Tag: EACC

Edinburgh Association of Community Councils meets on Thursday

EACC Meeting
Thursday 26 Oct 2023: 18.50 for 19.00 on Microsoft Teams.
 
Item 1: Local Place Plans – The role for Community Councils

Jane Iannarelli, CEC Senior Planning Officer, and

Anna Grant, Manager of the Development Plan Team

The pace of development around the city brings the issue of ‘change in the community’ into sharp focus. Development has some sharp edges. What’s the role for Community Councils in shaping their neighbourhoods? 

At last year’s November AGM, the call was for local communities to be given a stronger say on Local Development Plans and 20-Minute Neighbourhood Schemes. Still feel the same way?

Item 2: Open Floor


Here’s the 26 Oct Teams link:

Click here to join the meeting

Meeting ID: 341 168 093 390 
Passcode: zJFT9F 

Download Teams | Join on the web

Learn more | Meeting options 

Update:

1. The EACC AGM will be via a screen meeting on Thursday 23 November at 19.00. The Officer Bearer posts (4) and Members’ Board positions (up to 12) are open for election. There is a very real need for new participants to join the Members’ Board. 

The nomination papers are with you. Please return nominations to the Secretary by Thursday 9 November but at the very latest by 18.00 on Saturday 18 November. You will be advised of the nominee names submitted thereafter.

2. Go to the EACC website Front Page to catch recent posts, including the detail of the Planning Democracy free Winter Webinar Series on Local Development Plans, National Plannning Framework 4 and Greenbelts. 

Webinar Series on Understanding Planning: Local Development Plans, NPF4 and Greenbelts

3. At the end of August, Douglas Rogers of Marchmont & Sciennes CC spoke on the challenges of adapting homes in a conservation or heritage setting to high insulation standards. He wants to take his work here further and is inviting community councillors to join him. Read more in the attachment to this email. 

4. Daniel Fisher, Manager of the Greyfriars Charteris Centre at the Pleasance (EH8, within Southside CC ward), has asked me to pass on some detail of the Centre’s application for Scot Gov funding to establish the Edinburgh Climate Action Hub. He is requesting your support and expressions of interest in working with Greyfriars Charteris on this project.

Again, you’ll find more detail in the attachment to this email. 

Thanks.


———————————————————————-
Ken Robertson, Secretary.
secretary@edinburghcommunitycouncils.org.uk

Edinburgh Association of Community Councils (EACC) 

The EACC website homepage is:
Edinburgh Association of Community Councils (edinburghcommunitycouncils.org.uk)

EACC: Community Engagement tops the agenda at August meeting

EDINBURGH ASSOCIATION OF COMMUNITY COUNCILS

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.

Here is the screen meeting link:

Microsoft Teams meeting

Click here to join the meeting

Meeting ID: 357 770 829 32

Passcode: yR9Kg8

Hope you can join us.

For the diary:

Tuesday 12 September at 19.00, on Teams.

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.

Ken Robertson

Secretary

secretary@edinburghcommunitycouncils.org.uk

Edinburgh Association of Community Councils (EACC) 

The EACC website homepage is:

Edinburgh Association of Community Councils (edinburghcommunitycouncils.org.uk)

Community Councils Scheme Review: Important dates coming up

MEETING DATES: TWO drop-in consultation sessions on Monday 7 August and Tuesday 15 August and the Teams meeting set for Thursday 17 August.**

Community Councillors are invited to ‘make initial contributions and suggestions regarding the existing Community Council scheme and boundaries and to ‘provide feedback and recommendations for any proposed changes that you believe would be beneficial’.

This invitation was discussed at the Members’ Board last Thursday. Here are some issues we think are worth your attention:

A] Community Council Boundaries

1. New community council wards:

  • How many and where?
  • On the basis of what growth projections for city expansion?
  • What data sources are to be used?

2. Size of community council wards:

  • On what basis will the size of community council areas be reviewed and targeted?
  • What data sources are to be used?
  • What intentions are there to reduce a wide dispersion (imbalance) in community council area ‘size’ (number of residents) across the city?
  • What could be done to ‘rebalance’?

3. Boundaries:

  • Boundary changes should be fully explained and justified to residents.
  • What will be done to reshape boundaries, in order to reduce the incidence of community council ‘crossover’ into two (or even three) City Councillor electoral wards, so that the ‘mapping’ of a community council to one and only one (four-strong) group of City Councillors is tightened up? (A community council area perimeter should be bounded within a single electoral ward.)
  • What measures will then be introduced to improve liaison and coordination across electoral wards and in turn across Localities?

B] Scheme for Community Councils

1. Minimum number of ‘elected community council members’ (2019 Scheme, Para 6.24):

  • There is evident current strain on a number of community councils, stemming from a fall-away in the participation of active elected members towards or below the critical level of ‘half of the maximum permitted elected membership’.
  • In light of that, what new flexible support measures can CEC Governance introduce to the Scheme rules in order to avoid (in such circumstances) the undue lapse of community councils into an ‘inactive state’ (whereby residents are then ‘disenfranchised’)?

2. Resourcing of a community council (2019 Scheme, Paras 11.9 and 11.11):

  • Contemporary ‘support needs’ for a well-functioning community council nowadays centre on IT, on website maintenance and repair, on technical assistance with AV equipment for hybrid meetings, all alongside the minuting and reporting of community council proceedings.
  • The absence of such support blunts a community council’s effectiveness in its core role and its ambition, especially when ‘something goes wrong’.
  • The need for CEC operational support now goes well beyond ‘additional support services/resourcing, such as photocopying and distribution of community council minutes and agendas and (also) free lets of halls for community council meetings’, as offered in the 2019 Scheme Review.
  • There is a case for a (much) stronger CEC commitment to dependable, core operational back-up of community councils’ governance and administration work.
  • What new avenues of operational (and financial) assistance can CEC look to introduce in this current Scheme Review?

https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/downloads/file/30693/scheme-for-community-councils

**Here are the dates, and the opportunity to put some meaningful questions to CEC.

Monday 7 August 2023
17.00-19.30
Waverley Court, 4 East Market Street, EH8 8BG, Ground Floor, Room 15

Tuesday 15 August 2023
13.00-16.00
Waverley Court, 4 East Market Street, EH8 8BG, Ground Floor, Room 15

Thursday 17 August 2023
17.00-19.30
Virtual meeting held via Microsoft Teams – if you would like to attend please make contact with CEC (by email to community.councils@edinburgh.gov.uk) no later than 14.00 on 17 August 2023 to confirm your attendance and request the link to join the session. 

The EACC website homepage is:

Edinburgh Association of Community Councils (edinburghcommunitycouncils.org.uk)

_______________________________________________

Edinburgh Association of Community Councils (EACC)

EACC Secretary; Ken Robertson

secretary@edinburghcommunitycouncils.org.uk

Edinburgh Association of Community Councils to meet tomorrow

NEXT MEETING:
Thursday 30 March 2023: 18.50 for 19.00 on Microsoft Teams.

Speakers:

Cllr. Mandy Watt, Convenor of CEC Finance & Resources Committee:

‘Funding Edinburgh’s ambitions in an era of budget constraint.’

Angus Murdoch, CEC Neighbourhood Environmental Services:

‘Doing the dirty work: empty, clean, recycle; repeat.’

Here is the Microsoft Teams link:

Meeting ID: 345 790 606 167
Passcode: mD6VYF
Join on the web

Update:

CEC’s Spatial Policy Division is running a Workshop on five Draft Action Plans prepared in support of the City Mobility Plan.

Three dates are offered, on 18, 19 and 21 April (09.30 to 13.00).

The Action Plans cover Active Travel; Public Transport; Road Safety; Parking; Air Quality.

Contact the Placemaking and Mobility Team at spatial.policy@edinburgh.gov.uk to attend. The closing date is 17 March.

See more on the EACC website:
Edinburgh Association of Community Councils (edinburghcommunitycouncils.org.uk)

Edinburgh Association of Community Councils (EACC)
EACC Secretary; Ken Robertson
secretary@edinburghcommunitycouncils.org.uk

Edinburgh Association of Community Councils meets tonight

The Edinburgh Association of Community Councils (EACC) will meet tonight (Thursday, 26 January) at 7pm 

Here is the screen meeting link:

Microsoft Teams meeting:

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_ZjRhMGUzODAtYmU0Mi00MWYwLWE1ZGQtMTU5NzdhZGZlNGY2%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22f99eadac-7b29-4403-af8c-3816d4ba1569%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22e9d2cc08-1153-4935-8cea-1ef46a423cb7%22%7d

Meeting ID: 339 983 767 862

Passcode: hCLxPd

The Speakers

Andrew Field, Head of Community Empowerment and Engagement, and Joan Parr, Service Director for Culture and Wellbeing, from City of Edinburgh Council: Community Partnership Planning – Moving Forward

Councillor Scott Arthur, Convenor, City of Edinburgh Council Transport and Environment Committee:

Transport Priorities for a Growing City

This 26 January meeting begins our 2023 programme.

I invite you to get in touch to bring other meeting ideas to me.

 (As before, this meeting is open to the public, but due to space restrictions, priority will be given to Community Councillor attendees.

The meeting may be recorded – please note that by joining the meeting you are giving your consent in that regard.

Regards,

Ken Robertson

Secretary

_______________________________________________

Edinburgh Association of Community Councils (EACC)
EACC Secretary; Ken Robertson
secretary@edinburghcommunitycouncils.org.uk

Edinburgh Association of Community Councils: Agenda for Thursday 27/10

1. EACC Meeting Thursday 27 October at 19.00 via Zoom
 

There are three agenda items:

a)

Tony Harris, Planning Lead at Grange Prestonfield CC, on

‘Caravan structures in residential gardens’;

b) 

Kenny Wright, Chair at Drumbrae CC, on

‘Local initiatives in the face of the cost-of-living crisis’;

c) 

EACC Chair, Steve Kerr, on building out EACC with the new Members’ Board structure;

plus

AOB.

The Zoom link details are set out at the end of this email.

2. The 24 November AGM

This will almost certainly be a screen meeting, with a CEC Governance official acting as the Returning Officer. Material covering AGM November 2021 Minutes, EGM February 2022 Report, a revision to Standing Orders, a Financial Report and of course an Agenda will be published in the coming weeks. 

I have already mailed out Nomination Forms for those who wish to stand for one of the four Office Bearer positions, or would otherwise wish to be elected to the Members’ Board alongside the Office Bearers (twelve seats available). I repeat the Nomination Form in the attachment to this email.

If you have any queries on this, please contact me. 

Could I ask that Community Council Secretaries, in particular, make their members aware of what is set to take place and that the opportunity is taken to consider nominations and nominee support for the elected positions. 

3. Update

The most important recent development is perhaps the opening of a CEC website to focus on the cost-of-living crisis and to offer information, guidance and support.

The link is here:

www.edinburgh.gov.uk/costofliving

 CEC has launched five consultations:

(i) Ending poverty-related hunger in Edinburgh – closes 2 November 2022.

https://consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/ce/ending-poverty-related-hunger/

(ii) A 2050 Thriving Green Spaces vision for Edinburgh – closes 15 November 2022.

https://consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/sfc/thriving-greenspaces-2050/

(iii) Additional protection for city parks within the Fields in Trust scheme – closes 16 December 2022.

https://consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/sfc/fields-in-trust-protection/

(iv) Proposed additional planning guidance on short-term lets – closes 22 December 2022.

https://consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/sfc/stl-guidance/

(v) A review of Licensing Board Policy – closes 20 December 2022.

https://consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/cg/licensing-board-policy-consultation/

Lots to be getting on with, then.

Remember to file the Zoom link below for 27 October. 

My contact details are below.

Many thanks

Ken Robertson

Acting-Secretary, Edinburgh Association of Community Councils

Edinburgh Association of Community Councils to meet on Thursday

The Edinburgh Association of Community Councils (EACC) will meet via Zoom on Thursday 25 August at 19.00.

(The meeting host will open the screen facility at 18.50.)

Agenda

= Lezley-Marion Cameron, Deputy Lord Provost, City of Edinburgh: “The city’s direction under the new administration.”

= Andrew Field, Head of Community Empowerment and Engagement, City of Edinburgh Council: “A fresh start to community partnership planning.”

= Steve Kerr, EACC Chair: Preview of the 24 November EACC AGM.

= AOB

This meeting is open to the public, but priority will be given to Community Council attendees, due to space restrictions.

The meeting may be recorded. Please note that by joining the meeting you are giving your consent in that regard

Ken Robertson

EACC Acting Secretary

Edinburgh Association of Community Councils meets online this Thursday

The Edinburgh Association of Community Councils (EACC) will meet on Thursday 26 May, at 7pm on Zoom.

(See the Zoom link at the foot of this email.)

*** Agenda ***

1. Presentation by Charlie Raeburn on the ‘Observatory for Sport in Scotland’.

This is a community sports initiative — involving central and local government, as well as the private sector — aimed at tacking Scotland’s health and activity crisis. (See https://oss.scot.)

2. Best practice for community council treasurers? Solutions to banking problems for small organizations? Discussion led by Judy Wightman, EACC Treasurer and Chair of Ratho & District Community Council. 

3. Removal of litter bins from parks and greenspaces. Issue to be raised by Tim Parker, Trinity Community Council.

4. Any other business.

EACC meeting, 26 May 2022 19:00 

Join Zoom Meeting:

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/8213251547?pwd=cVM5Y1pQZFUrZVV2cnIwUDV1MjF5QT09

SIMON HOLLEDGE

Secretary, Edinburgh Association of Community Councils (EACC)

Simon.Holledge@gmail.com

@EdinCCs

EACC: Sharing Ideas About Biodiversity video conference

The next Edinburgh Association of Community Councils (EACC) video conference will be on Thursday 23 September at 7pm on Zoom. 

It will be a special meeting devoted to: 

Sharing ideas about biodiversity: Copenhagen, Oslo and Edinburgh

Speakers:

Dr Max Coleman, of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and Chair of the Edinburgh Biodiversity Partnership, on Why cities are important for nature

Lea Brinkkjær Estø, City of Copenhagen, on Nature in Copenhagen: improving biodiversity to benefit society

Outline: The Copenhagen municipality system, Physical improvement through biodiversity, Approach to nature/biodiversity through education, Using biodiversity and nature to support positive developments in areas of deprivation and unemployment.

Caroline Peacock, Biodiversity Officer, City of Edinburgh Council on Biodiversity in Edinburgh

Outline: A natural capital; citizens and partners working for biodiversity; naturalising City parks; creating natural networks for a climate ready city.

Dr Terje Laskemoen, Head of Department Nature and Pollution, Agency for Urban Environment, City of Oslo, on Biological diversity in the city of Oslo – measures and management

Outline: The city of Oslo, with its geographical location, houses the largest biological diversity in Norway. Many of the most important biological qualities are found in the built-up zone and on the islands just outside the city centre. In the presentation, some of the most important measures to safeguard biodiversity in Oslo will be shown.

The Eventbrite page for 23 September is now open for ticket registration:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sharing-ideas-about-biodiversity-copenhagen-oslo-and-edinburgh-tickets-173688656447

This meeting is open to the public, but priority will be given to questions from community councillors. The meeting will be recorded and may be published later. Please note that by joining the meeting you are giving your consent for the meeting to be recorded.

Simon Holledge

EACC Secretary

Community Planning: Edinburgh Association of Community Councils meets tonight

The Edinburgh Asociation of Community Councils (EACC) meets online tonight at 7pm.

Up for discussion is the Edinburgh Partnership’s draft Community Council Reform Implementation Plan (below)

In an email to community councils before the meeting EACC Chair Stve Kerr said: “I attach a draft implementation table which includes issues that have been covered in the initial discussion between the EACC Steering Group and senior City of Edinburgh Council officers. 

“The list is not exhaustive, and I would welcome your thoughts on whether the areas covered are appropriate and additional issues that you wish to see addressed.

“I hope that as many of you as possible can participate in the discussion to ensure that the views of all 44-member Community Councils are represented.”

EP-Community-Council-Reform-Plan-09.09.21Download

***Agenda for 9 September***

1. Steve Kerr, Chair of EACC, will give an update on the Edinburgh Partnership Improvement Plan’s Community Council Reform Programme.

2. Daisy Narayanan, Senior Manager, Place Making and Mobility for the City of Edinburgh Council, will introduce her new job, with a remit that includes ‘20-minute neighbourhoods’, City Centre Transformation, City Mobility Plan, and the Low Emission Zone (LEZ).

3. An LEZ team member will introduce the project and the current consultation which lasts until 20 September (to be confirmed).

4. Discussion about the National Care Service.

5. Any other business.

This meeting is open to the public, but priority will be given to questions from community councillors. The meeting will be recorded.

Please note that by joining the meeting you are giving your consent for the meeting to be recorded.