Working at home tomorrow!

Junior in S2 at Tynecastle now, so a third-day off for him tomorrow - but my 'better-half' has to go into work, given the (correct, I think!) decision that teachers should report for work ...

... so, on child-care duty tomorrow and will be working from home!

Can still be contacted by e-mail/mobile if need be --- in between sledge-outings, of course :-))

Schools update ...

Some schools information, in relation to tomorrow (Wednesday 1st December) just announced ... I'll just re-produce the schools info. here (click on link for all details):

The City of Edinburgh Council PR 1316 30/11/2010 [For Immediate Release]

Severe weather update: some schools to reopen on Wednesday

Some primary schools in Edinburgh are to re-open on Wednesday and 4th-6th year pupils at all secondary schools should attend (1st-3rd year should stay at home).

With colder temperatures and more snow expected, the situation remains changeable so parents are urged to continue checking the Council’s website and Radio Forth for updates.

Councillor Robert Aldridge, Environment Leader, said: "I want to thank everyone for their patience. With such a lot of snow falling in such a short space of time, it’s inevitably going to take some time to clear residential streets and restore other services to normal. I also want to thank those people who have been good neighbours to vulnerable people and the Council staff who have been working flat out to keep the city moving.”

Schools

All school staff should report to work tomorrow. If staff cannot report to their usual place of work then they should go to the nearest City of Edinburgh Council school.

All secondary schools will be open for 4th-6th year pupils tomorrow – all secondary pupils should bring a packed lunch. Pupils who get transport from Ratho, Kirknewton and Livingston to Balerno High School should not attend as transport is unavailable.

The following primary schools will re-open tomorrow:

Craigentinny
Broughton
James Gillespie's Primary School
Sciennes
Gylemuir (nursery closed)
Bruntsfield

The following nurseries will re-open tomorrow:

Cowgate
Calderglen
Tynecastle

All special schools with remain closed with the exception of the Panmure St Ann's service.

All City of Edinburgh Council community centres will re-open with the exception of Ratho, Roseberry Hall, Inch, Jack Kane, Bingham and Magdalene.

======

Weather & surgery cancelled again

As regular readers know - all Edinburgh schools shut again today (as well as yesterday), so no local surgery again tonight - many apologies - due to St. Cuthberts Primary School being closed obviously ...

... I should though be at Fountainbridge Library tomorrow (Wednesday) night --- 6pm, as usual --- unless libraries start closing as well :-((

Either way, please don't hesitate to e-mail/call if you need to contact me about anything!

P&S Committee this morning ...

Policy and Strategy Committee met this morning - despite the weather! - and almost all Councillors and Directors were present ;-)

There was indeed a division on the TEL/tie appointment process, between Labour and the Lib-Dems/Tories, with the SNP abstaining ... overall, more heat than light I fear :-(

Brief, but interesting, debate on the "Modernising Pay - Protected Pay" report, which can be found here ... I asked for the report to referred to Full Council with any available update, to no avail when it came to a vote, but ensured it got there under Standing Order 53.

A lot of employees are pretty angry about this issue - which I accept boils down to a difference of view on how the 'Modernising Pay' agreement is interpreted - but given all the challenges about to face the Council workforce, I'd have thought an update report (on this specific issue) to Full Council would be the least the Administration should be doing??

No local surgery tonight

No local surgery tonight - at Craiglockhart Primary School - due to the city-wide school closures obviously ...

... but please don't hesitate to e-mail/telephone if you need to get in touch with any concerns - weather-related or otherwise!

Hutchison fatality

Very sad events in the Hutchison-end of the Ward, in the early hours of this morning ...

... my thoughts go out to all involved.

City Schools all closed today + tomorrow!

Just spotted on the Council web-site that all the City's Schools (Nursery, Primary and Secondary) are closed today - appears to have been announced around 7am ...

... I've already had several constituents in contact (last night) asking why Edinburgh doesn't do what Midlothian clearly did in such extreme conditions, and announce the closure of their schools the night before (at around 5pm Sunday)?

Seems a perfectly reasonable question to me - given the really bad weather last night, and the need for a bit of parental planning ... which we're certainly having to do this morning now that junior's going to be at home all day!

UPDATE
Midlothian have now announced (around 11am) that all their schools will be shut tomorrow ... no such advance planning apparent from CEC at the moment :-(

UPDATE 2
CEC have now announced (around 3pm) that all schools in the Capital will be shut tomorrow.

The Dinosaurs versus The People

Excellent article by Andrew Rawnsley in today's Observer, which sums up the coming battle-lines over the potential adoption of AV, to be decided in the referendum on Thursday 5th May 2011 ...

... it really is The Dinosaurs versus The People, and Rawnsley gets it!

If you need an explanation of why this Labour politician - who isn't exactly the Lib-Dems number 1 fan - will be unequivocally voting YES! next May, then have a quick read at that article.

Sunday snow!

Well, the snow did indeed fall last night ...

... this picture was taken just up the road from the flat, at the Union Canal / Harrison Park - and gives a good idea of the amount of snow that's actually fallen!

We were due to drive over to Coatbridge, to visit some relatives, which was hastily cancelled --- and given how the weather has progressed for the rest of the day I'm very glad we didn't go anywhere near the car :-(

Strictly and snow ...

Couldn't resist this evening and watched the next episode in the Strictly-saga ...

... glad to see my predicted winner is still going strong ;-)

A real heavy downfall of snow also started late this evening - lets hope Edinburgh doesn't end up in the same state as last year :-(

Just say YES! Michael

Can't say I'm currently much of a Michael Gove supporter, especially when it comes to his education policies ...

... but - they don't apply here in Scotland - and after today's news, if he comes out in favour of AV I think I may just have to get a small supporters-club up and running North of the Border ;-)

Committee division?

Supplementary agenda now out for next Tuesday's Policy and Strategy meeting - here - and the specific report on the tie/TEL appointment of a permanent Chair can be found here ...

... I do expect that this report will generate most debate next week?

Not sure I can remember the Lib-Dems and SNP (who jointly run the city supposedly) dividing at an actual Policy and Strategy Committee meeting but I suspect they may do so on this issue next week :-(

Tax lapse

Glad to hear that an apology was eventually forthcoming from the Finance Secretary this afternoon ... it was the right thing to do.

Mind you, the tone of the debate was as robust (from all sides, it has to be said!) as I think I've heard it throughout this whole Parliamentary term and couldn't have helped any calm consideration of what's gone wrong here :-(

Let's hope that tempers calm-down in the next few days and that a proper investigation can get under way to ensure this can't happen again.

Policy and Strategy papers out

Well, most of the reports for next Tuesday's meeting are out - main agenda here, and individual reports can be found via CPOL as usual ...

... the reports that are most likely to generate significant debate are still marked 'to follow' but they should be up on CPOL in the next day or so.

I'll be sure to post further when they are ...

Neighbourhood Partnership meeting

Main Edinburgh South West Neighbourhood Partnership meeting this evening ...

... very low turnout from members of the public, and one can't help wonder if the removal of 'Committee Services' support from the Neighbourhood Partnership is already showing a negative dividend?

I'm convinced that it was a completely false economy and won't help, only hinder, the development of neighbourhood working :-(

It's all Westminster's fault??

I really think that this 'defence' just won't wash with most people in Holyrood ...

... frankly, I think its an uncharacteristic misjudgement by the Finance Secretary and that he really should just accept that nearly two-thirds of people in Scotland voted for the Parliament (not the Executive!) to have a tax-varying power and that the Parliament should therefore have been informed of its lapsing.

Last time I checked, budgets (and all other taxation matters) need the approval of the Holyrood Chamber and are not in the gift of the 'Executive' ... the Scottish tax-varying power surely falls into the same category?

Policy and Strategy meeting next Tuesday

Policy and Strategy Committee meeting coming up next Tuesday (30th) - last one before the end of the year, and I expect a few significant reports to be up for debate ...

... specifically, there should be further information on the permanent appointments for tie/TEL and Lothian Buses: don't forget that all the fuss last week was over mere 'interim' appointments :-(

I can see this whole issue running for a long time yet!

Campaigning Day

No rugby, or dancing, flights of fancy today ... very sadly :-(

... just endless leaflets, letters and envelopes instead!

Still, looking on the bright side, it's now less than 18-months to the May 2012 local elections and then there could be no further election for another 2-years thereafter ;-))