Tag: coronavirus

Council announces essential service changes

Changes to Council services and projects have been put into effect to help protect the public and workers during the Coronavirus pandemic.

Measures follow the new rules set by the UK Prime Minister and Scotland’s First Minister to limit the spread of the virus, advising that people should only leave home once a day for exercise, to shop for essential items or for medication and to travel to and from work if absolutely necessary.

Amongst preventative actions, the council is suspending charges for on-street parking bays to support key workers who are reliant on their private vehicles, closing play parks to discourage people from gathering and shutting down household waste and recycling centres. 

Council Leader Adam McVey said: “We’re making every effort to deliver the core services needed by residents in Edinburgh, but it’s crucial that we heed the new measures being implemented nationwide to ensure the health and safety of all those who live and work in the city.

“The message from Scotland’s First Minister and the UK Prime Minister is clear – people should stay in their homes unless it is absolutely necessary to go out for work, food or health reasons or to look after the vulnerable.

“We must encourage people to stay indoors to limit the spread of Coronavirus and by making changes like suspending parking pay and display charges we’re supporting key workers to continue delivering vital services to those that need it, while our decision to close recycling centres will reduce face-to-face contact between teams and members of the public across the city.

“It will also help us to redirect resources to support our wider waste collection service.

“This is, of course, an extraordinary situation and we are adapting to a constantly-changing landscape. There is no doubt that our services will face increasing pressure and I’d like to take this opportunity to call on the people of Edinburgh to help us to look after the city during these unprecedented times, by following our advice, taking responsibility for any litter if outside of the house and looking out for neighbours where possible.”

Depute Leader Cammy Day said: “It’s essential that we support the country’s efforts to reduce the impact of the Coronavirus by following national guidance, staying indoors where possible and practising social distancing, and we need to make these changes to help facilitate that.

“We also rely on the public to help us to comply with new rules, and to limit the impact of the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. I’d like to thank those who have taken such care to follow the guidance, as well as the many staff, partners and volunteers who have made sure vulnerable residents are safe – we will get through this together.”

SERVICE CHANGES

Parking charges

From today charges for all on-street pay and display parking bays will be suspended until further notice. Yellow lines, loading bays, disabled parking places and car club places will continue to be enforced.

Waste and cleansing

Waste collections will continue as usual, other than blue box glass recycling collections, which were suspended on Monday.

Residents are reminded to follow advice on the safe disposal of waste should they or someone living in their household have symptoms that may be caused by Coronavirus, and do not require hospital treatment though must remain at home until they are well.

Household Waste and Recycling Centres are closed until further notice. Special uplifts and bin deliveries have also stopped. Find out more about suspended services online.

Street cleansing and litter bin collections will continue, but with a limited service. For this reason, the public are urged to help keep streets clean by disposing of litter responsibly – taking it home if bins are full – and cleaning up after dogs.

Parks and greenspaces

All play parks, mixed use games area courts, outdoor exercise equipment, skateparks and car parks associated with parks will be closed. Allotments will remain open though users are subject to national rules advising one trip outside of the home a day and to maintain social distancing.

Registration services

Birth registrations have been postponed until normal service resumes. We are awaiting the implementation of a national process to send notification of all births that have occurred in our area to National Records Scotland, who will in turn pass this information to Social Security Scotland to allow Child Benefit claims to be made.

Marriage and civil partnership registrations have been cancelled or postponed.

Death registrations are currently postponed and will move to a system of remote registration once introduced nationally. Until this process has been fully initiated we are gathering the information from families for input into the system. Full details are available online.

Funerals

Taking account of industry and Government guidance, it is intended that numbers attending a funeral facilitated by the Council are 15 or less, limited to close family. Funeral directors working with families may identify other relations using their discretion. Full details are available online.

Key worker childcare arrangements

There will be 23 school buildings open and operating from tomorrow thanks to more than 1000 staff who are coming into work. From Friday, Queensferry Primary School will also open to provide support for families where both parents and carers fall within the key worker category and have no other possible childcare arrangements. Parents and carers will be contacted directly regarding the school their child should come along to. More details are available online.

Local Critical Resilience Centres

Local Critical Resilience Centres based in Wester Hailes, Pilton Gardens, Captain’s Road, Leith and Craigmillar provide a base for staff to provide welfare, housing and household support by phone and email. Customers are asked to attend in-person only if it is critical, for example if they are experiencing homelessness, threats to their wellbeing or require urgent cash payments. This will prioritise support for residents who face financial hardship. They will operate 10am – 4pm.

Public transport

Edinburgh Trams and Lothian Buses are keeping their customers up to date with information and service changes online and via their social media channels. Both companies are operating reduced services.

You can access a wide range of Council services at www.edinburgh.gov.uk and report many concerns through the website. If you are experiencing an emergency or critical situation please call 0131 200 2000.

HOSPITAL VISITING SUSPENDED

NHS Lothian has announced that visiting will be suspended to limit the spread of coronavirus and to protect vulnerable patients, as well as staff. This move will come into effect from today.

Visiting will continue in specific circumstances; for example patients receiving end-of-life care, for inpatients in our children’s services and those accompanying partners during childbirth. Visiting arrangements for these groups should only take place following discussions with senior charge nurses or midwives.

Professor Alex McMahon, Director of Nursing, Midwifery and Allied Healthcare Professionals, NHS Lothian said: “Across NHS Lothian, Scotland and the UK, we are experiencing profound changes in our daily lives as a result of coronavirus (COVID-19).

“Now, more than ever, we need to work together. To our patients and their families, I would urge you to help us by respecting this difficult decision.”

Professor McMahon added: “I understand that not being able to visit family members while they are in hospital may be upsetting and I would like to assure the public that this decision has not been taken lightly.

“All across the UK, people are being urged to stay at home where they can and to limit social interactions, instead using phone and video calls to stay in touch with family and friends.

“The decision to suspend visiting may be unpopular with some patients and their families, but it has been made to help protect the safety of your loved ones and our staff.”

To stay up to date with the latest coronavirus (COVID-19) advice, visit NHS Inform: https://www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/infections-and-poisoning/coronavirus-covid-19

A free helpline has been set up for those who do not have symptoms but are looking for general health advice.

This can be accessed by calling 0800 028 2816. The helpline is open Monday to Friday, 8:00am – 10:00pm, Saturday and Sunday, 8:00am – 6:00pm.

Holyrood asked to consent to UK’s Emergency Coronavirus Bill

MSPs will scrutinise the proposed UK-wide Emergency Coronavirus Bill today. A Legislative Consent Memorandum (LCM) has been lodged requesting MSPs consent to the UK Parliament changing laws which affect the devolved powers of Scotland.

The Emergency Coronavirus Bill was laid in Westminster last week in response to the Covid19 pandemic. The Bill introduces temporary measures giving ministers wide-ranging powers to tackle the Covid19 outbreak.

The Scottish Government says in its memorandum that consent is required in a number of areas, including:

• Emergency registration of nurses and other health and care professionals.
• Temporary modification of mental health and mental capacity legislation.
• Indemnity for pandemic-related health service activity.
• Registration of deaths and still births etc and a review of cause of death certifications and cremations in Scotland.
• The temporary closure of educational institutions and childcare premises.
• Powers relating to potentially infected persons; providing public health officers, constables and immigration officers in Scotland with the necessary powers in the event that they need to be used.
• Powers to give directions relating to events, gatherings and premises.
• Vaccination and Immunisation in Scotland developing alternative programmes for vaccination delivery.
• Emergency registration of social workers in Scotland.
• Powers to direct private organisations involved in the death management industry to deal with any emerging issues in relation to the transport, storage and disposal of dead bodies.
• Temporary disapplication of disclosure offences.
• Postponement of Scottish Parliament elections for constituency vacancies and postponement of local authority elections in Scotland for casual vacancies.
• Suspension of restrictions on return to work through NHS pension scheme.
• Emergency arrangements concerning practitioners which would create a limited exception to the requirement to be on a performers list in order to practise as a GP in the NHS in Scotland.
• Appointment of temporary Judicial Commissioners.

MSPs from the Parliament’s Health and Sport Committee heard from from Jeane Freeman MSP, the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport this morning and  Michael Russell, Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, Europe and External Affairs, gave evidence to the Finance and Constitution Committee.

Following committee scrutiny in the morning, the full Parliament will be asked to agree to the consent motion this afternoon.

The motion, which will be lodged by the Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, Europe and External Affairs and supported by the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport, is:

“That the Parliament agrees that the relevant provisions of the Coronavirus Bill, introduced in the House of Commons on 19 March 2020, so far as they fall within the legislative competence of the Scottish Parliament or alter the executive competence of the Scottish Ministers, should be considered by the UK Parliament.”

Subject to parliamentary agreement, the UK Coronavirus Bill is expected to receive Royal Assent and become law by the end of March.

Watch live online: 

You can watch the committee and chamber proceedings live on Tuesday on Scottish Parliament TV.

A SPICe briefing on the Coronavirus Bill LCM is available here.

Full details of the Bill can be found here.

More information on the Scottish Government’s LCM is available here.

Drive to free up hospital beds

Councils have been asked to increase support for care at home, nursing homes and care homes to reduce delayed discharges and free up hospital beds.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman has confirmed to COSLA that, subject to expenditure being aligned to local plans, the Scottish Government will meet additional costs to increase support and staff capacity in social care.

The move aims to help the care system adapt to increased pressure placed on it by COVID -19, with many people requiring continued support for daily living, even if they have not contracted the virus.

Ms Freeman said: “We have placed the NHS on an emergency footing and we also need to increase the capacity in our social care sector.

“Extensive work is already underway by health and social care partnerships to free up hospital beds and care for older people, and others in need of support, in care homes and in our communities.

“We have now informed councils that any additional expenditure to maximise the care available to our communities, aligned to work that is already underway, will be covered by the Scottish Government.”

COSLA’s Health and Social Care spokesperson Councillor Stuart Currie said: “COVID-19 represents an unprecedented challenge to anyone working in caring professions in Scotland.

“The Scottish Government and local government have shared leadership to ensure the entire system is working together to optimise the impact on the wellbeing of our communities.  Work is underway locally to do this and today’s announcement gives welcome assurance to the sector about the steps which will be taken to maximise the care available to our communities.

“COSLA guidance will be issued shortly to support commissioners to work collaboratively to protect the resilience of the social care sector and ensure they remain operationally and financially viable.”

Coronavirus: New NHS 24 arrangements

Patients worried about symptoms should dial 111 if they need help

Patients with coronavirus (COVID-19) symptoms are now asked to dial NHS 24 on 111, day or night, if their symptoms worsen or do not improve after seven days.

Please do NOT call your GP or go to the surgery. If you require a sick note due to coronavirus, you can get this from the NHS Inform website.

This improvement provides patients with a straightforward dedicated route to clinical advice and support, as well as freeing up GP practices to treat and care for all non-COVID-19 health conditions.

Callers to the 111 helpline will be assessed and, if necessary, transferred to a local community hub staffed by clinicians from across the healthcare system to ensure patients get the best possible advice at the right time.

Depending on their assessment, patients may be given advice to help them continue self-isolating at home or be given an appointment to attend a local assessment centre for further treatment.

NHS Inform’s coronavirus webpage is still the fastest way for people to get the latest health advice and information. There is also a free NHS 24 helpline for people without symptoms looking for general information on coronavirus.

For patients who do not have any coronavirus symptoms, they should continue to telephone their GP when open and not call NHS 24.

In the out of hours period, when displaying symptoms other than coronavirus, you should only call 111 if you need urgent assessment and cannot wait until your GP is open.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “This change means that anyone who has coronavirus symptoms and needs additional help or advice can now call the same number any time, day or night, seven days a week.

“As the number of people presenting with symptoms continues to grow, we must adapt to manage the daily growth in demand. As well as ensuring people are getting the right help at the right time, this step will also help ensure GP capacity to provide care for people in the community is protected and that only those cases that need to be admitted to hospital are admitted.”

NHS 24’s Director of Service Delivery Steph Phillips said: “NHS 24 has been at the forefront of supporting Scotland’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, through the NHS Inform website, the special helpline and the 111 service.

“This change will make it easier for people who are concerned about their symptoms to get the help they need as quickly as possible. Please help us to help you.”

NHS Inform’s coronavirus webpage is still the fastest way for people to get the latest health advice and information.

If you need a sick note due to coronavirus, don’t contact your GP or NHS 24. You can download an isolation note directly from NHS Inform.

The latest numbers of test results are published at 2pm each day on the Scottish Government website.

Common symptoms of coronavirus include:

  • high temperature or fever
  • cough
  • shortness of breath

Patients should only call NHS 24 (on 111) if their symptoms:

  • have not improved after 7 days
  • are severe or they have shortness of breath
  • worsen during home isolation

For any other health related concerns, make NHS Inform your first point of contact or call your GP during opening hours. If your GP practice is closed and your query can’t wait you can still call NHS 24 (on 111).

If you don’t have symptoms and are looking for general information on coronavirus, call NHS Inform’s free helpline: 0800 028 2816

Claimants asked to apply online as Jobcentres limit access

People are being urged to use online services before turning to the telephone for help with their benefit claim

With a rise in new claims, and with demand for support over the phone increasing, the Department for Work and Pensions is taking unprecedented action to make sure people can get the support they need, including moving 10,000 existing staff to focus on processing new claims.

In line with recent Government guidance and to best serve those who need support, the Work and Pensions Secretary has taken the decision to limit access to jobcentres from tomorrow, with members of the public not admitted into jobcentres unless they are directed to do so with a booked appointment.

Only the most vulnerable claimants who cannot access DWP services by other channels will be invited to attend, with the public urged to use online services.

In addition, the Secretary of State has also today announced that reviews and reassessments for disability benefits are being suspended for the next three months. The suspension will be kept under regular review and extended if necessary.

These stronger measures come in response to the changing situation and mean more staff are being deployed to process new claims and make payments, with remote support a top priority for the department.

Around 10,000 existing staff will be moved to process new claims, with 1000 already in place. In addition, the Department is expecting to recruiting 1500 extra people to aid the effort.

The changes are part of the Government’s effort to stop the spread of the virus, supporting people to stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives.

The measures follow Government guidance last week that people were not expected to attend face to face jobcentre appointments, and the suspension of face-to-face assessments for all sickness and disability benefits for the next 3 months.

In the meantime, all services can be accessed online and over phone with the Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey is urging people to use online services first, helping keep phone lines free for those who really need them.

Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Therese Coffey said: “Our jobcentres are fully committed to supporting people facing challenges during these extraordinary times.

“To help people most effectively and efficiently, we need people to claim online. If you cannot get online, phone us for help and we will only see people face to face in our jobcentres if invited.”

Those looking to put in a claim for Universal Credit or Employment and Support Allowance should apply online.

For more information visit Understanding Universal Credit

 

LOCKDOWN

The First Minister has tonight called for an immediate stop to public gatherings of more than two people in Scotland in a bid to flatten the curve of Covid-19 spread and protect the NHS.

Following a meeting of the UK Government’s COBR committee, an effective ban is in place on gatherings in public places, excluding household groups or in a work-related capacity.

In addition – as the First Minister set out earlier – all non-essential shops should be closed, as well as public spaces such as libraries, communal parks and playgrounds, and places of worship.

“The ban extends to ceremonial social events, such as weddings and christenings, with the exception of funerals which will be restricted to immediate family only. The First Minister was clear that these decisions are not taken lightly ‘but are essential for the protection of all of us.’

From tonight the only permissible reasons to leave your home are as follows:

  • To shop for basic necessities and that should be limited to once a day
  • To take exercise once a day – but alone or with your own household, not in groups
  • For medical reasons or to care for a vulnerable person
  • To travel to essential work if that cannot be done at home. Further guidance to employers is pending.

In agreement with Police Scotland, officers will be permitted to deploy ‘soft enforcement’ of these measures, prior to the Scottish Government taking legal powers from Thursday.

The First Minister reiterated guidance of the Scottish Government for people to stay home and only venture outside when absolutely necessary. In line with existing advice, non-essential retail units are now required to close and shopping for basic necessities kept to a minimum.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “Some of what is being outlined is already active advice in Scotland. But I want to ensure that the latest position is set out clearly and comprehensively.

“Let me be blunt: these stringent restrictions on our normal day to day lives are difficult and unprecedented but they are essential for the protection of all of us. What I am telling people across Scotland that they now must do to help us fight this virus is stay at home.

“Gatherings of more than two people in public will be prohibited – unless it is a household group or work related. Social events must not take place. That includes weddings and christenings. The exception is funerals but we are asking – in what is undoubtedly the hardest thing I will say tonight – that they are restricted to immediate family only.

“I fully expect the vast majority of people will do the right thing and for that, we thank you. Later this week emergency legislation will give us powers of enforcement and we will use them if necessary.

“But from tonight, if the police find people or premises flouting these rules they will give strong advice to cease and do the right thing. Within days they will be able to follow that up with enforcement.

“All of this will take effect immediately. It is effectively what some have described as a lockdown. So please do not think any of this is being done lightly – it is not. They are essential to slow down the spread of this virus, to reduce the peak impact of it, to prevent our NHS being overwhelmed – they are essential to save lives.”

Boris Johnson: Just no easy options

‘From this evening I must give the British people a very simple instruction – YOU MUST STAY AT HOME.’

Good Evening,

The coronavirus is the biggest threat this country has faced for decades – and this country is not alone.

All over the world we are seeing the devastating impact of this invisible killer.

And so tonight I want to update you on the latest steps we are taking to fight the disease and what you can do to help.

And I want to begin by reminding you why the UK has been taking the approach that we have.

Without a huge national effort to halt the growth of this virus, there will come a moment when no health service in the world could possibly cope; because there won’t be enough ventilators, enough intensive care beds, enough doctors and nurses.

And as we have seen elsewhere, in other countries that also have fantastic health care systems, that is the moment of real danger.

To put it simply, if too many people become seriously unwell at one time, the NHS will be unable to handle it – meaning more people are likely to die, not just from Coronavirus but from other illnesses as well.

So it’s vital to slow the spread of the disease.

Because that is the way we reduce the number of people needing hospital treatment at any one time, so we can protect the NHS’s ability to cope – and save more lives.

And that’s why we have been asking people to stay at home during this pandemic.

And though huge numbers are complying – and I thank you all – the time has now come for us all to do more.

From this evening I must give the British people a very simple instruction – you must stay at home.

Because the critical thing we must do is stop the disease spreading between households.

That is why people will only be allowed to leave their home for the following very limited purposes:

  • shopping for basic necessities, as infrequently as possible
  • one form of exercise a day – for example a run, walk, or cycle – alone or with members of your household;
  • any medical need, to provide care or to help a vulnerable person; and
  • travelling to and from work, but only where this is absolutely necessary and cannot be done from home.

That’s all – these are the only reasons you should leave your home.

You should not be meeting friends. If your friends ask you to meet, you should say No.

You should not be meeting family members who do not live in your home.

You should not be going shopping except for essentials like food and medicine – and you should do this as little as you can. And use food delivery services where you can.

If you don’t follow the rules the police will have the powers to enforce them, including through fines and dispersing gatherings.

To ensure compliance with the Government’s instruction to stay at home, we will immediately:

  • close all shops selling non-essential goods,​ including clothing and electronic stores and other premises including libraries, playgrounds and outdoor gyms, and places of worship;
  • we will stop all gatherings of more than two people in public – excluding people you live with;
  • and we’ll stop all social events​, including weddings, baptisms and other ceremonies, but excluding funerals.

Parks will remain open for exercise but gatherings will be dispersed.

No Prime Minister wants to enact measures like this.

I know the damage that this disruption is doing and will do to people’s lives, to their businesses and to their jobs.

And that’s why we have produced a huge and unprecedented programme of support both for workers and for business.

And I can assure you that we will keep these restrictions under constant review. We will look again in three weeks, and relax them if the evidence shows we are able to.

But at present there are just no easy options. The way ahead is hard, and it is still true that many lives will sadly be lost.

And yet it is also true that there is a clear way through.

Day by day we are strengthening our amazing NHS with 7500 former clinicians now coming back to the service.

With the time you buy – by simply staying at home – we are increasing our stocks of equipment.

We are accelerating our search for treatments.

We are pioneering work on a vaccine.

And we are buying millions of testing kits that will enable us to turn the tide on this invisible killer.

I want to thank everyone who is working flat out to beat the virus.

Everyone from the supermarket staff to the transport workers to the carers to the nurses and doctors on the frontline.

But in this fight we can be in no doubt that each and every one of us is directly enlisted.

Each and every one of us is now obliged to join together.

To halt the spread of this disease.

To protect our NHS and to save many many thousands of lives.

And I know that as they have in the past so many times.

The people of this country will rise to that challenge.

And we will come through it stronger than ever.

We will beat the coronavirus and we will beat it together.

And therefore I urge you at this moment of national emergency to stay at home, protect our NHS and save lives.

Thank you.

Coronavirus: council services update

Council resources are being pooled to support citizens in crisis, freeing up officers to provide critical advice to those who need it most.

• New Local Critical Resilience Centres rolled out as Locality Offices close
• Measures to support those financially affected by the outbreak
• Residents urged to go online, only phone in an emergency or critical need

At this time, we kindly ask residents to contact us online, freeing up our phone line 0131 200 2000 for emergency calls only, such as social care direct, urgent repairs and welfare support. This will help us prioritise help for our most vulnerable and at risk residents.

Changing the way people interact with Locality Offices, these buildings and 249 High Street will be closed to the general public from today (Monday 23 March) as we roll out a new model of Local Critical Resilience Centres.

These centres will provide a base for Council officers to work from so that they can target support for welfare crisis, urgent housing issues, homelessness and household support. We are looking at how we provide food vouchers through these centres and further details of this will be released in the coming days.

To ease the financial position for people directly impacted by the outbreak, measures will be in place for citizens unable to make payments.

The recovery of Council Tax and Non-Domestic Rates arrears will be paused and, where necessary, Council Tax payments will be deferred for three months for those who are struggling to pay.

It’s important that all other residents continue to pay their Council Tax in the usual way to help us provide our essential services.

Following the Scottish Government announcement to increase funding for crisis payments, plans are urgently being put in place that will allow us to deal with an expected increase in applications for this important fund.

Council tenants who are concerned about being unable to pay rent during this emergency will be helped to manage rent payments and directed to advice on benefits they may be entitled to. No Council tenant is at risk of losing their home during the current emergency.

We will continue to increase the number of homes and bed spaces available for those who are or become homeless and are aiming to have a bed space for those who need it, prioritising families and those most at risk, alongside individuals needing to self-isolate.

Street-based outreach services continue to operate to support those who are rough sleeping and shelters remain open.

We’ve created an online Q&A detailing Council Tax, benefits and welfare advice. Updates on our homelessness services and information for Council tenants can also be found on our website.

Keep checking edinburgh.gov.uk/coronavirus for the latest service updates.

Council Leader Adam McVey said: “This is a difficult time and we need to adapt as circumstances change in order to provide support to those who need it most. We’re continuing to work round the clock with our partners to identify those most at risk and make sure people get the help they need.

“In just a few days, we’ve seen welfare fund requests rise rapidly – around 80% up on average volumes – so it’s absolutely critical we work to meet this demand. By closing our Locality Offices we are able to limit face-to-face contact, pool resources towards our new Resilience Centres and, in doing so, target support for those who are most vulnerable.

“As part of this we’re working really hard to step up the supply of temporary accommodation we have. This is to ensure those experiencing homelessness remain as safe as possible and we’ll be setting out further detail this week.

“I’d really like to thank all our staff, partners and volunteers who are working in what are challenging times and Bethany Christian Trust for their continued efforts to keep Edinburgh’s shelters open.”

Depute Leader Cammy Day said: “In order to provide these critical services, we’re asking everyone to bear with us and help us keep our phonelines free for emergency calls.

Please do this by getting in touch online in the first instance if you can, so that enquiries from those hardest hit can be put first.

“This will drastically help our officers focus efforts on work to help our most vulnerable residents – those who are financially affected by this outbreak and really need our services right now.”

HOW TO ACCESS COUNCIL SUPPORT ONLINE

You can access a wide range of Council services at www.edinburgh.gov.uk and report many concerns through the website. If the matter relates to debt, benefits or welfare please contact ourr Advice Shop or the new local critical response centre for your area:

Advice.shop@edinburgh.gov.uk

Northwest.locality@edinburgh.gov.uk

Northeast.locality@edinburgh.gov.uk

Southwest.locality@edinburgh.gov.uk

Southeast.locality@edinburgh.gov.uk

Parking queries should be done online and email

Residentsparking@edinburgh.gov.uk

Licensing queries should be done online and email

Licensing@edinburgh.gov.uk

All other requests can be done via our website.

Support for those most at risk and hardest hit by the coronavirus outbreak will be prioritised in all circumstances – if you are experiencing an emergency or critical situation please call 0131 200 2000.

The Local Critical Resilience Centres – which will be based in Wester Hailes, Pilton Gardens, Captain’s Road, Leith and Craigmillar – will provide a base for staff to provide welfare, housing and household support by phone and email.

Customers are asked to attend in-person only if it is critical; for example if they are experiencing homelessness, threats to their wellbeing or require urgent cash payments. This will prioritise support for residents who face financial hardship.

They will operate 10am – 4pm.