The City of Edinburgh Council Leader, Jenny Dawe, has just published her monthly report on The City of Edinburgh Council website. You can find it by clicking here
It includes details of the Papal visit to the capital on Thursday 16th September. You are reminded that there is a map of the route along which Pope Benedict will travel on the Council website.
It also reminds you of the person who is set to become the new Chief Executive of The City of Edinburgh Council, if her appointment is ratified by the Council at their next meeting. The nominee, Sue Bruce, is currently Chief Executive of Aberdeen City Council.
The Council faces the challenge of cutting £90m from its budget and a consultation process launches today ending with a citywide summit on 15 October. This is the public’s chance to say what they think the council could do to make the savings. We have details of how to join in the process here.
Any report on the progress of the trams is now delayed by a further month to allow for settlement of the current dispute. The tram project is of course a matter of public debate for everyone in Edinburgh but the Council leader says:-“I desperately want an end to this dispute and for trams to be running in Edinburgh as soon as possible.” So do we. Our editor wrote a guest post for The Guardian last week on this issue. You can read it here.
Other matters covered by the report include a swift reference to the record-breaking ticket sales at the Festival. We had thought some of this was in dispute owing to some freebies being included?Another surprising fact is that around 50% of the tickets were bought by those with EH postcodes.
Another issue receiving attention is the proposed Primark store in Princes Street. Yes it is on the way. Approval has now been granted for the store at 91-93 Princes Street which will certainly fill one of the gaps in retail space on our flagship street. But when? Well according to the latest information on The City of Edinburgh Council planning website the building warrants have been approved for the partial demolition which will be needed and also for some of the alterations. So hopefully the development of the store over 6 floors will start happening soon!
Ms Dawe also brings to our attention the amounts of money granted to Portobello and Balerno for public works to improve the High Streets in both communities – £582,015 to Portobello and £180,000 to Balerno.
Edinburgh Leisure has been awarded the Social Enterprise Mark, only the second Leisure Trust in Scotland to achieve the status and joins other ethical businesses such as the prestigious Eden Project in Cornwall on that list.
She also mentions the Conde Nast 2010 awards which we highlighted here. Culture Sport and Leisure is another area of coverage in the report applauding the high quality events which Edinburgh has attracted such as the Edinburgh ITU Duathlon World Championships and the forthcoming Archery World Cup.
In the field of education the opening of two new modern nursery facilities at Clermiston and Gracemount Primary Schools increases the capacity of the departments markedly. Meanwhile ’14 Craigies’ have won the UK section of the World Maths Challenge – this is a group of pupils from Craigroyston High School – all under 14!
You are reminded about the Green Pencil Award for youngsters of P4 to P7 age which we highlighted here and Ms Dawe tells us about her visit to the as yet unfinished National Museum in Chambers Street.
Council housing is being built at Gracemount, affordable housing in Hyvots and we are told about the public art projects in Muirhouse.
The length and diversity of Jenny Dawe’s report only serves to show us yet again that there is so much going on in Edinburgh it is difficult to keep up – a problem that The Edinburgh Reporter knows only too well. So if you have anything to tell us that you think would make a good story then please get in touch!
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
