Rotavator-mania

I mentioned a few weeks ago that my better-half had been allocated an allotment (after several years on the waiting list!) ...

Well, the rotavator investigation is not only complete but I've gone ahead and hired one for this weekend in what will probably be a disastrous attempt to try and 'turn over' the whole site in a couple of days :-(

I've never used one of these things before, so if blogging suddenly stops after today, you'll know I've had some terrible accident and can no longer type :-((

... probably shouldn't joke!

Shocked, betrayed and overwhelmed?

I'm really not sure what to say about this focus-piece that appeared in my favourite local paper today ... has taken my breath away somewhat.

... so, I think I'll just keep a diplomatic silence and let you make up your own mind?

Forum on Children and Families Estate

Forum on Children and Families Estate met for the third time earlier today ... official update now on this section of the Council website.

Again, no gossip here I'm afraid ... but hopefully an update report (which would be public) may be at the next meeting of the Education Committee?

Bit of a stooshie

Chris Harvie MSP seems to have caused a bit of a stooshie over the last 24-hours with his comments about Lockerbie and Carlisle.

Personally, I'm sympathetic to his plight - he has apologised very promptly for any offence caused - and many of his colleagues have quickly jumped to his defence, whilst acknowledging that the words used weren't perhaps the 'most' appropriate :-(

That should be the end of it.

... tell you what though, I'll be waiting for an an equally gracious attitude when next (it will happen!) an Opposition MSP says something ever-so-slightly outrageous.

Boundary Commission provisional proposals

Meeting of the Council's "Elections Consultative Group" earlier today ... main topic of discussion was the Boundary Commission for Scotland's provisional proposals for the first review of Holyrood constituencies and regions.

Scintillating stuff I hear you say - well, you may just have a point ... us political anoraks tend to get pretty worked up about all of this, but personally I'm not at all convinced that ordinary mortals are too worried about which Ward, Constituency or Region they reside within?

Decent local services are more likely to feature as being of importance, rather than which exact polling district they live in ;-)

All that said, I'm in a state of personal crisis as the street were I live (Cowan Road) is about to be lobbed into Edinburgh South and I could end up with a Liberal-Democrat as my MSP :-(

... unless he lost the 2011 Holyrood election of course??

Putting the People in Control

Attended an ERS launch event this evening for the publication of a major report assessing the impact of the local authority Elections in Scotland last May.

... enjoyable evening, with a good mix of civic and party activists present - sure I spotted the odd fellow renegade blogger, but didn't (unfortunately) get the chance to swap notes ;-)

It is a pretty long report - full version can be accessed here - but well worth a read, and the conclusions from the extensive analysis are very clear:

• STV has produced much more representative councils than would have been elected under the former First-Past-The-Post system
• parties appear to have adapted well to the new system, although we expect that parties will develop their techniques as they gain experience of STV campaigning
• voter understanding of the system appears to have been generally good, with a relatively low level of spoilt ballot papers (unlike the Scottish Parliament election held on the same day)
• most votes mattered, in the sense that they contributed to the election of a councillor

Contrast that with local elections down south ...

... just a pity about that damned result in Edinburgh :-((

Don't believe a word they say

Just last Thursday, less than a week ago, the local Libs and Nats were laying all the 'evils-of-the-world' at our door for 'so badly managing the Council budget over recent years' ...

... fast-forward a few days and just this morning the Policy and Strategy Committee meets, and our esteemed Council Leader approves the minute from last months meeting - see here.

Go on ... follow that link, you know you want to ... read Item 5, on Page 3, concerning the Annual Performance Report for 2006-07, which clearly states that "the report described how well the Council was performing in terms of its financial management arrangements, provision of local services and strategic initiatives and objectives."

Minute duly AGREED by the Council Leader, who must have had a temporary bout of amnesia and momentarily forgotten who was in charge in 2006/07?

And politicians wonder why nobody believes a word they say :-((

Lots more to come ...

I mentioned the Lib-Dem/SNP approved '10p rise in school meals' a few days ago ... well, it finally seems to have attracted a bit of press attention.

That 10p increase represents:

- over a full 6% rise for Primary School meals
- a near 5% rise for Secondary School meals

And it really does seem to me that such inflation-busting increases are completely at odds with efforts to promote and encourage healthy eating.

Sadly, given the opaqueness of last weeks three-year budget, I expect a lot more of this to come :-((

Budget Black Hole

NO - not the mythical 2006/07 one (the last Budget-year we were in charge) which was a whopping £5.7million overspent (check the year-end figure on page 4 here if you don't believe me) ... I know, I know, that's a truly horrendous less-than, three-quarters, of one per cent of the overall £800million revenue budget.

NO - not the equally mythical 2007/08 budget, whose year-end figures aren't yet available and which has been under the control of the new regime.

BUT - the 2008/09 budget which was set just last Thursday. Transpires that the Lib-Dem/SNP three-year budget they set last week does balance in that first year - 2008/09.

It doesn't in 2009/10 or 2010/11 - well, technically they have balanced it ... but here's how:

• 2009/10 - Children and Families Department - remaining savings target still to be identified = £5,421,000
• 2009/10 - Health and Social Care Department - remaining savings target still to be identified = £3,170,000

... and it gets worse ...

• 2010/11 - Children and Families Department - remaining savings target still to be identified = £11,052,000
• 2010/11 - Health and Social Care Department - remaining savings target still to be identified = £5,081,000

That's just short of £25MILLION worth of savings (yet to be identified) to make the books balance in years 2 and 3 of this budget. Now THAT is what I call a real BLACK HOLE.

I think this type of stunt is sometimes called creative accountancy.

... and before you ask, we presented a balanced budget for a full three-years last Thursday with all savings identified.

In the new spirit of openness and transparency that pervades Edinburgh politics, I think we should be told just what services are to be cut to make the books balance in years 2 and 3?

It's all budgeted for after all - just not identified??

'Transport Experts proved correct' ... shocker!

Hard to believe I know - but apparently transport experts who predicted that traffic congestion would get worse on the Forth Road Bridge after tolls were scrapped have been proven to be correct :-(

Shocking! - see here for the details.

I quote: "The figures will fuel the debate over the impact of road tolls on congestion, suggesting that charges do discourage drivers from using their cars. They also suggest that experts who told the Government last August that scrapping the tolls would worsen traffic congestion were correct."

Never mind - they may just have to be re-introduced to pay for that rather expensive second road-bridge ... which even makes Edinburgh Trams seem cheap ... unless the fabled Scottish Futures Trust can magic up over £4billion?

Choices, choices ...

Oh dear ...

Oh dear ... I just knew it was a little too much to expect :-(

Can't say I'm looking forward to the 8th March at Murrayfield and now having to play a completely revitalised English team :-((

Six Nations

I certainly hope Scott MacLeod is right - as I'm not sure I'm totally ready to watch the Ireland game later this afternoon :-(

... you have to admit that its not looking that good at the moment - but you just never know with the Scottish Rugby Team!

No jokes here please

Ewan's not going to thank me for this ... but, I couldn't help but have a wry smile when I read this on the BBC Scotland web-site ;-)

- of course, within Edinburgh Labour there will be NO JOKES ALLOWED that contain either of the phrases: "unbearable pain in the neck" or "cant think straight" :-))

On a more serious note - we missed him during the Budget debate on Thursday, and I think it showed.

Birthday Girl

Important birthday today - for my better half - so a very pleasant evening spent celebrating that and NOT thinking about revenue and capital budgets ;-))

Budget quotes

Two very brief, budget quotes worth remembering when next you hear the Coalition waffling on that 'all the woes of the world are down to the evil-empire who ran the City so appallingly for 23-years':

• "Council finances are now back onto a stable course" - Councillor Dawe, Council Leader
• "We now have the budget under control" - Councillor MacLaren, Convener of Education

So everything will be perfect from now on - its a Bright New Future for Edinburgh :-((

Not a good day for Edinburgh

Budget over - all the expected 'poltical theatre' with the resultant Coalition budget-motion being passed. I'm afraid, I believe, every word of what I wrote here has come to pass.

And personally, I think it's all very bad for the long-term future of the city - only time will tell whether that assessment is correct.

In the short-term though, it is a pretty poor settlement for local schools and young people in Edinburgh:

• every Primary and Secondary school in Edinburgh is being forced to take a 1.5%-2.0% budget cut
• this basically amounts to at least a £10,000 reduction per average Primary School
• at least a £10,000 reduction per average Special School
• and at least a £50,000 reduction per average Secondary School
• and to make things worse all school meals are being increased by 10p from August
• in addition, the Council's 'Youth Services' are being slashed by £357,000
• and 'Community Learning and Development' is being cut by by the full-year equivalent of £850,000

These so-called 'budget re-alignments', will result in the loss of much-needed local services for young people in both schools and the wider community.

For me, there is just no doubt these service cuts will have a serious and negative impact on young people and families throughout Edinburgh.

Not a good day.

Budget preparations over

That's it - nearly 1am and budget preparations over.

Could be a long-day tomorrow ...

... or, actually, I should say today :-((

Craiglockhart Primary School

Attended a Craiglockhart Primary School meeting this evening that had been organised to discuss next year's school intake ...

... lot of concern expressed about initial proposals to composite a P2/3 class from this coming August.

I sense that there's quite a bit of debate to be had, before any final decision is taken on this issue in June!