Our new school menu is ready to book on ParentPay!
We’ve kept all your favourites and added some new dishes like broccoli and pea pasta in a creamy sauce with garlic bread and butcher’s Scotch Beef mince homemade cottage pie with roast potatoes and cabbage 
Parking attendants ride city buses to target inconsiderate drivers
A trial to crack down on drivers parking in bus lanes will see parking attendants riding Lothian Buses services to target city hotspots.
From tomorrow (Tuesday 9 May) parking attendants will begin travelling on specially selected routes, which experience issues with vehicles blocking bus lanes.
Attendants will be able to disembark buses to move on or issue parking tickets to any drivers breaking the rules and board the next bus on the same route.
The initiative, being carried out in partnership with Lothian Buses, aims to improve bus reliability and journey times by reducing disruption to services caused by incorrectly parked vehicles. In turn this will support and encourage sustainable, low carbon travel by public transport.
Councillor Scott Arthur, Transport and Environment Convener, said: “We already have an excellent bus service in Edinburgh, relied on by many, and our bus lanes are really important to making sure services can run smoothly and on time, especially during peak hours.
“This trial, in partnership with Lothian Buses, will let parking attendants target hotspots in real time, where drivers continue to park inconsiderately. We’ll continue monitoring its effectiveness to make sure we’re focusing on the right areas.
“Encouraging and supporting travel by sustainable, reliable public transport is crucial to our net zero 2030 aspirations, as well as helping to reduce congestion, improve air quality and provide accessible transport for everyone.”
Willie Hamilton, Operations Director, Lothian Buses, said: “Lothian is committed to providing a safe, reliable and trusted service across Edinburgh and the Lothians.
“As we look to encourage the use of public transport in support of the Scottish Government and The City of Edinburgh Council’s wider environmental goals, it is important that we work with partners across the city on effective ways to ensure bus priority measures are followed which will enhance our ability to provide a consistently reliable standard of service for our customers.”
Find out more about bus lanes in Edinburgh.
Recently crowned the best city in the world by Time Out magazine, Edinburgh’s reputation as a great place to live, work, invest in and visit remains well intact. That’s according to the 16th annual Edinburgh by Numbers report, published by the city council last week.
The report reveals that residents’ lives are not only enriched by a vibrant cultural scene and more top-rated parks than any other comparable UK city – but on average Edinburgh people can expect to live longer, healthier lives.
Highlighting the city’s economic resilience, the findings also reveal that it’s not just residents who are in good health. Edinburgh has recorded the strongest local business survival rates and above average wages, retaining its position as the UK’s most economically productive city outside of London. Plus, all signs point to a post-pandemic rebound – with Edinburgh by Numbers demonstrating a bounce back in airport passenger numbers.
In summary, the stats reveal that:
Council Leader Cammy Day said: “Edinburgh by Numbers is one of our most well-loved and well used pieces of research, providing a handy resource for everyone from school pupils to professors. This latest edition doesn’t disappoint and provides yet another unique overview of life in Scotland’s capital.
“It may be small but not many capital cities can boast the unique blend of greenspaces, beaches or indeed ancient volcanoes Edinburgh can – not to mention the most famous festivals on the planet. It’s no surprise, then, that Edinburgh is often cited as one of the most incredible places to live. But perhaps all of this culture and outdoor space is actually good for our wellbeing, too?
“With Edinburgh by Numbers revealing evidence of people living well and living longer compared to similar cities, plus good survival rates for local businesses, Edinburgh’s outlook is certainly healthy. All of this shouldn’t be taken for granted, especially following the hardship of Covid. Thankfully, the latest Edinburgh by Numbers points to a great level of business resilience in our city and now the gradual and welcome return of tourism.
“The ‘Team Edinburgh’ approach to economic recovery involved over 60 organisations coming together to set out what was needed for the city to bounce back from the pandemic. Clearly, this dedicated work to build Edinburgh back after lockdown has been a success.
“While all of this good news is to be welcomed, however, there is a flip side to the reputation Edinburgh has coined. Our population has risen faster over the last decade than other cities and we’re living longer, leading to increased demand for homes and some of the most expensive rents in Europe.
Wages are higher than average, but so too are costs and many residents continue to struggle with the cost of living crisis. In just three years, we’ve seen a 191% rise in the number of people who are in work claiming Universal Credit.
“For the council, Government and all city partners, it’s important that we use the findings of Edinburgh by Numbers and address these challenges. Future generations should be able to reap the benefits of ‘the best city in the world’ too.
“This involves planning for the future in line with our 2050 City Vision and projects like the tram to Newhaven, Granton’s regeneration and affordable housebuilding will be key to a more sustainable city, alongside our ambitious net zero carbon by 2030 goal.”
The Water of Leith deserves better. It’s been a freshwater resource for centuries – ebbing and flowing across Edinburgh, connecting the Pentlands to Colinton, Saughton, Roseburn, Stockbridge, Canonmills, Bonnington and Leith. Our communities were literally built around it’s clean, fresh flowing water (writes Lib-Dem Cllr JACK CALDWELL).
It’s home to over 11 species of fish, thousands of plant species and is absolutely vital to Edinburgh’s local ecosystem, providing a biodiverse habitat for birds, otters and ducks.
So why have we let it fill up with untreated human waste?
There are 65 Combined Sewage Overflow Stations (CSOs) on the Water of Leith, 14 of which are between the Leith Shore and Warriston, a stretch of the river where you can typically find ducks nesting, or people simply enjoying public “green and blue space” as many of us escape from our gardenless flats.
As of January, none of these CSOs currently retain any data of how much sewage they pump out of them when the drains are overwhelmed by harsher weather, which is becoming more and more common due to climate change.
However 24 of Scottish Water’s 108 highest priority assets for urgent upgrade across the country are located here. New screens have been fitted on several CSOs in the past few years with varying anecdotal results, but the issue ultimately lies with sewage flowing into our precious river in the first place. But how much?
When the ‘Sewage Scandal’ broke last in 2021, data was published across the UK. Sadly Not in Scotland though. We know Sewage is being dumped in the Water of Leith, but we don’t know the extent. We also know that extreme weather led to a 40% increase of raw sewage dumping across Scotland in 2021.
The data we do have in nearby rivers is concerning. In December 2019, the Newbridge CSO, which is monitored, spilled sewage water into the River Almond 13 times discharging over 2,100 litres of water in one month (source: SEPA FOI).
Lots of volunteer-led organisations are doing fabulous work trying to get more information or trying to help clean it up themselves. SOS Leith and the Water of Leith Conservation Trust, among others, both remove tonnes of litter every month from the river and surrounding paths. However, they can’t, nor shouldn’t have to, remove excrement and wet wipes.
Scottish Lib Dem MSP Liam McArthur has been pressing Holyrood Ministers to fund and fix the issues, but locally the new Edinburgh and Lothians Drain Partnership must work with Scottish Water and SEPA (the Scottish Environment Protection Agency) to start collecting data before we can even begin to seriously tackle the issue.
With several Scottish Government officials quoted saying Scotland is “way behind” England in terms of solving the raw sewage spill problem, our country, city and communities deserve better.
We need to stop taking Edinburgh’s natural environment for granted. The Council recently declared a nature and biodiversity emergency.
This is why Lib Dem councillors have tabled a motion at this Thursday’s Council meeting to get a public meeting of the Edinburgh and Lothians Drain Partnership as agencies working together and collecting data is a key and urgent part of ultimately stopping the discharge of human waste into Edinburgh’s longest river.
It’s a pity there aren’t more in Holyrood who see the urgency of this issue, but I hope that Councillors can back our plan to move this forward;–
The Lib-Dem motion:
“Council –
Regrets
1) That there are a large number of Combined Sewer Overflow (CSOs) outputs in Edinburgh’s waterways, such as along the Water of Leith, the River Almond and the Figgate Burn.
2) That many CSOs are not actively monitored, despite promises from Scottish Water and SEPA that a number of monitors would be installed by the end of 2022.
3) That although plans have come forward Scottish Water to reduce the amount of CSOs in total, action is still to be taken outwith ‘upgrading’ a small percentage of CSOs.
Notes
1) The important benefits that our rivers and coastline plays for our community, and that many voluntary organisations clean up our waterways, and thanks them for their ongoing service.
2) The current situation is contradictory to the City of Edinburgh Council’s declaration of a Nature and Climate Emergency.
3) The City of Edinburgh Council is a member of the Edinburgh and Lothians Drain Partnership along with Scottish Water, SEPA and others.
Requests
1) The Edinburgh and Lothians Drains Partnership holds an extraordinary meeting to draft a publicly accessible plan of action and invites key stakeholders and campaign groups including (but not exclusive to) The Water of Leith Conservation Trust, River Almond Action Group, Figgate Friends, Forth Rivers Trust and SOS Leith with Full Minutes published on the Council website alongside a map of all river-based CSOs within the City of Edinburgh.
2) That Transport and Environment Committee is:
provided six-monthly updates on the installation of sewage monitoring to the business bulletin.
provided ongoing data when this monitoring is live
3) The Council Leader write to the Scottish Government, Scottish Water and SEPA, outlining the Council’s major concern that no-one knows how much sewage is being dumped in Edinburgh’s biodiverse waterways.
Believes
that the ambition should be that Edinburgh’s waterways are free from the discharge of human waste.”
Moved by: Councillor Jack Caldwell
Seconded by: Councillor Hal Osler
—
West Princes Street Gardens will host a special free screening in the Capital to mark the Coronation of HM The King.
On Saturday 6 May, Edinburgh’s screening will coincide with celebrations taking place around the country as the nation marks the crowning of the King alongside Camilla, the Queen Consort, with a special extended bank holiday weekend.
The ceremony, which is taking place at Westminster Abbey in London, is scheduled to begin at 11am but access to the screening area will open from 10am. Entry is free and un-ticketed.
On Sunday 7 May, the screen will remain in place and broadcast The Coronation Concert at Windsor Castle to spectators in the Gardens. The Coronation Concert will bring global music icons and contemporary stars together in celebration of the historic occasion.
As a new Royal era begins, residents are also invited to share their memories and record well wishes for the new sovereign from Tuesday 2 May in the online Book of Congratulations. Physical books will also be available at the City Chambers and Central Library from Tuesday 2 May until Tuesday 9 May from 10am until 5pm.
In his role as His Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant, Edinburgh’s Lord Provost Robert Aldridge will be representing the City of Edinburgh at the proceedings in London.
Lord Provost Robert Aldridge said: “The Coronation of King Charles is a truly historic event and we’re proud to be joining in with screenings and services in towns and cities across the United Kingdom for those who wish to come together and celebrate the occasion.
“Watching the ceremony and celebrations on the big screen will be a great way for people to be involved and soak up the atmosphere of the extraordinary weekend.”
The big screen has been supported by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
People are encouraged to bring their own picnics, however the Scott’s café will be open and can provide take-away food and beverages.
The screening will take place outdoors, so we are advising those wishing to attend to plan ahead, dress for the weather, and bring plenty of water. Toilet facilities will be available and there will be limited seats so we advise bringing blankets or chairs. Extra litter bins will be in place and BBQs will not be permitted.
To mark HM The King’s Coronation, communities and citizens have applied for street closures to celebrate this historic event.
National activities
There are also number of national initiatives taking place with residents encouraged to gather and it’s hoped Coronation Big Lunches and The Big Help Out will bring communities together over the weekend.
Coronation Big Lunch
The Coronation Big Lunch on 7 May is designed to bring neighbours and communities together to share friendship, food and fun and be part of history.
More detail on getting involved is available on the Coronation Big Lunch website.
The Big Help Out
Bank holiday Monday 8 May will see a nationwide initiative to raise awareness of the value and impact of volunteering.
It is an opportunity to explore how rewarding volunteering can be. You can get involved and find out how you can make a difference in your community.
There will be lots of different kinds of opportunities, with many of the UK’s leading volunteer charities supporting the initiative. More detail is available on The Big Help Out website.
Come along and talk about plans for parks in Leith! 
We have events coming up looking at how to make six of our parks in Leith better for people and nature. This is part of the #EdinburghNatureNetwork
Booking is essential: email the team at thrivinggreenspaces@edinburgh.gov.uk
Background
Edinburgh City Council is consulting on a new Active Travel Action Plan (ATAP) and a series of other Mobility Plan ‘delivery documents’ all aimed to support Edinburgh NetZero 2030, and a 30% reduction in car-km by 2030.
Our public meeting will hear from the Council, followed by an expert critique, and then there’s a full hour panel discussion – your opportunity to challenge the speakers.
Do the delivery plans live up to the Council’s ambition to cut car-km 30% by 2030, alongside greatly increased travel by foot, bike and public transport? Will they enable more people to live car-free? Will they lead to speedy implementation? Our meeting is your opportunity to find out!
The ambition “to create a city where you don’t need to own a car to get around,” mentioned in several of the documents (e.g. Parking Action Plan, p8) is very welcome, for reasons of climate, public health, congestion and equalities. Such an ambition is also essential if the Council is to achieve its ultra-tough target to reduce car-km 30% by 2030.
A top cycling takeaway from the draft ATAP is the new focus on main road segregated routes. It says [chap 5],
“The (off road) traffic-free routes will continue to play a vital role, and we will seek to improve their comfort,safety and security. However, we now plan to develop a joined-up network of routes that feel safe to everyone at all times of day. This network will need to use segregated cycle tracks on main roads, as well as unsegregated on-street routes that have low volumes of motor traffic.”
The three highlighted phrases above [our emphases] neatly summarise important major developments, which we strongly welcome, in the Council’s approach to cycling policy, and we urge determined implementation.–
** Spokes: spokes.org.uk; twitter.com/SpokesLothian
Speaking after his Members’ Business Debate on Damp Housing in Scotland at the Scottish Parliament last week (20/04/23), Foysol Choudhury MSP said: “The tragic death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who died after exposure to extensive mould in his home in England, was a stark warning of the dangers that mould can cause when not dealt with properly.
“That’s why it was so important for me to bring this Members’ Business Debate to the Scottish Parliament, to highlight that we must act now to stop preventable deaths like Awaab’s from occurring in Scotland.
“Unfortunately, too many Scottish residents today live in dangerous housing.
“The Scottish Government’s recent House Condition Survey supposedly found that 40,000 homes in our nation fall below tolerable standards, with a third of these being due to rising or penetrating damp.
“Given there are on average two people per household, that’s 80,000 Scottish residents living in homes that their own Government considers to be intolerable, with 27,000 of these due to damp.
“One of my constituents lives with their partner and four children in a council house in Edinburgh.
“Two of the children have asthma, which has gotten worse, and another has developed a constant hacking cough as a result of damp and mould.
“My constituent has told me they fear for their children because of their prolonged exposure to mould and has even had to call an ambulance at one point due to their child having severe chest pains.
“The ambulance report actually cited mould as an environmental factor at their property.
“Another of my constituents has been living in a mould infested house for 16 months with their 21-month-old son, leading to a disastrous effect on their mental health.
“Many constituents are left feeling helpless and like nothing is being done to ensure they have permanent, safe accommodation.
“Negligent behaviour of private landlords must be tackled, especially as almost half of private-sector-rented homes in Scotland supposedly failed the Scottish Housing Quality Standards.
“The experience of my constituents, who have had to move out of their privately rented accommodation because of fears the effects of damp and mould would have on their very young child, speaks for itself.
“Letting agents and private landlords must ensure tenants are aware of the ways in which mould and damp occurs and how to prevent it.
“In addition, landlords should not be renting out houses or flats that need structural repairs to avoid mould forming.
“Ultimately, housing providers should be held responsible for ensuring that the accommodation they provide is clean and safe for every resident or tenant that moves in there.
“The Scottish Government need to do more to help them and hold them accountable when crucial repair work is not being done properly.
“How many trips to the hospital, long-term illnesses, or deaths caused by damp housing is it going to take for the Scottish Government to take this seriously?
“I am asking for the Scottish Government to consider setting up a grant scheme to tackle dampness problems in council, housing association and private sector properties. We need to address both the long and short-term problems with damp housing and consider extra investment for a whole house retrofitting programme, across Scotland.
“Too many of our citizens are living in dangerous accommodation and landlords are getting away with doing nothing about it.
“We, as the Scottish Parliament, have to do more. “
A six-week consultation is asking residents, businesses and other interested groups how they think Seafield could be transformed and regenerated into a vibrant new 20-minute neighbourhood.
The consultation is being run by the City of Edinburgh Council and Seafield: Connecting Coastal Communities*.
The local community is being invited to attend two events where they can give their views in person. Those attending will be asked what they like best about the area just now, what kind of housing they would like built there in the future and how the existing promenade could be improved.
The consultation is also seeking to get views from the local community on what other facilities they would like in the area such as health centres, schools and shops as well as how public transport could be improved.
There is an online consultation survey for those who are unable to attend the following events –
Thursday, 27 April between 3pm – 8pm at The Ripple Project Cafe, 198 Restalrig Road South, Craigentinny.
Saturday, 29 April Between 12:30pm – 3:30pm Bellfield (Celebration Foyer) 16B Bellfield Street, Portobello.
Cllr James Dalgleish Planning Convener said: “This part of our precious coast in Edinburgh has been highlighted as an area which can be greatly improved and regenerated in our draft City Plan 2030, currently with Scottish Ministers for approval.
“We’re at an early stage looking at how we can use sustainable 20-minute neighbourhood principles at Seafield, a new way of thinking for us in Edinburgh. We want to make Seafield more sustainable, with improved access to quality services.
“This is the start of a conversation with the local community to empower them to help us to make this happen. A 20-minute neighbourhood in Edinburgh is about living well locally, giving residents the ability to meet most of their daily needs by walking, cycling, wheeling or taking public transport. Residents will be able to live, shop, work and travel more easily and enjoy well-connected spaces with and improved greener public transport.
“I’d encourage everyone with a link to Seafield to come along and tell us how what kind of homes and other facilities they would like to see built at Seafield for future generations to come. If you can’t make the events please do fill out our short survey as it’s really important we hear from as many people as possible about this important regeneration project for the city.
“The next stage is for the Council to share a draft vision for feedback before consulting on a draft masterplan for Seafield this summer. This will then be presented to the Council’s Planning Committee for approval.”
*Seafield: Connecting Coastal Communities is a group made up of the following community councils:
Foster with Edinburgh is launching a new a recruitment campaign to find more foster carers for children from minority ethnic backgrounds.
The organisation is looking for host family foster carers for unaccompanied young people arriving in Edinburgh escaping the trauma of war and persecution.
The campaign aims to raise awareness of the need for foster carers who have the skills, knowledge and cultural awareness to support them.
As well as a digital advertising and radio campaign, the foster team will be linking in with mosques, universities, cultural and voluntary overseas organisations to spread the word.
A series of events will start with a stall at the Asda superstore in Chesser tomorrow (Thursday 20 April) where anyone who wants to find out more can pop along from 11am until 2pm and meet the team.
Edinburgh has a number of children from minority ethnic backgrounds and unaccompanied migrants between 16 – 21 who require support.
Research highlights where possible children who require foster care should be matched with families who can reflect and promote their ethnic, cultural, religious and linguistic identities, as well as navigate discrimination.
There is currently a national shortage of approved foster carers, so matching children with carers who will best suit their needs is an ongoing challenge.
We are therefore keen to recruit foster carers from a range of diverse groups. As our host family foster carers support unaccompanied migrants age 16 plus, they can still work. A large part of their role is supporting our young people in coming to terms with their experiences, promoting their learning within a new country and helping prepare them for independence.
Cllr Joan Griffiths, Education, Children and Families Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, explains more about the campaign and its importance. She said: “We have a number of children and young people from minority ethnic backgrounds who desperately need homes as they are unaccompanied migrants seeking asylum in the UK or may have been trafficked.
“We urgently need foster carers who can support these young people to feel safe, nurtured and cared for.
“Our foster carers come from all different backgrounds, but we know that young people from minority ethnic backgrounds face additional challenges and need understanding in relation to the impact of racism and of growing up in a society where their culture and heritage is different.
“I would encourage anyone who might be interested in taking up this amazing opportunity to change a young person’s life for the better to come along to one of our public events or contact us at fosterchildren@edinburgh.gov.uk.”
Foster carers are supported by way of a fostering fee to reflect the care they are providing, along with a maintenance allowance to cover a child or young person’s expenses while in their care. They also get full training and ongoing support from an allocated social worker to develop the skills and knowledge needed to foster.
Foster carers need time, space (physical and emotional), a sense of fun, patience, and commitment. They also need to have a spare room, be able to work confidently with others and take part in meetings in English. It’s also important to be able to support children and young people becoming part of a new culture who may have issues relating to their immigration status.
There are two further events planned at Asda Chesser on Tuesday 16 May and Friday 26 May which both tie in with Foster Care Fortnight.
