Five things you need to know today

Full Council Meeting

Occupy Edinburgh due in court tomorrow

Splashback is back!

Fringe Tickets on sale soon

Balerno Community Council

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The Council meet this morning at 10a.m. and we will be updating you on the proceedings live from the City Chambers.

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Occupy Edinburgh have confirmed that they abandoned the meeting they had with council officials yesterday, and that they expect to attend a court hearing on Friday, as they believe the council have raised an action against them to evict them from The Meadows.

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At the Council this morning, Councillors will vote on a Green Party motion to delay by six months the February 8th deadline for offers to purchase the Waterworld site. A petition of 6,500 signatures will be handed to Council leader Jenny Dawe by campaigners. The Splashback campaign has tried to save the leisure pool facility for some months now.

Green Councillors are also urging the Council to write an urgent letter to the Scottish Parliament committee analysing the Long Leases Bill, calling for a specific exemption for the valuable Waverley Market site. Lastly, the Council will vote on a Green call for a review of council policy on tree removal, following the recent outcry over mature trees felled as part of the tram works.

Alison Johnstone MSP said:-

“Our city will be poorer, not richer, if we sell off, cut back and close down our publicly owned facilities and spaces. The Council’s role should be to protect the city’s ‘family silver’, not flog it off.

“I congratulate the Splashback campaign on the impressive number of signatures on their petition, and I urge the Council to give them some breathing space so that they can consider all the options for saving the pool, rather than allowing the building to be snapped up and lost to the community.”

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The Fringe tickets will now go on sale as soon as a show is announced according to STV news. Also the programme is to be launched earlier this year, presumably in an effort to avoid any clashes with the Olympics.

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Balerno Community Council meet tonight at Balerno High School at 7.30p.m. The meeting usually takes place in the Library.