Tag: council services

Key Council services set to reopen

A number of key Council services, including libraries, community centres and galleries, will shortly reopen following the move to Level 3 in Scotland earlier this week.

Plans have been developed to prioritise the reopening of these venues in line with the Scottish Government’s current guidance and route map out of lockdown.

Services resuming include:

  • Three libraries reopening on Monday (3 May) with a further six in the coming weeks (full details below)
  • The City Art Centre will open on 15 May with four free summer exhibitions scheduled
  • Outdoor extra-curricular activities in schools restarted this week
  • Edinburgh Leisure centres are now open for individual exercise, including gyms, swimming pools, indoor court hire, racquet sports and children’s coaching, with outdoor contact sports for 12 to 17-year-olds and community access to high school sports facilities also restarted.

We’re also working closely with Community Centre Management Committees to decide what services are able to operate from the centres and when.

We’ll be following the latest Scottish Government and health guidance to make sure all venues are safe to reopen. Our first priority thus far has been ensuring our schools could reopen safely for our young people and staff but strict cleaning regimes and other measures will be in place to ensure the safety of everyone visiting venues or taking part in activities.

Culture and Communities Convener, Councillor Donald Wilson, said: “It’s great to see our first libraries reopening their doors next week with more to follow in May as part of our plans for a gradual reopening of community amenities across the city.

“This phased reopening, which will also see the City Art Centre welcome back visitors, community centres offering essential services like youth work and Edinburgh Leisure venues up and running again, is the first step in our gradual and careful emergence from lockdown.

“Our libraries are invaluable resources for local communities as there’s so much more to a library than just borrowing books. They are trusted and much-loved hub buildings which strengthen local communities and are essential for the wellbeing of our citizens.

“Libraries are a vital requirement in any democratic society, giving access to knowledge and literature, helping to bridge the digital divide and supporting literacy.”

Culture and Communities Vice Convener Cllr Amy McNeese-Mechan said: “We really appreciate everyone’s support and patience as we gradually start to welcome people back into their much-loved local spaces like our libraries, community centres and sports venues. I’m sure everyone will fully appreciate that our top priority remains the health of our citizens and staff.

“I’m particularly delighted that our libraries are able to begin reopening, especially here in the world’s first UNESCO City of Literature, but also that the City Art Centre is able to open with four fantastic new – and free – exhibitions for our residents to enjoy as they take their first steps back towards normality.”

Libraries

Central, Drumbrae, and Kirkliston will be open this Monday (3 May) followed by Craigmillar, Fountainbridge, McDonald Road and Stockbridge (10 May). Wester Hailes will reopen on 17 May and Gilmerton on 24 May.

It is hoped that the remaining libraries will open again as soon as possible after these dates.

Residents are reminded that numbers will be limited in the buildings due to the safety measures in place and visits will need to be booked in advance – this can be done online or by phoning the library.

The buildings will be open by appointment for browsing and borrowing books, using computers and the internet, processing bus passes (National Entitlement Cards) or collecting hearing aid batteries. Returning books and picking up free sanitary products will not require a booking.

Social distancing measures will be in place and wearing face coverings is mandatory.

Museums and Galleries

The City Art Centre will open on 15 May with two new exhibitions –Bright Shadows: Scottish Art in the 1920s and Charles H. Mackie: Colour and Light. Two further exhibitions are planned Marine: Ian Hamilton Finlay (22 May) and Islander: The paintings of Donald Smith following a week later. All exhibitions are free.

Plans are being finalised for the reopening of other galleries and museums. Updates regarding reopening dates and measures in place to keep everyone safe will be published as soon as possible.

Community centres

We’re contacting all Community Centre Management Committees this week to provide support in re-establishing essential services such as youth work. As was the case before lockdown, processes are in place to allow them to identify services they want to resume and any support required to do so.

Extracurricular activities (ECA)

Outdoor ECA resumed in schools on 26 April and include activities such as sport, drama, dance music and art.

Indoor ECA aren’t currently permitted under the guidance but we’re considering their resumption alongside the need to maintain the strict cleaning regimes currently operating in our schools as the safety of our pupils and staff remains our priority.

Edinburgh Leisure

Outdoor contact sports for 12–17-year-olds started back on 5 April and community access to high school sports facilities on 19 April. Tennis courts and golf courses have been open since June 2020 with golf, in particular, seeing an upswing in participation (winter golf membership up 400%, year-on-year).

Leisure centres are now open for individual exercise, including gyms, swimming pools, indoor court hire, racquet sports and children’s coaching. It is hoped that outdoor adult contact sport and indoor group exercise can restart on 17 May, with indoor non-contact sport following in early June (as per Scottish Government’s current route map).

Eight out of ten Capital residents satisfied with Council services, Council survey finds!

Eighty per cent of Edinburgh residents are satisfied with services delivered by the Council since lockdown began in March 2020, according to a large-scale city survey commissioned by … the council!

More than 1000 people were interviewed by telephone between October and December for the Capital Residents Survey. The research aims to help us understand how the public have been affected by changes to service provision as a result of the COVID pandemic, and to guide our prioritisation of resources as the city recovers.

As well as reporting high satisfaction with Council services, of participants who had contacted the Council over the last year, 67% said they were satisfied with the service they received. Two thirds of the people who took part also said they felt generally satisfied with their lives.

Despite the challenges of the last year, results demonstrated the positive impacts of lockdown, with over half of the participants (53%) walking for leisure more than before, 45% increasing the time spent talking to friends and family and a third (33%) upping their general exercise.

However, out of survey respondents, people in lower socio-economic groups, those living with a health condition or living alone were more likely to have experienced a negative impact on their wellbeing.

Feedback shed light on people’s changing working habits, with 58% of respondents working from home during the pandemic – 85% of these all or most of the time. Of those who took part in the survey, 55% said they would like to continue working from home all or most of the time after the pandemic, while 41% would prefer to always or mostly work away from home.

Councillor Adam McVey, Council Leader, said: “I am delighted that the people of Edinburgh have recognised the hard work Council staff have put in to maintaining and delivering services during the pandemic.

“It’s been a hugely challenging year for everyone, and we’ve been working extremely hard to make sure Council services are delivered with as little disruption as possible. I know that colleagues across the Council will be really pleased that these efforts have benefited the people of Edinburgh.

“Research like the Capital Residents Survey is incredibly insightful for our own future planning. Not only does the feedback help us to identify areas for improvement, like street cleansing or road conditions, but information will help us plan for the end of lockdown and a full resumption of services.”

Councillor Cammy Day, Depute Leader, said: “Work, travel, social interaction and a whole range of aspects of our lives have changed immeasurably since the pandemic began. This data demonstrates exactly how it has affected the way people have accessed and experienced Council services during this time.

“It’s clear that, while there is light at the end of the tunnel, we’re going to have to adapt our ways of living and working for some time to come. The feedback received will help us to respond to this, and to keep improving the way we communicate with and serve the city’s residents.”

When asked about future provision of services, three quarters of respondents told us it would be more convenient if libraries, community centres and advice services were all available in the same place.

The majority of people who took part (58%) said it would make sense to have all public services delivered from one location, but there were some concerns this wouldn’t work practically.

Fourteen per cent said they were dissatisfied with Council services in general, with roads, communications problems and street cleansing or refuse collection concerns being the main reasons.

Capital Residents Survey – key statistics

Council services

  • 80% of respondents satisfied or very satisfied with Council services; 14% dissatisfied
  • One in ten respondents had visited Council offices in the past year and one in five had visited their local library
  • 33% said they’d contacted the Council since March 2020; out of these, 48% had done this via the website while 36% had telephoned

Future development of services

  • Three quarters of respondents agreed that it would be more convenient if libraries, community centres and advice services were all available in the same place. One in five disagreed
  • 76% said they would be comfortable using sports and leisure facilities at a local school

Impact of the pandemic on work, leisure and wellbeing

  • 58% of participants have been working from home – 85% all or most of the time
  • 55% of people said they would like to continue working from home all or most of the time after the pandemic ends
  • Two thirds of respondents (67%) reported being generally satisfied with their life nowadays
  • Seven in ten gave a high or very high score in relation to how happy they felt, though one in ten provided a low happiness score of less than five (out of ten)

The results of the survey, which was jointly funded by NHS Lothian, will now be reported to our Adaptation and Renewal Programme working groups to help prioritise future resource and to provide a better understanding of residents’ experiences of the pandemic.

In conducting the survey, quotas were set based on age, gender and geographical location to ensure coverage of both central and outer Edinburgh and to provide good data at city level and by key demographics.

Read the full report, Capital Residents Survey, and watch the Policy and Sustainability Committee discuss the report on our webcast from 10am on Tuesday, 20 April.

Another Edinburgh is Possible: Final Report published

The group, which is made up of community activists and trade union representatives, is appealing to Edinburgh residents to share the reports’s findings with their elected representatives:

‘Our full report on The City of Edinburgh Council services and communications has now been published. Please read, share and let your councillors know what you think – and let us know how you get on.’

#anotheredinburghhttps://tinyurl.com/2wfc7d8w

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Budget ‘does not represent fair funding for local government’

Scotland’s Council Leaders have restated their view that the Scottish Budget as it currently stands does not represent fair funding for Local Government.

Commenting ahead of the final decision on the Scottish Budget next week Councillor Gail Macgregor, COSLA Resources Spokesperson, said:  “Our ask of Scottish Government throughout the Budget process for this year was to give Scottish Local Government the fair funding and flexibility it deserves to be able to deliver the essential services that we provide to communities.

“The settlement for 2021-22, as it stands, does very little to address years of cuts to our core funding – in fact, once all Scottish Government commitments are taken into account, the increase offered is less than 1 percent (0.9% increase on last year’s base).

“This comes on top of years where Local Government has seen no increase at all. Since 2013-14, Scottish Government has seen a 3.1% increase in its revenue funding (real terms) – this is in contrast to a 2.4% reduction for Local Government over the same period.

“A key part of flexibility for Councils is to have their democratic right to determine their own council tax rates in their own areas respected.  Sadly the Scottish Government have not listened to us this year but Scotland’s Council Leaders have restated their view that councils should have the right to determine the level of council tax for their own areas without facing penalties in future years.”

Councillor Macgregor continued:  “In light of the current offer of £90m for authorities that agree to freeze the council tax this year (2021/22), Council Leaders were clear that COSLA should continue to press for this amount to be baselined into the Local Government Settlement.

“Council Leaders also expressed their continued concern about the proposed levels of core capital funding for the next five years. It will severely restrict the ability of councils to invest locally and drive recovery from the Covid19 pandemic. We would ask that Scottish Government thinks again about Local Government’s capital grant ahead of a final decision on Tuesday.”

Edinburgh Deserves Better!

Campaign group publishes alternative vision

With yet another round of budget cuts looming, campaign group Another Edinburgh is Possible has published an interim survey which shows widespread dissatisfaction with council service provision across the city.

The group, made up of trade union and community activists, invited Edinburgh residents to share their views on council performance – and the results will make uncomfortable reading for the administration’s leaders.

Public conveniences, poor road and pavement maintenenance, housing and homelessness services came in for particular criticism and the controversial Spaces for People initiative also attracted adverse comments.

There was criticism, too, for Edinburgh’s health and social care, while community education, social work and the city’s community centres also ranked poorly.

Despite years of cuts to council services – £320 million since 2012/13 – the City of Edinburgh Council is looking to make further ‘savings’ in the new financial year. £80 million has already been identified but the council has still to find an additional £5.1 million.

Looking further ahead, the picture remains bleak. The city council has plans to make savings of £40 million overthe next three years – but it will also have to find a further £47.5 million.

Campaigners say cuts of this magnitude are unsustainable, and Another Edinburgh is Possible organisers are now urging citizens to contact their elected representatives ahead of tomorrow’s crucial budget meeting.

Another Edinburgh is Possible is one of six delegations to Thursday’s full council meeting, which starts at 10am.

Agenda frontsheet  PDF 276 KB

The group has put forward four recommendations:

  • The ‘in-housing’ of Edinburgh’s public services
  • Improved communications with Edinburgh’s residents
  • A re-ordering of council priorities
  • The integration of Edinburgh’s transport system under public ownership

Edinburgh is currently run by an SNP – Labour ‘Capital Coalition’ although the Conservatives are now the biggest group on the council with 17 councillors.

The council says: “We deliver a vast range of services – more than 700! – to people who live and work in Edinburgh. This year alone, we will spend more than £1 billion on services and investing in our priorities.

“We’ve committed to ending poverty and becoming a net zero carbon city by 2030, while improving the wellbeing of our whole city. Now, more than ever, we must hold on to these commitments.”

Labour councillor Cammy Day is deputy leader of the city council. He lays the blame for continued cuts on the SNP – despite the Nationalists being Labour’s partners in Edinburgh’s Capital Coalition.

He said on FaceBook: “Despite over a decade of SNP cuts to Edinburgh Council – we will deliver a budget helping people who experience poverty, challenge issues around sustainability, reduce fee increases in key areas and, in thanking our communities, we will make investments to upgrade the city’s parks and greenspaces which have been a space for enjoyment during a challenging year for us all.

“Edinburgh Labour have also ensured substantial investments in providing proper digital inclusion for all of our school pupils across the city. All of the SNP government funding required has been allocated to our Health and Social Care work, and it is woefully short.

“Edinburgh Labour will continue to press the SNP Government for full funding to support the most vulnerable in our city, and prioritise any additional funding to support this.please get in touch and show your support – we need everyone to push the SNP government to fairly fund our capital city.”

Local government elections are scheduled to take place in May.

There’s still time to have your say – you can complete the Alternative Survey of Council Services up until 21 February:

http://anotheredinburghispossible.org/…/the…/

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UNISON: Tory hypocrisy as they clap workers on a Thursday and slap them on Monday

UNISON’s Edinburgh Council branch has reacted angrily to attacks on council workers by Conservative leader Ian Whyte in the Evening News (18 January), and has urged the public to get behind staff who have worked ‘above and beyond’ throughout the COVID-19 crisis.

Tom Connolly, UNISON Edinburgh branch secretary, said: “Councillor Whyte (below) should be praising the work of council staff who have been providing services above and beyond throughout the pandemic.  Again this is an example of Conservative hypocrisy, clapping workers on the Thursday then slapping them on the Monday.”

Slamming Ian Whyte’s call for staff to be compulsorily redeployed to tasks ‘like winter maintenance’, Tom Connolly added: “I’m sure the public would have questions to ask if staff were taken off tasks like child protection or environmental protection to clear pavements. The fact is that council workers have volunteered in droves to help out throughout the pandemic, inventing new ways of working and ensuring services are delivered where possible. They deserve thanks not criticism.

“Thankfully, the public see the real picture. They see under-pressure, under-paid NHS, Social Care & Council staff and all key workers putting themselves on the frontline to help the vulnerable.

“Councillor Whyte’s comments are the more galling given the Conservative austerity onslaught that has seen local government cut to shreds with 50,000 public service jobs cut in Scotland. The local Conservatives should do something meaningful, such as calling for greater public sector investment

“The real lesson the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us is not so-called flexibility to cover up cuts. It is that if all public services had been adequately maintained and grown, we would have been in a much better place to respond.  

“UNISON stands with our members and all keyworkers and thanks them for all that they have done and continue to do.”

Council outlines level four service plans

The Council has outlined its revised service arrangements ahead of the city entering level four of the Scottish Government’s COVID restrictions framework.

Short-term plans have been drawn up in light of new rules, which come into effect at 00.01 on 26 December, and these will be reviewed in the New Year and in line with any future revisions by the Scottish Government.

Many Council services will continue as normal – waste services will be delivered in line with Christmas arrangements and household waste and recycling centres will remain open, as will parks.

Changes will include the suspension of library services and the reduction of Council house repairs and shared repairs surveys to essential work only. The City Art Centre will close and community centres will be limited to essential services, such as emergency shelter and providing meals for the homeless.

Schools will remain closed until 18 January, in line with Scottish Government guidance, with remote learning to start on 11 January. 

Full details of all service changes are available on the Council website and further information on level four restrictions can be found on the Scottish Government’s website.

Council Leader Adam McVey said: “We know how difficult the tightening of restrictions over Christmas will be for people. This has been an extremely challenging year for everyone – individuals, families, communities and businesses – and the prospect of not being able to see family or loved ones as much as expected, or to reopen businesses after Christmas Day, will be another huge challenge for us to get through.

“The stricter guidance shows how dangerous the situation still is and this Christmas we can’t afford to let our guard down. It’s essential that we listen to the advice of public health experts if we are to minimise the impact of COVID, and that means sticking to the guidance. This will be a festive period like no other, but there is light at the end of the tunnel, and together we can look forward to a brighter 2021.

“I’d like to wish people a very Merry Christmas, and to thank you for your sacrifices and working so hard to adhere to restrictions throughout 2020.”

Depute Leader Cammy Day said: “Christmas can be hard for many people at the best of times, so this year will be particularly tough as we face the threat of COVID and increased restrictions into the start of January at least.

“I want to reassure the public that we’re doing everything we can to make this period as easy as possible and will be working hard to support those in need while keeping Council services running smoothly. I would encourage people to check the Coronavirus pages on our website for any changes or updates.

“If we work together to follow guidance, staying within our local authority area, reducing contact with others and observing physical distancing and hygiene advice if we do form a bubble, I know we can enjoy a safe, peaceful Christmas Day, with minimum impact on the health of our city.”

On 19 December, the First Minister announced that protections against COVID would be significantly strengthened from Boxing Day to prevent the spread of a new, highly contagious strain of the virus.

Level four restrictions include the closure of non-essential retail and hospitality and a ban on travel out of the area, unless it is for essential reasons.

The planned easing of restrictions around Christmas has also been limited to Christmas Day with a maximum of eight people from three households allowed to meet. However, people are encouraged to celebrate the festive period at home in their own household and meet with others outdoors.

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.

Capital faces council services catastrophe

UNISON calls for government help as city council faces hundreds of job losses due to Covid and funding crisis

Edinburgh UNISON, the union representing most Edinburgh council workers, fears that hundreds of jobs could go over the coming months due to the Covid Crisis and poor funding settlements from the Scottish Government.

Tomorrow (Thursday 24 September), Edinburgh councillors will discuss the updated budget shortfall of £12.2 million due to the council’s Covid response.

Gerry Stovin, Edinburgh UNISON assistant branch secretary said: “With this figure, plus the proposed £25 million in cuts already approved for next year and this year’s cuts and savings not achieved, we could be facing a further £50 million of cuts over the next 12 months.

“This would have a disastrous effect on essential services the public rely on, especially at this critical time.

“UNISON is calling on the Scottish Government and COSLA to agree short term additional funding to cover the cost of Covid, financial flexibility and fundraising powers along with a fairer budget settlement for April 2021 for all Scottish councils.”

MSPs to investigate impact of Covid-19 on local government finance

The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Scottish council finances and whether it will lead to a “new normal” in the way some services are delivered is to be investigated by a Holyrood Committee.

The Scottish Parliament’s Local Government and Communities Committee has launched a call for views on the impact of Covid-19 on the financial sustainability of local government in Scotland.

MSPs will seek to identify which council services have been most impacted by the public health emergency, as well as exploring which parts of local government have been least affected or most resilient.

A key focus for the Committee will be what steps local government takes, in the short and long term, to manage the financial impact of the crisis. It will also ask what further help councils will need to overcome the ongoing funding pressures.

Looking beyond the crisis, the Committee is also keen to hear views on how soon the sector will return to normal, or whether it is time for a “new normal” in the way councils deliver services and what that future might look like.

Committee Convener, James Dornan MSP, said: “Councils are responsible for delivering a vast range of important services that are a crucial part of our everyday lives; from social care and street cleaning to public libraries and planning. 

“When Covid-19 struck earlier this year, it had a massive impact on local authorities. They suddenly had to change basic working practices and finds ways of delivering emergency services to many vulnerable people. This has had a knock-on effect on their ability to maintain some core services.

“Council staff have risen to the challenge and there are many positive stories to share – for instance on how councils worked with others to help homeless people and rough sleepers during the lockdown.

“However, the impact of Covid-19 will likely be felt for years and the full extent of the financial implications, and the ability of councils to provide these vital public services, remains unclear. We therefore want to hear views on what can be done to help councils weather the financial storm, in the short and long-term.

“We also want to know if the crisis has also provided an opportunity for fresh thinking about how councils deliver local services and local democracy and whether there are already good practises councils can share.

The Committee scrutinises Scottish Government housing policy, as well as local government housing responsibilities, and views on the impact of Covid-19 on housing policy are also welcome.

To help with its scrutiny work, the Committee wants to hear views on these issues:

1. How has Covid-19 impacted the local government sector and, in particular, council finances? Which council responsibilities are most impacted?

2. Which parts of local government have been least affected or most resilient?

3. What help will councils need in future from the Scottish Government or others to overcome the ongoing financial strain?

4. What can local government sector do, in the short and long term, to manage the financial impact of the crisis? What positive examples can councils and others share about the good work done at local government and community level to lessen the crisis?

5. How soon do you think the sector will be back to normal? Or is this time for a “new normal” in the way we deliver some council services or practice local democracy? If so, what will it look like?

The call for views is open until Friday 4 September 2020.

Please send your views to:

LocalGovernmentandCommunities@parliament.scot or https://yourviews.parliament.scot/lgc/local-gov-sustainability-covid