Yesterday's Full Council Meeting still available to watch on the internet ... go on, you know you want to?
You can quickly go to any section of the meeting (as listed) if you click on the second tab, from the top-left, that says 'index points' if you hover over it.
Am pleased to report that the clutch of reports on Governance Issues were all approved (some on division) and further details can be found on CPOL and on the Council Newsblog here ...
... and just today, I was delighted to be able to go public with the news that the City of Edinburgh Council and UNISON have reached agreement to
settle the outstanding equal pay claims of former APT&C employees lodged by
the Union on behalf of their members. More details here.
(ex) CITY OF EDINBURGH COUNCILLOR, ANDREW BURNS; FOUNTAINBRIDGE/CRAIGLOCKHART WARD 'EDINBURGH LABOUR GROUP' LEADER; & 'THE CITY OF EDINBURGH COUNCIL' LEADER. --- just very brief comments (both work & personal), as often as possible, that's all :-)
Friday, October 26, 2012
Monday, October 22, 2012
October 2012 Leader's Report
October Leader's Report now up on CPOL - you can see it as a PDF here, text is also below, and don't forget you can watch this Thursday's Council Meeting (from 10am) via the web if so interested ... just go here.
October 2012 | ||
Opening up democracy
Taking
part in or creating a petition is a new way that individuals, community groups and
organisations can get involved in what the Council does. It allows people to
raise issues of public concern and gives councillors the opportunity to consider
the need for change.
The new Petitions Committee, chaired by Councillor Maggie Chapman one of our opposition colleagues in the Green Party, is set to consider petitions for the first time on Monday 3 December. If there is something you are keen to have considered you can get information from the Council's web pages, libraries and other Council buildings. The committee is part of a package of measures and a new committee structure aimed at creating a more accessible and transparent organisation by opening up decision-making and improving scrutiny of the Council's work. The meeting will also be webcast live as part of a year long pilot programme aimed at opening up democracy in the city. ______________________________________Best large European City of the Future
Edinburgh was recently awarded Best Large European City of the
Future by fDi magazine in
recognition of Edinburgh being a great place for businesses. The magazine has
followed this up with a short film that looks at why Edinburgh is a proving so
popular for inward investment. You can view the film on fDi’s website.
______________________________________Festivals contribution to Edinburgh
This summer while London hosted elite athletes and the next
generation of sporting talent from around the world, Edinburgh celebrated the
worldwide cultural phenomena that are Edinburgh’s Festivals.
With audiences holding steady, and in some instances increasing, the impact of Edinburgh’s Festivals has been shown to generate £261 million for Scotland’s economy and 5242 full-time jobs in Edinburgh. What the results of summer 2012 really tell us is that Edinburgh’s Festivals have this year seized the opportunities arising from the UK hosting of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The breadth and depth of Edinburgh’s festival programmes with their vast array of premieres and commissions, provide the distinctive cultural offering that are the envy of cities around the world and each year attract artists, audiences and media from every continent and over 70 countries. We should be rightly proud. ______________________________________Investing in our future
The
Council invests around £11 million annually in tourism promotion and
infrastructure and enjoys a strong position in the international tourism market.
However, if we are to grow our success and improve on our position we need to
find a way to continue to invest during a time of budget constraint.
We had been considering the potential for a transient visitor levy (TVL) or ‘tourist tax’. You may have experienced this charge or heard about it when travelling to other European or American cities. However, having spoken to many in the industry, the clear view is that businesses would rather support a voluntary investment model and not be compelled to make a specific charge to customers. We agreed at the Policy and Strategy Committee on 2 October to look at options based on the principle of a voluntary funding mechanism and will be consulting further before deciding on the best arrangements to make. ______________________________________Trams
The project is making good, steady progress and every effort is being
made to complete work early in the revised schedule where possible. Passenger
services from the airport to York Place are scheduled to run by summer 2014. Now
22 trams have been delivered to the tram depot, with the remainder to be
delivered by the end of November 2012.
The main utility diversions are on target to be cleared by November 2012, substantially reducing the risk of the project schedule slipping. The construction of the civil engineering and system elements of the project are also progressing well, with a significant amount of track construction underway. A number of areas are presently ahead of schedule. A more detailed report is being considered at Council on 25 October. This will go live on the Council’s committee papers online system in the week beginning 22 October 2012. ______________________________________Bin collection changes
On 10 September we introduced changes to bin collections which
affected nearly 160,000 properties. The scale and complexity of these changes
were bigger than any our waste services have seen in decades. Even so, there is
no denying that the recent level of disruption to the bin collection service
experienced by some residents has been unacceptable.
Although progress has been made I recognise that for some, the service is unfortunately still not what it should be. I would like to reassure these residents that getting this right is our highest priority and we will continue to listen and resolve these matters as quickly as possible. However, by introducing this managed weekly recycling and waste collections, we will make significant improvements in recycling rates and this will reduce what the Council spends on landfill tax by up to £2.4 million per year. I will be pushing for the service to learn from its mistakes and to continue to make it easier for all residents to recycle more to help protect our environment for future generations. Further progress reports including improvements to customer complaint handling will be looked at by the Transport and Environment Committee. This will go live on the Council’s committee papers online system on Monday 19 November 2012. ______________________________________
Portobello High School
|
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Back in Edinburgh
Back in Edinburgh this afternoon, after a very restful week in rural Teeside ...
... stayed in a cottage right on the River Tees and can't speak highly enough of the general location: the Teesdale Way ran very nearby and the section of the walk from the cottage up to Barnard Castle was truly wonderful.
This picture (you can click on it for a better view) is at the 'meeting of the waters' where the River Greta joins the Tees; made famous by Turner's 1818 painting ... and, as you can see, we also enjoyed wonderful weather ;-)
On top of all that, there was little or no mobile reception in the surrounding area: devastating.
Paying for it now though, with a significant volume of (all media!) messages to catch up on --- the joys of the modern age :-(
... stayed in a cottage right on the River Tees and can't speak highly enough of the general location: the Teesdale Way ran very nearby and the section of the walk from the cottage up to Barnard Castle was truly wonderful.
This picture (you can click on it for a better view) is at the 'meeting of the waters' where the River Greta joins the Tees; made famous by Turner's 1818 painting ... and, as you can see, we also enjoyed wonderful weather ;-)
On top of all that, there was little or no mobile reception in the surrounding area: devastating.
Paying for it now though, with a significant volume of (all media!) messages to catch up on --- the joys of the modern age :-(
Friday, October 12, 2012
Half-term is here
Half-term is here and time to re-acquaint myself with the family!
So --- no blogging for the next week, and there will be facebook and twitter silence as well I'm afraid :-(
Normal service will resume from Monday 22nd ... meantime, don't forget that the next Full Council Meeting is on Thursday 25th October, the papers for which will be public via Committee Papers on Line (CPOL) on the morning of Friday 19th October (at the end of next week).
My mobile will be on in case anyone needs to get me by phone/text urgently.
So --- no blogging for the next week, and there will be facebook and twitter silence as well I'm afraid :-(
Normal service will resume from Monday 22nd ... meantime, don't forget that the next Full Council Meeting is on Thursday 25th October, the papers for which will be public via Committee Papers on Line (CPOL) on the morning of Friday 19th October (at the end of next week).
My mobile will be on in case anyone needs to get me by phone/text urgently.
Monday, October 08, 2012
New Petitions Committee now live
Delighted to note that Edinburgh Council's new Petitions Committee is now live and you can start submitting relevant petitions from today - all the details can be found within the 4-pages of information here.
And I'll re-produce the relevant News Release below:
---
Edinburgh residents urged to use new Petitions Committee
Published Monday 8 October 2012
Members of the public are being given a voice to
influence Council decisions in the city with the date being set (Monday,
3 December) for the first meeting of the new Petitions Committee.
Taking part in or creating a petition is one way that individuals, community groups and organisations can get involved in what the Council does. It allows people to raise issues of public concern and gives Councillors the opportunity to consider the need for change.
The Committee is part of a package of measures and a new committee structure aimed at creating a more accessible and transparent organisation by opening up decision-making and improving scrutiny of the Council's work. The meeting will also be webcast live as part of a year long pilot programme aimed at opening up democracy in the city.
Members of the public and local businesses can make use of the Council's e-petition facility. Paper petition forms can also be downloaded from the Council's
webpages and are available from libraries and other Council
buildings.
Convener of the Petitions Committee,
Cllr Maggie Chapman, said: "The Petitions
Committee will give a voice to members of the public who wish to raise issues
the Council is not already addressing. I urge people to use this new
opportunity to participate in local
politics and to help improve the lives of people living, working and visiting
our city. I am pleased that, in addition to the meetings in the City Chambers,
we will also be taking the committee 'on tour' to reach a wider audience, and we
will also ensure our young people are included by having youth focussed
events."
There is a range of agreed criteria for a petition to
satisfy prior to confirmation of validity and consideration by the Committee. Matters that will
not be considered include those currently being considered by a
committee, included in a work programme or those
that relate to a council or committee
decision that has been made in the previous six
months.
Further
information
-
Petitions from individuals require at least 500 signatures though in some cases petitions with 250 signatures can be accepted.
-
Petitions from local businesses need the support of at least 20 other businesses within Edinburgh before they can be considered.
-
If a petition is invalid, the petitioner will be advised of the reason and given the opportunity to refine and resubmit it.
-
Hashtag to use if tweeting about the Petitions Committee is #edinpetitions
---
Sunday, October 07, 2012
Europe's Leading Destination 2012
Edinburgh wins quite a few awards each year, and I generally don't shout too much about them ...
... but worth flagging up one that the Capital picked up last night: Europe's Leading Destination 2012, at the World Travel Awards!
To the best of my knowledge, Edinburgh has never won this before - some details, and previous (modern) winners, can be seen here.
Quite an achievement, I'd say.
... but worth flagging up one that the Capital picked up last night: Europe's Leading Destination 2012, at the World Travel Awards!
To the best of my knowledge, Edinburgh has never won this before - some details, and previous (modern) winners, can be seen here.
Quite an achievement, I'd say.
Friday, October 05, 2012
Edinburgh Partnership Summit
Edinburgh Partnership Summit event earlier ... really good attendance, with the vast majority of participants staying right through to the end: which is always a good sign!
Edinburgh Partnership website is here, for further general background, and the day's agenda can be found here, but I'll also paste it below ...
... very clear that the main message on the need to reinvigorate, and rejuvenate, the Partnership's work was warmly received by all present. I'm confident it can be done; it won't be completed quickly, but a positive start was made today.
------
Edinburgh Partnership website is here, for further general background, and the day's agenda can be found here, but I'll also paste it below ...
... very clear that the main message on the need to reinvigorate, and rejuvenate, the Partnership's work was warmly received by all present. I'm confident it can be done; it won't be completed quickly, but a positive start was made today.
------
EP Summit Meeting - Friday 5 October
1925 Suites,
Murrayfield Stadium
Agenda
08.45 Check In, Workshop Sign Up and Refreshments
09.15 Opening Remarks on the changing landscape of public
sector reform and the challenges ahead - Cllr. Andrew Burns, Summit Chair
09.25 The Reform of Public Services - Alex Clark, Lothian
and Borders Fire and Rescue Service, Chief Supt Malcolm Graham, Lothian and
Borders Police, and Dr Charles Winstanley, NHS Lothian
09.40 The Edinburgh Partnership’s Approach to Achieving
Better Outcomes - Sue Bruce, Chair of the EP Executive
09.55 Questions and Answers
10.10 Presentations on Partnership initiatives which reflect
key reform themes of service integration, early intervention and prevention,
and working with communities:
10.50 Coffee Pickup
11.00 Workshops on Single Outcome Agreement (SOA) Priorities
and Improving Outcomes:
12.00 Feedback and Plenary Session
12.30 Close and Lunch
------
Thursday, October 04, 2012
National Poetry Day
Its National Poetry Day today --- and this year's theme is: stars.
As per the last few years, I'll reproduce my favourite poem that deals with this year's topic ...
... and, for me, this was an easy choice as it just has to be William Blake's 1783 poem, 'To the Evening Star'.
Blake is calling on the Goddess of Love to protect him during the dark of the night, and inspire all that is oppressed during daytime.
Incredible to think that it's almost 230-years old, yet it still speaks to me like it was written just yesterday:
Smile on our loves; and, while thou drawest the
Blue curtains of the sky, scatter thy silver dew
On every flower that shuts its sweet eyes
In timely sleep. Let thy west wind sleep on
The lake; speak silence with thy glimmering eyes,
And wash the dusk with silver. Soon, full soon,
Dost thou withdraw; then the wolf rages wide,
And the lion glares thro' the dun forest:
The fleeces of our flocks are cover'd with
Thy sacred dew: protect them with thine influence.
As per the last few years, I'll reproduce my favourite poem that deals with this year's topic ...
... and, for me, this was an easy choice as it just has to be William Blake's 1783 poem, 'To the Evening Star'.
Blake is calling on the Goddess of Love to protect him during the dark of the night, and inspire all that is oppressed during daytime.
Incredible to think that it's almost 230-years old, yet it still speaks to me like it was written just yesterday:
TO THE EVENING STAR
by: William Blake (1757-1827)
Thou fair-hair'd angel of the evening,
Now, while the sun rests on the mountains, light
Thy bright torch of love; thy radiant crown
Put on, and smile upon our evening bed!
Now, while the sun rests on the mountains, light
Thy bright torch of love; thy radiant crown
Put on, and smile upon our evening bed!
Smile on our loves; and, while thou drawest the
Blue curtains of the sky, scatter thy silver dew
On every flower that shuts its sweet eyes
In timely sleep. Let thy west wind sleep on
The lake; speak silence with thy glimmering eyes,
And wash the dusk with silver. Soon, full soon,
Dost thou withdraw; then the wolf rages wide,
And the lion glares thro' the dun forest:
The fleeces of our flocks are cover'd with
Thy sacred dew: protect them with thine influence.
------
Tuesday, October 02, 2012
Manchester-bound
Off to Manchester tomorrow morning - spending the day attending 3 main events at the UK-conference:
1.00pm - The Co-operative Councils Network
Power to the People: How can the principles of Co-operation improve local public services? The Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Rt. Hon. Hilary Benn MP, will be joined by members of the Co-operative Councils Network sharing their experiences.
2.15pm - LEADERS Q&A with Ed Miliband, Leader of the Labour Party.
4.00pm – Community Organising – the Edinburgh Story
In Edinburgh the local Labour Party used social media to involve thousands of local residents in the writing of their manifesto. Come along and listen to Edinburgh campaigners tell their own story. Arnie Graf will also join us to talk about how Community Organising can work for your local Labour Party.
I am looking forward to the day, especially the 4pm slot --- and, whilst I know I'm somewhat biased, I did think Ed Miliband's speech earlier was a complete and total triumph: will be interesting to see the press coverage tomorrow and sample the reaction on-the-ground at the conference itself?
But regardless, for me - at long last - he managed to come across on camera ... in the most challenging of environments ... as he does in person: relaxed, bright, interested, thoughtful and yes, even funny :-)
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