Invitation to Participate in Community Planning Transformation and Improvement Stakeholder Engagement Session
The Edinburgh Partnership agreed to look afresh at the role of Community Planning in Edinburgh to maximise the relationships between public sector agencies and the voluntary and community sectors to address poverty and inequality and the climate and nature emergency.
We need your views to help shape the future of community planning in Edinburgh.
These sessions aim to bring together key partners to discuss, plan, and drive forward positive changes for communities. Your insights and contributions are highly valued, and we would be pleased if you could join us.
Spaces are limited, so we encourage you to book your place as soon as possible to secure your spot at your preferred session.
To register, please email communityplanning@edinburgh.gov.uk with your name, contact details, and the date of the session you would like to attend:
Wednesday, 23rd October | 12:30 PM – 3:30 PM | St. Bride’s Community Centre
or
Thursday, 24th October | 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM | West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre
or
Monday, 28th October | 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM | Microsoft Teams
MS Teams Meeting on Tuesday 22 October 2024 from 6-7:30pm
In advance of Community Council elections in February 2025, we are reaching out to invite you to the above meeting to discuss how community councils and the Council can collaboratively work together to promote community councils.
Some of the areas we are keen explore are:
Positively communicating to the public who community councils are and the work they do.
Encouraging membership to community councils.
Promoting upcoming community councils elections in February 2025.
If you would like to attend, please use the MS Teams link below:
Join The Cockburn Association and panellists for an engaging afternoon discussion on tourism, sustainability and capacity in Edinburgh and beyond. An in-person and online event.
THE agenda for Saturday’s Edinburgh Social Care Crisis Conference has been announced.
The conference has been convened by Edinburgh Trade Union Council and is sponsored by UNITE Edinburgh Not For Profit Branch, UNITE City of Edinburgh Council Branch, UNITE Lothian Retired Members Branch, Edinburgh EIS Branch and the Scottish Trades Union Congress.
The conference will be attended by three Edinburgh MSPs: Foysol Choudhury, Sarah Boyack and Daniel Johnson.
Des Loughney, Secretary, Edinburgh Trade Union Council says: “”The conference is open to the public, trade union and community health activists and social care users and paid and unpaid carers.
“There will be a discussion of the impact of the Edinburgh Integration Joint Board cuts that are being implemented in this financial year (£55 million).
“We are concerned that prevention services will be cut and that rising demand (mainly due to demographic reasons) will not be met.
“The conference will conclude by a discussion on the way forward in campaigning for more resources for IJBs and how can we lobby for more resources to prevent current damaging cuts.
“We will consider how we can seek to change Scottish Parliament policies in the run up to the 2026 elections.”
This August, in direct response to the debate on ethical fundraising in the arts, a topic impacting many organisations across the UK and further afield, the Festival will host a brand new event aimed at expanding the conversation from a place of polarisation to one of positivity and possibility.
Entitled Clean Money: Can fundraising ever be ethical? the event will be fully interactive in nature and groups of participants will be handed questions, based on real or possible situations, to discuss alongside a range of expert facilitators.
Encouraging audiences to step outside their viewpoints, and consider these important topics from another angle, participants of the event will be required to argue from or for a particular point of view, as opposed to their personal perspective, based on a prompt courtesy of the facilitators.
The event will be guided by Alisha Fernandez Miranda, author and Chair of the award-winning social impact advisory firm I.G. Advisors, and will feature nine other industry peers including Harriette Tillott, Advisor at I.G., and Joni O’Sullivan, trustee at Hastings Contemporary Gallery. Further facilitators will be confirmed nearer the time.
Jenny Niven, Director at Edinburgh International Book Festival, said:“We’re excited to be able to curate this vital conversation at the Book Festival.
“In a climate where it can feel harder than ever to have meaningful discussion, and with a vanishingly small number of platforms that truly allow for the exchange of views or tolerance for viewpoints which don’t align with our own, the Book Festival is an unique forum for this type of learning and debate.
“The question of ‘clean money’ brings in everything: climate, conflict, ethics, politics, the role of government, the state of the arts and charitable sector, societal change, and allows us to wrestle with the really thorny questions underpinning the debates recent months.
“The level of public engagement in the topic at the moment is unprecedented and the strength of feeling from many different perspectives has been evident throughout. We hope people with a range of perspectives will join this conversation and help further everyone’s understanding of the issues and the contexts at hand, and help us bring this topic offline and into the daylight.”
Held in the spirit of open dialogue and constructive debate, each participant will be required to only share a first name – no other identifying information can be shared until after the debate, and then only with explicit permission – and the event will follow Chatham House rules, meaning that while information gathered during the event can be shared, it cannot be linked to any individual participant.
Those who do not wish to be quoted, even anonymously are under no obligation and will be invited to sign to this effect.
Future Tense is the first Edinburgh International Book Festival programme from Director Jenny Niven and will unfold for the first time at the Festival’s new home at Edinburgh Futures Institute.
Campaign for Real Ale invites John Swinney for a drink
The newly appointed Scottish First Minister, John Swinney, is invited to a pub of his choice to discuss the issues surrounding the Scottish pub and beer industry, such as pub business rates, alcohol advertising, planning laws and the Scottish Pubs Code.
The First Minister’s appointment arrives soon after Scottish Government’s decision to implement a new statutory Scottish Pubs Code and Adjudicator. CAMRA would hope to build on this long-awaited, but welcome, news in a meeting with Mr Swinney to make sure there is a robust Pubs Code to protect tied pub tenants and to secure pubs at the heart of Scottish communities.
CAMRA represents thousands of beer and cider consumers all across Scotland, who are worried about the future of their locals, unless action is taken in the near future.
CAMRA’s Scotland Director Stuart McMahon – representing Scotland’s CAMRA members – is inviting the First Minister for a chat at his local about the importance of fairer business rates on pubs in Scotland, in order help secure the future of community pubs and slow the rise of the price of a pint.
McMahon also wants the new First Minister to close a planning loophole that allows pubs to be demolished without planning permission.
Campaigners also want to see a commitment from the Scottish Government not to bring back draconian plans to ban all alcohol advertisement and sponsorship.
Commenting, CAMRA’s Scotland Director Stuart McMahon said: “We would like to congratulate John Swinney on becoming the First Minister of Scotland. While we are sure he has a lot on his plate, urgent discussions must be had to ensure a successful future for Scottish pubs.
“This is why we invite the First Minister to a pub of his choice to discuss the various ways in which pub, brewing and cider making industries can be improved to ameliorate the pub-going experience for beer and cider consumers.
“Our priorities for this meeting, and for the Scottish government, will be fairer business rates for pubs, confirmation of a decision to allow alcohol advertising in Scotland, a more secure planning law system and a muscular, robust Scottish Pubs Code.”
Letter to First Minister:
Dear John Swinney,
Join CAMRA to discuss the future of Scottish pubs
We are writing on behalf of CAMRA, the Campaign for Real Ale. We are a consumer organisation with thousands of members across Scotland. We campaign for great quality cask beer, real cider, and perry and thriving community pubs in all of our communities.
We would like to congratulate you on becoming the First Minister of Scotland. While we are sure you have a lot on your plate, urgent discussions must be had to ensure a successful future for Scottish pubs.
This is why we invite you to a pub of your choice to discuss the various ways in which the pub, brewing and cider making industry can be improved to ameliorate the pub-going experience for beer and cider consumers.
We know that you understand that beer and pubs are not only important to local economies, but also to our communities, culture and heritage. Our pubs are a vital part of our social fabric – playing a pivotal role in communities across the country, providing a space for local people to meet, helping to tackle loneliness, and having a positive impact on the personal wellbeing of pub-goers.
The pub-going experience, however, is changing with the prices of pints continually on the rise, potentially pricing out consumers, and the widespread closures of pubs becoming commonplace.
CAMRA members and pub-goers across Scotland are worried that this trend of pub closures will continue, and that their community local might be next.
Pub-goers up and down the country want to see a fairer business rates system for pubs, a sensible re-think on alcohol advertising and sponsorship plans, more secure planning laws to save community locals and a robust Scottish Pubs Code to protect tied pub tenants and consumer choice at the bar.
We would like to invite you to a pub of your choice to meet and have a drink (on us!) to discuss the issues facing consumers, licensees, pubs and breweries in Scotland, and how CAMRA members can work together with you to promote and protect great Scottish beer and pubs.
“Edinburgh’s Future Streets policy, and the place of cycling”
Speakers
Cllr Scott ArthurEdinburgh City Transport Convener – the Council’s ‘Future Streets’ plans, the place of cycling and when/how will the policies lead to action
Laura Laker Cycling, transport and environment journalist – to critique the proposals. Laura researches and writes on cycling issues extensively, including in national/international media such as The Guardian and Bloomberg; and in specifically cycling publications such as Cycling Industry News and Road.CC
… followed by our one-hour panel QA, chaired by Ewen Maclean, organiser of Blackford Safe Routes – your chance to interrogate and challenge the speakers.
Time Starts 7.30, Ends 9.30. Doors open 6.45 for coffee, stalls and chat
Queries & Questions Queries, or questions for the speakers, can be emailed to spokes@spokes.org.uk, up to a day in advance. However, questions in person from audience members are likely to have greatest priority on the night
Online We hope to live broadcast on our youtube channel – details nearer the time on Spokes website. We also intend to make the recording available later.
First Minister chairs cross-party meeting on net zero
First Minister Humza Yousaf chaired a cross-party discussion on Scotland’s climate change ambitions at Holyrood yesterday.
Inviting party leaders to discuss how we can all address the climate crisis, the First Minister highlighted the Parliament’s shared goal of securing a future that is fair and just for all.
He urges all parties to lead and promote behaviour change from everyone in society.
Chris Stark, Chief Executive of the independent UK Climate Change Committee (CCC), presented information on where Scotland is in its journey to net zero.
Speaking ahead of yesterday’s meeting, the First Minister said: “Tackling the climate and nature crises is the collective fight of our lifetime, with implications for generations to come.
“The discussion will focus both on the challenges and opportunities we face in reaching net zero. We collectively made a commitment to deliver on net zero when Parliament backed the Act on a cross-party basis.
“There must be a recognition from across the political divide that we require bold action to tackle the scale of the climate crisis, and meet our ambitions on net zero.
“In addition to our Climate Change Plan, we are developing the first set of Just Transition Plans to set out how these changes impact different parts of society and how we can promote a fair path to a net zero and climate resilient Scotland.
“We will continue to implement net zero policies and deliver funding to where it is needed the most – with the highest impact.
“From today’s meeting, I am hopeful that we can continue to work together to implement net zero policies – thereby helping to create a better and more sustainable planet for us all.”
NEXT MEETING:Thursday 31 Aug 2023: 18.50 for 19.00 on Microsoft Teams.
Speakers:
Andrew Field: CEC; Head of Community Engagement and Empowerment;
Helen Bourquin: CEC; Manager, Community Engagement and Empowerment.
Topic:
The roll-out of Edinburgh’s Locality Improvement Plans 2023-28.
Under the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015, the Edinburgh Partnership is required to develop and deliver Locality Improvement Plans (LIPs) for each of the four localities in the city.
Work on this is already underway in the North-West and is building-out elsewhere.
I’ve invited Andrew and Helen to talk through:
The scope and target outcomes of the LIPs;
The community consultation process intended to shape the right priorities for each locality; and
Where the LIPs stand currently in terms of their early progress.
Roger Colkett (Tollcross CC) is on the EACC Members’ Board and covers Licensing issues. He sits on the Edinburgh Licensing Forum.
He will host a one-hour screen meeting and invites all community council Licensing Leads to join him to chat through what is currently happening on the city’s Licensing front.
I’ll issue a reminder in two weeks or so, along with the meeting link. For now, please make sure your community council colleagues looking after Licensing have this message.
THE Edinburgh International Book Festival has announced that Greta Thunberg’s event, which was due to take place on Sunday 13 August, will no longer go ahead.
Greta Thunberg said: “I am unfortunately unable to attend the Edinburgh Book Festival. As a climate activist I cannot attend an event which receives sponsorship from Baillie Gifford, who invest heavily in the fossil fuel industry.
“Greenwashing efforts by the fossil fuel industry, including sponsorship of cultural events, allow them to keep the social license to continue operating. I cannot and do not want to be associated with events that accept this kind of sponsorship.”
Nick Barley, Director of the Edinburgh International Book Festival, said:“While I am disappointed that Greta will not be joining us on the 13 of August, I fully respect her decision. I share Greta’s view that in all areas of society the rate of progress is not enough.
“However, in applauding Greta for standing by her principles, we too must stand by ours.
“The Book Festival exists to give a platform for debate and discussion around key issues affecting humanity today – including the climate emergency. As a charitable organisation, we would not be in a position to provide that platform without the long-term support of organisations such as Baillie Gifford.
“We strongly believe that Baillie Gifford are part of the solution to the climate emergency. They are early investors in progressive climate positive companies, providing funds to help them grow. While they acknowledge there is still work to do, we have seen them make rapid progress throughout our 19-year relationship.
“I apologise to all the people who bought tickets and were keen to meet Greta – and especially to the hundreds of young climate campaigners who we had invited to come along because of their hard work to change the system in Scotland. We will of course refund all ticket-buyers in full.”
Baillie Gifford said: “We are not a significant fossil fuel investor. Only 2% of our clients’ money is invested in companies with some business related to fossil fuels. This compares to the market average of 11%. Of those companies, some have already moved most of their business away from fossil fuels, and many are helping to drive the transition to clean energy.
“We are investing on behalf of our clients to grow their savings and retirement funds. When we invest in companies on their behalf, we do so over long time periods – typically 10 years or more – so this has naturally led us away from traditional fossil fuel firms. Currently, 5% of our clients’ money is invested in companies whose sole purpose is to develop clean energy solutions.
“We believe in open debate and discussion which is why we are long-term supporters of the Edinburgh International Book Festival.”
