Following five months of matches involving 30 non course owning golf clubs this year’s Sivewright Quaich winners are Buckstone, for a fourth time.

Buckstone, represented in the Lothians’ Golf Association sanctioned competition by, left to right, J Dunn, J Notman, M Sykes, captain, and M Hunter have now appeared in seven finals over the past 15 years.

On this latest occasion they defeated Stewart’s Melville FP with Buckstone secretary John Dunn, a member of the winning line-up, reporting that the final was played “in very good spirits on a well presented Prestonfield course.”

https://www.lothiansgolfassociation.org.uk/history_of_sivewright_quaich

There are many things to remember this month – from the birth of Naomi Aitchison (unbelievably in 1897) to HM The Queen opening the extension to the National Museum of Scotland in 1988.

• Compiled by Jerry Ozaniec, Membership Secretary of the Old Edinburgh Club, membership@oldedinburghclub.org.uk 

There have been reports of disorder, damage to buses, and attacks on police vehicles with fireworks and bricks in the Hay Avenue area of Niddrie on Halloween.

Police in Edinburgh have advised that roads have all now reopened and police officers remain in the area.

The Fireworks Control Zones (FCZ) which the council put in place comes into effect on 1 November. The measure lasts until 10 November and gives the council power to ban the use of fireworks in four areas of the city – Balerno, Niddrie, Calton Hill and Seafield.

Cllr Cammy Day, Council Leader, said: “I am shocked and saddened to hear of the mindless violence and disorder taking place in areas across the city tonight, especially during what should have been a night of fun and celebration. This is a time for families and young people to come together and enjoy Halloween in a safe environment, so it’s incomprehensible to me that anyone would choose to cause such disruption, fear and alarm in our communities – particularly with hooligans deliberately targeting buses and police vehicles. I would appeal to anyone who can help identify those responsible to contact police as soon as possible so they can be dealt with appropriately through the justice system.

“”I’d like to reassure residents that we will continue to work closely with Police Scotland, particularly in the run up to Bonfire Night, and will be meeting again first thing tomorrow morning to discuss next steps.

“”I want to pay tribute to our dedicated emergency services for the fantastic job they do doing to keep us all safe – not only now, but all year round – and to our fantastic bus drivers, who keep the city moving.

“Nobody should face violence at work, and we will continue to do everything we can to ensure their safety.”

Lothian reported the disorder and changes to its services on Twitter:

To make a complaint about antisocial behaviour with fireworks

Call Police Scotland on 101 to make a complaint about antisocial behaviour related to fireworks. They will use this information to identify what needs to be looked into. They will also link in with the council’s Family and Household Support Teams in regard to any antisocial behaviour. Contact local teams as below for more information.

South West Team
Call 0131 469 5150
Email southwestFHS@edinburgh.gov.uk

South East Team
Call 0131 529 5123
Email southeastFHS@edinburgh.gov.uk

North West Team
Call 0131 529 5014
Email northwestFHS@edinburgh.gov.uk

North East Team
Call 0131 529 7168
Email northeastFHS@edinburgh.gov.uk

The Edinburgh Integration Joint Board is heading into what could be a lively meeting on Friday.

It was only on Friday of last week (at 4pm) that the papers for this week’s meeting were published on the council website. It was a good time to hide bad news – and it was potentially bad news for 60+ organisations which were warned they would have all of their funding cut on 90 days’ notice.

The report to be discussed on Friday was penned by Pat Togher, the Chief Officer of EIJB who is returning soon to a similar £180,000 or so a year post in Glasgow after only 12 months in his current position.

The board has been asked to hear verbal deputations in relation to agenda items in which the cuts were proposed from several organisations affected:

Further deputations will be heard from the voluntary sector representatives of the Adult Support and Protection Committee, the Edinburgh Trade Union Council, EVOC, Citizens Advice Edinburgh (CAE) , Community Help and Advice Initiative (CHAI) and Granton Information Centre (GIC).

The Edinburgh South West MP and former councillor, Dr Scott Arthur, has also written a letter to the board. In it he urges the board to reconsider, saying that his key concerns include lack of consultation, inaccurate information, a vague alternative proposal (the Public Social Partnership) and the severe consequences of funding cuts as well as job losses (which he estimates at around 200 in the sector).

Deputations:

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Return on investment

Many of the written deputations strike at the comments made in the lengthy report from the EIJB that there is little return on investment for many of these projects. The report suggested that only one project – Steady Steps run by Edinburgh Leisure – could represent value for each £ spent. Other deputations ask for a more detailed outline of the Public Social Partnership model which Mr Togher suggested would replace current arrangements.

CAE, CHAI and GIC say in their deputation that around “100 people would be placed at risk of redundancy if the EIJB vote in favour of this recommendation”.

The EIJB is faced with stemming a gap of up to £60 million in their £900 million budget, and the board chose to target dozens of organisations which do a great deal of good all over the city. The groundswell of opposition among politicians and charitable groups and bodies has been growing all week.

COUNCIL LEADER – “further discussion” needed

The Council Leader, Cammy Day, told The Edinburgh Reporter: “I have met with the chief officer of the EIJB to discuss my concerns, although sadly as a result of my diary commitments I cannot attend the meeting personally.

“I am pleased to see there is a composite motion put forward today. Labour have put forward an amendment to not accept in year cuts and work with the sector to find an alternative proposal which would allow the EIJB to accept it going forward

“I totally accept that the EIJB has been chronically underfunded to the tune of around £30 million since it was first set up by the SNP government. It has never properly recovered from that – there are increasing demands for social care and the need for care packages is also increasing across the city, yet the appropriate budget is not increasing.

“Edinburgh is the lowest funded council in Scotland. I hope tomorrow that the EIJB board members will accept that this is not the right thing to proceed with, and that we can have a further discussion with EIJB members, the council and the third sector about how we move forward. I accept that there are cuts to be made because of the horrendous situation we find ourselves in.

“The UK Labour Government has just announced one of the best budgets we have seen. I hope that it will give additional monies to The Scottish Government. I will be writing to The Scottish Government tomorrow, asking them to pass on any Barnett consequentials directly to local authorities to spend without any conditions attached.”

CROSS PARTY MOTION

The composite motion proposed by a cross-party group of councillors (which can be read in the meeting papers here) is set out in full below. If this is passed then it will allow the third sector organisations a bit of breathing space.

1. Since its inception, the EIJB has operated with a massive and unsustainable financial
   deficit of £32m;
2. Third sector partners and their volunteers make an invaluable contribution to our
   communities and are pivotal in keeping our citizens safe, well and active;
3. The proposal for in-year cuts would make a minimal saving in comparison to the overall
   in-year deficit but would have devastating impact on the residents who rely on these
   services;
4. Proposals around a potential future model for funding the third sector is due to come to
   the December board meeting for discussion;
5. Both the previous strategic plan, and the proposed new strategic plan for the IJB centre
   prevention, early intervention, community resilience and protecting our most vulnerable;
6. Limited engagement has taken place with the third sector to co-produce solutions to the
   funding shortfall;
   Therefore deletes all recommendations and replaces with:
7. Agrees to retain the grants programme to at least the end of the financial year;
8. Agrees to note the report and refer it to CEC and NHSL for their consideration on how we
   can address the in-year financial deficit while protecting services and third sector
   organisations;
9. Agrees to hold discussions as soon as possible with NHS Lothian, the Council, and third
   sector organisations to consider alternative proposals for the long-term future of third-
   sector funding, mindful of the current financial position across the Scottish public sector
   and the need to meet EIJB objectives;
10. Agrees that budget discussions comply as far as possible with the Audit Scotland
    recommendation for “clear and open conversations with IJB partners, workforce, people
    who use services and other stakeholders around the difficult choices required to achieve
    financial sustainability”.

The Community Renewal Trust

The trust received £45,482 from the EIJB community grants programme. It works from two Edinburgh locations – one in Bingham and one in Muirhouse.

CEO John Halliday told The Edinburgh Reporter: “Community Renewal Trust is one of 60+ charities and community groups to be facing a 100% cut from Edinburgh’s council and NHS operated Integration Joint Board.

“This is not our organisation’s main funding, but is for a vital service based in the poorest neighbourhood in the whole of Edinburgh, intensively supporting people facing mental health and chronic pain related crises. Our particular project has avoided so many people being admitted to hospital, has reduced the amount of medication and GP appointments needed, has stopped multiple children needing to be taken into foster care, and has enabled older people to live better independently without needing a carer. 

“In our case, our charity will survive, although the same cannot be said for all those local residents we would have been supporting. Much more than our own organisation and our own local community, we are primarily worried about the huge scale of these abrupt sweeping cuts on those residents with lowest life expectancy in every ward of the city.

“The decision is rumoured to be a decision based a sudden new ideology being introduced, one rejecting thirty years of established evidence in public health, community-based health and preventive health initiatives; it is perhaps an act of rebellion against the guidance of the Chief Medical Officer, Scottish Government and also Audit Scotland’s recommendations.

“Sadly, it will also be in vain, their own internal analysis [agenda 7.2, para 18, page 86] shows that even the most unrealistically optimistic forecast of the saving from this £4.5m cut is actually less than £0.3m due to the rising cost on other health and care provision, likely associated with an immediate surge of demand for social carers, GP appointments and hospital admissions across Edinburgh.

“We are aware of at least 15 community groups and local charities which would close their whole organisation immediately and we estimate that a minimum of 108 jobs will be made redundant.”

The Health Agency Wester Hailes

The Health Agency is more than just a service provider, it acts as a community anchor organisation, helping drive forward community resilience in Health and wellbeing and provides essential health prevention work, these cuts would deal a significant blow to health prevention in the local area.

The Health Agency in Wester Hailes received £170,287 last year from this programme (which was in any case cut by 10% overall in the last financial year).

This agency is a lifeline to many who live in Edinburgh South West, providing free support to around 2,500 people experiencing health inequalities, with mental health services including counselling on offer. The organisation helps people with cancer, with long-term health conditions, offers help for those who want to learn to cook healthy food – and a food pantry helping with food insecurity.

A client of the agency said: “I just think there will be a lot more people with depression, you know, ended up with maybe a really severe depression and they wouldn’t be getting the help they needed.  They would end up just not knowing where to go for help.” 

A spokesperson for the agency said that this kind of self-directed support “makes a significant contribution to the creation of a healthier, stronger and more robust community and has proven to reduce the pressure on frontline NHS services and statutory services”.

A local GP Dr Sineaid Bradshaw Deep End Gp and member of the Primary Care Facilitation Team said: “As a GP working in Wester Hailes the services provided by the Health Agency are invaluable. We work closely in partnership with the Health agency who provide invaluable support to patients experiencing social isolation, long term health conditions, cancer, weight management issues, food insecurity and mental and emotional health challenges. I genuinely struggle to know how I would do my job without the support of the Health agency and feel incredibly concerned at the thought we could lose it. It also seems such a backward step to take money away from programmes which focus on promoting health and preventing illness. In my mind it will just incur huge costs on more expensive parts of the system e.g. secondary care.

“The Health Agency is an indispensable resource for the overstretched GPs and nurses of Wester Hailes Medical Practice and surrounding surgeries struggling to provide adequate care and support in this area of multiple deprivation. How can we begin to meet the complex needs of our diverse population without the holistic input and creative solutions of partner organisations such as The Health Agency? Collaboration with community support structures is the only meaningful way to address the social determinants of health. Disinvesting in this essential service is a false economy and reinforces the Inverse Care Law. 

“Primary care in areas of socio-economic deprivation is unsustainable without our third sector partners and this resource cannot be removed without woeful consequences.“

But above all the loss of this funding would mean a loss of £327,671 of funding from other sources.

Portobello Older People’s Project

Lawrence Marshall is treasurer of one of the bodies which could be affected if the proposed cuts go ahead.

Mr Marshall volunteers anything up to 40 hours a week for Portobello Older People’s Project (POPP) which received £14,620 from the EIJB in the last financial year. This project employs one person – an organiser who liaises with GPs who want to refer people to the group.

POPP is a lunch group for older people which meeting on two days each week. The organiser orders meals which are provided by the council from Portobello High School at a discounted rate, arranges transport from South Edinburgh Amenities Group (SEAG) to pick people up from their homes and then delivers them home again. She is assisted by a band of around 20 volunteers over the two days – two of whom have to be on the minibus during the journeys. POPP began three decades ago and Mr Marshall said it has always had funding from the council.

Mr Marshall – who was speaking to The Edinburgh Reporter in a personal capacity – said: “We reach about 20 frail elderly people in Portobello who otherwise would have to look elsewhere for company so as to avoid social isolation. We signpost people to other services – small things like small repairs to their homes. We also manage to have a couple of outings each year with the minibus – and SEAG is a charity which depends on our business so they will also be at risk.

“It would be a sin for that funding which represents 0.5% of the EIJB budget across the whole grants programme to be cancelled. We have gone through the financial crisis. We have gone through governments of different stripes and for it now to come to this is sinful. It erodes trust and respect for democratically elected councils – and we should not be in a position where elected councillors are eroding the social good in the city. We always thought we were safe because we are probably one of the lowest awards on the grant programme. But they have taken a sledgehammer and smashed the whole thing. It is not a finessed process this year.”

The meeting of the Edinburgh Integration Joint Board will be held at the City Chambers at 10am.

The papers are online here and a link to the webcast where anyone may watch the meeting is here.

Edinburgh driving instructor, Alistair Allan, of Regent School of Motoring based in Pilton tore up his L Plates recently.

He is pictured here with Blake Gibson from Muirhouse celebrating his final car driving test and his retirement.

Blake (right) passed his test at the Currie Driving Test Centre on Halloween.

Alistair has taught leaner drivers for 48 years, possibly the longest serving Approved Driving Instructor in Edinburgh. He began teaching with European School of Motoring based in Meadowbank. He initially worked from the small hut sited at Morningside Station, and set up his own driving school Regent School of Motoring in 1979.

Plans to cut funding for Edinburgh charities which support vulnerable people “threaten the jobs of around 150 key workers” and stand “in stark contradiction” to council and government policies on no compulsory redundancies, Scotland’s largest trade union body has said.

The Edinburgh Integration Joint Board (EIJB), a council-NHS partnership which oversees health and social care services across the city, is forecast to overspend by £26m this year and faces a £50m deficit in 2025-26.

Bosses said shortfalls “will not be closed through efficiency savings” as they unveiled controversial proposals to end a third sector grants programme early to save £750k this year and £4.5m from next year.

If approved it would give 64 charities, which run community centres and vital preventative services for dementia sufferers, disabled people, rape victims, those facing poverty and other vulnerable groups, just 90 days to find alternative sources of funding – which many have said would be impossible.

And Roz Foyer, general secretary of Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) said communities across Edinburgh now faced “the real threat of local support services disappearing almost overnight”.

She called it “unacceptable” there had been no consultation with communities, service users, or trade unions.

“This is especially galling when these cuts threaten the jobs of around 150 key workers, which stands in stark contradiction to both Local Authority and Scottish Government policies on no compulsory redundancies.

“Organisations and volunteers work tirelessly to provide day centres, family support services and crucial mental health support, helping to reduce isolation and keep people afloat. There will be a devastating impact if Edinburgh’s Integrated Joint Board votes tomorrow to cut £4.5 million from these essential grants.

“We need the council to step in now and protect jobs and communities, not stand back and let some of our most vulnerable people suffer.”

One of the projects on the chopping block is Positive Futures, which supports people aged 50 and over across the capital to to develop and run activity groups in community based settings, with the aim of reducing social isolation.

Andrew Farr, General Manager at Libertus, which runs the service, said if they go ahead, the cuts “will affect at least 300 people aged over 50”.

He said stopping funding to early intervention schemes would only result in the EIJB spending more on its core services in the long run – a concern echoed by many others urging the board to scrap the proposals.

“The loss of peer support, interaction and professionally led early intervention will inevitably lead to an increase in our vulnerable population of older people becoming more reliant on statutory services now and in the future,” Mr Farr said.

“The potential closure of our Positive Futures over 50’s service and our volunteer service additionally losing 42 volunteers not only increases risks to our Day Services for older people, which will no longer receive the additional social and practical input from our volunteers, but also reduces our financial stability.

“This is due to our premises increasing their reliability on the already reducing contract with the EHSCP, following a 10% in year contract reduction, followed by additional year on year 10% reductions in funding from 2025 onwards.

“A significant number of people would be without our support, leading to social isolation for a significantly higher number of people with social and psychological needs. Service provision would need to be absorbed by adding further pressure within statutory services, including hospital admissions and readmissions,  due to the increase in demand resulting from the loss of this preventative service.”

Councillors, who sit on the EIJB alongside representatives from the NHS, the third sector and service users, will table a cross-party amendment calling for the funding to be continued until at least March as originally planned, at the meeting on Friday, November 1.

Charities and volunteers “make an invaluable contribution to our communities and pivotal in keeping our citizens safe,” the the amendment states, adding plans for a potential future model for funding for the third sector is due to go before the board in December.

They will propose referring the report to both Edinburgh Council and NHS Lothian committees “for their consideration on how we can address the in-year financial deficit while protecting services”.

The SNP said they will support dipping into council reserves to plug the in-year gap, however council leader Cammy Day said this was for “emergencies and one-offs”.

Speaking to the LDRS, Cllr Day added: “We would consider all options but we need something that will support them longer-term.

“There’s no point fixing the initial £750k and not having a proposal for the £4.5m going forward.

“If the IJB are saying some of these projects are not delivering what they need to deliver for them then there needs to be a discussion about whether it’s appropriate to be funded by the IJB or should they be funded elsewhere, be that the council, be that the government or NHS.”

Meanwhile Edinburgh South West MP, Scott Arthur, urged the board to “pause and reconsider”.

In a letter to EIJB chief officer Pat Togher, he warned the cost-cutting measures “risks devastating consequences including reduced service provision, job losses and a detrimental impact on the health and well-being of communities”.

He highlighted an additional £3.4 billion extra for Scotland announced in the UK Government’s budget this week and said: “The Scottish Government now has the opportunity to use this additional funding for public services where it is most needed, including the front line health and social services provided by the EIJB and its third sector partners.”

In his report Mr Togher, who is preparing to leave the organisation to lead Glasgow’s health and social care service, said the EIJB was at risk of being “unable to meet its fundamental responsibilities”.

In March a budget gap of £60m was reported and despite achieving  “substantial savings” since then, significant shortfalls remain.

And with a further £50m in cuts needed to balance the books in 2025-26, Mr Togher said the gaps “will not be closed through efficiency savings or improved grip and control alone” and cash currently invested in the grants programme “would be better spent on other priorities”.

He admitted there were “likely to be adverse consequences for some individuals,” however added this disadvantage was “outweighed by the benefits that would be felt by the most vulnerable members of society for whom there is a legal duty to provide services”.

An impact assessment found the services provided by the 64 charities are accessed by around 55,500 people across Edinburgh. It said the cut could mean organisations “will close or that specific services will be discontinued due to the funding loss” alongside increased referrals for health and social care assessments and higher levels of loneliness and social isolation.

Commenting, Mr Togher said: “Projects were awarded funding for three years in 2019 which was subsequently extended in 2022 due to continued disruption from Covid and are due to end in March 2025.

“The EIJB were required to close a £60m financial gap this year and are currently preparing for similar savings 25/26.

“We must make the necessary decisions to protect our core legal duties and protect our most vulnerable  – such as providing care homes,  applying adult protection/ mental health legislation and preventing further drug related deaths in the city. It is in this context that we must decide on how we now prioritise spend when faced with the gravity of the savings imposed and ensure longer term sustainability.

“We have a duty to spend public money carefully and we will therefore bring forward proposals to achieve the best for the citizens of Edinburgh through working with our third sector partners to ensure clear, measurable outcomes which improves health and social care in Edinburgh.”

By Donald Turvill Local Democracy Reporter

Police have charged a 51-year-old man in connection with a fatal road crash that took place in Loanhead on Tuesday, 19 December, 2023.

The crash took place on Nivensknowe Road where an 88-year-old man was struck by a Honda Civic car. He was taken to hospital where he died as a result of his injuries on Saturday, 23 December, 2023.

The 51-year-old driver of the car has been charged in connection with a road traffic offence.

A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.

Police in West Lothian today launched the six-day Operation Torsion to tackle anti-social behaviour in the run up to Bonfire Night. 

It is backed up by the national police operation which also drafts in extra officers trained to tackle public disorder. 

A senior fire officer warned that those bent on causing mayhem would not be deterred by new rules introduced. 

There are no Firework Control Zones in West Lothian, but some are being tried in Scottish cities  

Asked earlier this week at a meeting of the Armadale and Blackridge Local Area Committee if the new Firework Control Zone legislation would be effective. Station Commander Jim Robertson said: “My own personal view. I hope it proves a positive thing.” 

  But he added: “ I think there is unfortunately an element within communities that, regardless of what’s in place, will continue to do what they do. At the end of the day it is serious anti-social behaviour. 

“It’s not just setting off fireworks.  It’s using fireworks as weapons. It’s setting fires to lure emergency services and then attacking them. I don’t think that will change.  There’s always a certain element that will make it a free for all on the night, and before.” 

 Mr Robertson said the anti-social  behaviour and violence had grown in recent years with fire crews facing increased violence in weeks running up to Bonfire Night rather than just a day or two either side of the events.  

He said police and fire crews relied on intelligence from, and the support of, local communities to prevent anti-social behaviour and dangerous fire-setting 

Police have already charged a teenager in Blackburn in connection with firework related anti-social behaviour. 

A police spokesperson said on Tuesday: “A 14-year-old male from the Blackburn area has been charged with setting off fireworks in the direction of crew from the Scottish Fire & Rescue Service as well as threatening and abusive behaviour towards a member of the public. 

“Police Scotland would like to thank members of the Blackburn community for their continued support in these matters.” 

At a meeting of the council’s Community Safety Board yesterday councillors heard from both the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Police Scotland about the work that has already taken place and operational changes planned for the weekend. 

Speaking for the fire service Steve Oliver said: “Where resources permit SFRS and Police Scotland will undertake joint patrols on 5 November to reduce demand on operational personnel. The patrols will have direct links into SFRS Control to receive and pass on incident details.” 

Both local and national police operations provide extra officers and support for fire crews at what has become one of the busiest and most hazardous times of the year for the emergency services. 

For the local police, Partnerships Superintendent Jocelyn Thomson told the Community Safety Board: “We have a policing plan in place Operation Torsion which puts additional resources on duty right through to the fifth who can assist in responding to anti-social behaviour.  

“They are backed up by the national Operation Moonbeam and public order officers. So we have them in place right the way through the weekend to provide that additional confidence.” 

Firework Control Zones which ban all fireworks except for the smallest hand-held sparklers or organised displays in designated areas have not been introduced   in West Lothian.  Community groups can request them, and information is being prepared for the council’s website. The council will consider them for the future. 

 In Edinburgh control zones have been set up in Balerno, Calton Hill, Niddrie, and Seafield. The zones will be in effect from November 1–10 and setting off fireworks during this time is a criminal offence. The zones were established to: reduce anti-social behaviour, minimise the impact on animals and vulnerable people and also support a cultural shift in how fireworks are used.  

The organised firework displays in West Lothian are:- 

 Friday 1st Nov West Calder and Harburn CDT Fair 4.30pm, Fireworks at 7pm. 
 Tuesday 5th Nov Blackridge, Land at Bedlormie Drive 3pm-9pm 
 Tuesday 5th Nov Deer Park Golf and Country Club 6pm Fireworks at 7.30pm 
 Tuesday 5th Nov Calderwood Estate, East Calder 6pm-9pm 
 Saturday 9th Nov Linlithgow Rugby Club 6.30pm Fireworks at 7.30pm 

By Stuart Sommerville, Local Democracy Reporter 

Councillors have rejected plans to build a car wash just two minutes from the centre of Bathgate. 

 Applicants had asked the Local Review Body to reconsider their proposal to establish   a site on open ground next to the Simpson Hotel in the town’s Whitburn Road. 

However local member Willie Boyle said a new facility would add traffic to an already busy stretch of road which is lined with fast food restaurants and is only a few hundred yards from the Steelyard in the centre of town. 

There are also three containers used as food vendors parked on the site.  

Planners had overturned proposals put forward in March by Karen Wales of Irvine in Ayrshire when she had applied for permission for the formation of a car wash including two storage containers, boundary fencing and parking on the vacant site at 69 Whitburn, next door to what was the former Bathgate Social Work HQ. 

 The empty lot is just south of the town centre next to the Lidl car park. It too is currently used as an informal car park. It sits opposite McDonald’s and also has three food vans at the rear of the site. 

Agents for Mrs Wales said in their appeal documents that the site “benefits from substantial vehicular traffic, making it ideal for redevelopment. The development seeks to enhance the local commercial landscape by offering a convenient service for residents and visitors while leveraging the proximity to major retailers like Lidl, Aldi, Morrison’s, McDonald’s, and Home Bargains, which indicates strong commercial viability.” 

Planners said the development would have: “a significant adverse impact on the visual amenity of the street-scape in terms of design”. 

They also noted that the applicants had not submitted either flood risk or drainage risk assessments. 

The site already has planning consent for the building of an ice cream parlour. 

Planning officers could not answer whether the food vendors had permission to be on the site but confirmed that were not affected by the car wash plans. 

Councillor Boyle told the meeting: “I have concerns about the application regarding the traffic flow in this area. This is not people coming to park to use a service. This is a service for their cars so it’s designed to attract vehicle movement. 

“I’m not sure given the traffic flows at peak times, especially in this area, could support this and there’s no traffic management study in the papers. 

 “There’s also no consideration as to how the three fast food units will be serviced if they become part of the site as well.”  

He moved to support the original decision made by a planning officer to refuse the application. 

 Chairing the meeting, Councillor  Danny Logue said he had similar concerns about the lack of detail in the appeal document including “sweeping statements” made about water and drainage. “It says ‘yes there’s a plan’, but there’s no plan. There doesn’t seem to be anything concrete in the application”, he added. 

Councillor Tom Conn seconded councillor Boyle and added “The fact that the applicant has not not submitted a flood risk and drainage risk assessment I don’t think is helpful to the application itself because that information has not been provided.  I think the appointed person’s position should be upheld. 

By Stuart Sommerville, Local Democracy Reporter 

Neil Critchley takes Hearts to St Johnstone on Saturday with the new head coach looking for the players to show their quality and to bounce back after what he termed “massive frustration” at letting slip a 1-0 lead to skid to a 2-1 defeat to Kilmarnock at Tynecastle on Wednesday.

The home reverse sees Hearts looking up at the rest in the 12-strong William Hill Premiership and the scoreline hurt even more as the new head coach felt that for the first 58 minutes the Men in Maroon dominated play.

Indeed, the first half numbers showed that the home side enjoyed 71 per cent of possession, had four shots to one against, had six corners to one in reply and completed 301 passes against 122 by the opposition.

Alan Forrest broke the deadlock after 44 minutes and Critchley said: “We scored a really good goal and the frustration is more about the goals we conceded, that is what cost us the game.”

The English-born coach told Hearts TV that when you are 1-0 up at home you are in the ascendancy, and he felt his men had a couple of chances after the break to score. They failed to make the opportunities count.

Critchley said: “We were under no pressure, quite comfortable. Craig (Gordon) did not have much to do but, in the space of five minutes, we find ourselves from being in a good position to being in a poor position and chasing the game.”

For the first goal after 58 minutes, Critchley said his men failed to deal with a long kick. Killie skipper Kyle Vassell tussled with Jambos defender, Frankie Kent, then Matty Kennedy, following up, put the ball in the back of the net, far too easily.

The second goal arrived for Vassel five minutes later following a long throw in and it brought relief to the player who had not found the net against Tromso on August 8 in the Conference League qualifiers.

Critchley said: “You have got to get the details right, you do not stay in front of a man at the near post, he gets first contact, second contact and we get outmuscled inside the penalty area.

“We have got to be much stronger and stand up to those moments, better than we have done in recent games, and I was disappointed with our response after that.”

Hearts, in fact, had 30 minutes to rectify the deficit but failed and disappointed Critchley said: “There was more than enough time to get back into the game but lost our way a little bit.”

The fed-up gaffer added: “We huffed and puffed, lacked some intelligence and some quality and did not really look as if we would get that equaliser which is hugely disappointing.”

It was the first time that the former Blackpool boss has suffered a defeat since he arrived in the Capital and points are now a must on Saturday at Perth. St Johnstone are ninth with ten points from 11 starts and also come into the clash on a downer having lost 3-1 at St Mirren in midweek.

Eying Saturday, he said: “We will find out a lot about the group in the next few days and you always learn a little more in defeat. I’ve seen the good side when we are winning now we will see what it is like when we lose a game.

“We have to go to St Johnstone on Saturday and show what we are as a group, show some character and I am looking forward to the next few days.”

PICTURE: Neil Critchley on the touchline at Easter Road by Ian Jacobs

A rural village designed by one of Scotland’s greatest Victorian architects is to welcome its first new home in 140 years.

Midlothian councillors have granted permission for a new house to be built on the edge of Crichton, near Pathhead, despite concerns about its ‘modern’ design.

A meeting of the council’s planning committee this week heard the village, which was designed by Robert Rowand Anderson in the late 19th century, has not had any new homes added to it since then although a number of the cottages have had some extension work.

Applicant Martin Street was given the go ahead to build a new four-bedroom house on the Old Joiners Shop address in the village.

Local ward councillor Peter Smaill raised concerns about the impact of the new property on the historic village whose cottages are Category B listed.

And he urged fellow elected members to add a condition to the plans that the ‘corrugated metal’ proposed for its roof is replaced with more traditional materials.

Councillor Smaill told the meeting: “Crichton is very special in that there has not been a new house there in 140 years so it is very important we get this right.

“I don’t think the use of corrugated metal is appropriate here, the entire village is slated. When we looked at the very successful small increase in the frontage of cottages there  it was slated and I think it would be better to ask for a slated roof here to provide a consistent approach.”

He added: “This village was designed by the greatest Victorian architect Robert Rowand Anderson who created Iona Cathedral, the dome of Edinburgh University, the medical faculty there.

“We have just two representatives in Midlothian – this wonderful development and the church at Glencorse.”

However responding to Mr Smaill’r request for a slate roof on the new home, fellow ward councillor Stewart McKenzie said: “Midlothian is not a museum and after 140 years I think it is time to build another house at Crichton”.

The committee agreed by majority to approve the planning application without a condition calling on a slate roof.

By Marie Sharp Local Democracy Reporter

The CEO of human rights charity, Enable, Theresa Shearer, was awarded an honorary doctorate by Edinburgh Napier University (ENU) this week.

She was awarded the degree during a graduation ceremony for students from the ENU School of Health and Social Care earlier this week. Ms Shearer’s inspirational development of public policy, human rights advocacy and her efforts to build sustainable employment and deliver human rights driven health and social care were all mentioned.

Professor Jill Stavert, from ENU’s School of Health & Social Care said: “There are so many examples of Theresa’s achievements and her enormous contribution to improving the lives of people with learning disabilities.

“As CEO of Enable Scotland – a charity which supports the human rights of people with learning disabilities – Theresa leads 2,500 staff in supporting 13,000 people to live independently in their community.

“But her influence goes far beyond this role. Theresa’s contribution to executive leadership is recognised nationally and internationally, demonstrating her passion for social care workforce development and empowering young people to realise their potential.”Ms Shearer said: “It is a real honour to receive an honorary doctorate from Edinburgh Napier University, an institution which lives by the values of diversity, equity and inclusion that have inspired and driven me throughout my career.

“From researching the interplay between disability and inclusion, to training and developing the next generation of health and social care professionals, and acting to widen access to university for disabled people as a partner in the Breaking Barriers programme, Edinburgh Napier University is a shining example to organisations and businesses across sectors.

“To be recognised for my contribution to the charity and social care sectors is truly a privilege, and I hope this will emphasise the critical contribution that these sectors make to our economy and society, now and in the future.”

In recent years Enable has partnered with Edinburgh Napier University to establish the Breaking Barriers programme. In conjunction with professional services firm EY, it supports young people with learning disabilities make the transition to university and higher education through a combination of study and work placements.

Fittingly, the latest cohort of Breaking Barriers students received their qualifications during the same ceremony where Theresa was presented with her degree.

The Sun passes through two constellations in November, there are three meteor showers, we see the last supermoon of 2024 and Uranus comes closest to Earth and provides the best view of the Ice Giant all year.

The Sun leaves Libra (The Scales) on 22 November at 8.40 pm and enters Scorpius
(The Scorpion). However, the Sun does not dwell in this constellation but leaves
Scorpius (The Scorpion) and enters Ophiuchus (The Serpent Bearer) on 29 November
at 9:04 am which was reconnected to the ecliptic zodiac by the IAU one hundred
years ago. Daylight shortens from 09:11 (9.181 hours) on 1 November to 07:26
(7.434 hours) on 30 November so we gain 1 hour and 45 minutes of night time
by month’s end.

The new Moon appears on 1 November at 12:47 pm in Libra (The Scales) beginning
a new Lunar (synodic) month which will last 29 days, 17 hours and 34 minutes.
The first quarter of the new cycle shows up on 9 November at 5:55 am in Capricornus
(The Sea Goat). Lunar perigee (closest to Earth) on 14 November at 11:24 am finds
the Moon some 360,122 km away from Earth—around 24,278 km closer than
average—subtending an angle of 33.2 arc-minutes. The full Beaver Moon makes an
appearance on 15 November at 9:29 pm in Aries (The Ram). November’s full Moon is
also the last supermoon of the calendar year. The Moon enters last quarter on 23
November at 1:28 am in Leo (The Lion). Lunar apogee (furthest from Earth) that
occurs on 26 November at 12:03 pm and takes the Moon to 405,281 km away from
Earth—around 20,881 km further than average—subtending an angle of 29.5
arc-minutes. The Moon encounters Pollux in Gemini (The Twins) in the wee hours
of 20 November and Regulus in Leo (The Lion) around midnight on 23 November.

For the inferior planets: Mercury reaches greatest eastern elongation on 16
November. Although it gets 83 million km closer to Earth, it fades from -0.35
magnitudes to +1.89 magnitudes as the illuminated side turns away from us.
Setting so closely after the Sun, it is lost in the Sun’s twilit glare. Venus,
however, remains an evening planet, for an hour or so after sunset, and gets 30
million km closer to Earth brightening from -4.0 to -4.2 magnitudes. She
crosses the boundary from Ophiuchus (The Serpent Bearer) into Sagittarius (The
Archer) on 8 November.

Mars is the bobby-dazzler in November in Cancer (The Crab). Mars gets 32
million km closer and brightens from +0.1 magnitudes to -0.5 (gaining 75% in
brightness), rising earlier as the month progresses. The Red Planet lies
2.3 degrees east of the waning gibbous Moon on 20 November at 10:28 pm.

Jupiter and Uranus are visible all night, all month long. Jupiter never leaves
Taurus (The Bull) but comes 27 million km closer to Earth and brightens to -2.8
magnitudes. Uranus, the Ice Giant, is also in Taurus (The Bull) and will be
4.2 degrees south of the full Moon on 15 November but, as always, requires
binoculars or a telescope to see it at +5.6 magnitudes. It is worth setting up
your preferred ocular device, though, as it will be closest to the Earth at 2.8
billion km on 16 November and at opposition on 17 November at 2:45 am. This
will be the best view all year.

Saturn, in Aquarius (The Water Bearer), recedes by 70 million ending at +0.95
magnitudes. The Ringed Planet conjuncts with the waxing gibbous Moon on 10
November in the late evening hours but will be occulted after it sets. It
returns to a direct orbit mid-month and, in the latter half of the month, we
lose Saturn completely. Neptune, the blue giant and windiest planet, remains in
Pisces (The Fishes) and will be 0.6 degrees north of the
waxing gibbous Moon on 12 November at 1:56 am.

The Southern Taurid meteor shower is radiant from one of the Bull’s hooves near
the star ‘Tau o-1’ on the map provided. These meteors peak on the night of
5–6 November and ‘Tau o-1’ rises around 1 hour after Sunset so the shower
should be viewable all night. The ZHR is low but the waxing crescent Moon is
only 10% illuminated. The Northern Taurids, radiant from near M45 (The
Pleiades), peak a week later but the 78% waxing gibbous Moon will spoil the
show. The parent comet is 2P/Encke, co-discovered by Mechain and Messier in
1786, is named after the astronomer who first calculated the body’s orbit.

Alas, the 94% illuminated Moon, very close to full, will also severely degrade
observation of the Leonids, radiant from Leo (The Lion). They peak on 16–17
November and the parent comet is 55P/Tempel-Tuttle discovered in 1865.

There are no bright comets during November visible from Edinburgh and Lothian.

T CrB, the Blaze Star, continues to elude astronomers as an active recurrent
nova. It is still expected to brighten 10,000-fold but predictions as to when
are uncertain. We can still see Corona Borealis (The Northern Crown) in the
November sky for 3–4 hours after Sunset.

At the time of our sky map, some constellations visible are Cassiopeia (The
Seated Queen) at zenith, Ursa Major (The Great Bear) in the north, Orion (The
Hunter) in the east, Cygnus (The Swan) in the west, and Cetus (The Sea Monster)
in the south. The ecliptic hosts Cancer (the Crab), Gemini (The Twins), Taurus
(The Bull), Aries (The Ram), Pisces (The Fishes), Aquarius (The Water Bearer)
and Capricornus (The Sea Goat).

The Summer Triangle’—Vega in Lyra (The Lyre), Altair in Aquila (The Eagle)
and Deneb in Cygnus (The Swan)—sets in the west. Circumpolar
constellations—always above the horizon—include Cepheus (The King),
Camelopardalis (The Giraffe), Draco (The Dragon) and Ursa Minor (The Lesser
Bear).

Hedgehogs have moved a step closer to extinction following a significant population decline.

Once a common sight across Europe, the West European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus) has declined in numbers by more than 30% in the past decade.

The conservation status of the species has been officially updated from Least Concern to Near Threatened on the nternational Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List.

Key factors driving the decline of Britain’s only spiny mammal include habitat fragmentation from urbanisation and agricultural expansion, vehicle collisions, pesticide use and garden mismanagement.

Conservationists warned that urgent action is needed to prevent further deterioration.

Abi Gazzard, Programme Officer at IUCN SSC Small Mammal Specialist Group, said: “The change to the Western European hedgehog’s status comes after careful review of local, regional and national-level surveys from across its range. Unfortunately, evidence points towards a worrying and widespread downward trend.

“There is still a chance to halt the decline of the Western European hedgehog, and we must aim to prevent any further worsening of status.”

Found throughout mainland Britain and Ireland, hedgehogs have also been introduced to Orkney, Shetland, the Isle of Man, and some of the Channel Islands.

An indicator species of a healthy environment, as they feed on a variety of soil invertebrates, conservationists warn that a decline in hedgehogs indicates a decline in the health of the ecosystem as a whole.

Hope Nothhelfer, of the Mammal Society, said: “This decline will likely come as no surprise to the average person. When hedgehogs come up in conversation, it’s not long before someone says that they just don’t see them anymore.

“The hope is that as hedgehogs become more and more like a distant memory from our childhoods, we will respond with action that will bring these memories back to life.”

The Mammal Society says people in urban and rural areas can help the species by employing wildlife-friendly garden management practices. These include leaving small gaps in fences to allow hedgehog movement, reducing pesticide use, and providing food and shelter by creating log piles or hedgehog houses.

Dylan Allman, Youth Ambassador at the Mammal Society and Hedgehog Champion at Hedgehog Aware, said: “Everyone can take simple steps to make an impact in reversing the steep decline in hedgehog numbers, such as providing a shallow dish of water, creating a hedgehog highway, and checking for nests before strimming.

“Collective small actions encourage young people to engage with wildlife, leading to a better overall understanding of supporting biodiversity.”

Edinburgh charities teetering on a financial cliff edge could be offered a temporary lifeline as they face having their funding cut with just 90 days notice.

Health and social care chiefs proposed ending a third sector grants programme early in a bid to plug budget gaps, in plans which have been met with opposition since being published last week.

Edinburgh Council leader Cammy Day said his Labour group “does not like” the proposals and would explore options to ensure funding could continue until at least the end of the financial year in March as planned.

However it remains unclear if the 64 projects which combat loneliness, social isolation, poverty and other health issues across the capital will continue to be funded beyond then, as many fear they could be forced to close their doors on some of the city’s most vulnerable people.

It comes as the council-NHS Lothian partnership which oversees the city’s health and social care services, known as the Edinburgh Integration Joint Board (EIJB), faces a £50m deficit.

£4.5m a year would be saved by cutting the grants programme. But the decision to slash support for organisations specialising in early intervention and preventative care would cost local authorities more in the long run as requests for care home places and care packages would increase as a result, charities have warned.

Councillor Day said: “They’re in a really difficult position where if they don’t make some of these difficult decisions they may well be breaching statutory duties, so they’ve got to do something.

“Of course, these are really unpopular proposals and the Labour group does not like them.”

He said Labour councillors would not accept the report, which is going before the EIJB on Friday, November 1, and instead refer it to the council and NHS Lothian “to see if there’s anything they can do to help with the in-year cut of £750,000 and urgently get the voluntary sector’s representatives around the table to work with the IJB and its partners to come up with an alternative solution and proposal for the year going forward”.

SNP councillors will propose using reserves to stop the in-year cut in response to the “urgent risk of closure facing many valuable third-sector organisations”.

They will also seek discussions to “consider alternative proposals for the long-term future of the grants programme, and how to sustain funding for locally based organisations delivering services in their communities”.

Cllr Day said: “We tend to dip into reserves for emergencies and one-offs.

“So I suppose what we’re asking is can the council, can the NHS put anything on the table or could the IJB look at something alternative as well.

“We would consider all options but we need something that will support them longer-term.

“There’s no point fixing the initial £750k and not having a proposal for the £4.5m going forward.

“If the IJB are saying some of these projects are not delivering what they need to deliver for them then there needs to be a discussion about whether it’s appropriate to be funded by the IJB or should they be funded elsewhere, be that the council, be that the government or NHS.”

He added: “We can’t keep bailing out things that cost the city because the government’s not funding them. But none of us want to see these great projects across the city go overnight, so we need to have a sensible discussion about how we work with over the coming months to make sure there’s a long-term solution for them.”

East Synergy Group, a partnership of third sector organisations operating in the greater Craigmillar area, estimated the cuts could “cause around 100 job losses and take away services to around 40,000 Edinburgh residents”.

Edinburgh Community Health Forum called for an immediate halt to funding cuts announced by IJB.

Stephanie-Anne Harris, strategic development manager, said: “This drastic cut threatens the very fabric of our community support systems and undermines our collective commitment to health and wellbeing in Edinburgh.

“This disinvestment will lead to the closure of numerous charities and an increased reliance on statutory services, including the NHS and Council.”

EIJB chief officer Pat Togher,  who will soon leave the role to lead Glasgow’s IJB, said the proposed changes to grants “represent less than 3% of our overall spend from the EIJB to the third sector with the remaining savings consumed by the Health and Social Care Partnership”.

He said: “Projects were awarded funding for three years in 2019 which was subsequently extended in 2022 due to continued disruption from Covid and are due to end in March 2025.

“The EIJB were required to close a £60m financial gap this year and are currently preparing for similar savings 25/26.

“We must make the necessary decisions to protect our core legal duties and protect our most vulnerable  – such as providing care homes,  applying adult protection/ mental health legislation and preventing further drug related deaths in the city. It is in this context that we must decide on how we now prioritise spend when faced with the gravity of the savings imposed and ensure longer term sustainability.

“We have a duty to spend public money carefully and we will therefore bring forward proposals to achieve the best for the citizens of Edinburgh through working with our third sector partners to ensure clear, measurable outcomes which improves health and social care in Edinburgh.”

By Donald Turvill Local Democracy Reporter

Police are appealing for the assistance of the public to trace 30-year-old Emily Owens, who is missing from Livingston.

Emily also goes by the name Megan McFallon. She was last seen around 5.45pm on Wednesday, 30 October, 2024 in the Howden area of Livingston.

She is 5 ft 2 ins in height with closely shaved hair. When she was last seen she was wearing a black tracksuit with graffiti-style writing on the back.

Emily is also known to frequent the Edinburgh and Glasgow areas and officers are liaising with police colleagues in those areas too.

Inspector Geraldine Josey said: “We are extremely concerned for Emily’s wellbeing. Searches and enquiries are ongoing to trace her as soon as possible to ensure that she is safe and well.

“We urge anyone who has seen Emily or who has any information regarding her whereabouts to contact 101 quoting reference number 3273 of 30 October.”

Neil Cuthbert is standing in the 2024 by-election in Colinton/Fairmilehead as Scottish Conservative candidate.

As a chartered PR practitioner, he has been involved in public affairs and public policy for around 25 years, and previously he worked in the civil service and the Food and Drink Federation. In 2013 he co-founded a business called PA Cooperative Ltd and both established and grew the organisation.

Asked why he stood at the last local government election he was frank and said: “I stood in the election in 2022 because I felt it was the right time to do so in terms of making a contribution to the area and paying back to the city. And I think that in 2022 we had a positive message in Colinton/Fairmilehead. We already have a Conservative councillor, Jason Rust, who’s been here for a long time.

“What I find going round the doorsteps, is that there’s a strong recognition for that, and there’s a feeling that if we have more conservative councillors representing not just this area, but the whole city and the council, then we can have more of an impact.”

In this ward where Labour’s Scott Arthur stood down as a councillor on his election to Westminster, Mr Cuthbert feels the issues are much the same as in 2022 when the Conservatives attracted almost 10% of the first preference votes.

Mr Cuthbert continued: “Roads and pavements come up all the time, something that is almost a constant when we speak to people. But one of the changes from 2022 is that there has been some money spent, and people are able to see the difference it makes. So I think they want, they want to see more of it.

“I think there is a recognition that the council priorities have changed, and part of that is because of there has been a change of administration, and I think a greater voice for the Conservatives, but people want to see more.”

Challenged on this as the Conservative group became smaller in 2022 than previously he explained that “it is all about influencing”.

He said: “That’s the way politics works. it’s all about what goes on at the City Chambers. And Edinburgh has got a reasonably unique situation in that we’ve got a minority administration, but it relies on support of other parties. So the other parties have a voice, and they’re able to put forward their priorities.”

As for his personal background and why he would make a good councillor he stressed his local connections. He said: “I’ve lived in Edinburgh since 1997 and I’ve always actually lived in South Edinburgh. I’ve always lived in the EH10 postcode.

“I wanted to get involved, because I think you get to the stage where you don’t want to complain about things that are happening, you want to make a positive difference. And I can see how, how the council has certain priorities. I don’t think the priorities necessarily reflect the people of this area adequately. So I’d like to see more of that.”

Mr Cuthbert raised the matter of VAT being imposed on school fees which is being introduced in January 2025 by the UK Government. While there is enough headroom for any additional pupils who move from private schools to those run by the council, he is adamant that the effects will be felt in Edinburgh where a fifth of pupils attend independent schools.

He said: “I think there’s a feeling that it might mean that fewer pupils go to private schools, that would put pressure on the existing local authority schools. And as I say, these are concerns that are expressed on the doorstep.

“And I can appreciate where people are coming from. I live locally. You know, I live in fair mile head. I think I might be so far, and I’ve not seen all the candidates, but I think I might be the only candidate who’s actually in farewellhead. And, you know, I do have that experience of knowing what it’s like. I mean, this area is, you know, “

“Edinburgh is a very diverse city, and we’ve got areas of the city like Cramond which are at sea level, and we’ve got areas here which are quite high up. So in the winter, we tend to got a lot more snow than other areas. We need to prioritise the different areas of the city for the needs that they have. And I think since I’ve moved here, I found that it’s not necessarily reflecting the lived experience in this area.”

There are 12 candidates standing in the by-election which will be held on 14 November. Their names are published here.

A ceremony to present Eric Liddell Recognition Awards will take place in Edinburgh on Fridayattended by HRH the Princess Royal.

Among the recipients will be Edinburgh AC’s husband-and-wife duo John and Anne Scott, successfully nominated by Scottish Athletics in a citation which states:

“John and Anne are a dynamic duo, embodying the spirit of dedication and selflessness in the world of athletics. As husband and wife, they have spent decades coaching, inspiring, and mentoring athletes of all levels. Their passion for sports goes beyond just training; it’s a deep commitment to fostering growth, both on and off the field. Week after week, they pour their time, energy, and knowledge into their athletes, ensuring each individual reaches their full potential.

“Their approach to coaching is holistic, understanding that success in athletics is not just about physical prowess but also about mental strength, discipline, and character development. John and Anne’s unwavering support and encouragement have helped countless athletes achieve their goals, often surpassing their own expectations. They are more than just coaches; they are mentors, role models, and pillars of the community.

“What sets John and Anne apart is their selflessness. They have never sought recognition or accolades, though they are undoubtedly deserving of them. Instead, they focus on the success and well-being of their athletes, often going above and beyond what is expected of a coach. Whether it’s staying late to provide extra guidance, attending personal events to support their athletes, or offering life advice during tough times, John and Anne are always there.

“Their legacy is not just in the victories and medals their athletes have won, but in the lives they have touched and the positive impact they have made. Together, John and Anne have created a lasting legacy in the world of athletics, proving that true success comes from selfless dedication to others. They are, without a doubt, a dynamic duo whose influence will be felt for generations to come.”

John Scott said: “Myself and Anne are absolutely honoured to have received an Eric Liddell Recognition Award having been nominated by Edinburgh Athletics Club. We feel incredibly privileged to be able to coach such impressive individuals, and all that we want is to see them succeed. Eric Liddell is a huge inspiration in the local area and we are proud to mentor those inspired by his legacy. To be recognised alongside such great people who have done so much is incredible and we are proud that we can have a positive impact on the lives of those that we work with.”

Throughout 2024, The Eric Liddell 100 has worked with key partners to honour some of Scotland’s most outstanding individuals in athletics, sports and community work, who have demonstrated The Eric Liddell 100 core values: passion, compassion, and integrity.

In partnership with Scottish Athletics, Scottish Rugby, Scottish Disability Sport, Youthlink Scotland and The Eric Liddell Community, 100 individuals have been awarded with ‘Eric Liddell Recognition Awards’.

The awards provide a final opportunity to mark a special centenary year – it was in 1924 that Liddell won the 400 metres at the Paris Olympics after switching from his preferred distance to avoid competing n a Sunday – providing a platform to share Eric Liddell’s story and legacy to a new generation.

Organisers say: “As 2024 comes to an end, the work to secure Eric Liddell’s legacy will continue in future years.”

The People’s Story museum has been temporarily closed due to “staffing pressures”, but the council will continue the discussion at a meeting of the full council next Thursday.

The council’s decision to close the venue was set against a backdrop of budget pressures in the Museums and Galleries service, and a forecast that the move would reduce the department overspend by anything up to £200,000. The council had approved a recruitment freeze at the beginning of this financial year. The organisation employs 35 full time equivalent Visitor and Monument Assistants, but five are absent due to long term sickness. The initial proposal had been to close the museum until Spring 2025, but the Labour administration restricted the temporary closure until a new report could be written by officers for the December 2024 meeting.

The committee also asked officers to try and display parts of the museum collection at the Museum of Edinburgh and local libraries on a temporary basis. Elected members also asked for a financial report to be considered by the Finance and Resources committee in November.

Cllr Finlay McFarlane asked for the matter to be brought before the whole council in November for further discussion. He said: “The SNP Group are clear that the Labour-led administration must re-open and secure the future of The People’s Story in its current premises as a priority. It is utterly unacceptable that Edinburgh’s only working-class history museum and all the stories it contains remains closed while civic Edinburgh toasts its 900^thyear celebrations.

“Labour should be moving heaven and earth to find a solution that re-opens the doors, rebuilds the damaged relationships with working class communities in the city and explores the great many offers of support and ideas for renewal. We also expect Labour to be crystal clear that under their administration The People’s Story will remain in the Canongate Tolbooth as a city centre standalone museum for the public good.”

Culture and Communities Convener, Cllr Val Walker said after taking the meeting: “We are totally committed to re-opening The People’s Story museum, but we recognise that there are challenges to overcome. 

“We have listened to and read the statements from our passionate community, and part of our role as councillors means that we sometimes need to make hard decisions. 

“No one wants to see the People’s Story museum closed, but the situation that we were faced with was that officers were having to react in an unplanned way to not having enough staff to safely open every museum, so closures were happening in an unplanned way.

“This temporary closure of the People’s Story has been put in place and it is an absolute commitment from me that at the December committee meeting we will be looking at the ways in which we can re-open that museum – not in April but in December.”

The council has identified that it has an overspend of £26.741 million in this financial year and the Museums and Galleries service is forecasting an overspend of £0.467 million. This figure is made up of employee costs and a shortfall on projected income of around £0.140 million (primarily from income at the Scott and Nelson monuments – but the latter has been closed until recently).

Commercial concerns

Conservative councillor, Phil Doggart, is not convinced that council officers will recommend taking a commercial stance on the matter – which he thinks is essential. He explained to The Edinburgh Reporter that he does not have the same allegiance to any one museum building such as The People’s Story. Instead, he would like a report from officers in December which examines a sustainable route forward for all the buildings which the council owns and which are used by Museums and Galleries Edinburgh.

Cllr Doggart said: “I think the idea that there would be the same number of city museums kept open is fantasy land. We need to consolidate the number of buildings that we’ve got, and a lot of them are in a very small area. There is absolutely no reason that we can’t make better use of the space that we’ve got, that we drive some commercial activity that would certainly help finance the museums. And I’m just not talking about The People’s Story, I’m talking about all of them. We need to actually recognise how we can get more money out of the facilities.

“And I know there are some restrictions, but there are things that we should be looking at. I think officers should be coming up with a range of ideas that would allow the council to maintain the same number of exhibits, albeit possibly reconfigured in a different way.

“But there’s absolutely no reason, with a little bit of ingenuity, looking at examples of museums globally, as to how they have managed to survive and a lot of cases flourish, that we should be looking to do that. So I’m keen to see what officers come up with and be imaginative and I will be having conversations with council officers to look at the options.

“Hard decisions need to be taken.There’s too much sentiment attached to bricks and mortar, but not enough sentiment attached to the service has been provided. And now we are heading towards the budget. Ever since I was elected in 2017 all I have heard is “estate rationalisation”. Estate rationalisation has to be done. We can’t afford the current buildings, we don’t need the current buildings, but nothing is ever done.”

CULTURE MINISTER “SADDENED” BY CLOSURE

Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, asked the Culture Minister and MSP for Central Edinburgh, Angus Robertson, what discussions minister have had with the council about the closure during ministerial questions at Holyrood.

Mr Robertson said: “I am saddened to hear about the temporary closure of the People’s Story museum, which tells the important history of the lives of ordinary working people in Edinburgh, and I hope that it reopens as a priority.

“I also recognise the challenges that Scotland’s museums face, which is why we are continuing to support the sector with £2.7 million of funds in 2024-25 to Museums Galleries Scotland, Scotland’s national museums and galleries development body. I urge the City of Edinburgh Council to continue discussions with key stakeholders, including Museums Galleries Scotland, to see whether there is a way forward.”

On being pressed to visit the museum when it reopens, Mr Robertson said: “It has caused absolute consternation that the closure was announced before any consultation—frankly, it is shocking that a Labour-led council should do such a thing. I take the opportunity to pay tribute to the community campaigners—especially Jim Slaven and the city centre ward Scottish National Party councillor, Finlay McFarlane—who have been strongly making the case against the temporary closure by the Labour-led City of Edinburgh Council. Especially in this 900th anniversary year of Edinburgh, the People’s Story and its important working-class history must be open to the public. That must be a priority.”

LOCAL SUPPORT FOR KEEPING MUSEUM OPEN

Jim Slaven is a local resident, tour guide and expert on Scottish culture, politics and history. He is also someone who has taken on the council before when standing up for the rights of local people. (He led the campaign group to have the 35 bus route reinstated for Dumbiedykes and was active during Covid delivering essentials to people in need). Mr Slaven told The Edinburgh Reporter that it is essential the doors are reopened while any meaningful discussion takes place. He is also firmly of the view that a new structure is essential for the museum to run sustainably.

He told us that within just a few weeks he had brought together a coalition which supports the reopening of the museum. He has involved trade unions, other community organisations, University of Edinburgh academics, top historians, musicians and writers. He said “This campaign represents the best of Edinburgh. The people closing it are the worst of Edinburgh.”

He explained that notwithstanding his main demand, there is some ongoing contact with the council about the working class museum. He said: “We believe this building must stay in public hands, so the new structure must involve the elected representatives. We don’t want this building taken out of council control and passed to one of their dodgy charities. We want it staying in council control, with new people coming into the board with new ideas, to get to that point, to having that positive discussion about the future.

“We’ve been very clear that council has to reopen the doors. We need to create a positive backdrop for these discussions to take place. People have been very, very clear with me. They want to invest in a working class Museum in Edinburgh. They want to make it a world leader, but they will not do that until the political problems that the council are resolved, until the doors are open.”

Jim explained that he has spoken to several people who may wish to invest in the museum, and that there are parallels here with museums such as The Tenement Museum in New York which sets the scene of a century of New York history, recreating the homes of immigrants and refugees for an authentic look at the past.

Committee meeting

Jim presented a deputation to the Culture and Communities committee when he said: “I am not here to be confrontational, but this is an emotive issue. People feel strongly about the closure of the People’s Story in such a sudden manner. I want my contribution to be constructive and find a positive outcome. The report is not a good report. It identifies a financial problem, mentions staffing issues, health and safety, Covid and suicides at the Scott Monument get more than one mention. Then the solution is to close the People’s Story? That doesn’t work.

”I would ask councillors to reject the report and its recommendation.”

The Dumbiedykes local told the committee that even if it had been a “good report” he would still oppose the closure. He said: “It is a vital part of this city’s social fabric. I have been to every housing scheme speaking to people and not one of them thought closing that museum was a good idea. That museum telling the working class history of this city with stories of workers and communities is a vital part of people in these area feeling like they belong to the city – like this is their home city. To close it would be an act of social vandalism.”

Local ward councillor Joanna Mowat questioned the way in which the report was written. She also said that there is no justification in the report for closing the museum when contrasted with the scaling back of activity at the museum in Queensferry which is also mentioned.

She said: “I am concerned that there seemed to be an imbalance in the treatment of the two museums that were scheduled for changes in their opening hours: the Queensferry Museum and The People’s Story. With my ward councillor hat on, what I couldn’t understand was why there was a justification given about the Queensferry Museum being closed and the arrangements going forward, yet there was no justification for People’s Story. It’s one sentence in the report that “we’re going to close”. The implicit inference in the report, is that this is about staffing issues, and there’s been difficulty staffing things, but it’s not made explicit. I don’t think it’s a particularly good report, because I think councillors should have more clarity of information than exists in it.

“This is a really important place that binds the community of Edinburgh back to its roots, to the history of the city. People’s Story was created with a narrative at its heart. So it’s really important that actually, we don’t just split this off, that we think about how this all works together, because it is an important part of a story that quite often cities don’t bother to tell. I can think of a couple of other cities that do it really well, and they’re cities that actually I’m very fond of, and I’m proud they told that story. I’m proud we tell that story, and we should continue to do so.”

Cllr Finlay McFarlane asked for the decision of the committee to close the museum to be referred to the next full council meeting on 7 November for further discussion. The papers and a link to the webcast for that meeting are published here.

Hibs goalkeeper Joe Bursik insists the players can take the positives from a solid defensive display in Dingwall. 

Hibs drew 0-0 in the Highlands last night as both defenses came out on top at the Global Energy Stadium. 

Hibs dominated possession, particularly in the second-half  but lacked a cutting-edge in the final third and in the end, had to settle for a point which sees them leapfrog Hearts at the foot of the table. 

Speaking to Hibs TV after the match, Bursik said: “It is a frustrating one, in these sort of games you want to go up the road and get the job done – no matter how you do it. 

“But we kept a clean sheet, so we need to take the positive from that and build from it. 

“There were periods in the game where we had them penned in and we could’ve scored but and the point and move on.” 

Bursik made a key save in the first-half to deny Jordan White from close-range to keep the score goalless. 

“It was a quick reaction, I was happy to make an impact – particularly to do it before half-time to keep it 0-0,” Joe continued. 

“We’ve drawn the last two games, so we are going in the right direction – hopefully, we can start turning these into wins but it’s fine margins at the moment. 

“We’ve got to be happy with the clean sheet and we need to keep building from there. 

“Everyone is desperate to win and it will happen, once it does, we can start building momentum.” 

A row has broken out after it emerged a “generation” of Scottish frontline cops have not been given “essential” domestic abuse training while almost 15,000 officers have undergone alternative hate crime training.

The news has led to criticism that Police Scotland is more focused on “hurt feelings” than serious violent crime against women.

More than 91% of 16,363 cops have undergone hate workshops in response to the controversial Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act coming into force in April, while domestic violence training was sidelined due to “the impact of Covid 19”.

Police Scotland has also set up a cadre of more than 500 specially trained hate crime officers and staff to support colleagues navigate the contentious new laws, as well as training around 80 hate crime advisors and 450 hate crime champions, who remain deployed in their existing police roles.

Data shows there were 61,934 domestic abuse incidents in 2022/23 compared to 6257 hate crimes – the majority of which Police Scotland say “are non-violent” involving verbal abuse or threats.

Scottish Conservative MSP Pam Gosal said: “Domestic abuse incidents are at record highs on the SNP’s watch, yet Police Scotland has failed to give this vital training to a generation of new officers.

“However, nearly 15,000 officers have received hate crime training, showing that they are more focused on hurt feelings than tackling serious crimes that impact the public.

“It’s just common sense that every officer should receive domestic abuse training and the Scottish Conservatives will fight to make that happen.”

Dr Marsha Scott, chief executive of Scottish Women’s Aid, said poorly trained police officers responding to reports of domestic abuse could “re-traumatise” victims.

She said: “Police are often the first responders in cases of domestic abuse and their knowledge, attitudes and actions can affect the outcomes for victims, as well as the likelihood that they will contact police in the future.

“Evidence from our helpline and from recent inspections demonstrates that inadequately trained police are highly likely to re-traumatise survivors by being insensitive or dismissive.

“We have had a number of constructive conversations with Police Scotland about how performance by frontline police can be improved — through better training, through timely access to information about offenders, through coaching and through accountability built into performance management processes.”

Mary Howden, coordinator at the Women’s Rights Network Scotland, said here were 7874 rapes, attempted rapes and sexual assaults last year with women overwhelmingly the victims.

She added that, on average, one woman is killed every 45 days in Scotland, with 17 female homicides last year.

Ms Howden said: “While it is understandable when implementing new legislation that recent training would focus on hate crime incidents, it should not be at the expense of other important training such as male violence against women and girls.

“We are extremely concerned that Police Scotland currently seem to have little regard for women and girls preferring to focus on gender ideology and hurtful words, rather than giving women and girls confidence they are committed to improving their safety in the home and in the community. These are areas that our police officers need to be highly trained in.”

Helen Joyce, director of advocacy at human-rights charity Sex Matters, said: “It’s really concerning to hear that well after the pandemic has ended, police are still lacking vital training in tackling domestic abuse, which destroys many women’s lives.

“Most citizens care a lot more about preventing and punishing violent crimes than about policing words — especially when factual statements about biological sex have been rebranded ‘hateful’ under Orwellian hate crime law. Police Scotland needs to get its training priorities right.”

In Police Scotland’s update on the Violence Against Women and Girls strategy to the Scottish Police Authority the impact of the pandemic was blamed for thousands of cops not receiving domestic abuse training.

In his report, ACC Steve Johnson said: “We acknowledge that the impact of Covid-19 on police training means that a generation of frontline officers has not been provided with essential Domestic Abuse Matters training. Funding has been approved for additional training to be delivered by the end of March 2025.

“In consultation with SafeLives, six new domestic abuse CPD modules have been developed and published for officers to complete. These focus on DASA, Multi-agency working, Cybercrime, South Asian Women, Children and Trauma. All CPD modules are shaped and underpinned by the lived experiences of victim survivors of domestic abuse.”

Deputy Chief Constable Alan Speirs stressed that tackling violence against women and girls was one of Police Scotland’s “highest priorities”.

He said: “We have a very clear strategy to ensure our officers and staff are trauma-informed and have the best support and guidance from specialists when dealing with this type of crime.

“The Chief Constable has made a commitment to strengthening frontline policing so we are better placed to support victims and reduce crime in our communities.”

DCC Speirs added: “With regard to hate crime, our national Hate Crime Advisors play a vital role in supporting front line officers delivering the right service within our local communities. Hate Crime Champions support our divisions with advice and training at a local level.”

Broadcaster Jill Douglas honoured at Edinburgh Napier University.

In a homecoming that bridges past and present, sports broadcaster, Jill Douglas, returned to Edinburgh Napier University to receive an honorary doctorate, marking a fullcircle moment in her career.

Ms Douglas, who first worked in journalism at The Southern Reporter after studying newspaper journalism at Edinburgh Napier, has become one of Britain’s most respected sports broadcasters. Her journey from local newspaper reporter serves as an inspiration to the class of 2024, who shared their graduation with her at Edinburgh’s Usher Hall.

“I began my life in journalism and broadcasting at Edinburgh Napier,” Douglas reflected during the ceremony. “It is where I laid the foundations for my career, and I still rely on the many skills and lessons I learned on campus at Craiglockhart and Merchiston.”

Throughout her career, Douglas has broken barriers and captured some of sport’s most memorable moments. She made history as the first female presenter of BBC’s Rugby Special and has been a familiar face at prestigious sporting events, including Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and Rugby World Cups. One of her career highlights came in 2019 when she interviewed South Africa’s Rugby World Cup winning captain Siya Kolisi on the pitch in Yokohama, moments after their historic victory.

But she has also carried out meaningful charity work away from the cameras. As CEO of the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation until spring 2024, Douglas was instrumental in raising over £20 million for motor neuron disease (MND) research and support. The foundation, established in 2017 following the diagnosis of rugby legend Doddie Weir, continues to benefit from her involvement as a patron.

Dr. Tony Westbury from ENU’s School of Applied Sciences, who presented the honorary doctorate, praised Douglas’s enduring impact on sports journalism: “It has always been the qualities of knowledge, understanding and preparation that established Jill as an authoritative and skilled broadcaster. Her professionalism, knowledge and authentic love of sport has contributed to the enjoyment of many and inspired the next generation of journalists, both male and female.”

Now residing in Cheltenham with her husband Carl and their two children, Douglas continues to contribute to the sporting community as President of Cheltenham Tigers RFC. Her message to the graduating class of 2024 was one of optimism and possibility: “Journalism and broadcasting have allowed me to travel the world and experience some amazing events, and I hope those graduating in 2024 have as many opportunities and great times as I have enjoyed over the years.”

As she accepted her honorary doctorate, Ms Douglas took a moment to thank her former lecturers for their patience and the current university team for the honour.

David Henry is an independent candidate in the by-election to be held in November in Colinton/Fairmilehead.

He explained that he does know the area quite well, having lived in Hailes Gardens as a teenager while going to school in Corstorphine.

He said: “All parts of the city have got some of the same issues. The roads are in a terrible state. People have problems with bucket collections. That’s normal day to day, local council stuff. And I would mention the new bus tracking system that they’ve installed. It’s breaking down all over the city – they’ve got signs over them saying “out of service”.”

We pointed out to Mr Henry that the council has just announced that all existing trackers are now working and they’re about to extend it to other new locations. Undeterred he continued: “My question is, (and I’ve already sent it to the council) – how much electricity are these things burning? Because these are colour and there are fans on them, and they’re making a lot of noise.

“The old ones had none of these issues, so I want to know how much money they spent on it.”

He said that as a councillor he will be questioning everything spent, because he thinks the council wastes a lot of money.”

He raised housing as an example. He said: “In my ward, which is right on the edge of this one here, there are lots of empty houses. There’s thousands of empty houses that the council own, while they put people that are homeless in temporary accommodation, wasting huge amounts of money. They can’t afford to upgrade these premises.

“So they’ve got all these empty properties where they’re not getting any council tax from, they’re not getting any rent from, and at the same time, they’re paying for 5,500 people in Edinburgh to stay in temporary accommodation. If they go into a B & B, it’s £1,000 a month. I worked out how much that was – it’s millions and millions of pounds they’re wasting on keeping people in temporary accommodation while at the same time they claim they don’t have the money to upgrade these properties.

“And then there’s student accommodation, the number of installs of student accommodation, rather than actual social housing or affordable housing, is all over the city. And while I think Edinburgh University is a fantastic institution – it’s taking over the whole city.”

Regarding poverty he said that it is a “disgrace in this day and age that we’re not looking after the people that are most vulnerable. I think because I’ve been in politics for a while. I was always supportive of free school meals for all school children, and not means testing it for two reasons. One, it means kids are going to get at least one decent meal. Two, they don’t get picked on, and they don’t stand out as they’re getting free school meals while others aren’t, because everybody gets it. So I think for those two reasons, we should ensure that all school children across Edinburgh, but across all Scotland, get free school meals.”

He also set out an argument that one of the reasons Edinburgh Council is underfunded is because we have “lots of private schools”.

He said: Apparently this is part of the calculation in the Barnett formula, that if you’ve got private schools, you’re deemed to be a more wealthy area, therefore you need less funding. So that is one of the things apparently has quite an impact on how much money is given to Edinburgh versus other cities of similar sizes.”

He also insisted that the council has wasted money on the tram. He said : “I was in a party conference meeting once when they discussed what they were going to do with the tram in Edinburgh. They were thinking of extending it, and I said well it only goes from the airport to the city centre. Did you know it doesn’t even go to the airport until seven minutes past six in the morning, so you can’t use it for the first 20 flights of the day. Then it shuts down about 1130 or 12 o’clock at night, so you can’t use it for any of the late flights. So it’s a complete white elephant. I question the logic – the financial case – for building that extension.

“This seems to be the problem with our local council, is once they decide they’re going to do something, no matter what the evidence is that they should stop, they just keep going. So the same issues come up over and over again.

“I’ve watched what they’ve done in Roseburn. They spent a huge amount of money on this wonderful new road layout, except it’s damaged the local businesses, because traffic can’t really stop. New local businesses have opened, yes, but the old ones went out of business.

“So my issue on transport is there’s been no actual joined up thinking. How can we do the whole of Edinburgh? How can we make it work as a system? Instead, what we’ve had is little vanity projects which have not really been joined up.

“Then they decide they’re now going to add to it but what they never did is fix all the roads first.

“So I’ve seen potholes, I’ve watched cyclists going over them. The roads need fixed. It affects everybody. It’s damaging people’s vehicles. It’s injuring people. I’ve met some cyclists when I was in the general election campaign that was out in South Queensferry, and a woman had come off her bike, fractured her skull and ended up in hospital. She doesn’t know what happened. She can’t remember what happened.”

Asked to sum up why he is the best candidate, David said: “Well, I’ve got a connection to this ward for a start, and I think the big thing that makes me stand out from all the political parties is that I don’t have a manifesto that I’m tied to. I’m only interested in the community and the people that vote for me.”

A list of all the candidates in the election is here.

Police Scotland officers are warning the public to be vigilant of fraudulent online ticket sales following a significant number of reports over the past nine months.

Between January and September, 2024 there were 313 reported incidents of frauds across Scotland involving the online sale of tickets for major events. This equates to 6% of all cyber fraud incidents.

60% relate to the Taylor Swift Eras Tour in Edinburgh with others for concerts and sporting events.

These frauds are not connected to the artists, venues, promoters or reputable ticket sale sites. The majority take place on social media and online marketplace platforms by individuals and groups looking to exploit members of the public for financial gain.

According to the figures, woman between the ages of 18 and 24 are most at risk from this type of fraud.

Inspector Alasdair Penny, Cybercrime Harm Prevention, said: “We’ve noticed a trend in this type of crime reported around major events happening in Scotland. The figures represent a significant proportion of cybercrime, but we believe these types of incidents are underreported and the true figure will be much higher.

“Reports relating to the Taylor Swift Eras Tour have made up the majority and we’re aware there are a number of highly anticipated events next year, including the Oasis tour and TRNSMT.

“We have publicly raised the threat of cyber criminality and the increase in online offending and have put plans in place to address it. The Chief Constable unveiled a new vision for Police Scotland, including a commitment to establish a new Cyber Command and increase our capabilities to tackle online fraud.

“We want to make sure the public is aware of potential fraudulent sales and provide advice around how to spot it. Our message is: be vigilant. If a price or offer seems too good to be true, it probably is.

“Before purchasing, carefully review the ticket details for authenticity. Check for accurate event information, including the date, time, and venue. Pay attention to the seating section or assigned seats, which can indicate fraudulent tickets.

“Buy from legitimate sources, check bank details provided and use secure payment methods. Credit cards and reputable online payment platforms offer additional protection against fraudulent transactions. Avoid paying with cash, wire transfers, or unsecured payment methods.

“Please report any fraudulent activity to police. We will fully investigate and we work alongside partners to raise awareness and tackle those involved in such offences.”

More information on online safety can be found at: https://orlo.uk/YQRol or on the Trading Standards Scotland website: https://orlo.uk/jDAK1

Hibs head coach David Gray was left frustrated with his side’s creativity in the final third as Hibs drew 0-0 with Ross County at the Global Energy Stadium last night. 

Hibs were dominant in the second half but struggled to create any real clear cut chances. 

The draw however sees Hibs overtake Hearts who are now bottom of the table after a home defeat to Kilmarnock. 

When speaking after the game, Gray assessed his side’s performance and was quick to praise keeper Joe Bursik who has been the subject of much criticism from the supporters following a few high profile mistakes. 

“A point away from home and a clean sheet is never a bad thing, but with the situation we find ourselves in at the moment we saw this as an opportunity to come up here and get three. 

“We have to take the positives from the game, which are our goalkeeper, he made a big save at a big time, and that we kept a clean sheet. 

“I was frustrated with the first half. I thought we were flat and lacked energy. I thought Ross County were the better side in the first half and if it wasn’t for the goalkeeper, we’d have found ourselves behind. 

“The second half was much more like us; we were on the front foot and had a lot more energy. We asked the players to have more belief on the ball, more bravery, and to try and win the game. 

“For a 20-minute period we created chances and dominated the game, but we really lacked a cutting edge and quality in the final third, whether that be the last action, the execution, or whatever it would’ve been; that’s what let us down tonight.” 

“We have come under a lot of criticism defensively, and rightly so, because we’ve conceded a lot of goals and not kept enough clean sheets. As defenders and goalkeepers that’s what you pride yourself on. 

“It was a big night for Joe (Bursik) tonight, it was a big save at a big time to secure the clean sheet. I’m delighted for him because of the criticism he’s come under. He’s working incredibly hard and the back four should take a lot of credit for the way they defended. 

“The frustration comes because we couldn’t put it all together tonight. Defensively we were much better but going the other way we let ourselves down.” 

The Torchlight Procession will take place this year at the beginning of the four day long Edinburgh’s Hogmanay festivities.

The event on 29 December will be run by Edinburgh’s Hogmanay in collaboration with EventScotland, part of VisitScotland, the body charged with selling Scottish tourism to the world. The procession raises money for OneCity Trust, When You Wish Upon a Star, Social Bite and Simon Community Scotland.

From the sale of each torch £2 will be contributed to the charities, and £1.50 from the Procession tickets. It is hoped that around £55,000 will be gathered for the four charitable organisations from the 20,000 participants.

The Edinburgh Beltane Society will provide entertainment and there will be a carnival atmosphere at The Meadows where the procession starts at 6pm. This year the procession will end underneath Edinburgh Castle around 8.30pm.

Rebecca Edser, Head of EventScotland said: “Lighting up the heart of the city’s streets, the Torchlight Procession has become a time-honoured tradition of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations, honouring Scotland’s culture, heritage and spirit while setting
the stage for four days of New Year’s festivities across our capital city.

“Uniting both locals and visitors from across the world, the event is a key contributor to the wider visitor economy and shines a spotlight on Scotland’s reputation as a world-leading tourism and events destination.”

City of Edinburgh Council Culture and Communities Convener, Councillor Val Walker said: “I’m delighted to see the Torchlight Procession returning to the streets of Edinburgh this year. It’s a breathtaking sight as thousands make their way through our capital’s historic streets, their torches lighting up the night— it’s a moving symbol of unity and hope for the year ahead. It is also raising vital funds for four wonderful charities. This highlight of the Hogmanay programme is always a favourite among residents and visitors alike, and I have no doubt it will be just as popular this year.”

Directors of Unique Assembly who create and produce Edinburgh’s Hogmanay on behalf of the City of Edinburgh Council said:
“The Torchlight Procession is an incredible event, which is much-loved by both locals and visitors to the city, signalling the start of both Edinburgh’s Hogmanay and the world’s New Year celebrations. We’d like to thank EventScotland for their continued support of the event, and can’t wait to welcome participants to once again light-up the city and help fundraise for this year’s incredible charities.”

Lord Provost Robert Aldridge, President of One City Trust said: “We’re thrilled that proceeds from this incredible event will go to One City Trust. Every penny raised brings us one step closer to a fairer, more inclusive city. These funds allow us to support essential initiatives that address poverty, advance equality, and create opportunities for those who need them most – especially those affected by the housing emergency declared in the city.”

Further information and tickets for Edinburgh’s Hogmanay 2024/25 celebrations are available www.edinburghshogmanay.com

Reverend Rosemary Frew, minister of Bowden and Melrose Parish Church in the Borders, will become the Kirk’s new Moderator next May, succeeding current Moderator Rt Rev Dr Shaw Paterson.

Mrs Frew comes to the 12 month role with not only experience of parish ministry in Fife and the Borders, but of church involvement at presbytery and national level including as convener of the Faith Nurture Forum.

“It is incredibly humbling that other people see in you the qualities and experience that they think a Moderator should have,” she said.

“A very small number of people knew I was going forward for interviews and they all said the same thing: ‘You have got to be yourself.’

“That’s what I will bring to the job: I am bringing myself and my faith, my hope, my passions and my enthusiasm.

“Someone described me as ‘a cheerleader for the Church’ and I love that.

“I still have that passion and enthusiasm that I had when I was licenced for ministry despite all the hard times we have gone through.”

Police have charged two 15-year-old boys have been charged in connection with the serious assault and robbery of a man and a woman in Leith Street, Edinburgh.

The incident took place around 10pm on Monday, 28 October, near to the Princes Street junction.

Officers are continuing further lines of enquiry in relation to the incident.

The boys will be reported to the Procurator Fiscal.

Detective Sergeant Steven Gray said: “We would like to thank the numerous members of the public who have assisted our investigation so far and continue to appeal for information, as enquiries remain ongoing.

“Anyone with information can call 101, quoting reference 4015 of 28 October, 2024. Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, if you wish to remain anonymous.”

Dogs Trust West Calder would like to find the dogs in their care a lifetime home before the end of the year, while remembering their famous phrase A Dog is for Life – Not Just for Christmas.

The charity is currently caring for 50 dogs, and are trying to home as many as possible ahead of the festive season. This comes as Dogs Trust reveals it has received more than 32,000 handover enquiries so far this year from owners who are no longer able to care for their dogs. Thankfully, in 2024 so far, the charity has also found new homes for more than 6,000 dogs across the UK. 

One of those dogs hoping for a new home is Stella, a loving one-year-old Crossbreed who is full of joy and affection. The Dogs Trust team describe her as a sweet, shy girl, who once she forms a bond with her human friends, has got a beautiful, playful and energetic personality, making her an absolute joy to be around.  

Stella is always ready for fun and is eager to bring happiness into the home of a new family. She is seeking a quiet home with experienced owners who are familiar with caring for nervous dogs and can support her as she builds her confidence at her own pace. She can live with children aged 16 and over, but Dogs Trust advise she would need to be the only pet, ensuring she gets all the attention and love she deserves. 

Susan Tonner, Rehoming centre manager at Dogs Trust West Calder, said: “Christmas is fast approaching, and we are hoping to find forever homes for as many dogs as possible ahead of the festive season. While the Dogs Trust team will make sure that the dogs in our care over Christmas are well looked after, with festive treats and gifts galore, we all know there’s nowhere quite like home. We are certain that there is a fantastic forever home for each and every one of our dogs, and we’d like to see as many as possible settled in their new happy places ahead of Christmas. 

“We have no doubt Stella will make a great addition to the right family. She absolutely adores her favourite people and loves spending time playing in the garden, especially with her rope toys.  As she can be a little nervous, Stella’s ideal home needs to have a secure garden where she can spend time with the people she loves most, feeling safe and at ease. If you have experience with shy dogs and are willing to help Stella flourish in a patient and understanding environment, she will become a wonderful and loyal companion.” 

For almost fifty years, Dogs Trust has been linked to Christmas thanks to the famous phrase “A Dog is for Life, Not Just for Christmas”, penned by the charity’s team in 1978 in response to the large number of puppies bought as Christmas gifts and then abandoned in January. Since then, it has gone on to find homes for thousands of dogs each year. While the charity no longer sees a large number of pet-shop bought puppies handed over in January, the last three years have been some of the busiest on record for Dogs Trust. In 2022 it received over 50,000 handover requests, with a further 45,000 last year, and more than 32,000 so far this year.  

Susan said: “Welcoming a dog into your home is a wonderful experience, but it requires commitment, both in terms of time and money. We work closely with prospective adopters to ensure they’re fully prepared to welcome one of our dogs into their home, and our team carefully matches each dog with a family and home that suits them best. And our care doesn’t stop at rehoming – we offer ongoing support and guidance to owners throughout their dog’s life. At Dogs Trust, our dogs are part of the family for life, not just for Christmas.” 

www.dogstrust.org.uk/westcalder 

Autumn Budget response

Following the budget speech at Westminster by Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, Finance Secretary Shona Robison welcomed additional funding, but said the Scottish Government will still face “enormous cost pressures” despite the measures.

Ms Robinson said: “We called for increased investment in public services, infrastructure and tackling poverty. This budget is a step in the right direction, but still leaves us facing enormous cost pressures going forwards. The additional funding for this financial year has already been factored into our spending plans.

“By changing her fiscal rules and increasing investment in infrastructure, the Chancellor has met a core ask of the Scottish Government. But after 14 years of austerity, it’s going to take more than one year to rebuild and recover – we will need to see continued investment over the coming years to reset and reform public services.

“Indeed, there is a risk that by providing more funding for public services while increasing employer national insurance contributions, the UK Government is giving with one hand while taking away with the other. We estimate that the employer national insurance change could add up to £500 million in costs for the public sector unless it is fully reimbursed – and there is a danger that we won’t get that certainty until after the Scottish budget process for 2025/26 has concluded.

“With the lingering effects of the cost of living crisis still hitting family finances, it is disappointing that there was no mention of the abolishing the two-child limit, which evidence shows would be one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce child poverty. Neither was there mention of funding for the Winter Fuel Payment.

“As ever, the devil is in the detail, and we will now take the time to assess the full implications of today’s statement. I will be announcing further details as part of the Scottish Budget on 4 December.”

Recognising Ebenezer MacRae

At next week’s meeting of the full council, Cllr Neil Gardiner has brought to the council’s attention the name Ebenezer MacRae – who was the city architect until he retired in 1946. Cllr Gardiner, an architect and formerly the city’s planning convener, is keen for Mr MacRae’s work to be remembered in some way, particularly as next year will be the 100th anniversary of Mr MacRae’s appointment. If this does not mean anything to you then if you live in Northfield or Saughton and several other areas in between it really ought to as he designed most of the housing there.

Our 2021 article here explained that Mr MacRae also designed the police boxes in Edinburgh, so there will be many people who think he is important – especially those who have converted the boxes into coffee boxes we think.

(However the motion was clearly written before The People’s Story was closed as it suggests mounting an exhibition there. More on that story is coming tomorrow in our article which will be published first thing.)

This is the text of the motion to council:

By Councillor Gardiner – City Architect Centenary

Council Notes:

1)         2025 will be the hundredth anniversary of the appointment of Ebenezer James MacRae as City Architect for the City of Edinburgh, a post he held until retiring in 1946.

2)         In the following year (1926), MacRae was also appointed as Director of Housing.

3)         MacRae and his team thereafter were responsible for the design and delivery of high-quality social housing with good space standards and natural daylighting.

4)         The works included new housing districts, schools and public buildings in the north, east and west of our city including: Piershill, Prestonfield, Stenhouse, Redbraes, Saughton, Whitson, Craigentinny, Granton and Craigmillar.

5)         MacRae and his team were also responsible for designing and delivering sensitive urban social housing renewal in the Old Town and South Side.

Therefore, in order celebrate this important centenary Council requests that:

6)         A report be prepared in two cycles to the appropriate committee, to consider mounting an exhibition of the work across the City of Edinburgh of MacRae and his team in the People’s Story Museum, Canongate Tolbooth.

Motion of Condolence at Holyrood

A motion of condolence was debated at Holyrood on Wednesday to remember Alex Salmond, the former First Minister of Scotland who died two weeks ago in North Macedonia.

Read more here.

Can you help with this university study about exercise and mood?

The University of Edinburgh Moray House School of Education and Sport is recruiting adults aged 18-45 (men) and 18-55 (women) for a study exploring how exercise duration and intensity affect mood.

Participants receive a comprehensive assessment of aerobic capacity to tailor exercise intensity and gain insights into their fitness level through scientific testing at the Physiology Lab, St Leonard’s Land, Edinburgh. If you are healthy, generally inactive, and interested in joining, please contact H.Ran@sms.ed.ac.uk

Help to create a film festival

North Edinburgh Arts invite you to help create the North Edinburgh Film Festival 2025. Go along to West Pilton Neighbourhood Centre on Monday 4 November to watch, chat about and choose films for the third North Edinburgh Film Festival, which takes place in February 2025

Meet at the Neighbourhood Centre on Monday 4th November at 5.00pm – 6.30pm.

For more info, email: film@northedinburgharts.co.uk