Hopes rise for Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre

Some funding secured but the fight goes on

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Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre has received a boost ahead of a crucial funding meeting next week. It’s now recommended that the Centre WILL receive funding from Health and Social Care – albeit with a cut. Centre chairman Alex Dale says that’s welcome news – but stressed that the fight to save the centre is not over yet.

The Centre’s management committee received an update from Inverleith councillor Lesley Hinds yesterday. She told Drylaw Community Association:

“Following my discussion with Councillor Ricky Henderson, Convener of Health and Social Care, I am pleased to inform you the Health and Social Care Committee meeting on 26th January will recommend funding for Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre.

I would be grateful if you could pass on this information to Board members and users of Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre.

The Children and Families Committee will make a decision on your other grant on 11th February and I will be strongly arguing for a grant to be awarded from this Committee.”

Welcoming the news, Drylaw Telford Community Association chair Alex Dale said: “It’s very good news for Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre that Health & Social Care has decided to revisited our Grant Applicant and have decided to recommend for approval a grant award based at last year’s level minus 4.1 %.

“This is a positive step forward for the Centre’s future and its users  but the future of the centre will not be secured until the Children and Families report back on 11 February with a positive recommendation for the centre.

“On behalf of the Management committee I would like to thank the City of Edinburgh Inverleith Councillors who fought on our behalf to persuade their colleagues and council officers to reinstate this stream of funding and their ongoing support to secure funding from Children & Families.

“I would also like to thank our centre users and the community who took the time to support the centre via our on–line petition and those who took time to pop into the centre and sign our paper version – this very much appreciated but the campaign to secure the future of the centre goes on.”

Edinburgh College Information Day today

Granton Campus today from 2 – 6pm

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Edinburgh College is inviting anyone wanting to learn about study options to information days at its campuses this week. Course advisors will provide guidance about 2016/17 courses and remaining last-minute places on programmes starting this month. Continue reading Edinburgh College Information Day today

Help them shine

new ad campaign to support childrens’ literacy and numeracy

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Parents and families have a key role to play in helping their children to read, write and count well and a new TV and supermarket-based advertising campaign has been launched to encourage and help parents to support their children’s learning beyond the classroom. Continue reading Help them shine

Council budget: time for a ‘grown-up debate’

Edinburgh Greens propose small council tax rise to improve council services and combat cuts

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Green councillors in Edinburgh are proposing a small council tax rise to raise £10m to invest in services. They believe that combatting cuts in schools, social care and vulnerable children services should be the capital’s priority.

Green councillors in Edinburgh are proposing a 4.3% council tax rise for next year: equivalent to an extra 97p a week for the average Band D property.

The council tax rise, which is backed by 63% of respondents to the council’s budget consultation, would still leave the council having to make significant efficiencies and savings, but, according to the Greens, it would head off the worst cuts.

The £10m package includes

–          Retaining a properly-funded school music service
–          Blocking cuts to special schools and disadvantaged children
–          Keeping budgets for social care for frail older people
–          Supporting community centres, libraries and leisure centres.

The additional money would also allow the Council to recruit and keep more care workers to bridge a gap of 5,000 unmet care hours a week.  And it would see a substantial investment in long term repair and maintenance of schools.

The proposals are outlined in a blog published today by Green Finance spokesperson Councillor Gavin Corbett, ahead of the council budget meeting this Thursday (21 January).

Cllr Corbett said: “This year’s budget round is by far the toughest since devolution in 1999, with the city council looking down the barrel of £85m worth of cuts. That includes cuts to schools, libraries, swimming pools, social care and community centres.

“That is why almost two-thirds of people responding to the council’s budget consultation backed a council tax rise.  I agree with them and I am proposing 97p extra a week to reverse all of the worst cuts and also help tackle to mounting crisis in social care.

“So I believe the city council owes to it to the people of Edinburgh to have a proper grown-up debate about the right balance between new income and spending. To shrink away from that debate, to meekly accept whatever cuts central governments dole out is to infantilise the capital city, to impoverish vital services and to simply store up yet greater problems for the future.

“Let’s have that grown-up debate.”

Edinburgh currently has five Green councillors on a council that is dominated by Labour (21) and the SNP (17) so it would be a major surprise (i.e. there’s next to no chance) if the Green proposals were to be adopted.

When city councillors set Edinburgh’s budget on Thursday it’s expected that the Labour-SNP Capital Coalition will vote through budget cuts of £85 million. Up to 2000 jobs will be lost in what public services trade union Unison describes as ‘the worst cuts in living memory’.

You can find the Edinburgh Greens blog on the budget at 
http://www.edinburghgreens.org.uk/site/councillors/budget-2016/

 

Serious assault in Boswall Loan

Did women ‘set up’ assault victim?

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Police are appealing for witnesses following a serious assault in the Granton area. The incident happened in Boswall Loan at around 3am in the early hours of Saturday morning.

A 30-year-old man began speaking to two women on Great Junction Street and the group walked along Ferry Road together. Once at Boswall Loan, heading towards Granton Crescent, the man was approached and assaulted by two men.

He was taken to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary with serious facial injuries.

The first suspect is described as white, 5ft 7-8 inches tall, around 20 years old, with a slim build. He had short dark hair and was wearing a dark-coloured t-shirt, red shorts and white trainers.

The second suspect is described as white, 5ft 9inches tall, around 20 years old, with a slim build. He had short dark spiky hair and was wearing a dark-coloured top, dark jeans or joggers, and white trainers.

The two female witnesses are described as white, around 5ft 4inches tall, 18-20 years old, with slim builds and local accents.

One had elbow-length straight dark hair, and was wearing a light-coloured jumper, dark leggings or jeans, beige boots and carrying a large beige shoulder bag. She was possibly called “Kat”.

The other had dyed blonde shoulder-length hair. She was wearing a ¾ length grey jacket, black leggings and black boots.

Detective Sergeant Clark Martin of Gayfield CID said: “We’re conducting numerous enquiries in the local area in order to trace the suspects, and would urge any witnesses to get in touch. We believe the two men were known to the two women, and would also ask anyone who recognises their descriptions to come forward.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.