Annual General Meeting – Thursday 19th November 2020
Apologies for an error in the last mailing which wrongly stated the date of the AGM. This will take place on Zoom at 7pm until 9pm on Thursday 19th November 2020.
Papers will be available up to the meeting at EACC Documents on the website.
The Zoom details will be sent no later than 24hours before the meeting for those registered to attend.
We request that only the nominated Community Council representative plus one other attend to keep numbers manageable.
The Office Bearer nomination form is also available on the website in EACC Documents and also attached here in MSWord and PDF format.
Nominations close at midday on Tuesday 17th November 2020.
It is hoped that a presentation by a senior CEC officer informing on plans to take the City forward currently and after the pandemic will follow the business meeting. Further details to follow.
We have also published a document, On video conferencing: guidance from the Edinburgh Association of Community Councils (EACC) which is available to download HERE
A message to Community Councils from Living Streets Edinburgh Group:
Living Streets Edinburgh Group is very interested in working with community councils in any part of Edinburgh.
In particular, we would be keen to join in any local ‘walkabouts’ or possibly more formal street audits with the aim of identifying ways to improve streets for ‘everyday walking’. While this is obviously not a good time for such activity, please get in touch if your community council is interested in this some time in the future: edinburghgroup@livingstreets.org.uk.
We are also of course keen to hear from any individuals who would like to get more involved in our work or who may be interested in taking forward local walking projects of any kind.
David Hunter, Convenor, Living Streets Edinburgh Group
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, has said that City of Edinburgh Council have not followed the correct procedures for the Spaces for Peoples initiative.
The initiative has caused significant controversy since being put in place, including floating bus stops, reduced parking and increased congestion.
Local shops in the South of Edinburgh have spoken out this week about the adverse effect the initiative is having on their businesses, with a number being forced to close.
A Freedom of Information request by Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, revealed that no road safety audits or Economic Impact Assessment had been made before road closures were put in place.
A Written Answer from the Scottish Govt. responded that 56 letters or emails had been received concerning Spaces for People projects in Edinburgh which cover a range of issues.
In answer to being asked what consultation with local residents and businesses has been carried out, a City of Edinburgh Council representative responded:
“It is important that we put temporary measures in quickly as our priority is to protect the health and wellbeing of our residents and support businesses. This means we are not able to follow a full engagement process but we have encouraged communities to submit their views”
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said:“The initial measures put in place when lockdown started, to give people more spaces on pavements, were understandable.
“Edinburgh has started moving again, shops have reopened and schools are back, so traffic has come up again to pre lockdown levels.
“City of Edinburgh Council has clearly stated that they want to move towards more walking and cycling as lockdown restrictions are eased, but full public consultation must be carried out before any permanent changes are made.
“The lack of any safety audits or an Economic Impact Assessment have led to all of the issues that we have seen with the Spaces for People initiative since it was put in place.”
The film legend attended the historic Edinburgh club as a boy in the 1930s and 40s. He recalled in his 2008 memoir Being a Scot that it gave him the chance to play sport and “have the rare luxury of a hot bath”.
He played at right-half for FetLor Amateurs in season 1949-50 before being snapped up by Bonnyrigg Rose juniors.
Chairman of FetLor Youth Club, Andrew Barrie, said: “We were saddened to hear of Sean Connery’s passing. FetLor has been supporting Edinburgh’s young people for almost 100 years, giving them the skills and confidence to go on to enjoy fulfilling lives.
“Sean Connery is part of our heritage. I understand that Mr Connery had a real affection for his time at FetLor and his connection with the charity is a source of pride for us.
“We offer our heartfelt condolences to his family at this sad time.”
Edinburgh’s Lord Provost Frank Ross has also paid tribute to Sir Sean Connery, who died aged 90.
Edinburgh’s Lord Provost Frank Ross, said: “Today Edinburgh has lost one of its most world-renowned sons with the death of Hollywood icon Sir Sean Connery at the age of 90.
“Born in our own Fountainbridge, where he started out as a milkman’s apprentice, Sir Sean went on to forge a stellar acting career, scooping an Academy Award, two BAFTAs and three Golden Globes, among other coveted acting accolades.
“An international audience favourite, he shot to global fame as the original – and arguably the best – James Bond, the role for which he will most be remembered.
“Sir Sean won a huge local fan base for putting Edinburgh firmly on the map and in 1991 he was awarded Freedom of the City, the most prestigious honour bestowed by the Council.
“The day he accepted the award from Lord Provost at the Usher Hall was a huge occasion in the Capital with thousands lining the streets to catch a glimpse of him.
“Throughout his extraordinary lifetime, he showed great appreciation for his native city and its people, returning home often, making appearances at our festivals, unveiling a monument to Robert Louis Stevenson and attending the opening of the Scottish Parliament in 1999.
“On behalf of the city, I want to convey heartfelt sympathies and condolences to Sir Sean’s family and friends. Our city mourns one of its most celebrated sons. May he rest in peace and I’m sure his legacy will be longstanding.“
The building will be located next to Trinity Academy and create a new campus with the sports pavilion being the first phase in a proposed redevelopment of the school’s facilities.
It will include a four-court sports hall, gym hall, dance studio and fitness suite, and will become the new home to the school’s PE department.
The Council’s Sport and Outdoor Learning Unit will also have a base in the centre so they can support outdoor learning in Edinburgh and the surrounding areas.
Cllr Ian Perry, Education Convener, said: “It’s great news that these plans have been approved today as the school and wider local community are really going to benefit from these purpose-built sport and outdoor centre buildings.
“The new sports venue will boast a four court hall, gym hall, dance studio and fitness suite and although it will primarily be used by Trinity Academy for school PE, wider community groups will also have access to the facilities.”
Cllr Neil Gardiner, Planning Convener, said: “This is going to be an excellent new facility for Trinity Academy pupils and the wider community. I look forward to seeing the plans presented to us today being taken forward and built for school children and other community groups to enjoy.
“Providing high quality facilities for health and well-being is a vital part of planning in 21st century Edinburgh.”
Families struggling to provide food for their children are being urged to find out if they are entitled to receive free school meal payments if they do not already receive them.
Funding from the City of Edinburgh Council and the Scottish Government means that free school meal payments for thousands of eligible families will continue over the Christmas holidays and both the February and Easter breaks next year.
In addition backdated payments were made yesterday (Monday 26 October) to support eligible families for the October break period, where the city council already hold their payment details.
The Council is also issuing letters to parents/carers who have been identified as being entitled to free school meals but we do not have payments details for them – these families do not need to contact the Council.
The payments are paid to P1 to S6 children who receive a School Clothing Grant.
Now the Council is urging families who may be missing out on the vital payments to check online to see if they are eligible. Those who already receive free school meals do not need to contact the Council.
The funding announcement comes after the Edinburgh Poverty Commission published their final report last month which highlighted that almost 15% of Edinburgh’s population lives in poverty, including one in five children.
The payment for free school meals reinforces the Council’s commitment to providing much needed support to families through such projects as the Discover! programme which aims to reduce food and financial insecurity during the school holidays and supported over 200 families last week.
Families took part in a number of online cooking, music and art sessions in addition to receiving a Discover! box containing fresh foods, art supplies, active schools kits and information on advice services as well as support with devices at home if they had no digital access.
Council Leader Adam McVey said: “This provides important support for families across the city and almost 6,500 young people have already benefited from free school meal payments covering the October break.
“This Council and Scottish Government funding means that we’re helping families most in need over the winter months. These are extremely challenging times for everyone but no family should have to worry about how they’re going to put food on plates during the holidays or at any other time.”
Depute leader Cammy Day said: “As the city’s Poverty Champion I’m fully aware of the enormous struggles many people are experiencing so this vital funding means no families need to go hungry in Scotland’s Capital over the winter months.
“The Edinburgh Poverty Commission report highlighted that one in five children are living in poverty so we want to make sure that everyone who’s entitled to receive this financial lifeline can do so.
This is especially important as many families’ circumstances may have changed over the recent months with furlough and redundancies.
“Please check our online application form which outlines who is eligible for funding and apply before the end of November so we can process the payments as swiftly as possible.”
The application form for families eligible for free school meal payments is available on the Council website.
77% increase as more people on low incomes seek support
The amount paid out in crisis grants to people in need increased by more than three quarters in the early stages of lockdown, latest figures show.
The Scottish Welfare Fund awarded £5.2 million in crisis grants between April and June 2020, up 77 per cent on the same period last year.
The number of crisis grants rose by 63 per cent over the quarter, peaking in April when twice as many were awarded than in April 2019.
The most common reason given by applicants, covering 45 per cent of cases, was that they had exhausted their usual income and benefits.
Social Security Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “These latest figures demonstrate that we were right to ensure our Scottish Welfare Fund was increased – just one of many actions taken to ensure there is additional financial support to people coping with the economic impacts of coronavirus (COVID-19).
“The leading reason people apply for emergency help is that their benefits or other income has been spent.
“While the Scottish Government works to improve provision for children and families facing poverty, we continue to have to spend money to protect the most vulnerable in our communities from UK benefit cuts.
“We are introducing the Scottish Child Payment to tackle child poverty head on, opening for applications next month, with the first payments to start from February 2021. Together with the Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods, this will provide over £5,200 of financial support for families by the time their first child turns six – and more than £4,900 for second and subsequent children.”
Scottish Welfare Fund Statistics: Update to 30 June 2020 can be found here.
Museums & Galleries Edinburgh officially launch Auld Reekie Retold, the largest collections inventory project ever undertaken in the organisation’s history.
Over the course of three years, the ambitious project will see the recording and cataloguing of the collection of over 200,000 objects which are housed in stores and venues across the City, in preparation for a move to a new store where those objects can be safely stored and effectively managed.
Auld Reekie Retold isn’t solely based on collection management. It will also connect objects in the collection, which has been growing steadily since the 1870’s, with people and places in the City, uncovering new stories from Edinburgh and its residents.
The project will harness that public and professional knowledge about objects in the collection to share it with visitors, both in person at the museums and digitally throughout the project.
That gathered knowledge and data will also be used to develop exhibitions and displays in the future – with all work designed to consolidate Museums & Galleries Edinburgh’s position as a leading Scottish cultural institution and to help better serve the people of Edinburgh and visitors from across the world.
Earlier this year, Museums & Galleries Edinburgh stood in solidarity with the #BlackLivesMatter movement and pledged to play an active role in standing up to racism. Auld Reekie Retold is an important opportunity for greater understanding of the origins of the collections and the way they have been catalogued.
Throughout the lifecycle of the project, the impact of Colonialism will be highlighted, seeking to educate and bring new perspectives and hidden stories to light. Future phases of the project will involve working with diverse communities across Edinburgh to record objects in new ways that better reflect today’s world.
Permanent museum staff have been joined for the project by three dedicated Collections Assistants whose work focuses on matching objects with any existing records, updating the information currently held and carrying out research.
Prior to Covid-19 restrictions being in place, work was underway in object stores across the city and although some of this work is now paused, team members are very much continuing to work through digital records.
Below are a few examples of some fascinating stories and objects that have already come to light, as part of work carried out prior to lockdown, with many more future stories and news of new discoveries and calls for public input being shared across the duration of the project:
Consider for instance a tiny round metal stamp used for impressing on to wax, with the name and Trinity address of William Flockhart. Flockhart and his partner Duncan were surgeon apothecaries who produced a number of drugs and medicines in the 1840s. Among the customers on their books were James Young Simpson, the inventor of anaesthetics, and Florence Nightingale.
Or a playbill printed on a 100,000 Deutschmark note for a play at the Lyceum Theatre entitled “Tons of Money”, staged in 1925, a time when hyper-inflation in Germany had reached a point where money was no longer worth the paper it was printed on. While people were paying for loaves of bread with wheelbarrows of cash, in Edinburgh, the bank note was used to advertise the ironically titled play.
The project will create a web of connections across the collections held by Museums & Galleries Edinburgh, from archaeology to social history. An example of this is the rediscovery of a small silver pendant of the Six Feet Club from the 1830s.
There were a surprising number of secret and not-so-secret societies in Edinburgh at this time, each with its own particular niche interest or membership rule. This club was dedicated to athleticism, and to be a member you had to be a man and oddly enough six foot tall. Sir Walter Scott was made an honorary member despite not being six-foot-tall and left with a limp by a bout of childhood polio.
Sometimes the finds are a little closer to home, like the Ronson Escort 2000 Hairdryer.
A “portable” hairdryer from the 1970’s, designed to be used at home and worn like a satchel with a tube that connected to a shower cap style hood which would allow you to go about your day as you dried and set your hair; as long as your day was only two feet from a plug. This was aimed at the modern women leaving her hands free to get on with her day, but from anecdotes from users it seems to imply it had varying results.
Once lockdown restrictions have eased and the museums reopen, Auld Reekie Retold will continue at pace.
There will be a series of exhibitions hosted across the collection including Museum of Edinburgh, The Writers’ Museum and the Museum of Childhood, allowing visitors the opportunity to learn more about the various processes involved in maintaining the collection and to connect with objects, bringing them to life in the process.
Thanks to a grant from Museums Galleries Scotland Museums Development Fund, the project will also feature a programme of public events and tours to enable visitors and special interest groups to engage with the collection and to share in the discoveries made.
While restrictions are in place, these events will be online, but when visitors are welcomed back in to the museums, they will be able to see and handle real objects themselves.
Information will also be made available digitally with regular updates, news and behind the scenes blogs and podcasts shared via www.edinburghmuseums.org.uk,
Museums & Galleries Edinburgh’s collections belong to the City, and Auld Reekie Retold aims to give every citizen of Edinburgh a sense of ownership of and connection to its objects and their stories as the organisation moves into a new dynamic phase of museums development with people, past and present at its heart.
Project Manager Nico Tyack said:“Auld Reekie Retold is a truly unique opportunity for Museums & Galleries Edinburgh to catch all the stories our collections can tell us about Edinburgh.
“From Jacobite muskets to life in tenements, Edinburgh Rock to Pride, medieval St. Giles to the Festival Fringe, we hope to spark conversations about our amazing collections and their hidden histories, gathering new insights for future generations to enjoy.”
Councillor Donald Wilson, Culture and Communities Convener, said: “Our world class collections are a powerful record of our journey to the present day as well as a window to the past where we can discover links to the Edinburgh and Scotland of yesterday.
“We are lucky as a city to have this resource but at the moment much of it is hidden and inaccessible. This is very important behind the scenes work as we review how we currently meet the needs of our citizens and how we can better use our collections.
“I have long believed there is untapped potential in our collections and Auld Reekie Retold is allowing us to develop and gain a fuller understanding of what we have. By recording and cataloguing the collection of over 200,000 objects, it will also highlight those items that can be used for online resources and future exhibitions”.
Councillor Amy McNeese-Mechan, Culture and Communities Vice Convenor, added: “This project will help to broaden participation with our Museums & Galleries and ensure their long-term relevance.
“This is the story of our city and it needs to be told. It is only by understanding how we got to where we are now that we can know where we want to go in the future.”
A Scotland-wide network of public water refill taps that allow people to top up their refillable bottles while on the move is being further expanded – with Edinburgh set to get five more.
Scottish Water is confirming it is to install 70 of its distinctive bright blue Top up Taps at locations across Scotland by March 2021 – including sites at Leith Links, Portobello, Royal Mile, West End and Grassmarket.
And with Edinburgh being home to the first tap – at the Scottish Parliament – it means the capital will be leading the way in Scotland as the first city to have six taps.
The news comes as Scottish Water revealed the equivalent of 250,000 plastic bottles have already been saved through people topping up from the current collection of Top up Taps located across Scotland.
And with the go-ahead being given for more taps to be installed, water drinkers are being thanked for their sustainability efforts.
The Top up Taps are part of Scottish Water’s Your Water Your Life campaign which means people keen to stay hydrated on the go can do so free of charge, saving money as well as being kinder to the environment by reducing litter and waste.
Brian Lironi, Director of Corporate Affairs at Scottish Water, said: “We know that people in Scotland share our passion for our country’s great-tasting tap water as well as doing our bit for protecting the environment and improving health. It’s fantastic that our Top up Taps programme remains on track to deliver a national network of 70 refill points by March 2021.
“It means people out and about can stay hydrated by filling up for free with high quality public tap water – this is ‘your’ water after all, so we want to make sure you can enjoy it as easy and often as possible.
“There’s a growing appetite from the public to fill up their reusable bottles, and in these changing times it is more important than ever to take a refillable bottle with you and have your own fresh, clear water while you’re on the go.
“We want to thank Scotland for supporting our Top up Taps and to help to achieve the amazing milestone of reaching the equivalent of 250,000 bottles saved.
“Hopefully it becomes the norm for people to seek out our Top Up Taps around Scotland and take their bottles with them whenever they go out.”
The latest Top up Tap to be added to the roll-out programme is in Leith Links in Edinburgh, where City of Edinburgh Council leader, and Leith councillor, Adam McVey was on hand to be the first to sample the water.
Councillor McVey said: “These five new Top Up Taps across the city will help all of us cut down on single-use plastic and it’s encouraging to hear how well the existing taps have already been used.
“The Council has a strong commitment to reduce plastic in the Capital and expanding the number of points people can refill their own bottles will help us eradicate the use of disposable plastic and ultimately tackle climate change in our city.
“These taps make it even easier for us to stay hydrated in a sustainable way when we’re out and about and I know Edinburgh residents will continue to make great use of the new taps once installed.
“Access to drinking water refilling points is an issue I’ve personally raised with Scottish Water and I’m delighted they’ve been so engaged in helping Edinburgers do their bit to contribute to a green future for our city.”
Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham said: “Long-term initiatives such as Top up Taps are essential in helping to tackle our throwaway culture and in encouraging people to reduce and reuse.
“Single-use plastic products are not only wasteful but generate unnecessary litter that blights our beautiful beaches and green spaces while threatening our wildlife on land and at sea.
“I look forward to seeing the Top up Taps roll out further across Scotland, making them accessible to communities the length and breadth of the country and I would like to thank Scottish Water for taking action on this important issue.
“This drive to cut waste will be further complemented by the introduction of our Deposit Return Scheme – the first scheme of its kind in the UK – which will place a 20p deposit on drinks bottles and cans.
Catherine Gee, Operations Director with Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: “The unsustainable production, distribution, consumption and disposal of the thousands of single use items used every day in Scotland is inextricably linked to the most serious environmental challenges of our time – climate change and biodiversity loss.
“And litter exemplifies the disregard we have for disposable items – with two out of five sites in Scotland recording drinks related litter. We welcome the roll out of Scottish Water’s water refill stations which promote reuse and make it easy for people to make more sustainable choices and reduce plastic waste and litter.”
With 26 taps up and running, more than 82,000 litres of water have been dispensed into refillable bottles – it adds up to the same as 250,000 330ml-sized plastic bottles. If laid end-to-end they’d stretch from Edinburgh to Stirling Castle (to check 100%)
The first of the taps was installed in Edinburgh outside the Scottish Parliament exactly two years ago. Since then taps have been turned on from Shetland to the Scottish Borders. The most popular tap of those currently installed is on Glasgow’s Buchanan Street with taps serving the both ends of the West Highland Way, at Milngavie and Fort William, also proving to be highly popular.
Under the roll out, Glasgow is also to get five taps in various locations around the city. Locations elsewhere across Scotland are also being activity progressed.
Each of the distinctive, high-tech water stations is plumbed directly into the public water supply and each has digital tracking technology which logs how much water is being used and how much plastic potentially saved.
Edinburgh businesses that have been affected by the current closures and restrictions can now apply for relief from the Coronavirus Restrictions Business Fund.
Businesses can apply for Scottish Government relief through Business Closure and Business Hardship Funds from 9am Tuesday 20 October
Scottish Government has made £40m available nationally to Scottish businesses impacted by the most recent set of restrictions that saw licensed premises close across Edinburgh
This follows the Scottish Government’s announcement on 9 October that £40m would be made available through one-off grants to support businesses directly impacted by the most recent set of restrictions.
Local businesses can apply online with the grants distributed by the City of Edinburgh Council.
The Business Closure Fund is a grant of up to £3,000 available to hospitality and other eligible businesses required to close (except for takeaways) by these new regulations. Up to £1,500 is available to businesses that are able to remain open but have been significantly impacted by the restrictions through the Business Hardship Fund.
The first round of applications for both funds is open to hospitality businesses that are required to close or operate in a restricted way due to the regulations and are able to evidence a minimum 25% reduction in turnover during the brake period.
Scottish producers or wholesale businesses supplying primarily short-life goods or products to hospitality businesses and some gyms that can show the same reduction in turnover will also be able to apply for the Business Hardship Fund.
Retail and businesses that provide takeaway food as the core and established basis of their operations are not eligible for these closure or hardship funds.
The Scottish Government will also work with business and sector representative organisations to provide additional support through a new £11 million contingency fund for businesses that need support but do not qualify for either of the new Funds.
Council Leader Adam McVey said: “Our local businesses have been fantastic during the last seven months but there’s no getting away from how difficult this situation is and now more than ever it is imperative that we continue to support Edinburgh’s local traders.
“This funding is to help our businesses survive and to enable them to thrive when they’re able to trade again as normal. Our team are ready to process applications quickly to make sure businesses get this support as fast as possible.
“As well as helping our local businesses access the Scottish Government Funds, we’re looking at other actions we can take to build on the continued support we have been providing since the start of the lockdown.
“Again, I encourage everyone to support where they can: visit your local cafes and unlicensed premises, look out for your neighbours and continue to follow the public health guidance provided.”
Depute Leader Cammy Day said: “Edinburgh’s local economy has been hard hit and we need to do everything we can to support them during this incredibly difficult time.
“We are working with the Scottish Government to help our affected local businesses access the funding that has been made available to them and will continue working with them and other partners throughout our ongoing response to and recovery from Covid-19.
“We have to double down on our efforts to support local industries, businesses and jobs in the best way we can: by coming together as one Team Edinburgh and supporting our local businesses and communities.”
The Council has taken previous steps to promote a sustainable economic recovery and support small businesses throughout the pandemic, including:
Supporting businesses to gradually reopen safely with a ‘Ready, Set, Go’ advice service, including guidance provided to 20,000 business owners
A more flexible approach to licensing to help more businesses apply to use outdoor space
Accelerating plans to use the Council’s supply chains to better support local business and stimulate economic growth
Creating more space for people to travel to businesses safely and enjoyably through the Council’s Spaces for People initiative, with priority being given to support walking, cycling, wheelchair use and prams
Working with the Edinburgh Tourism and Action Group and other partners to support the #ForeverEdinburgh campaign which will gradually market the City as an attractive place for shopping, dining out and visiting with a £55,000 contribution from the Council.
