January 2017

2050 Edinburgh City Vision

Since the launch of the 2050 Edinburgh City Vision project last September, we have had a fantastic response from individuals and businesses on the type of city we want Edinburgh to be in the future.

This isn't a Council vision, but a vision for the city. Council officers' role is to facilitate and support this conversation. We asked three simple questions: What is great about Edinburgh now? What could be better? What should the city be like in the year 2050?

From the responses we have had to date, four key themes have emerged: that Edinburgh in 2050 should be CONNECTED, INSPIRED, FAIR and THRIVING. How does that feel to you; does it resonate with your view of Edinburgh?

We still want to hear your thoughts and ideas so if you haven't already, please have your say at edinburgh.org/2050 and on social media using #Edinburgh2050.

Councillor Andrew Burns
Leader of the City of Edinburgh
Council

Positive progress for Waste Action Plan

I was delighted to see progress being made to improve our Waste and Cleansing service, thanks to a comprehensive action plan developed by staff in the department.

Since its launch in November, the Waste and Cleansing Improvement Plan has seen a reduction in missed collections and an increase in street cleansing enquiries addressed within timescale.

While these results are promising, there is still a long way to go, and we're really focusing our resources to achieve outstanding actions. What's more, the successful Our Edinburgh campaign will continue to roll out across the city, tackling anti-social behaviour like fly-tipping and litter-dropping by generating pride in our surroundings.

The initiative has already seen a 52% rise in the amount of litter binned in the Grassmarket in its first phase and, in its second, exposed more than 50% of Leith Walk businesses who do not properly dispose of their waste.

Lights, camera, action. visitors!

"Edinburgh seems to have been built as a film set" - or so said Capital-born cinema legend Sir Sean Connery. And with the hotly anticipated world premiere of T2 Trainspotting happening right here this coming weekend, Edinburgh's stealing the limelight on the big screen once again.

As a resident, it's very exciting seeing your own city on the silver screen, or to catch a glimpse of actors and extras in costume ready to shoot scenes for hit historical drama Outlander - as I and many of my colleagues have done on our way to work recently!

Having top movies and TV programmes filmed here is also a huge draw for visitors, and Edinburgh is fast becoming a must-visit 'set-jetting' destination - testament to our commitment to making the Capital as 'film-friendly' as possible.

With the prospect of another major comic book blockbuster joining the hundreds of movies and programmes shot in Edinburgh each year, it's clear our great city's decision to become one of the first UK cities to adopt a Film Charter was clearly a wise one.

Air Quality: a challenge for us all

Poor air quality is one of the biggest challenges all cities face - and Edinburgh is no different. While I welcome recent figures demonstrating that our concerted efforts to reduce air pollution are having a positive impact, there's far more we can and must do.

We're working with our partners and the Scottish Government to make sure we're taking the best and most appropriate actions to improve Edinburgh's air quality and I'm delighted that we've won cross-party support on the Council for our multi-stranded approach.

Now it's about keeping up the momentum and harnessing this shared commitment so that we make the Capital's air quality - and quality of life - as good as it can possibly be. All of us can play our part and small changes to your routine, such as walking to work or taking the tram to the shops, can make a real difference.

Another festive success

Edinburgh's Hogmanay countdown to 2017 proved to be one of the busiest yet with 75,000 revellers at the famous Street Party, Old Town Ceilidh and Concert in the Gardens headlined by Paolo Nutini. The midnight moment was beamed all over the world and visitors joined us from 80 different countries.

Alongside Edinburgh's Christmas, these celebrations are a fantastic success story for the city, contributing close to £241.5m to the local economy and cementing Edinburgh's reputation as a top winter destination.

These events have blossomed in recent years and are well placed to continue doing so without the need for as much funding support from the Council. Our priority will, of course, continue to be ensuring best value for the city while retaining Edinburgh's position as a fantastic winter destination in this milestone year.

A milestone year for the Festival City

In 2017, we celebrate the 70th anniversary year of Edinburgh, 'The Festival City'. Every summer, the details of the city's packed festival programmes are hotly anticipated and this year is sure to offer something extra special.

We have committed additional support to ensure this will be an extra special year and it has already got off to a fantastic start. If you can't wait until March - when most programmes are set to be released - watch the 70th anniversary teaser from Festivals Edinburgh: a nostalgic look at art, comedy, dance, theatre, film and the spoken word at many of our festivals over the years.

Stay in the picture

Keep yourself in the picture with our news section online. Watch live full Council and some committee meetings on our webcast. Join the debate on Twitter #edinwebcast

If you wish to unsubscribe please email us.