Tag: city council

Edinburgh holds out the hand of friendship to Ukraine

The latest on the city council’s response and how you can help

Russia’s horrific and unprovoked attack on Ukraine hits very close to home. Not just because of the proximity of this war, but because of the family and civic connections between our nations and, in particular, between Edinburgh and our twin city Kyiv.

There has been a characteristically caring and generous response from the people of Edinburgh since the invasion began, with countless individuals and organisations coming forward with offers of support and donations.

How can I help?

From speaking to the Ukrainian community and the volunteers supporting them here in Edinburgh, they have been overwhelmed by the sheer volume of donated goods.

If you want to help, please consider giving a monetary donation instead. There are many options available, but we are recommending the Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC) Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. 

Can I volunteer? 

We are working extremely closely with EVOC and Volunteer Edinburgh to help coordinate our response to the crisis.  If you want to find out more about volunteering opportunities and how to register, please visit the Volunteer Edinburgh website.

Can I take refugees into my home?

The UK Government has just launched its Homes for Ukraine scheme, which will allow households to sponsor and take in refugees who are fleeing the war.

The first phase, which began taking registrations of interest yesterday, is aimed at individuals who are able to make offers to a specific person/people. 

Those arriving will have met standard security checks, and all sponsors and all adults in the sponsoring households will be required to do the same.

A monthly payment of £350 will be offered in exchange for accommodation (spare room/self-contained accommodation) for a minimum six months. This doesn’t include meals or living expenses.

Initial details of the scheme, FAQs and how to apply are available from the UK Government website.

What is the Council doing? 

As a Council, and as a City, we have shared our condemnation for Russia’s actions and are holding out the hand of friendship to the people of Ukraine, committing to doing whatever we can to help.

The Ukraine flag continues to fly above the City Chambers as a symbol of our solidarity with the Ukrainian people, while the Granton gasholder remains illuminated in Ukraine’s colours.

The Lord Provost has written to the Major of Kyiv and delivered a video message to the Eurocities anti-war demonstration in Florence (38 mins in) which also featured a live address from the President of Ukraine. 

At their meeting on Thursday, councillors are set to award the Freedom of Edinburgh to President Zelensky and Mayor Klitschko, in recognition of standing heroically by their country and their citizens.

We are in regular touch with the Mayor’s office, as we are with the Mayor of another of Edinburgh’s twin cities, Kraków, which has already welcomed well over 100,000 Ukrainian refugees.

They have provided us with a list of the goods they desperately need, and we are working closely with our partners to arrange shipments for those who have made it to Krakow and those who remain in Kyiv. 

Our plans for incoming refugees are developing quickly and we’re in daily meetings with the Home Office, Scottish Government, Edinburgh Airport, third sector and other agencies to ensure we provide the warmest possible welcome from the moment they land. They have had their lives torn apart and will be traumatised and afraid.  Some will be extremely young and/or vulnerable and will need urgent care. 

This involves coordinating support and ensuring we make the best use of the limited resources we have available – whether that be arranging short and longer-term accommodation, transport, interpreters, access to GPs and healthcare support, counselling, education or any of the other basic services that we all rely on. We have set up a dedicated helpline for Ukrainian arrivals, which will be manned 24 hours a day by our Customer Team. 

While this is ongoing, and assuming agreement by councillors on Thursday, we will write to the Home Office encouraging unrestricted refugee visas and local working to source host families to house refugees, with a focus on those most able to support unaccompanied children. 

We also plan to write to the MOD to request access to unused temporary accommodation for those travelling to Edinburgh from Ukraine, and to provide £100,000 in Council funding to help coordinate local humanitarian aid.

Other useful links:

Notice of Local Government Election published: nominations are now open

Nominations open today (Tuesday 15 March) for candidates to stand in the forthcoming Local Government Election.

The Election will take place on Thursday, 5 May, when people living across Edinburgh will elect members to the City of Edinburgh Council.  

The Notice of Election was published yesterday for Edinburgh’s 17 wards where three or four councillors will be elected in each ward to represent residents. 

In 2017, 63 councillors were elected to represent the City of Edinburgh Council, with a 50.5% turnout for the city – up from 42.6% in 2012.

In order to stand as a candidate, individuals must submit nomination papers, by 4pm on Wednesday 30 March.  

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE A MEMBER OF A POLITICAL PARTY TO STAND FOR ELECTION !!


 Andrew Kerr, Chief Executive of the City of Edinburgh Council and Returning Officer for Edinburgh, said: “The Notice of Election signifies the official start of the election period. The forthcoming election will enable the city’s residents to have their say, and I would take this opportunity to urge all citizens to make sure they are registered and use their vote.

“There are a range of options for casting ballots – in person, by post or by appointing someone trusted to vote in your place, known as a proxy.

“The local councillors elected make important decisions on provision of public services, including education, social care, waste management, libraries, planning and much more on behalf of Edinburgh residents.

“Preparations are well underway to ensure a successful election with plans for any additional restrictions required due to the ongoing pandemic. We’re keen to continue the enthusiasm demonstrated by voters during last year’s Scottish Parliament Election when we had the same range of safety measures in place.” 

Find out more about voter registration and elections.

Key dates and times:

  • Register to vote by midnight on Monday 18 April
  • Register for postal or proxy vote by 5pm on Tuesday 19 April
  • Apply for emergency proxy votes by 5pm on Thursday 5 May
  • Vote in person at polling places between 7am and 10pm on 5 May
  • Ballot papers will be counted on Friday 6 May
  • Voters can obtain more information about the elections and how to vote at www.electoralcommission.org.uk/voter

Roll-out of on-street electric vehicle charging begins

New electric vehicle chargers are up and running at Ingliston Park and Ride and work is underway to install chargers around the city as part of plans to introduce 81 on-street chargers (141 bays).

Transport and Environment Convener Councillor Lesley Macinnes was joined by representatives of the Electric Vehicle Association and Scottish Electric Vehicle Drivers at Ingliston yesterday to try out one of 21 chargers – six rapid (six charging bays) and 15 slow (30 charging bays).

Another five rapid chargers (five bays) and 14 slow chargers (28 bays) will soon be operational at Hermiston Park and Ride.

Preliminary work is also underway to install an additional 41 rapid and fast chargers – amounting to 72 charging bays – at on-street locations in residential areas around the Capital. These will be complete and available for use by early summer.

The roll-out, designed to encourage and support the take-up of cleaner, low emission transport like electric vehicles, is being funded by £2.2 million awarded through Transport Scotland’s Switched on Towns and Cities Challenge Fund.

Councillor Lesley Macinnes, Transport and Environment Convener, said: “These new chargers will provide convenient charging for people travelling in and out of the Capital, and very soon we’ll be delivering fast, accessible charge points in residential streets around the city too.

“The transition to clean, low emission transport like electric vehicles is critical if we are to meet our ambitious net zero 2030 target, alongside choosing walking, wheeling, cycling or taking public transport to get around. It’s our role to support and encourage this so it’s fantastic that we’re now rolling out electric vehicle charging infrastructure across Edinburgh.”

Councillor Karen Doran, Transport and Environment Vice Convener, said:  “Today we marked the start of an ambitious, strategic programme to install charging points across the city which will soon benefit thousands of people.

“Electric vehicles both help to lower our carbon footprint and limit air pollution, so it’s really encouraging that more and more people are making the switch to electric cars.”

Minister for Transport Jenny Gilruth said: “I’m pleased to see Scottish Government investment of £2.2 million deliver new electric vehicle charging infrastructure across Edinburgh. 

“Our Switched on Towns and Cities funding is transforming Edinburgh’s provision of charge points, not only at key park and ride sites, but also through 72 new on-street charging bays at various locations across the city.

“This will improve air quality and protect our climate – directly supporting our commitment to phasing out the need for new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030.”

While the use of existing chargers is currently free, charging tariffs, as agreed by Council as part of the budget-setting process, are to be introduced in May. Any revenue generated will be used to fund the ongoing costs associated with our electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

The city council is currently looking at future locations for electric vehicle chargers using data from two Energy Savings Trust studies and have developed a scoring framework. As part of this several potential new locations for chargers have been identified for investigation, subject to funding.

Find out more about new electric vehicle charging points on the Council website.

Electric Vehicle Association Scotland Director Neil Swanson added: “What we are experiencing today is a seismic change towards low emission transportation.

“As Scotland forges ahead with ever increasing numbers of electric vehicle sales month-on-month, it is important that the country’s public charging infrastructure simultaneously meets the rising demand for a range of suitably located charge points.

“As the Scottish Government and Transport Scotland have already indicated in their recently announced commitment to meeting these challenges, there is an urgent need to keep pace with the rapid uptake by those who see the financial as well as the environmental benefits of going all-electric.

“EVA Scotland welcomes this essential, indeed fundamental objective and is committed to working with all those who can make this happen. We cannot go forward in our climate change obligations without having our vital charging infrastructure in place.

“What we see here in Edinburgh today represents significant investment, realising a major step forward by Edinburgh to ensure there are adequate numbers of charging facilities in place across the Capital to meet the increasing demand by all those making the switch to electric powered vehicles.

“We hope to see this truly ambitious effort replicated across the whole of Scotland…it is essential.”

Dr Euan McTurk, Plug Life Television, said: “The long-awaited expansion of the electric vehicle charging facilities at Ingliston Park and Ride is exactly the level of ambition that Councils across Scotland should be trying to emulate.

“Ingliston’s original rapid charger was one of the busiest in Scotland, and the six new ones next to it – doubled from the originally planned three new chargers – will no doubt be kept equally busy by a steady stream of electric taxis, delivery vans and drivers from the M8, M9 and M90.

“The addition of 30 new destination charge sockets next to the original four, mean that commuters and visitors to Edinburgh who don’t have a home charge point will no longer face a lottery of whether they’ll be able to charge their car whilst they’re in town.

“It’s equally promising to hear that similar charging hubs are being built across numerous sites in Edinburgh for residents, businesses and commuters, and that this is just the first of three much-needed phases of charging infrastructure expansion for Scotland’s capital.”

Council to recognise Ukrainian leaders

Edinburgh councillors will consider granting the most prestigious honour it can bestow to the Ukrainian President and the Mayor of Edinburgh’s twin city, Kyiv.

In recognition of heroically standing by their country and their citizens to lead the fight against the invasion of Ukraine, Council Leaders are seeking support to confer the Freedom of the City jointly to President Volodymyr Zelensky and Mayor Vitali Klitschko, in a Motion (Item 8.1).

The Freedom of the City is a tradition that dates back over 560 years to 1459, with Her Majesty the Queen and Sir Chris Hoy the only living individuals with the Scottish Capital’s freemanship. It can only be ‘bestowed upon those who are held in the highest esteem’.

The symbolic gesture will be considered at a meeting of the Council on Thursday (17 March), alongside a further Motion (Item 8.2), which condemns Russia’s ‘horrific and illegal attacks on the Independence of Ukraine, their people, and their homes’ and outlines further practical steps Edinburgh may take to support humanitarian efforts and those displaced by the crisis.

If the Motion is agreed, up to £100,000 of Council funding would be targeted towards coordinating local efforts with the Edinburgh Partnership. This would help Edinburgh maximise supplies to Ukraine, support local infrastructure for facilitating donations as well as the transport of supplies to Poland and elsewhere.

Other steps would see letters sent to the Home Office, UK Foreign Office and MOD to seek clarity and support for victims of the war arriving in Edinburgh – particularly children – and ask for help with temporary accommodation.

In an additional display of solidarity with Ukraine, a ban on Russian cultural events and performances in Council-owned venues could be set (further to the cancellation of a Russian concert at the Usher Hall) and the Council would end its relationship with the Russian Consulate.

Council Leader Adam McVey said: “We all stand shoulder to shoulder with the Ukrainian people in fighting this oppressive Russian regime and we will do everything we possibly can to support them.

“Following the city summit I hosted with the Depute Leader last week, with the Acting Consul General for Ukraine and local community leaders, we are now setting out a series of steps we can take together as a city.

“As part of this, we’re bringing forward Motions to ask Councillors to stand with us in condemning Putin’s tyranny, and intend to offer the Freedom of the City of Edinburgh to the President of Ukraine and Mayor of Kyiv.

“By remaining in Kyiv, they are fighting side-by-side with their citizens against the Russian invasion, in a true defence of their nation. This is not just in recognition of their own leadership and bravery, but the bravery of all Ukrainians battling for their nation.

“With members’ agreement, we will write to the Home Office encouraging unrestricted refugee visas and local working to source host families to house refugees, with a focus on those with cultural and language understanding to best support unaccompanied children.

“The experiences of those fleeing their homes and their country is heart-breaking and we are looking at how we can help those who seek refuge, but we also need the Home Office to outline a plan.”

Depute Leader Cammy Day said: “Edinburgh has a strong Scottish-Ukrainian population and many of us have heard stories from local friends and family members about the atrocities people in Kyiv and across Ukraine are facing.

“We pride ourselves on the warm welcome we offer to those in desperate need of our help and I hope we can drive forward support for refugees.

“The outpouring of grief and support from Edinburgh people has been incredible and we won’t stop flying the Ukrainian flag until the war is brought to an end. The Granton gasholder being lit up is yet another symbol of our solidarity with the people of Ukraine.

“We want to show our admiration for the outstanding leadership of the President and of the Mayor of our twin city, Kyiv. They are standing by their constituents and their country and heroically leading Ukraine’s response to invasion.

“Parties of all colours have already told us they agree – the Freedom of the City is the highest civic honour we can offer Mr Zelensky and Mr Klitschko – and if confirmed with a formal vote next week we will be able to take this forward.”

Both Motions will be raised by the Council Leaders on Thursday, following a City Summit held last week with the Acting Consul General of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Church in Edinburgh, Police, ETAG and the University of Edinburgh to drive forward Edinburgh’s efforts.

The Council has already supported the Gas holder in Granton to be lit up blue and yellow and is flying the Ukrainian flag from the City Chambers. The Lord Provost has also written to the Mayor of Kyiv outlining Edinburgh’s deepest sorrow for events, and the Council is reviewing all investments and contracts for Russian ties.

Citizens, businesses and organisations who wish to support aid efforts can make a donation to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Ukraine Appeal.

This is a co-ordinated effort with the Red Cross, Christian Aid, Oxfam and Save The Children.

Councils are failing to deliver social homes for 7,500 homeless children, says Shelter Scotland

Council leaders are failing children across the country when it comes to social housing according to Shelter Scotland. 

Ahead of the local authority elections in May, the housing charity has said council leaders need to urgently step up in order to tackle the deepening housing emergency. 

In Glasgow alone there are 2,480 children stuck in temporary accommodation, while 1,515 children in the capital face the same situation. In Aberdeen, a household with children spend 103 days in temporary accommodation on average, while in Dundee that figure rises to 285 days.

Shelter Scotland’s analysis of council’s housing plans* shows that a minimum of 7,000 social homes are needed over the next five years in Edinburgh, 3,675 in Glasgow, 853 in Aberdeen and 655 in Dundee. 

Each of the local authorities in those cities failed to deliver on their previous affordable housing targets. 

Director of Shelter Scotland, Alison Watson, said: “Right now, thousands of households, including thousands of children, are trapped in temporary accommodation. Often, they’re living in cramped conditions which are entirely unsuitable. Many of them have been living in so-called temporary accommodation for months or, in some cases, years. 

“Living in temporary accommodation can have devastating effects. It disrupts children’s learning, it places huge strain on family life, it can ruin people’s health. In the face of a deepening cost-of-living crisis this problem is only going to get worse unless action is taken now. 

“As more people are exposed to the risk of homelessness, only social housing can stem the tide. The Scottish Government has promised the cash for new social homes, we need to keep fighting to make sure they’re actually built.

“With the local elections just around the corner our cities’ leaders can’t shirk their responsibilities. We need them to step up and finally contribute to building a future where everyone in Scotland, without exception, has their right to housing upheld. 

“The scale of the challenge is clear, but council leaders must rise to meet it. The thousands of children without the security and safety a permanent home provides can’t wait a second longer.”

Shelter Scotland has launched a new campaign asking people to demand that council leaders pledge to build social housing.

For more information and to sign the petition, visit:

https://act.scotland.shelter.org.uk/social-housing-edinburgh

‘Home of Hogmanay’ seeks producers for Capital’s Winter Festivals

Underbelly no more?

Edinburgh's Hogmanay 2021 announcement

•    Council seeks producers for Edinburgh’s Christmas and Edinburgh’s Hogmanay, with tender documents published
•    Contract term for initial period of three years

Contract notices for both Edinburgh’s Christmas and Hogmanay festivals from 2022-2025 have been published on the Public Contracts Scotland website.

The specifications were devised in response to the findings of a major independent survey into the future of Edinburgh’s Winter Festivals conducted last year.

Overall, results of the 12-week consultation showed a wish to continue to provide high quality Christmas and Hogmanay celebrations but that they must be valued by residents and visitors.

The tender responses will be used to draw up a shortlist for further consideration, with the Council hoping to have a producing partner in place by the summer.

For both events and in line with the consultation responses received, the council is seeking a producer to:

  • Continue to provide high quality Christmas and Hogmanay celebrations which will be valued by residents and visitors, and continue to enhance Edinburgh’s reputation
  • Extend celebrations to other parts of the city
  • Deliver and evidence the environmental sustainability of the winter festivals, including through the local sourcing of products and minimising use of greenspace
  • Improve access for those previously less able to participate, including through physical accessibility, the design of activities for those with a range of needs, and for people on lower incomes and from deprived areas
  • Focus on making the celebrations family friendly
  • Maximise engagement with small and independent businesses to establish local market growth, including giving priority to existing and new local businesses and creatives

Also in response to the public’s feedback, the successful producer of Edinburgh’s Christmas will be required to minimise any use of greenspaces, introduce alcohol-free times and/or areas within Christmas celebrations, avoid overcrowding and improve access by distributing celebrations more widely throughout the city centre.

For Edinburgh’s Hogmanay, producers are being asked to deliver the traditional and favoured aspects of the festival, including a significant ‘midnight moment’ including for example fireworks, drones, lighting or any other significant intervention. 

Council Leader Adam McVey said: “Through our citywide conversation with residents, businesses and stakeholders last year, it was clear that there was overwhelming support for the continuation of Christmas and Hogmanay celebrations in the Capital, but with a revised format.

“More than 8,600 people and 35 organisations responded to the survey, with 87% expressing support for a Christmas celebration and 86% for Hogmanay.

“I’m confident that by acting on residents’ feedback, we can remain the home of Hogmanay and ensure our Christmas events, enjoyed by so many across the City, continue in a way that balances residents’ needs and aspirations for how they should look and feel in future.”

Council Depute Leader Cammy Day said: “Our Winter Festivals are internationally renowned and, from our conversation with the city, we were pleased that the majority wanted the Capital to keep its place on the world map for Christmas celebrations and as home of Hogmanay.

“As well as contributing to the wellbeing of our residents, our Winter Festivals deliver real economic impact, benefitting tourism, hospitality and leisure sectors in particular.

“With these new contracts, we want to continue to provide inclusive high-quality festive celebrations, further enhance the city’s reputation and allow the benefits to be shared across our town centres and communities.”

Intelligent management system unveiled at Edinburgh Bus Station

A new, state-of-the-art bus station management system has been officially unveiled at Edinburgh Bus Station, transforming the passenger experience for those travelling to and from Scotland’s Capital.

The management platform is one of the most advanced in the UK and features real-time arrival and departure information on intelligent display screens throughout the station, along with live updates on disruption, delays and events.

Upgrades include larger displays for people with visual impairments, which connect via Bluetooth to the RNIB React smart device app to read out departures, and multiple languages on some screens. Interactive ‘wayfinding’ signage has been installed to help users plan their onward journeys, with routes, travel updates and tourist information.

On Tuesday, Transport and Environment Convener Councillor Lesley Macinnes was given a tour of the improvements at the station, where more than 9000 bus and coach services pass through every month, departing to destinations across Scotland and the UK.

Councillor Macinnes said: “There is no doubt the new management system at Edinburgh Bus Station will transform the experience for anyone travelling through it. Not only is journey information much clearer and more accessible, but upgrades will really help people making onward trips around Edinburgh.

“It’s really fascinating to see the difference the improvements are making behind the scenes, managing the bus station more effectively, supporting safer departures and monitoring performance.

“By delivering a truly integrated, efficient service, these changes make travel by bus an attractive choice, which is central to our net zero target.”

Councillor Karen Doran, Transport and Environment Vice Convener, said: “The use of new technology is helping to manage the bus station more easily and effectively. This means more accurate and more available information for passengers, including the automatic notification of any delays and incidents.

“We hope projects like this will give more passengers and visitors the confidence to choose travel by bus.”

The new management system also features a bus reversing facility, helping to manage departures from the station more effectively and safely, and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras to automatically log the arrival and departure of every bus in the station.

At the centre of the platform is a Content Management System (CMS) combining live bus location data with scheduled information to provide accurate real time passenger information. This is distributed to displays inside and outside the station, as well as to Traveline Scotland, neighbouring local authorities, bus operators and local business parks.

Work to upgrade the city’s on-street 400 real time passenger information signs at bus stops, including the addition of more signs, will also begin this year, as part of the same contract. The main contractor delivering the improvements is Journeo.

Find out more about Edinburgh Bus Station on the Council website.

BT partners with local authorities in Edinburgh to boost mobile coverage

500 small cells will be deployed in towns and cities across the UK to enhance EE 4G coverage

BT is partnering with local authorities in UK towns and cities, including Edinburgh, to boost mobile coverage by mounting small cell antennas on street furniture such as lampposts and CCTV columns.

The technology and telecoms firm is also using its own assets, including phone boxes and its Street Hub 2.0 digital units, so its mobile arm EE can house hundreds of small cells to boost capacity in high demand areas.

Small cells are mobile radio cells that help to provide better coverage for customers at street level, where it’s often impractical to install larger mobile masts or where an offloading capability is required.

The programme will allow EE customers to experience uninterrupted data speeds of up to 300Mbps in the two Scottish cities along with others such as Glasgow, Leeds, Greater Manchester, London, Birmingham and Nottingham.

The infrastructure will be delivered over the next 18 months and can also support 5G network coverage in the future. In addition to enabling small cell deployment by EE, BT is also working with other UK mobile network operators to deploy small cells around the UK to help extend and densify their high-speed mobile network coverage.

Brian More O’Ferrall, Director, Mobile Operators in BT’s Enterprise business, said: “Around 200 of the small cells are already live and are helping to boost 4G coverage for EE customers in towns and cities across the UK.

“We have worked closely with our local authority partners to utilise their street furniture, as well as our own assets, to improve connectivity in these areas.

“Ensuring good digital infrastructure is a priority for many councils, especially with the rise in mobile device ownership and growth in demand for data and connectivity, and they have seen the benefits that such partnerships can provide.

“Not only does it mean that average download speeds can often double in some areas, but it’s also more efficient and means there is a reduced need for new cell masts in the localities.

“We’re pleased to be working with EE and other mobile network operators to deliver this coverage boost.”

EE was the first UK network to combine unlicensed and licensed spectrum in a single 4G small cell. Using Licensed-assisted access (LAA) allows network operators to exploit the additional capacity of 5GHz spectrum for a downlink to the mobile phone. Not only does this provide additional capacity but also improves the quality of service of key mobile functions, such as video streaming.

The small cells will be deployed across the UK including the following areas:

  • Birmingham
  • Croydon
  • Edinburgh
  • Glasgow
  • Leeds
  • Greater London (including numerous London boroughs)
  • Greater Manchester
  • Newcastle
  • Nottingham
  • Leicester
  • Cardiff

Depute Leader of the City of Edinburgh Council and Smart Cities Lead, Cammy Day, said: “This is an innovative use of space – using the Council’s existing CCTV cameras to accelerate the roll out of high-density mobile coverage and close the digital divide in some of our most disadvantaged communities.

“We are already investing in our CCTV to keep Edinburgh safe and make our systems modern and sustainable. And we know that there are lower levels of fixed or high-speed internet in parts of the city where we have CCTV coverage. That’s why we’re driving forward this initiative with BT, which will encourage providers to invest in improving mobile coverage, capacity and speeds in key parts of the city.

“It makes perfect sense to make the most out of the sites we already have and avoid any unnecessary extra street clutter, and it is innovation like this which is making sure Edinburgh has the very best mobile infrastructure in place and developing our position as one of the world’s leading smart cities!”

BT is using its new Street Hub 2.0 units to site small cells and further boost connectivity, which comes after a recent survey by the company found that two thirds of small firms agree that mobile connectivity could be improved in their area.

The new units have already been rolled out in Glasgow, Nottingham and London. Subject to local planning processes, BT is aiming to roll out around 300 Street Hub 2.0 units across the UK this year, working closely with local councils and communities.

Yesterday’s announcement also comes after the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport recently launched its new Digital Connectivity Infrastructure Accelerator (DCIA) scheme to enable telecoms firms to get easier access to public buildings and street lights, bus shelters and traffic lights to mount small cell equipment for 4G and 5G networks.

Through the pilots managed by DCIA, BT will be working closely with DCMS and local authority partners to further accelerate small cell deployment across the UK.

Gasometer lights up for Ukraine

Granton’s iconic gasholder was lit up in the colours of the Ukrainian national flag last night.

The Council in partnership with Edinburgh College hosted members of the local and Ukrainian communities to watch the switch on of the lights as a gesture of solidarity with the people of Ukraine.

This follows city leaders coming together at a summit held last week at the City Chambers to discuss Edinburgh’s ongoing response to the crisis in Ukraine.

Council Leader Adam McVey said: “Last week when we met at the City Chambers with the Ukrainian community, we made a commitment to offer support wherever we can. Lighting the gasholder is a symbol of our support and solidarity with the people of our twin city Kyiv and all of Ukraine.

“As the humanitarian crisis escalates in Ukraine, the people of Edinburgh have been extremely generous in offering support and donating to the Disasters Emergency Committee appeal to help those facing terrifying circumstances as they defend their country.

“We’ll also continue to fly the Ukrainian flag at the City Chambers and take local actions to support Ukraine further and condemn Putin’s illegal war.

Depute Leader Cammy Day said: “There’s more people of Ukrainian descent living in the Capital than anywhere else in Scotland and so we’re lighting up the gasholder as a display of our support for them.

“I’d like to offer my thanks again to the people of Edinburgh for their outpouring of support at this time of crisis for the people of Ukraine. We welcome Ukrainian citizens to Edinburgh and we will do whatever we can to support them.”

Edinburgh College Principal and CEO Audrey Cumberford MBE FRSE said: “By lighting the gasholder in the colours of the Ukrainian flag, we, together with council colleagues, are demonstrating our solidarity with the people of Ukraine.

“At Edinburgh College, we stand with all of those who are suffering as a result of this war and are providing direct support to staff and students who are affected. We will continue to do what we can to support the local Ukrainian community in the city and are proud to play our part in Edinburgh’s collective effort to help.”

IWD: new Central Library mural celebrating Edinburgh women

To mark International Women’s Day 2022 we’re inviting residents and students from selected high schools, to help us create a brand-new mural for Central Library.

The mural will display portraits of an array of influential Edinburgh women, past and present. Inspired by a similar project that has been running in America since 2016 called ‘Work in Progress’, we’ll display the finished mural as part of an exhibition in the Central Library.

We’d like to invite you to get involved in creating the stencils of the nominated figures. Please join us at one of the three stencilling workshops at Central Library on 12, 19 and 26 March.

Book your place at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/edinburgh-reads-1650684470 

To kick off the celebration and project, we’ve got a very special discussion with local author Sara Sheridan, who talks about her favourite trailblazing Edinburgh women.

Sign up to our blog, Tales of One City, to watch the video:

 :https://talesofonecity.wordpress.com/2022/03/08/public-mural-project-to-celebrate-women-of-edinburgh/

Keep your eyes peeled for updates on social media!

#InternationalWomensDay22

#BreakTheBias