June has been an exceptionally very busy month for Green councillors, sadly for both good and bad reasons.
The horrendous racist attacks and continued Far Right activity meant Green councillors have been at the forefront of making the case for an Edinburgh to be and feel a safe place for everyone, both on the streets and in the council. Green councillors have attended anti-far right protests, supported the communities in their wards who were affected, and have put forward proposals to help communities come together and tackle anti-migrant narratives.
More positively, some key Green policies also took a step forward this month. A record 14 Firework Control Zones, championed by Dan as way to protect animal welfare, vulnerable citizens and our air and water quality, were approved at the start of the month. Meanwhile, continuing our local campaign against data centres kicked off by Alys, Alex’s amendment at Planning Committee will mean that the council will develop its own definition of ‘Green’ data centres, and also will call and the Scottish Government for a moratorium until a Scottish Government official definition is released.
As always, Green councillors stand-up for their local communities. At a special Housing Committee at the start of the month, Dan and Ross, supported by Ben, our housing lead, spoke up for their constituents against the council’s proposed ‘cut and run’ strategy at Westfield Court, after decades of failure to properly maintain the building.
Full Council was particularly busy, with half of all motions brought by Greens, resulting in several key Green wins. Alys has provided a helpful video summary:
Council is now in recess, but Green councillors will be back in August for the last 7 months of the Council term, ready with more ideas to make Edinburgh greener and fairer.
Our councillors Susan Rae, Alys Mumford and Kayleigh O’Neill MSP, and well as MSP Kate Nevens, attend a rally in support of communities in Leith, after a racist attack there.
Councillor highlights from the month
Asked to pick one highlight from the month, our councillors chose:
Alex Staniforth
Alex’s Full Council motion to get the council to condemn the deeply flawed trans-exclusive Equality and Human Rights Guidance on the meaning of sex in equalities law was passed. This attracted some very moving deputations from groups representing trans people, who emphasised how damaging the guidance will be to the safety and dignity of trans people.
Alys Mumford
Alys has led on the group’s response to recent Far Right activity, and the horrific racist attacks that the city has seen recently. The all-party motion passed at Full Council contained several Green asks submitted by Alys, including a new system for reporting racist graffiti; additional support from the council’s human resources team to workers of colour, such as help getting home safely, and holding a Protecting Communities summit to hear from faith leaders and communities of colour on how we can make people feel safe and how we can challenge the Far Right.
Chas Booth
Chas has been busy at Transport Committee, working with Ben and others to try to retain three modal filters in the Greenbank – Meadows Quiet route from being ripped out due to a council blunder. Unfortunately, we failed this time, but we will return to this battle in the future.
Ben Parker
At Transport and Environment Committee, Ben spoke as the ward member on the item on the Greenbank – Meadows Quiet Route, for which he has campaigned for many years. He presented evidence that the modal filters on the Braid Estate have had a significant positive impact, such as a reduction in 43% through traffic and a 160% increase in cycling. He worked with 5 Primary School Parent Councils to ensure that they were able to tell the Committee about the benefits the route has had to help children walk, wheel and cycle to school safely.
Claire Miller
At Full Council, Claire seconded a motion to progress plans for a public toilet at Haymarket, which was contractually agreed to be included in the Haymarket development but was never delivered.
Dan Heap
Dan made a bid for the Council to set up a voluntary scheme for opening-up park-size private gardens, such as Queen Street gardens, to public access, a manifesto commitment in 2022. He gained significant media coverage, debating Conservative Councillor Jo Mowatt on BBC Radio Scotland.
Jule Bandel
Jule is taking some time off.
Steve Burgess
At the first of two Education committees in June, Steve won four amendments including one highlighting the ongoing harm to Trans pupils in schools as a result of the council over-reacting to the UK Supreme Court Ruling and outdated legislation on school toilet provision. The amendment also means the council will have to report back on progress in several areas to support LGBTQ+ young people, including LGBTQ+ informed mental health support.
Kayleigh O’Neill
As she gets started representing her Edinburgh and Lothians East constituents in Parliament and leading nationally on health for the Greens, Kayleigh is continuing to assist her constituents in Forth with casework and local issues.
Susan Rae
Susan Rae continued her campaign on Bleed Kits. In response to a previous motion from Susan in the wake of the tragic death of her constituent due to a stabbing attack, the council is procuring bleed kits, which help stem bleeding when someone is stabbed. Her new motion to Full Council regarding the procurement of the kits passed, which means concerns from campaigners about how the kits are being procured will be addressed.
Green-aligned Independent Councillor Ross McKenzie highlight from the month
Asked to pick one highlight from the month, Ross chose:
As a councillor and member of the Housing Committee, Ross has worked hard to support his constituents at Westfield Court push back against Council plans to abandon the building, whilst also reaching out to offer support to the Muslim communities, after the racist attack at Broomhouse mosque.
Green councillors in the news
This month, Green councillors have been in the news:
- Alys used our regular column to reflect on Pride month, and the need to ensure Edinburgh is a safe and equal place for everyone
- Alex’s efforts to ensure the Council condemns the transphobic guidance issued by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission was reported in The Herald.
- Many media outlets, including The Herald, reported on Dan’s attempt to open shared private gardens to the public
Committee updates
Finance & Resources
At the June meeting of Finance & Resources committee we were successful in calling for Integrated Impact Assessments and public consultation to be conducted on all budget savings proposals in future. The risk of legal challenge after the council voted to implement 300% council tax payments for second homes and long-term empty homes has given us an opportunity to emphasise the importance of good consultation and equality impact assessments. We also raised concerns about the risk to future local government funding settlements in light of the Public Services Reform agenda of the new Scottish Government.
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