Pupils at Maybury Primary School are celebrating World Book Day with a donation from Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes towards their favourite titles.
The brand-new school, located in the West Craigs area of Edinburgh, welcomed its first batch of pupils back in January – 26 P1 learners who had previously been based at East Craigs Primary since August 2024.
To mark the pupils’ transition, Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes has donated book vouchers totalling £250 for the class to spend on some of their favourite titles.
Councillor Joan Griffiths, Education, Children and Families Convener, said: “It was fantastic to see the new Maybury Primary School open its doors to its first group of P1 learners at the end of January, and I know that the whole school community are excited to celebrate World Book Day.
“We know that access to books and hearing stories is hugely beneficial for our younger learners, helping them to establish the early building blocks for reading, broadening their knowledge of the world and helping to develop their imaginations.
“This welcome donation of book vouchers will help the school to enhance their library and in turn add to the learning experience of children at the school.”
Lorraine Paterson, Sales Director at Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes East Scotland, said: “This is an exciting new chapter for pupils in the West Craigs area, and what better way to celebrate their move to their new school than with a donation towards their favourite books for the classroom.
“It’s no secret that reading builds imagination and helps with creativity, and we all have our favourite novels from childhood that we hold dear to our hearts. If this small donation helps even one P1 pupil pick up a book and find a love for reading, then we know we’ve played a positive role in helping the youngest in our local communities thrive.”
The new Ratho Library has officially opened its doors to the public as it moves into its permanent location after closing its doors in 2020 and serving as a mobile service since 2021.
The opening celebration includes the unveiling of a special artwork inside the library, showcasing a quote chosen by the local community.
In the summer of 2023, the library hosted a community vote to select a quote from a selection of beloved children’s books. The winning quote, now proudly displayed above the children’s library section, is from Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. The quote celebrates the joy of reading and literature, making it a perfect fit for the new library’s vibrant atmosphere.
In addition to the winning quote, illustrations of Rowena frog and other characters from the book accompany the quote, further enhancing the library’s welcoming environment for young readers.
Each child who attends the early years centre adjacent to the new library will receive a copy of Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler to mark the official opening of the new library.
Winning quote
‘Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book’ (2005) written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler. Macmillan Children’s Books (Pan Macmillan).
‘About Rowena Reddalot, a very well-read frog, Who jumped upon a lily pad and jumped upon a log, Then jumped into the library which stood beside the brook, And went, “Reddit! Reddit! Reddit!” as she jumped upon a book…’
Julia Donaldson said: “I have long campaigned on the valuable role that public libraries play in communities and in developing a love of books.
“I am very pleased that this library is opening in Ratho; it isn’t news that you hear every day!
“I want to thank everyone who voted to see ‘Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book‘ featured on the walls in the children’s area and I hope this joyful space introduces a new generation of readers to stories they will treasure for life.”
Axel Scheffler said:“It is an honour to know that ‘Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book‘ was chosen by the local community in Ratho to feature in their new library.
“I would like to thank them all and also the librarian team who have worked so hard to make this happen. I am so pleased that Rowena frog and Charlie will welcome young readers into the children’s area and I hope they will inspire families to discover great new books together.”
Culture and Communities Convener Val Walker, said:“We are thrilled to open the doors of our new Ratho Library and celebrate the community’s involvement in selecting the quote that now graces our children’s library.
“This collaboration highlights our shared love of reading and the importance of literature in inspiring young minds.
“The winning quote from ‘Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book‘ perfectly reflects the joy of storytelling, and we are excited to create a space where every visitor, especially our young readers, can feel the magic of books.
“Our dedicated team at Ratho has worked closely with Macmillan Children’s Books to develop the graphic design for our new library and it looks fantastic.
“I would like to extend our sincere thanks to Julia Donaldson, Axel Scheffler and Macmillan Children’s Books for their permission to use ‘Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book’ and their ongoing support in the process. I hope visitors enjoy the design for years to come.”
Ratho Library offers a broad range of services to customers, including access to a wide variety of digital and printed books, free public access to computers, free public Wi-Fi, collection of NHS hearing Aid batteries, support with National Entitlement Cards alongside an exciting programme of events and activities for children and adults.
The library will also host Tech Donation Boxes later in the year where everyday tech devices can be upcycled.
An official opening event for the library will be held at a later date.
An application (25/00544/ADV) has been submitted for ‘The Maroon Mile’—a mile-long heritage trail celebrating Heart of Midlothian FC’s history in Gorgie and Dalry.
The trail will feature 15 lamppost banners along Dalry Rd, Gorgie Rd, Ardmillan Terrace, McLeod St, and Newton St, designed to CEC guidelines.
Check out the full details on the City of Edinburgh Council’s planning portal:
Reprimands issued to Glasgow City Council and City of Edinburgh Council for failing to respond to requests for personal information on time
Action follows ICO engagement with local authorities across Scotland to improve right of access, including for people with care experience and those applying for redress after suffering abuse while in care
“Those who were let down in the past are being let down again, this time by poor SAR compliance.”
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is taking action to tackle significant delays for people who are trying to access copies of their personal information held by local authorities across Scotland.
Under data protection law, people have the right to ask an organisation if it holds their personal information and receive a copy of any personal information held within a month, unless an extension is applied – this is known as a subject access request (SAR).
The regulator has now reprimanded both Glasgow City Council and City of Edinburgh Council for repeatedly failing to respond to SARs within the legal timeframe, leading to a significant backlog of requests.
The reprimands follow the ICO’s proactive engagement with all 32 local authorities in Scotland after it became aware of delays in responses to SARs, amounting to years in some cases.
Many local authorities have seen an increase in SARs received, many in relation to the Redress Scotland scheme where people who suffered abuse while in care can apply for redress using supporting documents such as their care records.
Jenny Brotchie, Acting Head of Scottish Affairs at the ICO, said:“Those who were let down in the past are being let down again, this time by poor SAR compliance.
“We have heard how undue delays and lack of communication from local authorities can cause further distress for people, including those with care experience and those trying to claim redress in Scotland.
“Local authorities must get this right despite the rising numbers of requests, which is why we have been offering support and monitoring those with poor compliance until we are satisfied that improvements have been made.”
Following the ICO’s scrutiny and support to put action plans in place, many local authorities have significantly reduced their backlog of requests and improved their response times.
Despite a 67% overall increase in the total number of SARs to local authorities in Scotland between 2021 and 2024, 75% of local authorities improved their SAR compliance, with 13 local authorities reporting a compliance rate of 90% in 2023/24.
However, the regulator launched investigations into two local authorities, Glasgow City Council and City of Edinburgh Council, after it did not see any tangible improvements over 12 months.
The ICO’s recent compulsory audit of Glasgow City Council found that the council has good policies and procedures in place to handle SARs. However, lack of resource and budget remains an issue, with the council still unable to respond to many SARs within the legal timeframe.
Following its reprimand, City of Edinburgh Council has now reported some improvement in its response times.
Jenny Brotchie added:“While I’m pleased to see significant improvements from most of the local authorities that we engaged with, SAR compliance in Scotland remains a concern and we must ensure people can exercise their information rights effectively and without further harm.
“We expect all local authorities to have sufficient resources in place to handle the volume and complexity of SARs, and to keep people updated on the progress of their request.
“We are taking a proportionate approach to monitoring local authorities, but these reprimands show that we will not hesitate to take enforcement action where necessary.”
Looking forward, the ICO continues to engage with local authorities and other key stakeholders to drive further improvements and ensure that people can access their own personal information.
Detailed plans have been produced outlining 66 steps the council and partners must take to get ‘climate ready’.
Our Climate Ready Edinburgh Implementation Plan, published on Friday (28 February), will be considered by members of the Policy and Sustainability Committee on Tuesday 11 March.
Over the next two years, it is proposed that all actions in the plan are implemented to help Edinburgh adapt to the impacts of climate change.
This could include working with partners to tackle the risks of flooding and coastal erosion and protecting the World Heritage Site, to planting trees and exploring transport systems to make the city resilient against weather extremes.
It is hoped this work will help to protect homes from flooding and overheating, safeguard our buildings and support new climate skills and jobs, while increasing the resilience of our ancient city against the future risks of climate change.
Identifying trigger points and action needed to prepare for weather extremes
Making Edinburgh a Million Tree City by planting 25,000 new trees a year
Prioritising street tree planting in areas prone to flooding and overheating
Increasing the tree canopy from 17% to 20% of the whole city by 2045
Establishing a Wilding Wee Spaces Schools programme
Undertaking a flood study to determine the long-term management of existing defences along the coast
Completing a surface water flood management project with Scottish Water in Craigleith by 2026
Delivery of new small-scale adaptation and energy retrofit pilot projects in the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site by 2026
Monitoring issues of damp in Council housing, addressing most at risk properties
Working with providers to increase the resilience of Edinburgh’s transport systems.
Council Leader, Jane Meagher, said:“With architecture spanning 1,000 years and two World Heritage Sites, more trees than any other Capital city and a vast coastline, there is no question that Edinburgh’s natural and built environment is unique. Our Climate Ready plan has been designed to protect and enhance the place we are lucky enough to call home.
“Recent events have been a stark reminder of how disruptive weather can be to our city and to property. As such, we need to focus our efforts on adapting and preparing for such risks.
“Where we face issues of flooding and dampness, it disproportionately affects disadvantaged households. Where buildings suffer from poor energy efficiency, this brings up the cost of bills.
“It is to this end that climate change goes hand in hand with poverty as the biggest challenge we face, and we cannot tackle one without the other.
“With our businesses at risk as much as our homes, there is also a clear economic case for getting our capital ‘climate ready’. This report makes it clear that this work will require significant investment, but the costs of failing to prepare are higher.
“That is what has driven us to pledge an additional £2.9m to address our climate and nature emergencies in the budget we set last week. It is also why we have invested £500,000 into protecting our coastline with the successful introduction of new groynes at Portobello Beach.
“If approved next month by Committee, this detailed 66-step plan will further guide us and partners to become a ‘climate ready’ capital. Climate change is a major threat to our health and that of our ancient, coastal city and it is crucial that we work with partners to protect it.”
Gordon Reid, Scottish Water and chair of the Edinburgh Adapts Partnership that developed the plan, said:“We are already seeing the impacts of a changing climate in Edinburgh, with more frequent severe storms causing flooding, damage to buildings and disruption to travel.
“If we don’t take action then we will see greater impacts to the people, buildings, economy and the services we all rely on in the city. Many of these impacts disproportionately effect disadvantaged households and we need to ensure that we act to deliver adaptation for everyone in society as part of the just transition to a climate changed future.
“In addition, we need to act to address the nature emergency and many of the actions in the plan will address adaption and nature, delivering multiple benefits for the city.”
Yann Grandgirard, Head of Climate Change at Edinburgh World Heritage and member of the Edinburgh Adaptation and Nature Partnership, said:“Climate change is one of the biggest threats to the Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site, affecting its integrity, and undermining our efforts to preserve it and share its cultural values with current and future generations.
“Climate change impacts are diverse and not limited to physical damages to our historic buildings, streets and green spaces. They also affect our experience of this special part of the city – a vibrant place where people live, work, study and visit.
“The finalisation of the Edinburgh Climate Ready implementation plan is an important step in providing the necessary framework to protect and enhance both the World Heritage Site and the city through sensitive adaptation actions. It will act as a critical tool to prioritise climate actions, attract much needed funding and support partnerships across the city.”
Gordon Macdonald MSP has highlighted the record funding going to City of Edinburgh Council after the Scottish Budget was passed at Holyrood this week, providing a £1 billion increase in funding to local authorities.
After the budget received cross-party support – despite Labour and Tory MSPs sitting on their hands – City of Edinburgh Council is set to receive an increase in funding worth £60 million.
This increases funding for local priorities, teachers, and additional support for learning and to tackle the climate emergency. It also facilitates pay increases agreed for teachers, social care workers, refuse collectors and more.
Gordon Macdonald MSP said: “This year’s Scottish Budget provides record funding for Edinburgh Council which will help deliver the services people rely on and ensure our communities get the investment they need.
“After over a decade of austerity and a Labour tax hike which is set to cost councils £100 million, our local authorities have been repeatedly betrayed by Westminster parties.
“Under the SNP, we are not only investing in our local councils, but we are mitigating the impact of Westminster decisions, to the tune of £144 million for the National Insurance hike alone.
“This SNP government is delivering for the city, and I am pleased parliament has backed this budget to ensure that continues.”
TENANTS in nine homes in Edinburgh will benefit from major energy upgrades to improve living standards and lower energy bills.
The homes, located in the southeast of the city, boast an Energy Performance Certificate ‘B’ rating after a series of improvements including External Wall Insulation (EWI) and window upgrades.
They are now undergoing monitoring to assess energy consumption, tenant comfort, and overall performance. Data gathered from the homes will provide valuable insight into the effectiveness of these measures and help determine the feasibility of rolling out similar upgrades across other Council housing stock.
Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener Lezley Marion Cameron said: “I warmly welcome what’s been achieved in collaboration with our partners, AtkinsRéalis and Anderson Bell + Christie, on this transformative retrofit project.The energy improvements are already delivering real benefits for tenants – lower energy bills, increased comfort, and more sustainable homes.
“The data we’re collecting will be instrumental in scaling up this work to happen across other Council homes in Edinburgh, contributing towards our Net Zero 2030 target. While the work involved is complex, the long-term benefits – for our tenants, communities, and our city’s environment – are undeniable.”
Anderson Bell + Christie Director Jonathan McQuillan said: “This project signals a real shift change in how Scottish social housing landlords are approaching their obligations to improve the energy and quality of homes ahead of the Scottish Government deadline – taking a co-ordinated, architectural viewpoint to ensure the measures put in place and undertaken are tailed to each and every building to ensure its effectiveness for many generations to come.
“The City of Edinburgh Council have been pioneering in their thinking and as a result of the pilot, on which we spent two years investigating and garnering the right data, the majority of their stock can now be retrofitted with confidence.
“The improvement works support future measures such as district heating systems, making them ‘net zero-ready’.”
The project adopted a ‘whole house approach’ to implement advanced retrofit standards for the nine pilot homes. The properties were selected following an in-depth review of 52 building types which involved comprehensive surveys, including asbestos checks, air-tightness testing, and extensive energy modelling.
There’s still time to share your views on council plans to revitalise Princes Street, the Gardens and area around Waverley Station.
The survey closes at midnight TONIGHT – Friday (21 Feb). If you work, live, shop, enjoy visiting or just travel through the city centre, this survey is for you:
Councillors agree record spend on primary schools and extra support for social care
Millions of pounds will be spent on protecting and improving schools and crucial frontline services in Edinburgh.
Setting Edinburgh’s budget today (Thursday 20 February) councillors identified a £1.8bn spending programme focused on investing in services for children, older residents and those most in need of support.
Labour’s Budget plans were passed with Conservative and Lib Dem support.
An increase in Council Tax rates will be used to balance the budget and to increase spending on frontline services like education, social care and road safety around schools; in direct response to calls from local residents during extensive budget consultation.
Council Leader Jane Meagher said: “Together we’ve been able to deliver a balanced budget and prioritise spend on the areas residents have told us they care about most, while staying true to the Council’s core commitments of tackling poverty and climate change and ‘getting the basics right’.
“We’ve updated our plans at every step, taking stock of the thousands of responses gathered during our public consultation calling for us to invest in our frontline services.
“Residents and community groups have been loud and clear that people want spending on schools and roads to be protected, sharing concerns about the local impact of the national social care crisis, and that they’d be willing to see Council Tax raised to make this happen.
“We’ve listened and we’ve gone further – agreeing record spend on over a dozen new and existing school buildings, specific funding for road safety around schools and substantial extra money for the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership.
“We’ll be tackling Edinburgh’s housing and homelessness emergencies and investing in our communities, including money towards roads and a new Blackhall Library.
“For all that, we have had to make many difficult decisions to make substantial savings and I’m grateful to all Councillors for their input. We remain the lowest funded local authority in Scotland, and I will continue to call for fairer funding for Edinburgh.”
Finance and Resources Convener Cllr Mandy Watt said: “Residents are aware of the financial challenges we face following years of underfunding, and they’ve told us in their thousands that they want to see vital services protected and enhanced. I’m pleased that we’ll be able to use the £26 million raised from an 8% increase in Council Tax to protect and improve these services.
“Huge pressures on health and social care and housing remain unaddressed nationally and while this Budget does everything within our power to protect local services, we need greater action to be taken at a government level.
“A huge amount of work has taken place to consider our budget options, with detailed proposals reported to Committees and tweaked in the months leading up to today’s final decision. I’d like to thank Council officers for all their work on this.”
Lib-Dem votes ensured the Labour budget was passed. Group leader Cllr Kevin Lang said after the meeting: “Very proud of what the LibDems on Edinburgh Council have just achieved.
“Thanks to us , cuts to teachers and pupil support have been stopped, there’s a record budget for road safety projects and SNP plans to cut money for road and pavement repairs have been blocked (again).”
The SNP criticised the administration’s budget as lacking any vision for Edinburgh. SNP group leader Simita Kumar said before the meeting: “It’s pretty damning.
“Labour are just rubber-stamping officer proposals without adding any political direction, what’s the point of them being in power? Zero accountability, zero vision, and zero leadership.”
Substantial spend on schools
In the highest spending on school buildings in recent years, £296m will be invested towards five new campuses (Granton Waterfront, Newcraighall, St Catherine’s, Gilmerton Station and Builyeon), five extensions (Hillwood, Queensferry and Frogston primaries, plus Castlebrae and Craigmount high schools), plus a replacement building for Fox Covert.
The council will invest an additional £30m towards upgrading special needs schools, with improvements designed to allow as many pupils as possible to see their needs met locally.
An additional £6.6m will be spent on road safety, particularly around schools. A further £0.5m will be used to drive improvements in educational attainment and £1m will be invested in Holiday Hubs, with options to make this scheme more sustainable to be explored.
Funding will also be protected around enhanced pupil support bases, pathways for pupil support assistants, transition teachers and devolved school budgets.
Extra support for social care
Up to £66m will be spent on Health and Social Care facilities in light of increasing demands for services, a growing and aging population and the rising costs to the EIJB of delivering these services.
As part of this, councillors have agreed to set up a new Innovation and Transformation Fund – subject to match-funding by NHS Lothian – to leverage additional capital investment worth up to £16m.
Additional funding will provide support for Adult Health and Social Care worth £14m plus £5.6m will be put towards adaptations, to help people to live in their own homes independently.
Up to £2.5m from a Reform Reserve will be allocated to third sector support, plus income maximisation of £1m, following challenges with reduced funding available to charities and voluntary organisations from the EIJB.
More budget spent on roads
Responding to the results of the council’s budget consultation – where people said they’d like to see money spent on roads, Edinburgh will spend £40m on roads and transport in the year ahead.
Focusing on areas identified by a Women’s Safety survey, where certain parts of the city were described as feeling unsafe, as part of this spend the council will invest £12.5m this year and next improving roads, pavements, streetlights.
A further £6.6m will be invested in Safer Routes to School and travelling safely.
Prioritising our communities and climate
Councillors have committed to climate remaining a key priority and over the next 12 months and an additional £2.9m will support actions with city partners to address Edinburgh’s climate and nature emergencies.
Supporting a Just Transition, affordable, net zero housing including 3,500 new, sustainable homes in the £1.3bn transformation of Granton Waterfront will be taken forward.
An additional £15m is planned to sustainably replace Blackhall Library, which has been closed due to RAAC, while £0.5m will be used to increase enforcement to keep the city cleaner and safer. Around £0.5m will also be used to create better data to support local decision making.
Focused poverty prevention
Councillors have committed to accelerate the work of the End Poverty Edinburgh Action Plan, tackle the city’s Housing Emergency and review the way the council supports the third sector in Edinburgh.
Councillors agreed to continue to support the Regenerative Futures Fund which will help local communities to lead poverty prevention and deliver change.
The council will invest £50m in purchasing and building suitable temporary accommodation for people experiencing homelessness.
Following agreement of the Housing Revenue Account budget, Edinburgh will continue work to retrofit high rise blocks and spend £14.8m towards new affordable housing and upgrades to void properties, to get them back into use as homes.
Council rents will be raised by 7% to raise much needed new funds to upgrade housing, with Councillors also agreeing to increase the city’s Tenant Hardship Fund by 7% in line with this rent rise.
Changes to Council Tax
All Council Tax rates will rise by 8% from April 2025 to allow the above investment to take place. The new rates will be:
