Wednesday 20th November 10.30 – 2pm in Muirhouse Library
Tag: city council
Winter weather: let’s tackle it together, says Transport Leader
The city council’s Transport Leader is asking everyone to do their bit, where possible, to help make sure front paths and local streets and pavements are safe and walkable this winter.
The council is braced for every weather eventuality, with 22 lorries primed to grit the city’s streets, 16 brand new mini tractors ready to treat pavements and more than 13,000 tonnes of salt stocked in preparation for frost, ice and snow.
Over recent weeks the fleet has already been out gritting neighbourhoods overnight with temperatures dropping below zero.
Residents are also being reminded about the 3000 salt bins located across the city which are regularly refilled to help people maintain their local streets where it is not possible to treat overnight. During this time staff need to focus on Edinburgh’s 1050km of priority one roads and 300km of priority one pavements leading to hospitals, schools, care homes and other key locations.
Transport and Environment Convener Councillor Lesley Macinnes said: “We’re well aware of the impact severe winter weather can have on the city and its services, as we saw when the ‘Beast from the East’ hit Edinburgh last year. That’s why we’re well prepared, as ever, with a fleet of lorries and gritting teams ready to tackle ice and snow during the colder months.
“What we’ve also seen during recent periods of extreme weather is the dedication shown by individuals and groups who have pitched in to help make their communities safe. We make every effort to keep the city moving over the winter, but resources need to be focussed on priority routes serving emergency services, vulnerable people and key arterial thoroughfares.
“It’s often thanks to these community members’ hard work that ice and snow is cleared from smaller streets, and I hope we will see people continue to make use of local grit bins and look out for their neighbours this winter.”
As well as a 75-strong road services team working in shifts round the clock to treat the city’s priority routes, there are more than 60 paid volunteers from departments across the Council.
Amongst these are staff from social work, facilities, parks, housing and community safety departments, who are on standby to assist the maintenance of priority pavements and cycle paths in the event of extreme weather.
This is the second winter crews will benefit from ‘thermal mapping’, based on road temperature data gathered over recent years, helping teams to direct resources accordingly to the roads most in need of treatment.
The service will also continue to utilise telematics devices fitted to the entire winter weather fleet to allow lorries and tractors to transmit their location and gritting operation, meaning a quicker response to the public’s needs.
Local farmers have been enlisted, as in previous years, to support the Council’s winter weather response by gritting rural routes and contracts are in place with external companies if the
Council needs access to additional staff and equipment in extreme winter conditions.
The public can find out about priority road, cycle path and pavement gritting routes by visiting the Council website’s winter weather pages which include an interactive map so that residents can locate their nearest salt bin.
If severe weather strikes, the Council will use its social media channels, website and local radio stations to keep residents updated on any impact on services.
WINTER WEATHER RESPONSE BY NUMBERS
- 13,500 tonnes of salt stockpiled for use across the city
- 16 brand new mini-tractors to cover the priority network of footpaths and cycle routes, which this year are trialling the use of snow clearing brushes for the first time
- 75 Edinburgh Roads Services staff working three shifts to treat roads
- 60 staff from across the Council working three shifts to treat priority footways and cycle routes (including customer advisers, social work, facilities, parks, housing, community safety, environmental wardens, project managers, care and support, cemeteries, rangers, IT)
Leith’s Good With Food!
Residents are being encouraged to adopt smart kitchen and shopping habits as part of a new campaign to tackle the climate crisis by reducing food waste in Leith.
Leith’s Good With Food, a new campaign from Zero Waste Leith, encourages the local community to shop smart, cook just the right amount and use up or share any leftovers.
The campaign is delivered by leading environmental charity Changeworks as part of the Zero Waste Leith project, with funding from the European Regional Development Fund.
Food waste is one of the top contributors to greenhouse gases – and throwing away food waste means you’re throwing away money too. Right now, 60% of the food we waste in Scotland could be avoided, and that’s something the campaign is looking to change. If food can’t be reused, it can be turned into energy through Edinburgh’s kerbside food recycling service.
The campaign kicked off with a launch event at the Leith Walk Police Box yesterday.
Hannah Milne, Zero Waste Leith Co-ordinator at Changeworks said: “Leithers are already leading the way towards zero waste in Scotland and now they are adopting food waste savvy habits in their kitchens, shops and streets with our new campaign, Leith’s Good With Food.
“Our team of volunteers gave out our new Good with Food kits which contain tools, tips and recipes to help Leithers avoid food waste and a kitchen caddy for collecting food waste recycling.”
The campaign is modelled on the successful anti-flytipping campaign, Flyspotting, which featured portraits and messaging from local Leithers and halved flytipping in ten test streets surrounding Dalmeny Street Park.
Councillor Lesley Macinnes, Environment Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council said: “Food waste is a big greenhouse gas emitter, but it’s something households can tackle easily and help make a real, positive contribution.
“All food waste collected in Edinburgh goes to our state-of-the-art facility at Millerhill to be converted into energy – just one food caddy can generate enough electricity to power a TV for five hours!
“I welcome this new campaign from Changeworks and look forward to even more people getting into the food waste reduction and recycling habit.”
“We’re prepared for whatever the weather has to throw at us”
Transport and Environment Convener, Councillor Lesley Macinnes, writes about Edinburgh’s preparations for severe weather:
The nights are drawing in and the temperature is dropping. And while there’s a festive feeling beginning to build, there’s no ignoring the challenges the winter months can bring. Continue reading “We’re prepared for whatever the weather has to throw at us”
Bah humbug! Council responds to Christmas criticism
From unsighly hoardings and dodgy scaffolding to disrespectful tratment of memorial benches and lax planning enforcement, the council has come in for a lot of criticism over Edinburgh’s Hogmanay 2019 preparations.
This is the council’s response: Continue reading Bah humbug! Council responds to Christmas criticism
St. Stephen Court: there’s no place like home
Sixteen refurbished apartments in Sighthill are helping people to build meaningful lives at home following time spent at the Royal Edinburgh Hospital.
![St Stephen's offers a homely place for tenants after time in hospital](https://i0.wp.com/www.edinburgh.gov.uk/images/St_Stephens_Court_offers_a_homely_place_for_tenants_after_time_in_hospital.jpg?w=660)
Originally a sheltered housing complex, a building in the Calders has been transformed by the City of Edinburgh Council to provide high-quality places to stay.
Continue reading St. Stephen Court: there’s no place like home
Public invited to take part in consultation about designs for West Princes Street Gardens’ future
- Public consultation puts new designs of West Princes Street Garden improvements to Edinburgh public
- Drop-in information events being held across Edinburgh throughout November, and online at www.thequaichproject.org/
consultation - New visuals showing welcome centre, pavilion & amphitheatre, family area and path network to be unveiled as part of the consultation
Leith Links playpark transformed
Kids of all ages are in for a treat at the brand new Leith Links play park, which was formally opened on Friday, becoming one of the Capital’s largest play spaces.
A parkour unit, a Rolli trampoline for wheelchair users, a natural play area and oodles of great new play equipment chosen by the local community have allbeen installed in the north Edinburgh park.
Council consults on extended hours for bus lanes
A consultation on introducing 7am to 7pm bus lanes operating seven days a week will begin today (Thursday 31 October).
Continue reading Council consults on extended hours for bus lanes
Peer mentors initiative to tackle crime culture coming to Edinburgh
- Former young offenders acting as ‘peer mentors’ to help children escape from a life of serious organised crime
- Edinburgh, Newcastle and Cardiff identified for roll out following successful project in Glasgow
- Two thirds of teenagers supported by Glasgow project have significantly improved their offending behaviour
- Analysis shows a £½m city council saving by ‘diverting’ high risk young people from secure care
- According to UK Government, organised crime – including money laundering and drug trafficking – bigger threat to UK than terrorism
- Run by UK charity Action for Children and funded with £4.6m from The National Lottery Community Fund, project will now target ‘high-risk’ 11-18-year-olds across the UK.
A ground-breaking programme diverting young people away from a life of serious organised crime is to be rolled out to a number of cities across the UK.
Action for Children’s Serious Organised Crime Early Intervention service has been running in Glasgow since 2013 and will now be rolled out to Edinburgh, Newcastle and Cardiff, funded by £4.6 million from The National Lottery Community Fund. Continue reading Peer mentors initiative to tackle crime culture coming to Edinburgh