Aftermath
It’s time for local services to be truly valued, says Alison Johnstone. Despite the importance of council services, such as schools, social care and housing, last week’s local elections were overshadowed by national events. Those of us who care about local democracy faced an uphill battle. With little national media interest, a Tory prime minister…
Acting for a green future for our great city
On Tuesday 25th April, at a special hustings, Cllr Chas Booth, Green spokesperson on Environment and Sustainability, set out the changes to sustainable development that Greens want to see in the capital. We have seen some modest steps forward on sustainability over the last five years. The council has a sustainable energy action plan, and…
A sustainable European city
Councillor Steve Burgess today secured backing for City of Edinburgh Council to sign up to the European Sustainable cities declaration. At the last European Conference on Sustainable Cities & Towns, held in the Basque Country last year, a declaration was proposed by the ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, which outlined new pathways for European Cities and Towns…
A green future for our great city
Edinburgh’s only future is a Green future, says Melanie Main I rarely doubt the sincerity with which members of other parties hold their political beliefs, however much I might disagree with them. Green priorities are different in one big way, however: there is a clock ticking against them. The shrinking ice-sheets in the polar regions,…
Power in your hands – making banking local
Green councillor Melanie Main says bank closures are not necessary if there is the imagination to rethink banking. The sign in the window of Bank of Scotland at Holy Corner in Morningside is stark: “this Branch will close on 5th July”. The announcement, which quite simply stunned local businesses, was followed by the usually comments…
Vote local!
Council elections are too important to be the focus of cynical political games, says Alison Johnstone. The council elections on 4 May are fast approaching, with some people getting their postal votes in only eleven days’ time. Everyone registered to vote – and if you’re not, please do so before 17 April – gets the…
A Green “manifesto” for Newhaven
Gillian Mackay, Scottish Green Party candidate for Forth, and Chas Booth, Green councillor for Leith, set out their priorities for Newhaven if elected on 4 May. Newhaven has a proud heritage and a strong sense of community. As Greens, we will do what we can to preserve and protect that heritage, and to foster and…
Homes for all
Everyone deserves a decent home says Mary Campbell. In the Portobello and Craigmillar ward, housing is a big issue. Throughout our area people are struggling to make ends meet and keep a roof over their heads. One of the reasons I am running for council is that I believe that good quality housing is a…
Local elections or dry-run for independence referendum?
Tory attempts to turn council elections into a vote on Scotland’s future relationship to UK are desperate and patronising, argues Gavin Corbett Councils provide many of the services we treasure. They fund nurseries and run our schools. They ensure there is social care for our older people. They look after our parks, streets, waste collections…
Schools: power in your hands
Schools can put power in your hands, argues Melanie Main. Of all the layers of government – European, UK, Scottish and local – the last is most relevant to most people’s daily lives. Local councils are responsible for care for the very young and the very old. They keep our streets clean and lit, pick…
From Wester Hill to Wester Hailes
Green councillor Gavin Corbett, describes a day in the life… I’ve had a couple of queries recently asking me to describe a typical day as a councillor. I usually reply that there is no such thing. Nevertheless, the day described below (yesterday), while not typical in the sense that every day is like it, does…
A green future for our great city
A “low carbon” Edinburgh is about what works for people and communities, argues Steve Burgess Next week Edinburgh hosts a low carbon cities conference. At a time when the most powerful country in the world is led by someone who is in denial about climate change, it’s an important event. But it is not enough…
On the buses
Alison Johnstone says it is time to rethink transport priorities. ‘For a while I had to stop going to events, to educational stuff to do research and I’ve even turned down work in Edinburgh.” The words of Helen Jeffrey. Helen and her husband Rab, a retired couple from Bo’ness near Linlithgow, who have made the…
Managing the school “run”
Let’s put child safety and safe streets first in school travel choices, says Claire Miller. The “school run” has been a hot topic since the Evening News reported the head teacher at Heriots school tackling head-on what he describes as the selfish behaviour of some parents, clogging up busy city streets and parking dangerously in…
Greener Edinburgh: affordable homes
A greener future for Edinburgh needs firm action on housing costs, argues Alex Staniforth. Three cheers for the Evening News for its leader headline just before Christmas. “High property prices are not good for the city” it said. To me, it seems so obvious but is amazing the number of newsrooms around the country which…
Carers and patients deserve better
Green council candidate, Claire Miller, says that a lot more can be done to improve the experience of care, for both service users and carers. Most of us will need social care at some point, either for ourselves or our relatives. I’ve recently had personal experience of the social care system, and understood first-hand how…
Our great city; our Green future
Green Councillor Nigel Bagshaw says Edinburgh can make big choices in 2017, for a greener future. Edinburgh is a very typical capital city. Thousands of us have come to the city from other parts of Scotland, the UK, or indeed across the world. It is that mix of new and old, that link to the…
The Path not Taken: City Region Deal and Active Travel
Dan Heap and Gavin Corbett argue that Edinburgh is missing a trick on the economic importance of active travel. What do roads, roundabouts and rail-links all have in common? Apart from all starting with “R”, the answer is that they are each regarded as a vital part of economic infrastructure. In order to get people…
Unlock the shackles to unleash our potential
A visitor levy could raise millions, if only Scottish ministers would grant the city the freedom to implement one, says Alison Johnstone. Local councils have “spending power”, according to Finance Secretary Derek Mackay, who used this slogan during his budget statement to claim that he is being generous. The reality is that our councils have…
A welcoming capital
It is a good time of year to reflect on help needed by families cut adrift from their homeland, argues Melanie Main. Recently a small group of child refugees from the Calais camps arrived safely in Edinburgh and are now being well looked after in the city. To its credit, Edinburgh city council agreed to take these children without waiting for the end of the protracted…
Tackling child poverty in the Capital
The poorest children need to benefit from Edinburgh’s successes, argues Dr Dan Heap. The film “I, Daniel Blake” has been out for a month now. For my money it is as every bit as striking as the film which first made director, Ken Loach’s name – “Cathy Come Home”, 50 years ago. “I, Daniel Blake”…
Serving Edinburgh’s deaf community
The council has come to the right decision in commissioning services for deaf people, says Gavin Corbett. Over the last month I’ve spent a lot of time looking at and discussing services to deaf people in Edinburgh. The backdrop has been a tendering exercise to provide interpreting services to deaf people over the next 4…
Citizen of the year
One of the privileges of being a councillor is getting to meet so many fantastic people who, at a community level, do fantastic work in the city. This evening, I am delighted to be joining the Lord Provost in an event to mark the granting of the William Y Darling Award for Citizenship to Tracy…
Bellfield Church: the city “right to buy”
Green candidate Mary Campbell heralds the “urban right to buy” in Portobello. Community “Right to Buy” has been with us for some time. Back in 2003, the Scottish Parliament passed the Land Reform Act, which included a ’Community Right to Buy’ that allowed rural communities the right to buy land for common use, mainly by…
Green Edinburgh: People, Place, Power
Edinburgh is a great city but needs a green future to match, argues Claire Miller The term “PPP” has had a bad press in 2016. Its longstanding use for “Public Private Partnership” for schools and hospitals came crashing down with the collapse of a wall at Oxgangs Primary School in January. An inquiry will tell…
Keep Britannia jobs in Leith
Britannia should stay in Leith, argues Green councillor Chas Booth I’m not a great fan of the monarchy. I have nothing against them personally, you understand – it’s just that I think our leaders should be elected, and accountable to the people, rather than being chosen by an accident of birth. Having said that, I…
A sustainable Edinburgh?
Gavin Corbett says Edinburgh has a long way to go to be a “sustainable” city.
Shining a light on common stairways
Let’s shine a light on common stairways, says Cllr Melanie Main As of July the Council stopped repairing lights in common stairs across the city. If there are council-owned properties in a stair, repairs will still be done and the council will still pay the electricity bill. But, in general, if stair lighting goes wrong…
Moving forward with waste collection services
Waste collections have been high profile in Edinburgh in recent weeks. Green Environment spokesperson Cllr Chas Booth outlines a Green way forward. Who would want to work on the bins? It is hard, physical work, you won’t get rich doing it and any weaknesses in the service are visible straight away. But there is no…
Parking in the city chambers quadrangle
At the full meeting of the city council today, Green councillor, Gavin Corbett, asked why the city chambers quadrangle is so often crammed with cars. Below is an edited version of what he said. For the benefit of the webcast the question I asked was about permitted vehicle access to the City Chambers quadrangle and how…