Five things you need to know today
Council budget meetings
Today the council meets in the next of a series of meetings to discuss the revenue and capital budgets and how to allocate the spending in the next year.
Both the Educational Institute for Scotland and public service trade union UNISON will send deputations to speak to councillors before the meeting.
The SNP Group are complaining about the lateness of any information from which to draft a budget and are appalled that there appears to have been no consultation with residents, stakeholders or trade unions. The group also wants to have a meeting in June with all political groups to find a way to improve the budget process.
The Green group have noted that Integrated Impact Assessments are missing from any proposals for this year’s budget – and that there are no plans to do any.
The committee will discuss the Revenue Budget Framework and the Medium Term Financial Plan
Tuesday 10.00am Special Meeting of the Finance and Resources Committee
Amid spending plans for education and other important services, the council also proposes to spend £500,000 on marking the 900th anniversary of the introduction of the Royal Burghs into Scotland by King David I. Edinburgh was the first and a “community events strand” is proposed to celebrate the fact. The Edinburgh 900 group is chaired by the Lord Provost.
Next week at Open Eye Gallery – David Martin
One of the founders of Hidden Door, David Martin, is staging an exhibition of his work Silk Roads: New work from travels in Central Asia at Open Eye Gallery on Abercromby Place next week, opening on 9 February.
You can see the beautifully colourful work on the Open Eye website where David explains the story behind his art. He said: “Every painting in the exhibition tells a story for me; even a simple chance encounter or a glimpsed view contains a world as I see it, and some paintings are just this. However, there are other narratives at play too, such as my trip to the environmental devastation of the area that used to be the Aral Sea; formerly the world’s third-largest inland sea now almost entirely dried up and gone, as a result of Soviet and post-Soviet environmental mismanagement.”
Care home planned for St John’s Road
The first of two public consultation events relating to the proposed £15 million development of a new 60-bed care complex on the corner of St John’s Road at Manse Road has already taken place. But there is still time (until 14 February) for anyone to add their comments to the proposal to replace the former supermarket and shops with a mixed use development. And a second public event will take place on 28 February at Corstorphine Community Centre, 5 Kirk Loan between 2pm and 7pm It will include five assisted living apartments and ground floor commercial units facing on to St John’s Road. One third of the care home will be devoted to dementia care. The developer hopes to lodge the planning application with the council in April.
Playhouse teams up with Edinburgh Street Food
The Edinburgh Playhouse has teamed up with Edinburgh Street Food to offer casual dining to their patrons until 11pm seven days a week.
ESF marked by the neon sign has ten independent traders and three bars in a location just close to the theatre on the other side of the Omni Centre.
Our February issue
Our February issue is out now. With more on our exclusive story about Chief Constable Jo Farrell revealed in our centre spread and our new columnist to entertain you with news of all the theatre you must see, we are pleased with this month’s issue. We hope you like it too.
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