP is a key feature of the #StrongerNorth initiative as it really engages young people by helping them to recognise unacceptable behaviour, and gives them the power to face up to it. These skills are helping them to change attitudes whether it’s in school, in their homes or when they’re with their friends.

“Most school children have a great attitude and are involved in many positive schemes, but we know that the bad attitude of even just a few can have a real impact on communities.

“#StrongerNorth and projects like MVP and Total Craigroyston are aimed at nipping unacceptable behaviour in the bud before it escalates into something worse, and it was fantastic to hear first hand today about how these schemes are really working.”

Justice Secretary Michael Matheson (above) said: “I was delighted to be invited along to Craigroyston Community High School to see the excellent work ongoing to tackle the issues of violence and bullying in schools.

“Since 2008, incidents of violence among young people have halved across Scotland, but it is crucial we are not complacent and education is key to ensuring our young people change the culture of violence in our society.

“The work being done through the Mentors in Violence programme by the Violence Reduction Unit to train these young people to deliver their own training is having a huge impact not only within the school but also throughout the wider community.

“The programme empowers young people by bringing issues such as bullying and violence out into the open to allow for full, frank and informed discussions around the risks and consequences.

“Most importantly, it’s giving our young people a confidence and sense of responsibility that will benefit them throughout their lives.”

Some images from the Craigroyston event (also on Facebook):

Lazarowicz anger over broadband ‘notspots’

Mark Lazarowicz MP attacks buck passing by Government and providers

Mark Lazarowicz MP has attacked the buck passing by Government and broadband providers that is denying numerous properties access to superfast broadband that is vital to Edinburgh’s economic future.

Speaking after a Westminster debate on the subject, Mr Lazarowicz said: “I am repeatedly contacted by constituents living in different parts of my constituency ranging from the City Centre to North Edinburgh and the waterfront area who can’t get access to superfast broadband.

“It’s a vital part of economic infrastructure for businesses, the many people working from home as well as for anyone to access information and government services.

“Sometimes, developers may not install cable when converting or building properties but then the broadband provider won’t connect them either because of the cost.

“The Government says it won’t provide public funding where superfast broadband can be provided commercially but broadband providers won’t do it because they say it is not commercial for them to do so.

“It’s high time broadband providers and the UK and Scottish Governments took action: if private providers won’t tackle the notspots Government must act because it is too important to Edinburgh’s economy to leave people in our city unable to access superfast broadband.”

Mr Lazarowicz has raised this issue in Parliament on a number of occasions but the Government has simply pointed to the funding it is providing with the Scottish Government following suit in highlighting its partnership with BT in rolling out access.

The UK Government’s target is superfast broadband should be available to 95% of properties by 2017 – but there is no statutory obligation for developers to install broadband cable in new build properties let alone converted buildings.

The North & Leith MP’s speech can be found here.

EVOC: ‘Localities’ thinkSpace events dates

More and more local and national governments have come to the view that engaging with citizens and planning, purchasing and delivering services at a ‘sub-local’ or ‘localities’ level is the way to add value.

In Edinburgh the City of Edinburgh Council has agreed a localities way of working, with the city divided into four quadrants, or localities, as described in the Council’s ‘Organise to Deliver’ reports.

Simultaneously, there is a drive within the legislation covering the integration of Adult Health with Social Care that services will be designed and delivered closer to communities.

What does this mean for Edinburgh? What does this mean for the city’s Voluntary Organisations? What are your hopes and your fears? What are your expectations of EVOC?

EVOC intends to bring organisations together to consider current plans, and their implications for our communities, by means of a series of four thinkSpace events spread across the city.

This comes out to you as a request to ‘save the date’ to attend the event within the locality most relevant to your service provision:

SOUTH WEST

Tuesday 21 April 2 – 4.30pm, WHALE Arts

NORTH EAST

Thursday 30 April 10am – 12.30pm, The Halls

SOUTH EAST/CENTRAL

Wednesday 6 May 10am – 12.30pm, Methodist Church

NORTH WEST

Monday 11 May 2 – 4.30pm, Royston/Wardieburn Community Centre.

If you have any comments or queries, please don’t hesitate to contact Dianne Morrison on 0131 555 9100 in the first instance.

EVOC will continue to publish relevant documents on its ‘Organise To Deliver’ page:http://www.evoc.org.uk/information/organise-deliver-bold-initiatives/

Milind Kolhatkar

senior development officer – community planning

Talking Tech during National Digital Learning Week

Education Secretary Angela Constance has called on all Scottish schools to make the most of opportunities offered by digital learning, as National Digital Learning Week continues.

Ms Constance was speaking as she visited Mauricewood Primary School in Penicuik to see how technology is being used to support learning in the school.

National Digital Learning Week (2-6 March) highlights how learners and teachers are using digital technologies in schools across Scotland.

At Mauricewood, Ms Constance saw a presentation about ‘The Moscars’, a project where groups of pupils used technology to develop a short film. She also chatted to pupils who are using technology in a variety of ways to find out more about other countries and their cultures.

She said: “We want learners and teachers in Scotland to take full advantage of the opportunities offered by technology in order to raise attainment, ambition and opportunities for all. Technology is all around us and we want all of our schools to tap into its rich potential for learning.

“There’s exciting events going on every day throughout National Digital Learning Week and I am delighted to see some great examples for myself at Mauricewood.

“At Mauricewood and in other schools across Scotland, there’s great examples of technology being woven into day-to-day learning, bringing subjects to life and opening up opportunities for research, collaboration, communication and creativity.

“This week also marks the start of a National Digital Learning Community, where we want teachers and educators across Scotland to continue conversations and reflections about digital learning, and we want this conversation to continue long beyond this week of activity.”

Activities are ongoing throughout the week, including TeachMeets in a number of authorities for teachers to share good practice, practical innovations and personal insights in teaching with technology, GlowTV events and daily blog updates at

:https://blogs.glowscotland.org.uk/glowblogs/ndlf/

Conversation are also continuing all week on Twitter using the hashtag #digilearnscot.

A video message from Ms Constance, marking the start of Digital Learning Week, can be accessed at

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cmVLUU43f8