National volunteering and social change charity, Volunteering Matters and City of Edinburgh Council have joined forces to launch Volunteers Supporting Families in Edinburgh – a project that recruits, trains and support volunteers to mentor families going through a range of challenges, are in crisis or who need extra help in their lives.
This will be the first time Volunteers Supporting Families has launched in Scotland, with the programme already established in three local authorities in England.
The programme, run by Volunteering Matters, will enable trained volunteers to help families address the challenges they face and assist them in creating a happy and safe environment in which they can thrive.
Volunteers provide a listening ear, practical support and encouragement, helping families with budgeting, healthy eating, setting routines and improving social networks.
Thanks to a 3 year award from the Edinburgh Communities and Families Grant Programme, the projects volunteers will meet their allocated family on a weekly basis, over a six-month period.
Their support will empower parents to develop the skills required in overcoming serious challenges or hardships. In many cases this will enable the family to rebuild their lives and move on from social worker intervention, reducing the need of social services.
Already a success in other areas including Greenwich and Southend-on-Sea, the programme is now available to Edinburgh residents and Volunteering Matters is calling on potential volunteers to get in touch for this exciting opportunity.
John Brown at Volunteering Matters, said: “Our volunteers, and the parents they support, continue to impress us with their energy, resilience, patience and commitment to overcome serious challenges, protect vulnerable children and rebuild family relationships.
“We are proud to be able to offer this key support to people across parts of Edinburgh and would like to invite prospective volunteers to contact us to find out more.”
The City of Edinburgh Council Leader Adam McVey has pledged that eradicating poverty will stay at the heart of the Council’s future actions and policies.
The report identifies seven key areas of action to end poverty in Edinburgh by the end of this decade, including Edinburgh becoming a living wage city, tackling the housing crisis and closing the educational attainment gap.
It marks the end of the work of the Edinburgh Poverty Commission as it hands over to End Poverty Edinburgh – a new independent group of residents with first-hand experience of living on a low income and civic allies drawn from business, public services and the third sector.
As a group, they will work to raise awareness and understanding of poverty, influence decisions, and hold the city to account for ending poverty in Edinburgh.
Adam McVey, Council Leader, said: “On behalf of the Council, I would like to extend my thanks to those in the Edinburgh Poverty Commission and End Poverty Edinburgh for the time, dedication and research that has gone into creating this report.
“I’m also extremely grateful to those who shared their personal experiences and those of their families in helping get to the root of the issues. Tackling poverty in our city is one of our key priorities as a Council – helping those who need it, making resources available for people and, ultimately, doing everything we can to eradicate it in Edinburgh.
“We know that the pandemic has been incredibly challenging for those who were experiencing or at risk of poverty in our city.
“The Commission has pulled no punches and got to the heart of the issues – while there is no doubt that the pandemic has exacerbated the situation, poverty in Edinburgh is a crisis that goes beyond one cause and we cannot ignore it.
“If we’re to make progress on the scale required, it needs a concentrated effort from us, our partners and allied organisations, local business and residents acting as one Team Edinburgh.
“The seven areas of action give our City clear and defined areas for us to focus on and we appreciate that they are interlinked and support each other.
“Our 2050 Edinburgh City Vision is of a fair city where all residents share in its success and have a good level of wellbeing and life experience and we have been working with the Commission throughout our continued response to the pandemic to make that vision a reality, ensuring that as we rebuild our city we do it with our most vulnerable in mind.
“The educational attainment gap is a big priority for us and has been for a long while now. We were making good progress in this area before the pandemic but we’re mindful that the disruption to the school term earlier this year has widened that gap. Now we need to work with our schools and educational partners to double down on that work and ensure the progress continues to be made.
“We also know that access to and cost of housing is a central issue in Edinburgh and needs a focused and strategic approach in collaboration with the Scottish Government to deliver the new homes needed to make significant impact.
“We’ve already made progress around short term lets and will be ready to act quickly when regulations come into effect. We’re proud that Council houses being built right now are some of the best homes being built in the City but there is still work to be done to make sure we can provide good quality and affordable homes for everyone in our city who need them.
“The Edinburgh Poverty Commission has spent over two years listening to the voices of the people of Edinburgh and the reality faced by many of our residents, with COVID making it harder than ever for too many.
“That’s why the Council and the city has to come together to tackle both the cause and consequences of poverty. It will take time and won’t be easy, but we will ensure it remains at the heart of our policies as we drive the change needed across the Capital in partnership.”
While over 200 people attended the online launch of the report, local mum Ashey was picking her children up from school.
She had just left her youngest at her Nan’s as it was raining and the bairn has a cold. Nan had also given Ashley £5 to tide her over until partner gets paid on Friday. He has two cleaning jobs but he expects to be paid off at any time as one big office contract has just been terminated and the other is also looking vulnerable.
Ashley will just have time to pick up the kids, go to Farmfoods, collect the bairn then make the tea for her partner getting home, as he has to be back out for his evening cleaning job.
Tomorrow … well, we will face that tomorrow.
Surviving, not living. There are families just like Ashley’s all over Edinburgh, one of the richest cities in the world.
Edinburgh Poverty Commission set out a ten year ‘horizon’ for eradicating poverty in the capital. For all the ‘horizons’ and the council’s ‘visions’, you wonder where Ashley and her family will be in ten years time, when for now just gettting by, getting through from one day to the next is the ever-present challenge.
The city council’s draft ‘vision’ for accessible, affordable and sustainable travel in Edinburgh has found support from two-thirds of respondents to a citywide consultation.
Sixty-seven per cent of respondents to the Draft City Mobility Plan consultation backed the strategy to overhaul transport and mobility over the next decade, including proposals to create a largely car-free city centre, introduce mass bike commuting on arterial routes and for seamless ticketing between different forms of transport. Seventy per cent of participants also agreed with the council’s shorter-term 2022 vision.
Between January and April more than 1800 comments were made on the draft plan, which sets out an approach to transforming the way we move people, goods and services to and around the Capital.
Engagement was carried out alongside consultation on the Choices for City Plan 2030, which sets out council proposed options for changes to policies in Edinburgh’s next local development plan.
The council received ‘overwhelmingly ‘positive responses’ to a range of policy measures proposed as part of the plan. Amongst these, 83% support the co-ordination of bus, tram and bike hire operations, 78% approved of introducing transport hubs in new developments while 72% agreed with reducing levels of on-street parking.
Transport and Environment Convener Councillor Lesley Macinnes said: “As a city we are making real headway in tackling the manifold challenges posed by climate change, poor air quality and congestion, to name a few, but there is always more to be done.
“It is extremely encouraging that the vast majority of respondents to our Draft City Mobility Plan consultation support our vision for sustainable, affordable and joined-up transport in the Capital.
“We understand the impact Covid-19 will have on any plans but we’re also aware of the positive effect quieter streets have had on walking, cycling and wheeling, with numbers surging during lockdown.
“As we progress with our vision we want to maintain this enthusiasm by providing more, improved options for travel by foot, bike, wheelchair and public transport.”
Transport and Environment Vice Convener Councillor Karen Doran said: “We are working towards an exciting future for transport and mobility here, with City Centre Transformation, the implementation of a Low Emission Zones and carbon neutrality by 2030 amongst our ambitious goals.
“The City Mobility Plan is integral to these schemes and this feedback will help us to create a final strategy which will benefit people across Edinburgh.”
The Draft City Mobility Plan addresses key challenges facing Edinburgh including rising CO2 emissions, poor air quality, congestion and issues accessing public transport, in the context of an increasing population and the threat of a climate emergency.
Proposals are grouped around four themes: Enhancing Public Transport, People Friendly Streets, Planning New Developments and Managing Demand.
The latest report also addresses the significant impact of Covid-19 on the way people move around the city, and the need to review the steps to our 2030 vision in light of this.
While the council received positive responses across the themes, detailed comments highlighted concerns associated with specific measures.
Amongst these was a desire for public transport to be quicker, calls for safer, car-free cycle routes and the need to retain disabled parking should on-street parking be reduced. This feedback will help identify issues we can mitigate as we progress with the plan, as well as opportunities to maximise the positive impact of proposals.
If agreed by Transport and Environment Committee, a finalised City Mobility Plan will be brought back to committee early next year. This will be informed by the consultation response, as well as a survey of travel behaviour across the city, Phase Two of the Edinburgh Sustainable Transport Study and assessment of the impacts of Covid-19 on travel needs.
A delivery plan packaging and phasing the implementation of actions and policy measures will be developed to support the finalised plan.
Education Vice Convener Cllr Alison Dickie writes about the pressing issue of child poverty in Edinburgh:
Let’s talk about stigma, even ‘poor kids’ and how it fuels inequality.
Posh pickles and peppered crackers. Years ago, as a young family down Glasgow way, we made some kind soul feel good when they gifted us an exotic hamper. At the time, I remember thinking that it must have been worth about £50, money that could have bought the school trousers our sons needed.
This, and the wider experience of being worried about the next penny, our reliance on housing benefit, and the debt that became a problem, has given me some understanding about the complexity of poverty today.
Lockdown, and its significant impact on lives, has helped many others better understand how we can be just one life change or support network away from becoming financially vulnerable.
We live in an affluent city but there’s deep inequality, where 23% of our children live in poverty – as high as one in three in some areas. And these children and families struggle to get the smallest and most basic of items, never mind homes in this city of shocking rents and house prices. Contrary to popular opinion, 66% of these children come from families where at least one parent works.
In my own classrooms, there was the period stained skirt not to be forgotten, and the PE kit that was never coming out that wash.
And as Vice Convener of Education, I still remember the pupil who shared her family’s shame of walking through the streets to their homeless accommodation, bin bags of belongings clutched in their hands.
Pickled gifts are nice and food provision is vital, but they won’t end child poverty. And neither will a mindset that continues to see the deficit of ‘poories’ and the ‘vulnerable’, rather than the strengths that every child and their family can bring to the future of our city if we get alongside them for the long haul.
Sometimes we recreate inequality. Think of the bulging schools we deem the best, often mistaking levels of academic performance for loaded advantage, or our hesitancy to sit down, learn and work with anyone.
What too of the postcodes judged, or those loud, already empowered, voices who too heavily influence decisions? And those annual SQA results, the prominence given to them when we say we equally value the strengths and qualifications of every young person?
Next week, the Edinburgh Poverty Commission will launch its findings, and their report will inform the Council’s second Child Poverty Action Plan.
Education, in its most holistic sense, is key, from the equity framework that increasingly informs practice across our schools, to helping families find the benefits to which they are entitled through income maximisation, and the mentoring and wraparound support too.
This, and building a stigma-free environment that supports everyone, from a focus on nurture and wellbeing, to digital devices for all, and the roll out of 1140 early years places to help families back to work.
So, ‘All I am saying, is give every child a chance!’
UNISON calls for government help as city council faces hundreds of job losses due to Covid and funding crisis
Edinburgh UNISON, the union representing most Edinburgh council workers, fears that hundreds of jobs could go over the coming months due to the Covid Crisis and poor funding settlements from the Scottish Government.
Tomorrow (Thursday 24 September), Edinburgh councillors will discuss the updated budget shortfall of £12.2 million due to the council’s Covid response.
Gerry Stovin, Edinburgh UNISON assistant branch secretary said: “With this figure, plus the proposed £25 million in cuts already approved for next year and this year’s cuts and savings not achieved, we could be facing a further £50 million of cuts over the next 12 months.
“This would have a disastrous effect on essential services the public rely on, especially at this critical time.
“UNISON is calling on the Scottish Government and COSLA to agree short term additional funding to cover the cost of Covid, financial flexibility and fundraising powers along with a fairer budget settlement for April 2021 for all Scottish councils.”
The City of Edinburgh Council plans to revise its Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan to further strengthen support for people facing homelessness.
Members of the Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Committee considered updates to the strategy at a special meeting on Friday before submittting it to the Scottish Government for consideration.
This is the second version of the Council’s plan which acts as a local route map for preventing homelessness, reducing rough sleeping, transforming temporary accommodation and supporting families into settled homes as quickly as possible.
Additions to the plan include exploring ways of intervening earlier and actively engaging with people before they are at risk of homelessness.
These ideas include:
Developing a proposal for a Youth Housing Hub – a centrally located service where young people can access support, homeless assessments, advice and accommodation
A pilot for a new homelessness prevention scheme – involving a team working across Council services to identify trigger points that may put someone at risk of homelessness in the future
A prevention fund – which can be accessed quickly by frontline workers to draw down small amounts of money, empowering them to provide immediate support where they deem appropriate to prevent someone reaching crisis-point
Appointing a new partnership working officer – to identify opportunities for partners and frontline staff to recognise early on when there is a risk of homelessness
A pilot project to base specialist psychologists within homelessness hostels – embedding expert medical advice in the accommodation people are staying in to support with mental wellbeing and treatment.
Edinburgh is working to end rough sleeping and managed to move all families and pregnant women out of B&Bs during the early stages of the Covid-19 crisis. This involved the use of innovative accommodation options, including securing 590 additional bed spaces by turning to private sector leasing, hotels and short-term lets.
The updated Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan (RRTP) also proposes to build on the success of this joint Covid-19 response between the Council and third sector partners to create more and better accommodation options in the future.
Highlighted as important to progress include:
Increasing the amount of Rapid Access Accommodation available in Edinburgh – a service which is accessed directly from the street, does not have a curfew or a time limit for stays and which provides on-site support
Moving the city’s third sector run emergency care shelter into an alternative premises longer term, where social distancing can be practised more easily
Spot purchasing private properties and continuing to work with short-term let landlords to rent homes to the Council
Boosting the Council’s supply of temporary furnished flats
Supporting more people into home shares as part of a longer-term goal of ending the use of B&Bs.
Edinburgh has one of the lowest proportions of social housing in Scotland with only 15% of homes in social rent compared to a Scottish average of 23%, and the RRTP will also require an acceleration in the delivery of new homes.
The Council has one of the most ambitious house-building programmes in the UK to help meet this challenge and a record number of new homes are being built.
Councillor Kate Campbell, Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener, said: “The RRTP is our annual plan for homelessness and our annual assessment of where we are. It’s an incredibly important document because it shows us, in very stark terms, the scale of the challenge that we face.
“But it is also an opportunity to focus on innovation and there are some incredibly exciting projects within it that show our steadfast intent to tackle homelessness at its root.
“We’ve got plans for more early intervention with a specialist, multi-skilled team which will intensively work with households at risk to prevent homelessness. Alongside this we are proposing investment in a youth homelessness hub and psychologists in hostels to give highly specialist support.
“We’re also asking for funding for ‘Seek, Keep and Treat’ so that we can recruit community recovery workers, with lived experience of homelessness and recovery, to support people with complex needs to move out of homelessness. And we’ve got plans to increase the number of temporary furnished flats and improve temporary accommodation.
“This is all in addition to extending and expanding some of the excellent practices we have developed in previous years.
“We know the challenges we face – only 15% social housing compared to a Scottish average of 24% alongside the most expensive private rents in Scotland. We have the largest Council house-building programme in the country which will address some of the housing need in Edinburgh. But we know we need to keep working to support people out of homelessness, and to prevent it in the first place.
“This plan will guide the decisions we make now and over the next five years as we support people through what is one of the most difficult and traumatic experiences. So we must set our sights high and never stop working to come up with new ideas and approaches to tackle one of the biggest challenges we face as a city.”
Councillor Mandy Watt, Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Vice Convener, added: “The picture is improving but there is always more work to be done. For instance, we’ve committed to build 10,000 affordable homes by 2022 and we’ve introduced new ways of doing things like home shares, which allow like-minded individuals to live together until they find a home of their own.
“We’re also seeing fewer repeat presentations of homelessness, meaning our existing prevention services seem to be working but we are always looking for ways to improve them.
“That said, anybody who does become homeless should be found a suitable place to stay until they can move into a settled home. We know this will be financially challenging, so the Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan needs to be ambitious and outline options for new investment.
“The plan explores some innovative ideas, like a special hub to support and protect young people from becoming homeless; and a pilot project to quickly and effectively help anyone in crisis by basing psychologists in hostels. Projects like these will strengthen our existing work and join up our services.
Work is underway to build brand new affordable homes in Bingham and Parkview in North East Edinburgh.
The Council-led developments – which will complete in Autumn 2021 – will be built by construction firm CCG (Scotland) Ltd. CCG has delivered a number of award-winning new homes for the Council at Leith Fort and in Greendykes and is also progressing a major development of affordable housing in Craigmillar, which received its first new tenants this summer.
Both new sites promise to provide modern and energy efficient homes for social rent as part of Edinburgh’s ambitious 20,000 affordable homes target. In addition to delivering new homes, CCG will provide apprenticeships, engage with local schools and colleges and provide community investment funds in Bingham and Parkview.
Construction is now underway in Bingham along Duddingston Row at the former home of Lismore Primary School. Work will also start at Parkview next month at Peffermill Road, the former site of the Parkview Care Home, bringing a derelict brownfield site back to life.
The homes will benefit from improved energy efficiency and a reduced carbon footprint, saving residents on fuel bills, and will have access to high quality green space. Included in the design is a mix of one, two and three bed flats, colonies and houses, with 70 homes across the two sites (40 in Bingham, 30 in Parkview).
Councillor Kate Campbell, Edinburgh’s Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener, said: “Every new social home counts because housing need is exceptional in Edinburgh – there’s nothing better than seeing council houses being built and knowing that it won’t be long until they become people’s homes.
“With so many families in need of a new home, and construction so important to our economic recovery from Covid-19, the homes and jobs being delivered by our ambitious house-building programme will make a real difference to people’s lives.
“But we have to keep delivering more. We have 3,500 new homes in design development right now, with 800 homes already under construction across the city. Soon, we’ll be setting out our investment plans for the next 10 years, to make sure that we continue to provide much needed homes, create jobs and support local communities with tangible benefits like apprenticeships, community hubs, parks and improved public spaces.”
Councillor Mandy Watt, Edinburgh’s Vice Housing and Economy Convener, added: “Everyone has the right to a safe, warm home. That’s why our strategy for the future is about investing more in our communities, upgrading our social housing and building thousands of new affordable homes in Edinburgh.
“And it’s not just about bricks and mortar – we’re seeing other benefits and improvements that we can bring to local areas. These developments in Bingham and Parkview will benefit lots of people in many different ways. They’ll help to regenerate the area and provide better public realm, better greenspace and funding for neighbourhood projects. They’ll benefit the long-term future of our environment too, thanks to their low carbon footprint and focus on energy efficiency.”
CCG Managing Director, David Wylie, said: “CCG’s commitment to providing quality, energy efficient homes is a philosophy shared by the City of Edinburgh Council. Our partnership has continued to deliver a lasting legacy across the region by not only supporting the supply of new affordable homes but also creating jobs, apprenticeships and localised investment.
“The commencement of Bingham and Parkview is another important milestone for us both and we look forward to working with the Council as we head into 2021 and beyond.”
The £9.5m investment will be funded by the Council with £4.1m in grant funding from the Scottish Government.
With Covid cases rising across the country and a new six-person rule introduced by the Scottish Government, it’s clear that we all need to keep on top of the latest health advice and look out for one another (writes City Council Leader ADAM McVEY).
We’ve come a long way since March, and our city and our residents have done an incredible job of adapting to changing circumstances and, of course, looking after their communities and those around them in many ways.
We’ve all missed Edinburgh’s buzz and it’s great to see people out and about again. After many challenging months for our local businesses, the last thing we want to see is a need for more stringent local restrictions, so let’s keep up the effort.
Our efforts are ongoing to help us return to our high streets in a safe and comfortable way and the city’s Forever Edinburgh campaign provides advice for making the most of a day or night out in the city. We can all do our bit to support our favourite local businesses, so let’s continue to shop local and see them through this crisis.
With residents, visitors and new and returning students, there are of course a lot more people in our streets. So we’re working closely with universities and colleges to provide all students with a warm welcome and clear information on keeping themselves, their classmates and our communities safe.
It’s a united effort from everyone involved, and we must come together for the good of our city. #AllTogetherEdinburgh
Challenges facing our schools
Ensuring our schools were safe to reopen last month was an enormous task and I want to recognise the tremendous amount of effort from many Council teams making sure this happened. It’s certainly welcome to see learning and teaching continuing where it should be taking place – in the classroom.
There have been a number of positive Covid cases in our schools, as there have been across the country, and I want to reassure everyone that our response on each occasion has been swift, robust and in line with the latest advice from Health Protection Lothian. Parents can have confidence in this approach.
We take the safety of our schools extremely seriously in these challenging times and have measures in place to keep our young people and school staff safe including keeping groups apart as much as possible, appropriate use of face coverings and regular hygiene measures. As always, we’ll follow the very latest national guidance and I want to wish everyone who has tested positive a swift and full recovery.
Setting our sights on a fairer future
As we gradually work to rebuild our communities and our economy, we’re also taking the opportunity to adapt the way we do things as a Council. Edinburgh has always been a progressive, welcoming city – it’s one of the things that attracts people to want to come and live, work and study here – myself included – and we’re building on this to create a fairer city beyond the current Covid crisis.
We’re still living through a great deal of change and uncertainty. However, our recovery strategy for the Council puts Edinburgh’s 2050 City Vision at its heart and we’re already embracing many lessons learned from lockdown – such as the role better technology can play in breaking down barriers to support our most disadvantaged residents.
For a more equal Edinburgh we’re also making strides in our equalities work, recently launching a new employee campaign to champion diversity and inclusion in everything we do. Alongside our united and ongoing response to the Black Lives Matter movement, we’re fast progressing plans to make our own workplace culture one of the most inclusive in Scotland.
The last six months have served to highlight the things which are most vital and important, like looking after one another and prioritising the protection of our young, old and most vulnerable and the protection of our planet. For Edinburgh, that means setting our sights on a fairer, greener future.
Green light for sustainable transport
We’re continuing apace with an ambitious package of measures to make it easier and safer to travel by foot, bike or wheelchair in the Capital. These schemes will result in some change on our streets to prioritise all of us in our City.
We know there are some concerns around these measures, not least the plan for the first Low Traffic Neighbourhood in East Craigs, but there is also significant support in our communities for better active travel conditions, including in East Craigs, and we’re eager to see these take shape across the city. An LTN, which builds on traffic modelling, research and consultation as part of the West Edinburgh Link project, will make for a quieter, safer and healthier area and ensure residents’ spaces are prioritised. Of course, we’re listening to concerns, and we’ve taken away a range of themes from input from residents and stakeholders which will change the temporary scheme before it’s implemented.
Under the Spaces for People project we’re in the process of installing more than 30km of pop-up cycle lanes, we’ve introduced access improvements at 67 schools, with many more to follow, and we’re creating more space in nine local shopping streets to help people spend time in businesses as they reopen.
We want to help people to travel safely by public transport too as services, shops and some workplaces begin to reopen. That’s why we’re delighted to be receiving £1.2m from the Scottish Government’s Bus Priority Rapid Deployment Fund, along with neighbouring local authorities, as part of the South East Scotland Transport Transition Group. This funding will help us to progress a series of temporary measures to help make bus journeys as quick and reliable as possible as restrictions are eased and traffic increases. These improvements, along with Spaces for People, will support the city’s sustainable recovery by incentivising clean, environmentally friendly travel.
Phased reopening for libraries
I’m sure everyone will be pleased to hear the news that we’re starting a phased reopening of our libraries from next month (Tuesday 13 October) with doors opening at Central, Kirkliston, McDonald Road, Fountainbridge, Stockbridge and Newington.
We know how important this service is to our local communities and this is the first important step in our plans to reopen these valuable community assets across the city. They’ll offer a range of services including the borrowing and returning of items, free access to computers/internet/wifi and Hey Girls free sanitary products. As you would expect, numbers will have to be limited, social distancing measures will be in place and some services will only be available by booking in advance.
We’re working very hard to get the rest of our libraries open safely and want to assure residents that we will open their local library as soon as possible if it’s not already scheduled. We really appreciate everyone’s support and patience and look forward to welcoming people back.
Over the past 40 years the City Art Centre has housed over 500 exhibitions, hosted treasures from across the world as well as priceless paintings made by Edinburgh children and has welcomed hundreds of thousands of visitors through its doors. We’re all keen to see our museums up and running again too and we’re aiming to do this as soon as possible.
Like our libraries, this will involve a range of new safety measures and procedures, including a one way system, hand sanitiser stations, extra barriers and signage and staff will, of course, be wearing masks while offering visitors a very warm, socially distanced welcome.
Transport and Environment Convener Councillor Lesley Macinnes wrote in yesterday’s Evening News on council plans for a Low Traffic Neighbourhood in East Craigs – plans which have come in for scathing criticism from members of the local community:
I take every opportunity to listen to the views of residents on transport policy and projects, big and small, and last Friday I got the chance to hear from people in East Craigs about our plans for a Low Traffic Neighbourhood (LTN).
Local concern around the implementation of this scheme is no secret, but context is key, and I wanted to understand exactly what the issues are, and how we can address these.
The strength of feeling around these measures is clear, and I want to reassure all those local people who came along to Gyle Park that their comments and questions did not fall on deaf ears. Our team have collated the themes discussed and are looking closely at how we can respond to them as we move forward with the scheme.
These measures are not being introduced lightly, and build on a great deal of traffic modelling, research and consultation carried out as part of the West Edinburgh Link project. While there are many who are against our plans, there are also those in the area who are in favour of these measures and their voices deserve to be heard too.
There are many factors that have led us to the introduction of a temporary LTN. Craigs Road, where we want to bring in a bus gate, is used for ‘rat running’ (additional through traffic caused by drivers avoiding busier routes) on a regular basis.
Over the last two years we have had consistent feedback from the local community that more provision for walking, wheeling and cycling is both needed and welcomed. And we want to bring the benefits of quieter, safer streets to children and communities in the whole area.
Ultimately, the proposals discussed on Friday and over recent weeks are temporary, as part of our Spaces for People programme to create socially distanced streets, paths and pavements for residents in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This crisis is not over, as evidenced by the overnight news about Glasgow, for example, and we simply must create adequate space for people to walk, cycle or wheel safely. The beauty of this scheme’s temporary nature is that we’re able to monitor and tweak it where necessary – and also to build on it as part of long-term plans. If the East Craigs LTN does become a permanent part of West Edinburgh Link, it will be a key part of our active travel plan for the wider West Edinburgh area.
Low Traffic Neighbourhoods are not a new idea– they’re already successfully used across the UK as a way of modernising older housing areas and making them safer by removing through traffic from an entire residential area. Not only has it been proven to significantly reduce the volume of traffic in both residential streets and the wider residential area, it can also invoke ‘traffic evaporation’, where residents no longer use cars for short trips and instead switch to other modes of transport.
However, we know that every area is unique. What has worked in other areas may not suit East Craigs and we are not in the business of making life harder for local people. That is why these measures are only being implemented on a temporary basis at this time and will be altered to include answers to key concerns being raised.
I believe East Craigs can be a successful LTN delivering a safer and healthier local community for everyone. However, I want residents to know I am listening and that I want to work together to create a positive vision for the East Craigs area.
Edinburgh’s vision to become one of the world’s smartest capital cities has received a major boost thanks to an agreement between the City of Edinburgh Council and CGI.
Building on the five-year relationship the Council has established with the global ICT services provider, Councillors have agreed that the contract with CGI is to be extended until 2029 (running from 2023).
Providing stability for the Council’s ICT services, the extension will save a further £12m and help the Council look further ahead to the future. It will see CGI working with the Council on further digital transformation of services and continuing to be the Council’s primary ICT provider for the next nine years.
It also comes as Edinburgh is listed as Smart City of Year in the Digital 100 shortlist following recent work by the Council, CGI and other providers to enhance connectivity and embrace new technologies.
Depute Council Leader Cammy Day is the City of Edinburgh Council’s Smart Cities lead. He said: “Becoming a smart city will make Edinburgh a more sustainable and fair city so I’m pleased we’ve secured CGI’s long-term support to help us with our vision.
“We’re already well on our way to transforming the way we deliver many Council services, making them much more efficient and easy to use for residents. We want to develop this further and under the contract we’re looking at making digital learning services a lot more accessible and inclusive for all our pupils and residents.
“The work we’ll do with CGI will also support our plans for lowering carbon emissions and lowering costs by using smart technology. We realised savings of £45m when our partnership began in 2015, with an additional £11m in 2018 and this extension will save the Council a further £12m at a time when our finances are under pressure.”
Adam McVey, Council Leader, added: “Thanks to the work we’ve already achieved with CGI to use technology in much smarter ways, we’ve been able to respond quickly to the challenges of the pandemic and remote working, making sure our services can still be accessed by residents.
“Building on this will be crucial as we adapt to life beyond Covid and we want to create the most connected, efficient and sustainable Capital we can. The contract extension will allow us to make substantial savings without compromising on our ambitious goals for the City or on the progress we’re making improving core and lifeline services for our residents. I’m looking forward to seeing Edinburgh evolve into a genuinely Smart City and our partnership with CGI will sit at the heart of that work.”
The ambitious plans which the contract extension will help push forward will include:
Responding to the needs of a post-Covid Capital city by driving forward digital transformation
Bridging the digital divide between Edinburgh’s most and least affluent areas, providing schools with the most advanced networks and kit
A smart city operations centre to deliver transformative digital services using the likes of AI, the ‘Internet of Things’ and Advanced Analytics
‘Smart city’ systems such as intelligent traffic signals, smart streetlights that can control their own luminosity, street bins that can signal when they’re full and smart sensors in Council homes to predict, manage and prevent damage to properties such as damp
Increasing digital security to protect the Council’s network and data
Reducing the Council’s carbon footprint by reducing paper and print, reducing waste, and reusing or recycling equipment
Enhancing options for remote working for Council employees
Taking advantage of global trends such as moving to cloud-based services to reduce costs.
Tara McGeehan, CGI President for the UK and Australia, said: “This extension of our strategic partnership is excellent news. Edinburgh is a vibrant and diverse Capital city that is home to more than 518,000 citizens and is growing at twice the national Scottish average.
“This volume of people brings huge challenges, but also huge opportunities – especially when it comes to developing a modern, digital infrastructure that meets the demands of 21st century living.
“CGI, as the primary provider of transformational ICT services to the City of Edinburgh Council, has already helped modernise end-to-end digital services for both citizens and Council employees. Our hard work together has helped make the process of living and working in Edinburgh more transparent, more collaborative and more dynamic, delivering significant benefits to the city.
“This contract extension will now help us work with the Council so it can become one of the world’s ‘smartest’ capital cities. By using the latest digital technology, we aim to grow our relationship with the Council, and in turn help the Council grow its relationship with its citizens so they live and work in a dynamic, digitally-advanced Smart City.”
