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24 Dec: Reference: The Edinburgh Partnership (EP): This is the EP is the community planning partnership for the city, bringing together a wide array of public agencies, third and private sectors to focus on local community planning and the improvement of community life and services for the people who live and work in the city. The current Local Community Planning Partnerships (LCPP) and Neighbourhood Networks (NN) framework is under close review. When completed (H2 2025), we might expect community councils to be invited to play a bigger part in their community planning role. That's something to consider in thinking about the shape of your community council in the next term.

24 Dec: Reference: Volunteer Edinburgh: Volunteer Edinburgh's purpose is to strengthen community connections and networks and thereby reduce inequalities through different models of volunteer recruitment and engagement. CEC has profiled Volunteer Edinburgh as a possible partner in the work done by community councils and as a contact point in promoting the forthcoming elections. https://www.volunteeredinburgh.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/ .

24 Dec: Reference: RAMPS Edinburgh recommissioned: RAMPS is the tracking tool for planning applications across Scotland, by Local Authority and by Community Council. RAMPS Edinburgh is now onstream, allowing you to track planning applications, their status and changes as they are processed by the Council. Go to: https://planningramps.uk/signin .

11 Dec: Reference: Queensferry & District CC (QDCC) Promotion: Take a look at the smooth A4 promotional text front-running the community council elections; highlighting the importance of community 'representation', the scope of work done by QDCC and the responsibilities placed on members. This piece backed-up a Governance-led promotional event in South Queensferry on 9 December, with QDCC members and elected councillors in attendance. The file is carried as QDCC Election Promotion A4 Sheet within EACC Papers >>> Community Council Support. 

10 Dec: Reference: Edinburgh Development Forum (EDF): From today's quarterly meeting: City Plan 2030 opens the way to early work on City Plan 2040. Get an update on the Edinburgh Local Heating and Energy Efficiency Strategy (LHEES) - ambitious, exciting, costly, disruptive. Get an update on the City Mobility Plan - equally ambitious, costly and divisive. Don't forget to add your views on the Princes Street and Waverley Valley Strategy - 'revitalise and conserve' is the central message. Much depends on Network Rail. The consultation closes on 21 February 2025. Download the EDF document (Rpt 24_12_10) from EACC Papers >>> Meetings 2024. 

6 Dec: Reference: CEC Workstream Support for CCs: Principle support themes are: Promotion of CCs / CC comms and engagement / Hybrid meetings / Equality, inclusion, diversity and accessibility / Related specific training needs. The programme is underway and will build through H1 2025. See this link to the report to the Culture & Communities Committee, 5 December 2024 (Page 214). 

6 Dec: Reference: Edinburgh Partnership: Culture and Communities Committee: 5 December 2024: The Edinburgh Partnership, the statutory body for community planning in the city, publishes a Local Outcome Improvement Plan Annual Report. The latest report, approved by the Board in September 2024, sets out the progress across the three priorities: alleviating poverty; providing access to work, learning and training; enhancing quality of life in the city.

"Whilst there is evidence of progress, the Edinburgh Partnership acknowledges that more needs to be done. Consequently, it is undergoing a Transformation and Improvement Programme to shape what it does and how it works in the coming years. This means some structural change but more importantly improvements to how it functions to ensure it can address the key challenges for the city. This will include the development of a new Local Outcome Improvement Plan bringing together into one plan the work of the whole partnership, with poverty prevention, just transition and health and wellbeing at its heart. A report on this work will be presented to (the Culture and Communities) Committee in the new year."

6 Dec: Reference: Colinton CC Call for Funding Support: Deputation to Culture & Communities Committee on 5 December. Read the submission in EACC Papers >>> Community Council Support. 

6 Dec: Reference: November 2024 AGM: The report is now filed in EACC Papers >>>  2024 AGM Papers.

25 Nov: Article: Leith Links CC: HMO Applications: Teresa Perchard draws to your attention (Licensing Leads) a forthcoming 'Special' Licensing Sub-Committee meeting on 29 November to consider a recent sharp rise in HMO applicatons, whereby due procedures on local notification and advertising of applications may not have been followed, in certain cases. Leith Links CC has lodged strong objections to process within its own locality. More detail carried in the Licensing file on the menu bar. (See also the 15 Nov Reference below.)

22 Nov: Article: CEC Support for Community Council Elections: CEC's general programme of election awareness and promotion is now beginning to build. CEC Governance has offered a good deal of detail on how they can help (individual) community councils raise their local profile and deliver their own election message through print and social media. See more in the article below, on this page. Download detail by going to the menu bar and to EACC Papers >>> Community Council Support . Contact the Governance Team at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . Also, take a look at the CEC Community Council site:  https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/community-planning/community-councils .

15 Nov: Reference: Leith Links CC: Teresa Perchard has authored a further report on CEC's handling of unlicensed HMOs, changes in train and the need for better ongoing notification of HMO licence applications to community councils as 'competent objectors'. Contact Leith Links CC at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , with your views or queries on the report; copy to EACC to keep us in the picture. Go to EACC Papers >>> Planning  to read the report. 

13 Nov: Reference: CEC Support for 2025 CC Elections: Go to Menu Bar, EACC Papers >> Community Council Support for detailed information on CEC facilities to help you promote your community council's election message and themes in Q1 2025.. 

10 Nov: Reference: Tree Felling on Conservation Areas: Clive Preston of Stockbridge & Inverleith CC sets out a reminder of the circumstances that see tree preservation procedures so frequently breached in practice. Go to the Menu Bar and to Planning & Place.

6 Nov: Reference: Edinburgh Visitor Levy: EACC representatives met today with CEC Project Manager, Katherine Kennedy, to offer observations on the interim shape of the pending Visitor Levy; enactment expected January 2025 with implementation in July 2026. The shape of the proposed final scheme will go the Policy & Sustainability Committee and to Full Council in January. The public consultation closes on 15 December. You can find the draft scheme in this link:  https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/downloads/download/15844/visitor-levy-for-edinburgh-draft-scheme . The Visitor Levy consultation document can be opened here: https://consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/sfc/visitor-levy/ . 

5 Nov: Article: CEC Promotion of Community Councils: Following on from the 22 October meeting with CEC Governance, where we got some idea of the Governance promotion strategy for the March 2025 elections, a community councillor asked for the Governance team's take on the following questions: 1) Is there any real point or value in a CC? 2) What can a CC achieve or influence with CEC? 3) Does CEC listen and act? Scroll down to the Article below to see the response!

5 Nov: Event: Edinburgh Partnership Board (EPB): Poverty Commission Meeting: The EPB is the CEC-led forum of public sector and third sector agency service providers. There is a standing platform of work undertaken with the Edinburgh Poverty Commission (EPC, inception 2020) and End Poverty Edinburgh. This event considered the progress on the EPC Interim Review due for publication in 2025 (half-way towards the original EPC 2030 'End Poverty' target date). The 'End Poverty in Edinburgh Delivery Plan' looks set to dig deeper and community councils are likely to find themselves drawn to offer a greater involvement. I've asked that community councils be given a clear picture of any new undertakings in this delicate and detailed area well in advance of the elections. Here is the link to the Policy and Sustainability Committee Papers of 22 October carrying the End Poverty in Edinburgh Annual Report 2024.

1 Nov: Reference: Leith Links CC: Teresa Perchard (TP) note on local proliferation of unlicensed HMOs and on expansion of BT 'Street Hubs'. On the HMO issue, Leith Links CC will meet with the Convener of the Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Committee on 6 November. See the EACC Papers >>> Planning  file for the TP note. Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to discuss. 

31 Oct: Reference: The Cockburn Association: Notes and links from the 30 October conference on 'Responsible Tourism: Solutions for Edinburgh's Future'. Strong undercurrent that there needs to be visible community payback in exchange for sharing the city's heritage with visitors. Remarks from the floor included a visitor guide's 'embarassment' at the 'state' of the city and the countryside in general. Go to Menu Bar and to EACC Papers >>> Meetings 2024.

28 Oct: Reference: Edinburgh Partnership Board: Update on the ongoing Transformation and Improvement Programme. Final report due to the Policy & Sustainability Committee on 10 December. Community councils may see a redefined role. Go to EACC Papers >>> Edinburgh Partnership Board.

23 Oct: Reference: Report on CEC Communal Bin Review Workshop; Go to the Menu Bar and to EACC Papers >>> Meetings 2024.

8 Oct: Reference: Cllr. Cammy Day: Letter of Support for Community Councillors: Dated, 8 October, by email, I've just received the following text from Cllr. Day, Leader of CEC:

Dear Community Councillors,
Support for Community Councils
At the last meeting of the Policy and Sustainability Committee, a motion was approved that I write on behalf of the City of Edinburgh Council on training and accessibility of Community Councils. The following motion was agreed by our members -
'To agree that making Community Councils more accessible to elected members, community councillors and the public plays an important role in enabling a greater diversity of people to engage with local democracy.
To recognise that a lack of equipment is only one potential barrier to Community Councils running hybrid meetings, and that in some cases, training on how to use the equipment may also be required.
To request officers to provide political groups with budget estimates for providing Community Councils with hybrid meeting equipment and training on how to use it as part of the 2025/26 budget, on the basis of their engagement with Community Councils.'
Following this agreement, officers have gathered estimates for the hybrid equipment which would be approximately £1400 per community council, or £65,800 for all 47 community councils. Training on how to use the equipment will be delivered by council officers. Further progress on this work will be reported to the Culture and Communities Committee on 5 December 2024.
I hope the above demonstrates how much we value our Community Councils and the important work you do as the direct links to those living in the city. 

Yours sincerely. Councillor Cammy Day

25 Sep: Event: Cockburn Association: 30 Oct: Responsible Tourism: Solutions for Edinburgh's Future: An afternoon discussion (12.00 to 17.00) on tourism pressures; city vulnerabilities and resilience; and actionable strategies; with contributions from those in the industry, academic observes and CEC. Here is the link to book a place in person or online: https://www.cockburnassociation.org.uk/event/responsible-tourism-solutions-for-edinburghs-future/ .

25 Sep: Reference: Edinburgh Bus User Group (EBUG): Call to new CEC Transport Convener, Cllr. Stephen Jenkinson: Open Letter (published in the Edinburgh Reporter) calls for renewed CEC / bus operators combined focus on getting key priorities delivered on bus stops / shelters / live timetables / interchanges / highway infrastructure. The bus station issue needs resolved 'at pace'. 

13 Aug: Reference: Planning: Following on from the EACC Guidance Notes profiled on 2 August, Ronnie Shaw of Liberton & District CC has profiled two nicely-formatted general guides to the Scottish planning system from Highland and Moray Councils. You can find them here: Highland Council Guide to the Planning System and  Moray Council Guide to the Planning System. You'll find other important planning links on the menu bar under Planning & Place.

2 Aug: Reference: Grange Prestonfield CC recently published a Guide to the City Plan 2030 and Edinburgh Design Guidance frameworks, a short primer for new community councillors (pending) and for anyone else looking to catch up. With the same in mind, I’ve added three new EACC guidance notes on planning policy, drawn directly from Scottish Government material on Community Engagement, on Development Management and on Householder Permitted Development Rights. You can find them in the EACC Papers >>> Planning link on the menu bar. You will also find in that file a new illustrated guidance booklet for homeowners on Retrofitting Historic Sash and Case Windows. This illustrative paper has been offered by Dr Victoria Lee, a Lecturer at Edinburgh School of Architecture & Landscape Architecture at the University of Edinburgh. She notes it has been vetted by Edinburgh World Heritage, Historic Environment Scotland and CEC for accuracy and practicality. 

2 Aug: Reference: Neighbourhood Networks and Community Grants Fund: Andrew Field, Head of CEC’s Community Empowerment and Engagement Service, is currently leading two reviews of the Neighbourhood Networks structure and the Community Grants Fund. Along with Joan Parr, CEC Service Director, Culture and Wellbeing, he is taking two reports to the Culture & Communities Committee on 8 August. Both reports are work-in-progress. Here is a link to the Culture & Committee Papers for that meeting with an outline of the background issues.

5 Jul: Reference: City Plan 2030 (CP 2030): This is now the template against which development proposals and applications in the city are measured and judged by CEC Planners. It is a 200 page-plus document of fine detail and precise wording and it is to be used alongside the equally detailed Edinburgh Design Guidance framework. Together they serve to set the standards by which Edinburgh shapes as it grows. Every community councillor - especially those who will take up their place after the next elections - should have a meaningful awareness of just what is in the two 'rule books'. Grange Prestonfield Community Council (GPCC) has just produced a really useful summary of the essential parts of both documents. This is an introduction which will put the novice on nodding terms with the mountain of detail in both documents, especially CP 2030. GPCC has generously asked to make it available to other community councils. You can find a copy by going to EACC Papers >>> Planning on the menu bar or by using this link: 2024 Jul City Plan 2030 GPCC Summary & Guide .

26 Jun: Reference: 3. Now the attention turns to City Plan 2040. Local Place Plans will be a feature; here is a link to get you started: Resources - Planning Aid Scotland (pas.org.uk). 4. Planning Edinburgh has also opened a consultation on its amended West Edinburgh Placemaking Framework and Strategic Masterplan. West Edinburgh is recognised as a major development corridor within the growing city in City Plan 2030 and it will be a central feature in the emerging City Plan 2040. This link gives you detail and access to the consultation, which runs until 1 August: West Edinburgh Placemaking Framework Amendments . 

28 May: Reference: Funding The Public Sector Built Environment: The Scotsman (27 May) carries an opinion piece from Euan Pirie, head of major projects and infrastructure at Harper Macleod, where he talks of the funding pressures facing local authority housing projects and other public sector built environment challenges in the years ahead (including retrofitting, community building and city centre regeneration). Read about the innovative funding possibilities, here in the Harper Macleod publication The Blueprint .

27 May: Consultation: George St. to Meadows Active Travel Plan: Get the consultation detail on concept design here: Have your say on Meadows to George Street improvements – The City of Edinburgh Council. Big changes are in prospect. A series of outdoor public events to meet the project team and to illustrate the proposals will take place: Thurs 30 May, 8am to 6pm at Middle Meadow Walk / Sun 9 June, 10am to 4pm at Candlemaker Row / Sat 22 June, 10am to 4pm at the Mound.

Consultation documents will be on display at the Central Library on June 4-6 and 25-27 and at the National Museum of Scotland June 7-14. Big changes are in prospect. Floating bus stops are part of the plan. Blue badge holders may find access more difficult. There will be traffic displacement from George IV Bridge and the Mound.

17 May: Event: Planning Appeals Training for Communities: A DPEA webinar on Wednesday 12 June (18.00 to 19.30) offered by the Improvement Service (IS). DPEA: Planning appeals training for communities | Community Council (communitycouncils.scot). The IS Community Councils website (amongs many other things) also profiles a series of 'Skills Support for Community Councils' courses, some provided by the Open University and some by external providers like Microsoft and Google. There is a lot of 'digital' content on offer. Worth looking at here: https://www.open.edu/openlearn/skills-supportOU-CC

30 Apr: Reference: Edinburgh - City Factsheet: Find out more on how Edinburgh ranks on key UK urban area indicators from the centre for cities site. Use the data tool.

19 Apr: Reference: Edinburgh by Numbers 2023: A fast-expanding city, drawing people and inward investment. 'Wellbeing' indicators hold up; strong employment levels in a high-skilled regional economy (led by health, finance and insurance sectors in employment numbers; finance and insurance and real estate in gross value added terms); big tourism (and hotel) rebound. See the detail here: Edinburgh by Numbers #17 . Read it in conjunction with the Edinburgh Partnership Survey Q3 2023 (https://www.edinburghpartnership.scot/downloads/file/219/ep-survey-results), which gives a better picture of what it is like to live here. 

19 Apr: Reference: City Plan 2030: Student Housing: The Report of Examination (below) considers ( as 'Issue 25') the many representations submitted in relation to City Plan 2030 policy proposals on Student Accommodation (See City Plan 2030 Page 123). Opinions submitted include on the one hand: over-provision at the expense of mainstream (affordable) housing; pressures on 'social fabric' of the 'balanced communities'; inadequate measuring / monitoring of 'demand' for student accommodation (by number of units and type), allowing too much 'speculative' development. On the other hand: there is significant under-supply of purpose-built student accommodation in the city; inclusion of mainstream housing in developments can conflict with the economics of purpose built student accommodation delivery. The Council concludes no modification in existing policy guidelines (within City Plan 2030) is merited. The Reporter shades at the margin the requirement for housing to comprise 50% of all student accommodation units on sites greater than 0.25Ha. Access the detail of the review here: Scottish Government - DPEA - Document (scotland.gov.uk) Go to Issue 25 on Page 1385. (Issue 23 covers Affordable Housing; Issue 26 covers Housing Policy.) 

10 Apr: Reference: The Sunday Times (7 Apr) reported on the launch of a key report on how to reconcile projected continued expansion in aviation, airports as a driver of growth and job creation and decarbonisation towards net zero. The focus of the report, led by Duncan Maclennan (emeritus professor of urban economics at the University of Glasgow) looks at Edinburgh, a 'metropolitan economy' that must compete on a big stage and serve as a hub for central Scotland. The link to the report is here: Future flying: Up in the air? 

21 Mar: Reference: Planning Democracy and the Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland (ARPS) recently concluded a series of webinars covering 'Scotland's Planning System / National Planning Framework 4 / Navigating Local Development Plans / Having a say in the future of your area'. View the series at: https://aprs.scot/event/joint-webinar-series/ . 

6 Feb: Reference: Our Future Streets - a circulation plan for Edinburgh; the far-reaching proposals intended to tie together the City Mobility Plan, 20-Minute Neighbourhoods and the drive to Net Zero 2030 among other objectives. The  submission on the Tramline Extension is here: Item 7.3 Tram from Granton to BioQuarter and Beyond Consultation for Strategic Business Case Develop.pdf (edinburgh.gov.uk) . (A 12-week consultation is proposed.) 

The wider Our Future Streets (OFS) documentation is in three parts, with the link to the first part here: https://democracy.edinburgh.gov.uk/documents/s66421/Item%207.2%20Our%20Future%20Streets%20-%20a%20circulation%20plan%20for%20Edinburgh_Part1.pdf

12 Jan: Reference: How does your council work? The Governance function sits at the heart of it - who does what and how it should be done. Take a look at this Committee Best Practice Guidance paper (December 2023), tabled at the Governance, Risk and Best Value Committee on 28 November 2023*. Note the Executive Committee Structure (P7): Policy and Sustainability; Culture and Communities; Education, Children and Families; Finance and Resources; Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work; and Transport and Environment. *Item 8.4 Committee Best Practice Guidance.pdf (edinburgh.gov.uk) 

The wider Committee structure is set out here: Committee structure - Modern Council (edinburgh.gov.uk)

25/11/24: HMO Applications: Special Licensing Sub Committee: 29 November 2024

From Teresa Pritchard, Leith Links Community Council, 25/11/24

To: Licensing Leads:

I just wanted to draw to your attention that there is a ‘Special’ Licensing sub-Committee meeting this Friday to consider a range of very recent large HMO applications in various parts of the city.  In Leith we have 3 on this list where 2 applications were only made on 6 November and the Council seems to have absolved the owner of advertising the proposal and delivered letters by hand to residents on Friday saying representations needed to be made to Licensing by 5pm on Tuesday 26 November.   This might have happened in relation to other applications, including one made as recently as 14 November (normally members of the public have 28 days from the date of application to make any representations).

This is the information about the premises being considered on Friday that I can glean from the HMO register version, latest today is at 18 November:

46 Marine Drive – K and S Mir – 70 people in 45 Rooms – applied 9/02/24 ref 521744 – status 18/11/24 ‘Consultees Outstanding’

14-15 Minto Street – Thrums Lodge Ltd/Javid – 20 people in 20 rooms – applied 12/11/24 ref 540747 – status 18/11/24 ‘Consultees Outstanding’

128 Old Dalkeith Road – Abidha Properties – no data on register re numbers – applied 23/08/24 ref 535537 – status 18/11/24 ‘Consultees Outstanding’

254-256 Ferry Rd – Kapoor & Co – 46 people in 21 rooms (!) – applied 6/11/24 ref – status 18/11/24 ‘Application Incomplete’

8-9 Hermitage Place – Kapoor & Co – 43 people in 19 rooms (!) – applied 6/11/24 ref 540443– status 18/11/24 ‘Application incomplete’

57 Constitution Place – K and S Mir – no data on the register but notice on outside said 16 people.  – applied 11/11/24 ref 541029 – status on 18/11/2024 ‘Application Received’

130 Constitution Place – K and S Mir – 60 people in 32 rooms – applied 20/8/2024 ref 5357479 – status on 18/11/24

27 York Place – no data on the HMO register, not even the identity of the applicant! – applied on 14/11/24 – ref   541034 - status on 18/11/2024 ‘Application Received’

12 Granville Terrace – Kapoor & Co – 28 people in 13 rooms – applied 6/11/24 ref 540447 – status on 18/11/2024 ‘Application Incomplete’

47 Leamington Terrace – Alep Logistics – 21 people in 12 rooms – applied 7/11/24 ref 540477 – status on 18/11/2024 ‘Consultees Outstanding’

6 Hampton Terrace – Priscilla Chiu – 34 people in 17 rooms – applied 1/11/24 ref 540284 - - status on 18/11/24 ‘Consultees Outstanding’

Might Licensing leads on other CC's be interested in being aware?   We have objected strongly about the process being followed in the cases in our area.   Copy Chair and Secretary

Best wishes

Teresa Perchard

For Leith Links Community Council

22/11/24: CEC Support for Community Council Elections in March 2025

Notice of election 5 February

Nominations close 27 February

Election 27 March

New Community Council Term 28 March

Promotion of elections

1) CEC-led ‘drop in events in local libraries.

See the current programme on the Council website.

Community Councils – The City of Edinburgh Council >>> Community Council drop-in events.

Can you take part in these alongside Council Officers?

Can you arrange your own promotional / awareness events over December to mid-February?

What promotional assistance do you need?

2) Active Promotion.

On 22 October, CEC Governance gave some detail on how they could help (individual) community councils raise their local profile. This is alongside the more general 'awareness programme' which the Council is now embarking on. Further information emerged on 12 November in response to some specific queries. Governance can assist with printing and the provision of promotional materials (by way of the CEC Print Unit, for example). You can also get advice and guidance on promoting your community council on social media (Facebook, Instagram). Governance can offer a 'tool kit' which includes draft social media graphics and posts and also draft newsletter content. There is a listing of local media organisations and local community publications that you can contact to get your own election message into the neighbourhood.

The detail offered by Governance is well worth looking at. Go to the EACC site and to EACC Papers >>> Community Council Support . (The link is here:  http://www.edinburghcommunitycouncils.org.uk/index.php/eacc-papers?folder=Community%2BCouncil%2BSupport ) Select the 22 Oct 24 and 13 Nov 24 files to download.

10/11/24: Protection of Trees in Conservation Areas

From Clive Preston of Stockbridge & Inverleith CC:

It's apparent that the statutory protection of trees within a Conservation Area is totally inadequate. With hundreds of applications for tree work and felling being made each year, it is highly possible that, due to staff shortages, not every site is visited by Council Officers as it should be by procedural requirement. So, even more trees are being lost. Confidence in the whole process is not very high.

Established trees make a major contribution to the character and amenity of an area and those within Conservation Areas have statutory protection. What this means is that before any tree work (including felling) is carried out in a Conservation Area, the City of Edinburgh Council must receive written notice identifying the tree(s) and detailing the nature and extent of the proposed works.  (This requirement does not apply if a tree is less than 7.5cm diameter, or 1.5m high, or 10cm in diameter, or thinning is intended to help growth of other trees. If a tree is dying, dead or dangerous, the Council still needs to be notified of any proposed work.) This allows an assessment of the proposals by the Councils’ Arboriculture Officers. The only way the Council can protect a tree is by issuing a Tree Protection Order (TPO). It cannot otherwise refuse consent.

TPOs are used to protect selected trees and woodlands if their removal would have a significant detrimental impact on their environment. They must be of sufficient stature and sound condition so that they can be described as being an amenity to the public at large. Tree work undertaken within a Conservation Area without notification and consent makes those responsible liable to a financial penalty.

In reality, only a handful of TPOs are issued by the Council each year, meaning that most tree applications, including those for felling, are granted. Unfortunately, the process of a TPO does not necessarily protect a tree if removal has been approved by the Council as part of building planning consent. This is something to look out for. By way of example, some years ago, between 60 and 80 trees with TPOs were felled in the Trinity House Park site in north Edinburgh to allow for residential accommodation (now called Larkfield Gardens.)

05/11/24: How does CEC Governance view the value of Community Councils?

From CEC Governance (4 November) in relation to a community councillor query:

"Is there any real point or value in a CC?

We consider community councils to play an important role in grass roots local democracy.   As well as representing their community to the City of Edinburgh Council, community councils have the opportunity to undertake a wide range of activities and events to  enhance the well-being of the areas they represent and promote the individual identities of their community.

The Council values community councils and the Lord Provost has recently committed to formally recognise and convey the Council's gratitude for all the work and service given by Community Councillors to their local communities and the City of Edinburgh before the current Community Council term concludes.

What can a CC achieve or influence with CEC and does CEC listen and act ?  

Community Councils provide a key role within their local communities providing a wealth of local knowledge and experience that the Council can tap into to deliver better services. Community Councils understand their local needs better than anyone and the Council will make better decisions when community councils are engaged with the decision-making process. The Council, working in partnership with community councils will help to plan and deliver better local outcomes.

Community councils have a statutory right to be consulted on local planning issues. The City of Edinburgh Council’s Planning Service sends out a weekly list of all planning applications submitted. While there is no statutory requirement for local authorities to consult community councils on licensing matters, community councils are considered as ‘competent objectors’. Community councils may appoint representatives to attend meetings of the Licensing Board and speak in support of objections.

The public including all Community Councils were invited to provide their feedback during the statutory consultation of the Scheme for Community and Councils and their boundaries which ran from August 2023 and closed on 21 August 2024 with the results reported to Council on 26 September 2024.  The Governance Team noted specific feedback received from you relating to proposed boundary amendments which were consulted on and subsequently taken forward along with a scheme amendment enabling Community Councils to determine their own names.

In this CC's experience much effort put into matters with no positive outcomes.  

We were sorry to hear that you do not believe that your community council has achieved any positive outcomes. The current financial environment in the public sector is difficult, with maintaining services a significant achievement never mind, improving services and outcomes. One key method of delivering better services and outcomes in times of financial difficulty, is closer partnership working including community councils. This is a key aim of the Chief Executive, and the Council wishes to work with Community Councils and other partners to identify how it can better work together to improve the City.    

Please note that we have no local drop in point nor local meeting facilities in our area unless we rent a room at the Church hall

We understand that Community Councils are able to make use of community centres in Edinburgh to hold meetings albeit they may not always be in specific Community Council area’s.  If you are interested in exploring this option further then please contact Community Empowerment and Engagement via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. "

16/08/24: Local Place Plans: the early steps.

Nick Marshall from Northfield Willowbrae CC shares his experience in shaping a Local Place Plan (LPP). Contact him at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to find out more.

"We decided to do a LPP late last year, when CEC first announced they were keen to have them submitted. We were able to put together a small team including two people with experience of participatory planning and one former senior planner. The deadline looks to be some time late in 2025. We are aiming to submit around Easter.
CEC told us that there was no funding to help us, so we have been paying for meeting venues and posters from our small CC funds.  We have recently been approved for a community grant of £1000. We have done most of the work ourselves on such things as leaflet design and drafting. Total costs will be around £1500, plus a lot of volunteer time. 
The main focus of our work to date has been through participatory meetings, based on the Scot Gov 'Place Standard Tool', which offers an excellent planning template. ( https://www.ourplace.scot/tool ) We printed a questionnaire derived from this and set up an online questionnaire on the Improvement Service website, adapted from their standard online questionnaire.

(See here for more:  https://www.improvementservice.org.uk/products-and-services/planning-and-place-based-approaches )

We have been running Saturday morning free coffee events for two hours or so every two months, placed posters on local noticeboards and on some bus shelters, and used some banners. We've arranged three walkabouts so far, in Piershill, Lady Nairne and Northfield, and have held a church hall and a local pub meeting. We've had up to 30 attendees at these events. 

With about 50 questionnaires returned and a further 60 online forms completed, we are ready to move on to the next stage. We need to draw up an explanatory summary of current CEC policies as they relate to our area, then sit down to analyse the responses we've received from people so we can get a clear fix on the really key issues and how residents feel about them. That way we can identify what we include in the LPP and what we encourage CEC to take forward by other means.

Then it's a case of drafting the LPP and bringing residents, neighbouring community councils and (importantly) local elected councillors into the picture. Hopefully, that leads us to submitting a final version to CEC in eight months' time or so. 

This is a big local learning exercise; time-consuming but so far very worthwhile. I'm happy to share more on how we have gone about it."

End/NM

01/05/24: Grange Association Home Energy Event: 30 Apr.

The further up the ladder of home energy saving you go, the more complicated it becomes and the more help and advice you need. This event was a very useful reminder of that, but it also reinforced the point that the early steps – draught-proofing and easy-to-access insulation – can be quick wins. On this, it’s never too late to make a start and to keep on top of it.

This Grange Association (GA) community get-together was anchored by Edinburgh Building Retrofit and Improvement Collective (EdinBRIC), a non-commercial, independent, member-led enterprise with both a RIAS and a RICS professional at the helm, currently in receipt of support from Edinburgh Community Climate Fund provided by the City of Edinburgh Council. The meeting also covered case-studies illustrating the practical home retrofit experience of three GA members. (For more detail, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .)

EdinBRIC is a knowledge and services network for re-shaping domestic energy consumption, in the home and in the community. It hinges on the Resilient Community concept. Take a look here:

About us – Edinburgh Building Retrofit and Improvement Collective (edinbric.scot)

About sustainable resilient communities – Edinburgh Building Retrofit and Improvement Collective (edinbric.scot)

In the same vein, Loco Home Retrofit CIC is a Glasgow-based co-operative (regulated by the Community Interest Company Regulator) with the same focus of improving the existing fabric of household buildings by reducing energy demand and moving on to low-carbon heating sources. Learn more here:

Loco Home Retrofit CIC Limited – Glasgow's Retrofit Co-operative

Both enterprises stand ready to bring together households, tradespeople and professionals to chart the complicated path towards home energy retrofit, leading from problem through knowledge share to solution. Whether the starting point is single household or shared ownership or residents’ association, community groups like EdinBRIC and Loco Home Retrofit begin to open up the ‘How to go about it’ manual.

See if what they have to say has any pointers for you. Check, too, with Home Energy Scotland ( About us · Home Energy Scotland ) and its network of local advice centres. If you have ideas to share with EACC, please get in touch.

End/KR

21/03/24: Scheme Review 2024: Reaction: Queensferry District CC

QDCC Proposals to Consider for Meeting with CEC Governance

Resources & Support

• Volunteer Resources - do officers fully appreciate CCs membership is voluntary, with no/minimal official support, financial or otherwise.
• Operating costs – grant could be expanded to meet other needs, eg webhosting.
• IT support - from CEC would help CCs be more efficient, eg website resource, dedicated email addresses.

 Meeting Definitions & Attendance

• SG/COSLA Joint Council ‘Model Scheme’ – why/where does CEC Scheme differ from the Model Scheme re meetings attendance & definition.
• Meetings Constitution – CEC to clarify what level of discussion/attendance constitutes formal CC meeting and thus requires publicising.
• Special Meetings – specifically what constitutes a special meeting and what is minimum attendance to be quorate.
• Public Attendance – which meetings exactly are open to the public?  
• Quorum – query is this 50% of elected members only or including nominated interest group members.
• Chair Term of Office – query background/rationale on max 5 year term and one term only.
• Removal of 10 day notice to public for operational meetings

 Ward Cllrs Role & Function

• Role – ex-officio members role to be defined.
• Attendance – minimum meeting attendance requirement for individual CEC Ward Cllrs (ie not as a group).  If not should there be? 
• Reporting –  CEC Ward Cllrs to formally report monthly to CCs on matters they have been involved with which impact directly on the CC area.

Keith Giblett: Queensferry & District CC

21/03/24: Scheme Review 2024: Reaction: Tollcross CC

Tollcross Community Council Response:    7 March 2024

Consultation on Community Council Scheme and proposal to amend boundaries. Phase 2

1. General Observations

There is a lot in the scheme that is very useful to Community Councils (CCs), especially when being set up.

The language of the Scheme gives the impression of the Council micromanaging community councils rather than it being a two-way process of negotiation. Examples of this include lots of instructions about the order of business at meetings, the amount of money to be held in accounts and a constant flow of documents to the Council (about 1300 from all Edinburgh’s CCs with a financial penalty for non-compliance, not mentioned in Government guidance).

It is clear that much of this wording comes directly from a series of documents from the Scottish Government to councils and so councils are constrained by this. However, changes such as demanding the accounts 3 months earlier and demanding a community engagement report, both with financial penalties for not complying, are not following Scottish Government guidance and appear dictatorial. Language is important if we are to feel that we are on the same team with common goals.

Read more: 21/03/24: Scheme Review 2024: Reaction: Tollcross CC

04/03/24: Cramond & Barnton CC: A List of Ongoing Issues

Ian Williamson, Secretary of Cramond & Barnton CC, was in touch recently to set out a list of ongoing issues which have 'exercised us in recent years'. It conveys a good deal of frustration and it will, as he puts it, 'resonate with other CCs'. Here is a summary of what he has to say. The question, then, is what you think should be done, could be done, to break the impasse. Let me know, please.

CEC Relationship: The absence of meaningful engagement and consultation - 'a constant feature'.

Planning: Lack of opportunity to check or challenge the breadth and accuracy of Planning Officers' Handling Reports prior to Development Sub-Committee Meetings.

S75 Developer Obligations: CEC to provide regular public reports on the scale and application of S75 payments.

Transport Strategy: Local CC input on commuter route road-charging, on demarcation of no-go 'rat runs' and on bus service provision.

Active Travel Safety: Insufficient attention paid by Transport Officers to locally identified traffic hazards and travel mode conflicts.

Road Works: Need for more effective management, control and monitoring of road work undertakings, timescales and quality of completion.

Bus Services: Regular Transport & Environment Committee reporting on levels of service provision: Bus operator obligation to pre-consult on substantial changes to route and service provision.

Affordable Housing Obligations (AFO): Regular CEC reporting on the progressive discharge of AFO in respect of individual major developments.

Council Finances: CC desire for stronger, more frequent information on CEC funding and expenditure on both current and capital accounts. More explicit information on expenditure on external service (including consultancy) provision.

Support for Community Councils: 

What are CEC's ideas and proposals for improved levels of practical support?

Community Empowerment: Do community councils actually want more specific, delegated responsibilities for community service provision (as imagined in the Scot Gov Democracy Matters consultation? Can they realistically anticipate being able to put in place the management and resource platform to deliver?

13/02/24: CEC Scheme and Boundary Review: Close of Phase 1

The Review was submitted and approved at the special session of the CEC Full Council on 8 February, accompanied by a small number of amendments. Two related to the naming of community councils; the others to community council 'shape'. Here is the link to the full documentation. 

Choose agenda document pack - City of Edinburgh Council 8 February 2024 - Modern Council

The framework within which community councils are to operate rests heavily on the Scottish Government 'Model Scheme for Community Councils'. The framework (including proposed boundary revisions) now moves to the Phase 2 eight-week consultation, which has been scheduled to start on 12 February and run to 8 April. In the documentation as tabled to the Council, CEC made no move explicitly to bolster practical assistance and support to community councils to aid their efforts to function well and to ensure relevance to their communities. (In fact, such provision as there is in the existing Scheme was dropped from the proposed Scheme which went for approval on 8 February.)

However, one amendment now attached to the Scheme for consultation over the course of Phase 2 may (or may not) prompt a shift in support. 

This Green Group amendment reads:

"1.3 Agrees to include in the above consultation the following options for improving access, equality and diversity : term limits for office bearers; gender balancing mechanisms for community councils; increased training for community councillors and office bearers focussed on running meetings, handling email workload and the duties of community councillors; additional resource for encouragement of candidates to community councils; resources to support attendance at community councils including transport and care costs.

1.4 Agrees that should the above require additional officer time then the launch of the next consultation should be delayed by no more than two weeks from the proposed 12^th February start date."

As you judge your own response to the Phase 2 consultation, you might ask whether that goes far enough and how you would see such support being practically delivered.

Otherwise, note a separate amendment relating to 'Election of Office Bearers' which would limit a person's role as Chair to a 'combined term of five years' (with annual election). The occupation of other Office Bearer posts would not be so limited. Does that compromise continuity and function, or would it open the way for others who would wish to lead?

End/KR

02/02/24: Community Policing: Maintaining contact.

This is an extract from a 23 Jan 2024 letter to EACC Chair, Steve Kerr, written by Superintendent Samantha Ainslie of Edinburgh Division. The letter follows up on a November 2023 meeting and it gives context to, and information on, current community policing arrangements. Do note the website and Facebook links:

<<<

Resonant with your own comments, I also found the meeting helpful, and I wish to acknowledge at the outset that we enjoy the great privilege of policing with and for our local communities, and that I fully appreciate the role and the support provided by Edinburgh’s Community Councils, individually and collectively.

Please be assured I understand that community policing representation at Community Council meetings is very much sought after and valued, however, as variously communicated, as a consequence of City of Edinburgh Council’s revised funding arrangements, circa 1 April 2020, we have been unable to commit to attending the meetings. Notwithstanding which, should community officers be unable to attend, we have given an assurance that officers will provide a locally focused snapshot report / newsletter, with this arrangement being well-established.

Noting your reference to the reports being uniform in nature, whilst serving an analogous purpose i.e., providing news, updates, useful contacts, an outline of local policing activities and our response to localised issues and themes, the content will vary, quite rightly so, informed by the bespoke nature of ‘place’ and reflecting our diverse communities.

That being said, I thought it helpful to include an outline of divisional scrutiny arrangements, and consequently, each newsletter will now provide the following standardised narrative and easily accessible links:

On a quarterly basis, the Divisional Commander attends and provides both a written and verbal report to Edinburgh Council Culture and Communities Committee, during which scrutiny is provided in terms of the Division’s performance against the Local Policing Plan and other ongoing or emerging issues.

Edinburgh Division Scrutiny Reports can be found:

Item 7.1 - Police Scotland Edinburgh City Division Scrutiny Report April 2022 to March 2023.pdf

This meeting is also freely available/accessible to view live or retrospectively.

Our Local Police Plan 2023-26 outlines our local Divisional priorities and is accessible via the Police Scotland website:

Edinburgh - Police Scotland

Members of Edinburgh Division’s Senior Management Team routinely respond to queries received from Elected Representatives, including MPs and MSPs and constituents’ concerns across a broad spectrum of topics.

From a locality perspective, each of the 4 Local Area Commanders chair local Community Improvement Partnerships and also form part of the membership of Locality Community Planning Partnerships. These fora are focused on addressing local concerns in partnership.

Police Scotland’s Quarterly Performance Report for the Scottish Police Authority, and performance statistics by council and Policing Division, can be accessed here.

As a signpost, Edinburgh Division’s performance data can be found on the ‘Data Div6’ tabs.

Recorded and detected crime data at Multi-Member Ward level, Road Traffic Collision (RTC) data (casualties and circumstances), and Stop/Search data can be found via

https://www.scotland.police.uk/about-us/how-we-do-it/crime-data/

https://www.scotland.police.uk/about-us/how-we-do-it/road-traffic-collision-data/

https://www.scotland.police.uk/about-us/how-we-do-it/stop-and-search/data-publication/

This raw data can be filtered to provide more accessible information, however, crime data is only provided on an annual basis.’

Advice and information, across a range of crime prevention themes, are available on our website Advice & Information - Police Scotland , and additionally, our Senior Management Team, and Road Policing colleagues, provide Edinburgh focused commentary within a regular Edinburgh Evening News ‘Capital Cops’ column. Not forgetting the regular local policing updates provided on our social media channels, including our Facebook page https://en-gb.facebook.com/EdinburghPoliceDivision .

>>>

End/KR

21/01/24: The Pavement Parking Ban: Uncertain and unwelcome consequences.

Parking on pavements is generally a nuisance and can often be dangerous.  Scottish Government legislation passed last year banned it while allowing some limited exemptions.  Enforcement has now been passed to local authorities.  CEC has given notice that it will enforce the ban from 29 January with no exceptions.

For most of the city, roads are wide enough to accommodate parking while those who live in the medieval centre and certain other very densely populated areas have long acquaintance with highly restricted parking.  However, for certain locations, notably outside the city centre where access to a car is more important or where streets are unusually narrow this ban introduces very practical difficulties.

There are streets which are so narrow that if residents cease parking on the pavement passage of emergency vehicles or waste collection lorries will become impossible.  In some locations residents have developed the informal practice of pavement parking down one side of the street simply to allow passage of local traffic and keep one pavement clear for disabled access etc. The no-exceptions approach ignores these practicalities and could of itself lead to dangerous consequences.

Residents in such areas may find that their nearest legal parking option is some distance away in wider adjoining streets where there may already be parking pressures.  They query whether this is fair or equitable. These issues are especially acute for disabled persons or simply the more elderly.  It is unclear how disabled parking spaces will be managed. There are concerns that the pursuit of revenue-generating ‘fines’ will mean an especial focus on ‘compromised’ narrow residential streets as ‘easy targets’.

Some are asking whether enforcement is being rushed and whether more detailed preparation and consultation could have avoided the issues.  Comparisons are being drawn with other local authorities who appear to be adopting a more common-sense and flexible approach.  “No exceptions” appears to rule out any mechanism to seek exemptions.

Is your community council affected?  If so, EACC would like to hear from you.

Bill Rodger, Trinity CC.

19/01/24: Clean Heat Edinburgh Forum: The shape of the LHEES.

Local Heat & Energy Efficiency Strategy (November 2023)

Summary and assessment by Sarah Mehrabi of Clean Heat Edinburgh Forum

(Received 18 Jan 2024)

The Strategy

The Edinburgh Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategy (LHEES) is a long-term strategic framework aimed at improving the energy efficiency of buildings in the local authority's area and reducing greenhouse gas emissions resulting from heating. The strategy aligns with the Scottish Government's target of decarbonizing the heating of all buildings in Scotland by 2045 and the Council's goal of making Edinburgh a net zero carbon city by 2030.

The strategy sets out three central principles: taking a whole-system view, having an inclusive energy transition, and implementing a smarter local energy model. It also establishes two main targets: for 50% of Scotland's energy consumption to be supplied from renewable sources by 2030 and for a 30% increase in energy use productivity across the Scottish economy by 2030.

The strategy identifies key actions to support the transition to a climate-friendly energy system, including boosting advisory services for energy efficiency, providing support to remote and rural off-grid communities, and developing specialist knowledge and skills in retrofitting and zero emissions heating systems.

The document highlights the local policy landscape, with a focus on accelerating energy efficiency in homes and buildings and enabling the development of a citywide program for heat and energy generation and distribution. It also emphasises the importance of retrofitting social housing, developing regional renewable energy solutions, and establishing an Energy Efficient Public Buildings Partnership.

The strategy's findings highlight several challenges specific to Edinburgh's building stock, such as a high proportion of flats and mixed-tenure buildings, existing gas grid connections, an aged housing stock with listed buildings, and a significant number of homes with uninsulated walls. The analysis identifies strategic zones that provide potential pathways for decarbonizing the building stock and areas of pressure in terms of energy efficiency.

Overall, the Edinburgh LHEES aims to drive interventions and mobilise stakeholders to achieve the targets of energy efficiency and decarbonization, recognizing the need for significant resources and collaboration between the public and private sectors.

The Delivery Plan

The key points of the Delivery Plan for the Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategy of The City of Edinburgh Council for the years 2024-2028 are as follows:

1. The Delivery Plan focuses on actions that can be implemented between 2024 and 2028, with a particular emphasis on "no regrets" or "low regrets" actions that are feasible within the current policy context, funding availability, and existing powers.
2. The Delivery Plan identifies three thematic areas aligned with the national priorities of achieving net zero emissions and addressing fuel poverty: improving energy efficiency in areas at high risk of fuel poverty, piloting works to make homes heat pump-ready, and expanding the use of heat networks across Edinburgh.
3. The Delivery Plan acknowledges that the funding resources currently available are not sufficient to support the scale of interventions required. It also recognizes the limitations of a grant funding approach.
4. The Delivery Plan proposes the establishment of an "LHEES Office" as a dedicated project management office to coordinate the delivery of the Edinburgh LHEES.
5. The Delivery Plan presents a portfolio of projects consisting of 35 Delivery Areas and Heat Network Zones. These areas represent existing or potential projects related to energy efficiency and the transition to heat pumps.
6. The Delivery Areas and Heat Network Zones are categorised based on areas with high levels of fuel poverty and deprivation, areas suitable for retrofits to the Council's housing stock, and areas with potential for mixed tenure improvement services and other measures.
7. The Delivery Plan acknowledges that the actions outlined in the plan may overlap with those in the Council's 2030 Climate Strategy, but the Delivery Plan has a more specific focus on heat decarbonisation and energy efficiency actions that can be implemented during the specified period.
8. The Delivery Plan is subject to ongoing policy and regulatory changes, and future iterations of the plan are expected to have a broader focus as the context for delivery becomes clearer.