City celebrates 100th ECOSTARS member
Councillor Lesley Hinds presented Mike Robertson, Transport Manager of George Anderson & Sons with an inscribed glass plaque, to mark their status as the 100th Member of ECOSTARS Edinburgh. Continue reading One hundred up for greener transport scheme
St Andrew’s Day rally call beamed across Scotland
Famous Scottish landmarks – including our own Usher Hall and Tron Kirk – provided a dramatic setting to poignant lines from Scottish poet Mary Symon’s poem ‘Hame’ (St Andrew’s Day under the Southern Cross) to stir the heart strings ahead of St Andrew’s Day on November 30. Continue reading Rally to the call!
The fabulous Edinburgh Gang Show is back!
Over 250 young people from Scouting and Girlguiding will swap their camping gear and the outdoor life for the glitz and glamour of the theatre world when the annual Gang Show returns to the capital next week. Continue reading Gearing up for The Gang Show
Friday 13 November is Robert Louis Stevenson Day and a week-long programme of events has been planned to celebrate the great Edinburgh writer’s birthday (see Event Guide below).
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Nominations now open for Edinburgh Award
The search has begun for the ninth recipient of the Edinburgh Award, a way for Edinburgh citizens to pay a lasting tribute to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the city through their achievements. Continue reading Who is Edinburgh’s outstanding ambassador?
World’s iconic landmarks celebrate the UN’s 70th birthday
Edinburgh Castle will be lit blue from dusk tonight to celebrate the UN’s 70th anniversary. The castle will join landmarks such as the Empire State Building, Tokyo’s Skytree Tower and the Leaning Tower of Pisa as part of a global initiative to turn the World UN Blue.
It’s been 70 years since the UN was formed. The castle will turn blue to mark the occasion and to encourage people to reflect on the United Nation’s achievements over the last seven decades.
Scotland has a valuable contribution to offer the world, in support of UN objectives, through our expertise on climate change and energy, our clear commitment to human and children’s rights, our work on public health and research, and our innovative approach to international development.
Culture, Europe and External Affairs Secretary, Fiona Hyslop, said: “Over the last 70 years the United Nations has protected and improved the lives of so many the world over. Tonight, we want to congratulate the UN on its many achievements and help to promote its message of peace, development and human rights by lighting Edinburgh Castle blue.
“While we celebrate the UN’s 70th anniversary, we know that more work is required by all of us to fulfil the promise of a life in peace and dignity for all that the UN stands for. Scotland shares the UN’s value and goals and is committed to promoting them.
“Many Scottish civil society organisations and individuals work hard to help the UN achieve its aims, often as unpaid volunteers. We want to thank them for this engagement and encourage more people to join their efforts.”
You can join in too – members of the public are being encouraged to share their pictures @UN #UNblue
Speaking at the UN Day Concert in New York, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recommitted the organisation’s goal of creating a better world for all, serving ‘We the Peoples’ on frontlines. He said:
Happy United Nations Day to all.
I am delighted to welcome all of you to this special seventieth anniversary celebration. We are honoured by the presence of so many talented performers.
I thank the KBS Traditional Music Orchestra, the K-pop duo Davichi, the world-famous Harlem Gospel Choir, and Lang Lang, my very dedicated UN Messenger of Peace.
Their performances can inspire the United Nations family as we ready ourselves for the enormous challenges ahead.
Wars and violence continue to devastate communities and countries. The effects of climate change are real and worsening. The gap between rich and poor is growing wider. Violent extremists, human traffickers and other criminals are abusing human rights with impunity.
But even on this grim landscape, I see signs of change. Governments have just come together to forge an inspiring vision for a life of dignity for all people — and a set of Sustainable Development Goals to achieve it.
We now have the largest youth population in history. The world’s 1.8 billion young people can help drive us to a new future. And individuals everywhere are using the communications revolution to demand their rights and pressure their Governments to deliver.
The United Nations is strongly committed to remaining at the forefront of this global wave of progress. That is what we have done for 70 years — and it is what we will continue to do in serving “we the peoples”.
I know from my own life the difference the United Nations can make. When war came to Korea, help came, bearing the United Nations flag.
Today, I am determined to see the United Nations bring help and hope to others.
Over the decades, we have helped to bring freedom to millions, dismantle colonialism, defeat apartheid and defend human rights for all, regardless of race, religion, nationality, gender or sexual orientation.
Today, our blue helmets and humanitarian workers work on the frontlines of conflict and disaster. We fight poverty, hunger and disease. We stand against corruption, impunity and injustice.
Our enterprise is not perfect. But without the United Nations, our world would be a far bleaker place.
And now, with the adoption of the inspiring 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the United Nations has pointed the way towards progress for all humankind.
To achieve these goals, we need a strong United Nations — a strong UN for the well-being of people and planet alike.
Tonight, we light up our Headquarters in UN Blue. Tomorrow night, more than 200 iconic landmarks in over 55 countries around the world will also shine under blue lights in honour of the UN’s seventieth anniversary.
I thank all of those who have made this great project possible.
Above all, I pay tribute to UN staff and all those they serve to advance peace, development and human rights around the world.
United Nations Day, for me, will always be a day for “we the peoples”.
Let us dedicate all celebrations by recommitting ourselves to achieving the goal of a life of dignity and a better world for all.
Thank you for your leadership and your commitment.
“Together, we’ve spent 70 years striving for peace, 70 years helping the poorest and most vulnerable”
Speaking at the General Assembly Meeting on the 70th Anniversary of the UN, Ambassador Matthew Rycroft of the UK Mission to the UN said:
Ever since my distant predecessor Gladwyn Jebb served as acting Secretary-General of the embryonic UN 70 years ago, Britain has been proud to play a leading role in the multilateral system.
Together, we’ve spent 70 years striving for peace, 70 years helping the poorest and most vulnerable, and I’m pleased to say, 70 years co-operating, whatever our differences.
So looking back, there is so much to celebrate. In the last seven decades, we have helped negotiate countless peace agreements, supported by over 60 peacekeeper and observer missions to the world’s trouble spots. We’ve built on that peace, providing elections assistance to over 100 countries. The UN remains rightly an ambitious organisation; as the agreement of the sustainable development goals shows.
Today, the UN provides food to 90 million people in 80 countries, vaccinates 58 per cent of the world’s children, saving 3 million lives a year. It assists 39 million refugees and keeps the peace with over 120,000 peacekeepers in 16 operations on 4 continents.
But in looking back, we cannot lose sight of the challenges ahead; climate change, violent extremism, and issues like anti-microbial resistance which still lie below the radar. These are all issues where global action is the only solution, where the UN needs to show leadership.
To tackle these, and more, the UN needs to adapt and reform. Organisations that stand still quickly lose relevance. The UK supports modernisation of the UN. We want to bring greater diversity to the authority of the Security Council, by expanding its membership to include Germany, Japan, Brazil and India, as well as more African representation.
And we also want to see a strong leader in the next Secretary-General, who can help deliver these ambitious reforms, who is selected through a transparent, equal and fair process. And with all other things being equal, the UK believes that the UN’s next leader should be a woman.
So this year will be a seminal one in the UN’s history. It is a time for the multilateral system to demonstrate how effective it can be in delivering positive change – be it in a deal to tackle climate change, or in a plan to end the crisis in Syria. The best way to mark our 70th anniversary would be for progress to be made on all these fronts.
Plugging the gap: cycleway to connect Leith Walk and Roseburn
The Council is to begin consultation on proposals for a major cycle route linking the east to the west of the city. If approved by councillors next week, plans for a ‘family-friendly’ cycleway between Roseburn and Leith Walk will be put to the public for comment.
On Tuesday, the Transport and Environment Committee will consider proposals to consult on the suggested route, which runs through the city centre via George Street. The high quality cycleway, which includes sections of segregated lanes on main streets, would plug a gap in the cycle network and link to the city’s off-road paths.
Transport Convener, Councillor Lesley Hinds, said: “This route is key to our commitment to ensure safe and easy cycling across the city, and will provide an essential link to our extensive network of routes. I look forward to hearing what the public think of our proposals and would encourage anyone interested to submit their feedback.”
Proposals for the route follow a series of workshops with stakeholders, including community members, cycling groups and businesses, as well as engagement with the city’s Transport andActive Travel forums.
Aiming to provide safer, more direct access by bike to key destinations around Edinburgh, the project would also deliver improvements to the street environment for other users, particularly pedestrians.
Project consultants predict an increase of approximately 90% in cycle use in the corridor served by the route, amounting to a 16% increase in overall cycle use in the city if it was delivered.
Work is currently underway to investigate funding options for the scheme, which would tie into several other major projects including Leith Walk improvements, the ‘remodelling’ of Picardy Place and George Street public realm improvements.
It is now proposed to undertake a full public consultation on the plan, which would encompass a series of drop in sessions at venues along the route, briefings to various groups and an online survey.
You can find out more about the Roseburn to Leith Walk cycle route on the Council website. Plans for the consultation will follow approval of the suggested route by Transport and Environment Committee.
CYCLING: Survey shows Ministers are out of step, says Johnstone
Alison Johnstone MSP, health spokesperson for the Scottish Greens, says new research by transport charity Sustrans shows how out of step Scottish ministers are with the public desire for investment in cycling and walking infrastructure. The Green MSP (above) is calling for ‘a transformation’.
The survey of 11,000 people across UK cities including Edinburgh shows 75 per cent want more money invested.
Alison Johnstone, Scottish Green MSP for Lothian and co-convener of Holyrood’s cross-party group on cycling, said: “Public demand for investment in cycling and walking infrastructure in Scotland is clear, with massive events such as Pedal on Parliament. Actions speak louder than words and despite plentiful evidence of the huge benefits for our health, Scottish ministers still spend less than 2 per cent of their £2billion transport budget on cycling and walking.
“The Scottish Government clearly doesn’t see transport as a social justice issue and simply isn’t investing meaningfully to support those who either can’t afford to drive or prefer not to. By giving priority to cycling and walking we can improve our health, our air quality, boost local businesses and support tourism.
“I led Holyrood’s first debate on this issue, with the parliament agreeing that every child in Scotland should have the opportunity of on-road cycle training by 2015, yet to date only a third of schools have delivered such training. Parliament also reaffirmed the Scottish Government’s target of 10 per cent of journeys by bike by 2020, yet we’re still at only 1 per cent. We need a transformation.”
Edinburgh has Scotland’s highest crime rate and the lowest detection rates in the country, according to a report published by police watchdog HM Inspectorate of Constabulary today. Commenting on the report, Chief Superintendent Mark Williams said the Edinburgh force faces unique demands but has made ‘real advances’ in tackling priority issues.
MICS acknowledges that Edinburgh officers and staff are working hard to provide a service to their communities, however, and local police are also actively engaged with the city’s licensed trade to tackle antisocial behaviour associated with the night time economy, which helped reduce violent crime in Scotland’s capital city during 2014/15.
The need for sufficient officers in response and community roles is a consistent theme to many of the challenges affecting Edinburgh Division of Police Scotland and the report calls for a review of the balance between local policing and specialist resources across the city.
The HMICS Inspection of Edinburgh Division, which contains eight recommendations, is the latest in the rolling programme under which all 14 local policing divisions of Police Scotland will be inspected to assess their state, effectiveness and efficiency.
This inspection highlights the additional demands placed on the division in policing Scotland’s capital city and the regular need for local officers to cover other areas such as custody, front counters and Edinburgh Airport.
It also looks at the abstraction of officers to maintain public order at courts and recommends that discussion take place between Police Scotland and the Scottish Courts and Tribunal Service to reduce this.
It is estimated the equivalent of 55 officers every day are being drawn from local policing teams to provide temporary cover for a range of additional demands, including policing the 1150 pre-planned events the city typically hosts each year. This impacts on the availability of these officers to respond to public demand.
The report also comments on the changing demands of policing with a significant proportion of police time now spent responding to vulnerable people, whose needs could potentially be better met by other agencies.
In planning how best to use its resources in Edinburgh, HMICS believes Police Scotland should take into account and balance the competing demands from both public and protective policing, and the significant pre-planned demand arising from the numerous events in the city.
HM Inspector of Constabulary, Derek Penman said: “We have taken the view that many of the issues affecting Edinburgh Division have arisen because of the specific challenges that come with being the capital city.
“The single force has provided greater access to specialist support and has provided additional officers to assist in meeting these challenges. However I believe there is now a need for Police Scotland to review the balance between local policing and specialist resources to ensure there are sufficient officers within response and community policing roles across the division.
“The positive trends across Scotland of reducing crime levels and improved detection rates are not mirrored in Edinburgh. However these challenges around performance existed before the creation of Police Scotland; and the reasons for them are complex and examined in our report.”
The inspection notes that Police Scotland is fully aware of the challenges facing Edinburgh Division and a range of activities and initiatives have been put in place to improve performance.
Housebreaking is one such area where Police Scotland supported the division in a co-ordinated response after increases of over 20% in 2014/15. This has seen the number of these crimes within the division beginning to reduce.
HMICS found that the division has a good approach to consultation, using a variety of methods to identify national and local priorities. This ensures policing priorities meet the needs of its communities. Local scrutiny arrangements and the “Think Twice” initiative in the city centre are also highlighted as examples of effective practice.
During the inspection, HMICS looked in detail at the division’s approach to partnership working, assessing the impact of change both locally and nationally on this critical area of policing.
Edinburgh Division and its partners have the shared aims of community safety and wellbeing. While some partners commented that police have focused on enforcement rather than partnership in recent years, this trend is now reversing and partners are optimistic the division is refocusing its attention on local relationships.
During its inspections of each local policing division, HMICS also inspects custody facilities to assess the treatment of and conditions for those detained. Of the four custody centres in Edinburgh, the one at St Leonard’s Police Station is the primary facility.
The unannounced inspection of St Leonard’s custody centre found detainees are well treated and benefitted from the 24 hour health care on site and good cell conditions. However the physical layout of the premises and the volume of detainees processed there, have led HMICS to recommend Police Scotland consider long term options for meeting custody demand in the Edinburgh area.
Other recommendations relate to ensuring person escort records are completed properly, maintaining supplies of items required by detainees, the use of suitable vehicles for transferring custodies to other facilities and regular checks on the state of readiness of the three other overflow custody centres at Craigmillar, Wester Hailes and Drylaw.
The force will be asked to incorporate the HMICS’ recommendations into its own improvement process and ensure good practice is shared across Scotland to promote continuous improvement.
Commenting on the report, Chief Superintendent Mark Williams, Local Policing Commander, City of Edinburgh Division, said: “I welcome today’s HMICS report, which has highlighted some key areas for improvement to ensure we are continuing to keep our communities safe.
“The report has also been valuable in highlighting some of the innovative work introduced and pioneered by Edinburgh Division and provided a focus for us to continue to deliver on the policing priorities we’ve set with the public through our local policing plan.
“We’ve already made real advances to address issues such as housebreaking and, since our specific operation to tackle the issue launched early in 2015, we have halved the number of break-ins per month and doubled our detection rates. We have also seen a reduction in violent crime of over 18% against the five year average with robberies alone down over 28%.
“Theft is a real focus for local policing teams and overall it has reduced by 12% against a five year average with motor vehicle thefts down over 26% in the last year alone.
“We are not complacent and will continue to focus on reducing antisocial behaviour and violence fuelled by alcohol in the city. As the report highlights we are building strong partnerships focused on collaboration and early intervention and examples such as Stronger North, the Safezone Bus, the Violent Offender Watch and our new dedicated ward officers show that we are genuinely committed to preventing crime.
“As today’s report shows, the demand for resources in Edinburgh is unique but we will always seek to respond as effectively as we can, calling upon all the resources available to us at both a local and national level.”
It’s not too late to visit the Hold me Dear photography exhibition in Rodney Street Tunnel!
The ‘Four Cities, [Exta]ordinary Places’ exhibition, which is free, features images from Copenhagen, Hamburg, Istanbul and, of course, our very own Edinburgh!
Be quick, though: organisers will be dismantling the Hold Me Dear exhibition at Rodney St tunnel on Tuesday (20 October) before a move to its ‘new home for future local community exhibitions at the local community centre and school!’
Draft Action Plan is now out for consultation
Edinburgh residents’ views are now being sought on a raft of measures aimed to help improve parking in the city.
A public consultation is under way on the draft Parking Action Plan, which is intended to develop a cohesive vision of parking in Edinburgh, encouraging active travel and supporting the city’s economy while safeguarding residents’ spaces.
Proposals for the plan, approved by the Transport and Environment Committee in August, are based on consultation with the public and take into account the priorities of those living in the city.
Transport Convener, Councillor Lesley Hinds, said: “We’ve been evaluating parking in Edinburgh over the last few months, studying the use of city centre parking by residents, shoppers and visitors to see where the most demand for spaces is. We’ve really listened to the public to create the new Parking Action Plan, and have responded to their concerns.
“This is about relieving demand for residents’ parking as well as promoting sustainable travel into the city centre. Our proposals would reduce the negative impact of uncontrolled parking, encouraging parking turnover near local businesses and helping to encourage active travel and use of public transport.
The draft Parking Action Plan (above), which affects the Controlled Parking Zone, was drawn up following a series of information gathering exercises, including interviews with drivers and pedestrians, vehicle counts on key streets and internal workshops.
Amongst the findings it was shown that, when parking is uncontrolled on a Sunday, people stay for a long time, reducing the turnover of business for shops, making it harder for residents to find spaces and impacting on traffic. It also indicates that parking pressures in the evenings are similar, if not greater than during the controlled hours.
In addition, of 535 drivers interviewed on a Sunday, 43% said they would travel by public transport, walk or cycle if they were making the same journey during the week, while 42% indicated that free parking was not important to their decision to visit the city centre that day.
