Monday holiday – Capital Coalition – Bill Bailey – Forth Bridge – Richard Holloway
Today is yet another Monday holiday in Edinburgh. Lothian Buses are running a Saturday service today across the city.
Do remember that the city’s parking attendants never take a break and will be on duty today. There are only four days that they take a day off:- New Year’s Day, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and Easter Monday.
Some of the city’s car parks and park and rides are detailed here on the council website.
***
A review of pledges made to Edinburgh residents by the Council shows that the majority are progressing well, according to the council. What do you think?
The ‘contract with the capital’, published after the 2012 local government elections, details 53 specific commitments that will be reported on annually by the Labour and SNP Capital Coalition.
Four pledges have been completed, including the creation of a transport forum and introduction of a ‘living wage’ for the lowest-paid Council staff. However, most are at the stage of having actions agreed and are in progress.
Council Leader Councillor Andrew Burns said:- “While I’m pleased that we’re making headway with the commitments we made, the most important thing about this first report card is that we are openly letting the public see how we’re doing so that they can make up their own minds about the Council’s performance. In terms of the biggest issues facing the city, we have seen some big steps forward with the tram project, property conservation and youth employment. But in these, and other areas, there are still very significant challenges such as ensuring we build a new high school in Portobello. Next year and beyond will be the real test as we see if the actions underway are going to deliver on our contract with the capital.”
Deputy Council Leader Cllr Steve Cardownie added: “We must now continue to make sure that councillors and officers work together to maintain the momentum. There’s been a lot of discussion and effort in getting us to this stage, but what we all want to see is the delivery of the outcomes of the pledges that we made. The Council is united in the vision of Edinburgh as a successful and sustainable capital city. We will keep working towards that and the public will be able to see how we are doing in future reports.”
After the local government election in May 2012, the Capital Coalition set out six high-level commitments:
-
Ensuring every child in Edinburgh has the best start in life
-
Reducing poverty, inequality and deprivation
-
Providing for Edinburgh’s prosperity
-
Strengthening and supporting our communities and keeping them safe
-
Ensuring Edinburgh, and its residents, are well-cared for
-
Maintaining and improving the quality of life in Edinburgh.
These are further broken down into specific pledges, of which:
-
4 are complete
-
36 have actions that are agreed and on track
-
7 have new actions under development
-
6 are on track but with some actions that are not met
Full details of the pledges and their status are contained in the first year’s performance report to be considered at the Council meeting this Thursday, 30 May.
***
Bill Bailey is appearing at the Festival Theatre on 6 & 7 June 2013. The show is called Qualmpeddler….no we don’t know that word either!
Bill Bailey had doubts about the modern world, but these have now grown into Qualms. He will be channeling these feelings of Unease and Apprehension, with the help of Religious Dubstep, his folk bouzouki, Horntallica, a re-appraisal of some of the world¹s greatest works of art and perhaps a dub version of Downton Abbey. He looks at the Consequences of Lies, the Unending Search for the Higgs and the Hiding Skills of Dentists. Bill tries to confront his Cluster-Qualm of living in a Time of Spectacular Ignorance, and Rare Planetary Alignment that may be part of the Mayan End of Days prophecy. Come savour this Broth of Anxiety with Bill Bailey Qualmpeddler.
This show has the all classic Bill Bailey elements, trademark musical mash-ups, multi-lingual riffs, films, songs, philosophising and silliness on a grand scale… Plus one amazing owl.
***
Today’s photo of the Forth Bridge is to highlight the fact that it is now open for consultation as to whether the bridge should be a World Heritage site or not.
Councillor Perry, Convener of the Planning Committee commented on the 12 week consultation which started last week:-“The bridge is an instantly recognisable Edinburgh landmark, the best known rail bridge in the world and an outstanding example of engineering. We’re delighted to be working with the other organisations supporting this bid to see how South Queensferry and the surrounding communities can benefit from having a second world heritage site in our area. I’d encourage everyone to get involved in the debate about both the opportunities and the challenges involved if the bid is successful.”
***
On Thursday 30 May, author Richard Holloway will be signing copies of his memoir ‘Leaving Alexandria’ at the Christ Church Centre opposite The Edinburgh Bookshop at 7:30 pm. Holloway answered some questions on the shop’s blog last week and tickets can be purchased from the shop or by calling 0131 447 1917.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
