STV to operate new local Edinburgh TV channel

STV has won the new local TV licences for both Edinburgh and Glasgow, the first of the new generation of local broadcasting services to be awarded in Scotland by media regulator Ofcom. The separate licences for Glasgow and Edinburgh will see new services for the two cities broadcast free on terrestrial television.

STV, which holds the Channel 3 licence for North and Central Scotland, will run the services in partnership with universities, providing peak time content including local news and current affairs programming as well as magazine shows.

Bobby Hain, STV Director of Channels, said: “STV is delighted to have been awarded the Local TV licences for Glasgow and Edinburgh. The two services, GTV and ETV, will be delivered in partnership with Glasgow Caledonian University and Edinburgh Napier University. GTV and ETV will provide an innovative television service to the communities they serve complementing STV’s existing broadcast, online and mobile services. These new ventures will also provide media students with opportunities to work and learn in a live broadcast environment.”

Professor Dame Joan Stringer, principal and vice chancellor at Edinburgh Napier University, added: “This presents a unique opportunity not only for our students but for the wider community of Edinburgh. The university has a track record of producing top journalism and media graduates who benefit from fantastic facilities and industry-experienced staff. I am sure the contribution of our students will be invaluable to the community programming planned for ETV.”

Ofcom will award up to 21 local TV licences, including Belfast, Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, Grimsby, Norwich, Nottingham, Sheffield and Southampton. Although not part of the current bidding process, there are another 44 locations where a local television licence is “technically possible”, including Aberdeen, Dundee, Inverness and Ayr.

Following the announcement that local TV licences in Scotland have been awarded to STV, Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs Fiona Hyslop said: “I would like to congratulate STV on being awarded the local TV licences for Edinburgh and Glasgow. However, these services – which focus on the two largest centres of population that are already well served by media – should not have been the priority for broadcasting in Scotland.

“The priority should be delivering for viewers in the South of Scotland – who are arguably most in need of local television as they currently receive local news on Channel 3 which is broadcast from Gateshead – and addressing the need for choice in public service broadcasting across Scotland, such as through a publicly-funded Scottish Digital Network.

“The television licence fee has been frozen and top sliced by the UK Government to pay for local television and the Welsh channel S4C, at the expense of audiences across Scotland. This damaging settlement has led to job cuts at BBC Scotland, with up to 120 posts going by 2017 – and these cuts are beginning to bite.
“I am committed to protecting public service broadcasting. Under independence, Scotland would have full responsibility for broadcasting, which provides opportunities to better meet the needs of audiences here while reflecting Scottish life, culture and interests.”

City gets set for Christmas

Edinburgh’s Christmas celebration’s will kick off with a stunning Light Night ceremony on the Mound tonight (Thursday).

A dazzling combination of projection, aerial performance and pyrotechnics will build excitement through a specially commissioned show – Christmas Dream Machine. Revealing the enchanting dreams of a child at Christmas, the performance will culminate in the lighting of Edinburgh’s Norwegian Christmas Tree; a gift from the people of Hordaland. An exotic Brazilian Samba Band will lead revellers to St Andrew Square, where the festivities will continue with a live after show, featuring an array of local artists, entertainers and a fire show.

Over the six weeks, the ever popular Traditional German Christmas Market returns to the city along with the Traditional Highland Village Christmas Market, plus a number of bespoke markets will take place across the city centre throughout December.

Commenting on the overall programme, City of Edinburgh Council Lord Provost, Rt Hon Donald Wilson, said: “Edinburgh’s Christmas is one of the most iconic Christmas celebrations in the world and we are pleased to announce a varied programme of events and attractions for 2012. Whether it’s to catch up with family and friends, or just to relax and soak up the magical atmosphere, we are proud of the fact that so many people make Edinburgh their destination of choice. With the nativity scene at the heart of the city and carol concerts to attend, visitors and residents will have plenty of opportunity to enjoy the festive season.”

From skating beneath the stars on the Edinburgh Ice Rink to seeing the city from a new perspective on the breathtaking Edinburgh Wheel, there is something for everyone this Christmas. Visitors of all ages will be thrilled to see the return of live reindeer to St Andrew Square on 8 & 9 December, then Friday, Saturday and Sunday on both weekends before Christmas.

For the first time, there will be a 3D cinema in East Princes Street Garden, where children and adults alike will love the award-winning Christmas caper ‘Rocket’s Missing Antler’. Rocket is usually the fastest of all of Santa’s helpers, but he has lost his antler, meaning Christmas could be cancelled. The exciting visual feast follows the loveable reindeer, Cheeky Snowman and the Wishfairy as they battle against time to regrow Rocket’s antler and save Christmas.

Nickie Gott, managing director of She’s Gott It!, Edinburgh’s Christmas producers, enthuses: “There is no better place than Edinburgh during the festive period. With the remarkable Light Night starting things off in style, the city centre will be buzzing with activity and excitement. The capital is so magical at this time of year and we hope that our programme will amaze and delight the entire family.”

Following the success of last year’s St Andrew’s Day celebrations, Edinburgh’s Christmas will once again present an exciting programme of activity on the Castle esplanade tomorrow (30 November) as part of Scotland’s Winter Festival. During the day, there will be a chance for visitors to make their own lantern, before a specially commissioned night time spectacular, with fireworks to celebrate Scotland’s patron saint.

Santa will be arriving in the city centre from 5pm on Saturday 8 December in his reindeer-drawn sleigh, and will make daily visits to collect his post and to see who has been naughty and nice. There will be a flurry of red and white on Sunday 9 December, as hundreds of Santas pull on their running shoes for the tenth Great Edinburgh Santa Run, in aid of the When You Wish Upon a Star Foundation. Starting in West Princes Street Gardens, Santas of all ages will be able to run, jog or walk the 1.5km route.

Andy Neal, chief executive of Essential Edinburgh, said: “With Edinburgh’s Christmas bringing thousands of visitors to the city each year, Essential Edinburgh is proud to support some of the fantastic activities, such as Light Night and Santa’s Arrival – key features of the programme that encourage visitors and residents to come into town during the festive period. This investment is another example of the city centre’s private businesses, through Essential Edinburgh, investing in the Capital.”

Edinburgh’s Christmas is a highlight in the Winter in Edinburgh marketing campaign and is supported by the City of Edinburgh Council, Essential Edinburgh and Marketing Edinburgh.

Edinburgh is ‘Europe’s Leading Destination’

Forget Milan, London, Paris and Barcelona – Edinburgh has been named Europe’s Leading Destination at the prestigious World Travel Awards 2012. Speaking after Saturday’s ceremony, delighted City of Edinburgh Council Leader Andrew Burns said: “This is fantastic news for Edinburgh and a terrific endorsement from the people who work in the travel industry. Edinburgh is already a multi-award winning city and this is further confirmation that Edinburgh is a world class tourist destination steeped in history with a great atmosphere which hosts numerous world-renowned cultural events.”

Is Edinburgh really Europe’s leading destination? Let us know your views!

It's official – Edinburgh's blooming beautiful!

It’s official – Edinburgh is Scotland’s most beutiful city! The capital secured the top spot at the Beautiful Scotland awards yesterday (11 September) and will now go on to represent Scotland in the national Britain in Bloom competition.

Environment Convener Councillor Lesley Hinds (pictured below) said: “It’s fantastic news that Edinburgh has been recognised as the top city in Scotland for its green spaces. I was thrilled to meet the judges when they visited Edinburgh last month and I’m delighted we can now add another Beautiful Scotland City Award to the capital’s impressive record of accolades for parks and green spaces.

“The award positively reflects on all the excellent work staff do to keep the city looking attractive all year round. My deepest thanks must also go to all the volunteers and local community groups who have worked hard to successfully transform their local environments. However this is not a time to be complacent as we’ll now be looking ahead to next summer’s Britain in Bloom competition where Edinburgh will be representing Scotland in the national awards. Here’s hoping we can add a gold medal next year to our collection!”

It’s official – Edinburgh’s blooming beautiful!

Council spearheads drive to create 20,000 jobs

The city council is calling on its public sector partners and Edinburgh’s businesses to help support the creation of 20,000 new jobs in the city. An ambitious five-year economic strategy for Edinburgh will be launched at a conference being hosted by the City of Edinburgh Council and the Edinburgh Business Forum this morning.

Businesses and other partners are being encouraged to join the Edinburgh Guarantee programme to give young people the apprenticeships and work opportunities they need to boost their job prospects. They are also being asked to get more involved in the city’s communities by investing in its social and community enterprises, act as ambassadors for Edinburgh and mentor new entrepreneurs.

City businesses are also being asked to share their knowledge and international connections with the Council to help attract vital new inward investment. Delegates at today’s event will be invited to contribute their ideas to help drive the strategy forward. The conference will be split into two sessions. The first will focus on outlining the national / local context and the second session will seek an endorsement from partners and will outline their role in taking forward delivery of the Strategy.

The sessions will be attended by business leaders including Lord Smith Chair of the UK Green Investment Bank, senior staff from Harvey Nichols in Edinburgh, Scottish Enterprise, Marketing Edinburgh, the Financial Times, Edinburgh BioQuarter, and Mama Tea. The Leader of the Council Andrew Burns and Chief Executive Sue Bruce are both speakers as well as Nicola Sturgeon, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Investment and Cities. Robert Carr, past Chairman of the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce will compère the event.

Speaking before the conference, Council Leader Andrew Burns said: “Scotland’s cities and their regions are key drivers of economic growth for the nation’s economy as a whole, so it’s really important that Edinburgh’s Economic Strategy is not just owned by the council, but by the whole of Team Scotland. Edinburgh was resilient during the banking crisis and has bounced back well, but in tough economic times the last thing we want to do is get complacent. With huge pressure on council resources, we need to invest where we will have the most impact and closing the jobs gap is absolutely our number one priority. Joblessness creates major social costs for the whole city, and tackling this issue head on now will help us lay the foundations for a new phase of growth in Edinburgh over the next ten to 20 years.”

Sue Bruce, Chief Executive of the City of Edinburgh Council said: “The new strategy will help us to invest in people and in places, to provide an excellent joined-up service to businesses and to pool our efforts with partners. We believe this is the best route to help create the right conditions for new jobs. The vision of the Edinburgh Guarantee, that all sectors of the city work together to ensure that every school leaver in Edinburgh will leave school with the choice of a job, training or further education opportunity open to them, is of vital importance to the future economic health of the city. Focusing on jobs, engaging the whole Council in economic development and increasing collaboration with our partners in the city are all central to delivering our bold targets to ensure that we play a major role in boosting Edinburgh’s economy.”

Hugh Rutherford, Chair of Edinburgh Business Forum and a partner at National Property and Planning Consultants, Montagu Evans said: “No one partner or organisation in the city has sufficient influence to drive development of the economy alone, so it is critically important that we pool our knowledge, expertise and resources to ensure Edinburgh remains an attractive place to do business. We want businesses to work with us to get people in the city back to work and that means engaging with the Economic Strategy to ensure sustainable economic growth.”

Further information on the Economic Strategy

Forged in the wake of the banking crisis, the Council’s new Economic Strategy is the first to focus on the Scottish capital and the part it plays in the wider regional and Scottish economy. It follows the largest and most wide-ranging economic analysis ever undertaken in the city.

The ‘Strategy for Jobs’ responds to a widening jobs gap – rapid growth in the working age population means that by 2018 there could be up to 37,000 more people looking for work in the city than jobs available – and sets out a pioneering ‘Whole Council’ approach to address this.

The Economic Strategy sets out three key targets for 2012-17: to support the creation and safeguarding of 20,000 jobs; to support £1.3 billion of infrastructure investment in the city and to help 10,000 people into work or learning.

These objectives will be achieved through four programmes of activity with detailed action plans: investing in the city’s physical development; supporting inward investment; supporting businesses and helping unemployed people into work or learning.

Key highlights include the completion of Edinburgh’s tram project; maximising low-carbon opportunities with the arrival in Edinburgh of the £1 billion UK Green Investment Bank; engaging with a target list of potential inward investors in key city regions of the Middle East, China, North America and London; the further development of the ‘Edinburgh Guarantee’, a collaborative initiative with businesses to secure training, education or employment for every school leaver in Edinburgh; the creation of a dedicated new hub for business customers at the City of Edinburgh Council’s headquarters; and the creation of ‘Integrated Employability Service’ that will work with national agencies to provide a ‘no wrong door’ approach for job seekers across Edinburgh. Extensive public consultation was carried out from July to September last year on a comprehensive analysis of Edinburgh’s economy – The Edinburgh City Region Economic Review. This was the largest and most wide-ranging consultation on the economy ever undertaken in the Capital. Its findings underpin the key areas of action in the new Economic Strategy.

Botanics left red-faced as plant fails to blossom

STAFF at Edinburgh’s world-famous Royal Botanic Garden have been left red-faced after the horticultural event of the decade fell flat.

The institution has been waiting eight years for its giant “corpse flower” to bloom and confidently predicted the event would happen this summer – the first time ever in Scotland.

So sure were staff, they printed T-shirts and set up a webcam, and even prepared to borrow a thermal imaging camera from the fire brigade to monitor the flower at night.

But all the 154kg monster produced was a giant, spindly leaf.

It is hoped that the plant will flower next time around which will be around March 2013.

Source: Edinburgh Evening News

Botanics Net Building Prize

THE John Hope Gateway Centre at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh has been named the most sustainable building in Scotland in this year’s prestigious Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in Scotland awards.

The judges said the design of the visitor attraction “enhanced the wider environment and in the process formed an environmentally-friendly building”.

It is the latest in a string of awards for the £15.7 million building, which has been a great success with visitors since it opened at the Botanics in October 2009.

Million Pound Pot For Retiring Council Man

A senior director of the city council has left his role – triggering a huge pension pay-out. Jim Inch has stepped down as director of corporate services after agreeing to take early retirement.

Council officials say that there are no direct costs to the council of his retirement from his £120,513-a-year post. But he will start benefiting from a pension pot now worth over £1.3 million, and his retirement will automatically trigger a £160,390 lump sum payment.

Mr Inch sent a message to all council staff, thanking them for their work and support.

His retirement follows that of former chief executive Tom Aitchison, who stood down at the end of last year and received a £209,845 lump sum from his pension. Director of finance Donald McGougan will also leave his post in June, which will earn him a payment of at least £170,802.

The pension deals have been labelled “obscene” by taxpayer groups. A review is underway into the posts held by Mr Inch and Mr McGougan. Temporary appointments are to be made for six months as chief executive Sue Bruce decides whether to revamp the corporate services and finance departments.

Source: Edinburgh Evening News