Royston Wardieburn-based community group Power to the People has urged Forth councillors to push to extend the Edinburgh Budget Challenge consultation period to allow more time for ‘proper public debate’. Continue reading Community group urges councillors to delay damaging decisions
Let them know what matters to you!
Time’s running out to have your say on the city council’s budget proposals – the consultation closes on Thursday 17 December. Continue reading Have your say on city’s budget
Lead the Way campaign consultation ends soon
This is the last chance to tell us what issues are important to you!
We’re creating a 2016-2021 Youth Manifesto, so we can lead#thewayto2021.
Time is running out, so give us your views on education, rights, the environment and more today! Your response will make it into our manifesto, so we can campaign on the issues that matter to you.
Take a minute to fill out our survey now:
“Our historic environment is not owned by one group or organisation but by the people of Scotland” – Jane Rider, Chair, HES
People across Scotland are being asked for views on how the past is shaping our present and future. Continue reading How Scotland’s past can help shape it’s future
City Council’s parking consultation closes on 31 October Continue reading Still time to have your say on parking proposals
There’s another opportunity to have your say on creating a fairer Scotland this week. Pilton Community Health Project will be hosting a session at their office on Boswall Parkway this Thursday from 10 – 11.30am.
All welcome – come along and share your views!
Muirhouse Millennium Community Centre
Thursday 15 October 7 – 9pm
Free soup and sandwiches!
It really doesn’t seem like a year since the last consultation, but here we are again …
Edinburgh residents are being asked for their views on how the Council spends and saves money as part of public engagement on proposals for the 2016-20 budget.
This year people will also get the chance to contribute ideas of their own on how city services are provided, using the online ‘Your City, Your Say’ dialogue page.
The web page will form part of a ten-week engagement period, beginning today, allowing the public to feed back on proposals for the Council’s 2016-20 budget, which aim to address an overall shortfall of £126m.
People will be able to submit suggestions and views on topical issues, creating solutions to challenges and ideas for better serving the public and saving money. Users can also rate and comment on others’ posts, helping the Council to gather opinion on where it should invest in future.
If successful, the resource will be extended after the budget is set, crowdsourcing public opinions on different matters on an ongoing basis.
A new online planner will also seek views on how the Council should deliver services, including the way parking is charged and how the Council works with voluntary and third party organisations.
By prioritising some services using the planner, the public can see how this impacts on other services, and how saving in one area can allow additional spending in another.
Councillor Alasdair Rankin, Finance Convener, said: “We really want to hear how people want the Council to invest and save money – your views will always help us to deliver services in a way that will benefit and improve lives.
“By doing things differently and introducing our new online engagement tools, we’re making it easier than ever for people to contribute their views and ideas, and to understand the different challenges there are in setting the budget.”
Councillor Bill Cook, Finance Vice Convener, added: “Everything you say will be taken into account when we draw up the final budget proposals to be put to the Council in early 2016, so we are extremely interested in hearing your views. Whether it’s via the planner, ideas forum, survey, phone, letter, email or social media we welcome all feedback.”
At a meeting of the Finance & Resources Committee on Thursday 24 September, councillors approved a report on the draft budget, along with a set of budget proposals for public engagement over the coming months.
The full budget proposals, the budget planner and forum tools can be accessed at www.edinburgh.gov.uk/budget.
You can have your say by:
You can do this by:
Friday 9 October, 9.30am – 12.30pm, EVOC Office
We would be delighted if you join EVOC’s Fairer Scotland thinkSpace and hear speakers from the Scottish Government and the Third Sector consider the questions in the current consultation:
We invite you to bring two other stakeholders from your organisation, e.g. service users and/or trustees.
Robin McAlpine of the Common Weal will be speaking on People Power plus we have facilitators confirmed from Citizens Advice Scotland, Crisis Edinburgh and One Parent Family Scotland. Ella Simpson, EVOC’s Director will be leading the discussions on what we can do in Edinburgh and how we can feed back into the consultation process.
You can book places at: http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/evoc-thinkspace-fairer-scotland-tickets-18434528170
View the Fairer Scotland thinkSpace Programme.
REMINDER: Voluntary Sector Forum
The October meeting of Forth and Inverleith VSF was brought forward as the meeting was scheduled to take place during the school holidays.
The new date is Tuesday 6 October 1-3pm, at Pilton Community Health Project.
