‘Tip of the Iceberg’: local women to lobby Ruth Davidson in Roseburn

Young mothers from Royston Wardiburn’s ‘All Abut Me’ group and their supporters are to stage a protest outside Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson’s constituency office on Roseburn Terrace this morning. The women are protesting against changes to the benefits system that will see at least eleven local families – and 42 children – evicted from their homes. Continue reading ‘Tip of the Iceberg’: local women to lobby Ruth Davidson in Roseburn

Groups rally to support victims of benefits cap

Local groups Power to the People and All About Me have been joined by Edinburgh Coalition Against Poverty to protest against benefits cuts. The local groups, who meet at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre, aim to highlight the plight of families being made homeless as a result of welfare reforms. Continue reading Groups rally to support victims of benefits cap

Never give up: Power to the People group challenges council cuts

While it seems the political fight against massive council cuts has been lost, one local community group at least has continued to fight to retain essential council services. Royston Wardieburn’s Power to the People group say the cuts – and the ongoing council ‘transformation’ – will damage services and hit poorer communities particularly hard. Continue reading Never give up: Power to the People group challenges council cuts

Tomorrow at North Edinburgh Arts: United We Will Swim … Again

Continue reading Tomorrow at North Edinburgh Arts: United We Will Swim … Again

Social security event at Royston Wardieburn tomorrow

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Hi everyone

Just a wee reminder about the community event we are having in the centre on Wednesday.  The aim of the event is to give people from North Edinburgh an opportunity to take part in the Scottish Government’s consultation process on a new Social Security System for Scotland.

We will be kicking off at 10.00 and finishing at 12.30.   A community lunch will be provided afterwards in the cafe.  To help us with the arrangements for the day, we would appreciate if you could let us know if you are coming and if you require childcare or have any other needs we should be aware of.

Thanks and best wishes

Lynn

Power to the People talks Human Rights tonight

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North Edinburgh’s Power to the People group is hosting a session to discuss human rights tonight in Royston Wardieburn Community Centre tonight. Continue reading Power to the People talks Human Rights tonight

Robin’s at Royston Wardieburn

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Robin McAlpine, director of The Common Weal – a vision for a better Scotland, is speaking at an event organised by the Power to the People group taking place this morning at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre.

The event runs from 10am – midday: it’s free, no booking necessary – all welcome!

For more information visit the Living In Harmony Facebook page, e-mail Luke Campbell at student@pchp.org.uk or call Lynn McCabe on 552 5700 – email lynn.mccabe@ea.edin.sch.uk

book of ideas

 

 

Power to the People: double event this week

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Please see below publicity advertising  two information and discussion sessions being hosted by the Power to the People group this  week. Continue reading Power to the People: double event this week

Edinburgh’s budget: Transformation – or tragedy?

Councillors vote through £84.5 cuts package

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Frontline services for Edinburgh’s vulnerable, older and younger residents will be prioritised in the city council’s budget budget set yesterday. Finance convener Alisdair Rankin says the council aims to become a ‘leaner, more agile organisation’ but up to two thousand jobs will go, impacting on services across the city. 

The council says spending on schools, health and social care provision – seen as the services that matter most to Edinburgh residents – as well as improvements to roads, pavements and cycle routes, will be their spending priorities, and the administration plans to deliver them more efficiently and effectively.

Councillor Alasdair Rankin, Convener of the Finance and Resources Committee, said: “Like other local authorities around the country, we face the challenge of a rising demand for services while funding is reducing.

“That’s why we will focus on the services that matter the most to the public. I am confident that we have taken the needs of Edinburgh’s residents into account when setting this year’s budget and am delighted that more than 4000 people took the time to have their say on our draft budget proposals.”

Councillor Bill Cook, Vice-Convener of the Finance and Resources Committee, said: “Thanks to the feedback gained during the budget engagement process we have been able to make decisions such as maintaining the full in-house home care service and retaining lunch time crossing patrols at primary schools.”

Based on responses received during an 11-week consultation period, changes were made to the final budget reflecting the public’s needs. These include:

• Maintaining the night noise team
• Deciding against proposals to redesign day care services for adults with learning disabilities
• Removing the proposal to reduce community centre staff
• Maintaining lunch time school crossing patrols
• Amending the proposal to review support staff in special schools

This year the Council has a budget of £950m and will continue to deliver frontline services while making savings of £85.4m. These savings will be achieved through ‘workforce transformation’, cuts in fleet and selling off property.

While councillors listened to the public’s views during the budget consultation there was no move towards introducing a ‘Tourist Tax’ and they rejected appeals to defy the Scottish government by raising council tax. As a result, council tax band levels for Edinburgh in 2016/17 will once again remain unchanged:

A: £779.33
B: £909.22
C: £1,039.11
D: £1,169.00
E: £1,428.78
F: £1,688.56
G: £1,948.33
H: £2,338.00

A deputation from North Edinburgh was well to the fore during proceedings throughout the day, bringing some levity to what was otherwise a sombre occasion.

Dressed in black, Royston Wardieburn’s Power to the People adult education group staged a funeral procession to the City Chambers, led by the Grim Reaper, an undertaker, pall bearers and mourners lamenting the death of council services.

Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre is one of many voluntary sector organisations facing an uncertain future. A contingent from Drylaw joined the lobby and supporter Lesley Yardley (below, left) spoke to reporters before the meeting about how cuts are affecting hard-hit communities.

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She said: “Our Neighbourhood Centre caters for people of all ages – from babies and toddlers right up to people in their nineties. The Centre’s full every day. Pensioners get picked up by our community bus and brought in to the centre. Without that Centre many of these people would be on their own; they would just sit at home and fade away. Communities need community centres.”

The deputation also brought music into the council chamber, with speakers Willie Black and Anna Hutchison – was there ever a more unlikely Renee and Renato? –  leading the North Edinburgh chorus in a rousing – if melancholic – version of Bella Ciao.

Ultimately, however, the serenade failed to melt the heart of Edinburgh’s councillors and by late afternoon the die was cast: councillors voted through the Capital Coalition’s budget. Yes, these were some small victories but communities across the city will feel the impact of cuts of this scale. You can’t lose that many jobs without affecting services.

Yesterday’s visit by the Grim Reaper was premature and council services are not dead yet: but with three more years of cuts to come they are surely in a critical condition. Edinburgh’s heady days of  ‘Improving Services, Creating Jobs’ are well and truly over.

You can find out more about where the Council plans to spend and save in 2016/17, and where changes have been made following Budget engagement, on the Council website.

More pictures below and on our Facebook page – our thanks to Lynn McCabe

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Death by a thousand cuts

North Edinburgh activists urge: reject the budget cuts!

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North Edinburgh’s Power to the People adult education group is among the many deputations who will be urging councillors to think again at this morning’s budget meeting. This is what they plan to say: Continue reading Death by a thousand cuts