Senior Practitioners will take industrial action in a dispute over failure to deal with workers’ issues and imposition of changes
Unite members within Social Care Direct (Children’s Services) are set to strike from 16 to 18 April in a dispute about imposed changes at work, continued mistreatment from management and the failure to deal with issues raised by workers.
Read on to understand the impact and how you can help your colleagues in dispute:
Front door to social work
Social Care Direct is the ‘front door’ to social work for children and families in Edinburgh, therefore the strike will have a significant impact. However, the Council have chosen to ignore workers in this area, knowing that this would result in industrial action that creates risks.
The workers are long-standing council workers and senior professionals. They have dedicated their lives to protecting children’s welfare and are committed to safeguarding and helping families in Edinburgh. All along Unite members have been ready to engage with management to find a resolution. However, members have been forced to take action as a last resort as management refuse to take their concerns seriously or engage in a meaningful way.
How we got here
Unite members raised concerns in January 2023 and are still awaiting a response. All the while chances were impose on the service, without consulting with workers or including them in the process.
Unite members are welcoming of changes—in fact, have been calling for them for some time—but we are clear that all changes must be done with workers not to them.
All too familiar
The Council’s failures here come in the context of the Council having allegedly improved how they deal with employee concerns following the Tanner Inquiry and last year’s Stanyte vs Edinburgh Council employment tribunal, which ruled that the council failed to appropriately handle a grievance.
Nearly a quarter of Scottish councils warn of effective bankruptcy
EVERY SINGLE COUNCIL plans cuts to services, affecting millions of residents
New research out today from Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) Scotland reveals that nearly a quarter of Scottish councils fear they will not be able to balance their budgets in the 2024/25 financial year.
This is despite the fact that every single council in Scotland plans to cut spending on services in the next financial year, with around two-thirds of respondents cutting spending on education, parks and leisure, and business support.
Alongside planned cuts, nearly all (97%) said that they would be increasing fees and charges, and nine in ten (89%) that they would be spending reserves.
The first annual LGIU State of Local Government Finance in Scotland survey, found more than three quarters of respondents (76%) believe these cuts will be evident to the public.
Had it not been for the Scottish Government decision to unilaterally declare a council tax freeze, every council would have raised council tax, most often by a significant amount. The proposed council tax freeze has contributed to an increasingly poor relationship between Scottish Government and local government.
The current state of the economy, manifested in high rates of inflation, affects wages, utilities and food, thus making service provision even more expensive for councils and was considered to be a problem by every respondent who answered. The associated cost of living crisis – which puts additional demand on services – was also considered to be a problem by over 90% of respondents.
There was widespread agreement on the most pressing issues in council finances: in addition to inflation, ring-fencing, staff recruitment, cost of living crisis and pressures linked to demographic change were all considered to be problems by more than 90% of respondents.
Adult social care and children’s services were considered the greatest shortest-term pressures on council finances, and adult social care by far the greatest long-term pressure.
Jonathan Carr-West, Chief Executive, LGIU Scotland,said: “Councils in Scotland are raising a red flag that council finances are completely unsustainable. With nearly a quarter of councils warning they may be unable to fulfil their statutory duties, it is only a matter of time before we see the first council in Scotland declare effective bankruptcy.
“Councils are pulling every lever available to them to balance their books. Every respondent said they were cutting spending on services, 97% that they would be increasing fees and charges, 89% that they would be spending reserves. But it is not enough. Councils have little to no confidence in local government finance and the issues behind the crisis are not going away.
“Scottish Government must work productively with councils to restore trust, remove ring fencing, identify revenue streams and reform core funding for councils to ensure residents, and particularly the most vulnerable in communities, are able to access the services they need and pay for.”
Edinburgh Tenants Federation are holding in-person and online support sessions for any Edinburgh Council tenants who want to respond to the city council’s Rent Consultation.
Please contact Shona Agnew – shona@edinburghtenants.org.uk / telephone 07399584282 if you wish to book on one of the dates listed.
Local councillors from Cornwall to the Orkney Islands shortlisted for national awards
49 local councillors from across England, Wales and Scotland have been shortlisted for the 2023 LGIU and CCLA Cllr Awards, showcasing the vital contributions of councillors for the 14th year running.
Only one City of Edinburgh councillor has made the shortlist. Leith Labour councillor James Dalgleish (above) is in the running for the Young Councillor of the Year Award.
The winners in England & Wales will be announced at the Guildhall in London at 7pm on 16 November 2023. The winners in Scotland will be announced at the City Chambers in Edinburgh at 7pm on 21 November 2023.
The Cllr Awards judging panels are made up of senior councillors and leading stakeholders from across the sector. These are the only national awards to celebrate and showcase the work of individual councillors. This year’s awards are made possible thanks to the generous support of founding partners CCLA.
Jonathan Carr-West, Chief Executive, LGIU said: “In the face of unprecedented domestic and global challenges over the last year, councillors nationwide have once again exhibited unwavering dedication to serving their constituents.
“The shortlist for the 2023 Cllr Awards represents some of the most devoted elected representatives in England, Wales and Scotland.
“As councils continue to deliver essential services like social care and housing amid a cost of living crisis, these Awards are a hugely important way to champion what councillors do locally. Their work, all too often, goes unrecognised and we take great pride in featuring their stories in this year’s shortlist.
“Congratulations to all the councillors nominated and shortlisted and I look forward to announcing the winners in November.”
Over 100 new council homes have been approved as part of Edinburgh’s major regeneration of Fountainbridge.
Formerly the site of the Fountain Brewery, the huge number of new homes for social rent will feature in a 49,000 square metre redevelopment overlooking the Union Canal.
The area will be transformed as part of a development called Leamington Square – a joint venture between the City of Edinburgh Council as landowner and a partnership between Cruden Homes (East) Ltd and Buccleuch Property. They will deliver around 464 homes alongside landscaping and infrastructure improvements, over 2,700 square metres of retail space supporting the creation of a 20-minute neighbourhood approach and new local jobs.
The Council will own 115 homes for social rent and 71 homes for mid market rent as part of the plans and support the delivery of additional, affordable new homes. It will also spearhead the creation of a community growing space and new integrated cycle ways. Over 1,000 cycle parking spaces are planned for the development in total.
The Union Canal is a Local Nature Conservation Site and landscaping is planned to create a biodiverse area in harmony with the character of the waterway. Generous use of trees of varying species is also planned while the development will be designed to minimise greenhouse gas emissions and incorporate low carbon technologies, in line with Edinburgh’s ambitious net zero aims. Historic elements of the adjacent North British Rubber Factory will also be preserved and incorporated into the designs.
It is envisaged that work will begin in 2024 and be fully built-out by 2027.
Councillor Jane Meagher, Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener, said: “For years, Edinburgh has desperately needed more new social housing. This council is determined to tackle that shortfall and I’m delighted that we’ve secured space for over 100 new homes for social rent at Leamington Square.
“Just a stone’s throw away from the Union Canal, with great cycle links and amenities on the doorstep, the regeneration of the old brewery site is sure to prove a really popular place to live.
“The demand we are seeing for affordable and social homes is only going to increase as our city grows. And, while the future is challenging, together with developers and others we are doing everything within our powers to make it fairer on residents and on our environment with high quality, affordable, sustainable homes.”
Carlo D’Emidio, Project Director of Cruden Homes, said: “This is a significant milestone for this flagship new development, which will see the transformation of this former brownfield site in Fountainbridge into a vibrant new community.
“Subject to our development agreement with City of Edinburgh Council, Cruden and Buccleuch will deliver highly sustainable, Net Zero homes which will sit amongst a wealth of new amenities and community spaces in the Capital’s newest neighbourhood.”
Ewan Anderson, Managing Director, 7N Architects, said:“7N Architects are delighted that planners have approved our latest plans for this new, mixed use, neighbourhood at Fountainbridge in Edinburgh.
“The development will provide 464 mixed-tenure homes, 30,000 sq.ft of mixed-use space and people friendly public realm which will reinvigorate this important canalside site. We now look forward to taking the project onwards with Cruden Homes, Buccleuch Property and the City of Edinburgh Council.”
There are now 12,960 more CCTV cameras in the UK than there were three years ago
Almost seven in ten (69%) local authorities have increased their surveillance
Gwynedd and Wokingham councils have both upped their CCTV installations by over 300%
The number of public CCTV cameras in the UK has now risen to over 100,000, with some local authorities more than quadrupling their surveillance over the last three years.
IronmongeryDirect, the UK’s largest supplier of specialist ironmongery, issued Freedom of Information requests to local authorities and found that almost seven in ten (69%) have increased their CCTV presence since 2019.
Across the UK, there are now 108,533 public cameras, representing an increase of 14% (12,960 new devices). This doesn’t include privately owned equipment, such as cameras operated by businesses or members of the public, so the overall total will be even greater.
The biggest rise in CCTV has been in Gwynedd, in north-west Wales, where the council now operates 468 cameras, compared to 101 in 2019 – an increase of 363%. A new system has recently been installed that added multiple static cameras in locations where there used to be one pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) device.
Gwynedd Council is one of 16 local authorities that have more than doubled their CCTV over the last three years.
The local authorities that have increased CCTV at the quickest rate since 2019 are:
The biggest numerical increase was found in Liverpool, where there are now 741 more cameras than there were in 2019 (754 up to 1,495).
The London Borough of Hackney, however, has the highest level of surveillance. The council controls 3,119 CCTV devices, which is 815 more than any other local authority.
The councils with the most CCTV cameras in the UK are:
#
Local authority
CCTV cameras in 2022
1
London Borough of Hackney
3,119
2
London Borough of Hillingdon
2,304
3
South Lanarkshire Council
2,154
4
City of Edinburgh
2,027
5
Portsmouth
1,997
IronmongeryDirect spoke to Grant Fulton, CMC Operations Manager at Corps Monitoring, who predicts that the number of CCTV cameras in the UK will continue to increase: “As technology continues to advance, so too will the application of CCTV monitoring systems.
“Over the next few years, CCTV technology will improve our personal safety, the safety of our homes, businesses, assets, and far more.
“Currently, CCTV is mainly used for heatmaps and people counting but, in the future, CCTV-based facial recognition will be a significant part of our world, carrying major implications for personal device security and shopping.
“And as this technology increases, it drives down the cost of surveillance protection, making it more affordable and accessible than ever before.”
Dominick Sandford, Managing Director at IronmongeryDirect, said: “CCTV is an integral part of modern-day society, and cameras have grown more commonplace in recent years as technology and connectivity have improved.
“The increases revealed in our research might raise privacy concerns, but generally CCTV benefits the safety and security of both the public and businesses, and the upwards trend is unlikely to stop anytime soon.”
To read IronmongeryDirect’s CCTV Capitals of the UK: 2022 Report, including the CCTV figures for every UK local authority, visit:
I wanted to spread some festive cheer and send details of a free outdoor Christmas Carol Concert led by Edinburgh College taking place at Forthquarter Park by the Granton Gasholder next Thursday 9th December at 6pm.
It is a free outdoor event, with some complimentary mulled wine and mince pies on offer provided by North Edinburgh Arts café. The music will be led by the Edinburgh College music department, including the Edinburgh College Chamber Choir, String Ensemble and Clarinet Quartet. There will be carol sheets for singing along!
The college are looking for local people that might be interested in doing a festive reading, or a young person to do the solo for the first verse of Away in a Manager. If that might be of interest, please do let me know.
See below for link to the Facebook page – please do share with your networks, and perhaps see some of you there!
City of Edinburgh Councillor Ellie Bird (above, far right) has been shortlisted in the Champion for Education category in this year’s LGIU Scotland & CCLA Cllr Awards.
Running for the 4th year, the Cllr Awards are the only national ceremony to celebrate the vital contributions of councillors that so often go unrecognised. As communities continue to recover from the pandemic, these Awards are a hugely important way to champion what local councillors do for their communities.
Competition was extremely tight again this year with nearly 100 nominations received across six categories that celebrate the varied work of councillors. Some of the awards up for grabs include Resilience and Recovery (new for 2021), alongside the coveted Community Champion, Leader of the Year and New Councillor of the Year awards. The full shortlist is included below.
The winners will be decided by a panel of judges composed of senior councillors and officers as well as leading stakeholders from across the sector. The winners will be revealed at the Cllr Awards ceremony taking place on Wednesday, 24th November from 6:30pm until 9pm at Glasgow City Chambers. The ceremony will also be broadcast live on YouTube.
This year’s awards are only made possible thanks to the generous support of founding partners CCLA.
Jonathan Carr-West, Chief Executive, LGIU Scotland said: “This year’s Cllr Awards shortlist showcases the best of local government. During a time when they have experienced unprecedented challenges and pressure, these councillors are true champions for local government and their communities.
“The last year has reminded each and every one of us of the effort and lengths to which councillors go to support their citizens. As such, we were overwhelmed by powerful stories and experiences coming through the nearly 100 nominations received for councillors across Scotland.
“Our most sincere congratulations to all of those councillors shortlisted. We look forward to unveiling the winners on Wednesday, 24 November.”
Cllr Eleanor ‘Ellie’ Bird is councillor for Edinburgh’s Forth ward, the city’s Young People’s Champion and a trustee of both Spartans Community Football Academy and Changeworks.
She believes passionately in placing the voice of young people at the heart of decision-making and is currently working to support candidates for the Scottish Youth Parliament election.
Ellie is the only City of Edinburgh councillor to be shortlisted in the national awards.
About the Award Categories
Champion for Education
The Champion for Education award celebrates councillors who have guaranteed that everybody has access to high-quality education. This can include championing adult education, providing new learning opportunities that have previously been unavailable, or ensuring that no one gets left behind.
The winner of this award will have:
worked with educational bodies and the council to enable high-quality education;
listened to the needs of their local community to introduce new opportunities for learning;
thought creatively to introduce educational approaches that are tailored to suit different needs.
Latest Green Space Index launched by Fields in Trust
Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge launched the latest Green Space Index yesterday during a visit to Starbank Park.
The visit came ahead of COP26, which will be taking place in Glasgow later this year, with today’s event one of a number of projects with a positive effect on climate change that The Duke and Duchess have visited across Scotland.
Urban parks and green spaces boost air quality, support habitats and mitigate the effects of climate change.
The Green Space Index is Fields in Trust’s annual barometer of publicly accessible local park and green space provision. First launched in 2019, this third release once again highlights the inequities in provision across Britain.
Despite their value for health, wellbeing, community and environment, some parts of Britain have access to half the green space as others – Scots enjoy 38.18 sqm of provision per person whilst for residents in London the figure falls to just 19.53 sqm.
Seven of the nine English regions do not meet a minimum standard of green space provision as measured by the GSI Score, and whilst both Scotland and Wales do meet this minimum standard their scores have both fallen over the last twelve months.
Areas with the least provision tend to be those with a higher incidence of deprivation – precisely the communities who benefit most from green space access.
Across Britain, 2.78 million people live further than a ten-minute walk from their nearest park or green space. That’s the finding of the latest Green Space Index which reveals that, despite their vital role in the nation’s wellbeing during lockdown, our much loved local parks are not equally accessible to all.
The findings of the Index were reviewed by Fields in Trust President, HRH The Duke of Cambridge who was visiting Starbank Park with HRH The Duchess of Cambridge as part of their tour of Scotland.
The Duke and Duchess met volunteers from the Friends of Starbank Park and local residents of all ages for whom the park was a sanctuary during the coronavirus lockdowns as a place to play, exercise, relax and reflect.
Yesterday’s event also saw Edinburgh’s Lord Provost, Frank Ross, unveil a new commitment by The City of Edinburgh Council which will ensure almost everyone in the city lives no more than a ten-minute walk from a green space which is legally protected for good.
Starbank Park is one of 34 already protected with Fields in Trust by The City of Edinburgh Council and today’s announcement by the Lord Provost means that figure is set to grow.
The Council will protect a further 25 green spaces, serving communities who do not already have a protected space close to home, to ensure almost everyone in the city lives no more than a ten-minute walk from a park or green space which is protected for good.
Edinburgh’s Lord Provost, Frank Ross, said: “Edinburgh is already a wonderfully green city, and we want to ensure it remains that way for generations to come.
“I’m extremely pleased to announce that the City of Edinburgh Council will be looking to partner with Fields in Trust in protecting in perpetuity a further 25 green spaces – adding to the 34 already protected.
“This will mean that almost everyone in Edinburgh will be within a ten-minute walk of a protected green space, ensuring that for years to come citizens are guaranteed a lifetime of opportunity for activity, play, learning, recuperation and community.
“Scores of volunteers across the city work alongside the Council to support our parks, green spaces and cemeteries. We are very grateful to Friends of Starbank Park their ongoing hard work and dedication and we will continue to work with them to make sure these important areas are preserved for the benefit of our future generations.”
The City of Edinburgh Council will protect a further 25 green spaces for good – taking their total to 59 local parks – to ensure nearly all the city’s residents live no more than a ten-minute walk from a protected green space.
In taking this commitment the city council has become the first local authority in Scotland to adopt such a bold vision for their green spaces and follows in the footsteps of Liverpool City Council.
Discover the Green Space Index findings near you using our interactive online map covering the whole of Great Britain.
Scotland’s national charity for older people has written to Edinburgh councillors in support of proposals for an increase in the availability of public toilets in the city.
The proposals, outlined in the “Future Provision of Public Conveniences” report, are set to be discussed by members of Edinburgh City Council’s Transport and Environment Committee today (22 April) and include recommendations for investment in 15 current public toilet sites as well as highlighting six areas where future facilities are being considered.
Age Scotland believes that there should be an increase in availability of public toilets in the city and says these proposals would be hugely beneficial, giving many older people and those with disabilities the much-needed confidence to get out and about.
They believe that the public toilets in Colinton should remain as part of the council’s network, resisting any proposal to close them, and urge that all existing public toilets in Edinburgh are reopened, made safe for use and available to residents as soon as possible, particularly given increased demand due to recent easing of lockdown measures and travel restrictions.
The charity advised that councillors should carefully consider accessibility of any new facilities if charging was to be established, given the large number of older people and people on low incomes who do not use contactless cards or do not have a bank account, preferring cash as a means of payment and budgeting.
Age Scotland’s Chief Executive Brian Sloan said: “Ensuring good access to clean, safe and accessible public toilets is so important and something which older people and people with disabilities raise with us regularly.
“This would be a positive investment in the city, for residents and tourists, and go some way to helping people feel confident to travel throughout the city, contribute to the local economy and improve their quality of life.
“We know that without good access to public conveniences many people, older and with certain medical conditions, can be discouraged from leaving their home which is harmful to their physical and mental health.
“While these new proposals look to the future, people must be supported to reconnect with others, take part in activities and boost the economy as a matter of urgency. It will be harder to support this, and tackle the effects of loneliness and social isolation, without ensuring that all existing public toilets are reopened.”
