It’s not always easy to find time to shout about all the work we are involved in as councillors, and sometimes the job can be quite opaque to members of the public. To try and help demystify just exactly what the job of a councillor is, I’ve decided to start a monthly blog of activities I’ve been involved with. Whilst this won’t be fully comprehensive, I hope it will give a sense of the sorts of projects I’m working on, and just how varied the work can be.
Local traders and police meeting
After concerning reports regarding break-ins and attempted break-ins in the Bruntsfield area, I organised a meeting between the Community Policing Team and the Bruntsfield Traders Association which was held on the 1st May. In the meeting officers discussed the best ways to protect commercial properties and set out the procedure to contact emergency services if an incident does arise. While it is concerning that these incidents are on the rise, it is good that local businesses are organised and working collectively.
Inaugural meeting of Merchiston Districts Community Council
As one of the local ward Councillors, I was delighted to act as the returning officer for the inaugural meeting of Merchiston Districts Community Council. I worked with the outgoing community council members to host and chair the first meeting of the newly Council. Congratulations to everyone elected – I’m looking forward to working with members over the coming year.
Accessible Housing Summit
After months of preparation, I was delighted to see the accessible housing summit finally take place at the City Chambers last month. We had a packed room with a host of organisations including officers from planning, housing, health and social care, housing developers, the third sector and disabled people’s organisations. The provision of accessible housing has been a major focus for me in the council and this April’s event was the result of a motion that I took to the Housing Committee last year. There is still more we can do to make our homes much more accessible, and this will be an issue I continue to work on as a councillor.
Meeting with the student housing co-op
Although Edinburgh Student Housing Coop (ESHC) sits just outside the ward boundary, since being elected, I have worked closely with the group given my role on the Housing Committee. The council has recently published guidance on student housing developments so I was pleased to meet with ESHC to discuss how the new guidance might help or hinder the group as they look to expand. I have previously brought forward proposals to encourage the council to support the expansion of ESHC, and despite the fact these have not been supported by the Labour administration, I will continue to press this issue at Council.
Recess
April has also been a time of Easter recess and while this has meant no formal meetings of the council, I have still been busy responding to emails.