The city council’s plans to regenerate Granton Waterfront will take a step forward next month. The council will begin an intensive six month period of public engagement to deliver a ‘vibrant, well connected, new city quarter’. Continue reading Waterfront regeneration consultation to open next month
The City of Edinburgh Council has opened a citywide consultation on proposals for a Transient Visitor Levy (TVL) or ‘Tourist Tax’. Continue reading A Tourist Tax for Edinburgh? Have your say
Legislative option to form part of forthcoming public consultation
Ministers will consult on how the criminal law might be strengthened as part of efforts to tackle misogynistic behaviour, Cabinet Secretary for Justice Humza Yousaf has announced.
Mr Yousaf said a forthcoming consultation focusing on updating and consolidating Scotland’s hate crime laws will include consideration as to what measures may be needed to better tackle gender-based violence, including misogyny.
Mr Yousaf (above) said: “The Scottish Government is working with a range of partners – through education, legislation and enforcement – to tackle violence against women and girls, including challenging unacceptable attitudes and harmful behaviour.
“We must guard against a pervasive misogyny which, unchecked, impacts on the wider health, wellbeing and safety of our communities – breeding a culture where this type of harm is tolerated – sometimes even condoned – and as a result is allowed to continue.
“So there is a clear need for continued action to be taken to tackle gender-based prejudice and misogyny in Scotland, although there are different views on the specific actions needed.
“We will be consulting later this year on Lord Bracadale’s recommendations for necessary reform to Scotland’s hate crime legislation. We will keep an open mind on the best way to address behaviour motivated by misogyny, including the possibility of new criminal law measures.
“The consultation will be launched in November and will seek views on a number of options, including an aggravation based on gender hostility as proposed by Lord Bracadale. But we will also ask whether, separately, a specific offence targeting misogynistic behaviour could be an effective step in addressing this form of behaviour and the damage it does.”
Lord Bracadale was appointed by the Scottish Government to review hate crime legislation in Scotland and to consider whether existing laws represent the most effective approach for the justice system to deal with criminal conduct motivated by hatred, malice, ill-will or prejudice. On 31 May Lord Bracadale published his review report and recommendations which included consolidation of hate crime legislation and the addition of gender and age hostility aggravations.
Current hate crime legislation allows any existing offence to be aggravated by prejudice in respect of one or more of the protected characteristics of race, religion, disability, sexual orientation and transgender identity. Where a person is convicted of an offence with a statutory aggravation in respect of a protected characteristic it will be recorded and taken into account in sentencing. In addition, there are some stand-alone offences too.
A number of organisations have called for the development of a standalone offence for misogyny to tackle the unique features of violence and harassment against women. They take the view that adding a statutory aggregation for gender hostility will not be helpful in tackling misogynistic behaviour.
The Scottish Government has accepted Lord Bracadale’s recommendation to consolidate all Scottish hate crime legislation into one new hate crime statute and will use his report and recommendations as the basis for consulting on the detail of what should be included in a new hate crime bill. This will include considering how best to tackle misogyny in Scotland.
The United Nations has defined violence against women as “any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivations of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life.”
Read further information about Scottish Government work with partners to tackle violence against women and girls.
A consultation is seeking views on the future of civil partnership in Scotland. Continue reading Civil Partnership consultation
“refreshed designs and plans are truly community-led” – Transport convener
Continue reading Trams to Newhaven: updated plans to go on show
Edinburgh residents have until Friday 14 September to share their views on the Council and Ross Development Trust’s proposals to enhance West Princes Street Gardens. Continue reading Two weeks to have your say on Princes Street Gardens
Edinburgh City Archives is asking residents, visitors, community groups, businesses and other organisations for their views on how modern-day life in the Capital should be captured in the Edinburgh Remembers consultation. Continue reading Help Edinburgh Remember
A consultation on guidance that seeks to make funeral costs easier to understand has been published by the Scottish Government. The consultation sets out measures that burial authorities, crematoriums and funeral directors can take to make funeral costs transparent and more understandable. Continue reading More transparency on funeral charges
Consultation to look at whether a new offence equivalent to causing death by careless or dangerous driving should be introduced for dangerous cyclists.
Continue reading Protecting pedestrians: cracking down on careless cyclists
A major public consultation planned to kick off next month will spark discussions all over the city about how people want the heart of Scotland’s Capital to look, feel and function.
If approved by the Transport and Environment Committee today, the eight-week consultation commencing in September will bring together three inter-related placemaking projects being led by the City of Edinburgh Council and supported by numerous partner organisations.
Responses and suggestions will be sought on: the Edinburgh City Centre Transformation, the City Mobility Plan (successor to the current Local Transport Strategy) and plans for Low Emission Zones in the Capital.
The consultation, entitled “Edinburgh: connecting our city, transforming our places”, centres on a prospectus which has been developed following extensive engagement with stakeholders between February and May 2018 – ideas and proposals contained within it have come directly from public feedback.
The prospectus sets out ideas to create a more active and connected city, a healthier environment, a transformed Edinburgh city centre, and improved neighbourhood streets. Among the ideas up for consideration are pedestrianised streets, restrictions on ‘through’ traffic, bus and freight ‘hubs’, widened pavements and improved public spaces.
The Transport and Environment Committee report about the planned consultation also seeks members’ approval for regular vehicle-free days in the city centre and town centres across Edinburgh.
It also updates members on the award of £760,000 to the Council from the Scottish Government through Sustrans’ Community Links Programme to help deliver the Edinburgh City Centre Transformation project.
Transport Convener Councillor Lesley Macinnes said: “This prospectus is a truly ambitious document which is bound to generate some lively debate right across the city about what kind of place we want Edinburgh to be. It’s a powerful opportunity to make some really transformational changes to our city centre and town centres for the benefit of everyone who lives and works in or visits them.
“Frankly, the status quo is just not an option anymore. As a Council we are serious about tackling poor air quality, reducing congestion and making it as easy as possible to get around Edinburgh, especially by walking, cycling and public transport.”
Transport Vice Convener Councillor Karen Doran said: “The ideas in this hugely significant consultation have come from a series of workshops held in the spring with a huge range of organisations and interest groups, including transport providers (public transport, freight, taxi, private hire and community transport), private sector companies, third sector bodies, Edinburgh Access Panel, community councils, neighbouring local authorities and school pupils.
“We’re very pleased to have been awarded more than three quarters of a million pounds from Sustrans to help us progress what is sure to be one of the most far-reaching revamps of the Capital’s city centre and town centres in many, many years.”
Sustrans Scotland Deputy Director Grace Martin said: “We are very encouraged by the proposals laid out in the Council’s City Centre Transformation report.
“It is fantastic to see our capital city developing solutions to make the city a better place for people to live, work and visit. We are particularly pleased to be able to support a vision of more walking and cycling with funding through our infrastructure and behaviour change programmes.
“By making it easier and safer to travel around on foot and bike, improving air quality and creating more attractive and dynamic public spaces, the proposals set out how Edinburgh can grow and prosper.
“We hope this ambition will inspire other towns and cities within Scotland to promote active, sustainable and healthy lifestyles.”
Richard Hall, Managing Director of Lothian (formerly Lothian Buses), said: “We are really pleased to have been working in conjunction with the City of Edinburgh Council on this ambitious project so far.
“Buses and other forms of public and active transport are the best solution to move people across and through our city. Their integration into future design and planning is critical to ensure seamless connectivity which in turn drives economic investment and growth. Innovative and brave approaches and solutions need to be taken and delivered collaboratively by the city and all public and active transport organisations.”
