Edinburgh Association of Community Councils – The NEN

EACC meets tomorrow

EACC Meeting

Thursday 28 Sep 2023: 18.50 for 19.00 on Microsoft Teams

Item 1: Low Carbon Heating in Edinburgh; here, and now.

Bill Roger, Trinity Community Council, and Antoine Reguis from Edinburgh Napier University, members of the Clean Heat Edinburgh Forum (CHEF).

Low carbon energy and heat technologies are a central part of Scot Gov’s energy transition programme. This is change that is going to happen. Community councils need to be up-to-speed.

Item 2: Open Floor

a] The Community Council Scheme Review; b] Locality Improvememt Plans; c] Struggling community councils; d] The big development programme for West Edinburgh; e] Energy-saving residential housing retrofits; f] The move towards a Scottish Forum of Community Councils; g] How to strengthen EACC; h] The upcoming 23 November AGM.

Got an opinion to share on anything there? Something else on your mind?

Here’s the 28 Sep Teams link:

Click here to join the meeting

Meeting ID: 392 751 403 775
Passcode: TNiksf

Download Teams | Join on the web

Learn more | Meeting options

UPDATE:

I. Remember: The West Lothian Joint Forum of Community Councils (WLJFCC) is moving forward with its initiative to establish a Scottish Forum of Community Councils.

You’ll find the full background and a subscription-of-interest form on this link to the first Scottish Forum Newsletter: https://gem.godaddy.com/p/eb6537

The Steering Group met on 20 September and has offered this report

Here is the pitch, directed by WLJFCC to every community council in the country:

“We would be grateful if you could discuss this at your next meeting and decide if your Community Council would like to be involved”.

II. Locality Improvement Plans (LIP) 2024-2029: CEC’s Helen spoke to EACC on 31 August about the new LIP programme. Tommy McLean from Corstorphine CC has had a long involvement on this area. In the attachment to this email, he offers his thoughts on how community councils can best respond to the invitation they have to participate in this programme.

It’s about helping to improve the community in which we live. It’s not about having all the answers or about doing all the work. It’s about taking part. Please read what Tommy has to say.

III. EACC will meet again on Thursday 26 October. By way of Queensferry & District CC, Jane Iannarelli, CEC Senior Planning Officer, has asked to talk to us about the development of Local Place Plans in the context of the current 20 Minute Neighbourhood Strategy.

To refresh the context, go to the EACC site Front Page and to the 16 August reference to the Planning Democracy Blog. There is a very interesting piece there on Local Place Plans. If your local community is seeing big development, big change, on its doorstep, then time perhaps for some place planning by locals. Could your community council do something here?

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

Edinburgh Association of Community Councils (EACC) _______________________________________________

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

LocalityImprovementPlanProgramme-TMcLean25Sep23 Download

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

EACC meets on Thursday

EDINBURGH ASSOCIATION of COMMUNITY COUNCILS

NEXT MEETING: Thursday 25 May 2023: 18.50 for 19.00 on Microsoft Teams.

Speakers:

Harald Tobermann; Chair, Edinburgh Bus Users Group:

Building the client relationship with Transport for Edinburgh.

Angela Benzies, HE Consultant, Edinburgh:

Community Council pathways for the support of local small business.

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Here is the Microsoft Teams link:

Join on your computer, mobile app or room device

Click here to join the meeting

Meeting ID: 322 644 206 999
Passcode: TwTidj

Download Teams | Join on the web
Learn more |

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Update:

CEC Spatial Policy and Active Travel are promoting Clean Air Day on 15 June with a promotional “Clean Air Day Toolkit” which I attach with this email.

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 AGM tonight

EACC: EVOC Presentation and AGM: 24 November 2022, at 19.00

This will now be a TEAMS screen meeting (with doors open at 18.50).

We are going to use a facility hosted by CEC Governance Division, with the provision of a Council Returning Officer for the Members’ Board election.

Please note the Meeting ID and Passcode.

Microsoft Teams meeting

Join on your computer, mobile app or room device

Click here to join the meeting (or copy and paste the link to your browser).

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_YWYyMzI5ZWMtNTYzOC00MjdjLTg3M2ItZGRhNTU4MTczNGMw%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22482a4ef9-66e4-4e76-9f24-6da09a713ed4%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22e5b58711-a7ee-4fcd-8fda-65a7424cbc8f%22%7d

Meeting ID: 387 653 264 326
Passcode: P7p2hD

Where asked to sign-in with a screen display name, please adopt the following procedure:

If you are carrying your council’s vote, please sign in to the Teams screen meeting with a clear CC identifier, preceded by two asterisks and followed by your surname, along the lines of:

**GRANGE – ROBERTSON

**CORST – KERR

**LTHLNK – MILLAR

If you are not carrying a vote, just sign in as FIRST NAME LAST NAME.

If you have any queries, contact me at:

Secretary@edinburghcommunitycouncils.org.uk or sillertonhill@gmail.com

or call me on 078 1615 2994.

The event will be recorded.

In attending, you will be giving your permission for the recording to take place.

AGM Agenda:

1. Record of attendance;

2. Minutes of November 2021 AGM submitted for adoption;

3. Record of February 2022 EGM submitted for adoption;

4. Standing Orders (November 2022 revision) submitted for adoption;

5. Chair’s Annual Report;

6. Secretary’s Annual Report;

7. Treasurer’s submission of Annual Accounts to March 2022 for adoption;

8. Any other relevant Office Bearer reports;

9. Consideration of any Motions to be put to the meeting;

10. Demit of current Office Bearers;

11. Election of Community Council members to EACC Office Bearer posts and to panel seats on the EACC Members’ Board;

12. Appointment of an Independent Examiner of the Accounts;

13. Any other competent business, as determined by the Chair;

14. Set date of next AGM and close the meeting.

Ken Robertson

Acting-Secretary, EACC

Edinburgh Association of Community Councils meets online tonight

The Edinburgh Association of Community Councils (EACC) meets TONIGHT via Zoom at 7pm. (The screen facility will open at 18.50.)

The Agenda:

1. Andrew Field; Head of Community Empowerment and Engagement, City of Edinburgh Council:

– Community partnership planning; some thoughts on the way ahead.

2. David White; Primary Care Strategic Lead, Edinburgh Health & Social Care Partnership:

– The Winter Programme vaccine roll-out;

– Developments in GP service provision in the city.

3. Kenny Wright, Chair, Drum Brae CC:

– The Cost-of-Living Crisis: Community initiatives.

4. Steve Kerr, EACC Chair.

– Preview of the EACC AGM on 24 November;

– Nominations to the EACC Members Board.

The meeting is open to members of the public as observers, but participation in the first instance sits with the EACC representatives of Edinburgh Community Councils.

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

See the Zoom link at the foot of this email.

Regards,

Ken Robertson
Acting-Secretary

(Next scheduled meeting: Thursday 27 October)

______________________________________________

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

Topic: Edinburgh Association of Community Councils
Time: Sep 29, 2022 19:00 London

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/8213251547?pwd=ZWtYbnpMS3h1K1h5QWFYUnE0ZXJ4QT09

Meeting ID: 821 325 1547
Passcode: Brora6000

Agenda for Edinburgh Association of Community Councils meeting

The Edinburgh Association of Community Councils (EACC) meets (via Zoom) on Thursday, 29 September at 7pm.
(The screen facility will open at 18.50.)

The Agenda:

1. Andrew Field; Head of Community Empowerment and Engagement, City of Edinburgh Council:

– Community partnership planning; some thoughts on the way ahead.

2. David White; Primary Care Strategic Lead, Edinburgh Health & Social Care Partnership:

– The Winter Programme vaccine roll-out;

– Developments in GP service provision in the city.

3. Steve Kerr, EACC Chair.

– Preview of the EACC AGM on 24 November;

– Nominations to the EACC Members Board.

The Members Board emerges from the review of the EACC Constitution in February this year. It will work to guide EACC direction on policy issues and will look to bridge the interests of all Community Councils in a more participative, flexible and creative way than hitherto. But to do so, of course, the EACC will need your Community Council support and involvement.

In the round, then, the agenda for 29 September is a very relevant one at this time. I hope you can join us.

The meeting is open to members of the public as observers, but participation is restricted to the delegated EACC representatives of Edinburgh Community Councils. Please bring this message to the attention of your representative who will carry your Community Council vote at the 24 November AGM.

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

See the Zoom link at the foot of this email.

Regards,

Ken Robertson
Acting-Secretary

Join Zoom Meeting

Ken Robertson is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Edinburgh Association of Community Councils
Time: Sep 29, 2022 19:00 London

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/8213251547?pwd=ZWtYbnpMS3h1K1h5QWFYUnE0ZXJ4QT09

Meeting ID: 821 325 1547
Passcode: Brora6000

Edinburgh Association of Community Councils: Spring Update

After the series of four winter meetings in November, December, January and February — when we approved a new constitution for EACC — we’ve taken a pause before our next ordinary meeting, provisionally scheduled for Thursday 26 May at 7pm on Zoom.

Please let me know if you want to raise any particular issue at the May meeting.

In the future, we may resume the special meetings that were a feature of EACC activities in 2020-1, when we covered public spaces management, carbon neutrality, and biodiversity.

Possible future subjects are local democracy, best practice on making and analysing consultations, and practical approaches to energy efficiency and de-carbonization. We may also include the ‘held-over’ subject of guidance for community council treasurers.

The EACC Appeal (for funding – Ed.) was successful. As of now, we have received at least £700 from some 16 community councils. We hope this will enable us to to pay for a minutes secretary and establish a new website. We will also have a new bank account.

The edinburghcommunitycouncils.org.uk domain is no longer functional — it always was problematic — so my email address is now Simon.Holledge@gmail.com.

SIMON HOLLEDGE

Secretary, Edinburgh Association of Community Councils (EACC)