Tag: local democracy

Granton & District CC comments on ongoing traveller situation

UPDATE ON TRAVELLER ENCAMPMENT

WE (Granton& District Community Council) are aware of community concerns around the continuing occupation of Scottish Government land at Waterfront Avenue / Granton Park Avenue, which is earmarked for The Art Works development.

The Community Council acknowledges the frustration felt by local residents about the length of time it is taking for this complex issue to be resolved.

An appeal hearing in relation to the eviction order took place in early August, and the judgement was issued at the Court of Session on Thursday (27 August). It found in the Scottish Government’s favour, upholding the eviction order. However, it is worth noting that a further appeal is possible.

As a Community Council, we hope to receive further updates on next steps once available, and will do our best to communicate this to residents in good time.

View the news reports about the judgement:

BBC News (https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgwd9l5210o)

and STV News (https://news.stv.tv/…/traveller-family-to-be-evicted…).

GRANTON & DISTRICT COMMUNITY COUNCIL

Granton and District CC AGM

MONDAY 31st AUGUST 6.30pm at ROYSTON WARDIEBURN

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NEXT MEETING MON 31 AUG – INCL. OUR AGM!

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All welcome at our monthly meeting on Monday 31 August, 6.30pm at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre. This is our first meeting back since the summer break and will also include our Annual General Meeting (AGM).

Do feel free to come and raise issues for discussion. If you’d like to attend online, please get in touch for the MS Teams link.

Alternatively, we can raise any issues for discussion on your behalf. Simply email engagement@grantoncc.scot

Drylaw Telford Community Council meets on Monday

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 “Is Community Council only for older people?”

Absolutely NOT! We need voices from ALL ages and backgrounds:

🎒 Parents (school safety, play areas, youth services)

🏃 Young professionals (transport, local businesses)

👴👵 Older residents (accessibility, community safety)

🎓 Students (affordable housing, local amenities)

🏠 New residents (welcome to our community!)

Different perspectives = better decisions for EVERYONE

Join us Monday, 23rd February, 6:30 PM – Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre

#InclusiveCommunity

#AllVoicesMatter

#DrylawTelford

#CommunityCouncil

Free webinar for Community Councils

Community Councils, have you signed up for our next free webinar yet?

On 25th February at 6pm we welcome Scottish Government Local Governance Review team who will be providing an update on Democracy Matters policy development.

There will be an opportunity to ask questions on the process and next steps.

Community Councils can register for this free event using the link below:

https://tinyurl.com/42chvaxt

Local Community Council reboot?

We should decide what happens in West Pilton/West Granton 🫡 come along to learn more.

This event is being put on by myself (Jessica Fenn) and Chris Cullen – we live here, we aren’t an outside organisation, and we want other locals to join us 🫡

Trams consultation: Local drop-in session added in Drylaw

The city council has added a further Drop-in Session on the North-South Tramline  Consultation Proposals following a request by Drylaw Telford Community Council.

More than 40 people attended last week’s community council meeting to discuss tram line options for the area, but planned guest speaker Cllr Stephen Jenkinson, the city council’s Transport and Environment convener, was unable to attend and submitted his apologies on the afternoon of the meeting.

The council is proposing a north – south tram route which would run from Granton, through the city centre, out to the Edinburgh BioQuarter and Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh via Cameron Toll, and potentially beyond into the city region.

The meeting – the best-attended community council event for some years – went ahead and called for a local drop-in event for Drylaw Telford residents in line with those staged at Blackhall Primary School, Granton Station and North Edinburgh Arts.

The community council has also submitted a list of questions raised by residents at the meeting for a council response.

As a result, another local Drop-in will take place on: 

Tuesday 28th October

from 4 – 7pm in Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre

There will also be another opportunity see what is being proposed and to make comments at Bristo Baptist Church on Wednesday 29 October from 4 – 7pm.

 

Leith Central CC says NO to more student accommodation

Leith Central Community Council has now agreed its final position on Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) developments.

🏗️ Leith already has two-thirds of all PBSA beds in Edinburgh – 6,332 out of 9,873 citywide. Despite this, developers keep proposing more blocks, even though Leith has no university campus and our area gains little direct benefit.

We believe further PBSA expansion:

– takes up land that should be used for affordable homes for families and key workers

– adds pressure on local transport, health services and infrastructure

– undermines community balance and diversity

– conflicts with Edinburgh’s wider housing strategy

Leith is proud to welcome students as part of our diverse community, but the scale of PBSA development is now out of proportion and unsustainable.

🛑 LCCC is calling for a moratorium on any new PBSA developments in Leith.

We want future developments to focus instead on affordable, family-friendly and mixed-use housing that supports long-term residents and the local economy.

We’ll continue to work with other community councils, housing organisations and Edinburgh Council to make sure Leith’s voice is heard as part of the city’s Local Housing Strategy and upcoming planning guidance on student accommodation.

📄 You can read our full position paper here 👉https://tinyurl.com/jvntj3cm

Top councillors shortlisted in annual LGIU and CCLA national Cllr Awards

LEITH LEFT-WINGER NOMINATED FOR AWARD

40 local councillors from across England, Wales and Scotland have been shortlisted for the 2025 LGIU and CCLA Cllr Awards, the only national awards ceremony dedicated to celebrating the extraordinary work of councillors.

Only one – Katrina Faccenda – is a City of Edinburgh Councillor. Leith councillor Ms Faccenda is nominated in the Innovator of the Year category.

Now in their 16th year in England and 8th year in Scotland, the Cllr Awards highlight the vital contribution of councillors, often the unsung heroes of local democracy.

From championing residents’ interests to leading innovation in public services, councillors play a crucial role in shaping communities and improving lives, and they do so while giving up their time and energy for what is often a voluntary, unpaid role.

This year’s competition was extremely tight with more than 400 nominations received across five categories that celebrate the wide-ranging work of councillors: Community Champion, Leader of the Year, Young Councillor of the Year, Innovator of the Year and Lifetime Legend. 

The full England & Wales shortlist is available here and Scotland shortlist can be found here.

Winners in England & Wales will be announced on Tuesday 18 November at the Guildhall in London while winners in Scotland will be revealed on Wednesday 5 November at the Glasgow City Chambers. 

The Cllr Awards judging panels comprise senior councillors and leading stakeholders from across the sector. These are the only national awards to celebrate and showcase the work of individual councillors. This year’s awards are made possible thanks to the generous support of founding partners CCLA.

Jonathan Carr-West, Chief Executive, Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) said: “Our annual Cllr awards demonstrate the best of local government. With more thn 400 nominations, competition was extremely tight with inspiring stories of councillors up and down the country going the extra mile to 2improve their local area. 

“Councillors are at the heart of local democracy, working tirelessly to support their communities and drive change. These awards are about celebrating the often unseen but hugely important contribution councillors make every day.

“This year’s shortlist is a testament to the dedication, creativity and leadership shown by councillors across the country.

“Congratulations to all the councillors nominated and shortlisted and I look forward to announcing the winners in November.”

Lee Jagger, Local Government, Relationship Manager, CCLA said: “Every one of the councilors on the Cllr Awards shortlist this year has had a significant and positive impact on their communities and on the lives of their individual residents.

“That’s what the councillor role is all about – ordinary people trying to make the places that we live and work better.

“CCLA is very proud to have supported these Awards from the very beginning and to be part of this important celebration of the best of local government.”

Community Councils: Results are in!

Community Council Elections 2025 – Notice of Results

THE results of the Community Council elections are now available to view on the Council’s website.

The Declaration of Results includes the names of all successful elected members who will be duly elected to community councils when the new term commences from 28 March 2025.

An update which includes details on the number of valid nominations received for each community council and the number of valid Local Interest Group nominations can be found below.

When nominations closed, 39 community councils received sufficient valid nominations to establish.

Insufficient nominations were received to establish 8 community councils:

  • Craigmillar
  • Davidson’s Mains and Silverknowes
  • Firrhill
  • Hutchison / Chesser
  • Muirhouse/ Salvesen
  • Old Town
  • Portobello
  • West Pilton/ West Granton

A second call for nominations will be issued for the 8 community councils who did not achieve sufficient nominations to establish. Nominations will open on 31 March 2025 and will close at 4pm on 21 April 2025.

The city council’s webpages will be updated in due course with further information.

6. Update on the valid number of nominations received up to 16.00__ on 27.02.25Download
Notice_of_results_for_website___2025Download