Tag: city council

Council calls for increase in number of Afghan refugees to be welcomed to the UK

Edinburgh’s Council Leader is to write to the UK Government calling for the number of refugees to be welcomed to the UK to be increased from the 20,000 already committed over five years.

Councillor Adam McVey will take this action after a Coalition motion was unanimously approved at Full Council today. 

Cllr McVey said: “The deteriorating situation in Afghanistan is heartbreaking to witness and as a city, we want to do everything we can to help people fleeing for their lives as the crisis deepens.

“That’s why I’ll be writing to the UK Government calling on them to increase the number of Afghans who will be welcomed to the country in the coming years.

“We’re working very closely with partner agencies and the Home Office already and will soon give shelter to around 250 Afghan refugees in the Capital, as well as around 50 people to settle as permanent citizens.

“We’re proud to have them join us and will welcome them with open arms, as we will when more of their countrymen and women arrive in the Capital in the months to come.”

Depute Council Leader Cammy Day said: “It’s humbling to see the outpouring of compassion and generosity shown by so many residents in the city who are coming forward with offers of accommodation and direct support for Afghan refugees. We are an outward-facing, globally responsible Capital and will play our full part in helping people in such desperate need.

“We now call on the UK Government to increase the total number of Afghan refugees that can be welcomed to Britain over the coming years and for local authorities to be provided with appropriate funding to support their needs.

The full text of the agreed motion reads:

“Notes that unfolding events in Afghanistan since the US, UK and other nations’ substantive withdrawal have been shocking to witness and that the whole of the UK bears a moral responsibility for dealing with the consequences. Notes efforts of residual personnel still in Kabul to support evacuation of some of those at risk.

“Supports the people of Afghanistan in enjoying the liberties previously protected by allied forces and the right to independence of thought, to vote and for women and girls to be educated and play a full part in the work and life of their country- as well as the right to life for at risk groups, such as LGBT Afghans.

“Acknowledges that many UK veterans who served in Afghanistan will find the deteriorating security situation extremely difficult and lead them to question the sacrifices they and their colleagues have made and requests the Lord Provost, as Veterans’ Champion, continues to engage with local armed forces.

“Agrees that Edinburgh must embrace its responsibility to welcome those fleeing persecution and empower these people to reach their full potential when they arrive.  This includes providing good quality immediate temporary accommodation and welcoming Afghan refugees for permanent resettlement in the Capital.

“Agrees to explore all avenues to secure appropriate accommodation, without putting pressure on existing demand for social homes, such as exploring using short term let properties, to maximise local provision.

“Notes ongoing discussions between the Council and the UK Government on arrangements to host a number of Afghan refugees who were locally employed staff as well as ongoing discussions on welcoming further Afghan refugees.

“Further notes these discussions will include other third/voluntary sector and Trade Unions to support and welcome refugees along with the continuing dialogue with the Scottish Government of levels of support they can also contribute. Agrees this includes full access to local services and should also include access to support finding employment, without restrictions on ability to work.

“Agrees the Council Leader writes to the UK Government to add Edinburgh’s voice to calls to increase the number of Afghan refugees, who are not formerly locally employed staff, beyond the 20,000 already committed over 5 years.

“Notes the funding arrangements for the formally locally employed staff and agrees the Council leader and officers continue dialogue with UK Minsters and officials to ensure support is fully funded by the UK Government and delegates to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader and Deputy Leader, to approve any such other costs arising not covered by UK Government funding, or existing budgets, up to £500,000 from the unallocated general reserve.

 “Notes current arrangements of UK Government funding for formally employed staff is able to cover private rented property rates and agrees the Council leader and officers communicate directly the need for the same level of support for all refugees being welcomed and resettled in the City.

“Notes the very generous offers of direct support from the people of Edinburgh and agrees that Edinburgh should play its part in welcoming of Afghan refugees: both in terms of the need to find immediate temporary accommodation and welcoming Afghan refugees for permanent resettlement in the Capital.“

Hundreds of Edinburgh’s children and families ‘Get into Summer’

Hundreds of young people and their families in the Capital have taken part in a huge programme of summer activities delivered by over 100 City of Edinburgh Council and partner organisations.

The ‘get into Summer’ initiative was part of a nationwide scheme funded by the Scottish Government to support children and young people’s wellbeing during the summer after a year of disrupted school, out of school activities and periods of isolation from friends due to the pandemic.

The activities built on the regular summer programmes put on by the Council and partners and were delivered in communities across the city. They helped children and young people to get healthy, creative and most importantly, re-connect with each other.

A key focus of the programme included activities targeted at families from low income households who may otherwise have struggled to access such experiences during the holidays. It ensured that these groups and those living in poverty were able to access, at no cost, a full programme of summer activities, in many cases with travel and food costs also covered.

The overall programme had a focus on opportunities for youth and children’s work, very young children and their families, with opportunities for sport, outdoor, art and cultural activities.

The Get into Summer project included:

  • Picnic in a Park trips saw over 200 children and their families take part
  • Over 300 food and activity parcels being delivered to families every week of the school holidays
  • Hundreds of activity sessions from over 150 different providers throughout the school holidays

There’s been really positive feedback from families such as:

One mum talking about her food box delivery said: “Huge thanks for our box, it was fantastic as always, we made good use of the sharing plate for all our veg as we had d.i.y rainbow wraps for dinner. Super yummy and encouraged the boys to try things they would not normally eat.”

Another mum said after her trip to a country park with her three children: “A huge thank you for the fantastic day, we loved Jupiter Artland and are already planning our next visit.”

Some of the partner organisations putting on events and providing support include: 6VT Edinburgh City Youth Café, Disability Services, Intercultural Youth Scotland, Edinburgh Young Carers, Lochend Football Academy, National Galleries of Scotland, Play2Learn Sports Coaching and Shakti Women’s Aid.

Councillor Ian Perry, Convener for Education, Children and Families at the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “Huge praise to all the different teams at the Council and our partners for providing such a fantastic programme of activities over the summer for our young people and their families.

“The pandemic has caused such a disruption to their wellbeing and our ‘Get into Summer’ programme brought as many of them together as possible to play and socialise over the holidays.

“There really was something for everyone with activities ranging from sports coaching to trip, to drama workshops, to local parks with many additional activities on top of what we usually offer during the holidays. This really has been a summer of fun for these families and I hope we’ll be able to do it all again next year!”

Councillor Alison Dickie, Vice Convener for Education, Children and Families Vice Convener at the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “It’s really positive to see what a huge difference this programme of activities has made to the daily lives of children and their families during the summer.

“We listened to their voices about the impact of lockdown on their mental health and wellbeing and this was an important first step to help them re-connect with their friends and interests over the holidays.

“Many families on low income struggle during the summer holidays so this targeted offer was a positive step forward and helped boost opportunities for those who have faced the greatest challenges in the past 17 months. This programme had children’s rights and needs at its heart and thanks must go to everyone who pulled all this together.”

Covid surge: ‘Keep Taking Care’ appeal by council leaders – but is anyone listening?

4,323 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Scotland yesterday – highest ever figure

Cases more than DOUBLE in one week

City of Edinburgh Council Leaders have appealed to the public to keep sticking to the rules and looking out for one another, as Scottish Covid cases more than double in one week.

Their plea follows an update by the First Minister yesterday, when she urged those who were eligible for the vaccination to take it up, while reminding people to continue following the ‘basic steps’ to reduce risk, including hand hygiene, distancing where possible and good ventilation indoors. She also confirmed plans to establish a public inquiry into the handling of the Covid crisis by the end of 2021.

Most Covid restrictions were removed when Scotland moved out of level 0 on 9 August. This included the need to physically distance in most settings and for close contacts of those who test positive for Covid to self-isolate, as long as they’re fully vaccinated.

However, the use of face coverings is still required in some public spaces and people are encouraged to keep themselves and others safe by getting tested regularly. Leaders have also urged everyone aged over 16 to take up their offer of a vaccination if they have not done so already to help protect one another and limit the rise in case numbers.

Council Leader Adam McVey said: “The move out of level 0 of the Covid restrictions framework signalled a return to some sense of normality in many areas of our lives but we have to remember that this virus has not gone away, as rising infections demonstrate.

“It’s great to see businesses reopening, people meeting up with friends and loved ones more easily and schools at full capacity. However, we must not be complacent – as the First Minister said, the recent surge in cases is a cause of real concern.

“We really need everyone who’s eligible, especially those in the youngest cohort aged 16 and over, to take up their offer of a vaccine. Covid has the potential to make patients of any age very ill, including, in some cases, long Covid.

“The only way we can avoid that, and truly beat the virus, is through vaccinating everyone who’s eligible, as well as sticking to the basic hygiene, distancing and mask-wearing guidance to limit its spread.”

Depute Leader Cammy Day said: “We’ve all worked so hard over the last year and a half to do everything we can to limit the spread of this virus – there’s no reason to stop now, particularly as cases continue to rise steeply. This is the moment we all need to do our bit, take care to stick to the rules and get tested regularly, if we are to get through this without restrictions being reintroduced.

“We’re glad that the First Minister has confirmed plans to open a public inquiry into the handling of the Covid pandemic in Scotland. The lessons learned from this will be essential if we are ever to face a pandemic like this again.”

Community test centres and mobile test centres are open for people with no Covid symptoms – full details are available online.

Find out more about Council services during the pandemic on the Council website.

More information on Covid restrictions and guidance can be found on the Scottish Government’s website.

ReDrawing Edinburgh: free Cinescapes outdoor events

ReDrawing Edinburgh is a community-led outreach project designed to mark the centennial commemoration of the 1920 Edinburgh Boundaries Extension and Tramways Act.

It is coordinated by a community steering group comprising representatives from each of the boundary extension areas, with support from Council Archive, Library, and Museum services.

The city boundaries were extended in November 1920 to incorporate the Burgh of Leith in the north and the Midlothian parishes of Cramond, Corstorphine, Colinton, and Liberton to the west and south of the city. The expansion meant the city grew from 17 square miles to 53 square miles and increased its population from 320,000 to 425,000.

The ‘amalgamation’, as it was referred to at the time, was welcomed by some but opposed by others – in particular Leith Town Council who fought to retain its independence. The centenary commemoration provides an opportunity for everyone to understand how the city has grown and for the communities to reaffirm their own identities and heritage.

A series of short films created as part of Redrawing Edinburgh, were produced in a partnership between local heritage and community groups and Council Archive, Library, and Museums services. These presentations explore what happened in 1920 and celebrate the identities and histories of these communities.

It is the city centre of Edinburgh that often receives the most attention, however this project focuses on the communities that joined in 1920.

For general information about the project please contact archives@edinburgh.gov.uk or redrawingedinburgh@gmail.com

Free outdoor screening events, September 2021

All images © Lesley Martin photography

Join us on the 3-18 September for Cinescapes: ReDrawing Edinburgh, a series of five pop-up outdoor screenings of a new 15-minute film.

This film has been created from archive footage showing the 5 areas which were amalgamated with Edinburgh in 1920 through the Edinburgh Boundaries Extension and Tramways Act. ReDrawing Edinburgh celebrates the strong independent identities of the areas of Cramond, Colinton, Corstorphine, Liberton, and Leith and how they have retained them throughout the past century.

This isn’t just about nostalgia, it’s about identity. We’re celebrating the individual spirits that make up Edinburgh by screening the projections in the places that they are from.

Book tickets for these events via Eventbrite: 

Corstorphine on Friday 3 September

Colinton on Saturday 4 September

Cramond on Friday 10 September

Liberton on Saturday 11 September

Leith on Saturday 18 September

For general information about these events, please contact:

archives@edinburgh.gov.uk or redrawingedinburgh@gmail.com

Tynecastle School student accomodation plans unveiled

LOVE Gorgie Farm and People Know How will operate community facilities

S1 Developments has submitted a planning application for an ‘exciting new student residential development’ at the former Tynecastle High School site.

The developers say ‘this high-quality student development will regenerate a site that has lain vacant for over a decade and fallen into a state of disrepair. The careful restoration of the original Category B-listed school building, designed by John Alexander Carfrae, forms an integral part of the proposals. The development will far exceed amenity standards for similar student developments and has sustainability at its heart.’

Charities LOVE Gorgie Farm and People Know How have also been revealed as preferred operators for community facilities on the site should planning permission be granted.

The highly popular urban farm will operate an extensive community garden while People Know How, which already works with Tynecastle High School, will operate a community facility within the building.

The original school hall will be repurposed as a central amenity hub, sitting within a collegiate-style courtyard space and providing high quality shared facilities for student residents. The landscaping proposals increase green space across the site by more than 40 per cent, helping to increase biodiversity within the local area.

The development has been designed to be highly sustainable with zero parking, 100 per cent cycle parking, the employment of low carbon technologies and no use of fossil fuels.

Council guidance points to the benefits of purpose-built student accommodation in freeing up traditional housing stock for families with children and it has been estimated that a development such as this could release up to 180 properties back into the housing market. Local businesses will also benefit through increased spending from student residents. 

People Know How will operate a community facility, with the option for other local community groups to use space. The charity supports children, young people and their families in Edinburgh transition from primary to high school; helps individuals access the digital world and assists communities to shape their areas through community consultation and empowerment.

A large number of students volunteer to work with the charity and this enables a positive relationship with students in the building to be established. Not only does this support the charity in its work, but also benefits the volunteers and engages them in the local area.

LOVE Gorgie Farm will seek to engage children and young people in its environmental programmes through a community garden, on the western edge of the site, which will include planting beds, a shelter, storage space and greenhouses. The farm’s Earth School project, for example will stimulate interest in nature, encouraging new generations in creating a brighter and eco-friendly future.

Dan Teague, Director at S1 Developments, said: “We’re delighted to be submitting a planning application for this exciting development, and to also highlight our involvement with two charities who do such valuable work in local communities.

“As S1 Developments we develop sites to suit the location and have delivered hundreds of homes, including affordable homes across the city. Following our careful assessment of this site, we feel that student development is the most appropriate use given the constraints.

“This will not only secure the redevelopment of the Old Tynecastle High School, and provide a boost to the local economy, but also allows us to develop the site in manner which is compatible with neighbouring uses.

 “The original school building has fallen into a sorry state since it ceased being a school over a decade ago. Whilst the redevelopment is challenging, we are hopeful that the proposed use brings with it an opportunity to save and renovate the original school building and continue its educational use, benefitting the local community.”

Julie O’Donnell, Head of LOVE Gorgie Farm, said: “We’re very exciting about the prospect of operating the community garden should the scheme receive consent.

“With the environment and climate change such topical issues the garden will complement superbly what we do at the farm in the terms of educating our children and young people on nature and the delivery of an eco-friendly future.”

Glenn Liddall, Chief Executive of People Know How, commented: “It is great to be offered this facility, allowing us to increase our activity with the local community. While we will operate it, we are also keen that other groups and organisations be able to make use of it.

“As a large number of students routinely work with us by way of volunteering, internships and placements, this is a win-win for us. It not only allows us to establish a positive relationship with students in the building who can support us in our work but benefits and engages them in the local area.”

Edinburgh’s proposed Low Emission Zone: share your views

The City of Edinburgh Council aims to reduce air pollution, since it presents a significant threat to public health. It is especially harmful to young children, the elderly and those suffering from pre-existing conditions, including heart and lung diseases.

Low Emission Zones (LEZs) are being introduced across Scotland’s four largest cities: Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee in response to dangerous levels of air pollution, primarily nitrogen dioxide (NO2), generated by road traffic.

Low Emission Zones (LEZs) aspire to improve public health, by discouraging the most polluting vehicles from entering an area. If a vehicle entering a LEZ does not meet the minimum exhaust emission standard, then a penalty fine is issued.

The council says the zone is intended to only target the most polluting vehicles:

‘Only the most polluting vehicles will be affected by our proposed #LowEmissionZone and there will be exemptions for vehicles like the emergency services and blue badge holders’.

The city council is now consulting on it’s proposals and would like to hear your views.

Find out more and share your views here:

https://consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/sfc/low-emission-zone/

The consultation closes on 20 September.

Edinburgh offers shelter to people from Afghanistan

Capital will offer a haven to Afghans escaping the turmoil in their homeland

The City of Edinburgh Council has been asked to offer shelter to a number of people fleeing Afghanistan.

The capital will offer a number of places for permanent resettlement, as well as responding to the Home Office’s urgent request to accommodate a cohort of people on a temporary basis, as the security situation in Afghanistan deteriorates.

Due to the speed with which plans are being developed, details – including exact numbers and location – are still to be confirmed. Work will continue with the Home Office and partners and particularly services such as education and health to coordinate arrival and support planning.

Council Leader Adam McVey said: “Nobody can fail to be shocked and appalled to witness the desperate situation unfolding in Afghanistan. As a city we stand ready to help in whatever way we can.

“We’re in contact with both the UK and Scottish Governments to develop plans for how best we and our partners can offer support and housing to as many Afghans in need as possible. Edinburgh stands ready to welcome people to ensure they are immediately safe as well as welcoming new citizens to live in our city.

“We hope to be a position to confirm the level of Edinburgh’s involvement very soon. Meanwhile we continue to work rapidly with partners in the city to ensure that support is in place for people fleeing for their lives.”

Council Depute Leader Cammy Day said: “Scotland’s Capital has a long and proud history of welcoming people escaping desperate circumstances such as this.

“Our highly skilled team has an excellent track record over the last five years, successfully welcoming, supporting and settling more than 500 new residents displaced by the Syrian civil war into our city.

“I’m sure our communities will join us in doing everything they can to support those fleeing the horrendous situation we are all seeing in Afghanistan.”

£5 million investment to improve Scotland’s play parks

Play parks across Scotland will be modernised and restored through £5 million of funding, following agreement between the Scottish Government and Cosla.

Each local authority will receive a share of the funding to improve the standard of existing play parks, enhancing play opportunities for children and young people.

The funding is the first round of the Scottish Government’s total planned investment of £60 million for play park renovation over this parliamentary term and delivers on another commitment for the first 100 days of this government.

Minister for Children Clare Haughey said: “We know that play is an absolutely crucial part of children’s health and well-being and as we continue to recover from the pandemic, playing outside will allow children to reconnect with each other and allow them to return to enjoying their childhood.

“Our overall investment of £60 million will ensure that all children across Scotland have access to quality play in their own community and helps to deliver on children’s right to play, enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

“We will continue to listen to children and young people throughout this process to ensure our funding is spent on play spaces that work for all.”

Edinburgh Leisure supports families to ‘Get Into Summer’

Thanks to funding from the City of Edinburgh Council, Edinburgh Leisure were able to bring back a summer of fun safely to their venues across this city and supported 126 children and families living on low incomes to get active and enjoy their summer.

The Scottish Government released funding to local authorities across Scotland to help address the negative impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on the health and wellbeing of children and young people in Scotland.

The priority for this funding was to provide opportunities that allowed children and young people to socialise and reconnect with peers, get active and most importantly have fun, during the summer.

Edinburgh Leisure offered parents or guardians, living on a low income and wanted their child to have the opportunity to take part in fun, engaging and exciting sports this summer to apply for funded places. 

Spaces were available on Edinburgh Leisure’s swimming, gymnastics, dance, and tennis programmes, with no cost to the family applying. The coaching programmes took place in a variety of venues across the city, at various dates, with some one-day sessions and some full-week activity programmes.

Edinburgh Leisure also offered 320 spaces for families to attend their AquaDash Extreme and Clip n Climb sessions.

Families who were eligible for the programme included children who receive school uniform and meal grants, care experienced children, young carers, children whose families are in receipt of Universal Credit and children supported by a child’s plan.

Tommy George, Community Development Manager at Edinburgh Leisure, said: “For many families, finances are really tight and getting involved in activities during the holidays can be prohibitive due to cost.

“Thanks to funding from the City of Edinburgh Council, however, we were able to support families living on low incomes to ‘Get Into Summer’ by getting active, learn key skills, build confidence and esteem, as well as having fun, in a safe environment.”

Edinburgh Leisure also provided a free football programme for young people from S1 to S6 to take part in and a weekly free ‘Sport on the Beach’ session at Portobello for primary school-aged children.  

End of the road for Just Eat Cycles

An announcement from Just Eat Cycles:

It is with great sadness that we announce today that Edinburgh Cycle Hire will close on 17 September 2021. We know how disappointing this announcement is for our many regular users.

Unfortunately, the contract to provide a cycle hire service to the City has come to an end, so we are unable to continue. The scheme will continue to operate until midnight on 17 September 2021, at which point the service will stop.

All annual and extended period passes which have been purchased and have a remainder of time left on them will be refunded automatically with any balance after 17 September 2021.

Over the coming days we will share more information about the closure, including when certain stations will close.

The scheme has run under a three-year agreement between Serco and Transport for Edinburgh, and in that time has made a great impact on Edinburgh’s sustainable transport network, with hundreds of thousands of trips made on our bikes since 2018.

Since then 70,000 unique users have cycled over 450,000 trips, replacing millions of miles of combustion engine transport with a green travel alternative.

Council Leaders have expressed disappointment at the end of the contract between Transport for Edinburgh and Serco to run the city’s cycle hire scheme.

The Council is investigating alternative options to replace the popular scheme.

Council Leader Adam McVey said: “We are very disappointed that Serco have opted to walk away from the popular shared bike hire scheme in Edinburgh. When the bike hire scheme was first introduced the commitment was to operate it with no public funding and it is highly regrettable that Serco will not continue the scheme on that basis. 

“We recognise that the bike hire scheme has helped more people get access to bikes, enjoying the benefits of fast, reliable, healthier journeys around town. The withdrawal of Serco will come as a frustrating shock to many regular users of the bike hire scheme.

“It sends absolutely the wrong message at a time when so many of us are deeply concerned about the climate emergency and what we can each do to combat the effects of human activity. Choosing to travel by bike is one of the easiest changes many of us can make.

“We’re now working on a replacement bike hire scheme for the Capital. We are actively pursuing options to ensure that a replacement scheme is in place as quickly as possible.”

Depute Council Leader Cammy Day said: “Over the past few years it’s been a welcome sight to see residents, students and visitors making journeys from A to B across Edinburgh by hire bike and they’ve become a key part of our sustainable transport infrastructure in the city. It’s a huge disappointment the scheme’s coming to an end.

“The city will share our huge disappointment that the scheme is  coming to an end and that Serco have walked away form a key part of the city’s active travel plans. We will now engage with the cycling community to look at alternative innovative scheme to get people back on the bikes.”

‘Walked away’? Not at all, say Serco. The Serco absolutely refute the council leaders’ claims, and maintain it is the COUNCIL ITSELF that is to blame for the ditching of the scheme.

Serco’s micromobility director Sam Jones, said: “We’re disappointed that we have been unable to find a way to continue the Edinburgh bike scheme.

“We have explored every route possible to find extension options beyond our original three-year contract which expires on 17 September 2021. Those efforts continued through to last week when the council advised us that they were not able to extend the current contract.

“Serco has been running the scheme since September 2018 under a three-year concession. Despite the scheme making a loss over that time we have not walked away and we have stood by our commitments and continued to make a success of the scheme for the city’s people and visitors.

“As was reported in May 2021, funding options were being explored which would have enabled the scheme to carry on – however we were informed two weeks ago that City of Edinburgh Council has been unable to confirm those plans.”

More than half a million journeys were made by over 70,000 users during the life of the bike hire project. During 2020, when the Edinburgh Cycle Hire Scheme was the fastest growing scheme in Britain, there were with 234,500 trips made. 

In 2020 the scheme also won the award for Cycling, Walking and Public Realm at the Scottish Transport Awards.