The NEN – North Edinburgh News – Page 947 – The community media resource for north Edinburgh

Community Wealth Building: Scottish Government launches consultation

Views are being sought on ground-breaking proposals to help grow local economies and ensure more money stays in the hands of communities.

The Scottish Government is consulting the public on plans for new Community Wealth Building legislation – the first of its kind in the world – as part of its wider strategy to transform Scotland’s economy.

The consultation, which launched yesterday, will run for 12 weeks and seeks community, business and wider feedback on proposals to:

place a legal duty on public bodies such as health authorities and local councils to use the economic levers they have – for example in sourcing goods and services – to support the transformation of local and regional economies
promote co-operative, social enterprise and employee-owned businesses to ensure that more wealth which is generated locally stays local
create fair work opportunities for local people and those who face barriers to employment
ensure land and property are used for the benefit of local communities, business and the environment

Community Wealth Minister Tom Arthur launched the consultation at the Red Lion Inn in Culross, Fife, a community-owned pub and key local employer which aims to reinvest its profits back into the community.

Mr Arthur said: “We want to create an economy which delivers prosperity for all of Scotland’s people and places. Community Wealth Building is about enabling people to have a stake in the wealth that their local economy generates. This is central to our plans to reform Scotland’s economy for the wellbeing of current and future generations.

“While Community Wealth Building has grown in popularity in recent years, legislation has the potential to achieve more rapid benefits for communities, helping both people to earn incomes from fair work and more locally-owned businesses to bid for public sector contracts. Money spent locally is more likely to stay in the local economy and support local jobs.

“This public consultation will inform a Community Wealth Building Bill, which we will introduce to Parliament, to achieve these aims.

“I look forward to hearing a wide range of views on how we can use this process to transform our local economies to become greener, fairer and more prosperous.”

Fife is one of five pilot areas supported to develop Community Wealth Building action plans.

Fife Council Leader Cllr David Ross said: “We are committed to creating a fairer Fife where we grow the local economy and everyone benefits from the wealth generated within our communities.

“That’s what community wealth building is about. In Fife, in conjunction with local partners, we are already forging ahead with ground-breaking changes to embed community wealth building so that local people, communities and businesses benefit now and into the future.

“The pilot programme in Fife has seen us implementing progressive procurement practices that are helping local businesses to bid for public sector contracts, making sure more local people receive the living wage and rolling out innovative training and recruitment programmes to ensure people have access to quality local jobs. Our key partners are all signed up to a charter to deliver change.

“Whilst we have seen this significant progress locally, reform of legislation would provide powers for greater change, and we welcome the opportunity to help shape a future Community Wealth Building Bill.”

Anyone who wishes to have their say on Community Wealth Building legislation can do so here: https://consult.gov.scot/economic-development/community-wealth-building-consultation

Edinburgh dance school grabs top awards at major UK competition

Pupils and instructors at Edinburgh Dance Academy (EDA) have taken top honours at a prestigious British Isles dance competition staged in Blackpool over the weekend.

The highly-regarded dance school – whose past pupils include the 2019 winner of BBC’s The Greatest Dancer, Ellie Fergusson – was named as the Highest Ranked Dance Studio in the UK and Ireland for the second year running at the Dance Inspirations event.

EDA’s Jenni Inglis (above) also won the Most Inspirational Choreography award for the second year in a row and EDA dancer Kiera Anderson received top prize in the Most Dedication, Passion and Talent award category.

The Dance Inspirations competition featured over a total of 3000 acts from over 100 dance schools from across the UK and Ireland in their regional heats ahead of the final in Blackpool, where a total of 317 acts competed for the top prize.

Several EDA dancers also picked up accolades for their performances including being named Overall Winner and taking 1st place for their contemporary piece “Shout” by Empara Mi.

The winning group secured £1000 prize money for their award-winning routine with the proceeds going towards funding their trip to represent Scotland in the Dance World Cup competition being staged in Portugal in June.

Julie Mitchell, Principal and Founder at EDA, said: “I’m so proud of Jenni and our fantastic dancers who all performed incredibly in this highly competitive event.

“Achieving this success across so many categories for the second year really underlines the commitment and dedication of both our pupils and our team.

“We now look forward to taking part in June’s Dance World Cup in Portugal where EDA competitors will proudly fly the flag for Scotland.”

‘Fighting fire with a water pistol’ – study shows soaring mental health challenges for frontline Covid nurses

CANDID study surveyed hundreds of health workers

Nurses who worked in critical care during the COVID pandemic are at an increased risk of mental health problems according to a study, which has found three quarters showed signs of psychological distress, while a third reported clinically significant symptoms of post-traumatic stress.

The project, named CANDID, was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and co-led by academics at Edinburgh Napier University and the University of Dundee.

They surveyed more than 400 critical care nurses (CCNs), as well as 200 who were redeployed to critical care (RDNs), across units in Scotland, England and Wales. 45 were also interviewed in depth, with one describing working shifts amid the crisis as being ‘like fighting a fire with a water pistol’.

The survey found growing levels of burnout among staff, compared to a similar study carried out before the pandemic by members of the team (Dr Louise McCallum), with a quarter of nurses planning to leave their role in the next year. Respondents expressed concerns about the quality of patient care and reduced attention to staff wellbeing and development during the pandemic.

Chief Investigator Professor Diane Dixon of Edinburgh Napier University’s School of Applied Sciences said: “The challenges thrown at nurses during the COVID-19 crisis have clearly left lasting concerns not just for their own wellbeing, but for the health service itself.

“They are likely to endure well beyond the end of the pandemic.”

Chief Investigator Dr Janice Rattray of the University of Dundee’s School of Health Sciences said: “These results are concerning as burnout is contagious, and symptoms of post-traumatic stress do not always resolve on their own. The NHS needs to prioritise the well-being of these nurses.

“Failure to address staff wellbeing is likely to have negative consequences for staff recruitment and retention, patient safety and quality of care.”

CANDID was carried out between January 2021 and June 2022, comparing its survey results directly with those from previous research in 2018. The percentage of nurses self-reporting levels of psychological distress and burnout through emotional exhaustion that would likely have a psychological diagnosis if interviewed clinically more than doubled in that time.

The study, which will now go through a peer-reviewing process, also measured the impact on organisational outcomes. Each of these worsened. Nurses reported reduced job satisfaction, less certainty about their future working for the NHS and were more likely to be planning to leave their role. Nurses also reported that both quality of care and patient safety had declined.

Although it was not recorded in the 2018 survey, a third of the nurses who responded reported clinically concerning symptoms of posttraumatic stress. During interviews, some spoke about the stress of dealing with relatives unable to see their loved ones in hospitals, as well as a feeling of isolation among RDNs separated from their usual teams.

The study recommends the NHS prioritises the welfare of CCNs and RDNs, implements workplace planning, supports them to recover from the pandemic, and creates an environment that will allow them to thrive in future.

Defend the Right to Strike: Day of Action across Scotland today

The STUC, along with the TUC, are coordinating a protect the right to strike day today (Wednesday 1 February).

PM Rishi Sunak is trying to force his anti-union “sack key workers bill” through parliament in a matter of weeks. It means that when workers democratically vote to strike, they could be forced to work and sacked if they don’t.

That’s wrong, unworkable, and almost certainly illegal. We need to stop this bill.

These new laws are a direct attack on working people’s fundamental right to strike to defend their pay, terms and conditions.

EDINBURGH

Edinburgh Day of Action

The Day of Action for Edinburgh will consist of three events:

Rally in the Mound at noon particularly for the PCS DWP members who will be on strike that day;
Indoor rally in the Southside Community Centre at 1.00pm/1.30pm.
Rally in the Mound at 5.00pm particularly for EIS members.

More events in Scotland:

GLASGOW

Book a ticket for our Defend the Right to Strike Rally in Glasgow.

Solidarity with worker striking on the 1st February

Join our solidarity rally. Scottish workers in the civil service, higher education, some schools, some rail operators and Co-op Funeral Care will all be taking industrial action on 1st.

Join our joint strike rally at the Donald Dewar Steps, Buchanan Street at 12 noon.

DUNDEE

Dundee Day of Action

Rally 1pm, City Square, Dundee

Further details on facebook

ABERDEEN

Aberdeen Trades Council will be hosting a rally at St Nicholas Square, Aberdeen at 5.30pm on 1st Feb to protect the right to strike.

Petition

Sign the petition and join the campaign.

Lobby your MP

Whatever party your MP is in, you have a part to play in stopping this bill in its tracks. Use forms to request a meeting here.

Be part of the social media storm

Get on social media channels and get the message out by using #RightToStrike. We need people to know that their right to strike is under attack.

Seeing North Edinburgh through the eyes of the internet

Free event at City Art Centre, Saturday 11 February 2pm

Are you a tech geek and love seeing Edinburgh represented digitally? Well this free event is just for you!

Join us for an event hosted by the Data Civics team at the Edinburgh Futures Institute. Liz McFall, Darren Umney and Vassilis Galanos will talk about their recent work exploring North Edinburgh through the ‘eyes’ of internet platforms including Instagram, Twitter, Google Earth, street photography and community archive.

The work was conducted with help from local organisations including Screen Edinburgh, North Edinburgh Arts, Granton Hub and Edinburgh Palette among others.

The aim is to use digital methods to show the vibrancy of the area from the perspectives of people who live, work and play there.

The event will showcase the Granton CivicScope website and its collection of photographs, films and maps of the past, present and future of the area, and give the audience a chance to add their own images to the collection.

Brutalist photographer Simon Phipps and Darren Umney will talk with Liz McFall, Kath Bassett and Vassilis Galanos about their recent work exploring North Edinburgh through the ‘eyes’ of internet platforms including Instagram, Twitter, Google Earth, street photography and community archive.

Complimentary refreshments will be served.

For more information and booking, follow this link:

https://edinburghmuseums.org.uk/whats-on/seeing-north-edinburgh-through-eyes-internet

Celebrate Valentine’s Day at The Ivy on the Square Brasserie

Enjoy a romantic set menu and love-inspired cocktails

The Ivy on the Square Brasserie is celebrating the season of love with a romantic set menu and bespoke cocktails available from Friday 10^th February to Sunday 19^thFebruary, making it the perfect place to spoil a loved one.

After receiving a glass of Veuve Clicquot Rose Champagne on arrival, guests can choose from a selection of dishes from The Ivy on the Square’s delicious three-course set menu full of culinary delights.

Priced at £75 per person, to start, diners are invited to enjoy a delicious starter, with options including a Duck Liver Parfait, served with caramelised hazelnuts, truffle, pear, and ginger compote with a toasted brioche, or Laverstoke Park Farm Buffalo Mozzarella served with red chicory, clementine, grapes, candy beetroot, and a spiced vinaigrette.

Main course options include Lobster Linguine in a tomato and chilli sauce, with vine cherry tomatoes, parsley, and spring onion, and Chargrilled Halloumi with Farro grains, crushed artichoke, hazelnuts, mushrooms, black truffle, and a plant-based sauce. If diners are looking for something even more special, a succulent, grass-fed Fillet of Beef is the perfect choice.

To finish, those with a sweet tooth can enjoy a sharing dessert perfect for couples or friends. The Raspberry Heart Mille Feuille features decadently layered white chocolate and puff pastry with a warm raspberry sauce, the perfect way to finish a romantic meal.

Alongside the sumptuous set menu, a duo of cocktails inspired by love will be available, designed to make even the cold-hearted blush. Guests can choose from a Heartbreaker on the Rocks (£12); a blend of Maker’s Mark Bourbon, Antica Formula, Cherry Heering, Chocolate wine and a dash of Campari, or a sweet Passion Berry Martini (£11), with Citric Blend, Crème de Fraise, and passion fruit syrup topped with prosecco.

Agata Lubera, General Manager at The Ivy on the Square says: “Valentine’s Day is the perfect opportunity to treat those you love. Whether celebrating with friends, family or loved ones, we hope our guests enjoy our special set-menu and bespoke cocktails this Valentine’s Day.”

The Valentine’s Day Set Menu is available from 10^th – 19^th February and is priced at £75 per person for three courses and a glass of Veuve Clicquot Champagne. To book a table, please visit TheIvyEdinburgh.com.

TUC welcomes civil liberties’ groups condemnation of ministers’ attack on the right to strike

50 leading civil liberties organisations and rights groups slam the government’s strikes bill

The TUC has welcomed an open letter penned by 50 civil liberties organisations and rights groups slamming the government’s new anti-strikes bill as an attack on the fundamental right to strike.

The organisations including Liberty, Human Rights Watch, Oxfam and many more said the Bill will allow “a further significant and unjustified intrusion by the state into the freedom of association and assembly.”

The groups also warn of the “enormous scope” the legislation would give ministers to decide key provisions, including the minimum service levels, without proper parliamentary scrutiny.

The Bill was back in parliament yesterday for its third reading.

The TUC has launched a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to discover why the government published the Bill without a required impact assessment.

Previous government advice – published in the Autumn – warned that minimum service levels in transport could poison industrial relations, and lead to more frequent industrial action.

Despite this warning, the Conservatives are now proposing to extend minimum service levels to a range of other sectors including – health, education, fire, border security and nuclear decommissioning.

TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: “Ministers are launching a brazen attack on the right to strike – a fundamental British liberty.

“This draconian legislation would mean that when workers democratically vote to strike, they can be forced to work and sacked if they don’t comply.

“It is little wonder that civil liberties organisations up and down the country are lining up to condemn this spiteful Bill.

“It is undemocratic, unworkable and almost certainly illegal. And crucially it will likely poison industrial relations and exacerbate disputes rather than help resolve them.”

On the need for ministers to come clean about the true scope of the Bill, Paul Nowak added: “Instead of levelling with the public about the bill’s draconian nature, ministers are railroading it through without proper scrutiny or consultation.

“With inflation running at over 10%, the last thing working people need is for ministers to make it harder to secure better pay and conditions.

“It is shameful that parliamentarians are being forced to vote blindly on such far-reaching new laws. We urge MPs from all parties to vote against this nasty Bill.”

Letter in full – also found on the Liberty website

Dear Secretary of State,

Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill

We are writing to you as organisations concerned with the protection of civil liberties in this country to urge you to reconsider the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill.

The right to strike is a fundamental liberty.

In Great Britain it is already highly constrained by detailed rules concerning balloting, notice periods and picketing.

We believe the proposals for minimum service levels during industrial action will unfairly constrain the activities of trade unions and their members by allowing a further significant and unjustified intrusion by the state into the freedom of association and assembly.

The government has produced no evidence that such draconian measures are necessary. Voluntary life-and-limb cover has long been a feature of industrial action by essential workers.

This Bill has the potential to cause significant damage to fair and effective industrial relations in this country by making it harder to resolve disputes. Indeed the government itself has acknowledged that minimum service levels risk leading to an increased frequency of strikes.

We are also concerned by the lack of detail in the Bill, and the enormous scope it gives you and your successors as Secretary of State to decide key provisions, including the minimum service levels themselves, free from proper Parliamentary scrutiny.

In particular, the vast power given to Ministers to amend or revoke primary legislation, including Acts that do not even exist yet, is an extraordinary denial of the duty of our elected representatives to legislate on our behalf.

The Bill will expand the power of Ministers over Parliament and employers over workers, undermine rights protections, and inject uncertainty and precarity into the lives of millions of people who may now face dismissal for going on strike.

We urge you to reconsider these plans for an unwarranted curtailment of freedom of assembly and association

Martha Spurrier, Director, Liberty

Justine Forster, CEO, Advocacy Focus

Robert Rae, Co-Director, Art27 Scotland

Clive Parry, England Director, Association for Real Change

D ame Sara Llewellin, Chief Executive, Barrow Cadbury Trust

Silkie Carlo, Director, Big Brother Watch

Rosalind Stevens, Project Manager, Civil Society Alliance

Brian Gormally, Director, Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ)

Isobel Ingham-Barrow, CEO, Community Policy Forum

Megan Thomas, Policy and Research Officer, Disability Wales

Ele Hicks, Engagement, Research, and Policy and Influencing Manager, Diverse Cymru

Andrea Simon, Director, End Violence Against Women Coalition

Clare Moody, Co-CEO, Equally Ours

Kyle Taylor, Founder, Fair Vote UK

Peter Wieltschnig, Policy & Networks Officer, Focus on Labour Exploitation (FLEX)

Clare Lyons, Director of Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns, Friends of the Earth (England, Wales and Northern Ireland)

Nick Dearden, Director, Global Justice Now

John Gaskell, Chair, Grassroots for Europe

Areeba Hamid & Will McCallum, Co-Executive Directors, Greenpeace UK

Declan Owens, Co-Chair, Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers

Kevin Hanratty, Director, Human Rights Consortium Northern Ireland

Mhairi Snowden, Director, Human Rights Consortium Scotland

Yasmine Ahmed, UK Director, Human Rights Watch

Deborah Coles, Executive Director, INQUEST

Zehrah Hasan, Advocacy Director, The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI)

Jess McQuail, Director, Just Fair

Nimrod Ben-Cnaan, Head of Policy and Profile, Law Centres Network

Barry Gale, Group Leader, Mental Health Rights Scotland

Fizza Qureshi, CEO, Migrants’ Rights Network

Zara Mohammed, Secretary General, Muslim Council of Britain

Kevin Blowe, Campaigns Coordinator, Netpol

Mark Kieran, CEO, Open Britain

Kate Flannery, Secretary, Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign

Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah, Chief Executive, Oxfam GB

Becky Peters, Director (Interim), People’s History Museum, Manchester Police Spies Out Of Lives

Lubia Begum-Rob, Director, Prisoners’ Advice Service

Ariane Adam, Legal Director, Public Law Project

Mia Hasenson-Gross, Executive Director, René Cassin, the Jewish Voice for Human Rights

Agnes Tolmie, Chair, The Scottish Women’s Convention

Sue Tibballs, Chief Executive, Sheila McKechnie Foundation

Susan Cueva, Chair, Southeast and East Asian Centre (SEEAC)

Chris Jones, Director, Statewatch

Louise Hazan, Co-Founder, Tipping Point UK

Chris Brian, Researcher, Undercover Research Group

Katrina Ffrench, Director, UNJUST C.I.C

Tom Brake, Director, Unlock Democracy

Bob Miller, Secretary, Wearside Amnesty International

Joyce Kallevik, Director, Wish

Raewyn Jones, Interim CEO, Work Rights Centre

Community Planning: Holyrood Committee to visit Renfrewshire

The Scottish Parliament’s Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee will visit Ferguslie Park in Renfrewshire next Monday (6th February) to meet with Engage Renfrewshire, a Third Sector Interface, which supports local charities and other not-for-profit groups, as part of an inquiry into Community Planning.

In November 2022, the Committee launched a new inquiry into Part 2 of the Community Empowerment Act (2015), which changed how community planning is delivered by Community Planning Partnerships (CPPs).

Community Planning aims to improve how organisations such as local government, health boards, and the police work together with other partners to improve local outcomes in an area.

CPPs exist in every local authority to identify priorities, share resources to deliver services for people and are tasked with developing Local Outcomes Improvement Plans and targeted ‘locality plans’ for smaller areas which need more support.

Partners also must work with communities to involve them in community planning.

The Committee held a call for views between November 2022 and January 2023 and will go on to take evidence from stakeholders before sending a report to the Scottish Government in the spring, outlining its findings and recommendations.

Ahead of the visit, Committee Convener, Ariane Burgess MSP said: “Hearing directly from people in Renfrewshire involved in the local Community Planning Partnership will greatly improve our understanding of the impact of these partnerships and how they are helping to support communities across Scotland.

“Our inquiry is looking at the impact of the Community Empowerment Act on community planning and how CPPs have been able to respond to significant events such as the Covid-19 pandemic and the current cost-of-living crisis.

“Throughout this inquiry, we will seek to hear directly from organisations involved in Community Planning Partnerships, such as those we will meet in Fergulsie Park as well as communities and individuals from across Scotland about the impact the Partnerships have had.”

The Committee will hold meetings with Engage Renfrewshire in Ferguslie Park to learn more about the background to CPP operations in Renfrewshire, the Forum for Empowering Communities and examples of local partnership working.

Following this the Committee will visit the Tannahill Centre for an overview of local services delivered as part of the Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Approach and Winter Connection Programme.

Commenting, Dr Alan McNiven, Chief Executive of Engage Renfrewshire, said: “We’re delighted to welcome the Local Government Housing and Planning Committee to Renfrewshire as part of their review of Community Planning.

“Community Planning can be challenging but it’s an approach which can provide Third Sector organisations with the opportunity to establish a strong working partnership with the Public Sector – and in our experience partnership working often creates a great environment for delivering better local outcomes.”

CANDID study surveyed hundreds of health workers

Views sought on mobility element of disability benefit

Free event at City Art Centre, Saturday 11 February 2pm

Enjoy a romantic set menu and love-inspired cocktails

50 leading civil liberties organisations and rights groups slam the government’s strikes bill