Tag: consultation

Council budget: have your say

Councillors Rob Munn and Joan Griffiths, Finance & Resources Convener and Vice Convener, remain committed to ambitions and priorities for the Capital as the council embarks on the budget process once again …

Budget planning time is always a challenging point in the year for local authorities but the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and its impact on services has added another layer of complexity to the decision-making process ahead of us in February when the full Council meets to set our budget.

Nonetheless, we remain firmly committed to the positive and forward-thinking ambitions and priorities we’ve set for the Capital and will be guided by these, and by the latest public feedback, as we embark on the budget process once again.

Our Council teams have gone to incredible lengths to keep essential services running during this unprecedented crisis, but inevitably there have been some services that have had to be curtailed or paused for a time to help us deal with the pandemic and to keep residents and our colleagues safe.

Dealing with the pandemic has placed a much greater demand on services and brought additional costs with it. Meanwhile a significant reduction in our income, through areas such as leisure and transport, has resulted in an additional £47.5m gap in our budget over the next three years.

So, once again, we’re faced with difficult decisions and prioritising how we spend our budget, rethinking how our services are designed and delivered – and where we can make real and lasting savings.

That’s why it’s crucial we hear directly from the people we serve on what you want us to prioritise, as well as how your lives have been affected by the way Covid19 has changed – or, in some cases, temporarily suspended – our services.

There’s less than a week left to have your say in our budget survey, which has already gathered views from more than 1,200 respondents keen to help us shape our services over the next three years.

From the feedback we’ve had already, we can see that citizens welcome the way we’ve kept refuse and recycling collections going throughout the pandemic, as well as home care provision and the work we did to open schools up quickly for the children of essential workers after lockdown began in March.

People say they missed being able to visit their local library or use Edinburgh Leisure services, with community centres and recycling centres (when closed) also cited. 

When asked what the Council’s priorities should be for recovery, respondents mention keeping schools open, providing social services including care for the elderly and support for those with additional needs and restoring public transport usage to pre-pandemic levels.

We’ll take all the feedback we receive in this survey on board when we set our budget in February. In addition, we remain fully committed to our established core priorities of tackling poverty and inequality, boosting sustainability and promoting wellbeing – all of which were set based on direct feedback from you on what is most important to the people of Edinburgh.

Your voice matters, so if you haven’t yet done so, please have your say by 10 th December and help us get this right for Edinburgh for the years ahead.

Have your say on capital’s Food Growing Strategy

Edinburgh folk are being encouraged to have their say on the Council’s first food growing strategy.

The strategy aims to encourage people to get more involved in local food production, promote local and sustainable consumption and help improve issues such as biodiversity, health, food security and address poverty in the capital.

Supported by Edible Edinburgh, the Growing Locally consultation is looking for people’s views on food growing, from growing in gardens and allotments or as part of a community growing project.

The consultation is looking to find out:

  • Ways in which the purchase of local and sustainable food could be increased, to help to reduce the city’s carbon emissions as well as supporting the Edinburgh’s green recovery from covid-19.
  • Feedback on ways in which local food growing could help to reduce food poverty and improve health and wellbeing.
  • How the Council and others in the city can help support people to become more involved in local growing.

Edible Edinburgh chair, Councillor George Gordon, said: “The Growing Locally strategy aims to reduce carbon emissions, support local food growing businesses, increase land availability for food growing, reduce inequalities and increase awareness and choice around healthy and sustainable food.

“We are calling for citizens to contribute to the consultation as to how they feel local food growing can help respond to these challenges, as well as help create a vibrant and thriving sustainable food economy in Edinburgh for everyone.”

Brenda Black, Director of Edinburgh Community Food and member of Edible Edinburgh said: “The Growing Locally strategy aims to help promote better food relationships within our communities by connecting people through well-being, through encouraging local growing and consumption of healthy and sustainable food. This consultation provides the opportunity to hear your views on how we can help tackle these issues together as a city.“

The draft food growing strategy was first approved for consultation by Council Committee in February 2020, but the online consultation was delayed due to the outbreak of covid-19.

The consultation will run until 18 January 2021 and will be supported through a series of online events published on the Edible Edinburgh website.

Have your say on the Growing Locally strategy via the consultation hub. 

Survey highlights Edinburgh residents’ concerns over single-use plastics

YouGov poll shows impact on marine environment and litter as top concerns

A survey has revealed the concern Edinburgh residents have around single-use plastic items and packaging – and more than three quarters of people (77%) living in Edinburgh and Lothian¹ would support introducing charges, similar to the carrier bag charge, to cut down their use.

The poll for Zero Waste Scotland highlights that reducing litter was cited by 89% of those backing an additional charge as the reason for their support. This was followed by reducing harm to the marine environment (88%) and to help stop/reduce climate change (82%).

Other views included conserving natural resources (80%) and to protect biodiversity (76%).

The survey, carried out by YouGov, comes as the Scottish Government consults on it’s latest steps to reduce the use of single-use items and introduce market restrictions on items most commonly found on beaches in Europe, including plastic cutlery and plastic straws.

Iain Gulland, Zero Waste Scotland chief executive, said: “It is clear from these results that people are worried about the impact single-use plastic items have on our environment.

“These items can last for decades and the damage they can cause to wildlife is shocking. We have to find ways to cut down the stream of items we are sending into what should be pristine habitats and the consultation offers a valuable way for people to contribute to the discussion around market restrictions.”

Views are being sought on the introduction of new legislation to restrict the supply of single-use plastic plates, plastic straws, plastic cutlery, expanded polystyrene food and drink containers, beverage stirrers, plastic balloon sticks and products made from oxo-degradable plastics. Reusable alternatives would continue to be widely available.

These are the most common items found on European beaches and were identified in the EU Single Plastics Directive as contributing the majority share of litter found in the marine environment. The Marine Conservation Society’s 2020 Great British Beach Clean reported an average over 100m of beach surveyed in Scotland 297.9 items of litter (of which 183.6 were plastic items). Six of the top 10 items found are recognised under the EU Single use plastic directive.

Catherine Gemmell, Scotland conservation officer for the Marine Conservation Society, said: “Our volunteers have been on the frontline dealing with single-use plastic and other litter washing up on beaches around Scotland for over two decades. We have to stop single-use plastic at its source.

“It’s encouraging to see so many people in this survey link the single-use plastic issue to the negative impact it has on Scottish seas and wildlife. Now, we’re asking them to go one step further and respond to the Scottish Government consultation and add their support for banning several single-use plastic items.

“We hope the Scottish Government will take swift action and bring in further measures to move Scotland towards a circular economy where nothing is wasted or thrown away, negatively impacting our seas and beaches.”

Barry Fisher, CEO of Keep Scotland Beautiful, said: “Single-use plastic items are extremely damaging to our environment, blighting our landscapes as litter, polluting our rivers and seas, and contributing to higher greenhouse gas emissions.

“Our Upstream Battle campaign has shown that plastic, much of it single-use, makes up almost half of all litter in rivers and streams in the Clyde Valley, which ultimately ends up in our seas.

“So, we are very pleased to see the Scottish Government consulting on banning a range of single-use plastic items – we wholeheartedly support the proposals in the consultation paper.

“We are also encouraged that Scottish Government are asking, as part of the consultation, if there are other single-use items which should be banned and we will be pushing for this to include plastic cigarette filters and wet wipes containing plastic.”

According to Scottish Government figures around four fifths (80%) of Scotland’s carbon footprint comes from all the goods, materials and services that we produce, use and often throw out after minimal use².

Part of the consultation process is to understand how access can be maintained for people who require items that perform a vital function that cannot be easily replaced. For example, straws may be required for medical use or to support independent living.

The Single Use Plastic Directive Consultation closes on 4 January 2021.

For more details visit – https://consult.gov.scot/zero-waste-delivery/introducing-market-restrictions-on-single-use-plas/  

Food and Drink industry concerns over advertising ban

I wanted to share with you a letter, written from the Food and Drink Federation (FDF), as well as UK Hospitality and the Advertising Association, to the Prime Minister highlighting our concerns regarding the proposed online advertising ban consultation, announced last week.

It is co-signed by a number of our leading companies and household brands, but we are really concerned about the large numbers of small local businesses that form the backbone of our industry who will be damaged or even put out of business by this proposal.

From a local businesses’ perspective, the currently proposed advertising bans, especially online, will have large impacts on what can and cannot be advertised to a local community.

For example, under the suggested bans, it could mean that local wedding cake businesses would not be able to advertise their creations or market their products on social media platforms such as Instagram due to be classified as a product ‘high in sugar, fat and salt’.

It could also restrict or ban the promotion of a charity bake sale on a local online forum, a local butcher may not be able to promote its finest bacon and a baker would not be able to share their latest creations such as Bakewell Tarts, Cornish pasties, Scotch Eggs or Welsh Cakes.

For a newer business, which we know are already facing enormous pressure in the current climate, it may limit their ability to promote newer products. How can they raise awareness of the company or their products to consumers if they cannot promote it using advertising mechanisms?

Those signing the letter represent more than 800 food and drink manufacturers and 3,000 leading UK brands. The food and drink industry alone is the largest manufacturing sector in the UK, worth more than £28bn to the economy, employing almost 500,000 people.

Please find our letter attached in full (see below).

Best wishes,

Rachel Bickerstaffe

Corporate Affairs Administrator
Food and Drink Federation

Lauriston Farm community consultation is under way

 Edinburgh Agroecology Co-operative CICI is putting forward a proposal to the council for a new Urban Agroecology project at Lauriston Farm, with three main areas of focus: food growing at scale, habitat creation and biodiversity enhancement, and community engagement and activity.

It is really important to us to get the views of the local community and find out what they think of the proposed plan and if and how they would like to engage with or get involved with our project.

We would have loved to have hosted a community event but current circumstances mean that we will be hosting an online community consultation instead.

The consultation is now live and will be open until the 20th November – NOTE NEW DATE.

We would like to get input and feedback from as many people from the surrounding local community as possible.

Please see above for details.

You’ll find the site link for the community consultation at Lauristonfarm.scot

Edinburgh Agroecology Co-op

Revised plans launched for Edinburgh’s New Town Quarter

Proposal of Application Notice lodged for residential units to replace Hotel option

Plans have been submitted to the City of Edinburgh Council for the New Town Quarter development. Proposals include a mix of new homes, offices and public amenities on the 5.9-acre former Royal Bank of Scotland site, at the heart of Edinburgh’s New Town. 

We have received a huge amount of interest in our proposals – including more than 4,000 visitors to our website from Edinburgh, Scotland and across the world. This has become one of the largest consultations ever carried out for a city centre development and we would like to thank everyone who has contributed to it by passing on their views and comments, all of which has helped shape our final application.

It is hoped that the application will be discussed at committee by the City of Edinburgh Council in December 2020.

For more information on the New Town Quarter, please click HERE

Ediston and Orion Capital Managers have lodged a new Proposal of Application for the New Town Quarter, one of the largest city centre developments to come forward in Edinburgh for a generation.

Plans were originally submitted to the city council at the end of July for offices, new homes and a hotel on the 5.9 acre former Royal Bank of Scotland site on Dundas Street in the heart of the New Town.

Now, updated proposals have been brought forward to provide around 79 new residential units to replace the hotel ‘as a response to changes in the economic climate caused by the coronavirus outbreak’.

The Proposal of Application Notice (PAN) means there will now be additional public consultation for the new application – this was launched on 8th October.

Welcoming the proposals, Ross McNulty, Development Director at Ediston, said: “This is the largest brownfield site to come forward in the city centre for many years and we have worked closely with the community and local organisations to create a high quality and vibrant new mixed-use neighbourhood.

“Understandably, there is now a need to review the development mix considering the huge impact that Covid-19 has had on the Scottish and global economies.

“While we remain positive that our overall proposals are robust, the reduced activity in the hospitality sector has driven a need to consider an alternative option for the hotel element of the development.”

Ross McNulty continued: “We have already carried out one of the most extensive consultations on a development in Edinburgh, and we would like to thank all the residents and groups that have provided feedback.

“Our proposals will provide a major economic boost to the local area and to the city centre and whilst our review has shown the proposals to be robust despite the impact on the Covid-19 crisis, it has highlighted the need to consider an alternative use to the hotel.

“Edinburgh’s economy is one of the strongest and most resilient in the UK and we are encouraged that New Town Quarter remains on track.”

The PAN is to be lodged imminently with the Council and the public consultation will also be publicised and commence shortly.

The change in approach will require a separate planning application involving another public consultation programme, most likely to be held online. The overall development has already been subject to three separate consultations, the most recent of which took place online in April.

Latest research shows the New Town Quarter is poised to bring significant economic benefit to the local area, and the wider in the city centre.

The operational phase of the development the community and local organisations to create a high quality and would create more than 700 full-time jobs whilst generating an annual GVA (Gross Added Value) economic uplift of £34.4 million to the local and regional economy.

The construction phase alone would create a further £27.7 million at a regional level, creating a further 60 full time jobs. Many of the area’s local bars, restaurants, cafes, barbers, hairdressers, and shops are also set to benefit from the huge amount of business and activity that development is set to generate during construction and beyond.

For more information visit: www.newtownnorth.co.uk

New_Town_North_Community_Update_1_October_2020_v3Download

Free bus travel for people aged under 19?

Share your views on proposals to reduce inequalities

The Scottish Government has launched a consultation on new proposals to offer free bus travel for young people resident in Scotland aged under 19.

Over a third of people already benefit from free bus travel in Scotland. The proposed extension of free bus travel to approximately 770,000 young people will deliver on the budget agreement, as reaffirmed in the recent Programme for Government.

At the same time the proposals help realise the vision proposed through the National Transport Strategy – contributing to a transport system with reduced inequalities and one that advances equality of opportunity.

All young carers will now benefit from the wider proposed extension to the National Concessionary Travel Scheme. As such, the Scottish Government does not intend to legislate for a specific extension to recipients of the Young Carer Grant.

Legislation will also be put forward to offer free travel to companions of disabled children under the age of five as part of the extension to those aged under 19.

Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity Michael Matheson said: “With approximately 770,000 young people anticipated to benefit – these are hugely exciting proposals for the future of our bus sector and for inspiring future generations to engage with sustainable transport.

“Free bus travel will help young people under the age of 19 to access education, employment and leisure – particularly those from lower income families. What we are proposing will help our young people as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, whilst supporting the vision outlined in our National Transport Strategy for a fairer and more sustainable transport system – reducing inequalities, tackling poverty and promoting opportunity.

“I’m confident that it will support the independence of young people and encourage a greater, long term shift to more sustainable travel – largely by embedding the use of public transport in people’s behaviour from an early age.

“To respond to the climate emergency, we need a shift away from private vehicle use towards more sustainable public transport. I’m confident this step could also help encourage modal shift in how young people get around – improving air quality in our towns and cities by reducing the number of car journeys made either by them or their family, friends, or carers.”

The consultation closes on Monday 7 December.

Access the consultation online: https://consult.gov.scot/transport-scotland/consultation-free-bus-travel-for-people-under19

David Lloyd Leisure unveils plans for new Health and Fitness club

UK’s leading health and fitness group invites locals to shape the new state of the art club

The public will have the chance to view and shape the details of an exciting new health and fitness club at Shawfair Park, Midlothian. 

Undertaken by the UK’s leading health, fitness and racquets group David Lloyd Leisure, the plans for the site between Edinburgh and Dalkeith propose to bring a comprehensive range of premium family-focused health and leisure facilities to the area.

A Proposal of Application Notice (PAN) was submitted with Midlothian Council in September, highlighting the intent of the developer to lodge a planning application this year. 

The proposed facilities at Shawfair include a health and fitness club with three badminton-court sports hall, a large state of the art gym with several group-exercise studios for various uses such as group cycling, HIIT training and mind and body exercise. Both a permanent and a seasonal tennis court are also envisioned in the proposals, as well as indoor and outdoor swimming pools, terrace and luxury indoor spa with spa garden. 

The plans also include a Clubroom with a wide appeal for families, couples and individual users. The proposed scheme also features an adults only business hub for flexible working, and a soft play and activity space for children. The plans include nearly 250 dedicated car parking spaces with EV charging points as well as covered cycle spaces and various landscaping features.

David Lloyd Leisure is now organising a digital community consultation to provide residents with further information on the emerging proposals.

Through this consultation process, the team is seeking input and ideas on the proposed scheme from the public, which will assist in informing the planning application.

With the temporary suspension of public events for major planning applications by the Scottish Government due to COVID-19, the consultation has moved online with a dedicated website highlighting the development proposals. 

The website can be accessed at https://davidlloydclubs-shawfair.scot/ which will go live at 9am on Thursday 29th October, and a digital consultation event will take place that same day from 4pm to 8pm.

Consultants will be available to answer any questions through a live and dedicated two-way chat system during these times. Visitors can type questions to members of the team and converse about the project in real-time. Feedback can also be submitted via the website. 

Any representations or suggestions for changes to the proposals shared during the online event will be included in a Pre-Application Consultation report to accompany future applications.

Hard copies of consultation boards and feedback forms, or further information, can be obtained by phoning 0131 202 3259 or in writing to: Orbit Communications, 4 Queen Street, Edinburgh EH2 1JE or by emailing: hello@davidlloydclubs-shawfair.scot

The deadline for submitting feedback will be Thursday November 19th.

Commenting on the proposed consultation event, Brendan Mitchell, Group Acquisitions Manager, David Lloyd Clubs said: “We are delighted to be providing the local community with the opportunity to shape our proposals for this exciting new health, leisure and fitness club in Midlothian.

“Clearly these are difficult times, and we’re pleased to offer an exciting vision to help people maintain physical and mental fitness. More than ever this seems a pressing need in communities across the country. 

“During our consultation event, all residents will have the opportunity to enquire further about the proposals and give their feedback, which will be thoroughly considered ahead of submitting the planning application.

“We would urge all those that can to participate in this consultation process and have their views heard.”  

Sandy Smith, Development Director at Buccleuch Property, owners of Shawfair Park commented: “As a long-term investor in Shawfair and Midlothian we are very pleased to be working with David Lloyd Leisure in bringing these proposals forward.  

“David Lloyd Leisure’s family-focused offering will be a fantastic addition to Shawfair Park and a valuable amenity to local residents and businesses who will be able to play tennis, swim and lead a healthy life-style with-in easy reach of their front doors.

“We look forward to engaging with the community to help shape the next phase of Shawfair Park”

Umbrella Lane takes the Equally Safe consultation to the public with #TakingBackOurVoice campaign

Sex worker charity Umbrella Lane has been advocating in the media and the community to fight The Equally Safe Consultation put forward by Ash Denham and published by the Scottish Government.

Having worked to build trust and support sex workers in Scotland since 2015, Umbrella Lane has seen the lack of awareness about the realities of Sex Work and the stigma Workers face.

Therefore, taking a holistic approach, Umbrella Lane have decided to take the voices of their community to the streets of Glasgow on the 23rd October and Edinburgh on the 24th October to raise awareness around #TakingBackOurVoice campaign.

The campaign aims to humanise the people affected by the consultation and will highlight the devastating effects the consultation will have on the safety, health and human rights of the Sex Worker community, should it be passed.  

While the Equally Safe Consultation is based on misinformation and over generalisations; Umbrella Lane and Sex Workers have fact on our side, with numerous studies showing the dangerous effects of criminalisation, and the benefits of full decriminalisation as a solution.

Join Umbrella Lane to hear what sex workers have to say about the consultation and how you can support us in submitting a response. 

*We will be wearing face masks and practicing mandatory social distancing, track and trace is recommended for participating in the event.* 


#TakingBackOurVoice Public Awareness Days 

Glasgow 23rd October 

Buchanan Street outside the Apple Store 

11am – 1pm

Edinburgh 24th October 

Princess Street by the Scots Monument 

11am – 1pm 

Children asked to share their views on Child Rights Bill

Care experienced children and young people are among those who will have the opportunity to give their opinions on new legislation which would incorporate an international human rights treaty into Scots law – in a Zoom chat with MSPs.

Virtual calls hosted by children’s rights organisations will allow children and young people from a diverse range of groups across Scotland to meet privately with members of the Scottish Parliament’s Equalities and Human Rights Committee, which is seeking views on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (Incorporation) (Scotland) Bill.

Their comments will form part of the evidence to the committee in its scrutiny of the legislation, which would allow children and young people to take public bodies to court for breaches of their rights.

The Bill legally obliges public authorities – including Scottish Ministers – to respect children’s rights, placing them under a duty not to act incompatibly with the UN Convention, while Ministers will also be required to make a Children’s Rights Scheme to set out how they will comply with the duty.

Children and representatives acting on their behalf will be able to challenge public authorities in court for infringing their rights, and the new legislation will allow the courts to strike down legislation that is incompatible with any UNCRC requirements.

The Bill also provides new powers to the Children and Young People’s Commissioner in Scotland (CYPCS) to litigate in the public interest, which would enable the Commissioner to take cases to court on behalf of children and provide advice to courts about the Convention.

Committee Convener, Ruth Maguire MSP, said: “This legislation has the potential to transform the way public bodies approach the needs and rights of children in Scotland. It is therefore vitally important that we hear from those children who, by reason of ethnicity, gender, religion or disability, are most likely to face discrimination and who may not normally have an opportunity to express their views.

“Online meetings facilitated by organisations that work with care experienced children, young people within the criminal justice system, children with disabilities or other additional support needs, as well as young LGBT people and BAME groups, will allow members of the committee to learn more about the experiences of children and young people and the issues they have to deal with in their daily lives.

“We want to know what barriers they face and what they think should be done to make sure their rights are respected.”

A facilitator’s pack developed with children’s organisations provides groups with activities to help them respond to the consultation. Education resources are available for primary and secondary schools to explain the Bill and Committee process and invite pupils to take part in the consultation. British Sign Language users will also be able to contribute to the Committee’s evidence-gathering by sending in videos with their views.

The closing date for responses to the call for views is midnight on 20 November 2020, which is Universal Children’s Day, marking the day on which the Declaration of the Rights of the Child was adopted in 1959.

The private virtual calls will be hosted by: Who Cares? Scotland; Aberlour; Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice; Scottish Commission for Learning Disability; LGBT Youth Scotland; and Intercultural Youth Scotland.

Together (Scottish Alliance for Children’s Rights) is also hosting virtual calls with the following organisations: The Children’s Parliament; Licketyspit; Children in Scotland; Scottish Youth Parliament; Youth Link Scotland; Barnardo’s Scotland; and Carers Trust Scotland.