Paul Edie's Blog

Louisville Lip at 70

2012-01-17T16:16:00.002Z

Many happy returns to Mohammed Ali who celebrates his 70th birthday today. I'm not a boxing fan but I recognise a great athlete, and a great poltical activist, when I see one.

Ali campaigned against war in Vietnam before it became fashionable at great personal and professional expense. His epic fights against George Foreman and Joe Frazier in the 70's rank amoung the best ever.

Was he the "Greatest"? Hard to argue against it!

Drumbrae Library to Open for Business on the 31st!

2012-01-05T17:47:00.002Z

I am just back from my first visit to the Drumbrae Library Hub since the Council got the finished building and staff moved in.

The place is looking really good. I understand that Day Care staff will be moving in over the next week or two and the library is being fitted out and today staff have felt confident enough to announce that it will be open for business on the 31st of January, just over three weeks away.

The staff are occupying their new offices and loving them . The new Ground Source Heat Pumps are very effective - it wasn't just the welcome that was warm!

I am so pleased that this project has gone so smoothly. Every election I have stood for building a library up there has been a key plank of my platform. I am so pleased that this has happened.

It simply would not have happened if the Lib Dems had not been in power at the City Chambers.

Same Old Same Old as Hibs Slump to Local Rivals

2012-01-03T10:11:00.000Z

Happy New Year all.

2012 started pretty much the same way 2011 did. I am not a New Year person so spent it having a quiet night in watching DVD's and reading Hemingway.

January the 2nd saw the New Years Derby between the Mighty Hibernian and local rivals Hearts. Hearts ran out 3-1 winners extending an unbeaten run in the fixture to 9 games. I fear we are only a third or so of the way through another of their long unbeaten runs in this fixture - 28 I think was the last one. Never easy being a Hibs fan and sadly it looks like business as usual.

2012 will see the London Olympics, The European Football Championship. Hopefully it will see Andy Murray win a Major and Hibs lift the Cup for the first time since1902. OK that last one is unlikely from where I am currently sitting but I would love to be proved wrong.

This year will also see the local council elections.

I for one will be doing all I can to get as many Lib Dems elected. Despite the sling and arrows we have faced over the last four and a half year we have been a good administration doing the difficult and necessary things well.

We can look back at a strong record in Housing and Social Care - cutting Homelessness and crime, building the first council housing in a generation and radically reforming our care set up so more people are getting the care they need when they need it and we are delivering it more effectively. In Education attainments are at greatly improved as is Children's social work. The city is cleaner in spite of a bin dispute and recycling rates are substantially improved. I could go on at length but I will save that for another posting.

At these elections local issues will be more to the front than usual. Local reputations will count for a lot and we have a PR election system and at this stage I don't think any party is putting up enough candidates to get an outright majority. Accurate predictions this far out are very difficult.

Eddie Price - Chair of the Friends of Corstorphine Hill and Champion of Open Space

2011-12-31T11:24:00.001Z

I was so sad to receive a call from Margaret Price to tell me her husband Eddie had passed away.

Eddie had served as the Chair of the Friends of Corstorphine Hill since we set it up nearly twelve years ago.

From day one Eddie took charge and over the years the group grew to become one of the largest and most respected conservation groups in the City boasting in excess of 1500 members. They had tapped into all sorts of grants with the result that for the first time in 70 years new saplings were planted in that remarkable wood.

Management plans were worked up and enacted. We had litter pickups, tours based around archaeology, geology, flora and fauna and even mushroom picking tours. Education packs were supplied to local schools about the Hill.

All of this was done under Eddie’s leadership. Right from the start he was in the driving seat.

When East of Scotland Water decided they wanted to build giant water tanks on the Meadow off Clermiston Rd Eddie led the charge against it. In battling the Zoo proposals to build on Greenbelt and the Nature Reserve Eddie was there leading from the front.

He was such a fighter for the Hill and a great champion of open space.

Eddie was far from about being against things though and I always felt he was happiest with positive ideas. The renovation of the Four Acre Walled Garden – the first in Scotland to receive a Green Pennant – the garden version of the Green Flag – was a case in point. In true Eddie style he managed to rope in the BBC and a totally derelict space where you wouldn’t have guessed a garden had ever existed was transformed in a matter of months into one of Edinburgh’s hidden gems.

The Green Pennants were not awarded to the Council but to the Friends Group. The last time I spoke with Eddie was at the event the Friends had to celebrate their Community Green Flag. He wasn’t at all well then but you wouldn’t have known it. He seemed his usual gregarious self.

Gregarious is such a good word to describe Eddie. He was a generous and warm hearted man who could never do enough for you. My late mother used to say that “a Great man has Time for everybody”. Well that was so true of Eddie.

Passionate about the causes he believed in he was so committed to them. Corstorphine has lost a great champion and protector of our open spaces

More re the Pint Sized Pied Piper of Hobart

2011-12-28T14:15:00.000Z

Before anyone from Oz lynches me re the story in the Edinburgh Evening News below I know you don't get wombats in Tanzania! If you read my post below it does say Tasmania.

http://www.scotsman.com/edinburgh-evening-news/opinion/analysis/talk_of_the_town_paul_s_not_part_of_the_panda_monium_1_2027537

Tasmanian Resident

Journalism is a difficult profession, it is never easy getting everything absolutely accurate but you're 7000 miles out guys!

I did wonder if the film loving journos at the News had been seeing to much Dickie Attenborough and not enough David. To be helpful I have included a spot the difference feature on this post.

Tanzanian Wildlife

Suburban Wildlife Tasmanian Style

2011-12-27T09:44:00.000Z

This video - reproduced by kind permission of the young (human) stars dad - definitely beats the Pandas for the "Ahhh Factor" and this one actually moves!

The toddler is my nephew Hamish in Tasmania and this is what happens to you when your mum get a Ph.D in Zoology!

It was I am assured a rescue Wombat being looked after by a neighbour! Not sure what the UK suburban equivalent of these are.

A Tale of Two Leaders

2011-12-20T20:22:00.000Z

I have been struck down by the dreaded lurgi over the last few days. And what an eventful few day they have been.

We have seen the deaths of two remarkable and spectacularly contrasting world leaders.

Vaclav Havel will be remembered as one of the prime movers behind Czechoslovakia’s Revolution. The bloodless overthrow of the Communist regime there was the tipping point in 1989 and signalled the end of the cold war and of tyranny in Eastern Europe. Havel’s passing was mourned throughout the world. He had been a brave dissident and champion of freedom even when it was not something comfortable to champion.

Havel is up there with the greats of non violent change. His name will be spoken in the same breath as Gandhi and Martin Luther King.

Kim Jong-il’s name will not be uttered in the same breath as those pantheons of peaceful change and progress. He will be remembered as one who drove his country into the ground, one who sanctioned the kidnapping of a Film Director and his wide, for his weird obsessions and high living and for running the most oppressive Sate in the world – the last Stalinist Sate as we know them.

Havel will be remembered fondly. Kim will not.

Marxism Today!

2011-12-12T12:59:00.000Z

I am delighted to hear Radio 4 Extra repeating Flywheel Shyster and Flywheel - based on the Radio scripts of the Marx Brothers. No Harpo but still utterly brilliant! My kind of Marxism!

I thought I would give you a flavour - here is a clip of Groucho with his signature song - Lydia the Tattooed Lady!

Groucho was a passionate liberal Democrat and when asked how he felt when Richard Nixon moved next door to him replied he was happier having him there than in the White House!

School Leavers Future Brighter thanks to Edinburgh Guarantee

2011-12-10T10:50:00.000Z

This press statement tells of how Lib Dem led Edinburgh City Council is to ensure that every student leaves school with a job, training or college/university place.

Edinburgh Guarantee to aim for a positive destination for every school leaver

Published Thursday 8 December 2011

A call has gone out to city businesses and organisations across all sectors to provide jobs, paid work experience, training or continued education for every school leaver in Edinburgh.

Government statistics revealed yesterday that there are currently 394 young people in Edinburgh who have not secured a positive destination since leaving school earlier this year. This is a big improvement on last year's figure of 538 and Edinburgh has bucked the trend, but city leaders are calling for more to be done for all school leavers.
The call was made at a breakfast debate, hosted by J.P. Morgan, which brought together 120 individuals from Edinburgh businesses and organisations to discuss the ongoing issue of youth unemployment in Edinburgh and to encourage participation in the development of the Edinburgh Guarantee.

City Economic Development Leader Cllr Tom Buchanan said:
"If we want our young people to be ambitious then we, as a city, need to be committed to their cause. Edinburgh's economic future depends on school leavers having opportunities to develop and that's why public, private and voluntary sector organisations are getting involved. Our aim is very ambitious and it will be a challenge to achieve but our young people are relying on us all to make it happen."
City Education Leader Cllr Marilyne MacLaren said:
"The Edinburgh Guarantee is building up a head of steam and the early signs are that our approach is making a real difference to many young lives. We have changed the face of careers advice in our schools and young people are more prepared than ever before to make informed decisions about their future. However, they need to move into employment, education, apprenticeships or training quickly and, by pulling together, Edinburgh organisations can make a huge impact on the current situation."
The Edinburgh Guarantee, unveiled earlier this year, brings together employers and other organisations with the aim of creating employment, training and further education opportunities for Edinburgh's school leavers.

J.P. Morgan was one of the inaugural members of the Youth Unemployment Taskforce, established earlier this year to tackle escalating youth unemployment, from which the Edinburgh Guarantee developed. The firm has committed to building on its partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council to drive the expansion of the Edinburgh Guarantee to ensure young people leaving state school each year move into a positive destination.
The Council has created an additional 50 apprenticeships and 80 training places and is currently recruiting young people to fill these posts. The Council is also working with further education colleges to look at ways of providing more training opportunities. Standard Life recently became the first company to contribute to the 'Edinburgh 100' target with 12 paid placements.
The Edinburgh 100 aims to offer 100 young people six months paid work experience, personal development and mentoring at city businesses.

The fall from 538 to 394 is the first time in 13 years that there has been a reduction in the number of pupils who don't secure a positive destination.
A total of 3423 pupils left school in 2011.

A Bracing Week

2011-12-10T10:05:00.000Z

This week Scotland has been battered by storms.We have had very high winds even by our standards though the jibe "Call this a hurricane! You've never holidayed in Tiree!" was uttered within my hearing.

There are some spectacular snaps but the one above will now probably be the most famous snap of a wind turbine for many years to come.

BBC Scotland showed various clips but the one entitled Hibs players leave the training ground because they were getting wet (OK I paraphrase) caught my eye. They play footie outdoors - they should expect to get wet!

In fairness the title didn't do them justice. They couldn't kick the balls as they were being blown away - a metaphor for this season I hear some wag say - the poles they put into the ground to dribble round like slalom skiers were being uprooted etc no not much fun being a Hibs player that day! Oh and they were getting very very wet!

Across Scotland trees have snapped and playground equipment has been uprooted. And this morning the snow came. Admittedly three weeks later than last years very heavy falls which caused so much aggro and a lot lighter but it is finally here.

Today I have a free Saturday for the first time in several weeks and I intend to get the Christmas tree.

Painting the Forth Bridge a Thing of the Past

2011-12-09T16:30:00.000Z

Today the Forth Bridge (that is the proper title of the Railway bridge spanning the Firth of Forth ) finally finishes being painted.

The extraordinary cantilever bridge - described by Billy Connolly as Scotland's Eiffel Tower (what an astute remark) - was, according to urban myth, painted all year and when the painters finished they started again from the other end!

I'm not sure how true that was but new technology means that it won't need painting for another 20 of so years and the poly sheeting that has covered it has been removed so you can see the old girl in all her glory!

The experiment to show the strength of the cantilever design is shown below in this famous old photo. I'm no engineer but I understand that the heavier the load the stronger it gets.

One of my brother mentioned to me a wee while back that my late grandfather who had lost an eye in WWI finished off the Great War as a dispatch rider. He would often have to ride his motor bike across the Bridge in the dark - apparently there was a track of some description in the middle. How much this is family myth or fact I am not sure.

Anyho' visitors to the City will now be able to see one of the true wonders of the industrial age as it was meant to be.

New Home Rise From Gracemounts Tower Blocks Rubble

2011-12-06T22:45:00.001Z

Local Liberal Democrat Councillor Conor Snowden at the Gracemount site

This afternoon I visited the new Council Housing development at Gracemount with a group of Councillors. We were getting inside the new council homes we are building up there and they look fab! The first tenants are due to move in in January and I am sure they will love their new homes.

There are many things Edinburgh's Liberal Democrat led administration have done over the last few years of which I am proud; cutting crime by 21%, cutting homelessness by 15%, reforming Home Helps so people get a service when they need it and this building project is right up there with those!

The new Gracemount Council Homes

There are fewer better things you can do with your life than to build homes for people that need them. Shelter is, after food and warmth, the most basic of human needs. That is why I am so proud of this development, proud to be building the first council homes for a generation in Scotland's Capital City.

Black and White on Corstrophine Hill

2011-12-04T22:55:00.001Z

What's black and white and red all over?

Well there are a two answers to that one.

A newspaper or a sun burnt penguin.

I always boast that I represent more penguins than anyone else in the Northern Hemisphere having Edinburgh zoo in my constituency. The penguins are a star attraction particularly with toddlers at the time of their daily parades during the summer being much the same size as toddlers that makes then so irresistible to them.

As of today though the little fellows have some serious competition in the shape of two Giant Pandas hot of the plane from China.

I understand that much of the bamboo they will consume will be grown in Scotland - an interesting spin off for Scottish agriculture.

To read more of this and see the bears just follow the link below.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-16023328

New Favourite Son For Iowa

2011-11-30T22:55:00.000Z

I was saying to some one this evening that if I use the magic words Manchester United or Chelsea then the number of hits for this blog rockets!!!

Anyho' I tripped across this brilliant speech which nails the myths surrounding same sex marriage and on the basis of this performance Iowa has a new favourite son!

Kennedy Tribute

2011-11-25T16:19:00.000Z

Yesterday was the 48th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination. This track was US left wing folk singer Phil Ochs tribute to him. Ochs said that his communist friends were less than sympathetic about Kennedy's death and that that was one reason he wasn't a communist!

Social Progress Edie Family Style!

2011-11-23T21:37:00.000Z

Another day another sod cutting! Yesterdays was in Currie where Link Housing Association are building 30 flats onto the side of Lanark Rd. The steep slope they are building onto will ensure that the residents have stunning views onto the Water of Leith and mature woodland.

It stuck me last week when I was helping to cut the first sod at the Wester Hailes Healthy Living Centre that my Great Grandfather came over from Ireland to dig the canals in the 1860's and probably worked on the Union Canal near the centre.

It struck me that 150 years on here I was up to be ankles in mud digging holes a few yards away! Have we moved much further forward as a family? At least old man MacFarlane, the Great Grandfather in question, got paid for his efforts!

That old feller was a truly remarkable. He moved here to work as a navvy, taught himself to read and write and joined the Edinburgh Police where he rose to the rank of Sub Inspector in the CID, a remarkable feat especially considering that he was illiterate when he started to work and he was the first catholic Sub Inspector in the CID.

There's No One Quite Like Grandma

2011-11-23T21:31:00.001Z

Tonight I have been attending the launch of Boyling Point 2 celebrating the works of Evenings news Cartoonist Frank Boyle.

Frank's cartoons are always perceptive and really funny. He is the best political cartoonists in Scotland by a mile.

Frank told of how he grew up with Giles annuals as a kid and that drew out his interest in becoming a cartoonist. I suggested to him later that he might like to draw Council Leader Jenny Dawe as Grandma Giles. She was not amused. I fear a career as Trams spokesperson beckons!!!

As Frank was speaking the various original cartoons sequentially fell off the stand behind him. First to go was the one of the Tory Blue Bus going over a cliff. It was quickly followed by Alex Salmond semi nude with a saltire blanket over him a-la Sally Berkow! Then a couple featuring Labour and lesser Nationalist politicians slipped off leaving Willie Rennie's caricature as the last man standing. I wonder if this is an omen!

Work Gets Underway for the Wester Hailes Healthy Living Centre

2011-11-16T09:46:00.000Z

A chilly Monday morning saw me at another sod cutting. The event was to get work underway for the Wester Hailes Healthy Living Centre. This project will combine, for the first time in Edinburgh, a wide range of Community Health Services, a GP Practice and council services under one roof.

Over the years it has struck me that in spite of the NHS having a very strong commitment to reducing the inequalities relating to health - where your quality of life and indeed length of life can vary significantly depending on your ethnicity, deprivation and where you live - the NHS alone can't sort this out. So many factors relating the Health Inequalities such as exercise, diet and housing quality are outwith the scope of the NHS and strong partnership working with other agencies is what is needed.

The results of partnership working are, in my experience, greater than the sum of the parts. On the basis of the beginning at Wester Hailes we are definitely moving in the right direction.

New Care Home Brings Jobs to Drum Brae

2011-11-11T00:15:00.000Z

I spent this morning getting good and dirty at the sod cutting for the new Care Home at Drum Brae.

The new 60 bed unit is being built by Graham's who did such a great job building Inchview. This brings to five the number of new care homes the Lib Dem led Council have built. Our officers can't recall an administration ever building so many!

In the last year in the Drum Brae area the Lib Dem led council have built a new library and Day Centre where more than a hundred council staff and police will be located and now a much needed care home again with 100 staff.

I represented the this part of town for 13 years until boundary changes took it out of my ward. This care home will bring much needed employment to the area and provide excellent care to frail older people in very high standard home.

All are to be congratulated in getting this project off the ground and I can't wait to see it when it is finished.

The snap above is of local Lib Dems Councillors Jenny Dawe and Robert Aldridge, Mike Crockart MP and yours truly.

End of an Era

2011-11-08T22:51:00.000Z

Two of Europe most enduring and resilient political figures are heading for the door. George Papandreou and Silvio Berlusconi have to greater or lesser extents dominated Greece and Italy's political scenes in recent years and both have run out of luck.

It remains to be seen who will replace them and how successful they will be in recasting the economies of these two nations but we are seeing the end of an era in each of these countries.

Proving the adage that there is never a dull moment when Nicolas Sarkozy is around reports have just emerged of a conversation with US President Barack Obama in which Nick calls Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a "liar"! Obama replies moaning about having to deal with Netanyahu on a daily basis.I feel his pain!

The interesting insight is even more fascinating because of what it says about the media. In France this has so far gone unreported due to the deference of the French press while the Israeli press have made a meal out of this.

Elizabeth Maginnis Court Opens

2011-11-08T21:37:00.000Z

Today I spoke at the opening ceremony of Dunedin Canmore Housing Associations excellent new development in the Granton area of the City.

Elizabeth Maginnis Court is a superb development which houses 68 older people and has been named after the late Councillor Elizabeth Maginnis who represented that area with great distinction on both Regional and City Councils until her death three years ago at far too early an age.

Elizabeth was best known as one of the UK's leading councillors running Educational services but she was also some one who proudly represented her community. She had a strong interest in older people issues and I am delighted that this excellent new facility will carry her name on into the future.

The City Council have put £8 million to match £3.7 million Dunedin Canmore have raised from the private sector. Half of the homes will be for people who require care and the council have also rented a corner of the building to run a day centre in.

An excellent development and Ewan Fraser and his team at Dunedin are to be congratulated as are the council staff in Services for Communities and Health and Social Care for their work in getting such an excellent project off the ground.

Margo MacDonald MSP opened the building and we also had excellent speeches from cardinal Keith O'Brien and former Lord Provost Eric Milligan.

Preventing Homelessness In Edinburgh

2011-11-03T07:03:00.003Z

The release below explains how Lib Dem led Edinburgh Council have been working in partnership with the voluntary sector to reduce and prevent Homelessness.

I am immensely proud of results the report highlights.

First major prevention study into  pioneering service shows stopping homelessness saves misery and  money

The first ever major study into  Scotland’s pioneering homelessness  prevention service has shown a near 100 per cent success in stopping people from  losing their home, while saving a local authority money in the  process.

The ‘Prevention Saves Money and Misery’  report (1) released today (Thursday) by the Edinburgh Cyrenians and focusing on  its specialist Homeless Prevention Service (2) has already attracted supportive  comments from the Minister for Housing and Transport and a leading  academic.

The charity’s CEO Des Ryan will be joined by people who have  successfully kept their home thanks to the service, when he presents the  findings and recommendations to MSPs at a special Parliamentary reception  tonight. (3) 

He will urge that homelessness is  a key focus for money spent on prevention in Scotland, in light of the risk of  homelessness rising and to help councils meet the upcoming 2012 homelessness  target (4).

Mr Ryan said the Homelessness Prevention Service, which is  commissioned by the City of Edinburgh Council and was the first of its kind, was  a pioneering model of best practice.

Des  Ryan, Edinburgh Cyrenians CEO, said: “Scotland is a  leading light to the world on homelessness and we must continue in that vein.  The new report today shows that our pioneering way of preventing homelessness  works – saving not just misery but money. We propose to policy makers that  stopping people becoming homelessness should be a key part of preventative  spending.”

The study comes at a time when  interest in prevention is at an all time high, following the Christie  Commission’s recent report and the Scottish Government’s focus on prevention in  September’s budget statement. (5) 

Councillor Paul Edie, Housing Leader for the City of Edinburgh Council, said this report showed that the services put in place by the council to tackle homelessness in the Capital were working well.

He said: “Support from Edinburgh Cyrenians, along with our other partners, has helped many people who are in danger of falling into homelessness. Preventing homelessness means they can avoid a whole range of associated problems such as rough sleeping, health issues and increased financial difficulties.

“These findings are testament to the hard work carried out by Edinburgh Cyrenians, the Council and our partners in tackling homelessness and shows that our radical strategy is paying dividends by helping those who need it most. Homelessness in the Capital has reduced by almost 15% in the past five years which is a fantastic achievement in these tough economic times.

“We have a long way to go before homelessness can be eradicated but as long as I have anything to do with this issue then this Council will do everything in its power to ensure those who most need our help and support receive it.”

Welcoming  the report, Minister for Housing and Transport Keith Brown,  said: “The Scottish Government is aware of Edinburgh Cyrenians’ valuable  contribution towards tackling and preventing homelessness.

“We  welcome this research which shows the effectiveness of a preventative approach.  This benefits not only those being assisted by the project but also the wider  community. Scotland has an important, but challenging, homelessness target: that  by the end of December 2012, all unintentionally homeless households will have  the right to settled accommodation.

“With  the evident success of Cyrenians Homelessness Prevention Service, we are a step  closer to meeting that target.”

The in-depth study demonstrates  the effectiveness of the service in preventing homelessness, with 99 per cent of  people the Cyrenians charity worked with in 2010/11 still being in their home a  year later. (6)

It also shows that prevention can  save councils’ money and brings other improvements to people’s lives, in  particular their financial, employment and health circumstances. For example,  within a sample of 50 service users studied in depth for the research:  

The Cyrenians Homelessness Prevention Service helped people pay back £19,400 in rent arrears, around £15,000 of which went back to the City of Edinburgh Council.

Eleven had moved into employment since first contact with the Cyrenians. Many had seen a significant increase in income during that time.

During their first assessment, 30 people talked about being depressed but within a year this had reduced to 14 people reporting depression.

Also, across the service as a whole, volunteering hours in the local community had risen from 624 to 1,040 during a one year period.

Leading academic,  Professor  Isobel Anderson, from the University of Stirling,  in her introductory foreword to the report, writes: “I very much welcome this report  as a contribution to the emerging evidence base on homelessness prevention in  Scotland…..This evaluative study from Cyrenians illustrates how organisations  can implement monitoring and evaluation of outcomes alongside development and  delivery of services which seek to help people sustain homes and avoid  homelessness. I hope this report will stimulate further discussion across the  sector.”

/ends

Notes to Editors  

(1)     The  summary and full report can be downloaded from here. It looks at  performance data provided quarterly to the  City of Edinburgh  Council, which commissions the service, and Cyrenians  internal recording for 376 people; a tracking questionnaire with a sample of 50  service users and a comparison questionnaire with 15 people who have been  homeless.

(2)     Edinburgh Cyrenians is an  independent charity that has been working to prevent and alleviate poverty and  homelessness since 1968. The Homelessness Prevention Service was set up in April  2009, commissioned by the City of Edinburgh Council. It was designed to prevent  people presenting as homeless by either keeping their current house, or moving  onto another in a planned way. It works with people who have never presented to  the council as homeless before and helps around 400 people a  year.

(3)     People  who have used the service will be available to speak to members of the press on  Wednesday, November 2, between 2-3pm at the Cyrenians office. Please contact  Christina Cran, 07725 316 513, to arrange access. 

(4)     The  Homelessness (Scotland) Act 2003 sets out the intention that by 2012 every  unintentionally homeless person will be entitled to permanent  accommodation.  This means that the main  criteria for determining ‘need’ for a house – priority need, which historically  has meant families – will no longer be used and all those who present as  homeless and are unintentionally homeless will be entitled to  housing.

(5)     The Scottish Spending Review 2011 and  Draft Budget  2012-13

(6)     The  report shows that out of the 376 people that the Cyrenians Homelessness Service  worked with in 2010/11, only 3 went on to present as homeless within the next 12  months.

(7)     For  more information about the Edinburgh Cyrenians visit here.  

Christina Cran 
Cran Communications 
fishing out stories: creating new  hooks
mobile: 07725 316  513
skype: crancomms
email: christina@crancomms.co.uk
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linked in: www.linkedin.com/in/christinacran

2000+ Jobs as Lib Dem Led Edinburgh Triples Affordable Homes

2011-10-31T11:32:00.000Z

A record number of affordable homes have been approved for construction this year by the City of Edinburgh Council.

In total 1,558 homes have been rubber-stamped for building which will lead to £296m of direct and indirect investment and support 2,180 jobs in the construction and related industries and services in Edinburgh.

The figures have been revealed in a new report – Strategic Housing Investment Plan 2012-17 – which sets out the Council’s affordable homes strategy for the next five years.

This is the first time that the number of approvals for affordable housing has almost matched the 1,660 homes needed every year in Edinburgh. In previous years the number of homes approved for construction has been around the 600 mark.

Housing Leader Councillor Paul Edie said: “This really is very exciting news for Edinburgh as we have never seen such a high figure of affordable homes being approved for construction in one year.

“And it’s not just those families who will be able to buy these homes that will benefit. The knock on effects linked to the construction will see over £100m pumped into the wider economy and thousands of jobs supported as a direct result.

“A great deal of praise must go to the Council’s housing team who have made full use of all the funding options available to us to achieve this significant milestone. Scottish Government schemes such as the National Housing Trust and Innovation and Investment Fund have been instrumental in helping us reach this year’s figure.

“But it’s important we do not rest on our laurels and we will continue to find new ways of funding more homes in years to come so the people of Edinburgh are not struggling to find affordable homes to live in.”

Scottish Governemnt Minister for Housing and Transport Keith Brown said: “It is encouraging to see the City of Edinburgh reach this milestone in affordable housing and fantastic to see the local authority’s commitment to making homes available and within the financial reach of those who need them.

“Housing remains a priority for the Scottish Government and we aim to deliver 30,000 affordable homes over the next five years.

“To this end, in the face of such massive economic strain, we continue to strive for creative and innovative approaches to provide homes and stimulate the economy.

“The City of Edinburgh Council has clearly seen the benefits of continuing to support the construction industry and invigorate the housing market.”

An Encounter with an Old Competitor

2011-10-26T14:00:00.002+01:00

I spent this morning visiting the new Quarries development at Hyvots in the South of Edinburgh.

This new development has been built by Hart Builders for Dunedin Canmore Housing Association for 58 older people.

Today was the formal opening performed by the new Housing Minister Keith Brown. The last time I met Keith was on election night 2001 when I was the Liberal Democrat Candidate for Ochil and he was running Labour a close second for the SNP. My campaign manager was a guy called Willie Rennie who doubled our vote and made me look really good as a candidate! As an ex marine Keith is probably the only SNP minister trained to kill with his bare hands!

Today was very pleasant occasion and the development is simply stunning. It has special panels for collecting heat and the heating bills are apparently very very low! Not unimportant when you are living off a state pension. There is also some exercise equipment out in the back green area aimed at helping the residents keep fit for as long as possible.

Pictured is Lib Dem Councillor Conor Snowden who represents the area on the Council trying out one of the items of equipment. OK I need to read the instructions to the new camera but you get the idea! The development also has raised flower beds for residents and many other features.

We have a very close partnership with Dunedin Canmore and the Scottish Government and I have to congratulate them on this extraordinary development.

Getting About in Gracemount

2011-10-26T10:04:00.000+01:00

Yesterday I visited the South Edinburgh Local Office in Captain's Rd.

The waiting area at the Captains' Rd Office has been transformed into a mini library and I was given an extensive tour of it by the local Libraries Team who are rightly proud of the various uses it receives.

As is my custom I did check how often some of the books had been booked out and can reveal that Margaret Thatchers biography had been taken out just once which is significantly fewer than the number of times that it had been borrowed from the Prison Library! I was warned though that the Self Service machines didn't stamp a return date and so this measure was highly suspect! Hmmm.. I'm not so sure in this instance!

As well as hearing about the various eye catching initiatives the Local Team have been carrying out I was also taken on a tour of the Gracemount 21st Century Homes development.

I have put two snaps on this posting to show what they will look like. The flat roofed ones I have posted to show how the council and the private homes, whose sale will help pay for the affordable element of the development, will look the same externally. This is important in terms of avoiding social stigma and has worked well elsewhere.
.

I am also posting pictures of the new Colony style flats to give you an idea of what these will look like.

I was taken inside the a few of the flats which are still being finished off. They are being built to the new Edinburgh Standard and as such have wider doors and other specifications to allow barrier free living. The rooms are also much larger than we have had in the recent past and they have been built with modern insulation. The flooring also will give better sound proofing than we have had in the past.

These will be the first Council Housing in a generation and something, as Housing Convenor, I am proud that this Lib Dem led authority is delivering on.

Laws of Geography Overturned - New Zealand on top of the World

2011-10-23T15:13:00.000+01:00

Well done New Zealand who finally put their 24 year hoodoo to rest when they sneaked home to win Rugby's World Cup by a single point beating a very plucky and stubborn France 8-7.

The French have for much of the 24 barren years been the thorn in the side of the All Blacks and in spite of being heavily beaten in the group stages. Two truisms were evident today...

You can never write off France at Rugby and
A world Cup Final is never a foregone conclusion.

This was the right result. The best team of the tournament won the trophy. That doesn't always happen in sport.

It was also a very sporting contest right from the coin toss to decide the change of shirts. The French won the toss and insisted that New Zealand got to wear the famous All Black kit, at home, in the World cup final. The French made the final special in so many ways!

On a more artistic front The Stone Roses are going to get back together. We can look forward to their mesmerizing music and wobbly heads, a little bit like those felt model dogs you got in cars. Don't take my word for it have a look at them in this video. Fabulous or is that Fab? They were, are, still the epitome of Brit pop cool and older than me which is nice!

Democracy Finally Comes to Tunisia

2011-10-23T14:53:00.000+01:00

Tunisians go to the polls today. My pal Gill is part of the team monitoring the elections and has sent me this snap of where she is billeted.

Keen sci-fi buff, of which I am not one, will recognize in an instant as one of the places where the Star Wars trilogy (if you can you have a six part trilogy) was shot.

Anyho' the best of British to the voters of Tunisia. Democracy was a long time coming and was hard won.

Remember as Churchill said....

"....democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried"

Successful Start for Housing Incentive Scheme

2011-10-17T13:07:00.000+01:00

A pilot scheme which offers Edinburgh tenants financial help in moving to smaller homes has seen a 72% increase in applications from people living in homes too large for their housing needs.
The Tenants Incentive Scheme started in May 2011 and tenants can benefit from up to £1,000 worth of help in moving to smaller homes.

Fifteen tenants have moved under the scheme up to the beginning of this month with a further 122 people seeking to move (up from 71 before it started).

The scheme, which is run by the City of Edinburgh Council, aims to free up much needed housing space for those families who are living in a property with three or more bedrooms and are interested in moving to a smaller home.

Under the city-wide initiative, tenants who have successfully bid for another available home advertised through EH – Your Key to Choice (Edinburgh’s choice based lettings system) can get assistance up to a value of £1,000 to help with moving costs such as removals/packing and decoration.

Councillor Paul Edie, Housing Leader for Edinburgh, said: “It’s very encouraging that so many tenants have expressed an interest in taking part in this scheme as it’s all about trying to help increase the supply of larger family accommodation in the city.

“The first few months of the scheme has seen fifteen tenants move which has freed up much needed larger accommodation. This includes one five bedroom house in Bingham.
“No one wants to see rooms lying empty in some of our larger Council homes when other families are living in over-crowded accommodation. Tenants now have an incentive to move and free up this larger family accommodation.”

A sum of £50,000 has set aside for the initial pilot project which will then be evaluated to allow the Council to decide on future incentive options.

Go East!

2011-10-12T16:43:00.000+01:00

This morning I had an excellent visit to the East Edinburgh Local Office to hear about the work that Neighbourhood Manager Jim Hunter and his team are doing there.

I was struck by how much the area has improved over the last few years. The East area has some of the most deprived residents in the City and life expectancy in some of the areas of it can be lower than parts of the third world.

This picture of decay has been turned around with a lot of work in early intervention and very strong partnership working between council, police and health.

The team were very excited by the new Library that is being built in Craigmillar. This will replace the existing library which, in spite of the excellent work being done by the staff there, is too small. The new building will also incorporate new council offices and the library will be much much larger!

For a virtual walk through just watch the you tube link below.

I am really proud of what we have done in Edinburgh on partnership working but I am also really proud that while other councils are closing libraries we are building more of them!

Wonder why we were the world first City of Literature?

Edie Medal Winner Honoured

2011-10-12T08:48:00.000+01:00

Spare a though for Dean Grice who missed the Aussie Rules Chandler Medal Awards bash the other night after falling ill on a trip to Queensland.

Grice spent the night in bed sick but still managed to win the Paul Edie Medal for Best and Fairest.

I had an image of this lovely medal which is of a suitable Hibernian green with white but can't find it. Here is a picture of the main man above. He is on the right.

If any readers can supply a url or picture of the medal or tell me who my namesake commemorated in this way was I would be most grateful.

Well done Dean and get well soon!

Perc medal winner Shaun Jamieson is so proud of his Scottish heritage that he has "Lang may your lum reek" tattooed on his forearm. This translates into "Live long and prosper earthling".

Step up the housing ladder for armed forces

2011-10-11T23:24:00.002+01:00

Ex-service personnel have been given a boost in their bid to find a new home by the City of Edinburgh Council.

Councillors have agreed that the length of time people have served in the armed forces will be equal to the amount of time others have been registered on Edinburgh's common housing register (EdIndex).
The decision was taken at today's Health, Social Care and Housing Committee (11 October) because many ex-service personnel find it difficult to get social housing once they leave the armed forces as they have been living abroad or in service accommodation.

Those who have served for five years will get the same consideration as someone who has been on the register for a council or housing association home for five years.

The new regulations will apply to people providing they register on EdIndex within three years of leaving the armed forces.

It was also agreed that the Council would work with the Ministry of Defence to provide specialist housing advice to armed forces personnel who were considering settling in Edinburgh.
Councillor Paul Edie, the city's housing leader, said: "I'm delighted that we will be able to help people who have left the armed forces and are struggling to find somewhere to live.

"Many of them have spent time overseas serving their country and putting their lives on the line to defend our freedom and way of life. It is only right that we do everything we can as a Council to give them a helping hand."

Ian Ballantyne, Chief Executive, Scottish Veterans Residences, said: "This is a very welcome initiative by the City of Edinburgh Council and a great boost for those veterans wishing to settle in Edinburgh. Veterans are not looking for a hand out but rather a hand up and this policy will certainly help achieve this and one that we would encourage all other local authorities to emulate.

"Our service men and women have contributed immeasurably to preserving our freedoms in a way that could not have been predicted and it is beholding to us all to do everything possible to support them when they leave the services."

Edinburgh has a considerable affordable housing need with around 16,600 new homes needed over 10 years. There is an average of 138 bids for each Council and housing association home advertised on the Key to Choice website.

Council Leader welcomes jobs boost to Capital

2011-10-07T14:58:00.002+01:00

The release below say it all.

Councillor Jenny Dawe, Leader of the City of Edinburgh Council, welcomes news that leading banking software company Avaloq is to create hundreds of jobs in the city.

"The City Council, in close partnership with SDI, went to great lengths to ensure that Scotland 's capital was Avaloq's destination of choice and this announcement sends a clear signal that, despite tough economic conditions, Edinburgh is still seen as an exceptional investment proposition. "Once again, the city has been recognised for the high standard of its workforce and higher education institutions - but also for the great quality of life it offers to its residents.
"We will continue to work closely with the company to ensure that they settle in quickly and easily to the city and that we make the most of what is undoubtedly a fantastic opportunity for Edinburgh ."
See full Scottish Government press release below.
Swiss company to recruit 75 Scottish graduates
Swiss software solutions company Avaloq is to recruit at least 75 Scottish graduates among the 500 new jobs to be created when it opens its new Edinburgh base.
The announcement was welcomed today by Alex Salmond, who met with senior representatives of the company as plans were officially unveiled for their new Scottish software development centre. The First Minister described the graduate jobs boost as good news for new graduates in Edinburgh and across Scotland .
The development centre - to be sited in Edinburgh city centre - is expected to employ 500 people in its first five years, with 20 staff to start before the end of this year alone.
Recruitment begins today to find the 75 graduate employees who will begin an intensive six-month training programme with the global multinational. The initial recruitment will be the first phase of Avaloq's employment of graduates in Scotland , with more graduate positions expected over the next five years.
First Minister Alex Salmond said:
"I welcome Avaloq's commitment to recruit 75 new graduates from Scottish universities which is terrific news for new graduates in Edinburgh and across Scotland . This is a substantial number of training positions being created by a well-respected international software company, whose solutions are used by dozens of banks in more than 20 countries worldwide.
"The plans they are announcing this morning for their Edinburgh software development centre will mean a total of 500 high-quality, highly-skilled new jobs. Private sector job creation is pivotal to Scotland 's economic growth and the most recent figures show employment increased in Scotland by 23,000 over the three months to July 2011, at a time when it fell by 69,000 across the UK as a whole.
"This will be only the second such site for Avaloq anywhere in the world and the first outside their home country of Switzerland . Avaloq have chosen to locate their new software development centre in Edinburgh and to recruit 75 graduates from our universities, which is testament to the high quality of Scottish education and enhances the strength of the city's international reputation for finance and IT services."
Avaloq CEO Francisco Fernandez said:
"The UK is one of the most important strategic foreign markets for Avaloq. It is also a base for many important banking customers and Edinburgh is seen as the number two financial market in the country.
"We decided three years ago to create a second site to reach our growth targets. Edinburgh came top of our global search for several reasons, but one of the most important factors was due to the wealth of potential graduate talent available in Scotland and the number of universities offering excellent degrees in software engineering. We very much believe in working with the local talent to grow this operation and are optimistic about the forthcoming student fairs which will be used to identify the first Avaloq appointments.
"The support we have received from Scottish Government and Edinburgh City Council has been extremely encouraging and their collaboration remains important to Avaloq and our plans to grow the development centre in Edinburgh to approximately 500 employees within the next five years."
Scottish Enterprise Chief Executive Lena Wilson said:
"We have worked extensively with Avaloq to secure this investment in Scotland , which will bring 500 new jobs to Edinburgh.

"Working in collaboration with our public sector partners as part of Team Scotland , we successfully fought to bring these jobs to Scotland . In doing so, Scotland beat a number of other international locations being considered, and Avaloq's decision to invest here is testament both to our strong software skills base and Edinburgh 's reputation as the leading UK financial centre outside of London .

"We are operating in a very competitive inward investment environment and, through our international arm Scottish Development International, we will continue to do everything we can to encourage more companies to locate in Scotland .

"Our message is clear; Scotland is very much open for business and is ready to compete on a global level."
Avaloq were established more than 25 years ago and now supplies 75 banks in 20 countries with specialist software. The company is headquartered in Zurich in Switzerland .
For more information see www.avaloq.com.

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The Billy Goat Curse

2011-10-06T16:59:00.002+01:00

Today is the anniversary of the infamous Billy Goat ejection and resultant curse from the Chicago Cubs Wrigley stadium in 1945.

On being ejected, apparently due to his goat eating other sports fans hot dogs, Billy Sianis, owner of the Billy Goat Tavern, declared that "them Cubs ain't gonna win no more"! The Cubs lost the World series they were playing in and have never made it back. Only in America!

I have pasted a link to explain the surreal happenings and also to give an indication as to how superstitious baseball players are. The bit I like was that the Mets had thwarted the Cubs in 1968 due to a Black Cat walking in front of one of the players!

Now what exactly did the Mighty Hibernian do after 1901 to merit the run of bad luck we have had in the Scottish Cup. Must be worse than being nasty to goats!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curse_of_the_Billy_Goat

Launch of Community Safety Postcards for Western Edinburgh

2011-10-06T07:27:00.001+01:00

Making West Edinburgh a safer and cleaner place to live is the aim of a new community safety postcard being launched tomorrow (6 October).

The postcard highlights the successful work of the West Community Safety Forum and how members of the public can raise issues of concern.

Achievements in recent months have included regular joint Police and Council patrols to deal with broken glass and dog fouling close to the play area at Clermiston Park, engaging with young people by liaising with schools, and working with parents to respond when antisocial behaviour is identified.

Other initiatives have included raising awareness of and stopping dangerous parking around schools so it is safer for children to cross roads, and speaking to speeding cyclists in Roseburn Park.

The postcard can be used by members of the community to contact the Neighbourhood Partnership about any suggestions regarding improvements to the area.

Councillor Paul Edie, Community Safety Leader and Chair of the Western Edinburgh Neighbourhood Partnership, said: "There are some fantastic initiatives in the west of the city which are making a real difference to people's lives.

"This postcard highlights the wide range of community activities taking place day in day out across West Edinburgh and also gives people an opportunity to have their say in what matters to them.

"Over the past four years great inroads have been made across the city in tackling antisocial behaviour and it's important we do not rest on our laurels.

"By listening to their suggestions the Council and partners like the Safer Neighbourhood Teams from the police and the Council's Community Safety officers can better direct resources to dealing with the public's concerns."

Inspector Andrew Gilhooley, of Lothian and Borders Police, said: "The West Community Safety Forum has enabled us to understand and respond better to local people's needs, and we are committed to seeking the views of our communities to identify local issues, so that we can work with all our partners to achieve a solution.

"Proactively tackling antisocial behaviour in all its forms has led to various joint initiatives being implemented, all of which have helped to improve the quality of life of residents in the west of Edinburgh."

Money for the postcards came from the Edinburgh Council Social Justice Fund which allows local forums to develop initiatives to support community safety objectives.

The West Edinburgh Community Forum is made up of members of the public, community council, residents' associations, neighbourhood watch groups, council and police staff.

The road show event will be taking place from 10.30am to 3pm in the Rannoch Centre where members of the Community Safety team will be on hand to answer questions from the public and explain more about their work. Environmental Wardens will also be carrying out high visibility patrols in the local area.

Museums Alive in Capitals Care Homes

2011-10-05T22:04:00.000+01:00

Yesterday I visited Oakland's Care Home as part of a new venture aimed at enriching the lives of the city’s older people.

The project, Museums Alive, plans to provide many older people who either attend day centres or are resident in care homes with greater access to a variety of museum collections.

It is hoped that those who are unable to visit independently the many wonderful collections on offer in Edinburgh Museums & Galleries will still be able to view and interact with unique historical memorabilia.

Volunteers from the City of Edinburgh Council will bring the collections to older people across the city, running interactive sessions and developing a small exhibition within the day centres and care homes.

Care home and day centre, Oaklands, participated in a recent session of Museums Alive, where fashion and hairdressing memorabilia from the wartime era was shared amongst residents.
Service users discussed shared memories, and the women in the group remembered how they used to use Bisto to tan their legs and a match or soot to draw a seam up the back of their legs.

The project is a joint venture between Edinburgh Museums & Galleries and Older People's Services, whose aim is to bring museums into the community and stimulate sharing of conversation, memories and new learning between older people.

I am pictured above with some of the volunteers and residents. I have spared you the snap of me in a 40's style leather flying jacket as this makes me look like a man having a mid life crises!

Bert Jansch and Graham Dilly die

2011-10-05T17:36:00.000+01:00

I was very sad to learn of the deaths of Scottish Folk singer Bert Jansch and England Cricketer Graham Dilley.

Jansch was a founder member of Folk Rock mega stars Pentangle and was a solo artist of great repute in his own right, his guitar playing being put on a par with Jimmy Hendrix by no less a figure than Neil Young! He passed away at the age of only 67.

Dilley was taken at an even younger age -52. The famous "Lilley; bowled Dilley caught Willey" stat or was it the other way round - is one of many things he will be remembered for. More so that he was part of the great Ashes series of 1981 which a documentary was recently released in cinemas and played a critical role in turning round the Third test.

Heart Break for Scotland - Again!

2011-10-03T13:58:00.000+01:00

A lot has happened since I last posted. Scotland have made an exit from Rugby's World Cup following a heartbreaking late loss to England.

France lost to Tonga but still go through to face England. The form teams from the Home Nations, Wales and Ireland, will square up to each other and from what I can see of the draw there will be a Northern Hemisphere versus Southern final. I would tip it to be New Zealand V Ireland at this stage but Rugby is a very funny game.

On Thursday I spoke at the opening of a Welfare Rights briefing session held by the Lothian Centre for Inclusive Living.

The event was funded by the Western Edinburgh Neighbourhood Partnership, of which I am the Chair, and was aimed at giving people who have a disability, or their carers, information about the proposed changes to welfare rights currently being discussed by the Government.

All Governments change the Benefits system to a greater or lesser extent when they come into office.The current changes are more fundamental than we have seen for many years. There are pluses and some minuses to these changes. The Universal Benefit could, if done properly, eliminated the poverty trap where the existing benefits system provides disincentives to work. Other proposed changes, particularly those aimed disability benefits are very contentious and may cause real problems.

Times of change to the benefits system are times of real nervousness to people in receipt of them particularly people who have a disability who are less likely to be able to find work and who may face a life time living on benefits.

The event was all about informing people of what is happening, shining some light onto the issue and informing them of their rights of appeal.

Chambers Turned into Film Set

2011-09-26T23:15:00.000+01:00

Friday saw a wee bit of Hollywood glam at the City Chambers with the filming of scenes for Cloud Atlas. Sadly no sighting of Halle Berry.

The film is based on a Booker shortlisted novel featuring a number of stories in different times and places which are all interconnected.

The City Chambers was turned into the Imperial Hotel and the entrance looked very grand indeed.

As you can see 1930's cars and lorries were evident and I did feel for the extras who spend several hours standing around in heavy tweed suits. At least it wasn't raining!

Still there was an air of excitement at meetings in my room through out the day when shouts of "Action" and "Cut" rang out from ther Quad! Participants in meetings just couldn't resist hanging out of the window to see what was going on.

Most impressive was the sequences shot where the floppy haired stunt man - I hope he was the stunt man - climbed out of Planning Convener Jim Lowrie's window, slid down a drain pipe and ran across the canopy of the Chambers entrance.

An image of this is pasted here. He did this three or four times much to the surprise of each meeting and didn't fall once!

Sighthill Blow Down

2011-09-26T11:28:00.001+01:00

Yesterday we had the last of the big "blow Downs", the demolition of three massive 1960@s tower blocks at Sighthill in Edinburgh.

Built in 1966 these were visible from my bedroom window when i was a child and them not being there for the first time in memory will be surreal.

This is part of the regeneration of Sighthill and getting these blocks into a shape where they would meet the Scottish Housing Quality Standard was not going to be cost effective. It thus made sense to demolish and rebuild new and better homes.

To view the spectacle I have put a link to The Scotsman website who have a wee bit of footage.

http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/edinburgh/Blockbuster-as-Sighthill-towers-come.6842557.jp

Fair Trade Corstorphine Launched

2011-09-19T14:51:00.000+01:00

Last night I attended a church service to mark the launch of Fair Trade Corstorphine. This was hosted at the Old Kirk in the village.

The event was well attended and the local Minister, Moira Robertson, ably demonstrated how easy it was to buy good quality Fair Trade goods. She had managed to get all sorts of quality purchases on display from retailers such as Scotmid (the Co-op), Boots, M&S, Tesco and Sainsburys.

The idea is to get Corstorphine tagged as a fair Trade Community by encouraging more traders and restaurants to use some fair trade products.

The Council has already jumped on board the Fair Trade train and it would be great if other local communities such as could join Corstorphine in this worth while initiative.

Nervous Kitty Keeps Safe Distance from Big Beast

2011-09-19T14:43:00.000+01:00

I wandered past this scene this morning. The council blog describes this as a curious cat. I thought it was petrified myself! When I saw it it was being helped by a kind member of staff as it was to scarred to wander past the big beast on its own!

Sam Maguire Goes To Dublin

2011-09-19T09:20:00.000+01:00

Congratulations to Dublin who edged out Kerry by a single point to clinch the All Ireland Gaelic Football Championship in front of the largest crowd in 50 years yesterday.

This was the Dubs first title since 1995. Pictured is Dubs forward Paul Flynn holding aloft the Sam Maguire Cup which must be one of the largest in sport!

Irish Outmuscle Aussies

2011-09-18T14:44:00.000+01:00

This is my first post on this years Rugby World Cup. This is being held in New Zealand and that is part of my problem. I am usually asleep or at work when the games are being played!

The initial group phase is half way through and has thrown up a few closer than expected games.

In Scotland's Group both Romania and Georgia ran Scotland close while Argentina just ran out of puff against England.

In other groups Wales were narrowly edged out by South Africa. The one point defeat was disappointing for them but it shows that they are a real force to be reckoned with at this tournament as are the Irish who shoved Australia off the park yesterday running up the first upset of the tournament.

Lots to look forward to.

More Affordable Homes for Edinburgh

2011-09-16T10:38:00.000+01:00

This release related to funding which will be used to add to the Edinburgh's Affordable Housing stock. More details below.

MORE AFFORDABLE HOMES FOR EDINBURGH

Edinburgh’s housing leader has welcomed an announcement from the Scottish Government that will lead to 645 new affordable homes being built in the capital.

Councillor Paul Edie was speaking as a package of measures was announced for more affordable homes in Scotland.

The City of Edinburgh Council and housing associations will receive the cash boost from the Scottish Government’s Innovation and Investment Fund which was announced today (September 15).

Additional money from the fund will lead to 594 new housing association homes being built on various sites across the city.

The £1.5m in funding that the Council will receive will be used to build new council homes at Fort House and Greendykes.

Cllr Edie said: “We welcome this additional investment from the Scottish Government in the city. It’s good news for both housing associations and Council house building and even better news for people who need a home.”

Green Light for New Drum Brae Care Home

2011-09-15T13:41:00.002+01:00

I was so pleased to hear that planning consent has been granted for the new Drum Bare Care Home. This will, in time, provide much needed jobs in the Drum Brae area. I am looking forward to work beginning there soon. More details on the release below.

Work set to start on city's latest care home

Published Thursday 15 September 2011

Work on the City of Edinburgh Council’s latest state of the art care home will begin next month after planning permission was granted.

Contractors will start on the new care home at Drumbrae in October after agreement was reached at the Council's Planning Committee yesterday (14 September).

The new 60 bed home is being built on the site of the former Drumbrae Primary School and will be the fifth new care home the Council has commissioned as part of its strategy for providing a high quality care environment for older people.

It will replace two of the Council's older care homes - Clermiston House and The Tower Care Home.
Councillor Paul Edie, Health Leader for Edinburgh, said: "We are committed to offering high quality residential care for older people in the city. Just this week, we opened our latest care home at Inch View. This facility gives residents the opportunity to stay in accommodation which is more suitable to their needs and gives them a better standard of living.

"I am really pleased that work can now begin on the next modern care home commissioned by this Council. This will also bring an economic boost to the local community by bringing in new employment opportunities which will lead to more jobs in the long term."

The new home will be sub-divided into four wings of 15 bedrooms, each with their own sitting and dining areas. Bedrooms will all have en-suite shower rooms and assisted bathrooms.

The four wings are arranged around a central courtyard and accessible garden, allowing the more vulnerable residents freedom within a secure environment.

All the Council's new care homes have been designed to a high specification and include activity rooms, hairdressing rooms and support facilities.

The new care home is part of Edinburgh's Live Well in Later Life strategy, which aims to provide a wide range of quality care and support to meet older people's needs in their own and in carefully designed homes. The new care home will be beneficial in providing a caring and supportive service for older people so they can enjoy a better quality of life.

Bread St Clean Up and a Womans Scorn

2011-09-14T17:07:00.003+01:00

It has been a busy week with lots of evening meetings. Today I helped with the Bread St Clean up.

Organised by the local community, City Centre Neighbourhood Team and the local police this was about cleaning a bit of the city just of Lothian Road. A good turnout from local volunteers was very good to see. Picking up cigarette butts with one of those litter grabbers was a challenge - like trying to pick up grains of rice with chop sticks!

The saddest thing I saw today was the story of the Jackie Kennedy interview with Arthur Schlesinger. This revealed her scorn for Lyndon Johnson - I knew that already - but also for Martin Luther King - which I found astonishing.

I would like to think that much of the negativity was down to grief, the interview being only four months after the assassination. I am long enough in the tooth to know it probably wasn't.

STATEMENT: RESPONSE TO TRANSPORT SCOTLAND NEWS RELEASE ON EDINBURGH TRAMS

2011-09-14T16:42:00.001+01:00

Here is the Council response.

Date 14/September/2011

Status For Immediate Release

STATEMENT: RESPONSE TO TRANSPORT SCOTLAND NEWS RELEASE ON EDINBURGH TRAMS

Council Leader Cllr Jenny Dawe said: "We have been in constant dialogue with Transport Scotland throughout and both parties agreed that it would be beneficial to have a closer relationship in the operational management of the tram project. We have a joint interest in ensuring a clean, green and efficient transport network is delivered in Edinburgh and our new working arrangements are a logical extension of the discussions we have had with them."

Chief Executive Sue Bruce added: "As we move closer to a settlement agreement, the delivery of Edinburgh Trams remains the Council's responsibility and we are putting in place new arrangements to ensure that there is the best possible governance and operational oversight of the initiative. That will be complemented by the technical, project management expertise, and experience that Transport Scotland offers and I am very pleased to welcome their involvement. Our staff and theirs will work closely together as we look to enter a new phase in the project's history."

See the text of Transport Scotland's news release.

Stewart Argo, Media Manager
0131 529 4430
stewart.argo@edinburgh.gov.uk

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Ministers to oversee final delivery of Edinburgh trams

2011-09-14T16:40:00.000+01:00

Here is a release relating to the latest development in the Trams saga. I will post the Council response in a moment.

Ministers to oversee final delivery of Edinburgh trams

14 September 2011

The Scottish Government has today announced that it will help oversee the final delivery of the Edinburgh trams project.
Ministers have also confirmed that the remaining £72 million Scottish Government grant will be reinstated to the project now that the route to St Andrews Square has been similarly reinstated.
Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure and Capital Investment Alex Neil announced that a team of experienced project managers from Government agency Transport Scotland will fill key senior roles in the new governance structure with City of Edinburgh Council and will bring the professional approach that has seen major projects such as the M74, completed ahead of schedule and under budget.

Working alongside managers from the local authority, the Transport Scotland team will work closely with the Council’s own team to provide strong managerial and technical assistance to ensure the delivery of a viable tram service between St Andrews Square and Edinburgh Airport for Scotland’s capital city.
As part of the agreement with the City of Edinburgh Council, Ministers will have the power to direct strategic project decisions. Ministers will also be given regular progress updates from the project team.
Alex Neil said:
“The Scottish Government did not back the trams project when Parliament voted on it in 2007, and we share the frustration of many people in Edinburgh over the way the scheme has developed since then.
“We made it clear two weeks ago that we were no longer prepared to commit further public money to a route which was not financially viable and which did not deliver the link to the city centre which people rightly expected.

“However, now that that link has been reinstated, it is vital that the remaining stages of the trams project is delivered on time and within the £776m budget that we are advised by CEC is needed to complete the route to St Andrews Square by Summer 2014. That is why today I am announcing that senior management from Transport Scotland will now help complete the trams project.”
Mr Neil added:

“The Scottish Government has a strong track record, through Transport Scotland, of delivering major projects like the M74 early and under budget and secured significant savings on the three contracts to deliver the new Forth Replacement Crossing.
“As part of the arrangements put in place today, Ministers will receive regular updates on the progress of the project, and will also retain a veto over strategic decisions in respect of remaining Government funding.
“We must make sure that we work as closely as possible with those who will be affected and make sure that the impact of the work is minimised for Edinburgh businesses and communities.”
The move builds on the agency’s involvement with the Council in mediation discussions which have been ongoing since earlier this year and which have resulted in an expected settlement being reached later today between CEC and its contractors Bilfinger Berger/Siemens.

CEC has calculated that the overall budget for the project is now £776m, comprising of a base budget of £742m and a risk allowance of £34m. This increase of £231m above the original project budget of £545m will be funded through the Council’s prudential funding facility.
Additional Information

Transport Scotland’s new role will involve a team of around 4 or 5 staff. TS Director MTRIPS Ainslie McLaughlin will be on the new project Board and TS staff will work alongside CEC staff in key senior roles. TS staff will based in the same offices as CEC and the contractor and work in partnership to ensure that problems are indentified quickly and solutions found to avoid the approach under previous TIE ltd regime that saw the contract blighted by disputes.

Significant challenges remain in completing the crucial Haymarket to St Andrew’s Square section. For example, the Scottish Government remain concerned that there are more than 700 separate instances where utilities may remain in conflict with the project design – some even after they were diverted as part of the earlier utilities diversion works contract.

MP's Need to Up Their Game

2011-09-13T14:52:00.000+01:00

The recall of James Murdoch to the House of Commons Culture Select Committee is a welcome move which comes after conflicting evidence on the Phone Hacking scandal was heard by the committee.

I only hope the MP's who sit on the committee do a better job than last time. As one media outlet said the only punch packed in that anticlimactic meeting was thrown by Wendy Deng, Murdoch jrs step mum.

Benefits Info Session for Western Edinburgh

2011-09-12T12:48:00.000+01:00

This is a plug the briefing for residents of the Western Edinburgh Neighbourhood Partnership area. This event is being run by Lothian Centre for Inclusive Living and is supported by the grant from the Neighbourhood Partnership.

Disability Benefits Briefing

West Edinburgh

Presented by Grapevine - The One Stop Shop for Disability Information and Advice in Edinburgh.

When: 29^th September 2011 from 10am – 1pm,

Where: Edinburgh Capital Hotel, 187 Clermiston Road, Edinburgh, EH12 6UG

· Are you worried about what’s happening with the benefit changes?

· Do you get any of these benefits: Disability Living Allowance, Incapacity Benefit, Income Support on grounds of incapacity, or Severe Disablement Allowance?

Then why not come along to our Benefits Briefing event and find out about the welfare reforms and how the changes might affect you.

Programme

10am – 10.30am - Arrival, tea, coffee and biscuits

10.30am – 11.30am Benefits Briefing - Information on the latest changes to disability benefits.

11.30am – 12.30pm Question and Answer Session – Speak to our information staff, ask questions and receive advice.

This event is for residents living in the Western area of Edinburgh

including the following areas – Drumbrae, Clermiston, East Craigs, Gyle, Corstorphine, Carrick Knowe, Saughtonhall, Murrayfield, Roseburn and Ravelston.

Places are limited, so book now!

Contact the Grapevine service to book a place on Phone 0131 475 2370 or email grapevine@lothiancil.org.uk

Grapevine is run by the Lothian Centre for Inclusive Living (LCiL), a user-led Disabled People’s organisation, providing a range of support services to enable disabled people to access Independent Living.

Special Flag for the Friend of Corstorphine Hill

2011-09-10T15:36:00.000+01:00

I was very honoured to be asked to raise the Green Flag awarded to the Friends of Corstorphine Hill.

Edinburgh has more than half of all the Green Flags in Scotland, one of the reasons why our Parks team picked up an award at the Association of Public Service Excellence Awards (APSE) on Thursday.

This flag was special though as it was a Community flag awarded not to the Council but to this excellent group.

The snap here is from the event held in the majestic Walled Garden just of Clermiston Road. Ten years ago this was a ruin and with the help of the Beechgrove Garden TV Program and no little effort from volunteers four years work was crammed into a fortnight and the garden was renovated.

The Friends also accessed various pots of grant funding not available to the Council and managed to rebuild the walls.

The Garden is an achievement in it's self receiving the first Green Pennant in Scotland - this is the equivalent of a Green Flag for gardens. They also organize litter pick ups, have published leaflets and books on the Hill, led tours focusing on geology, archeology, mushroom picks and flora and fauna. Thanks to the friends tree planting started again.

The walled garden though stands out as symbol of what is possible. The real challenge was not simply renovating it but keeping it up. The Friends have done this brilliantly.

Within the next three weeks the Walled Garden on Corstorphine Hill will be a riot of colour when the trees turn. The walls have various species towering above them and this will be one of the most beautiful places in Scotland to visit.

Well done all involved in this.

Legislative Program Parson's Egg

2011-09-07T16:49:00.000+01:00

Like many I have been trying to follow the announcements flowing from today's Scottish Governments Legislative program launch.

A parsons egg is my conclusion so far. Most such events are with most governments implementing some unexciting but necessary improvements to peoples live mixed in with the show stoppers and some stuff which they will regret in the future.

Today the show stopper was minimum pricing of alcohol which I have long supported and which the Lib Dems did not support last term. Willie Rennie has changed our position on that issue and I have to say that the party is very comfortable with that.

Another showstopper is rollig out at a Scottish level what we are starting here in Edinburgh - guaranteeing all school leavers "positive destinations" after they leave school - education speak for ensuring that they all have a job, college/ university course or apprenticeship/training. In Edinburgh we have 600 children who have slipped through the net annually and we are acting to stop this happening.

I still can't see what is being suggested for Social Care. That might be announced tomorrow and I have naturally some concerns about the direction that may take but I shall wait and see.

The issue we will live to regret will be the police reform - setting up a single police force is something I have long said would be a bad move.

I do fear that in a Parliament with no checking second chamber, with a Presiding Officer taken from the majority governing party, with all of the checks and balances being invested in the committee structure all of which have a majority of members who are members of the governing party setting up a police force answerable ultimately to a Scottish Cabinet Minister rather than Police Board Chairs is distilling to much power into the hands of that Minister. The opportunity and temptation to abuse that power will in time prove too tempting for some one.

Scotland is sleep walking into a police state. Some of the First Minsters statements about the courts, for example, do not augur well.

All governments have a tendency towards authoritarianism if left unchecked, majority governments more so. That tendency becomes more pronounced in second term governments, and I would wager that nationalist governments have also an additional tendency towards authoritarianism if we were to look further into this.

Sir Robert Peel set up the modern Police service in the 1840's and based it on a decentralised model. This has protected the traditonal freedoms of the little guy from government pretty well over the years. The fact we have not had the authoritarianism of continental Europe is in no small measure down to this. I hope the SNP think again on this.

Edinburgh's First Female Chief Inspector Jinty Kerr Dies

2011-09-06T13:17:00.000+01:00

I was very sad to read of the death of former Superintendent Jinty Kerr in today's Edinburgh Evening News. Jinty was a remarkable lady who was the first female Chief Inspector in Edinburgh. She also headed up Lothian and Borders Drug Squad for a while. It was in the role that I first met her.

She was great enthusiast with a great sense of humour and I worked with her when I chaired the Western Edinburgh Crime Prevention Panel for a time. She lost her fight with cancer at the all too young age of 63.

http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/Pioneer-in-police-force-Jinty.6831478.jp

Hidden Treasure

2011-09-05T22:42:00.000+01:00

An Indian friend told this astonishing tale of hidden wealth in a Temple in the middle of Trivindrum. The wealth stashed in the vaults so far comes to about £15 Billion with more to be valued!!! This is roughly equivalent to the deficit George Osbourne is trying to claw back. The story is below courtesy of the Times of India.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-07-04/thiruvananthapuram/29735333_1_kg-of-gold-coins-chief-priest-temple

I visited this Temple a few years back - not that I was allowed actually inside, local custom forbids non Hindus from entering temples in Kerela. As you can see from the snap it wasn't exactly Fort Knox!

Council up for top local authority award

2011-09-05T11:21:00.000+01:00

This press release below explains it all. The City Council have been nominated for Best Council a the prestigious APSE Awards later this week.

Published Monday 5 September 2011

The City of Edinburgh Council is in the running for a prestigious public service award as one of the top local authorities in the UK.

They have been short listed from over 300 entries in 'Council of the Year in Service Delivery' awards from the Association for Public Sector Excellence (APSE).

In addition to the top nomination the council has also been short listed in four other categories:

Best Efficiency Initiative: Energy Management team for their energy improvement programme across the schools' estate which resulted in reduced consumption
Best Housing & Regeneration Initiative: 21st Century Homes for their programme redeveloping three sites with mixed tenure communities delivering up to 1,300 homes over the next eight years.
Best Service Team Parks , Grounds and Horticultural Service: The Parks & Greenspace team for their improvements across the city's open space estate.
Best Service Team Sports, Leisure and Cultural Service: Library & Information Services Management Team for their work in performance improvement and customer service.

Cllr Jenny Dawe, leader of the City of Edinburgh Council , said: "It is a fantastic achievement for Edinburgh to be short listed for the UK Council of the Year award.

"I congratulate staff across the Council for their hard work and dedication to providing excellent services for residents that has led to these nominations.

"This builds on our success in the best efficiency initiative category at last year's awards and demonstrates a culture of real continuous improvement."

Paul O'Brien, APSE Chief Executive, said: "There are some real big names in local government amongst our finalists and all are thoroughly deserving of their nominations.

"After an austere couple of years in local government these awards are a welcome way to acknowledge that, despite the pressures on local councils, those that work to deliver frontline services have continued to make sure that they provide much valued services to their local residents and businesses."

The awards will take place in Bristol on Thursday 8 September 2011.

Jim Fixed it for Me! Broomview Blowdown

2011-09-03T21:17:00.000+01:00

Three weeks tomorrow the last three tower blocks in Sighthill will be blown up. I got to press the "Wiley Coyote" plunger three years ago to take down Broomview House in Sighthill. It was my "Jim'll Fix It" moment. Here is the official video of the event. Not easily forgotten!

The event should take place at 10 am on the 25th.

Melingo's Ayer

2011-09-03T00:31:00.001+01:00

This is Melingo again. This time with Fabian Cantilo. Ayer is by a mile the most listened to track on my i-tunes. More than any by the Who , Kinks, and Van the Man and that says something!

This track is simply superb with two brilliant voices and a bandeleo which dips into the piece perfectly. Watch and enjoy....

Back on Track

2011-09-02T14:59:00.000+01:00

The Council today performed a U turn on the trams issue. The move followed the intervention of both the Scottish Government, through Transport Scotland, and the Contractor.

Transport Scotland said that if the line was built only to Haymarket they would withhold about £70million. The contractor said that if we went for Haymarket the estimated price would rise.

Today we had 4 parties voting for St Andrew's Square in one form or another though Labour hastily redrafted their rather confused amendment after it became apparent that their stance would have meant Haymarket again.

Only the Tories stood back and proposed cancellation. This would have cost around £161 million and their justification was that we could spend a few years fighting this in court. Hmmm!

In the end after exhaustive votes our motion supported by the SNP won 28 -15.

Based on the information in front of us this was the best of the options. We need to get on with this project as soon as we can.

Cops Pedal to Paris for Charity

2011-08-31T23:12:00.000+01:00

I've been asked by a participant to give a plug to this years Auld Alliance Edinburgh Paris Sponsored Cycle. If readers want to follow their blogs I understand it will help raise more sponsorship.

Here are the links www.prenticeevents.com and http://ed2paris.blogspot.com

A worthy cause and best of luck to all involved.

SNP Welcome on Board the Trams Project

2011-08-31T15:39:00.000+01:00

I am delighted that the SNP Group on the City Council have agreed to support the proposal to build the Tram line to St Andrew's Square.

I know that it was not an easy decision and that lot of soul searching has gone on there. Others will cast stones but not me! It is always a brave thing to do to move from a long standing position for the good of the public. This move isn't any admission on their part that they were wrong but a realization that things have moved on, that there will be a tram line and a desire that it should be as good as possible. That is to be welcomed.

I said in my last post it was time to rise above politics. I hope that the other two groups who voted for Haymarket will now do so so we can, as a Council, unite behind the St Andrew's Square destination and finish this project.

Time to Work Together in Edinburgh's Interests

2011-08-30T12:02:00.002+01:00

I rarely write on the issue of the Edinburgh Trams project but feel compelled to post on the topic now.

Last week the Council voted to curtail the line to Haymarket, well short of the City Centre, blowing apart a carefully crafted deal between effectively the Council and the Consortium building the line. This was not a move I voted for and the public outcry has been extraordinary.

This week the Contractor has come back to us and said that if we choose to go to Haymarket only then the price will rise by £30 million that hadn’t been factored in to the report last week for a portion of additional line to turn the trams around. This part of the line will go along Shandwick Place an agonising few yards short of Princes St where Tram Lines have already been laid.

I don’t want to get into “a who did what” and “who is to blame narrative” – it would be too complex and frankly the Edinburgh Public is sick of that approach. I do think we have an opportunity to step back from disaster and move forward with a constructive compromise.

We already have one “Edinburgh’s Disgrace” we don’t need another one. This was a botched attempt to build a National Monument on Calton Hill and was an ancient Capital Project gone wrong. It stands there as a permanent reminder to our “City Fathers” of the folly of dithering politicians.

All involved in this, even the Lib Dem's, must now to rise above party politics on this issue and do the right thing by this City.

If councillors from any of the other parties are reading this remember that history will not judge you kindly for putting party interest before the City’s.

We have a Special Council Meeting on Friday to discuss the issue again in light of these changed circumstances. Lets step back from the abyss and work together.

First Council homes for a generation up for top award

2011-08-29T21:53:00.000+01:00

This press statement explains it all!

First Council homes for a generation up for top award

The project which will see the first new council homes built in Edinburgh for more than a generation has been short listed for another major housing award.

The 21st Century Homes for Edinburgh programme is one of the six finalists in the 'Excellence in Housing Finance and Development Category' of the 2011 UK Housing Awards.
There were more than 250 entries for the awards with the winners being announced in November.

The nomination follows the Gracemount phase of the programme winning the Community Partnership of the Year award in the prestigious Scottish Homes Award 2011 earlier in the summer.

21st Century Homes for Edinburgh is the Council's exciting programme to build up to 1,300 mixed tenure homes for sale and for rent across the Capital. This will see up to £150 million of Council-led investment in the regeneration of the Gracemount, North Sighthill and Pennywell & Muirhouse areas of the city.

Councillor Paul Edie, Housing Leader for the City of Edinburgh Council , said: "It's great news that our exciting 21st Century Homes programme has been recognised yet again by the housing industry as being among the best in the United Kingdom.

"This nomination is testament to the hard work by our Housing and Regeneration Teams to come up with forward-thinking plans that will see the first new Council homes for a generation built in Edinburgh .

"This project is a vital element of our ongoing long term regeneration plans for the Capital which will support the economy by providing new jobs in both the construction industry and other sectors. It demonstrates our commitment to tackling the affordable housing shortage in Edinburgh . "

The demolition of the three tower blocks in North Sighthill on 25 September forms the next major milestone in the 21st Century Homes programme.

The first new Council homes on the Gracemount site are expected to be handed to the Council at the end of the year with the first families moving in early 2012.

The new homes will contribute towards Edinburgh meeting the need for 16,600 new affordable homes over the next ten years.

Clegg Visits West Edinburgh

2011-08-24T20:27:00.000+01:00

With Council Staff at the Kirkliston Library

This morning found me in Kirkliston Library awaiting a visit from Deputy PM and UK Lib Dem Leader Nick Clegg. Joining us was Scottish Lib Dem Leader Willie Rennie.

This was a visit to highlight the issue of rural broadband which Mike Crockart MP is campaigning on. With David Cameron back on holiday Nick was acting PM and the TV crews were all wanting to get updates from him on the Libya situation.

The visit went off very well with Nick suitably impressed with what he saw.

Sounds of the East from the Old Master

2011-08-23T09:11:00.000+01:00

So far the highlight of my Edinburgh Festival was last nights mesmerizing performance of Evening Raga's by Ravi Shankar.

The great man appeared on stage with his band at the Usher Hall. The last piece he performed was a half hour raga which at one stage involved what I can only describe as a musical conversation between the three drummers on stage with him. Their understanding was telepathic. The whole show was utterly sublime showing that, at 91 years old, age hasn't slowed his fingers down!

I have often found there to be parallels between Raga and Jazz. Both are improvised musical forms within limits and great performers can live and work to a grand old age.

Life Before the Snake Pit

2011-08-22T08:25:00.000+01:00

Here is a fascinating insight into the life of Edinburgh Council Leader Jenny Dawe and her previous life in rural Africa. Curiously the Councillor who held Jenny's seat before her, Donald Gorrie, described the City Chambers as a "Snake pit" once. It looks like Jenny had excellent training for dealing with snakes!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-14530186

Melingo - Sin Luna

2011-08-14T10:53:00.002+01:00

I thought I would share this with anyone who is interested. This is from a CD Santa Milongo by Argentine singer Daniel Melingo. It is my newest CD and already a red hot favourite with loads of amazing songs by one of the coolest singers around. And what a voice!

Caber Tossing Champ!

2011-08-13T19:04:00.000+01:00

I struggled to recall the last athletic event I actually won. The Three Legged Race in the Fox Covert School sports day when I was in Primary seven springs to mind. I can't recall winning anything since....until today.

I was part of a council team in a Highland Games. I have never shown any aptitude for the sports involved particularly Caber Tossing. Last year I was the worst at it but at least I tried. Nobody could have been more shocked than I was to actually win the event (OK tied for first place). Funny old world!

Corstorphine Green Flag and Roseburn Mural Celebrated

2011-08-12T22:32:00.000+01:00

Thursday saw me speaking at two special events in parks in my ward. At St Margaret's Park in Corstorphine I was honoured to raise the Green Flag we were awarded. I was so pleased to do this as this was my local Park as a child and also when my daughters were very young they played there.

The second event was to mark the brilliant mural in Roseburn Park. This was a project pulled together by the Friends of Roseburn Park and funded by the West Neighbourhood Partnership. Local kids made the mural.

You can see the twit pic of the mural and kids on the West Teams Twitter account here .

Both events were brilliant but very damp! It seems whenever I do a photo op outside for our Services for Communities Department it pours. Throw in an electric mic and I am always conscious of being a loose wire away from a by election!

Well this time we had no mic but while standing outside talking to my Neighbourhood Manger, her Environmental Manager and fellow Councillor Phil Wheeler a tree branch crashed down narrowly missing us!

A Busy Day in Wet Edinburgh

2011-08-10T17:01:00.000+01:00

It has been a particularly wet day here in the Capital. Wet and very busy

This morning I chaired the Edinburgh Community Safety Partnership where we discussed a range of issues ranging from Hate Crime to Violence Reduction. It is always very gratifying to see the marked improvement in crime stats since the Lib Dems took over the leadership of the council from Labour. Crime and Antisocial Behaviour has tumbled and the evidence is there for all to see!

I then went on to speak to the Thrive Lunch Club about some of the changes we have made to Housing in the City. The presentation was very warmly received by the audience and I had a really positive story to tell about our housing performance.

Tonight I am Chairing a Business meeting of the West Neigbourhood Partnership. All go!

Sharp Improvement in Housing Performance

2011-08-09T12:32:00.000+01:00

I attended our Policy and Strategy Committee this morning. I was very impressed by the annual report of our Services for Communities Department. It laid out in striking terms just what the improvement has been since the Lib Dem led administration took power after 23 years of Labour control.

These are just some of the improvements in performance markers which relate to the part of my portfolio the Department deals with....

Domestic Abuse Noise Complaints Average Time between Complaints and attendance 06/07 35hrs 10/11 25hrs
Antisocial Behaviour Average Time between Complaints and attendance 06/07 2hrs 10/11 0.7
Repeat Homelessness Presentations 06/07 11.2% 10/11 8.8%
Homeless Applications 06/07 5516 10/11 4645
% Council Properties Meeting the Scottish Housing Quality Standard 06/07 25% 10/11 69%
Average Time to re-let council houses - not low demand (days) 06/07 37 10/11 27
Average time to re-let low demand homes (days) 06/07 62 10/11 43
rent lost on empty homes as % of total rent due 06/07 1.3% 10/11 0.6%

This is a very impressive performance and our staff team are to be congratulated. These extraordinary results have been achieved against the back drop of the worst economic conditions since the 1930's which makes the performance even more impressive!

Win for Scotland, Showcases for Edinburgh Artists and Chinese Theatre

2011-08-07T13:58:00.000+01:00

A busy weekend has come to a slight halt with a pinged calf muscle from running this morning. I was hoping to play touch rugby this afternoon but sadly that is now out. I suppose the heavy rain also doesn't help though I always enjoyed sliding about in the mud!

Instead I slipped along to the Coburg Studios to take in some of the excellent work the local artists have produced. My niece Pauline Edie was exhibiting. You can view some of Pauline's fab work on her website http://www.paulineedie.com/index.htm .

All the work on display as excellent and I can recommend a visit.

On Friday I took in the Chinese spectacular Qing Chen, a sort of cross between Les Miserable and Hero. This piece of musical theatre was extraordinary and really got the Fringe of to a spirited start.

The Fringe had over recent years been very heavily dominated by comedy but it is so good to see theatre being so high profile this year thanks to some very well known participants.

The Observer explains this in the excellent articlehttp://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/aug/06/edinburgh-festival-a-list-stars-theatre?intcmp=239 .

Lastly congratulations to the Scottish Rugby side on their nail biting win against ireland. There are 0-0 draws in football which are very exciting and for a long toime this looked like one of those. Both sides threw the ball round and there was a lot of great running rugby. Scotland just sneaked a late try to see them home in a World Cup warm up match.

Coburg Studios Open Weekend

2011-08-05T09:59:00.000+01:00

I would like to plug the Coburg Studios Open weekend. I hope to get down there myself to see some of the work the 70 or so artists holed up there produce. My wonderful niece Pauline is one of them. She is a fabulous, award winning jeweler.

http://www.facebook.com/login/setashome.php?ref=home#!/event.php?eid=240191442671921

Fringe Festival Opens

2011-08-05T09:50:00.000+01:00

The Edinburgh Festival kicks off today with the opening of the Fringe Festival.

There are a number of Edinburgh Festivals - the Film Festival was in June but they are talking about reverting to their old slot in August - the Jazz Festival is in July and the Fringe and International Festival are in August. Toss into the mix the book festival, tattoo and I am sure I have forgotten one or two others.

Through my office window the sounds of close harmony singing, bagpipes and street theatre waft in with the late summer breeze.

I think it was Joan Bakewell who said that there was no where else on earth to be in August. For me August isn't August unless I am seated under canvass on Charlotte Square listening some writer whose words are being drowned out by the sound of rain hammering down on the roof!

NATIONAL HOUSING TRUST BOOST FOR THE CITY

2011-08-04T13:56:00.000+01:00

This is a copy of a Press Statement on how Lib Dem led Edinburgh is working with the new Scottish Housing Trust to build new Affordable Houses.

NATIONAL HOUSING TRUST BOOST FOR THE CITY

The first contracts to deliver affordable homes in the Capital have been signed under the National Housing Trust initiative.

Developer Places for People will deliver 188 homes in Lochend North and Madelvic 8. The 126 homes in Lochend represent the largest contract signed to date between a developer, Scottish Futures Trust and a local authority.

The homes are the first for the City of Edinburgh being built as a result of the National Housing Trust initiative.

The innovative National Housing Trust initiative is being led by the Scottish Government and Scottish Futures Trust in order to provide a major expansion in the provision of affordable rented homes across the country. It builds on an initiative in Edinburgh between the Council and housing associations in the city which has already delivered new affordable homes.
The money borrowed by the Council to help fund the purchase of homes under the initiative will be underwritten by the Scottish Government.

Councillor Paul Edie, Housing Leader for the City of Edinburgh Council said: “I’m delighted that Edinburgh has blazed a trail by securing the largest contract so far for affordable homes through the National Housing Trust initiative.

"This is a significant achievement given the current economic climate and shows the firm commitment by this Council to give the affordable housing market and construction industry a much-needed boost.

"I hope that the other developers we are currently in negotiation with will soon follow suit as the National Housing Trust initiative is an innovative way of tackling the shortage of affordable homes not just in Edinburgh but around the country. Everyone knows more needs to be done and it's good that the public and private sector are working in partnership on this initiative.”
Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure and Capital Investment Alex Neil said:

“I am delighted that our ground-breaking National Housing Trust funding model, the first of its kind in the UK, is continuing to bear fruit.

“It will provide a significant boost to the number of new affordable homes in Edinburgh, secured for very little taxpayers’ money, support jobs and stimulate construction as the sector and our economy continues to recover from tough times.

“Clearly the NHT has inspired confidence. Councils, developers and housing associations have risen to the challenge and embraced this approach as one that can help ease housing pressures locally.”

Place for People’s Project Director, Colin Rae said: "Places for People is delighted to be the first developer to sign the first contracts for the National Housing Trust initiative in Edinburgh. The initiative is great news for the city and will mean 188 new affordable homes to rent being built over the next couple of years for local people.

“We look forward to starting work as soon as possible and working closely with our partners at the City of Edinburgh Council and the Scottish Government."

Barry White, Chief Executive of Scottish Futures Trust said: "In these challenging economic times, the National Housing Trust opens the door to a new way to build affordable housing in Scotland.

“This demonstrates how the public and private sectors can work together in an imaginative way. Such innovation is at the heart of Scottish Futures Trust's work."

Notes to editors:

Three other developers have all entered into a Framework Agreement with the Council and Scottish Futures Trust. It is anticipated that more contracts will be signed over the next few months. They are: Miller Homes (Telford North), Hillcrest (Salamander Street/Salamander Place) and New City Vision (Niddrie Mains Road).

Edinburgh is leading the way among Scottish local authorities taking part; aiming to secure much-needed affordable homes and boost the local economy. All the planned homes will be for intermediate rent.

The National Housing Trust will deliver new homes for mid market rent (starting rent levels will be set at around 84 per cent of March 2011 Local Housing Allowance rates) across the country.
The City of Edinburgh Council already supports a similar development guarantee scheme locally and this has already been successful at providing new affordable homes.

With the ongoing financial pressures on local authorities and Scottish Government budgets the National Housing Trust initiative is seen as a way of maintaining investment in affordable housing.

The Original Song to the Siren

2011-08-01T09:44:00.000+01:00

I stumbled across this lost masterpiece from 1968. The song it is utterly mesmerizing and more famous for being covered by This Mortal Coil featuring two of the Cocteau Twins.

Tim Buckley was Jeff Buckley's dad and died at the age of thirty from an accidental heroin overdose. Talent runs in the family obviously. Sadly so did accidental death with Jeff drowning at the age of 28.

Anticipation

2011-07-27T16:04:00.000+01:00

I have spent most of the day at a Health Board meeting. Not much really to report apart from that we are looking at the potential of web casting board meetings.

Tonight I have been invited to the re-opening of the National Museum of Scotland. I am very excited about this. The Museum is my all time favourite place on the planet. The high galleries have provided hours of endless interest to me and always proved a calming and restful place to hang out. A Christmas holiday was never complete without a day nosing around the statues and fish ponds.

The place has been closed for renovation for the last few years so tonight will be my first chance to get a peek at the revamp. I can't wait!

Flying the Flag

2011-07-26T12:35:00.002+01:00

I am delighted that St Margaret’s Park in Corstorphine has been awarded the prestigious Green Flag.

Edinburgh now has 20 out of Scotland’s 34 Green Flags and the Walled Garden on Corstorphine Hill has once again received the Green Pennant – the green flag equivalent for gardens.

This is a fantastic achievement. Our Parks team are rightly chuffed at this. So much hard work goes into keeping our parks up to this standard and the inspection is very rigorous. The council also has to demonstrate they have engaged with the community in each of these areas so a big thank you has to go the various “friends” and community groups who have helped with this.

In Defence of the Fourth Estate

2011-07-20T15:21:00.000+01:00

I have just returned from sunnier climes to find that the News of the World has been shut down, Rebekah Brooks arrested and the Murdochs ordered to appear before the House of Commons to answer questions about the phone hacking scandal. How I missed all this I do not know. And they call July the 'Silly Season' !

The Observer helpfully listed a number of questions they felt should be put to the Murdochs and Brooks. I have one or two of my own, not least 'what unbreakable appointment did Rupe and James have that meant they initially declined to come and account for themselves before our parliamentarians and had to be summonsed?'

Yesterday's proceedings were more about a media spectacle than really getting to the bottom of the issue and, if you will forgive the mixed metaphors, no smoking gun or knockout blows were found or landed. Frankly the MPs blew it.

We did have Murdoch senior claiming he wasn’t responsible and didn’t know anything about it.

I don’t buy this abrogation of responsibility. Murdoch’s empire been built on very aggressive and intrusive journalism. The phone hacking scandal is the sort of thing that happens when people have inadequate boundaries set.

Fascinating though the proceedings were and with the upper echelons of Met in meltdown you have to ask where is this going to stop?

The hacking scandal has the feel of being to journalism what last year's expenses scandal was to party politics. As with that issue, I would urge caution in judging everyone in that profession harshly.

Most politicians are honourable people who are trying to do the best for their communities and countries. A few bad apples don’t spoil the whole barrel, as they say.

The same is true of journalists. I have worked with many, many journalists over the years. With a tiny handful of exceptions, I have found them to be responsible and decent human beings whose contributions are every bit as important in a democracy as our elected politicians. They care passionately about getting the story right. Often they are trying to present complex information in understandable and succinct prose.

It is not an easy job and often that means reporting something that some one doesn't want us to know. As Newspaper Baron Lord Northcliffe once stated “News is something someone wants suppressed. Everything else is just advertising.”

The need to open up public life though stops short of allowing tabloids the right to carry out the sort of surveillance, that Harold Wilson, when he was PM, used to insist, needed cabinet minister level approval.

Most of the people whose phones were hacked were celebrities, which I would argue implies that the stories were too trivial to warrant the intrusion. That some were cabinet ministers meant that they were being spied on in a fashion that compromises security. Members of the public, including myself, have been appalled that murder victims' phones were hacked - this suggests an outstanding level of cynicism.

The Murdoch school of journalism is out on a limb in terms of the lengths they will go to get a story. I think that they are beyond the pale but don't throw the baby of a free press out with the bathwater by branding them all the same.

Tory Immigration Stance Leaves Elderly Short

2011-07-01T15:14:00.000+01:00

I was very disappointed to read Iain Duncan Smith's latest attack on migrant workers in the UK.

The idea that a cap on immigration will solve our unemployment situation is simplistic in the extreme.

In Scotland we are struggling to find people to work in the care sector. In the near future every school leaver in Tayside will have to work in Care in order to look after the elderly population of Tayside. I don't think that part of Scotland is alone.

The NHS is and always has been heavily dependant on people moving here from overseas. These are not just the elite, the scientists and economists etc that even the Tories want to let in but we need people at all levels where we struggle to find staff.

I think Iain Duncan Smith should think again.

Progress at Gracemount

2011-06-30T06:25:00.000+01:00

This afternoon I took the Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Alex Neil, and new Council Chief Exec, Sue Bruce, round the building site at Gracemount where we are building the first council in a generation in Edinburgh.

The area was transformed from the muddy wasteland we cut the first sod at last November. We walked down a recognizable street and climbed up onto the roof of one of the blocks. The slates had been neatly placed on the roofs ready for attaching.

Sue and I then managed to meet a couple of the local lads who as part of our social responsibility part of the contract with developers Crudens had been recruited locally. Both seemed to value the opportunity to get a toe in the door of a proper career.

Both visitors looked suitably impressed by what we are doing up these and I for one can’t wait until we see the first tenants in there later on in the autumn.

Priase for Local Action on Bonfires

2011-06-29T11:09:00.002+01:00

Friday saw me attending the Lothian and Borders Police Board. I am not a member but occasionally I substitute for some one who is double booked.

I was particularly pleased to see the Chief Constables Annual Report. As well as an excellent snap of the local Murrayfield beat bobby this featured good news about the close partnership working between the police and the council which has resulted in crime and antisocial behaviour figures tumbling.

I was also delighted to see a feature on the bonfire initiative in West Edinburgh which was such success in the run up to last years Guy Fawkes night. Again this was down to close partnership working between Fire, Police and the council’s West Neighbourhood team. Numbers of dangerous unauthorized bonfires which used to take up a huge amount of Fire Service time have dropped dramatically as a result of this and local people are much safer.

Well done all involved.

Spirit of 71 in Wiltshire

2011-06-26T21:10:00.003+01:00

As I write I can hear the sound of the bass and drums of the Kings of Leon set drifting over from their concert at Murrayfield. The show was a sell out long ago and in light of the anti social behaviour accompanying Oasis visit a couple of years ago I, along with my constituents, will be hoping their fans are as well behaved as Bon Jovi's were on Wednesday.

On the subject of big concerts the Glastonbury Festival hits 40 this year and they have a Spirit of 71 stage featuring artists from that year.

I thought I would share a favourite track from one of those artists Melanie. Hadn't heard this in years and I can't recall ever seeing her on TV. I did have an album with this on it. You Tube is amazing!

Nighy the Page Turner

2011-06-26T13:20:00.000+01:00

Other highlights in this year’s Film Festival included the Bill Nighy spy drama Page 8. This topical conspiracy thriller about prime ministerial collusion in torture was excellent.

Nighy plays a latter day Harry Palmer, an anti hero spook with a bit of style and a noble side. He has a string of ex wives and an artist daughter plus a collection of very expensive paintings.

The film boasts a cast to die for - don't all British dramas - includes Judy Davis, Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weitz, Michael Gambon and Ewan Bremner who has a small role as a journalist. Bremner is one of the great comic actors of our time - Spud Murphy is what he is most famous for but I thought his past portrayal of Salvador Dali was magnificent.

As if proving Edmund Gwen, the famous thesp's , dying words "Dying is easy, comedy is hard" Bremner really shone in his abbreviated outing here showing his versatility as a straight actor and demonstrating that if you can play Spud you can play anything!

Less impressive was Post Mortem which was set in Chile at the time of the 1973 coup. It was very slow and centred round the main character who transcribes post mortems for a living and his relationship with his neighbour. During the film the coup to out Allende starts and the bodies start to pile up. Really not my up of tea.

Man in the White Suit on War Coverage at Film Fest

2011-06-25T20:11:00.001+01:00

Today’s I was fortunate enough to take in a screening of Oliver Stone’s “Salvador”. The film wasn’t the attraction but the Q&A was it involving Martin Bell, great British war correspondent and one time Independent anti sleaze MP.

I am a huge fan of Martin Bell. He represents to me total honesty and objectivity, every inch in keeping with the BBC tradition.

Chatting to him beforehand in the Filmhouse bar, resplendent in the famous white suite (actually it was cream linen) he indicated that he had walked out of Salvador each time he has seen it. Indeed he had done so with Apocalypse Now. He did so because he was outraged by the factual inaccuracies of the Films.

He then went on to tell us later about where in Stones film the facts deviated from the version the entertainment we had seen.

I think he has a point. I know that feature films are not documentaries but I do nothing would have been lost of Salvador had been true to the events.

He was one of the few journalists to cover the El Salvador conflict and probably the only one not on the frooftops for safety.

Did Martin sit though the whole screening this time? Well he was sitting in the same row as me and he managed to stay for 90 minutes before bolting!

Bobby Fischer Against the World

2011-06-20T11:57:00.000+01:00

This week saw the start of the Edinburgh International Film Festival. The highlight for me so far has been the documentary Bobby Fischer against the World.

I was trying to describe the histrionics of World Chess during the Cold War to some one the other day. When I got to the coded yoghurts of the Karpov v Korchnoi struggle I started to wonder if it all had really happened!

The documentary itself was excellent. It really caught the mood of the time and was a warts and all portrayal of a flawed, disturbed genius.

The treatment of the Fischer v Spassky match was brilliant. You got a real insight into the man thanks to interviews with many of his confidants including Fischer’s friend the great Scottish photographer Harry Benson. Benson was with him in Reykjavik during the Spassky encounter.

The Spassky match was end to end confrontation usually away from the board. Fischer's histrionics were apparently less about unsettling his opponent but all about what is going on in his mind it was explained.

Probably the highlight for me was the description of the game were Fischer, described as a man who was so wedded to routine he would have the same breakfast daily and who played the same opening moves every match, started unusually with the “English” opening and the chess he played was so nuanced and so divine that at conclusion of the game Spassky joined in the applause. Fischer was heard later to utter that "that guy is a real sportsman".

Spassky came across in the film as the second best player in the World but much the better man, Fischer as a compulsive, obsessive who frankly didn't care what others thought of him as long as he was the best at chess.

Later in life he battled serious mental health problems, audibly raging against the influence of the USA and of Jews on world affairs in spite of being ethnically Jewish himself and of course once a proud American.

I didn't get a chance to ask the Director any questions at the end. My only regret about this excellent documentary was the absence of any interviews with Spassky.

Saving the planet at Gylemuir

2011-06-18T08:00:00.000+01:00

Yesterday afternoon I opened the Western Edinburgh Environmental Fair at Gylemuir Primary School. There were stalls from a variety of groups including eco-schools and Friends of Corstorphine Hill. There was also a fabulous musical tree make from tin cans and recycled bits of guitar.

In trying to save the planet we are encouraged to think global but act local. Today’s event was all about us trying to change attitude locally so we can make our small contribution to reversing global warming

Babes in Arms

2011-06-17T16:28:00.002+01:00

I spent Wednesday morning touring Neo Natal services at the Simpson's Centre for Reproductive Health.

As well as meeting some of their highly trained staff we saw some of the cutting edge technology they use. Praise was heaped by the staff on the local Edinburgh newspaper the Edinburgh Evening News for their fundraising for scanners for the Unit. These are very expensive pieces of equipment and the News has played a blinder in raising cash to buy them.

We then had a tour of the Neo Natal Intensive Care Unit. It never ceases to amaze me how small new born babies are. The occupants of Intensive Care were very much smaller than any babies I have ever seen. They were also redder. This is due to their epidermis not being fully developed. I understand that this happens later in the pregnancy than the points when most of these babies were born.

Simpson’s is a world class establishment giving the best possible care to Edinburgh and Lothian's babies and mothers. It is a unit the NHS is rightly proud of and is so important in giving our babies the very best start in life.

Edinburgh Leading the Way with National Housing Trust

2011-06-14T15:48:00.000+01:00

I had so many things to write about last week I hadn't a chance to share this news with readers. It is about the latest stage of the National Housing Trust and what is likely to go where. I am very proud that Lib Dem led Edinburgh is leading the way on this innovative method of funding Affordable Housing.

Developers on board with affordable homes plan

Four developers have been short-listed to provide detailed proposals to build up to 600 much-needed affordable homes in Edinburgh.

The homes, which would be built across five sites in the north and east of the Capital, would be the first to be built under the National Housing Trust (NHT) scheme.

The developers have all entered into a Framework Agreement with the Council and Scottish Futures Trust and their proposals will be evaluated further before contracts are signed.
The interested developers and potential sites are:

Places for People (Lochend North and Madelvic 8), Miller Homes (Telford North), Hillcrest/Teague (Salamander Street/Salamander Place) and New City Vision (Niddrie Mains Road).

The latest update is included in a report, National Housing Trust - Appointment of Developers to Framework Agreement Update, which was discussed at the Council's Finance and Resources Committee today (7 June).
The innovative NHT project is being led by the Scottish Government and the Scottish Futures Trust in order to provide a major expansion in the provision of affordable rented homes across the country. It builds on an initiative in Edinburgh between the Council and housing associations in the city which has already delivered new affordable homes.

Under the scheme the Council would borrow funding with the Scottish Government underwriting the loans to remove the financial risk in lending funds.

Edinburgh is leading the way among Scottish local authorities taking part; aiming to secure much-needed affordable homes and boost the local economy. All the planned homes will be for intermediate rent.
Councillor Paul Edie, Housing Leader for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: "Securing affordable homes through the National Housing Trust would be a significant achievement given the current financial and housing climate. This has been a very thorough process and I am pleased we are getting closer to the finishing line.
"NHT is an innovative way of tackling the shortage of affordable homes not just in Edinburgh but around the country. Everyone knows more needs to be done and it's good that the public and private sector are working in partnership on this project."

Minister for Housing and Transport, Keith Brown said: "The National Housing Trust model, developed by the Scottish Government and Scottish Futures Trust, has won plaudits across the UK. Procurement of Phase 1 is nearing completion and we will soon see several hundred affordable homes being developed through this ground-breaking initiative, safeguarding hundreds of jobs.

"I am delighted that Edinburgh City Council has embraced this approach as one that can help ease housing pressures locally, and that they have been successful in attracting this level and quality of developer interest. I hope the NHT can act as a catalyst to encourage further, innovative approaches that will maximise supply through increased efficiency and greater leverage."

Barry White, Chief Executive of the Scottish Futures Trust, said: "In these challenging economic times, NHT opens the doors to build affordable housing in Scotland. This demonstrates how the public and private sectors can work together in an imaginative way.

"Such innovation is at the heart of Scottish Futures Trust's work to attract additional finance while ensuring value for money for the taxpayer."

The National Housing Trust initiative has been set up by the Scottish Government to deliver new homes for mid market rent (starting rent levels will be set at 84 per cent of March 2011 LHA rates) across the country. Under the scheme local authorities would borrow funding with the Scottish Government underwriting the loans to remove the risk to Councils in lending funds to the scheme.

Edinburgh Council already supports a similar development guarantee scheme locally and this has already been successful at providing new affordable homes.

With the ongoing financial pressures on local authorities and Scottish Government budgets NHT is seen as a way of maintaining the affordable housing market.

The True Face of Carers

2011-06-14T15:40:00.000+01:00

The true face of carers

The following opinion piece appeared in The Scotsman yesterday.

Today marks the start of Carers' Week 2011. The week aims to raise awareness of the 6 million carers in the UK who provide unpaid support for a family member, partner, relative or friend who needs help.

There is no such thing as a typical 'carer' - a carer can be of any age, from any walk of life, and have a range of caring responsibilities. They could be a couple raising a child with a disability, an older person who is supporting a relative with dementia, a young person whose parent has mobility difficulties, or someone who helps their friend with day-to-day tasks.

Statistics show that at least 1 in 8 people in Scotland provide unpaid care. In Edinburgh , there are an estimated 48,000 carers. All will have different needs, but what they have in common is that their contribution is voluntary, unpaid and, too often, is unrecognised. Carers' efforts are saving the public purse in Scotland around £7.6 billion - a staggering amount which is equivalent to the cost of providing the entire NHS service north of the Border.

While for some taking on a caring role can be very rewarding, for others the experience can mean poverty, isolation, frustration and poor health. The stresses imposed can destroy the relationship between carer and the cared for. Many carers will put their own concerns to one side and fail to seek help. This is particularly true of those who fail to recognise the fact they are actually carers, for example because their partner has suddenly become ill or disabled. Indeed carer breakdown is one of the biggest reasons for avoidable admissions to care homes, so providing good quality respite care is vital to help prevent such situations.

In Edinburgh , the Council and a number of other organisations provide services and support for carers. Help is available whether this is to deal with financial issues, gain benefits advice, access counselling and other support services, or receive a much-needed break from caring. If anyone feels that they need help to continue in their caring role, I would urge them to seek out some support. A good place to start is the Council website or contact Social Care Direct on 0131 200 2324 for more information.

Councillor Paul Edie - Health and Social Care Convener

Man Bites Dog - Hibs Fan Gets His Hands on a Trophy

2011-06-13T21:11:00.000+01:00

Well done fellow Hibs fan Andy Murray on winning Men's Singles at the Queens Club this afternoon. The final was delayed due to rain.

The sight of a Hibs fan with his hands on silverware is enough to make you weak at the knees!

Local Winners for Scottish Homes Award

2011-06-10T17:29:00.000+01:00

I was delighted to attend last nights Scottish Homes Awards last night.

I was positively elated when our 21st Century Homes project romped home with the prize for Community Partnership of the year. You can read more about this below.

This project simply would not have happened if the Lib Dem's had not been in power. Both Labour and the Tories voted against it at committee when it was first muted. To see it coming to fruition and scooping up awards is very satisfying.

I was also delighted that Susan and Gerry Goldwyre won the award for the Best Designer House of the Year for their new home by the Water Tower in Dalkeith. Susan was my previous boss when I worked in Blood Transfusion. Well done.

Port of Leith Housing Association were commended in one category and Eildon Housing Association won best Waterfront Development for a development in Galashiels.

Just to show how strong the housing sector is still in Edinburgh 5 out of 6 finalists in the City Apartment category were Edinburgh flats!

NEW COUNCIL HOMES PROJECT WINS TOP AWARD

A major housing award has been achieved by the project which will see the first new council homes built in Edinburgh for more than a generation.

The Gracemount project within the 21^st Century Homes for Edinburgh programme came out top in the prestigious Scottish Homes Award 2011 held in Edinburgh last night (9 June).

The City of Edinburgh Council and The Cruden Group jointly submitted the entry for the Community Partnership of the Year category.

The submission highlighted benefits such as:

Public and private sector working together to significantly contribute to meeting Edinburgh’s housing and regeneration needs
A community benefits programme delivering local employment, training and jobs
Support for social, educational and community initiatives

Councillor Paul Edie, Housing Leader for the City of Edinburgh Council, received the award on behalf of the Council last night.

He said: “It’s great news that our partnership with The Cruden Group has been recognised with this fantastic award. It reinforces our belief in the importance of the public and private sector working together for the benefit of the whole community.

“This is an exciting time for Gracemount residents as the first new council homes for more than a generation are beginning to take shape in Edinburgh.

“The 21^st Century Homes project is a vital element of our ongoing long term regeneration plans for the Capital which will support the economy by providing new jobs in both the construction industry and other sectors. These new homes demonstrate our commitment to tackling the affordable housing shortage in Edinburgh.

“On behalf of the Cruden Group, Steven Simpson, Managing Director of Cruden Homes (East) Ltd, said:

“We are absolutely delighted to have won the ‘Community Partnership of the Year’ award in conjunction with City of Edinburgh Council. Evolution at Gracemount represents one of the most pioneering regeneration projects in Scotland and we’re proud to receive recognition for our commitment to delivering community benefits at this early stage of development.

“This award is testament to the successes of a strong public and private sector partnership approach, which will continue to generate much needed local employment and training opportunities during the construction of a sustainable and socially inclusive environment for future generations.“

Notes to editors:

The first phase in Gracemount will see 99 homes built all of which will be affordable with 67 council homes for rent, 20 for mid market rent and 12 for low cost home ownership through a shared equity purchase scheme.

The mix is made up of 26 one bedroom, 40 two bedroom and 27 three bedroom flats and colony style apartments. There will also be 6 four bedroom houses.

Phase two, comprising flats and houses for market sale, launches to the public on Saturday 18 June and will consist of 116 homes including a number of shared equity properties to ensure that the development consists of at least 50% affordable housing. The Council granted detailed planning consent for this phase at the beginning of June 2011.

Demolition of the three multi storey flat blocks on the site occurred in 2009 and construction work followed in October 2010. It is expected the first homes will be ready to move into in December 2011.

21^st Century Homes for Edinburgh is the Council’s exciting new programme to build 1,300 mixed tenure homes for sale and for rent across the Capital. This will see up to £150 million of Council-led investment in the regeneration of the Gracemount, North Sighthill and Pennywell & Muirhouse areas of the city.

The programme contributes towards meeting the need for 16,600 new affordable homes in Edinburgh over the next ten years.

Carnaby St Hits Bruntsfield

2011-06-09T07:05:00.019+01:00

Yesterday I was over at Bruntsfield to visit a homeless project run by Gowrie Care.

Gowrie have been very good partners to work with in making our homeless strategy such a success. They have a unit looking after homeless people and they are rightly proud of the improvements made there over the last few months. The service users may be taught cooking skills and many have enjoyed transforming the garden area.

Of most interests was their project which gives free clothes to homeless people. Funded in part by a waste management grant from the council we think this is the only service of its type in Edinburgh. The set up was very much like a boutique with pop art painted on the walls (by service users) and rack and railings of clothes.

A little bit of Carnaby St in Bruntsfield!

Gowrie are always looking for donations. For further details contact Gowrie Care on the link.

New HUB at the Heart of Drum Brae

2011-06-08T15:58:00.000+01:00

It has been a busy morning. I visited the new Drum Brae Library and Day Centre site with Alex Neil, recently elevated to the Scottish Cabinet as Minister for Infrastructure.

The building is coming on at an astonishing pace and it was amazing that a muddy field only a few weeks ago has been transformed into a recognizable building. It was amazing to walk around inside it and see where the local council offices would be, the day centre and each part of the library. You can see a video of the visit below.

This was a part of the city that was in my council ward for 13 years and which had campaigned for a library for 40 years. It was one of only two areas of the city more than a mile form a library. When we were in opposition Labour resolutely refused to build one.

It took a change of administration and the Lib Dem's being in power to make this happen.

Autism centre to open in Edinburgh's Craigmillar area

2011-06-07T23:12:00.000+01:00

I am really passionate about caring for vulnerable people. It is part of my make up and of my liberal values. It has underpinned much of what I have done while in power.

I am proud we have cut accommodation waiting lists for people with learning difficulties and below is a statement about a new unit for people with autism and learning difficulties which the Lib Dem led council has initiated.

A £4 million specialist centre providing essential support to people with autism and learning difficulties is set to open in Edinburgh.

The unit, which will be built on the site of Pefferbank Day Service on Duddingston Road West, will replace two day care centres at Deanbank and Glenallan no longer considered fit for purpose.

With 20 day support service places, the new centre will help more than 50 people and their families, as well as providing a respite service for up to 55 individuals.

There are currently no local services giving specialist support to people with learning disabilities in the area, and families using respite services are required to travel out of town.

Councillor Paul Edie, Health and Social Care Leader, said: “This is a very exciting project which will offer a huge boost for people who live with autism and learning disabilities.

“The specialist, purpose-built centre will be designed with the needs of people with autism and learning disabilities in mind. It will be more convenient for families of service users.

“In approving this new unit, the Council's Administration is demonstrating our commitment to continue to provide high quality care to meet rising demand for services.”

The facility will benefit service users, family members and staff with activities and education in improved surroundings, as well as a garden in a secure environment.

The City of Edinburgh Council hope to develop personalised short breaks for adults with learning difficulties.

Jackie Tufft, director of Autism Services at the charity Scottish Autism, said: “We value localised services for individuals, recognise the need for them and hope to work in partnership with city of Edinburgh to help them achieve their goal of delivering personalised, local services.

“Scottish Autism have over 40 years of experience with a proven track record of providing services across Scotland and would welcome the opportunity to work in partnership to ensure the highest quality, autism specific service is provided.”

Work on the centre, which will be part-funded by the sale of Deanbank and Glenallan, will begin in 2012, and it is hoped it will be completed by 2014.

Festival of Sport Tees Off

2011-06-06T22:47:00.000+01:00

Edinburgh is proud to be known as the "Festival City". We have so many but one that is relatively new is the Edinburgh Festival of Sport.

This takes place between June the 6th and 19th and features many local events. These include.....

fencing, a surf morning at Belhaven Beach, roller hockey, orienteering and a ski club open evening to name just a few.

There are also many other large group and spectator events running in the festival such as the Moonwalk, Race for Life, the Cycling Grand Prix and the uniquely action-packed Roller Girls Derby! SoundS interesting!

The full programme of events is available at www.activcity.info, with daily updates throughout the festival also available on Facebook.

Willie Backs Key Health Measure

2011-06-05T18:52:00.002+01:00

I warmly welcome the news that Scottish Lib Dem Leader Willie Rennie will reposition the Scottish Lib Dems on minimum pricing of alcohol. The party opposed it in the last Holyrood parliament, much to the discomfort of many activists including me.

I have said on a number of occasions that the smoking ban was Holyrood’s finest hour but the collective failure to act on alcohol across party lines was its biggest shame.

Now we will have a consensus in favour of this vital preventative health issue and Willie has ensured that the Lib Dems will be part of that.