Council coalition formed – HRH in town today – Tickets on sale today for Edinburgh Castle Olympic event – Yester War Memorial – Community Council news
The council have finally decided how they will run the city for the next five years. There is to be a Labour- SNP coalition which will give them a convincing majority of 38 (out of 58 Councillors). You can read more about this here.
The key pledges in the SNP manifesto are as follows:-
• Financial Responsibility. Edinburgh Council has gone from brink of collapse in 2007 to a situation where all council departments have balanced budgets and reserves are high. This resulted in the council investing an extra £2 million towards vital services at the end of the last financial year. The SNP Government also provided Edinburgh an additional £22m. We will continue to maintain a financially responsible and secure council.
• Setting up a Consultative Board made up of Group Leaders to discuss decisions of strategic importance to the city. This will put the interests of the city before party politics.
• Continue to build more homes under the 21st Century Homes project and strengthen enforcement action against bad landlords.
• Protecting Lothian Buses and continuing to roll out low-emission and electric vehicles in the Council’s fleet. Any other form of transport should complement the performance of our award winning bus service. We will ensure that Edinburgh is never held to ransom over a transport project like the Trams unless the people of Edinburgh support it.
• Pledge to introduce the Living Wage for all Council employees.
• Increase the road repair budget to £20 million to achieve higher standards of road maintenance.
• Appoint a Care Champion to represent carers and their interests and ensure that they have a strong voice at the most senior levels in the Council. The Scottish Government Change Funds will be used to provide better older people’s services.
• Strengthen early years services and extend the programme of activities available to young children.
• Administer the establishment of a “Business Partner” for every secondary school in the city to create and foster a relationship between them as a springboard for positive outcomes for school-leavers.
• Increase investment for cycling with a view to increase the percentage of people getting to work by bike.
• Work with the Scottish Government to deliver its £500m programme of preventative spending to reduce anti-social behaviour and the underlying causes of crime. We will continue to invest in Council-funded police officers who work jointly with the Council’s Environmental Officers.
• Devolve decision-making powers to Club Sport Edinburgh over the awarding of grants from the City of Edinburgh Council Sports Small Grants scheme. We will continue to invest in sports facilities including the provision of further small-scale skate parks across the city.
• Examine the introduction of “low emission zones” to drive down Edinburgh’s carbon footprint and improve air quality.
The Labour manifesto is set out by way of reminder here:-
Moving Edinburgh Forward Together
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HRH The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Rothesay is in Edinburgh today for a conference and will then take the salute tomorrow after a parade down the High Street.
First on his agenda a speech at the EICC. The world’s fisheries community will gather in Edinburgh today to discuss the future of sustainable fishing at the 6th World Fisheries Congress.
Organised by The World Council of Fisheries Societies, the congress will address “Sustainable Fisheries in a Changing World”. The event draws leading international figures influential in driving debate and shaping global policy on fishing.
The Duke of Rothesay will address the conference on sustainability in His Royal Highness’s capacity as the founder of The Prince’s International Sustainability Unit (ISU). Established in January 2010, the ISU works to build consensus on how to resolve some of the key environmental challenges facing the world, specifically those concerning food security, ecosystem resilience and the depletion of natural capital. The ISU works with governments, the private sector and non-governmental organisations with the aim of building partnerships to help address these challenges.
On Wednesday, The Duke of Rothesay, accompanied by The Duchess of Rothesay, will take the salute from Abbey Strand to the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh, as a parade of Armed Forces personnel and Royal British Legion members marches past. Their Royal Highnesses will then review the Parade on the forecourt of the Palace of Holyroodhouse, before hosting a reception for Armed Forces personnel in the Picture Gallery.
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Tickets are available this morning from 9 a.m. for the free party at Edinburgh Castle on 13 June 2012 when the Olympic Torch arrives in town.
The glittering celebration will enable thousands of people to enjoy a variety of entertainment staged by LOCOG and the three Presenting Partners of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay – Coca-Cola, Bank of Scotland and Samsung – with support from the City of Edinburgh Council.
The three Presenting Partners will each provide 20 minutes of exciting and stimulating entertainment for the event. Emeli Sandé, presented by Coca-Cola, will headline the celebrations followed by stunning acrobatic performances brought by Bank of Scotland and dance performances staged by Samsung.
The Council will also present two ten-minute slots of locally-programmed entertainment during the evening celebration. The BIG Project’s Youth Choir will be joined onstage by some of Scotland’s finest musical talent, including Kim Edgar and Karine Polwart, to reprise a selection of songs from their recent Celtic Connections and Usher Hall performances. The second, ten minute slot will bring the evening event to a close.
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An Edinburgh solicitor, Alastair Shepherd, has researched the war dead on the War Memorial in Yester, East Lothian. He has set up a website and also published a booklet to record his findings. This must lead us to wonder who the individuals are who are mentioned on the many memorials and boards throughout Edinburgh who perished in the 20th century World Wars. Perhaps Mr Shepherd will expand his work further afield to tell us about the many other residents who might otherwise be forgotten.
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Gorgie/Dalry Community Council have written to advise of their meeting dates over the coming months.
West End Community Council has also been in touch. They are meeting tonight and have sent us a copy of the agenda and the minutes of the last meeting which are set out below for you.
agenda 20120508
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