EDI NBVRG H+ THE CITY OF COUNCIL Leader’s Report

City of Edinburgh Council 20 August 2009

1 Ewan Williamson, Lothian & Borders Fire Fighter

It was with shock and sadness that we learned of the death of 35 year old Fire Fighter, Ewan Williamson, on 12 July, as he tackled a major blaze in the city.

At his funeral service, in a packed St Giles Cathedral on 22 July, tributes were paid to an inspirational professional, a member of a loving family and an outgoing sporty man. Lothian and Borders Chief Fire Officer, Brian Allaway, spoke of Mr Williamson as “a fire fighter’s fire fighter”, summing up simply and emotionally with “you were one of us and we will miss you terribly.”

Ewan made the ultimate sacrifice as he did his job of securing the safety of people and buildings. We will be forever in his debt.

2 Modernising Pay Dispute in Services for Communities The unofficial action in Services for Communities which began on XthJune is still continuing. By the time the Council meets on 20 August this will be converted to official action following the recent ballot. The action will take the form of an overtime ban and a work to rule.

Private contractors are now deployed on trade waste collection, recycling, domestic refuse collection and street cleaning. All services are running normally at the time of writing with the exception of garden waste which is scheduled to return to normal over the next two weeks.

Regrettably, there remains the possibility that services could be disrupted further depending on any continued industrial action. As you would expect, we have contingency plans to deal with this.

Following many meetings with management and the Administration the trade union UNITE recommended that its members accept the Council’s offer. That offer is based on a commitment to a “Future State” work programme which will involve reviewing services to ensure Best Value is achieved. This work is most advanced in refuse collection and street cleaning and job descriptions have been prepared and evaluated which would avoid the substantial losses in pay which have appeared in the media. Meanwhile staff continue their work

1 to rule which means they are not doing overtime upon which the service is currently reliant. The new proposals remove the need for overtime working other than in exceptional circumstances.

Staff have pay protection for the next 3 and a half years and we are determined that any prospective losses should be eliminated or reduced significantly provided modern working practices are introduced.

It was very disappointing that UNITE members rejected their Union’s recommendations. I hope that constructive dialogue will continue and that the current unfortunate situation ends soon for the benefit of the city.

3 Community Planning in Edinburgh

The Edinburgh Partnership is an important mechanism for the Council and its main strategic partners to identify priorities and improve services in the city. The Partnership recently reviewed its structures to ensure effective delivery of the Community Plan and the Single Outcome Agreement (SOA). The SOA is the Council’s key corporate policy document and sets out 33 outcomes for the city over the next three years.

I chaired the first meeting of the revised Edinburgh Partnership Board on 18 June. The principle objective of our restructured Edinburgh Partnership was to widen the political and stakeholder representation and so I was particularly pleased to welcome new Board members Councillor Michael Bridgman (representing the Fire and Rescue Service Board), Councillor lain Whyte (representing the Police Board), Councillor Andrew Burns (Main Opposition Leader) and Councillor Tom Buchanan (Neighbourhood Partnerships’ representative). Dr Charles Winstanley will be representing Lothian NHS Board at future meetings. The meeting was observed by delegates from the Northern Ireland Assembly’s Social Development Committee, visiting Edinburgh to see at first hand the city’s approach to community planning.

The Board was briefed on the SOA, which had been approved by the Scottish Government, and in his letter to me, John Swinney MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth, praised the SOA for its clear, strategic focus and realistic aspirations to improve people’s quality of life and opportunities. The challenge now is for all the partners to work together in delivering the commitments that have been made.

The Board is supported by the Edinburgh Partnership Executive which will drive forward key elements of action and ensure the implementation of priority streams of work. Chaired by the Council’s Chief Executive, other members comprise the Chief Constable, the Chief Fire & Rescue Officer, the Chief Executive of NHS Lothian and the Chair of the Compact Partnership.

The Executive is committed to making a real impact on partnership working and joint service provision in the city. Specifically, there is a determination to deliver world class services in Edinburgh and to provide leadership in dealing

2 with the economic downturn, pushing forward on the green agenda and tackling key issues such as alcohol abuse.

New strands of work will emerge in relation to the operation of strategic groupings around SOA themes, and the need for firmer linkages between the Edinburgh Partnership and the Neighbourhood Partnerships across the city.

For more information visit www.edinburqh.gov.uWcommunitvDlanninq.

4 Clipper Round the World Yacht Race “Edinburgh Inspiring Capital”, the Edinburgh entry in the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, is one of ten racing yachts taking part in the 10 month 35,000 mile race which starts on September 13 from Hull. Edinburgh’s entry, made possible by generous sponsors including Benromach Whisky, will visit 13 ports providing unique opportunities to promote Edinburgh and . Seven young unemployed people from Edinburgh from various backgrounds and personal circumstances will be undertaking legs of the voyage in an opportunity of a lifetime and will also be working towards their Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award. The “Capital Crew” has been tested to the maximum in the selection process and all demonstrated strength, resilience, character and a capacity to deal with sleep deprivation! I was delighted to sail from Port Edgar to Ocean Terminal with Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, founder of the Clipper venture, and some of the crew for the naming ceremony by the First Minister on 8 August. Sailing under the Forth Bridges with the huge saltire spinnaker sail raised was a memorable experience. More details are available from www.cliDperroundtheworld.com

5 Town Centre Regeneration

The Council has been awarded f582,014 from the Town Centre Regeneration Fund. This award will support a number of improvements in Portobello to which the Council is also contributing f50,OOO. The bid has been supported by a range of partners including the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, Edinburgh Business Assembly, the Edinburgh Partnership and the local Neighbourhood Partnership. These improvements will be carried out by March 2010 and will greatly enhance the attractiveness of the town centre and vitality and viability of local shops and businesses. Upgrades of footway, crossing points and kerbs and new signage should attract visitors. My thanks to everyone involved in assembling the bid in such a short space of time.

It is disappointing that the Leith Walk and Tollcross applications were not successful but officers are already working on options for submissions for the E20 million funding available in round 2.

It is also great news that PARC Craigmillar was successful in securing f2m to assist with the development of one of our key regeneration areas.

3 6 Physical Regeneration

A new Occupiers' Guide has been produced which advises relocating companies of the opportunities that exist when they are considering Edinburgh as a base.

The official opening of the first 1km section of the Edinburgh Promenade is planned for 26th August. The Promenade is one of the key projects in the regeneration of Edinburgh's Waterfront and I am pleased to note progress.

7 Economic Resilience

EARN

The Economic Action Resilience Network (EARN) has published its latest advertorial covering executive skills and support. In addition in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce and Business Gateway, the Council has launched an Executive Skills Bank to use the talents of recently redundant managers to help develop small and medium sized companies.

Graduate Interns in Economic Development

The Economic Development service has now selected three candidates to participate in their Graduate Intern programme. As part of our strategy to boost the city's economic resilience, the programme offers recent graduates the experience they need to assist in securing employment in the current difficult economic climate. The successful candidates will start mid September and I wish them well in their time at the Council.

Destination Promotion

The Destination Edinburgh Marketing Alliance has now been launched after two years of hard work from all the partners. I am confident that this initiative will be an effective energiser for all those organisations involved in marketing and promoting all that Edinburgh has to offer for those who visit, live, study or seek to invest here.

Edinburgh Comes Out On Top in National Survey A survey carried out by YouGov, the leading internet based market research organisation, has identified Edinburgh as the most desirable place to live in the UK. With questions covering culture, safety, atmosphere, investment potential, accessibility and friendliness, Edinburgh beat London into 3rdplace and York into 2". The results, based on the opinions of 10,000 individuals, certainly reinforces that Edinburgh, Scotland's , is the best of places for life, work, business and leisure. Employability and Skills

4 A bid for over f 1.6 million of new investment for the supported employment of young people has been successful. This will mean that we can help up to 240 young people to take their first step on the employment ladder at a time when it is particularly difficult for school leavers to find jobs

Strategy and Research

This month, the Economic Development Committee considers the Regional Economic Framework. Advocating collaboration, at a regional level, on research, labour and skills markets, productivity and key sectors, the framework is a significant achievement.

Collaborating to Succeed

The -Edinburgh Collaboration project continues to make progress and is currently preparing a case for high speed cross-border rail connections to the South. This would cut the train journey time from Scotland to London to less than three hours. I have already made this case to Lord Adonis, in his previous role, and this has been followed up by cross-council meetings.

Inward Investment

Since April the council has assisted in bringing f 15 million of new investment into the city. This is excellent news and means that we are on target to achieve f 100 million of supported investment over three years in spite of the economic downturn. I am also delighted to note that f36 million of investment has been supported by the Physical Regeneration Team since April.

8 Citadel Youth Club

Housed in a B listed building in Commercial Street the Citadel Youth Club is an important social venue for local young people. The building is owned by the Council and leased to the Club at a peppercorn rent.

The Council has been concerned that undergraduates pursuing construction oriented courses are not getting the opportunity for practical experience. Recently, a joint project gave two students the opportunity to construct a scale model to demonstrate how the Citadel was built; how it could be repaired and how it could be used to teach others about traditional building techniques.

The model was produced in partnership with Historic Scotland, and it is now proposed to use it as a training tool. Given the success of the project, we are working on two other similar projects.

The initiative was funded by the University and Historic Scotland with technical support and guidance provided by City Development staff.

9 New Adult Social Care Information Points in Libraries

5 A new service improving access to information about adult social care has been launched in the Gilmerton, Muirhouse, Corstorphine, Portobello, Wester Hailes and Central Libraries. The Information Points contain the main 12 leaflets for adults requiring social care services including Home Care, Direct Payments, guides for carers and equipment for use at home.

These information points were introduced in response to a number of consultations, particularly the "Live Well in Later Life" joint strategy for older people, which showed that people wanted information readily available in local venues. Libraries provide the perfect location.

The initiative is another demonstration of how libraries are fast becoming real community hubs, offering a varied range of services and activities to support and enrich people's lives.

10 Independent Living for Young People with Disabilities

A new resource which allows six young people with learning disabilities to live on their own for the first time has been officially opened, thanks to a f 1.5m investment from the City of Edinburgh Council.

The service, which provides care and support, is run by Carr-Gomm Scotland and the development is owned by Cairn Housing Association. The life- changing facility means that the six people will now be able to live in specially adapted flats on their own in a housing development in the Corstorphine area.

Each flat has been adapted and designed to cater for the particular needs and requirements of the individuals. The high quality care option is directly linked to one of the Administration's main priorities to help people with learning disabilities take control of their lives and create a future of their choice.

11 North Merchiston Day Care Opens

A new day care service, located in a wing of the new North Merchiston Care Home, has officially opened. The service provides a comfortable setting five days a week, for users to receive support from City of Edinburgh Council care staff. This caring and supportive service for older people will help them to continue to live as independently as possible in their own homes and reduce feelings of isolation. It marks an investment by the Council in developing purpose-built services across the city to replace the existing older ones. Last year the Council committed nearly f 1m for additional services to meet the needs of the city's growing older population. Older people enjoy a range of activities at the day care service in a lively, welcoming atmosphere in the local community. Family members or carers also benefit from the respite care.

12 Residential Workers in Disabilities Services

6 The health and social care disabilities service and the Trade Union, Unison, have reached an important agreement on working time regulations for residential staff. The agreement will mean the consolidation of a range of basic rights and protections for workers, including, a limit on hours people are required to work, limits on night working; and the right to free health assessments, a specified number of rest hours and weekly rest breaks.

13 Protecting and Promoting the City The Edinburgh City Local Plan sets out the Council’s policies to guide future development in the city. Towards the end of 2008, a local public inquiry was held to deal with outstanding objections to the finalised Plan. The report of inquiry into these objections has now been received by the Council. The majority of proposals within the Plan will remain unchanged and this is testament to the efforts made to ensure this was an inclusive process which helped to inform the final Plan. This was further endorsed by the reporters who complimented the Council and all those who took part in the inquiry for their positive and cooperative approach.

Further details can be found at www.edinburgh.gov.uk/eclp

14 Trams

At the Policy & Strategy Committee in May, it was agreed that tram construction work would continue in Princes Street throughout the festivals period. In addition to this a package of measures has been drawn up to ensure that the visitor experience continues to be positive.

We have now: 0 On-street ambassadors to provide directions and general assistance; 0 140,000 copies of the Edinburgh Navigator map; Over 50 signs to assist pedestrians to find their way around the city centre; 0 A “Bluetooth” scheme to provide updated information for all; Posters at key gateways and enhanced publicity in festival-related adverti s ing ; 0 Dressing in shop windows at development sites throughout the city centre; 0 A weekly “Edinburgh Update” which keeps subscribers informed by email about the latest developments.

Producing and coordinating this is a major task and I would like to thank all staff involved and the representatives of the businesses and other stakeholders who contributed their time and ideas.

15 Supported Bus Routes

7 The new bus service contracts funded by the Council took effect from 27 July. The Council stepped in with a short term funding package last year when Lothian Buses cut a number of their services for financial reasons. Now, services 13, 18, 20, 24, 42, 48/X48 and 63 have been restored, retained or enhanced under five year contracts, following a recent tendering exercise. This included an evaluation of the social value of the services to ensure that social and financial value criteria were considered. The budget was very tight, and it was only possible to restore the service 20 thanks to Tesco agreeing to co-fund the service.

16 Sport in the City

Vo Ile yba II Event - In June, Meadowbank Sports Centre hosted the first Great Britain Volleyball event to be held in Scotland for many years. Spectators were treated to a good start to the event when the GB women came tantalising close to beating Romania in the 3-1 opening game. The men made quick work of the Croatian team in a 3-0 win. The matches on Sunday were equally exciting, and resulted in a loss for the GB women’s team (3-0) while the GB men’s team won 3-1.

This event was a major step forward for the GB volleyball programmes and volleyball in Edinburgh. The matches in Edinburgh attracted the biggest crowds of all the GB squad’s home games. I hope that the city will once again host the British teams in 2010 as they continue to push towards London 2012.

Ice Hockey -The Gardiner CUP

I am delighted that the city has secured the new Gardiner Cup tournament in partnership with the Edinburgh Capitals team and Homecoming Scotland. The event will feature two of Canada’s top ice hockey teams, the Marlies and the Hamilton Bulldogs and two UK Elite league teams, the Edinburgh Capitals and the Belfast Giants. The tournament will take place at Ice Rink on 24 - 27 September, and will be the first time that the American Hockey League teams have competed against UK Elite league teams in the UK. For more information visit www.icehockeyshomecominq.com Cricket International On Friday 28 August top class cricket will return to the city as the Australian national cricket team visits take on the Saltires. Information is available from www .c ricketscot I a nd . co m 17 Council Finances

8 In 2008/09, the Treasury section provided excellent fund management for the Council whilst ensuring appropriate security of monies in line with the current Treasury Policy Statement. Although this has been a challenging economic climate to work in, by investing funds at interest rates which have been above the benchmark, an additional income off1.9 million was received by the Council in 2008/09. 18 Edinburgh Festival City

Once again the city has been transformed into the greatest centre of the arts in the world. I am reminded daily of this as I sit in my office overhearing the frenetic activity in the High Street. Edinburgh is known the world over as Festival City and is the envy of many. The Festivals bring huge benefits to the city in economic and in cultural terms and we should be fiercely proud of this.

This year has all the signs of a bumper year with advance ticket sales up and the Edinburgh Military Tattoo sold out. Hotel bookings are faring well and Edinburgh Airport reported its highest monthly passenger numbers for 30 years in July. We must not however become complacent about our success and I am very encouraged by the efforts made by all the festivals in the city to work collaboratively to maximise their individual, and joint impacts, locally nationally and internationally.

The Gatherinq

Holyrood Park on 25 and 26 July was the centre of activity for a massive 47,000 Scots from around the world in a weekend of celebration of Scottish identity. Even the sun broke into a smile at the Highland Games, Pop Idol, the Clan Parade, the Clan tents, Hill Run and a host of other activities.

I9 Educating our Young People

New Schools for the City

The next phase of our school openings sees Holyrood and Craigroyston High Schools opening their doors to pupils by 24 August. Both schools will provide very much improved facilities and Holyrood, in particular, benefits from a lovely parkland setting overlooking Duddingston Loch.

In early September, Valley Park Community Centre will open its doors. This replaces the run down building which housed Burdiehouse/Southhouse Community Centre and will bring state of the art facilities to this community. Exam Success Education and schooling is not just about exam results. However, I am delighted that Edinburgh has maintained its good performance in examination results and that Higher pass rates continue to improve. I am also delighted that Standard Grade awards attained in S3, and the number of students now achieving 5 or more awards at the end of S4, have also increased

9 Overall, 9496 pupils achieved 45,136 results in this year's exam diet with awards covering 69 individual subjects. This is very encouraging for the city and I would like to pass on my congratulations to all the students, schools and teachers on these achievements.

Borourrhmuir High School Consumer Champions

My congratulations go to Scott Duncan, Malcolm Perry, Cameron Roscoe and Ruaridh Beveridge from who beat off tough competition from schools from across England, Scotland and Wales to become Young Consumers of the Year 2009.The competition aims to ensure that participants are aware of their rights and responsibilities as consumers. Edinburgh has an excellent recent record in the competition with Boroughmuir High and Portobello High winning three out the last four UK titles.

National Play Day

National Play Day on 5 August saw Edinburgh's Children and Families Department running a really successful event involving hundreds of youngsters, listening to stories, building sandcastles, playing outdoor draughts, and many other activities. The event used the newly landscaped Grassmarket as a great public street venue and benefited from glorious warm su nsh i ne throughout.

20 Contalmaison - 1 July 2009

1 was very pleased to represent the Lord Provost to lay a wreath at the McCrae's Battalion Cairn at Contalmaison, , on the 93rdanniversary of the carnage of the first day of the Battle of the Somme when 20,000 British soldiers died and 40,000 were wounded. It was the Royal Scots, an Edinburgh unit named after their Colonel Sir George McCrae, that pushed furthest into the enemy position, with a small party reaching the village of Contalmaison. Thirteen Heart of Midlothian Football Club players were among the first to join the Battalion, followed by footballers and fans from other Scottish clubs.

With Bruce Crawford MSP and the Mayor Patricia Le Roy, I also laid a wreath in the village church for the 8 French war dead from Contalmaison.

It was a very emotional occasion for all involved.

Jenny Dawe Council Leader

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