Tag: community centres

Back from the Brink: Last minute reprieve for local community centres

PRENTICE CENTRE REMAINS CLOSED FOR NOW

TWO North Edinburgh community centres were saved from closure following a last-ditch intervention by councillors at a marathon council meeting yesterday.

Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre was braced for closure this summer following months of uncertainty over funding, while the voluntary management board of West Granton Community Trust announced on Monday that the Prentice Centre also faced closure due to spiralling running costs.

Councillors unanimously agreed a composite motion after three similar motions were submitted on Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre:

Noting that there are three motions tabled on Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre, this
amendment is to composite motion 8.3 by Councillor Day (Drylaw Neighbourhood
Centre) with motion 8.4 by Councillor Osler (Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre) and
motion 8.12 by Councillor Nicolson (Save Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre).
Amends the text of motion 8.3 as follows:

“Council;

  1. notes the work towards a model of 20-minute neighbourhoods across the
    city which requires the development of strong local community facilities that
    are locally and easily accessible for all residents.
  2. recognises the critical role that neighbourhood and community centres play
    in our communities, not only providing services to those of all ages, but also
    in maintaining safe places for people to meet and spend time.
  3. notes the board of Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre have made clear that the
    centre is not going to survive financially beyond summer without one-off
    funding support from the council.
  4. thanks officers for their actions so far in offering advice and some practical
    support to the organisation but regrets this has not managed to help the
    centre reach a positive outcome.
  5. agrees that officers should work with Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre’s
    Management Committee to create a sound and sustainable financial
    arrangement that allows the Centre to continue over the long term.

Yesterday’s marathon full council meeting also agreed the following Addendum, which was moved by new Forth SNP councillor Stuart Dobbin and seconded by his SNP collague, Invereleith’s Vicky Nicholson, who was also elected in May.

The Addendum reads:

  1. Notes the decision by West Granton Community Trust (announced on June
    27th) to close the Prentice Centre in a matter of months unless immediate
    action is taken.
  2. Recognises the critical role that the Prentice Centre plays in the community
    it serves, not only providing services to those of all ages, but also in
    maintaining safe places for people to meet and spend time.
  3. Agrees therefore to also delegate to the Director of Education and Children
    Services to award £50,000 from Council Unallocated Reserves for the
    Prentice Centre to ensure the Centre can remain open and continue serving
    the community in the short term. The award of grant is subject to appropriate
    due diligence, including grant conditions on expenditure and assurances
    from the Centre on additional funding being secure.
  4. Agrees that due to the number of community-run centres facing closure due
    to financial strain, that a report is brought to Council in one cycle identifying
    those under financial strain and where additional resources can be made
    available to keep valuable community resources open. This report should
    also consider the state of management in the community-run centre sector
    and recommend principles for the relationship between CEC and centres on
    financial matters.

The eleventh hour funding agreement does not guarantee that either Centre will remain open long term, but it does at least give both of these valuable community resources some time and support to explore other options to ensure their survival.

The council decision of short-term financial support will come as a huge relief to staff and management committees in particular but also the hundreds of residents of all ages who support their local community centres.

The work must begin now to ensure that both Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre and The Prentice Centre can look forward to sustainable futures.

UPDATE:

West Granton Community Hub Manager Moira Fanning has been in touch (Saturday 2 July) to say that the Prentice Centre “remains CLOSED as negotiations with the Council have not been finalised”.

I will post more information when it becomes available.

Local adult learning consultation

Learning new things: where and how would you want to do it?

If you were looking to learn something new – whether it’s to get a job, for a hobby or just because you fancy it – where would you want to do it? At home? In a local school or community centre? With a local employer or community group? Online?

We’re working with our Granton Waterfront regeneration partners to find out what people living in the area think about learning – why is learning important to you?

How does it affect you and your life? What you would like to learn about? How do you learn best? What things help you learn? What things make it harder to learn?

Please give us your answers on our online questionnaire:

www.edinburgh.gov.uk/grantonlearning

Deadline: 31 January 2022

Fay Butler| Programme Officer|Edinburgh Waterfront| Place| City of Edinburgh Council| DD: 07562 171 063

Reminder: Community Learning & Development planning event

Thursday 19 August, 10am – 11.45am

As the current plan comes to an end, it’s time to explore opportunities, hopes and aspirations for the next 3 years.

Help make sure the community and voluntary sector has a voice in this process, by getting involved in this discussion.

You’re invited to have a say on Edinburgh’s Community Learning and Development Plan for 2021 – 2024.

About this event

You might ask yourself what is Community Learning & Development (CLD) and why is it important for my group or organisation to have a say in future planning?

The ambition for the Edinburgh CLD plan is to make a positive difference for the citizens and communities of the City and the organisations in the community / voluntary sector work with children, young people and adults to do just that.

That means it’s essential that our sector plays a part in strategic planning in areas like adult learning, youthwork, community centres, communities and citizens who are seldom heard and so much more.

THE EVENT

Paul McCloskey (CEC Lifelong Learning Strategic Manager – CLD and Libraries), Laurene Edgar (LAYC Director and Edinburgh Community Learning and Development Partnership Chair) will lead this event.

They’ll take you through the plan and the potential for this to be a key aspect of the development of citizens and communities in Edinburgh.

You will also have the chance to join in 2 of the following themed breakout groups:

  • Adult Learning
  • Community Centres
  • Youthwork
  • Seldom Heard Communities & Voices

EVENT LINK

Registration for this event closes TODAY – Wednesday 18 August at 6pm.

You will receive an email through Eventbrite by 9am on Thu 19 Aug that includes the Zoom link for this event.

If you don’t receive this email please get in touch, but we recommend checking your email junk folder: esther.currie@evoc.org.uk

Key Council services set to reopen

A number of key Council services, including libraries, community centres and galleries, will shortly reopen following the move to Level 3 in Scotland earlier this week.

Plans have been developed to prioritise the reopening of these venues in line with the Scottish Government’s current guidance and route map out of lockdown.

Services resuming include:

  • Three libraries reopening on Monday (3 May) with a further six in the coming weeks (full details below)
  • The City Art Centre will open on 15 May with four free summer exhibitions scheduled
  • Outdoor extra-curricular activities in schools restarted this week
  • Edinburgh Leisure centres are now open for individual exercise, including gyms, swimming pools, indoor court hire, racquet sports and children’s coaching, with outdoor contact sports for 12 to 17-year-olds and community access to high school sports facilities also restarted.

We’re also working closely with Community Centre Management Committees to decide what services are able to operate from the centres and when.

We’ll be following the latest Scottish Government and health guidance to make sure all venues are safe to reopen. Our first priority thus far has been ensuring our schools could reopen safely for our young people and staff but strict cleaning regimes and other measures will be in place to ensure the safety of everyone visiting venues or taking part in activities.

Culture and Communities Convener, Councillor Donald Wilson, said: “It’s great to see our first libraries reopening their doors next week with more to follow in May as part of our plans for a gradual reopening of community amenities across the city.

“This phased reopening, which will also see the City Art Centre welcome back visitors, community centres offering essential services like youth work and Edinburgh Leisure venues up and running again, is the first step in our gradual and careful emergence from lockdown.

“Our libraries are invaluable resources for local communities as there’s so much more to a library than just borrowing books. They are trusted and much-loved hub buildings which strengthen local communities and are essential for the wellbeing of our citizens.

“Libraries are a vital requirement in any democratic society, giving access to knowledge and literature, helping to bridge the digital divide and supporting literacy.”

Culture and Communities Vice Convener Cllr Amy McNeese-Mechan said: “We really appreciate everyone’s support and patience as we gradually start to welcome people back into their much-loved local spaces like our libraries, community centres and sports venues. I’m sure everyone will fully appreciate that our top priority remains the health of our citizens and staff.

“I’m particularly delighted that our libraries are able to begin reopening, especially here in the world’s first UNESCO City of Literature, but also that the City Art Centre is able to open with four fantastic new – and free – exhibitions for our residents to enjoy as they take their first steps back towards normality.”

Libraries

Central, Drumbrae, and Kirkliston will be open this Monday (3 May) followed by Craigmillar, Fountainbridge, McDonald Road and Stockbridge (10 May). Wester Hailes will reopen on 17 May and Gilmerton on 24 May.

It is hoped that the remaining libraries will open again as soon as possible after these dates.

Residents are reminded that numbers will be limited in the buildings due to the safety measures in place and visits will need to be booked in advance – this can be done online or by phoning the library.

The buildings will be open by appointment for browsing and borrowing books, using computers and the internet, processing bus passes (National Entitlement Cards) or collecting hearing aid batteries. Returning books and picking up free sanitary products will not require a booking.

Social distancing measures will be in place and wearing face coverings is mandatory.

Museums and Galleries

The City Art Centre will open on 15 May with two new exhibitions –Bright Shadows: Scottish Art in the 1920s and Charles H. Mackie: Colour and Light. Two further exhibitions are planned Marine: Ian Hamilton Finlay (22 May) and Islander: The paintings of Donald Smith following a week later. All exhibitions are free.

Plans are being finalised for the reopening of other galleries and museums. Updates regarding reopening dates and measures in place to keep everyone safe will be published as soon as possible.

Community centres

We’re contacting all Community Centre Management Committees this week to provide support in re-establishing essential services such as youth work. As was the case before lockdown, processes are in place to allow them to identify services they want to resume and any support required to do so.

Extracurricular activities (ECA)

Outdoor ECA resumed in schools on 26 April and include activities such as sport, drama, dance music and art.

Indoor ECA aren’t currently permitted under the guidance but we’re considering their resumption alongside the need to maintain the strict cleaning regimes currently operating in our schools as the safety of our pupils and staff remains our priority.

Edinburgh Leisure

Outdoor contact sports for 12–17-year-olds started back on 5 April and community access to high school sports facilities on 19 April. Tennis courts and golf courses have been open since June 2020 with golf, in particular, seeing an upswing in participation (winter golf membership up 400%, year-on-year).

Leisure centres are now open for individual exercise, including gyms, swimming pools, indoor court hire, racquet sports and children’s coaching. It is hoped that outdoor adult contact sport and indoor group exercise can restart on 17 May, with indoor non-contact sport following in early June (as per Scottish Government’s current route map).

Limited youth work set to restart

Green light for community centre reopening

Youth work can restart in Edinburgh community centres following an agreement reached by Councillors yesterday.

The City of Edinburgh Council approved the Community Centres and Libraries Reopening (update) report which recommended allowing community centres to apply for permission to reopen for indoor youth work as long as they can provide assurances they will be following national guidance to keep everyone safe.

The youth work that can be carried out is targeted as defined by Youth Scotland which is limited to small numbers of vulnerable young people.

Up to now their management committees could ask permission to open their buildings for essential voluntary or urgent public support services such as food banks, homeless services, blood donation sessions, regulated childcare or access to retrieve equipment for outdoor youth work.

Today’s decision means community centres can reopen for youth work through agreement with the Council who have already written to all the management committees to gauge the level of interest in restarting youth work indoors.

Eleven of the 35 management committees have replied looking at gaining access to provide some children services and or youthwork – ranging from one session a week up to several sessions for different groups.

The Council has also asked the management committees what support they may need and assurances that they are confident they can reopen in line with the latest Scottish Government guidance.

The Council’s ambition is to have a planned, phased reopening of libraries and community centres for the wider public as part of Phase 4 of the Scottish Government’s Scotland’s route map through and out of the crisis – subject to public health guidance and the capacity to support the safe use of the buildings.

As part of this Councillors also discussed plans to reopen more libraries in the coming weeks building on the success of the six venues that reopened last month – Kirkliston, Newington, Fountainbridge, McDonald Road, Stockbridge and Central.

As part of the next phased reopening four more buildings – Wester Hailes, Craigmillar, Gilmerton and Drumbrae – would aim to open their doors in the coming weeks.

Council Leader Adam McVey said: “It’s really important we do everything we can to support our young people in these challenging times and youth work is a key element of this.

“I’m pleased we’ve now seen substantial progress to support and enable specific community centres to reopen and the agreed process will see further community centres open up their buildings for this vital service.

“As always our top priority is the health of our citizens so we have to make sure the buildings are safe to reopen. We’ll work with management committees to help them meet national guidance, such as increased cleaning measures to keep everyone safe and prevent spread of infection.”

Depute Leader Cammy Day said: “There’s already a range of youth work services being provided by both the Council and our third sector partners across the city but opening up our community centres allows more of our young people to access these important facilities.

“We know how much young people benefit from the stability and normality youth work provides so I’m sure they will be pleased at today’s decision. We really appreciate everyone’ support and patience as we gradually reopen our services – it’s really important to make sure what is being provided continues to keep our young people as safe as possible.”

Council announces plans for reopening libraries and community centres

The Council will start a three-stage phased plan for the reopening of its libraries and community centres from today, with the second and third stages being subject to committee approval.

The new plans outline that some community centres could open in the coming days to enable groups to get access to the buildings to run community-based services like crisis support and local food banks, followed by the first phase of library openings with committee approval.

All actions will be subject to approval to make sure appropriate health and safety measures are put in place.

A report will be brought to the Policy and Sustainability Committee on Thursday 6 August where, subject to approval, it is hoped stage two will see the first phase of library openings to ensure limited city-wide access and the reopening of specific community centres to support the wider opening of schools and provision of out of school care.

It will consider how the Council balances access to important community facilities with the latest public health guidance and resulting costs from putting in place additional cleaning and other steps required to open in a safe way. 

If approved by committee, the third stage for w/c Monday 14 September will see further libraries and community centres re-open based on latest public health guidance. 

Council Leader Adam Mcvey said: We all appreciate our community centres and libraries and we’re keen to get them open for our communities again, however we’re still in the midst of a global pandemic and need to make sure that any buildings we do open is carried out in a consistent and safe way.

“We have a three-stage approach to the reopening of Libraries and Community Centres prioritising safety and we look forward to announcing more details in the coming weeks.

“It will be great to see libraries open again but it’s also been heartening to see such a positive response to our digital service which has remained in operation throughout lockdown.

“We’ve seen the number of downloads of e-books, e-magazines and e-newspapers continue to increase with over 1.5 million downloads in 2019/20 and in April we saw an increase of 64% (ebooks), 67% (eaudio books) and 118% (emagazines and enewspapers) on the same month last year.

“We hope that this expansion of use of digital services helps more people in our communities continue to access these services going forward.

Council Depute Leader Cammy Day added: As with all our buildings, reopening them during the Covid-19 pandemic requires additional considerations to make sure they are safe for all to use including additional cleaning and reorganising the space.

“Each building has its own specific considerations which means that some buildings will be able to open sooner than others. Right now we are focussed on getting our schools open for the first day of term and a number of other buildings, including community centres, will be a key part of this work. 

“We know how important our services and spaces are to the entire community and, subject to Government guidelines, we will be opening additional buildings over the coming months.

“We appreciate the patience and support from residents while we work to restart our services and we look forward to welcoming them back.”

Community Centres and Libraries to close from tonight

The city council has taken the decision to close all public libraries and community centres by 10pm tonight.

Parts of the City Chambers will also be shut. For library users, there will be no additional fines from Friday 20 March until further notice.

Services including eBooks, audiobooks, magazines and newspapers will be available online. For all the information you need to get started, please visit https://yourlibrary.edinburgh.gov.uk

Advice hubs will be set up in different parts of the city to provide advice and support to citizens. We will share further details as soon as we can.

The planning and building standards helpdesk will be closed until further notice. You can still view and comment on planning applications at https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/planning-building/planning-online-services and email the team at planning@edinburgh.gov.uk

Cancellations:

All our community-based Adult Learning classes have been cancelled until further notice. This includes; ESOL (English for speakers of other languages), Family Learning, Outlook, all Literacy/Numeracy classes including those for deaf learners and English classes for Syrian refugees.

All our Active School extra curricular clubs have been cancelled until further notice.

All organised events due to be hosted in our parks have been cancelled until the end of April.

The Council’s Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Committee, scheduled for Thursday 19 March at the City Chambers, has been cancelled.

Choices for City Plan drop-in event, scheduled for Thursday 19 March at St Brides Community Centre, has been cancelled.

North Edinburgh Fights Back … Part One

COMMUNITY MEETING TO DISCUSS CUTS

Following a number of emails and telephone conversations over the last 48 hours I can confirm that a community meeting has now been organised to discuss a community response to the Health and Social Care Grants recommendations. Continue reading North Edinburgh Fights Back … Part One

Bleak Christmas for some community organisations as Health & Social Care grants announced

NO FUNDING FOR COMMUNITY CENTRES

COMMUNITY HEALTH PROJECT CORE FUNDING REJECTED Continue reading Bleak Christmas for some community organisations as Health & Social Care grants announced