Lord Provost’s message to the Scottish Rugby team
SNP to oppose UK plans on fracking
Crockart takes part in Parliament Week
Council pledges
New shop at Edinburgh Airport
Edinburgh’s Lord Provost, the Rt Hon Donald Wilson, is supporting the Scottish Rugby Team for their match against New Zealand on Saturday. The Lord Provost will be attending the event in his role as Lord Lieutenant – the Queen’s representative in Edinburgh – with members of the Royal family.
The Lord Provost, RT Hon Donald Wilson, said: “As the competition continues, I wish Team Scotland the best of luck for Saturday’s rugby playoff on behalf of everyone in Edinburgh. Following a fantastic performance against Argentina last weekend, I have high hopes for our national team as they play on Capital soil.
“Over 100 years ago, Murrayfield was home to the first ever rugby match between the All Blacks and Scotland in 1905. Saturday’s match will be the 30th competition between the teams, and this year also marks 40 years since Edinburgh became twinned with the beautiful city of Dunedin.
“Edinburgh has long held ties with New Zealand and it is great to have the All Blacks in the city where the competition between the teams all began.”
Rugby fans heading to watch Scotland in the viagogo Autumn Tests 2014 this weekend are being advised to take note of traffic and travel information. Temporary road closures and parking restrictions will be in place in the Haymarket area for a number of hours on Saturday afternoon and evening.
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Welcoming SNP plans to oppose UK plans to make fracking easier, Dr Richard Dixon, Director of Friends of the Earth Scotland, said:
“The UK Government has ignored over 99% of responses to its consultation, and the objection of the Scottish Government, that the removal of people’s rights to object to fracking underneath their homes is simply unacceptable.
“We welcome the SNP’s plans to oppose sections of the UK Infrastructure Bill which would give the fracking industry carte blanche to drill wherever they like, and to leave toxic drilling and fracking chemicals behind. It will be very interesting to see how Labour and LibDem MPs vote on these issues.
“Cameron and Osborne’s blinkered dash for gas risks putting the UK on course for climate catastrophe and endangers the health and wellbeing of communities across central and southern Scotland. We urge the Scottish Government to go further and use their existing powers to ban all forms of unconventional fossil fuel extraction in Scotland.”
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As part of Parliament Week 2014, Edinburgh’s Liberal Democrat MP, Mike Crockart has visited Craigmount High School.
Mike ran a session with third year Modern Studies pupils at Craigmount High School where they discussed the role of an MP and what it is actually like to work in Parliament.
Parliament Week is a programme of events and activities that connects people with Parliament and democracy. Thousands of people from across the United Kingdom are taking part in a variety of activities including; historical walks, art exhibitions, online debates, panel discussions and Q&A’s.
The theme this year is ‘Do Democracy’ where young people are being encouraged to tweet, Facebook or Instagram the things that matter most to them.
Commenting, Mr Crockart said:
“It is really encouraging to see pupils at Craigmount High School getting involved in politics. The pupils had a lot to say about the issues which matter most to them and it was great to hear them debating so passionately.
“For too long there has been a myth that young people are apathetic and don’t care about politics, however this myth was proved wrong when close to 100% of those under 18 who were eligible, registered to vote in the Scottish independence referendum.
“The pupils I met today asked some extremely thought provoking questions and the discussion was lively. It was great to be able to explain how varied and interesting my job can be, as this is something which is not often shown in the media.
“Parliament Week is an excellent initiative and I would urge all schools in my constituency to get involved and encourage their pupils to take part in #DoDemocracy.”
Christina Gordon S3 added:
‘’It was a good and valuable experience and made me more likely to engage in the parliament as sometimes it can feel a bit distant for people our age.’’
Hamish Hartley S3 also added:
“It was a great insight into the life and workings of the parliament.”
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When the Labour Group came to power with the SNP group in 2012, they were able to put into place their manifesto pledges. Now two and a half years into their five year term they are updating their progress with the 53 pledges. In his Leader’s Report Councillor Andrew Burns said:
| It’s fair to say that politicians often make ambitious promises when canvassing for votes but how often do they voluntarily put their commitments up for public examination?On taking office in May 2012, we set out 53 specific pledges that we aimed to deliver by 2017. These are based on a number of high level commitments, which include reducing poverty, inequality and deprivation, and maintaining and improving the quality of life in Edinburgh.
I am pleased to report that, thanks to recent developments such as the passing of a Private Bill allowing the new Portobello High School to be built on Portobello Park, we have now met 12 of the pledges with all but one of the remainder on track to be completed within our five year term. |
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A brand new store at Edinburgh Airport looks set to offer passengers an answer to all their luggage needs.
Luggage-Point, a retail and service arm of Weigh-ahead, is now open in the airport’s new terminal extension, offering passengers everything they would need to make their journey go as smoothly as possible.
Stocking luxury brands like Samsonite, Kipling, Trunki and Fiorelli, the new store offers customers a dry-cleaning drop-off and collection service, as well as lost property, storage and bag wrap facilities – the first time Edinburgh Airport has had a one-stop-shop like this.
The Edinburgh store is also the first retailer in the world to stock exclusive merchandise from Rise Gear – previously featured on the Canadian Dragons Den, these fantastic luggage products can roll packing and storage all into one.
Open from 4:00am-10pm, passengers can take full advantage of the storage and shipping facilities all in one convenient location. The airport’s Shop and Collect service will also be based at Luggage- Point.
In another world-first, Edinburgh Airport is to install the very latest design of the patented Best- weigh pre-check-in weighing units. Passengers are able to check the weight of their luggage against the permitted allowance no matter which airline they’re flying with or destination.
In a matter of seconds users are advised if their luggage is under or over their allowance. If too heavy, the system automatically calculates and advises of any potential charges. Machines are fitted with card payment facilities and are located in the main check-in hall. A free re-weigh service is also available to passengers wishing to re-pack their bag for that extra piece of mind.
Richard Townsend, Head of Retail and Property at Edinburgh Airport, said: “We’re passionate about giving our passengers the very best choice and experience and our retail development programme has focused on this.
“Having the new Luggage-Point store in our new terminal means that customers can have the choice of fantastic products and services in the one place.
“We want to make the passenger journey as easy and stress-free as possible so the fact we can now offer services like bag wrapping and dry-cleaning will be a real benefit to our customers.”
Co-founded in 2012 by Carole and Gerard Stewart, Luggage-Point is a real family affair with the couple’s sons, Marc and Graeme also on board as Director and UK Manager for the company.
Global domination is also underway with Weigh-ahead operational in 11 UK airports, recent installations in Nigeria and discussions with airports in Australia and New Zealand.
Marc said: “We’re extremely proud and excited not only as a company but as a family to be opening our new travel retail and passenger services store at Edinburgh Airport.
“Passengers and staff alike can take advantage of the wide range of services available under one roof whilst browsing travel goods from a host of established and innovative brands.
“Edinburgh Airport is growing whilst committed to enhancing and improving the passenger experience. Luggage-Point shares the same philosophy and look forward to working with Edinburgh Airport to achieve these goals.”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
