Council appoints third Housing convener in three years
The full City of Edinburgh Council met on Thursday and agreed to sack their third Housing Convener in as many years and replace her with a councillor who already has a huge job as Chair of the Edinburgh Integration Joint Board.
These two areas of work are possibly the two which make most impact on people’s lives. The Edinburgh Integration Joint Board under the chairmanship of Labour councillor Tim Pogson deals with social care, has a precarious financial footing with huge gaps in funding, and the Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Committee deals with the council’s answer to the Housing Emergency declared some two years ago.
Cllr Lezley Marion Cameron has been removed from her position as Housing Convner as she has been suspended by the Labour group amid accusations of not obeying the whip and disagreeing with council policy on affordable housing.
Poetry sessions
Renaissance Care have told us that during November a Scottish poet, Ken Cockburn, will be reading poetry and engaging in conversation with their residents in one of their Edinburgh care homes.
The sessions are part of a wider initiative called Paper Trails, which is run by the Edinburgh International Book Festival to combat social isolation literary inequality.
Ken will be engaging with older people at Renaissance Care’s Glencairn Home and presenting poems and songs on a theme – such as Autumn, Edinburgh, Scotland and Around the World. Ken will also take in some objects to highlight aspects of the poems, and reveal these as the sessions progress, to create a display.
Ken said: “For the residents, the sessions are I hope entertaining – hearing some poems they know, and perhaps joining in, plus discovering and enjoying new ones. I hope too the poems and objects will spark some memories and conversation.” He added: “I might do some origami as part of the Around the World session, making a paper boat and using that to sail, as it were, from China (a rhyme about willow pattern plates) to North America (‘When it’s springtime in the Rockies’).”
Jozi Stables, manager of Glencairn, said: “Many of our residents have a lifelong love of literature, and the poetry sessions are a wonderful way to keep that connection alive. They spark conversation, keep minds active, and encourage social interaction.”
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Coffee and French chat
Enjoy coffee and chat in French at the French Institute on George IV Bridge on 6 December and on 4 December. Practice your French conversation with other native French speakers and people who can already speak French to what is described as A1 standard.
More details here.
Scottish Parliamentary Election 2026
Malcolm Burr, Convener of the Electoral Management Board for Scotland (EMB), has issued a direction about next year’s election on 8 May 2026 which means that the results will not be known until the following day, rather than overnight which has been customary.
It is felt that this measure will support “increased public engagement” while increasing staff availability and recognising the operational
complexities of the Election Count.
“Counting during the day allows the use of well-rested staff with quick access to more
resources, people and support facilities. Our Counts are always accurate but working in
the day removes some risks, reduces costs and lets us declare the results when more
people are engaged.”
The proposed timing has been discussed with political parties, MSPs and at the
Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee of the Scottish Parliament
at their meeting in September.
Other Directions, to give consistency to the electoral process, cover the colour of the
ballot papers, the use of an official security mark, the dates when poll cards and postal
votes are issued and the way papers should be numbered.
The EMB says it has taken account of lessons from previous elections, including the
challenges experienced in the UK Parliament Election in 2024.
