Following agreement at a cross-UK meeting earlier today, testing requirements for most people are being removed.

Fully vaccinated people arriving in Scotland are no longer required to take tests. Further work will be done on a new surveillance system to monitor the border.

Testing will no longer be a requirement for all adults who have completed a full course of an approved vaccine, usually at least two doses. Children under the age of 18 continue to be treated as fully vaccinated.

Travellers will still need to fill in passenger locator forms and face coverings will still be required at Scottish airports in line with wider health advice.

For non-vaccinated travellers pre-departure tests and a PCR test on or before day two are still required – but the requirement for isolation will end – and they will no longer have to take a day eight test.

The measures were agreed by The Scottish Government following engagement with all four nations and will protect the travel and tourism sectors north of the border.

Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport Michael Matheson said: “These measures will significantly open up international travel and were agreed on a UK wide basis.

“The measures will be extremely welcome for the Scottish tourism and aviation sectors, encouraging travel from our airports.

“While this is a positive step which will be welcomed by many we believe further surveillance measures will be necessary across all nations – as intelligence will help in terms of variants of concern. It was agreed further work to take this forward will be carried out over the coming weeks.”

Graeme Dey is MSP for Angus South and who was appointed Minister of Transport in 2021 has resigned from government for health reasons.

Mr Dey served as Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans from 2018, and was appointed Transport Minister last year.

Accepting his resignation, the First Minister said he had been a formidable minister, and would be welcome to return in future should circumstances allow. 

Writing to the First Minister, Mr Dey said: “It has been an absolute privilege to serve as a Minister in The Scottish Government, firstly as Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans and latterly, as Minister for Transport.

“I have always prided myself on being able to give 100% to any task I am charged with. 

“Regrettably, despite my continuing passion, I find myself unable now to give this hugely important ministerial role everything it rightly requires and deserves.

“It is therefore with regret that I am writing to resign from office as Minister for Transport in the Scottish Government.”

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “This is the right decision for Graeme to reach at this time, and he leaves government with my very best wishes. 

“He has been a highly effective minister and steps down with many achievements to his name. As Minister for Parliamentary Business, he built trust and confidence across the political spectrum to navigate a period of minority government, and ensure that government remained accountable to Parliament throughout the period of lockdown earlier in the pandemic. 

“As Transport Minister, Graeme played a huge part in ensuring the success of COP26. He has also delivered concessionary bus travel for under-22s, set out plans to reduce car travel to meet climate targets, and prepared the ground for the return of Scotland’s railway to public ownership. 

“Amongst his many responsibilities, I know that Graeme particularly valued his time as Minister for Veterans. In that role, he secured additional funding for veteran services and I have no doubt that the veteran community will continue to benefit from his support as a backbench MSP. 

“Circumstances permitting, the door will always be open should Graeme wish a return to government in future. In the meantime, I wish him well and know that he will continue to serve his Angus constituents with drive and commitment.” 

Plans to create a Gaelic high school in Edinburgh have been put on pause after parents urged the council to consider further options for a dedicated city centre campus.

The City of Edinburgh Council’s long-running proposals to establish a Gaelic Medium Education (GME) secondary school and two additional primary units were due to be approved for statutory consultation on Monday.

A report to the Education, Children and Families Committee explained the initial goal of building a standalone school on the site of the former Royal Victoria Hospital would no longer be possible, as The Scottish Government was still to confirm if the land on Craigleith Road is available for use.

Instead, it noted, the two options being considered are a GME secondary school on a shared campus with the replacement Liberton High School, or on the existing Castlebrae High School site in Craigmillar.

News that plans for a central, standalone high school have been effectively scrapped led parents of children in Gaelic education to call on the committee to vote against proceeding with the consultation as was recommended by officers. The consultation would involve parents, Education Scotland and The Scottish Government.

Orla Hobson, treasurer of Gaelic parents association Comann nam Pàrant, told councillors: “Our overarching message to you is this: Take the time to develop a coherent plan for GME with realistic timescales that parents can have confidence in and can help you deliver, undertake much greater meaningful engagement with families and create a proposal which is in the best interests of GME children and of GME itself.”

Comann nam Pàrant secretary, Harriet Barker, added: “Parents do not want you to vote to proceed to statutory consultation on these current proposals. In our most recent survey, which ran from 8 pm on Thursday, January 20 and closed yesterday, January 23, at noon, we asked parents: “Based on the proposals in the council’s report, do you think that the Education, Children and Families Committee should approve a statutory consultation commencing on the 31st of January 2022?”

“Out of 248 people who responded, 11 per cent said they were unsure, 12 per cent said yes, 77 per cent said no. We also asked: “On the basis of the information you have received to date, how confident are you that the council’s proposals will lead to the delivery of a GME high school that will meet the needs of your child and children? Five meaning very confident, one meaning not at all confident.”

“Out of the people who responded, six per cent were reasonably or very confident, eight per cent were ambivalent, 86 per cent had little or no confidence.

“Vote to proceed to statutory consultation and you bring forward a proposal that has no significant support from the GME community it seeks to serve.”

Seamus Spencer, co-chair of the parent council of Bun-sgoil Taobh na Pàirce, Edinburgh’s only Gaelic language primary school, said parents are reluctant to support the creation of a co-located secondary school in favour of “language protection”.

He added: “At this juncture I don’t think we want a stop-gap stage to think about what we need 20 years down the line. If you look across secondary school roles in the city there is a school with a role which is almost equivalent to what the Gaelic population of James Gillespie’s High School is at the moment.

“We have had a lot of correspondence around active travel and the importance for that and really it needs to meet the needs of the population across the city, and as we know, outwith Edinburgh.

“I think it really needs to be central and we know that there’s been resource offered to further explore that, we know it’s difficult of course, we know the council hasn’t built a school on non-council land for over 30 years probably, there are many things that are novel about this proposition but that is not a reason to rush through it, that’s a reason to get it right.”

Furthermore, Mrs Barker argued having the site outside the city centre would restrict the availability of Gaelic education to children across Edinburgh and the Lothians.

“The experience of children at the school and their ability to access extracurricular activities is of course impacted by having a location that is not central,” she said.

Mr Spencer added the proposals need to be “viable and attractive” to parents, with the school in a “central and accessible location”.

But the council’s Executive Director of Children’s Services, Amanda Hatton, said there is “not a site that balances educational benefit and availability”.

“The advantage of going to consultation is that gives every parent in the city to express their views on the proposals that are outlined and indeed any other proposals that they may wish us to consider as part of the consultation,” she added.

Ms Hatton said The Scottish Government has agreed to consider “partial funding” of a feasibility study to reconsider city centre sites.

However, she said: “We are confident that we have considered those sites and they they are not viable or available in the timescale that means we can expant GME.”

Quizzed on the consequences of not going ahead with the consultation as planned, she replied: “If we delay today then we are into pre-election period so we wouldn’t be able to go out to consultation prior to an election.

“Then we’d be in a situation where we’d have to go to consultation with a new administration and a new committee so clearly we’d have to go through that process, all of which builds in the potential for significant delay.

“We really want to move to additional primary provision and we want to be able to move to secondary provision and if we delay that we risk not being able to do that.”

Despite her warnings, the committee voted not to go ahead with the statutory consultation to “allow further discussions between the council and the GME community and to allow the council to provide further additional information on the present sites and any other sites that will support the quality of education as set out in the educational benefits section of the report”.

Education convener, Cllr Ian Perry, said: “Clearly this is not an ideal situation and a lot of it’s not of our making or of the GME representatives making, but we’ve heard what you’ve said and we think further consultation with the council will be helpful both from the council’s point of view and your point of view.

“We’re setting up a new secondary school and obviously there are a lot of challenges in that, but what we cannot lose sight of is the education we’re trying to provide. We think that to pause this just now and give you, the parents and the council further opportunity to discuss both the educational benefits and the available site would be beneficial both to yourselves and ourselves.”

by Donald Turvill, Local Democracy Reporter
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) is a public service news agency: funded by the BBC, provided by the local news sector, and used by qualifying partners. Local Democracy Reporters cover top-tier local authorities and other public service organisations.

Carnethy Hill Running Club need you – and you need to have a torch.

On the special date of 22/02/2022 (it’s a Tuesday – to be known as #Twosday) and the time of 20:22 (that’s 8:22pm in old money) the club aims to get as many powerful torches along the Pentlands ridgeline between Hillend and Allermuir as possible. 

This means they need volunteers from Carnethy, other clubs and volunteers to spread out along the ridge (they will mark where to stand) and to switch on their torches, either head torches or handheld, at 20:22 exactly. 

A spokesman said: “We need between 1,000 and 2,000 volunteers to make this work although we may have to work with a smaller number to ensure that the whole of Edinburgh can see the ridge highlighted.”

More details on their website.

http://carnethy.com 

The Edinburgh Short Film Festival will celebrate their tenth anniversary with special screenings of the 10 Years Best Films, Animation, Comedy & Scottish shorts at the Filmhouse.

Four hand-picked programmes of the best films from 10 years of the ESFF, from Vietnamese drama to Croatian comedy and
from American Indie filmmaking to comedy featuring Johnny Vegas! There’s German Fantasy and Oscar-nominated Canadian drama, Australian stop-motion, and a full menu of a decade’s worth of great short films!

The ’10 Years Best’ programmes are among the strongest short film programmes we have ever screened and we’re excited
to bring them to a live audience!

Screening 10 Years Best Comedy on Friday 18 February
10 Years Best Animation on Saturday 19 February
10 Years Best Scottish Films Sunday 20 February
and 10 Years Best Films on Sunday 20 February

TICKETS

Tom Celeketic, a singing teacher from Edinburgh, is testing his singers’ stamina by putting together yet another charity concert to raise funds for Young Lives vs Cancer, the UK’s leading cancer charity for children and young people, and their families. 

Apollo Theatre Arts School based in Edinburgh and Monument Performing Arts School from Stirling, as well as Tom’s private students, and Tom himself, will use their collective voices to raise awareness of the charity.

Tom says he has a personal connection to this cause, but he comes from a country which does not have a charity like this one. Instead, people with cancer are still stigmatised and forgotten. He feels that raising awareness is even more important than raising funds.

Tom said: “Joining voices in song is always sublime, but joining voices for a noble cause is even better.

“A beautiful thing with this specific concert is that the cause brings 25 performers together. They all have different backgrounds, sing different music genres, come from different places – but they all have the same goal. 

“This group of people have already sung together for this cause. At our November charity concert, they raised £1,300 for Young Lives vs Cancer. We plan on holding more events such as this one, because we all feel that charity work and helping those in need is vital.” 

The concert is being held on Sunday, 30 January 2022 at 7 PM in Leith Arches.

Young Lives vs Cancer is the charity that helps children and young people up to the age of 25 and their families find the strength to face whatever cancer throws at them. The charity’s social workers offer specialist, empowering support, its Homes from Home offers families a free place to stay nearby to the child’s hospital and offers grants to help families to navigate the costs of cancer.

Tickets below or on the door on the night (cash only).

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/young-lives-vs-cancer-charity-concert-tickets-248183893707

Detectives in Edinburgh continue their enquiries and are appealing for information following an attempted murder in the city on Sunday, 23 January, 2022.

Around 10pm, police received a report of a crash involving the driver of a black BMW and the driver of an off-road motorbike. Emergency services attended and one man, the motorcyclist, was taken to hospital. 

Initial enquiries established that the motorcyclist was deliberately driven at, and that while he lay on the ground a man got out of the BMW and attacked him.  Police are treating the incident on Pilton Avenue as attempted murder. 

The attacker ran off, heading towards Pilton Place. He is white, around 5ft 9 inches in height, slim build and is believed to be around 30 years of age. He was wearing a dark coloured hooded top and dark coloured trousers. 

The motorcyclist was taken to hospital with a serious leg injury and the black BMW car has been taken away by police for forensic examination. 

Officers have been carrying out door-to-door enquiries in the area and will review any relevant CCTV coverage for any additional information. 

Detective Inspector Kevin Tait said: “While we do not know the motive for this assault, we believe it was a targeted attack. I am appealing to anyone who was in the area around the time of the incident to contact us. Particularly if you have any recording devices, such as dash cam or doorbell cameras. A police presence will remain in the area as we continue our enquiries.”

Anyone with information is asked to call Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 3489 of 23 January, 2022. If you wish to give your information anonymously, you can do so via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Advice Direct Scotland is keen to ensure that Scots homeowners and landlords have access to proper advice over the potential implications of new regulations on interlinked smoke alarms which are due to come into place next week.

• From 1 February all homes in Scotland will be subject to a new set of standards for fire safety and smoke alarms.
• It will require a smoke alarm to be installed in the room used most for daytime living, for example in a living room.
• Others will have to be placed in “circulation spaces” like hallways or landings on every storey of the property, and all smoke alarms must be interlinked and ceiling-mounted.
• A heat alarm must also be installed in every kitchen, and a carbon monoxide detector should be placed in any property where there is a carbon-fuelled appliance like a boiler, fire or heater.

The legislation was originally due to come into force in 2021, however it was delayed by The Scottish Government because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Last week, Housing Secretary Shona Robison said the regulations are “designed to protect and save lives” and there will be “no penalties for non-compliance”, stressing that people will not face penalties “if they need more time”.

Advice Direct Scotland, which runs the national consumer advice service consumeradvice.scot, has issued guidance to homeowners and landlords who are responsible for ensuring the new standards are met.

The organisation warns that if properties fail to meet the conditions it could impact upon the property’s Home Report when it is put on the market for sale, and in some extreme cases, home insurance policies could become void.

Anyone in Scotland who wants advice on consumer issues can contact  consumeradvice.scot  for free on 0808 164 6000. Specialist advisers are available from 9am to 5pm, Monday-Friday.

 
Colin Mathieson, spokesperson for Advice Direct Scotland, said: “The new regulations will come into effect next week following a 12-month delay.
“It will be for the property owner, such as the owner occupier or the landlord, to ensure these standards are met and this will include paying the costs of purchasing and installing any new equipment.
“We have put together a list of frequently asked questions for Scots, as well as information videos to help those required to make the necessary changes.
“It is important that everyone in Scotland checks if their property complies, as there is a potential impact on insurance policies, but the government has also made clear there will be no penalties for non-compliance.”

Advice Direct Scotland has provided answers for some Frequently Asked Questions about the change:

• What if I am a tenant? If you are a tenant renting from the private sector, the responsibility for making the changes rests with your private landlord and they should already by complying with the regulations. If you are a social tenant (housing association or local authority), your landlord should have been informed of the changes and should have made plans to implement them by 1st February 2022.
• Do all alarms in different properties in a block of flats have to be linked? There will be no obligation to link alarms between different properties in a block of flats or a tenement. You will not have to put fire alarms in communal areas.
• Must the alarms be linked in my rented property if it has housing association shared ownership? You will be responsible for ensuring the property is in line with the regulations unless it is stated in the occupancy agreement that the housing association has responsibility for managing such matters.
• Is there a specific type of alarm that should be bought? The Scottish Government advises that either mains-wired or tamper-proof long-life lithium battery alarms be used. If you choose mains-wired alarms, a qualified electrician will be needed to install them. You should check that systems meet the requirements before purchasing them.
•  Is there any financial support to help me buy the equipment needed to meet these regulations? If you are the property owner, you will be expected to pay for any new equipment in most circumstances. However, your local council may offer discretionary funding to assist with the cost if you are finding it difficult to do this.
• Will my home insurance be affected if my home doesn’t meet the new regulations? This will depend on your insurance provider. In the most extreme cases, not meeting the regulations could void the insurance coverage. However, you should speak to your insurance provider if unsure to see how your policy will be affected.

A new hierarchy of road users will put vulnerable categories such as pedestrians and cyclists at the top if a new change to the Highway Code is enacted on 29 January.

When passed, the Highway Code update will include a new risk-based hierarchy of road user. For the first time in Britain the law will recognise that those who pose the greatest risk on the roads to others have a higher level of responsibility. This means someone cycling will have greater responsibility to look out for people walking, while someone driving would have greater responsibility to look out for people cycling, walking or riding a horse.

Pedestrians and cyclists will have priority over drivers at junctions, with drivers of motor vehicles having to give way when someone is waiting to cross on a side street. This introduces a rule similar to that around a zebra crossing which drivers will have to observe. If they are turning into a side street and a pedestrian is waiting to cross the vehicle driver must give way to the pedestrian.

Another provision makes it clearer what people should do on shared paths or pavements.

This provides that everyone – cyclists and those using mobility scooters include have obligations and responsibilities to the more vulnerable road users such as pedestrians: “Cyclists should give way to pedestrians on shared use cycle tracks. Only pedestrians may use the pavement. This includes people using wheelchairs and mobility scooters. Pedestrians may use any part of the road and use cycle tracks as well as the pavement, unless there are signs prohibiting pedestrians.”

Cyclists will be encouraged to take up a central position in a lane in certain situations to make themselves more visible to other road users. The amended Highway Code now provides:

“When riding on the roads, there are two basic road positions you should adopt, depending on the situation.

“1/ Ride in the centre of your lane, to make yourself as clearly visible as possible, in the following situations:

“─ on quiet roads or streets – if a faster vehicle comes up behind you, move to the left to enable them to overtake, if you can do so safely

“─ in slower-moving traffic move over to the left if you can do so safely so that faster vehicles behind you can overtake when the traffic around you starts to flow more freely

“─ at the approach to junctions or road narrowings where it would be unsafe for drivers to overtake you

“2/ When riding on busy roads, with vehicles moving faster than you, allow them to overtake where it is safe to do so whilst keeping at least 0.5m away from the kerb edge. Remember that traffic on most dual carriageways moves quickly. Take extra care crossing slip roads.”

Other key amendments in the new Highway Code include:

• Clearer guidance for drivers overtaking people cycling to give at least 1.5m
• Guidance on how drivers and passenger can prevent ‘car-dooring’ cyclists by using the Dutch Reach

The Dutch Reach – what is it?

This is a way of opening a vehicle door with your furthest away hand when parked, to try to eliminate danger to vehicles passing by – particularly cyclists. Here is what it provides:

“a new technique, commonly known as the ‘Dutch Reach’. This advises that road users should open the door of their vehicle with the hand on the opposite side to the door they are opening which naturally causes the person to twist their body making it easy to look over their shoulder and check for other road users. The new text will read: you should open the door using your hand on the opposite side to the door you are opening, e.g. use your left hand to open a door on your right-hand side. This will make you turn your head to look over your shoulder. You are then more likely to avoid causing injury to cyclists or motorcyclists passing you on the road, or to people on the pavement”

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/review-of-the-highway-code-to-improve-road-safety-for-cyclists-pedestrians-and-horse-riders/summary-of-the-consultation-proposals-on-a-review-of-the-highway-code

All of the changes are laid down in full here.

Ten new writers receive awards from Scottish Book Trust, the national charity transforming lives through reading and writing, in an announcement made today.

These are writers who have not yet published a full length book or collection, and the award will assist them with professional guidance to make that move, along with some crucial financial support.

Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: “Announcing our New Writer Awardees is a fantastic way to start 2022. Some of this year’s cohort have interacted with other Scottish Book Trust programmes, and we are delighted they have reached this stage of their journey. We wish all the awardees best of luck and look forward to seeing their publications in the future.”

Six of the writers are based in Edinburgh: Agata Maslowska from Poland; Helena Fornells Nada from Barcelona; Roshni Gallagher from Leeds; Armarna Forbes from Colorado; Eimear Bush from Northern Ireland and Firas Ibrahim from Syria. 

The judging panel included: Jenny Colgan, Sheena Kalayil and Viccy Adams for fiction; Jen Campbell, Sean Wai Keung and Laura Fyfe for poetry; Akemi Dawn Bowman and Ross Sayers for Children’s and Young Adult fiction, alongside Scottish Book Trust staff. The Gaelic Books Council selects the Gaelic New Writer Awardee.

The 2022 awardees are:

• Poetry
• Agata Maslowska
• Helena Fornells Nadal
• Roshni Gallagher
• Children’s and Young Adult
• Armarna Forbes 
• Lindsay Hirst
• Fiction and Narrative Non-Fiction
• Dougie Strang
• Eimear Bush
• Firas Ibrahim
• Rae Cowie
• Gaelic
• Shelagh Campbell

Each of the 10 recipients will receive a £2,000 cash award and support tailored to their needs including mentoring from writers and industry professionals, training opportunities, and the platform to showcase their work to publishers and agents.

The funding is supported by Creative Scotland and run by Scottish Book Trust.

The New Writers Showcase, a celebration of work by last year’s awardees, will be held online through Scottish Book Trust’s social media accounts on Wednesday 6 April. Information about tickets will be available on Scottish Book Trust’s website.

Scotland travelled to Spain seeking promotion to the top tier of women’s European indoor hockey, but they finished a disappointing fifth out of six countries in the tournament in Ourense.

Coach Iain Strachan saw his 12-strong squad win only one game, a narrow success over bottom-markers Ireland who lost all five of their games and Scotland finished the tournament with a 3-1 defeat to Poland.

The Tartan Hearts let in 19 goals in their five outings and scored ten and their record reads a 5-1 defeat to Belgium, a 3-3 draw with Switzerland, the game-tying goal by the Swiss coming 40 seconds from time, a 6-2 reverse to Spain and a 3-2 win over Ireland plus the loss to Poland.

Scotland finished with four points and they were level with Poland at 1-1 in their final game, Edinburgh University player Jess Ross levelling after 17 minutes, poking the ball home from close range, four minutes after the European side had broken the deadlock.

The squad’s Spanish-based goalkeeper Jess Buchanan then stuck out her left pad to save a penalty stroke to give the squad a real boost but the Polish side then upped a gear to claim goals in the 26th and 33rd minute to secure the points.

Dundee-based Strachan said: “Our first three games were against the top three ranked sides in the tournament so I was a very tough opening for us.”

He said that the scoreline against Belgium did not reflect the game and the squad played really well against Switzerland. They stuck to the game plan and came so close to a win.

Strachan added: “We played really well against Spain with no reward then battled through against the Irish, playing six minutes with a player short because of cards, but we defended well.”

LIBRARY PICTURE: domestic indoor hockey

Fife Flyers skidded to their seventh straight defeat in the Premier Sports Elite League to be seven points adrift at the bottom of the ten-strong table.

Todd Dutiaume’s (pictured) men lost 6-2 at Coventry Blaze and they were undone at The Skydome by a four-goal, first-period blitz.

They lost the middle stanza 2-1 but won the third 1-0 in a game in which they were outshot 45-24.

Elsewhere, Charlie Combs slotted the game-winner less than nine minutes from time as Dundee Stars snapped Sheffield Steelers seven-game winning run with a 3-2 success on Tayside.

Seb Bengtsson opened the scoring for the home side after ten minutes but the Elite League pace-setters were level less than three minutes later when Robert Dowd counted.

Steelers edged ahead when Marc-Olivier Vallerand score 52 seconds into the middle session but Craig Garrigan equalised five minutes later and the scoreline stayed the same until the 52nd minute when Combs found the net to make it three wins in seven days for the Tayside team.

And in Nottingham, Nolan La Porte slotted the game-winner as Glasgow Clan edged Panthers 2-1 to claim their fourth straight Elite League win to surge up the standings.

The 29-year-old winger netted on the power play after 33 minutes to put the Scots 2-0 ahead at Nottingham Panthers after his American-born countryman, defenceman Mitch Jones, had scored the opener after 16 minutes. Both goals were assisted by Colton Yellow Horn.

The home side counted with 49 seconds left through Christophe Boivin but this confidence-boosting road win takes Clan into sixth spot in the table, their highest position since the start of their campaign.

Scottish Labour’s candidates in Edinburgh Western vow to work as a team to oppose cuts, fight for more funding for local communities and put forward a positive vision for the city.

At a campaign launch in South Queensferry on Saturday, the group of candidates – Nkechi Okoro, Mhairi Munro-Brian, Richard Parker and Fred Hessler – laid out plans to put a distinctive anti-cuts agenda at the heart of their campaign for the Edinburgh council elections on 5 May 2022. 

Nkechi Okoro, candidate for the Drum Brae/Gyle, works in social care. She said: “I worry about the future of local services for our elderly and young people. As a liaison officer for a local charity, I know that when cuts are made to council budgets, local community groups suffer as well. I will also campaign for better education, health and transport services for Drum Brae-Gyle.”

Mhairi Munro-Brian, a Chemist for a whisky distillery who is standing in Inverleith ward, said: “Edinburgh needs full and fair funding, and it needs candidates who will fight for that. I will do everything I can to ensure Edinburgh receives proper funding and I will stand firmly against cuts to our services. I want more funding to invest in our parks, green spaces, and local shopping areas which are the lifeblood of our communities. Severe flooding in the ward has caused huge distress and I will fight to address the local effects of climate change.”

Richard Parker, a local secondary school teacher and candidate for Corstorphine/Murrayfield, said: “Local government funding has been chronically hit by the Tories at Westminster and the SNP in Holyrood. The SNP’s draft budget will deliver real term cuts to City of Edinburgh Council of around £50 million over the next three years. I’m standing for election because I know that there are barriers to education that can’t be changed from inside the classroom. As your councillor I want to champion education and opportunities for young people.”

Fred Hessler, candidate in Almond ward, said: “I worry about the future of local services for our elderly and vulnerable citizens. I know from experience that when cuts are made to council budgets, local communities suffer. I have worked passionately as a Mental Health and Disability Nurse for three decades, and firmly believe that the only force for progressive change in our society is the Labour Party and the Trade Union movement.”

With the backing of local MSPs, Foysol Choudhury and Sarah Boyack, the candidates will prioritise local issues and establish a distinctive position, separating them from the austerity manifestos of the SNP and Conservatives.

Foysol Choudhury, MSP for Lothian, said: “Our candidates in Edinburgh Western are working together to fight for the issues that matter. For too long, education, housing, transport, and climate change have taken a back seat to an SNP administration focussed on managing cuts.”

Sarah Boyack, MSP for Lothian, added: “Our diverse group of candidates in Edinburgh Western are off to a flying start, speaking to voters and listening to their priorities. We are the party of cooperation and will work together to rebuild our local services.”

City of Edinburgh council elections are scheduled to take place on Thursday 5 May 2022.

The campaign group Better Broughton are calling a meeting on Zoom on Tuesday night when locals can hear what councillors and transport officials have to say about the development of Picardy Place.

Anyone who has visited the area within the last week will know that the closure of northbound traffic, and the tramworks, are causing mayhem all over the city centre. Coupled with the closure of the northbound lane of North Bridge and other road closures for work by various utility companies, the city has become gridlocked.

But the more important issue relating to Picardy Place is what its future will be, how can the area be made safer for those on foot and what will the public transport interchange look like? Will there be any more green space than at present – in other words will there be any at all now that the trees outside St Mary’s Cathedral have been removed?

Local City Centre ward councillors Karen Doran (Labour – and vice-convenor of the Council’s Transport and Environment Committee) Joanna Mowat (Conservative) and Claire Miller (Green) will speak, and transport officials from the City Council will be available to answer questions.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/future-ideas-and-plans-for-the-picardy-place-area-tickets-250353041687

There are 6,329 new cases of Covid-19 reported today, and unusually 4 deaths are also reported taking the death toll to 10,199. (Register offices are closed at the weekends).

Other numbers are very similar and the only statistics showing an upward move are the number of those who have been vaccinated with either the first or second dose or indeed the booster dose. The last category now number 3,252,819.

Restrictions on the number of households meeting at home or at indoor gatherings and one metre physical distancing in hospitality and leisure settings will be lifted from 5am on Monday.

The First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, told the BBC Sunday Morning show that the restrictions over this last month have been worth it although she recognised that they have had a “big impact on businesses and individuals”. She also admitted that the anticipated 50,000 daily cases had not materialised but it was largely down to the recent restrictions and also the response to the booster programme.

Nightclubs will be allowed to reopen although Covid passports will be required. The Covid certification scheme is not to be extended at present.Working from home will remain the official government advice although a hybrid return to work from the beginning of February will be discussed with business.

The public are advised to continue to test before meeting others and limit the number of contacts where possible.

Face coverings remain mandatory in public places and on public transport.

When addressing MSPs at The Scottish Parliament on Tuesday the First Minister said: “A combination of booster vaccinations, the willingness of the public to adapt their behaviour to help stem transmission, and the temporary protective measures introduced in December, has helped blunt the impact of the Omicron wave.”

Ms Sturgeon confirmed that the number of new positive cases in the preceding 13 days had fallen significantly, and that was coupled with good news about a fall in the number of people in hospital or ICU.

In addition non-professional indoor contact sports may resume from Monday.

Mikey Meechan is a gym instructor with Edinburgh Leisure. Knowing that it is easy to start a fitness campaign but hard to keep it going he shared some tips with us. We hope they help.

How to stick to your fitness goals 

It’s easy to talk yourself out of activity. The number of excuses are endless. It’s too cold, I’ve lost my card or this sofa is much more inviting. 

Here’s a few tips from Mikey Meechan, Gym Instructor at the Royal Commonwealth Pool on how you can stick to your fitness goals even after the month is well underway. 

Be realistic and don’t run before you can walk – Build up gradually with bouts / intervals of intensity and rest. Get a feel from your first few sessions then gauge what can be increased or maintained. Initially, set yourself small goals such as weekly targets, before progressing on to monthly goals. Or sign up to an event or a challenge and set a realistic training programme to work towards. 

Do it for you. It is you who will get the results and the health and mental benefits of physical activity. 

Variety is the spice of life – Take part in different activities like swim, aerobics / circuit class, Yoga / Pilates, weights class or an indoor cycle class. This will help work different muscles in different ways, and stave off boredom caused from doing the same thing each week. 

Save the date. Diary your exercise to know when you plan to be active and keep to it as you would other appointments – make this your time. 

Buddy up and make it social – Share the experience with a friend, member of family or colleague. This creates an accountability to you as well as your training partner. Exercising in groups can also be more inspiring and motivating as well as social.

Use an app, exercise tracker such as MyZone or diary to monitor. Recording what you have done can motivate you especially when you see the improvements in the number of repetitions, distance travelled or how close you are to achieving the World Health Organization’s guide for physical activity (150mins of moderate intensity or 75 mins of high intensity per week).

Don’t be afraid to ask for help – Ask gym staff to help you plan a programme, to support you on a 1-1 basis.

Reward and review – When you reach your initial goal, set yourself a new challenge by reviewing your programme with one of the helpful gym staff. Change is good and will ensure you still to your goals.

Literary sculptures made from books and produced by an unknown artist are to be sold online by Edinburgh auctioneers, Lyon and Turnbull.

The three-dimensional book sculptures which so fascinated everyone, appearing as they did unexpectedly and in a variety of locations in the city, created quite the buzz in past years.

Now, and with the consent of the artist, the proceeds of sale of the five sculptures originally commissioned by Scottish Book Trust during the first Book Week Scotland in 2012 will help the charity with its ongoing work providing access to books for everyone.

The classics turned into sculptures are; Tam O’Shanter by Robert Burns; Whisky Galore, by Compton Mackenzie; Peter Pan, by J.M. Barrie; Lanark, by Alasdair Gray; and Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson. The works will have a starting bid of £800 and a guide price of up to £1,500 and are available to view at Lyon & Turnbull in Broughton Place by appointment.

The auction will take place online from 25 January at 10am until 1 February. Click here.

The book sculpture artist, who is known to be a woman, said: “I always felt that the sculptures were a poor attempt to communicate the transformative magic that happens when a book is read.
“I couldn’t be more delighted that by auctioning them off, they might be turned into real books.”

Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: “Many children are growing up without access to books or owning their own books at home, and since the pandemic the situation has worsened. Without books, children are missing out and we know the impact of this lasts a lifetime.

 “The works featured in these incredible creations all speak of magic, adventure, daring and Scotland’s vital place in the history of world literature.

 “The auction is part of a major and long term fundraising campaign launched late last year. Over Christmas, this focused on giving books to families in need through food banks, local authorities and other charities.”

 Cathy Marsden, a specialist in rare books at  Lyon & Turnbull, (photographed below with one of the sculptures) who has organised the sale, said: “Books are essential for the development of imagination, self-awareness and giving a sense of escapism, all of which promote good mental health and well-being. 

 “We hope that each sculpture offered for sale can help Scottish Book Trust provide the gifts of reading and literature which can change lives.”

This spring the French Film Festival UK comes to Edinburgh’s Summerhall with Screen Horizons running from 30 January to 17 April 2022.

French and Francophone cinema features in the programme which opens with an Edinburgh premiere of French illustrator Aurel’s the 2021 César-winning animation, Josep, which won a string of other awards including prizes at Tokyo Anime Awards, Anima, and the European Film Awards.

The screening on Sunday 6 February will be accompanied by a live introduction by Rafael Cueto from Edinburgh’s CinemaAttic who also directs the Catalan Film Festival.

Presenting an all-embracing range of films, from award-winners to new talents, from classics to documentaries and award-winning animations, the programme includes a diverse celebration of French and Francophone cinema.

Audiences will get a chance to rediscover some of the hottest titles from previous editions of the French Film Festival, including some which have previously been screened at leading international festivals including Cannes and London. To add to the screenings, several will be accompanied by introductions, Q&As and talks by leading experts from the world of film and French culture. 

Watch out for Costa-Gavras’ pulse-pounding political thriller, Z, which was one of the hits from last year’s Festival.  Starring Yves Montand this Academy Award winner was one of the cinematic sensations of the late Sixties. It’s loosely based on the 1963 assassination of Greek left-wing activist Grigoris Lambrakis.

Families have a lot to choose from with several animations aimed at younger audiences, including artist and illustrator Lorenzo Mattotti’s folkloristic work, The Bears’ Famous Invasion of Sicily; and enlightening tale, Hello World! which was made with papier-mâché puppets animated in stop motion, which will also be accompanied by a Q&A.

Emmanuel Mouret’s multi-César-nominated romantic ensemble, Love Affair(s) is the perfect title to be screening over Valentine’s weekend. Beautifully set in the French countryside, it stars Festival favourites Camélia Jordana and Niels Schneider. 

Richard Mowe commented: “With the easing of restrictions we’re delighted to be able to offer a comprehensive international array to accompany other Summerhall screenings in the newly re-equipped Red studio theatre with its Seventies vibe. Audiences will have the chance to catch up with French Film Festival titles they may have missed the first time around. The programme really does have something for everyone.”

www.frenchfilmfestival.org.uk

Screen Horizons Programme

The St Andrews based Eden Mill is best known as a gin sponsor for Hibernian FC, but this season the drinks brand is to become official whisky partner of the Easter Road club.

The bespoke dram has been developed for Hibs fans hoping they have many occasions to raise a glass to their team. Only 800 bottles are available of the whisky which combines both bourbon-matured and sherry finished whiskies and an Eden Mill peated single malt.

Eden Mill Sponsorship Manager Pamela McGovern said: “We’re thrilled to be able to share another outstanding spirit from Eden Mill with Scottish football fans in mind. The focus for the Matchday Blend was to bring fans together to think about their best memories of watching their team, as during season 2020 / 2021 fans were unable to enjoy the special atmosphere of the live experience at Easter Road. 

 “While we have been gin sponsors for Hibs for several years, this season is the first that we have also become spirit partners with the club, inspiring us to create a bespoke whisky that will no doubt become a collectors’ item.  

  “Our distillers have crafted this spectacular dram marrying some of the finest blended whiskies to our Eden Mill Single Malt. The focus is primarily on lighter and sweeter notes with a warming hint of peat smoke underneath, which adds a layer of complexity.  

  “We wanted to remember the highs and lows of football while creating new, unforgettable memories. Now is the perfect time to raise a toast with our sublime whisky to some of the most iconic moments involving our favourite players on the pitch.”  

Murray Milligen, Commercial Manager at Hibernian FC, said: “After a few successful Hibs Gin collaborations with Eden Mill, it’s brilliant to see them do their first Hibs Whisky, a product which has been in demand from our supporter base. Eden Mill always get it right and it’s fantastic that our partnership produces exciting products such as this that supporters can take advantage of.” 

 Co-founder Paul Milleradded: “We are constantly evolving as a brand and it’s with great pride that we are paying tribute to such an iconic football team with our superb new range of spirits.”  

Matchday Spirit Hibernian Dry Gin and the limited edition whisky are available from the Eden Mill online shop.

Scotland edged Ireland 3-2 to earn their first win in the EuroHockey Indoor Championships, Division 2, in Ourense, Spain, but their promotion hopes suffered a hammer blow after a crushing 6-2 defeat to hosts Spain in their first match on Saturday.

Dundee-based coach Iain Strachan’s team led throughout a tense contest against the Irish side whom they beat 2-1 in a recent three-game, mini-series in Belfast.

Emily Dark (Watsonians) broke the deadlock with a penalty corner goal after seven minutes but Orla Macken levelled five minutes later.

Sophie Hinds (Edinburgh University) slotted from a narrow angle to put Scotland ahead for a second time a minute later.

Macken hit back for Ireland a minute later but four minutes after that unmarked Fiona Semple from Glasgow-based Clydesdale Western swept the ball home from the centre of the circle for the game-winner.

Scotland held out thanks to dogged defensive work, particularly as they were handed a number of cards for various offenses as the clock ticked down.

Earlier, Spain led 2-0 down at the break then the home side upped a gear, scoring four goals in 12 minutes including one in the dying seconds.

Berta Agullo picked up the loose ball after a point-blank save from the Spanish goalkeeper and ran through the entire Scottish team to slot home for her second goal of the game.

Rocio Ybarra top scored for Spain with three in the 6-2 win and Newburgh, Fife-based, Emily Dark, who plays for Edinburgh side Watsonians, scored two penalty corners for Scotland who clawed their way back into the game to make it 2-1 after 27 minutes but were then hit by three goals in five, nightmare minutes.

EuroHockey Indoor Championships, Division 2: women: Scotland 2, Spain 6; Scotland 3, Ireland 2 (in Ourense, Spain)

Mathieu Roy claimed the game winner as Glasgow Clan edged Manchester Storm in the Elite League to claim their third win in a row for the first time this term.

The 4-3 success was secured after ice cool netminder Shane Starrett produced a series of quality stops as the English side powered forward in the final stages.

Storm were 4-1 behind early in the third period but two unanswered goals put the home side under real pressure.

Dundee Stars burned Coventry Blaze 3-0 on Tayside thanks to goals from Seb Bengtsson, Dillon Lawrence and Alexandre Ranger.

Bottom club Fife Flyers skidded to their eighth straight defeat in all competitions when they went down 4-1 at Kirkcaldy to Guildford Flames.

Following on from their ‘close run thing’ against London Irish in the EPCR Challenge Cup in the previous round, which they lost by a single point, Edinburgh were hoping to make amends against French side CA Brive in this.

However, the early minutes were a touch nervy and Brive opened the scoring after three minutes with a successful penalty from Thomas Laranjeira for 0-3.

However, without giving away the punch-line, that was the last time that Brive were to see any points on the board as another two attempts at goal were wide of the mark. They did get close to the try line on a couple of occasions, but were denied by superb Edinburgh defence.

Edinburgh, for their part, got off the mark in the sixth minute when, debutant lock, Glen Young finished off the job started by Darcy Graham and Hamish Watson and powered over for the try, Emiliano Boffelli adding the extras for 7-3.

In the lead up to the second try, Brive enjoyed some territorial gains, but had to settle for their third penalty, the second drifting wide, which Laranjeira completely miskicked, much to the amusement of the record crowd.

26 minutes in saw Young score his, and the host’s, second try with a 50 metre break down the right from a kick charge-down. By the time he got close to the line, he was starting to fade, but the Jedburgh man made it over to take the score to 12-3. Boffelli then added the conversion for 14-3.

That just seemed to open the taps as Brive were wondering what went wrong, Edinburgh ran in another three tries in less than 10 minutes of play.

The first came from Jamie Richie off the back of a well worked passing move involving Charlie Sheil, Blair Kinghorn and Mesalume Kunavalu, with the Fijian lock providing the final flip pass to Richie who dotted down for the try.

The next came from Darcy Graham in the 36th minute, when the winger launched into the right corner for his try and he was followed in a couple of minutes later by another debutant, Freddie Owsley, who took the long distance scoring efforts to extremes when he collected the ball in his own 22, broke free, kicked ahead, chased, grubbered, chased and outsprinted Brive’s Axe Muller, to score under the posts.

With Boffelli converting two from three, the half time score stood at 33-3!

Two minutes into the second half, Owsley scored his second in, the favoured, right corner, Boffelli once more proving accurate from wide out to take the score to 40-3.

The home support had to wait another 12 minutes for the next try, during which time Brive enjoyed a period of dominance, keeping Edinburgh’s defence busy and just failing to score when the ball was ripped free by Owsley taking a few minutes off from scoring.

But that was about it for the visitors as the home side ran in another four tries. Three within normal time from Ben Muncaster, Hamish Watson and Mark Bennett and the last from Henry Pyrgos in overtime.

With replacement stand off, Charlie Savala, adding sufficient extras to take the final score out to 66-3 in front of a record crowd. at the DAM Health Stadium.

Images from the match will appear here over the next few days

The second Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) was presented to The Scottish Parliament earlier in the week by Transport Minister, Michael Matheson, and it offers hope for those who believe that extending the trams in Edinburgh would be a good thing.

What is STPR2? It is a framework of how transport might be encouraged to evolve over the next two decades and aims to deliver the priorities set out in the National Transport Strategy. The document sets out quite boldly that the government will no longer provide road infrastructure for unconstrained growth in private car use.

Set in the landscape of a global climate emergency, the document made 45 recommendations which Mr Matheson said would “represent a repositioning of our transport investment priorities”.

Mass transport in Edinburgh and the south east of Scotland could be a large part of that and is one of the individual recommendations, along with another for improvements on the Edinburgh to Glasgow rail line.

“STPR2 recommends that Transport Scotland works with regional partners to develop and enhance the cross-boundary public transport system for the Edinburgh and South East Scotland region, potentially comprising tram and bus-based transit modes including Bus Rapid Transit (BRT). This would complement and integrate with the region’s current bus, tram and heavy rail networks, to provide improved connectivity between Edinburgh and the surrounding communities in the region, as well as more direct connections between communities outside Edinburgh.”

Mr Matheson spoke to Radio Forth in The Scottish Parliament to explain the reasoning behind the recommendation – partly climate change driven and partly to make public transport more attractive:

The overarching principles are that “for most journeys, the natural and easiest choice should be active travel, then public transport”. The other is that the measures must mean that investment is sustainable, focussing on measures which reduce the need to travel (cue for the first mention of a 20-minute neighbourhood), measures to maintain the infrastructure which is in place and to build new roads and bridges only where they are the “only feasible solution”.

The document is now available for a 12-week long public consultation.

Conservative MSP, Graham Simpson said in The Scottish Parliament: “This statement and its accompanying document raise more questions than they provide answers for. We can see the direction of travel, but we do not know how we will get there.

“Why is there still no timescale for a smart ticketing system? Why is there only mention of talks, rather than action, on cross-border high-speed rail? What are the plans to improve the situation in the north? Will the far north line be dualled? There is no mention of that.

“STPR2 was an opportunity to set out a different route for our failing ferry system, but there is nothing there. No multimillion pound investment has been set out. Where is it? Islanders are calling out for it. If we want our buses to be net zero, we need to spend more, but the statement says nothing about how we will achieve that. This is a series of missed opportunities and there remain a lot of questions.”

Scottish Greens transport spokesperson Mark Ruskell said: “This strategic vision represents a clear shift in priorities from roads to public transport and active travel which shows the impact of Greens in government.

“I look forward to more detailed plans about how our record investment in active travel will be spent on the ground.

“The £5bn we have secured for electrification of our railways will mark a step change in the quality and performance of services, while the focus on rail freight will enable a big shift from road to rail. However, I want to see more ambition to expand the rail network in the future.

“This strategy sets a much better direction of travel for future investment and we will continue to campaign for local improvements in our public transport infrastructure across Scotland.”

Alex Hynes, Managing Director of Scotland’s Railway said: “I’m encouraged that today’s report recognises the major role rail will play in moving people and goods sustainably as we move towards a net zero Scotland.  At Scotland’s Railway we are keenly focused on a number of clearly defined targets to achieve the Scottish Government’s net zero ambitions and we’ve already delivered a 38% overall reduction in carbon emissions in the last eight years. 

“Looking ahead, the financial picture is of course challenging but it’s great to see STPR2 support the potential for even more rail passengers and freight being transported by rail.”

This is the latest summary report below:

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The report mentions the possibility of setting up “mobility hubs”. This has been welcomed by Collaborative Mobility UK (CoMoUK) is the national charity for the public benefit of shared transport such as car clubs, bike share and digital demand responsive transport. CoMoUK also promotes mobility hubs which involve different modes of environmentally-friendly transport coming together in one place, alongside community facilities.
The organisation operates the national accreditation scheme for mobility hubs, with the first accredited hub recently opening in London.
 
Rachael Murphy, Scotland director of CoMoUK, said:“This is a very welcome blueprint for the future of Scotland’s transport.
“It’s particularly pleasing to see the importance of shared transport identified, which must become an attractive and viable option for more people and communities across Scotland.
“Developments such as mobility hubs and digital demand responsive transport can transform how we travel around our communities.
“Shared transport will assist the Scottish Government in making real progress in hitting its ambitious climate change targets.”

Sally Hinchcliffe is one of the organisers of Pedal on Parliament, a decade long campaign to persuade the government to increase spending on active travel measures to ten per cent of the transport budget. Often to be seen on a bike, Ms Hinchcliffe’s views on the STPR2 are best expressed in the long Twitter thread which she published after reading the government document. You can read the thread below. (You may also need to know before reading this thread that Sally’s new book was published in January!)

Sally is largely supportive of the government proposals to reduce car kilometres by 20% by 2030, but there are a couple of bumps on the road, and some recycled policies mentioned:

Edinburgh is in a “strong position” to begin regulating short-term lets, council leader Adam McVey has said, as legislation is passed to introduce licensing schemes across Scotland.

Any property being used as a holiday rental, such as Airbnbs, will have to apply for a license from local authorities by April 2023 in order to operate, The Scottish Government confirmed this week.

Over the last decade the capital has become a hotbed of short-term lets (STLs) and is now believed to be home to around a third of all in Scotland.

The lack of regulation over the market is seen as a key cause of Edinburgh’s housing crisis, with thousands of properties in the city no longer used for residential purposes.

Furthermore, neighbours often report being exposed to excessive noise into the early hours and anti-social behaviour.

Cllr McVey said the introduction of a licensing scheme is “a great step forward for something that Edinburgh has led”.

He added: “We shouldn’t forget that the change that’s happening on a national level is because of the work that Edinburgh has done and our council has done in calling for these changes and helping shape them to give us the powers we need to resolve these problems.”

Cllr McVey said “hundreds of thousands of pounds and resources” have already been put into setting up the scheme in Edinburgh.

“We’re in a strong position now to start processing applications and crucially, enforcing the new regulations, as soon as we have the ability to do so,” he added.

All local authorities will be required to set up STL licensing by October this year.

Whole properties being let out at STLs will have to apply for a license by April next year, with planning permission for a change of use, or evidence of an application seeking change of use, required before a license can be obtained.

Furthermore, next month the council will decide whether or not to become a ‘short-term let control area’, which would require properties to have planning permission in place at the time of applying.

Cllr McVey continued: “It’s not just about anti-social behaviour issues and impact on individuals and stairs, personally, although those are hugely important, it’s about the overall housing supply in Edinburgh which has seen 10,000 residential properties taken out of residential use and put into short-term let visitor accommodation.

“We need to see that tide starting to turn back and more properties – particularly in the City Centre that we want to remain a vibrant place – continue to be first and foremost for residents.”

A spokesperson for short-term let company Airbnb said: “We are committed to being good partners to Scotland and want to work with local authorities to make these rules a success.”

They added the majority of hosts “share their homes occasionally to boost their income”, adding: “We look forward to collaborating with everyone to support these families and their communities as they recover from the pandemic.”

Fiona Campbell, chief executive of the Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers, which represents people working in the short-term letting sector, was critical of the scheme, saying it was “poorly thought out and highly restrictive” that will be “nothing short of a disaster for self-caterers in Edinburgh”.

She added: “Edinburgh has a richly deserved reputation as one of the world’s leading tourist destinations and hard working, professional, and diligent self-caterers are a key part of the diverse accommodation offering in the city.

“Traditional self-catering is worth £70 million per annum to the capital’s economy which is now put at risk.

“To compound matters, Edinburgh’s self-caterers also face struggling under the council’s restrictive city-wide control area as well as the prospect of a tourist tax not far on the horizon. It really is a perfect storm of restrictions for us, which comes during a time at which we need it least.”

by Donald Turvill, Local Democracy Reporter

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) is a public service news agency: funded by the BBC, provided by the local news sector, and used by qualifying partners. Local Democracy Reporters cover top-tier local authorities and other public service organisations.

As one Australian is set to leave Edinburgh, with Martin Boyle quitting Hibs for Saudi Arabian team, Al-Faisaly, Hearts have signed Nathaniel Atkinson who is primed for his debut on Saturday against Auchinleck Talbot.

The 22-year-old signed on a three-and-a-half-year deal from Melbourne City after a successful time at the Olympics in the summer.

After a few issues with his visa were settled, Atkinson joined up with his new teammates for training early in the New Year and is now ready to feature at Beechwood Park, if called upon by Hearts’ boss Robbie Neilson. 

This is Atkinson’s first time in Europe, fortunately, his teammate and compatriot, Cammy Devlin was on hand to help him settle in and show him around Edinburgh. 

 “I’ve settled in pretty good,” Atkinson smiled. 

“It’s a bit cold but I’ve put an extra layer on to cope with that. I just got my apartment yesterday so it’s starting to feel like home now.

“Cammy Devlin has been taking me around Edinburgh. I don’t have a car yet, so he’s been driving me around.

“It’s very important to have someone like Cammy to help me settle in. I’ve known him for about three years now through the junior national teams. We’ve grown quite close. 

“He’s a really good lad. He’s helped me a lot just by introducing me to the boys and making me feel like home. It’s been vital, to be fair. I hope to make the same impact as him. Cammy throws his body around and dies for the badge every day. I’m the same. 

“I hate to lose. I will try and win at all costs and if that means putting my body on the line I’ll be sure to do that.”

Atkinson joins a growing list of Australians to play for Hearts, and even had a word with former Jambos, Patrick Kisnorbo and Ben Garucico on what to expect, with the long-term ambition of nailing down a regular spot in Graham Arnold’s Socceroos squads.

“That’s the ambition. I thought it was time for me to go to Europe and test myself. When Hearts were interested and offered the chance to come to a big club in Scotland where lots of Australians have done well then it was a good choice for me. I’ve come close in the past to getting into the Socceroos and hopefully I can continue my form, get fit and start playing.

“He [Kisnorbo] said it’s a big club and an aspiring club that wants to get back into Europe. He told me about the expectations and the fact they want to compete at the top of the league. 

“Benny I’m quite close to as well. He had nothing but greats words to say. He really enjoyed his time here.”

The defender has already had his first taste of Tynecastle, as he was named amongst the substitutes as Hearts defeated St Johnstone on Tuesday night and although he was only on the bench, he was still blown away by the atmosphere. 

“It was an amazing experience. I’m used to playing in front of four to eight thousand people. So, when you see a full stadium like Tynecastle with close to 20,000 supporters so close to the pitch – fans that would die for the badge and want to see the club do well.

“It was an eye opener into what Scottish football and culture is all about.”

Atkinson is likely to receive some more ‘eye opening’ experiences in Auchinleck on Saturday, especially if he starts the match, however he’s determined to win trophies at Hearts and dealing with Saturday’s potential banana skin of a tie could be the first steppingstone to achieving just that. 

“Every footballer wants to win games and I’m a player who likes to attack and take players on. 

“Fans will see a player who will die for the badge. I’ve got a taste for trophies now, so I want to bring trophies here as well.”

Volunteers behind a 17-year-long campaign for a new community footway in East Lothian is celebrating a funding windfall that they say will help protect lives.

Sustrans Scotland has awarded East Lothian Council £30,000 to examine design options for the first section of a cycle and walking path connecting Drem to Gullane.

Campaigners are urging council leaders to quickly finalise plans and start construction of the climate-friendly path.

Drem-Gullane Path Campaign spokesperson, Iain V Monk, said: “This is thrilling news. Our persistence has paid off and this represents a huge milestone in our campaign for a safe path that can be enjoyed by everyone in our community as well as visitors.

“The path will protect lives by keeping walkers, wheelers and cyclists away from the busy B1345 road and encourage healthier and greener journeys between the villages.

”It’s now vital East Lothian Council speeds up construction of this climate-friendly path.”

Welcoming the news, in a joint statement, East Lothian MSPs Craig Hoy, Martin Whitfield and Paul MacLennan said:

“This funding represents a major milestone in the long running community campaign for a safe link between Gullane and Drem railway station.

“It is essential that local families, and visitors to the area, are given a healthy alternative that will allow safe travel between the villages.

“An active travel network across the country will help reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality, which is why it’s vital that East Lothian Council and Sustrans continue to focus their efforts to ensure the whole route is constructed as soon as possible.”

Drem-Gullane Path Campaign website 

Scotland’s hopes of a moral-boosting win in the EuroHockey Indoor Championships, Division Two, in Spain were dashed by a goal 40 seconds from full time.

Razor-sharp Sofie Stomps capitalised on a loose ball near the top of the circle and slammed the ball home for a 3-3 draw sending the Scots defence to their knees in frustration.

Earlier, Stomps opened the scoring after five minutes but Watsonians star Emily Dark (pictured) from Newburgh near Dundee netted from a penalty corner to level a minute later.

Sarah Zepf scored a second for the opposition two minutes after that but then two unanswered goals put the Scots ahead.

Millie Steiger (Clydesdale Western) netted with a clinical strike from the left side of the circle after 15 minutes and Ruth Blaikie (Edinburgh University) counted from a sweeping move initiated deep in the Scotland half after 23 minutes.

The desperate Swiss withdrew their goalkeeper with eight minutes left to have another outfield player and dogged defence kept Scotland ahead until that late mistake in the final minute.

Earlier, Heather McEwan scored eight minutes into her debut as Scotland took a shock 1-0 lead against highly-rated Belgium in their opening game in the championship in Ourense.

The Dundee Wanderers star’s goal separated the sides until the 20th minute when Belgium levelled and they claimed another four unanswered goals between the 30th and 40th minutes to wrap up the points.

People living in high-rise flats in south-east Edinburgh say excessive damp and mould is damaging their physical and mental wellbeing — as concerns were raised some would have to pay up to £8,000 to have repairs carried out.

Speaking on behalf of hundreds of people living in multi storey flats in Moredun and Craigour, residents association chair Robyn Kane told councillors that tenants are “still feeling ignored by the council,” after she made a plea for them to take action last year.

She added: “We are still suffering from leaks caused by old pipes which is causing immense damage from the dampness and the mould.

“We are still worried about asbestos in our floors and ceilings, we still have windows and doors that are not wind and water tight, forcing us into fuel poverty.

“We still have old immersion heaters that break down constantly and cost a fortune to run and there is a constant fear that one of our most vital assets, the Moredunvale green space, will be built on.

“The overwhelming number of tenants that I represent are in fuel poverty, having to choose between food and heat. What makes this even worse is because the windows are not air tight, the cost of keeping a home warm goes up as the hot air escapes.”

Ms Kane was addressing the Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Committee on Thursday when members heard that more than 500 complaints regarding damp, mould and condensation were made to the council between August and November last year, including 95 in the south-east.

“Even though this is the second highest figure in the city I can assure you there are far more cases than this. I am aware of several households in the Moreduns high-rises where people are scared or unwilling to come forward in fear of being treated poorly by the repair staff or because previous repairs were not being carried out to the tenants’ standards, so they’ve given up on reporting altogether,” she said.

Earlier this month the council wrote to residents saying they would take action by replacing the buildings’ Automatic Opening Vents (AOVs), which help to prevent the build-up of heat and smoke in corridors and stairwells.

Ms Kane said that although this is “welcome news” for council tenants, those who own their property could be forced to shell out “upwards of £8,000” to pay for the work.

“Because AOVs are in the landings, it’s classed as a communal area, so home owners that do live in the high-rises and bought their homes, have paid off their mortgages and have never been in debt are now being asked to pay for the first phase of an ongoing thing which could cost estimated £8000,” she added, “and that’s just the first phase.”

“But homeowners weren’t expected to pay for the lifts, the new lights, so the fact they’re expected to pay for the AOVs is shocking.”

Also in attendance at the meeting was Mike Wingall from Gilmerton Inch Community Council, who said the letter sent to residents from the local authority has created “high levels of stress and anxiety”.

He added: “Many of the owner occupiers are elderly and retired or nearing retirement. One owner I spoke to was advised that the estimated cost of the first phase of the work was over £8,000. She had planned to retire next year and is now very anxious about her future finances and how long she may have to postpone her retirement.”

Mr Wingall also pointed out the letter implied the £8,000 figure is “only and estimate”, and could be higher, with further phases of work requiring additional payments.

Cllr Kate Campbell, Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council said: “The automated opening vents in the blocks  need replaced to disperse smoke in stairwell and corridors if there is a fire.

“We plan to take this essential work forward very soon. We appreciate that it may be difficult for private owners to meet their share of the costs – we understand that owning a home and it’s upkeep can be expensive – and so we  we’re looking at every way possible that we can to help the private owners cover these costs including a scheme of assistance and a dedicated support case worker.

“And everyone will benefit. Once the works are complete homes will feel safer with no households impacted if there is an accidental fire or smoke issue in any other part of the building, helping all residents to feel secure in their homes.

 “We know that there are more improvements needed to blocks and we’ll continue to speak to and work with residents on planning those improvements that will take a bit longer to deliver.”

by Donald Turvill Local Democracy Reporter

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) is a public service news agency: funded by the BBC, provided by the local news sector, and used by qualifying partners. Local Democracy Reporters cover top-tier local authorities and other public service organisations.

Scottish Labour have won a decisive council by-election victory as it was claimed Conservative voters stayed away from polling stations.

The East Lothian Council by-election was sparked by the death of council leader Willie Innes, a Labour stalwart, who died in office last October.

And the outcome, a win for Labour candidate Colin Yorkston, was hailed as a tribute to Mr Innes and the voters who backed his legacy.

Turnout at the Preston, Seton Gosford ward was just 31.4% – compared to 51 percent at the last local authority election in 2017.

The count took just over an hour and a half as only 4,653 valid votes were tallied at Meadowmill Sports Centre this morning.

And the final results appeared to show a swing from the Scottish Conservative votes to the SNP who saw their percentage grow by almost 10% since the council elections five years ago.

In 2017 Mr Innes took 24.3% of the vote with Scottish Conservative candidate Lachlan Bruce running a close second with 24.1% of the votes.

Today’s polls saw Scottish Labour take 38% of the vote with the SNP candidate Janis Wilson taking nearly 26%  – up from 16% in 2017 – and the Scottish Conservatives coming in third with just over 24%.

Only 4,696 votes were counted out of an electorate of just under 15,000 – in 2017, 7,397 valid ballots were returned. East Lothian MSP Martin Whitfield said the turnout had been a tribute to the former council leader as well as a no-show for the Conservatives, as reports of boozy parties held in Downing Street during lockdown led to repeated calls for Prime Minister Boris Johnson to resign over his handling of the issue.

He said: “The feedback at the polling stations was that the Conservative voters simply stayed at home.

“I am delighted by the result which is a tribute to Willie Innes and the people of Preston Seton Gosford who supported his values and legacy.”

The council issued 3,641 postal vote papers for the by-election and said 63% had been returned meaning more than half the final tally came via the post.

Mr Yorkston, a 55-year-old teacher who works at Holyrood High School, is originally from Prestonpans and lives in the town with his family.

A fellow founding member of the  Preston Lodge High School’s Learning Foundation alongside Mr Innes, he said he looked forward to continuing the former council leader’s passionate support of education and opportunities for young people in the county.

He said: “I am obviously delighted by the result. I have a huge interest in education and improving the life choices for youngsters and that is something Willie was passionate about. I will be looking to carry that on.

“Willie set a very high standard and I will strive to continue it.”

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said: “This is a phenomenal result and all the credit for it must go to Colin, his local team and the hard work done by all the Scottish Labour family.
“In Colin the people of East Lothian have a local champion who is ready to carry on the work of the sorely missed Willie Innes.
“It is clear that Scottish Labour is the only party that can not only oppose the SNP and Tories, but can replace them.
“We are ready to build a brighter future for the people of Scotland – join us on that journey.”

East Lothian Conservative  MSP Craig Hoy flatly rejected any suggestion the Tory vote was down saying the Scottish Conservatives were the only major party to see their vote share rise.

Pointing to Ballot Box Scotland figures which looked at the overall votes for all candidates at the 2017 election when four seats were up for grabs he said both Labour and the SNP had seen their percentage fall.

He said: “Labour and the SNP saw their overall percentage of the vote fall, whereas the Scottish Conservatives saw an increase in our vote share.“This is a significant achievement in the present circumstances and a tribute to a great local candidate and a strong local campaign.

“It also underlines the hard work that Douglas Ross and his team are engaged in to ensure we become the real alternative to the SNP. Meanwhile Labour and the SNP are going backwards in East Lothian.”

Ballot Box Scotland reported the overall Labour percentage vote for Labour across all three candidates at the by election was 38.5% – down from 42.7% overall in 2017, while the SNP overall vote  fell by 1.4% to 26.2% and Conservative percentage went up by 0.7% to 24.8%.In the 2017 election Labour fielded three candidates, while the SNP put forward two and the Conservatives just one for the four seats.

by Marie Sharp Local Democracy Reporter

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) is a public service news agency: funded by the BBC, provided by the local news sector, and used by qualifying partners. Local Democracy Reporters cover top-tier local authorities and other public service organisations.

The report below is produced by The City of Edinburgh Council’s EdinTravel team and will show you what to look out for on the roads in the capital in the next week.

Traffic in Edinburgh City Centre has been very congested all week. As well as the closure to northbound traffic on North Bridge there are major changes at Picardy Place to allow work on the Trams to Newhaven project to continue. These will last for around four months.

Phase 2: from 17 January 2022: 

Extension of Trams to Newhaven site across the Broughton Street / Picardy Place junction. Please note the exit from Broughton Street to Picardy Place remains open. Access from Picardy Place to Broughton Street will not be allowed. This is scheduled to last 16 weeks (c. May 2022). 

View the traffic management plan (PDF)

Diversion routes are in place for traffic traveling from London Road to Picardy Place.

• Buses: View the Lothian Buses diversions
• Cars: Via London Road, Leith Walk, Annandale Street, East London Street, Broughton Street  or via Leith Street, Princes Street, St Andrew Square, York Place, Broughton Street
• HGVs: via Leith Street, Princes Street, St Andrew Square, York Place

Signage will be in place to advise no HGVs and buses are to go via East London Street.

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If you see anything on the roads which is not on the list then let the travel team know on Twitter @EdinTravel

Updated versions of the listings are posted to the website most weekday afternoons, these can be found by going to https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/edintravel