Forth & Inverleith Voluntary Sector Forum meets on Wednesday (19 November) from 10 – 12 at Pilton Community Health Project, Boswall Parkway.
Forth & Inverleith Agenda – 19th November 2014
Please contact June if you plan to attend.
Tag: community planning
Muirhouse & Salvesen Community Council
JAMES McGINTY reports on Muirhouse Salvesen Community Council’s annual general meeting:
The Community Council held their Annual General Meeting in Muirhouse Millennium Community Centre on 20 October. Eight people were present to hear Chairperson Roy Douglas welcome everyone, gave the apologies for the four councillors and introduce guest speaker Christine Mackay, manager of the Total Craigroyston project.
Mr Douglas then stated that “during the meeting we would be looking at the year past and the year ahead.” The Chairperson later laid out in the form of a document the aims and goals of the Community Council and listed the achievements for 2013/14.
He highlighted the community council’s input to the Pennywell & Muirhouse Master Plan and new Health Partnership Hub and the support given to local groups and organisations in the Muirhouse.
These groups and organisations to benefit from the Council’s support were:
- The Centipede project (The Old Kirk and Muirhouse Church) started by Linda Dunbar, who has now moved on to a new position within the Church of Scotland.
- The highly acclaimed Community Shop in Pennywell shopping centre.
- My Adventure and the forthcoming £200 donation to the bothy project in the borders from the Community Council.
- Assisting Friends of Linear Park and finally cleaning up the lane between Salvesen and the Waterfront.
The Financial Report was then discussed and approved.
Guest speaker Christine Mackay (above) then gave an in depth report on the Total Craigroyston project and conducted a question and answer session centred on this far reaching and ambitious Project.
WPC Helen Lyon (above) gave a police report, highlighting the area’s problems and the steps towards alleviating them.
All in all, a very well structured and transparent AGM, but we would ask members of the community to come along and give more support to what is your own communities’ council – especially as more powers are being handed down from the City of Edinburgh Council.
James McGinty
Muirhouse & Salvesen Community Council
Suffer the little children: one in five Edinburgh children lives in poverty
‘We can and must do better for our children’
Edinburgh is one of the UK’s most prosperous cities – but more than ONE IN FIVE children in the capital (21%) are living in poverty, according to the latest research.
Report_on_child_poverty_map_2014
The Campaign to End Child Poverty (CECP) has today published new figures that provide a child poverty map of the whole of the UK. The figures are broken down by parliamentary constituency, local authority and ward (see report, above). The research was conducted for CECP by the Centre for Research in Social Policy (CRSP) at Loughborough University.
The figures reveal the wide disparity in poverty rates across the UK, between regions and striking variations even within regions. London scores badly – containing ten of the top 20 constituencies with the highest child poverty rates in the UK and 14 of the 20 highest-rate local authorities. However there is variation even within regions: in London, Bethnal Green and Bow has a child poverty rate of 49% compared to just 15% in Richmond upon Thames.
In Scotland, Glasgow has the highest rate of child poverty, with the problem affecting a third of all youngsters in the city. Across Scotland some 220,000 children are living in poverty — a fifth of all youngsters — and campaigners are convinced this total will rise.
CECP is demanding urgent political action at all levels and urges the Westminster government to rethink its tax and benefit policies, claiming these could leave as many as 100,000 more children in poverty by 2020.
They also want local and national housing policies to focus on keeping rent bills down in both the social housing sector and the private rental market.
Chair of End Child Poverty David Holmes said: “These figures reveal just how widely and deeply child poverty reaches into our communities, even those areas generally regarded as well off. Far too many children whose parents are struggling to make a living are suffering as a result and missing out on the essentials of a decent childhood that all young people should be entitled to. We can and must do better for our children.
“Poverty ruins childhoods and reduces life chances. Failing to invest properly in children is a false economy: already child poverty costs the country £29bn each year and in the long run taxpayers will foot an even higher bill for correcting the damage.
“We are calling on politicians of all parties to urgently set out a clear roadmap towards ending child poverty which includes the additional actions needed and the measures by which progress will be tracked.”
CECP Scotland spokesman Neil Mathers said: “It’s important we look behind these figures at what is driving this level of poverty in our country.
“Politicians of all parties, at Westminster and Holyrood, need to act to tackle the root causes of poverty, including low pay and soaring housing and childcare costs. There is nothing inevitable about this poverty. We must build on the good work that is happening in Scotland to support families.”
He went on: “We know there is ambition in Scotland to do more. We now need to act so that all our children have a fair start. We can and must do better for our children.”
POVERTY AND INEQUALITY IN EDINBURGH
The city’s strategic community planning body The Edinburgh Partnership has created poverty and inequality profiles of each of the city’s twelve Neighbourhood Partnerships.
To see the profiles for Forth and Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnerships click on the link(s) below:
Community Empowerment Bill: what’s it all about?
The Scottish Government is currently consulting on the Community Empowerment Bill and Granton Improvement Society have organised a public meeting to explain the Bill and how it affects communities.
The Scottish Government’s objectives are:
1. Empower community bodies through the ownership of land and building and strengthening their voices in the decisions that matter to them, and
2. Support an increase in the pace and scale of Public Service Reform by cementing the focus on achieveing outcomes and improving the process of community planning
An ‘easy-read’ version of the Bill can be found below.
The Community Empowerment Bill public meeting will take place
this Thursday (11 September) at 7pm
in Royston Wardieburn Community Centre, Pilton Drive North.
Speaker will be Angus Hardie, Director of Scottish Community Alliance
Come and have your say about community assets – all welcome!
News from EVOC
Forth and Inverleith Voluntary Sector Forum
Forth and Inverleith Voluntary Sector Forum will take place on Wednesday 6 August from 10-12pm at Pilton Community Health Project on Boswall Parkway.
Local Neighbourhood Partnership officers Elaine Lennon and Jim Pattison will attend to discuss community priorities as identified during the recent Local Community Plan consultations. There will also be a presentation by CEC Welfare Manager Alan Sinclair.
Attendees are asked to bring along details of any training available through their organisation to allow the compilation of a list of available training in the area.
For further information (and to confirm your attendance) contact June Dickson on 555 9114 or email june.dickson@evoc.org.uk
Edinburgh Compact – ten years on
Seems hard to believe, but the Edinburgh Compact – the groundbreaking agreement between the voluntary sector and public sector organisations to work in partnership for mutual benefit – is now ten years old, and EVOC wants to know: how’s it been for you?
DURING this Compact 10 year the city’s Third Sector will go through a process of both reflecting on ten years of progress since the Edinburgh Compact Partnership was formed, and looking forward to the next ten years (writes Milind Kolhatkar, Community Planning Officer at EVOC).
This process of reflection and projection will be grounded not only in the experiences of the city’s Third Sector leaders, but also – crucially – on the evidence base that you provide us with.
Compact Voice is the project to gather, assess and share quantitative and qualitative data from across the breadth of Edinburgh’s Third Sector. This bank of information will help shape the futures thinking that sits at the heart of the Compact 10 year.
Through a process of surveys, focus groups, discussion forums and guided projection Third Sector leaders will engage with the rich diversity of Edinburgh’s Third Sector as well as with our Public Sector partners.
The key outputs from this process will include a growing data bank to support futures thinking, a body of evidence to help articulate the value Edinburgh’s Third Sector brings to the city, and increased opportunities for the Third Sector itself to focus on the positive difference it makes each and every day to the lives of people in need in all parts of the city.
The Compact 10 year aims to deliver outcomes including improved understanding and better relationships between the Third Sector and our Public Sector partners, clearer strategic direction to the planning and delivery of Third Sector services, and a shared understanding on the part of all Community Planning Partners that a city with a robust Third Sector is a city where communities have a rich and supportive social fabric.
Complete the online survey (below)
HTTPS://WWW.SURVEYMONKEY.COM/S/COMPACTVOICEONE
Forth priorities: still time to have your say
Forth Neighbourhood Partnership is currently developing its new Community Plan – but there’s still time to have your say on what the priorities should be in Forth.
Forth’s Partnership Development Officer Jim Pattison said: “We would like to thank all who have already responded and gave comments on the priorities being proposed for the new Forth Neighbourhood Partnership Community Plan – we have received some very helpful responses to date.
“We are now at the stage where we need to begin summarising the responses in a report for consideration by the Neighbourhood Partnership but if you haven’t given us your views yet there is still time, and Scott Donkin will be happy to receive comments (by email or telephone) up until Friday 15 August”.
Scott Donkin, North Neighbourhood’s Partnership and Information manager, said: “We have been receiving some positive feedback and would welcome any thoughts you may have.
“The proposed priorities (see document below) have been developed following an initial engagement exercise with the community and our partners and we are keen to learn if it is felt the proposed priorities reflect this. We are in the process of engaging with as many people as possible and I would be grateful if you could email me with any comments (good or bad) or to highlight any specific areas you feel have been missed.
“It is intended that the proposed priorities will be reported to the Neighbourhood Partnership in August for adoption – so therefore any comments or requested meetings will need to be prior to the NP meeting.”
ForthPriorities Development Doc v 2 (1)
If you have any comments to make or require further information contact Scott Donkin by telephone on 0131 529 5001 or email scott.donkin@edinburgh.gov.uk
So, where do you call home?
Do you live in the capital? If so, which area do you call home? This is the question that the City of Edinburgh Council is asking in a bid to help define the city’s natural neighbourhoods:
Residents can identify their local neighbourhood through a quick survey and also sketch their “home patch” online to help the Council make sure that services are being directed across the city in the best way possible.
Anyone taking part will be put forward for the chance to win from a selection of prints of beautiful old maps of Edinburgh from Our Town Stories, and can also try their hand at a fun Auld Reekie heritage quiz.
The replies will also inform consultations such as an ongoing review of Council wards, and the Scottish Government’s consultation on data zones.
They should help services to identify areas that are more meaningful to their clients. For example, if a service involves home visits, in most cases it would make sense to ensure that each neighbourhood is served by a single team – although many service areas reflect current natural neighbourhoods, some service boundaries are based on historical areas and the city has been changing markedly over the last few years.
Cllr Maureen Child, Communities and Neighbourhoods Convener, said: “Whether it’s Broughton or Barnton, Craiglockhart or Comiston, we all have some idea of which area of Edinburgh we belong to. Some of these areas are not so clearly defined though, and having a better idea will help the Council to deliver services more effectively.
“When it comes to gathering the data, there isn’t any right or wrong answer, the project aims to look at how people choose to define where they live, rather than any official definition of a neighbourhood.
“If you live in Pilrig, does that mean you live in part of Leith? Or if you stay near Lothian Road – do you live in the Tollcross area or possibly Fountainbridge? It’s the kind of thing that most people have a view on and we’re seeking to capture these views to map the natural neighbourhoods in the city.”
So when does Muirhouse become Silverknowes or Clermiston become Greater Corstorphine? It’s over to you!
What can we do with Madelvic House?
We would love you to join us for a fun event at Madelvic House, Granton Park Avenue, Edinburgh on Saturday 24 May 10am – 12 pm. Lots of family fun with competitions, face painting and refreshments.
Waterfront Edinburgh Limited, City of Edinburgh Council, North Edinburgh Fights Back and Pilton Youth and Children’s Project are all working together to find sustainable, long-term community uses for Madelvic House. It is an important piece of local heritage and we are looking for people who live nearby that would be interested in supporting this project.
We would love to hear your thoughts about what you would like your community hub to include. We hope you’ll be able to join us.
We are keen to speak to as many people as possible, so please pass this invite on to anyone that you think may like to take part.
You can find out more information on Madelvic House and our event which will be held on the 24 May by logging on to:
http://grantonunited.wordpress.com/
Jen Blacklaw, The EDI Group Limited
New Year, new powers for communities?
Plans for greater local decision making
Have your say by 24 January
Communities across Scotland will enjoy greater decision making powers over the use of public sector land and buildings following the introduction of a new bill to Holyrood this year.
A consultation is currently taking place on The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Bill, which will allow communities to identify and ask for any public sector land or buildings they feel they could make better use of than its current owner.
And decisions over whether such assets should be transferred will be based on which proposed use would provide the greatest community benefit.
A consultation on the bill was launched by Local Government and Planning Minister Derek Mackay in November, and interested parties are being urged to submit their views before the consultation closes on January 24.
In addition to the proposed measures to improve decision making powers for communities, legislation will also be updated and simplified to support local authorities’ provision and management of allotments.
Local authorities will have a duty to provide allotments linked to and triggered by actual demand, and to protect permanent allotment sites from closure.
While current allotment provision is not sufficient to satisfy demand, the local authority will be under a duty to keep waiting lists below a specified target whether by acquiring land or otherwise.
There will be new duties to strengthen Community Planning, so that public sector agencies work as one to deliver better outcomes for communities.
Views will also be invited on how communities might benefit from legislation to improve the national and local focus on improving outcomes, currently implemented through Scotland Performs.
The bill also proposes:
- Streamlining and extending the existing community right to buy to cover urban and rural communities as part of our ambition to have 1 million acres in community ownership by 2020
- Providing new powers to help councils deal with defective and dangerous buildings, and to provide local relief schemes on business rates
- Increasing transparency about the management and use of Common Good assets.
Local Government and Planning Minister Derek Mackay said: “Scotland’s people are its greatest asset, and it is only with the confidence that comes with independence that people will be able to fully determine their own futures.
“The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Bill is about people and communities taking their own decisions about their future, and its introduction will build on the support of the Scottish Government, set out by the First Minister in the Lerwick Declaration, for subsidiarity and local decision making.
“The Bill will help community groups to take over public land and buildings where they think they can make better use of them than their current public sector owners.
“This Bill will also reform the community right to buy, giving urban communities in Scotland the same rights as rural communities, where it is in the public interest.
“Rules on Scotland’s allotments will also be simplified. Allotments foster a community spirit and provide a range of benefits such as a cheap source of fruit and vegetables, and therefore a healthy diet.
“The consultation on the bill comes to an end on January 24th, so there is still time left for interested parties to submit their views on this important piece of legislation.”
The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Bill Consultation document can be found at:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Consultations/Current
