The city council’s Governance Team has announced that the date for the second call for nominations for community councils who received insufficient elected member nominations has been amended.
Nominations will now open on 27 March 2025 and will close at 4pm on 17 April 2025. This is to avoid the nomination period being open over 2 public holidays and to ensure officers are available to support candidates with any enquiries.
The formal notice will be published on the Council’s website in due course.
The 8 community councils who did not receive sufficient valid nominations to establish were:
• Craigmillar
• Davidson’s Mains and Silverknowes
• Firrhill
• Hutchison / Chesser
• Muirhouse/ Salvesen
• Old Town
• Portobello
• West Pilton/ West Granton.
The new dates have been updated on our CC webpages.
The Declaration of Results includes the names of all successful elected members who will be duly elected to community councils when the new term commences from 28 March 2025.
An update which includes details on the number of valid nominations received for each community council and the number of valid Local Interest Group nominations can be found below.
When nominations closed, 39 community councils received sufficient valid nominations to establish.
Insufficient nominations were received to establish 8 community councils:
Craigmillar
Davidson’s Mains and Silverknowes
Firrhill
Hutchison / Chesser
Muirhouse/ Salvesen
Old Town
Portobello
West Pilton/ West Granton
A second call for nominations will be issued for the 8 community councils who did not achieve sufficient nominations to establish. Nominations will open on 31 March 2025 and will close at 4pm on 21 April 2025.
The city council’s webpages will be updated in due course with further information.
The Collaboration for Health Equity in Scotland launches plans this week to bring about significant change to reduce health inequalities in three of Scotland’s local authority areas.
This collaboration brings together Public Health Scotland (PHS) and Professor Sir Michael Marmot, Director of University College London’s Institute of Health Equity (IHE) with councils and health boards in Aberdeen City, North Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire.
Over the next two years, this partnership will help local areas and Community Planning Partners to strengthen their local plans to reduce health inequalities and improve wellbeing in their communities. It will support local partners to understand the actions which will have the greatest impact on health inequalities locally and help to overcome the barriers to implementing these.
The ultimate goal is to enable people to live longer, healthier lives by addressing the root causes of health inequalities and preventing illness before it starts. By creating conditions where communities can thrive, the initiative aims to create lasting positive change.
A key element of the collaboration is its role in bridging the gap between national policies and local implementation. The insights and learning from the collaboration will be shared across Scotland through a dedicated learning system, ensuring that communities nationwide can benefit from the knowledge gained.
To mark the beginning of the partnerships, each of the three local areas host launch events this week. These events will serve as a platform to engage with the community, share the vision of the collaboration, and kickstart this ambitious project to build a healthier, more equitable Scotland.
Paul Johnston, Chief Executive of PHS, said: “Our mission in Public Health Scotland is to see life expectancy increase and health inequalities reduced. The circumstances in which we are born, live and work have a huge impact on the length and quality of our lives. People born in the most deprived areas are dying, on average, a decade earlier than their wealthier neighbours.
“It’s possible to change this by taking action across the range of factors that impact on health and wellbeing. That is what this new partnership is all about. We’re determined to see an improvement in Scotland’s long-term health outcomes, and we can do this by uniting partners from across the system including the NHS, local government, community and voluntary sectors, and businesses.
“The Collaboration for Health Equity in Scotland will bring together national expertise, informed by the success of ‘Marmot Places’ across England and Wales, with local knowledge to agree priority actions and support meaningful change.
“We’re looking forward to working and learning together with a determined focus to see improvement in health, wellbeing and life expectancy across Scotland.”
Professor Sir Michael Marmot, Director of the IHE said: “Research in Scotland has demonstrated dramatic differences in health and life expectancy within and between areas in Scotland. Progress in improving health stalled after 2010, in Scotland as in other parts of the UK, and health inequalities increased.
“We have been working with places in England and Wales to implement change at local level to improve health and reduce health inequalities. We are inspired by the commitment of communities and local leaders to improve the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age.
“We are now delighted to launch programmes of work in three places in Scotland. Each place has vital contributions to make in improving the conditions of people’s lives thereby tackling health inequalities within their area.
“This local action will also inform national system leaders about the most effective ways to develop national approaches to tackling health inequalities in Scotland. Put simply, we aim to show that poverty is not destiny.”
IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN YOUR COMMUNITY
IT’S looking increasingly likely that many areas across Edinburgh will not have active community councils following the current election process.
With just ONE DAY left before nominations close:
NINETEEN (of 47) Community Councils in Edinburgh have reached the minimum number of elected members numbers needed to formbut28 Community Councils still require more elected member nominations to form.
Muirhouse/Salvesen, West Pilton/West Granton and Davidsons Mains/Silverknowes are among eight areas across the city to have received NO nominations at all so far.
At time of writing no elections will be necessary in any community council area. Elections would only be necessary if more local people came forward than there are places available.
Community Councils are an important element in local and national community planning structures, but lukewarm support at best – and complete apathy at worst – will be a disappointment to those who hoped to see a renewed appetite for community participation.
The city council is currently reviewing community planning in Edinburgh.
Election organisers continue to urge members of the public to play a part in improving their local neighbourhoods – andthere’s still time to submit a nomination form by the closing dateat 4pm TOMORROW – Thursday 27 February 2025.
If you choose to return by hand or by post please ensure you have allowed sufficient time for the nomination form to be received before the deadline at 4pm on Thursday 27 February 2025.
Example completed nomination forms are attached – see below. All sections that must be completed are highlighted in yellow.
Nomination form – further clarification
We being persons residing in and appearing on the electoral register for the area of’ – ‘area’ means the community council area that you are being nominated for. Please ensure that you include the correct name of the Community Council and not the constituency or ward information. You can check the name of your community council on our website.
An individual can be both a single proposer and a single seconder, e.g. They could propose Individual A and second Individual B. They cannot propose or second any other individuals.
A nominees family member (e.g. Wife, husband, brother etc.) can propose or second them in compliance with the point above.
Please only submit 1 nomination form via 1 method of submission e.g. via email OR by hand OR by post. Please do not send multiple copies of nomination forms to the Governance Team as this creates additional administrative pressures.
Since nominations opened we have received a number of nominations which have been assessed as not valid. All candidates have been provided with advice on how to rectify and re-submit by the closing date of 4pm on Thursday 27 February 2025.
Common ‘not valid’ reasons
Below are common reasons why nomination forms have been assessed as not valid:
The nomination form does not detail the name of the Community Council area that the candidate has been nominated for.
The nomination form has not been signed in ink by the proposer, seconder and candidate.
The nomination form has not been dated by the proposer, seconder and candidate.
Photo of nomination form and signatures must be legible.
Below are common reasons why Local Interest Group nomination forms have been assessed as not valid:
The LIG nomination form has not been signed in ink by the President/Chairperson and Secretary/Treasurer.
A copy of the LIGs constitution has not been supplied.
The LIG nomination does not include the name(s) of the Community Council.
If you need any assistance with completing a nomination form then please do not hesitate to contact the Governance Team at community.councils@edinburgh.gov.uk
Invitation to Participate in Community Planning Transformation and Improvement Stakeholder Engagement Session
The Edinburgh Partnership agreed to look afresh at the role of Community Planning in Edinburgh to maximise the relationships between public sector agencies and the voluntary and community sectors to address poverty and inequality and the climate and nature emergency.
We need your views to help shape the future of community planning in Edinburgh.
These sessions aim to bring together key partners to discuss, plan, and drive forward positive changes for communities. Your insights and contributions are highly valued, and we would be pleased if you could join us.
Spaces are limited, so we encourage you to book your place as soon as possible to secure your spot at your preferred session.
To register, please email communityplanning@edinburgh.gov.uk with your name, contact details, and the date of the session you would like to attend:
Wednesday, 23rd October | 12:30 PM – 3:30 PM | St. Bride’s Community Centre
or
Thursday, 24th October | 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM | West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre
or
Monday, 28th October | 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM | Microsoft Teams
Invitation to Participate in Community Planning Transformation and Improvement Stakeholder Engagement Sessions
The Edinburgh Partnership agreed to look afresh at the role of Community Planning in Edinburgh to maximise the relationships between public sector agencies and the voluntary and community sectors to address poverty and inequality and the climate and nature emergency. We need your views to help shape the future of community planning in Edinburgh.
These sessions aim to bring together key partners to discuss, plan, and drive forward positive changes for communities. Your insights and contributions are highly valued, and we would be pleased if you could join us.
Spaces are limited, so we encourage you to book your place as soon as possible to secure your spot at your preferred session.
To register, please email communityplanning@edinburgh.gov.uk with your name, contact details, and the date of the session you would like to attend.
Thursday, 10th October | 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM | Craigentinny Community Centre
or
Friday, 11th October | 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM | Goodtrees Neighbourhood Centre
or
Wednesday, 23rd October | 12:30 PM – 3:30 PM | St. Bride’s Community Centre
or
Thursday, 24th October | 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM | West Pilton N/hd Centre
or online
Monday, 28th October | 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM | Microsoft Teams
Background Information on the Edinburgh Partnership Transformation and Improvement Programme –
Second phase of Democracy Matters ‘national conversation’
People across Scotland are being asked to suggest ways of increasing local control over decision-making.
The second phase of the Democracy Matters national conversation will give people the opportunity to come together in their communities to imagine how new and inclusive democratic processes can best help their town, village or neighbourhood.
Community groups can guide local discussions by using the consultation document which covers a variety of themes including powers, representation, accountability and participation. People previously said it was crucial to get these things right. Funding is available to help with the costs of hosting events.
To mark the start of the second phase, Community Wealth Minister Tom Arthur and Local Government Empowerment Minister Joe FitzPatrick visited the Linlithgow Community Development Trust.
Mr Arthur said: “The Scottish Government is encouraging people across the country to come together and talk about local involvement in our democratic processes. We believe more decisions should be taken locally to better reflect the aspirations of our diverse communities.
“More than 4,000 people took part in the first phase of Democracy Matters. By providing financial support, we hope to make local conversations during the second phase as welcoming as possible. We want to hear even more voices as we work together to improve the way democracy works for our local communities.”
COSLA President Shona Morrison said: “COSLA welcomes the launch of the second phase of Democracy Matters; it marks a renewed resolve to put local people and communities at the centre of local decision-making.
“By drawing on the experiences gained by local communities during and since the Covid-19 pandemic we hope to secure a clear, updated understanding of how new models of local democracy can transform the lives of people in communities across Scotland.
“I would encourage everyone to contribute to the conversations which will be taking place across Scotland during the next few months as we ask what models of democratic framework would work best for them.”
Electoral Reform Society Scotland Director Willie Sullivan said: “Communities are made and good places to live are created when people work with each other to run their city, island, town or village. Scotland is the sum of these places, and our democracy depends on how well we run them together.
“In that light, it’s very important to restart Democracy Matters to ask local communities what sort of local democratic framework might make this possible.”
NEXT MEETING:Thursday 31 Aug 2023: 18.50 for 19.00 on Microsoft Teams.
Speakers:
Andrew Field: CEC; Head of Community Engagement and Empowerment;
Helen Bourquin: CEC; Manager, Community Engagement and Empowerment.
Topic:
The roll-out of Edinburgh’s Locality Improvement Plans 2023-28.
Under the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015, the Edinburgh Partnership is required to develop and deliver Locality Improvement Plans (LIPs) for each of the four localities in the city.
Work on this is already underway in the North-West and is building-out elsewhere.
I’ve invited Andrew and Helen to talk through:
The scope and target outcomes of the LIPs;
The community consultation process intended to shape the right priorities for each locality; and
Where the LIPs stand currently in terms of their early progress.
Roger Colkett (Tollcross CC) is on the EACC Members’ Board and covers Licensing issues. He sits on the Edinburgh Licensing Forum.
He will host a one-hour screen meeting and invites all community council Licensing Leads to join him to chat through what is currently happening on the city’s Licensing front.
I’ll issue a reminder in two weeks or so, along with the meeting link. For now, please make sure your community council colleagues looking after Licensing have this message.
