‘The Culture Secretary hailed improvements but too many people here in Edinburgh haven’t seen them’ – Edinburgh North and Leith MP Mark Lazarowicz
Edinburgh North and Leith MP Mark Lazarowicz has called for action to tackle the households and businesses in Edinburgh bypassed by superfast broadband. He has urged any constituents affected to contact him.
Mr Lazarowicz stressed the need for concerted action from the UK and Scottish Governments, Edinburgh City Council and – not least – broadband providers during a Westminster debate yesterday.
The MP spoke out after being contacted by a stream of constituents who don’t have access despite assurances and announcements hailing new roll-outs – often reheated – from both Ministers and broadband providers.
Speaking last night, Mark Lazarowicz explained: “I am regularly contacted by constituents, whether in Central Edinburgh or new developments along the waterfront, who don’t have access to superfast broadband.
“It’s a vital part of basic infrastructure for businesses and the many people who work from home as well as for leisure as well – the failure to connect people living in or near Scotland’s capital city is damaging to our economy.
“The Culture Secretary hailed improvements but too many people here in Edinburgh haven’t seen them, with fibre optic cable sometimes passing within a few feet of new flats left unconnected.
“My aim is not to allot blame but to get action that is long overdue – I am asking any constituents affected to contact me so I can pressure government and broadband providers to come together to act.”
Mr Lazarowicz has raised access to superfast broadband with BT and also previously at Culture, Media and Sport questions in Parliament but the action promised hasn’t materialised.
He is asking people in Edinburgh North and Leith who have been unable to get access to superfast broadband to contact him at
Young people take the lead in nationwide Safer Internet Day campaign
Young people across the UK are joining together to create a kinder online community today,Safer Internet Day 2015, as a new study into Friendship in a Digital Age reveals that 30% of young people have been on the receiving end of mean online behaviour in the past year.
The research comes as official organisers of the day, the UK Safer Internet Centre, launch #Up2Us, a new film made by over 150 schoolchildren about their online experiences – both good and bad – with the aim of inspiring young people across the UK to do something kind online this Safer Internet Day. The film will be premiered at events across the UK today, attended by government Ministers and young people.
Celebrities, including young stars such as Britain’s Got Talent finalists Bars and Melody, and Olympic gymnast Beth Tweddle, have backed the campaign. Beth and other celebrities feature on Safer Internet Day TV, which is hosted by CBBC Friday Download presenters Molly and Harvey, and will be available online today from 11am and 2pm, with a social media takeover by Bars and Melody at 8pm.
They join hundreds supporting the #SID2015 social media campaign to ‘share a smile online’, which is set to reach over 1.5 million in a mass tweet at 8am today, along with over 800 organisations that have pledged their support for Safer Internet Day 2015. High profile partners including the BBC, CEOP, Disney, the FA, Facebook, Google, Lloyds Banking Group, Microsoft, NSPCC, Twitter and the UK Government, as well as hundreds of schools and other organisations, are all coming together to deliver a range of inspiring activities across the UK.
Friendship in a digital age
According to the online study of more than a thousand 11-16-year-olds conducted by ResearchBods, more than three quarters (78%) believe that young people have the power to create a kinder online community. The majority (88%) of the young people questioned say they always try to be kind in their online interactions.
The study reveals the huge role that technology plays in supporting young people’s friendships, with over half (55%) saying they interact online with their closest friends several times an hour and 63% saying they are closer to their friends because of the internet. Reassuringly the internet is a positive place for the majority of young people surveyed. When questioned about their time spent on social networks and messaging apps, the majority of 11-16s (63%) felt that people were kind to them on the internet most of the time.
However, some young people face negative experiences online. Almost a third (30%) of young people said that someone had been mean to them in the last year, with 1 in 20 (5%) saying that people were mean to them most of the time on the internet.
Many of these young people are taking positive steps to tackle these negative experiences, with three-quarters (75%) of young people who experienced mean behaviour saying they have blocked someone in the last year, while 68% said they have supported someone else who was being targeted online. More positively, 64% of young people said they felt able to cope with anything negative that might happen online and 81% said they know what to do if someone is abusive towards them online.
An additional survey of UK adults by ComRes demonstrates that this isn’t just an issue for children. 45% of adults who use social networking and messaging apps said they occasionally see people on their social networks and messaging apps posting unkind, negative or upsetting content. People sharing gossip and rumours has occurred for three quarters (72%) of adults using social networking and messaging apps, while around three in five (59%) have experienced people posting things that attack a certain group (e.g. racist, sexist or homophobic comments).
That’s why everyone is being encouraged to play their part in creating a better internet.
Will Gardner, Director of the UK Safer Internet Centre, said: “It’s heartening to hear that the majority of young people are finding the internet a positive place on the whole, but there’s more to be done to make sure that’s the experience for everyone. We’re encouraging everyone to take action today – whether that’s sharing a smiley face or making a promise about your online behaviour. It really is up to us to make the internet a better place.”
For more information on the activities taking place to celebrate Safer Internet Day, visit the UK Safer Internet Centre website.
North Edinburgh News (NEN) is to lead Contact in the Capital – North, a pilot programme to improve communications across the Forth and Inverleith areas.
A project board, comprising representatives from community councils, the local Young Peoples Forum and Neighbourhood Partnership conveners has met over recent weeks to agree performance targets with NEN, following a recent Neighbourhood Survey on local communications conducted by North Local Office.
The survey found that local people clearly like many different forms of communication, and get their news from a variety of sources! As the survey proved inconclusive, NEN will produce both digital and printed media – we plan to produce three newspapers before the end of this financial year and our digital presence will also be improved and enhanced.
And we’ll be working with community councils. schools, youth groups and community organisations to ensure that what we produce is what the communities of Forth and Inverleith want and need – and that it’s interesting, fun and informative.
We’ll be in touch over the coming weeks – and we’ll keep you updated on the blog – but in the meantime we would love to hear your suggestions, ideas and opinions. Why not comment on this article or email northedinnews@gmail.com?
How do you get your information? How do you find out what’s happening in your local area? TV, radio, newspapers, social media, newsletters, posters, emails, leaflets … there are so many different ways to be kept informed, but what works best for you?
Forth and Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnerships are supporting an initiative to improve local communications, and they need your help to get things right!
How do you currently access information and how would you prefer to receive communications? Please complete the attached online survey at:
It should only take a few minutes to complete or, if you prefer, this can also be done using the printable version (attached below).
If friends or colleagues don’t go online – and many people still don’t have access to a computer – please let them know about the survey; why not print off a copy for them?
But do it soon – the survey closes in two weeks on 31 May!
The North Edinburgh News has had some good news in the run-up to tomorrow’s annual general meeting. Last week, the city council’s Policy & Strategy Committee agreed that North Edinburgh is one of three neighbourhoods selected to pilot ‘community-based information initiatives’.
Since the decision was taken to scrap ‘Outlook’, the city council has been looking for new ways of improving communications and getting information out into communities, and the £50,000 ‘Contact in the Capital’ pilots will now run for twelve months in the North Edinburgh, Gorgie/Dalry and Craigmillar communities.
The council support for NEN, which it describes in background papers as ‘a locally well-regarded newspaper and blog’, is both welcome and timely. NEN last appeared in print form back in June and since then has remained alive through this online blog until decisions on the paper’s future could be made.
It’s now thought that the council support can help support a NEN relaunch, although the NEN’s voluntary board members have still to discuss the detail of what is being proposed – NEN remains an independent community organisation managed by local people.
It’s hoped that more information about how the scheme could work will be forthcoming at NEN’s annual general meeting (it’s on the Agenda, attached), which takes place tomorrow (Tuesday 12 November) at Spartans Community Football Academy at Ainslie Park. All welcome.
