The Botanic Gardens are currently closed due to the high winds, although The Gateway remains open and this evening’s Adult Education Open Night goes ahead as planned.
I can vouch for the power of those winds – I’ve just seen my blue recycling box flying past the window and off down the road!
![Inverleith7[1]](https://i0.wp.com/nen.press/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/inverleith71.jpg?ssl=1)
Scotland’s Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead has launched a consultation to consider the shape of future allotment legislation following the announcement of Government plans to simplify and overhaul Scotland’s allotment rules.
Among the questions being asked are: should councils be required to provide people in their area within a specified timeframe? And should councils have a duty to provide a specific number of allotments in their area per head of population?
Mr Lochhead said: “Growing your own food is continuing to grow in popularity in Scotland and this goes hand in hand with an increasing desire to know where our food comes from. Allotments provide a range of benefits including better health, an opportunity to learn new skills, and an understanding of where food comes from – not forgetting the chance to eat the fruits of your labour.
“We’re committed to helping people to grow their own food and this consultation will consider what changes should be made to the existing legislation to make it simpler and fit for today’s community needs. Many communities have expressed a desire to get back to nature and more involved with growing their own food and that’s exactly what we’re working to make possible.”
The consultation runs until Friday 24 May.
A woman and a child were rescued after a fire broke out in the kitchen of a flat in Muirhouse last night.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said the blaze started in a second-floor property in Gunnet Court, within Muirhouse View, when a grill pan caught alight just before midnight.
A spokeswoman for the service said a four-year-old girl and a woman, aged 22, were rescued by firefighters.
They were treated at the scene for slight smoke inhalation but did not have to go to hospital.
draft flyer local bedroom tax meetings 2
Tuesday 16th April (today!)
DEMONSTRATE
Rally at 9 – 9.30 a.m. on Tuesday 16 April outside the City Chambers. This is when the motion about the Bedroom Tax is going before the Council’s Policy Committee, which starts at 10am.
Show your anger – bring drums and banners, whistles . . .
SPREAD THE WORD
Meet at North Edinburgh Arts Centre (by library at Pennywell) 6.30pm to collect and distribute flyers and posters to publicise the public meeting on 25 April to form the Muirhouse anti bedroom tax group.
Sunday 21st April
EDINBURGH-WIDE ORGANISING MEETING
– to support formation of anti bedroom tax groups city-wide
St Augustine’s Church, George IV Bridge at 2.00 p.m.
All welcome
Thursday 25th April
OPEN MEETING IN MUIRHOUSE
To form the Bin the Bedroom Tax group in Muirhouse
7pm The Millennium Centre, 7 Muirhouse Medway
All welcome
There will also be meetings coming up to form groups in Pilton/ Drylaw and Royston/Wardieburn/ Granton
Draft flyer for distribution to advertise the Muirhouse meeting is attached – it has been updated slightly to reflect opinions voiced at the organising meeting on 11th April – please post any comments or suggestions asap, thanks.
Saturday 4 May
MAY DAY
The May Day march and rally. Assemble 11.00am on Johnston Terrace.
A major theme of this year’s event will be the ConDem cuts to welfare, including the bedroom tax.
North Edinburgh Fights Back
The latest affordable housing development in Leith has been officially opened, making a significant impact in the regeneration of the area. Port of Leith Housing Association (PoLHA) welcomed the first of 100 households to a block of new, high-quality properties in Fox Street at a ceremony last Friday.
Speaking at the event to mark the opening of the development, Councillor Cammy Day, Housing Leader for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “These new modern affordable homes in the heart of Leith represent a significant investment by the Council and Port of Leith Housing Association. It is also a reflection of the shared commitment between the Council and housing associations to tackle the city’s shortage of affordable homes in the city. These new homes will also mean modern family homes and lower energy bills. This is our commitment to helping struggling families deal with the range of financial pressures they face.”
This £13m development comprises 60 social rent and 40 shared ownership homes – where people buy and own a percentage of the property and rent the remainder from the Association. There is a wide range of housing types from one bedroom through to four bedroom main door duplex apartments.
Features include secure underground parking and a central landscaped courtyard. Solar thermal panels located on the roof will provide hot water for a number of properties with condensing gas boilers supplying heating and hot water.
This is the first of a number of affordable housing sites to be completed in Leith and North Edinburgh this year by the Association. Work is currently underway on four other sites and in conjunction with its subsidiary company, Persevere Developments, a further 189 new affordable homes – 101 for social rent and 89 for mid rent – will be completed this calendar year.
Keith Anderson, Chief Executive at PoLHA, said: “Fox Street is a significant development for PoLHA providing access to much-needed, high-quality, affordable housing for local people to buy and rent. This complements our existing affordable housing throughout Leith and North Edinburgh. It is the living embodiment of our commitment to developing vibrant and sustainable communities in homes people want to live.”
PoLHA worked closely with the City of Edinburgh Council which allocated £7 million of grant monies for the development. An additional £6.2 million was funded through private finance raised by the Association and from shared ownership sales receipts.
Student support, including funding for childcare, will be increased through additional financial support for the college sector from the Scottish Government. The Scottish Government and Scottish Funding Council have set out how the £61 million of additional funding added to college budgets for 2013-15 will be spent.
Focusing on improving attainment, the additional investment over the next academic year (2013-14) includes:
Education Secretary Michael Russell (pictured above) said: “Earlier this year the Scottish Government showed its commitment to Scotland’s colleges by adding £61 million to the sector’s budget compared to what was originally announced for the spending review period. Since then, we have been discussing with college representatives and NUS Scotland how to allocate this funding to improve attainment so that more students gain and complete their qualifications, while moving towards a system of large, efficient regional colleges that offers courses responsive to local economic need.
“I am very pleased to be able to map out how we can further support the sector and its students. Increased student bursaries will mean more money in the pockets of our hard pressed students in times of economic difficulty. While full time courses for younger people remain a priority, there will be more learning opportunities for older and part time students, including women returning to study.
“Further funding will also help colleges with increasing demand and help institutions work closely together on a regional basis. This is a substantial investment in a sector with enormous economic importance to Scotland, and I am looking forward to working with the entire sector to ensure colleges continue to deliver for learners.”
Dear Editor
The Tory Party is known a the rich people’s party; it is motivated by the belief that private ownership of industry, business, energy supplies and land, etc. is the right and only way. Their every policy action is geared to maintaining and extending that control, as the continuing break-up and privatisations of national organisations and social services over the last three years shows.
The very act of privatisation puts the interests of the few above the majority; they believe their money creates all wealth – some honesty about their real intentions would be illuminating. Opponents of the Tories so not hide their intentions: they say and want the wealth produced by the majority to be distributed fairly to the majority, and if it needs national organisations and social welfare in all forms to do it, then that is how it will be done, This is open and honest, the Tories have difficulty in being so by the very nature of investors’ interests having priority over everyone by having the power to close down an industry or business and move their investment, irrespective of the colossal damage to the employees and their families.
It is a very backward, selfish and greedy ideology; how otherwise can it be described?
A. Delahoy
Silverknowes Gardens
Port of Leith Housing Association (PoLHA) Chief Executive Keith Anderson has been shortlisted for a prestigious Scottish Business Award. Mr Anderson has been nominated for the Social Entrepreneur of the Year award in recognition for his achievement in helping to address the capital’s lack of affordable homes.
Port of Leith Housing Association was formed in 1975 and is now, with over 2400 homes, the largest social landlord in Leith. PoLHA is currently building four new developments for social and mid-market rent across the north Edinburgh area.
Keith Anderson said: “Naturally I’m delighted to have been shortlisted for such an honour. Everyone has the right to a home and as a social landlord there is the responsibility to ensure this happens, which is why we are committed to building good quality, affordable properties in north Edinburgh.”
He added: “There is no denying that it is a challenging time for social housing providers. New models of funding are desperately required to meet growing demand; combatting homelessness is high on the agenda, not to mention managing the consequences of Westminster’s welfare reform agenda. If the solutions to these problems were easy we would be doing them right now, but we are determined to play a positive role identifying better solutions.”
The award ceremony takes place on 21 June at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre, with former American President Bill Clinton as keynote speaker.
Plans to mitigate the impact of national welfare reform measures on the capital have been announced by the City of Edinburgh Council. The plans, which will see an additional investment of £350,000 in advice and support services, will be discussed by the Corporate Policy and Strategy Committee on Tuesday (16 April).
The introduction of policies such as the Housing Benefit Under-occupancy Restrictions (or ‘bedroom tax’), which are expected to affect 3,800 Council tenants, and around 2,500 Housing Association tenants, combined with national reductions in benefits will have a significant impact on some Edinburgh residents and the city’s economy as a whole.
The Council has taken steps to minimise these repercussions where possible and is considering further actions to offer support. Residents affected by the under-occupancy restrictions have been contacted to provide advice about options such as moving to a smaller home, taking in lodgers or budgeting on a lower income.
Health, Wellbeing and Housing Convener, Councillor Ricky Henderson, (pictured below)said: “The new changes to the national welfare system will have a significant impact on the city and particularly those receiving benefits. It is also expected that the introduction of the under-occupancy changes will lead to increasing rent arrears, which may have an adverse impact on the Council’s ability to deliver services and capital investment in its homes.
“We have taken steps to bolster Council and voluntary sector advice services to make sure that residents are aware of these changes and the help that is available to them. It is vital that we support our most vulnerable citizens and do what we can to minimise these repercussions where possible.”
The committee will be asked to approve an investment of £350,000 to provide additional advice services. Of this sum, £100,000 will be provided to Citizens Advice Edinburgh, £22,000 to the Community Ability Network, £15,000 to The Action Group, £15,000 to FAIR and £7,000 to COSS. Some of the extra funds will also be invested in the Council’s own Advice Shop service and Contact Centre.
An additional £67,000 has already been agreed for the Welfare Rights and Health Project, CHAI Advice Service and Granton Information Centre.
Recent Scottish Local Government Forum Against Poverty figures suggest that changes to the national welfare system will lead to a loss of income of £223 million by 2015/2016 for people in Edinburgh. These changes mainly affect individuals and families living on low wages, those seeking work and disabled people who are unable to work. This will result in a greater need for advice about benefits, debt and budgeting, as well as an increased demand on social work, housing and homelessness services.
The administration of Crisis Grants and Community Care Grants is now the responsibility of the Council, after being transferred from the Department for Work and Pensions on 1 April. Crisis Grants are available as emergency payments where there is an immediate threat to health or safety and are now paid out from Council Neighbourhood and City Centre Offices with an out of hours service also available. A new team has been recruited to deal with the assessment and processing of claims, which can be made by phone, online, on paper and in person. Community Care grants will help to enable or continue independent living by providing furniture, carpets and white goods.
Further measures will be discussed by the Health, Wellbeing and Housing Policy Development and Review Sub Committee on Tuesday 23 April 2013.
The city council’s announcement comes as new independent research by Sheffield Hallam University has shown that welfare cuts will take more than £1.6bn a year out of the Scottish economy and hit the poorest parts hardest – the equivalent to about £480 a year for every adult of working age. The biggest losses are from reforms to incapacity benefits at about £500m a year.
The report states: “The financial losses arising from the reforms will hit the most deprived parts of Scotland hardest. Glasgow in particular, but also a number of other older industrial areas, will feel the impact most. The loss of benefit income, which is often large, will have knock-on consequences for local spending and thus for local employment, which will in turn add a further twist to the downward spiral.”
The report added: “A key effect of welfare reform will therefore be to widen the gaps in prosperity between the best and worst local economies across Scotland.” Researchers note that the scale of financial loss in Scotland would have been greater if the Scottish government had chosen to pass on the cut to council tax benefit.
The report was commissioned by the Holyrood’s welfare reform committee, and while it’s findings are unlikely to come as a major surprise, committee convener Labour MSP Michael McMahon said: “Our committee wanted a detailed picture of what would happen on the ground when these reforms were fully implemented. It is obvious to all that the impact is dramatic – and more so in the areas that can least afford it.”
A Scottish government spokesman said: “Sheffield Hallam have used the same publicly available data as the Scottish government analysis and reach broadly the same conclusions on the scale of the cuts. It is completely unacceptable that hard-working people and vulnerable groups will bear the brunt of the UK government’s welfare cuts.”
The UK government insists that changes must be considered alongside other measures like the increase of the tax threshold, that changes to the welfare system were necessary and that reforms will benefit the Scottish economy in the long-term.
Monica Nall, Community Programme manager at Craigroyston Community High School, has been in touch to remind us that courses start next week – see attached document. The writing group is FREE and fee waivers for the other classes may be considered. For further information call 538 7285.
