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.
Dunion review working group
After allegations were made against former council leader Cammy Day, an independent review was conducted to look into how the council deals with complaints against Councillors (amongst other issues). Kevin Dunion concluded his review earlier this year, finding there were “inadequacies” in how complaints were handled. He recommended, among other things, that a working group be formed to implement learnings from his report, and I am now representing the Greens on that group.
In the past three years since I was elected, I have often found the culture within the council to be far from what the public would hope for. While the topics covered in the working group have been difficult to approach, it does feel empowering to have the space to challenge bad behaviour and speak truth to power. It is important to me that the public feels they can trust politicians, but with the headlines coming out of the city chambers over the past year, it is no wonder faith in politicians is at a low point. I am proud to be taking on this important work to change council culture and practices for the better.
The Welcoming AGM and Cyrenians reception
This month, I was pleased to be invited to attend a reception with Cyrenians as they launched their Manifesto for Ending Homelessness in Scotland, looking at public health and the root causes of homelessness. At this event, it was great to hear from Màiri McAllan, the Cabinet Secretary for Housing, about the duties which will be implemented under the forthcoming Housing Bill, which the Greens have championed in parliament.
I was also delighted to attend the AGM of The Welcoming, a fantastic organisation in the south west of the city working to integrate new Scots into the Edinburgh community. I have been working closely with staff and volunteers at The Welcoming to ensure the council is supporting this important initiative, especially at a time of heightened anti-immigration rhetoric.
Housing: retrofitting, tenants roundtable and newly published research
I have been working closely this month with Lorna Slater MSP on issues around funding for retrofitting of housing in Edinburgh to improve energy efficiency. You may have read that there have been problems with how the council has approached this issue in mixed tenure blocks in different parts of the city. I was pleased to bring Lorna together with local residents and campaigners to discuss these challenges and how the Scottish Government can help. Going forward, I am hoping to meet with the housing minister to lobby for changes to funding formulas to solve this issue.
I also contributed this month to the Edinburgh Tenants Federation (ETF) roundtable, during which I heard from council tenants about the issues they were experiencing in their homes. I am looking forward to joining ETF at their AGM at the end of November, where I will be the guest speaker.
Finally, I met with the Housing Associations’ Charitable Trust (HACT) in October, to discuss the research they have done alongside Shelter looking at the value of social housing and outlining how investment in council homes leads to other benefits for society. It was great to catch up with the researchers and dig into specific details around their findings, which I am hoping I can apply in this year’s budget process.
Motion on data centres at full council meeting
Many people have been in touch with me recently to express concerns about the AI data centres which are applying for planning permission in Edinburgh. These centres would use a huge amount of energy and water. The council does not currently have a policy on AI, nor how to assess the environmental impact of these centres. So, I brought forward a motion to the October full council meeting asking for council officers to investigate these policy gaps.
Recess
And finally, October saw council take a week of recess, and I was glad to take the time to recharge!