Item no 43.1 + + EDI N BVRG H THE CITY OF COUNCIL

Leader’s Report

City of Edinburgh Council 1 February 2007

1. Cancellation of Royal Bank Street Party

Council members were naturally concerned at the cancellation of Edinburgh’s Hogmanay’s Royal Bank Street Party but we acknowledge that safety must always be the first priority. The severity and prolonged nature of the weather meant that no other decision could reasonably have been taken; the decision to cancel was unanimous and the operational handling of the inter-agency partnership managed the situation expertly. I place on record my thanks and appreciation to the many staff, volunteers and technical advisers who performed a role on the night and I am pleased that the overall reaction to the cancellation has been one of understanding, if tinged somewhat naturally with a sense of disappointment.

At 6pm the Royal Bank Street Party site was ‘locked down’, restricting access to the site, in the interests of public safety. In addition, operational personnel were also removed. This condition remained in place for the rest of the evening. The majority of the Seven Hills Fireworks did eventually take place, including a five second display from the Castle esplanade. This was based on advice that this was the safest course of action. The alternative, of ‘derigging’ a firework display, has significant health and safety risks associated with it. The Street Party site remained closed throughout in view of public safety concerns .

It is worth remembering that Edinburgh’s Hogmanay celebrations span four days. The Torchlight Procession and Night Afore International were, as usual, enjoyed by many thousands of Edinburgh residents and visitors to the city. Edinburgh will recover from this set back and we shall take the opportunity now to look forward and relaunch the world’s best New Year celebrations. 2. Hogmanay emergencies

The extreme weather conditions experienced over Hogmanay also caused disruption and considerable distress for home and building owners around the city. During the New Year holiday weekend, Council staff attended 46 emergency calls to assist with building defects. These included choked and blocked drains, loose slates and roof tiles, collapsed advertising hoardings, masonry falls, windows being blown in and damage to walls and fences. Many of these were potentially life-threatening events but the prompt actions of our staff helped to ensure that all of these incidents were made safe without injury to the public or to themselves. I am grateful to our dedicated staff and to those public-spirited enough to report the incidents.

3. Herbert Coutts - Ae Fond Farewell

It is with appreciation for a fine career which contributed in some unique ways to the cultural and sporting life of this city that I record the retirement of Herbert Coutts as Director or Culture and Leisure. Herbert’s career in Edinburgh began in I971 as Edinburgh Corporation’s Superintendent of City Museums. In the following 35 years he worked tirelessly to provide ’s capital city with refreshed sporting facilities and a rich and world-renowned culture.

In his 9 year tenure as Director, Herbert‘s vision helped Edinburgh both to remain as Scotland’s cultural capital and to consolidate its international reputation as a vibrant and active city. His involvement in key projects such as the redevelopment of the ; the creation of Edinburgh Leisure, the Fife-Edinburgh Marathon and the extension of the City Art Centre demonstrated his clear influence on the cultural and sporting wealth of the capital and will serve as monuments to his leadership.

Herbert’s impact on the literary life of Edinburgh has been profound. Under his leadership Edinburgh became the world’s first UNESCO City of Literature, established the Makar’s Court and introduced the post of Edinburgh Makar to promote the city’s literary heritage and the work of current writers. He also sustained a valued and quality libraries service for the capital.

Herbert will be particularly remembered for cultural projects including The Emperor’s Warriors (1983, the first cultural exhibition advertised in Scotland and which attracted 221,128 visitors; Gold of the Pharaohs (1988), seen by over 447,500 people; and Star Trek (1992) created by Paramount Studios especially for Edinburgh to the delight of the 200,000 ‘trekkies’ who visited.

Herbert’s contribution to the sporting life of the city will also have a lasting impact. He was instrumental in establishing Edinburgh Leisure - an innovative and successful enterprise - and has initiated a programme to refresh the capital’s sporting infrastructure with new national and regional sports facilities for the use of both elite athletes and the local community. I am sure colleagues will wish to join with me in thanking Herbert and wishing him a long and happy retirement.

4. Paul Gudgin Steps Down as Fringe Director

Festival Fringe director Paul Gudgin is to step down from the post in early June, ahead of this year’s festival. Director since 1999, Paul has successfully ensured the Fringe maintains its huge global presence. As one of the most exciting arts events in the world, the Festival Fringe attracts tens of thousands of performers and visitors to Edinburgh every summer. I thank Paul for his tremendous hard work over the past eight years and for the way in which he fostered the partnership with the Council, and I wish him all the very best for the future. His successor has a very tough act to follow.

5. Edinburgh Residents Recognised in HM The Queen’s New Year Honours

The capital city was well represented in Her Majesty The Queen’s New Year Honours. This was fantastic, and well-deserved, recognition of the significant time and energies these Edinburgh residents contributed for the public good.

A Knighthood was awarded to international businessman David Murray. Richard Henderson, Solicitor to the Scottish Executive, received an Order of the Bath. Professors Richard Demarco and Alexander McCall Smith, Wilma Dickson and Ian Russell were recognised with CBEs. OBEs went to Michael Ellis, Dr Michael Gibson, Professor Stuart MacPherson, Dr Stuart Monro, Richard Murphy and John White. Maureen Baker, a Head teacher at a City of Edinburgh Nursery School, was awarded with an MBE as were Morag Deyes, Arthur Mathieson, Maureen McEvoy, Alan McKinney and Christopher Minty.

Congratulations to these worthy recipients. I hope that they, and their families, are proud of their achievements.

6. Childcare Voucher Scheme

It was reported in the media that Edinburgh was one of 21 local authorities in Scotland who had not implemented the Childcare Voucher Scheme. The scheme is a flexible, simple and cost effective means of helping parents cover childcare costs. It allows parents to take up to a maximum of f55 per week in childcare vouchers through a salary sacrifice arrangement. Childcare vouchers can be used to pay towards registered childcare for children up to age 16. Parents can save up to E916 each year through savings on basic rate tax and National Insurance. The administrative charge for the scheme is covered through reduced employer’s National Insurance contributions and is therefore a win-win situation for parents and their employer. I know the demands on parents to balance work and home life. I was therefore extremely concerned that we had not implemented this scheme. I raised this matter with officials and established that this is a voluntary scheme for employers to enter into once they have put in place the necessary pay processes and there is no legislative target that we have failed to meet. I have been reassured that we are working hard to implement the scheme. I expect it to be up-and- running in April and look forward to advising council staff when they can join up.

7. Promoting Local Democracy Brinqinq the Council Executive closer to local communities To enable local communities to participate in the democratic process and to use their local knowledge to shape Council services, meetings of the Executive of the Council are now taking place throughout the city. Over 2,000 invitations are delivered to residents in the immediate vicinity of the venues, which have so far been in Clermiston, Wardieburn and Stenhouse.

The meeting in Clermiston hosted a neighbourhood management drop- in surgery, with staff on hand to adopt a problem-solving approach to nearly 30 issues raised by members of the public. Some issues have already been resolved, including: the provision of a litter bin within the walled garden on Corstorphine Hill, as requested by the Friends of Corstorphine Hill; warden patrols in Parkgrove Terrace and Clermiston Park to discourage dog fouling on grass verges; and street cleaning in Clermiston Grove. Work is well under way to deal with the remainder and, following an inspection of Duart Crescent shopping car park, the need for its complete resurfacing has been identified and cost estimates are being pursued.

These meetings have generated great interest and have proved a valuable opportunity to test our delivery of neighbourhood management services. The lessons learned will inform our response to future Executive Meetings, starting with CurrielBalerno on 6 February (invitation at Appendix A).

Local Development Committees

Local Development Committees are an important part of the Council’s open style of working, helping to improve access for local people to the Council and councillors. Meetings include a public question time, providing residents with the opportunity to raise questions, and obtain responses, on any matters of concern or interest to them. Invitations are specifically sent out to local interest groups, community councils, schools, care homes and residents’ associations. I would, however, encourage all residents to attend and engage with their Local Development Committee. Forthcoming meetings are:-

Wednesday 31 January - Pentlands LDC - (St. Mark’s RC Primary School) Tuesday 6 February - North and Leith LDC - (North Leith Parish Church) Monday 19 February - South LDC - () Tuesday 27 February - West LDC - (Rannoch Centre).

8. Edinburgh Leads in Tackling Climate Change

Earlier this month I had the honour of being one of the first Council Leaders in Scotland to ratify the Scottish Climate Change Declaration. The scientific debate about climate change is over. Climate Change is happening, it is man-made and will have a disastrous effect for all of us. The challenge is to make progress on the politics and the policy. This Declaration will give local government a real strength nationally by working together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. I signed the declaration at a short ceremony at Towerbank Primary School in Portobello where the dedication of pupils involved in the eco-schools programme and their commitment to improving our environment was plain to see. The Declaration commits Edinburgh to produce a plan, with targets and time-scales, to achieve significant reduction in emissions and to publish an annual statement on progress. We have already been working on a draft climate change framework which will form the basis of a future Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan. This will link the many different council initiatives and strategies already underway, and help the city to deliver on relevant commitments such as sustainable transport, eliminating fuel poverty, meeting air quality standards and providing better homes. Local action can have real impact and it is important to be as ambitious as we can. We have set ourselves high targets, some of the highest in the UK, because we want to be leaders. We want to: “climate proof” all new Council strategies, programmes, plans and projects; reduce the Council’s own climate change emissions and, in particular, carbon dioxide levels by 20% by 2015 and we want to achieve a zero carbon economy in Edinburgh by 2050. It is no small task but we have to commit ourselves now to ensure that Scotland’s capital city fully plays its part in solving a global problem and to protect Edinburgh’s future as a pleasant place for residents, workers, and visitors. 9. Scotland’s twin engines collaborate to compete

Significant progress has been made in driving forward our city collaboration with Glasgow. The Glasgow-Edinburgh Collaboration Action Plan sets out ambitious objectives over three key areas - connectivity, key sectors and higherlfurther education. The appointment of Laura Gordon, previously a commercial lawyer, has proved a major catalyst for the project. To date, nearly twenty projects have been supported across all themes - with particular early emphasis on the tourism sector. The most recent batch of approved projects includes: plans to host a ‘Dragons Den’ to bring forward new business ideas in the tourism and hospitality sector; further work to improve transport and electronic connectivity between the cities; and a workshop to bring together businesses in the creative industries.

In addition to delivering projects on the ground, a key part of Laura’s job is to raise the profile of the initiative and to promote collaboration. Many of you will have seen the excellent coverage on STV’s Scotland Today programme in early January. Laura has also made important contributions to a number of national consultations and has been speaking at major national and international conferences. A network of key influencers is being established to add further impetus to the initiative and to influence the national policy debate in key areas. My thanks to Laura for all her hard work so far.

IO. f24 million funding boost for world class research centre The Scottish Centre for Regenerative Medicine (SCRM), to be built at Little France by 201 0 as part of the new Centre for Biomedical Research, has received f24 million from the Scottish Executive. SCRM will place Edinburgh alongside Kobe in Japan as the most advanced stem cell research, development and manufacture facility on the planet. Being developed by Edinburgh University, SCRM will provide state-of-the art technologies for 220 academic researchers. This world-class centre will significantly boost and further diversify our local economy and place Edinburgh as a leading worldwide centre for stem cell and regenerative medicine development. Funding for the Centre for Biomedical Research also includes f 19 million from Edinburgh University and f 16 million from Scottish Enterprise.

11, Edinburgh Standards for Sustainable Building

Edinburgh’s City Vision states that by 2015 Edinburgh “will lead the most successful and sustainable city region in Northern Europe and sustain the highest quality of life of any UK city”. As a significant contribution to this, the Edinburgh Standards for Sustainable Building have been approved as Supplementary Planning Guidance to be used in all ‘Major’ Planning Applications submitted after the 1’‘ May 2007. The Standards are being launched on 6 February with presentations by Rhona Brankin MSP, Minister for Communities, and Councillor Trevor Davies, Convenor of the Planning Committee. More detailed briefing sessions will thereafter be undertaken in late February/early March. If you would like to register an interest in attending one of these sessions, or would welcome more information about the Standards, please contact John Rosser, on 0131 469 3762 or john .rosser@,edin burqh .gov.uk.

12. Edinburgh tackles misleading house sales information

Council Trading Standards Officers and property developers in Edinburgh have joined forces to improve the standard of sales information for prospective home buyers. A conference at the City Chambers heard that sales information for many new housing developments in Edinburgh contained mistakes and inaccuracies. A recent survey by Trading Standards Officers of ten developments in the city showed that, out of 18 homes, the sales information for 13 was inaccurate or misleading.

Delegates also discussed the importance of the Property Misdescriptions Act 1991, which is designed to prevent estate agents and property developers from falsely describing, or making misleading statements about, property they are selling. Following the survey, Trading Standards Officers ensured that problems were rectified by the d eve lope rs .

13. Capital Review Issue 19

Issue 19 of Capital Review should be with readers by early February. In this issue, Dave Anderson from SEE&L draws together the conclusions of the latest research in order to benchmark the competitive position of the Edinburgh City Region, Raymond O’Hare talks candidly about his role as Microsoft’s first Scottish Regional Director and Elinor Jayne from the City Centre Management Company explains the thinking behind Edinburgh’s proposed new Business Improvement District.

The Capital Review team is also delighted to welcome new corporate partners Ron Beard, Scottish Director of international consultancy firm Halcrow, and Ann Faulds, Partner with Dundas and Wilson. In our new regular ‘Making it Happen’ feature, Ann and Ron will explore the practical role played by private sector businesses in bringing major economic development projects to fruition. This issue will examine the tram project. If you have any feedback on the current issue, or would like to be added to the mailing list, please contact the Capital Review team at capital .review@edinburg h .gov.uk 14. Business Tourism vital to Edinburgh Economy

Research carried out for the UK’s national tourism bodies shows that delegates at conferences and other business events in Edinburgh spend an average of f364 per day on accommodation, meals, shopping, transport and other services. A five-day conference attracting 1,000 delegates is therefore worth approximately f 1.82 million to the Edinburgh economy. Clearly, business tourism is vital to our local economy and it is essential that we continue to support initiatives like the expansion of the Edinburgh International Conference Centre and the provision of new facilities like those at the Royal College of Surgeons. Although we can rightly be proud of our existing offer, we must recognise the importance of encouraging continued investment in what is a very competitive market place.

15. Promoting our Inspiring Capital

A new DVD has been created jointly by the Council, Edinburgh - Inspiring Capital, Edinburgh Film Focus, the Edinburgh Convention Bureau and VisitScotland. Featuring all-new footage shot during the summer of 2006,the DVD showcases the live, investhisit themes of our Inspiring Capital with an exciting introduction highlighting the best of the city. The result is a contemporary, sophisticated marketing tool that shows Edinburgh as a modern, cosmopolitan city. Please feel free to use the DVD as a presentation aid or a visual backdrop to events. Copies can also be made available for clients, dignitaries and journalists to promote the Edinburgh city region as a place to live in, invest in or visit. For more information, email [email protected] or telephone 01 31 529 4826.

16. Edinburgh Airport promotes Capital City’s links

From May this year, Continental will fly twice daily to New York Newark, a doubling of the current frequency. This will further assist in opening up the Edinburgh and Scottish domestic markets to American customers while enabling Scots to connect direct into a major American hub, without the need to take a domestic flight to London or Manchester. Short connecting flights add time and cost at the expense of the environment.

There was more good news with the announcement of a number of other new destinations. On the back of its announcement of direct flights to Munich last month, EasyJet plans to add direct flights to Milan, Palma and the Spanish capital Madrid to its network. The direct flight to Madrid is a first for Edinburgh, while the Milan and Palma flights will add to those provided by other carriers. Another capital city to return to the Edinburgh schedule is Oslo, which will be available direct to customers of Norwegian Air Shuttle from spring. Of course there are already strong ties between Norway and Scotland (as exemplified by Hordaland’s annual gift of a Christmas tree for the Mound) and it seems only right that our capitals should be linked in this way. Both Edinburgh and Oslo are developing cities with expanding waterfront developments and we are partners in the Waterfront Communities project with seven other cities.

No fewer than ten EU capital cities now have a direct connection with Scotland’s Capital City - a growing recognition of Edinburgh’s importance as a major financial centre and tourist destination.

17. How the World Views Edinburgh

Edinburgh is once again increasing its international significance as a major international capital city. Achieving recognition and acclaim in world terms is a tremendous challenge placing us in direct competition with the world’s biggest and best cities. That is why I am delighted that the Anholt City Brands Index (CBI) survey ranked Edinburgh’s brand image 30thout of 60 world wide cities. Edinburgh was placed ahead of Moscow, Johannesburg, Beijing, Hong Kong, Singapore, Rio de Janeiro and Prague. This is a great compliment and a further boost to our aspirations for Scotland’s capital city on the global stage. It does, however, reaffirm the intense competition between cities for jobs, investment and recognition. So, whilst Edinburgh benefits from a strong international brand image there is room for improvement - a challenge that I know our brand team will rise to in the year ahead.

18. Airport bus services

Almost one quarter of airport passengers now arrive at the airport by bus. Annual passenger numbers have increased by 870,000 in four years. This reaffirms the need for both Edinburgh’s Tram and the Edinburgh Airport Rail Link (EARL). Bus services to the airport are excellent and the new bus facility at the terminal entrance is a great improvement. Capacity for expansion is, however, limited. The best way to get more people to use public transport is to improve capacity, frequency, journey times, quality and reliability and EARL and Edinburgh’s Tram will do this while reducing congestion and improving air quality, particularly along the west Edinburgh transport corridors.

19. Edinburgh Bus Tours Top Half a Million Passengers

Lothian Buses Edinburgh Bus Tours enjoyed a record year in 2006 carrying a staggering 502,000 passengers on their 4 open top tour services - a 9% increase on 2005. These are currently the 3rd most popular visitor attraction in Scotland. A recent passenger survey found that 39% of passengers were European and 12% were from the USA. Italian, incidentally, was the most popular language commentary on the City Sightseeing tour.

20. Cheap travel is just the ticket for our young people Young people in Edinburgh can now access cheaper bus and train travel as part of the National Concessionary Travel Scheme launched by the Scottish Executive. The scheme introduces a National Entitlement Card (NEC) which: gives all 16-18 year olds living in Edinburgh a third off single bus fares;

0 gives 16-18 year olds a free rail card entitling them to a third off rail travel within Scotland;

0 gives access to the scheme for full-time volunteers up to the age of 25 who are actively contributing to their community; and in Edinburgh, sees the card have the added benefits of membership of Edinburgh Young Scot, PASS accredited voluntary proof of age and cashless catering at Council secondary schools. There are also plans to add library membership to the card in 2007. The NEC is an electronic smart card which is issued by the Scottish Executive via local authorities. Those issued by the City of Edinburgh Council have a distinctive Scotland-wide brand, as well as the Council logo. Pupils in our secondary schools should already have received an application form. Other young people and volunteers can collect one at any city library or by e-mailing [email protected] or calling 0131 200 2350. Further details can be found at www. ed i n bu ra hvounqscot .o r&ma rtcard .

21, Inspiring Tourism - Sharing the Vision

The annual Edinburgh Tourism Action Group (ETAG) conference takes place on 6 March at the Royal College of Surgeons new Quincentenary Hall. The conference will launch the new Edinburgh tourism strategy “Inspiring Tourism in Edinburgh - A Framework for Growth 2007-2015”. Through keynote speakers, workshops and a panel discussion, the conference will address key questions on how both tourism businesses and individuals working within those businesses can help achieve the objectives of the strategy.

The conference provides an opportunity for those working in the industry to share experiences and to discuss issues and motivations to ensure that Edinburgh continues to lead the way in developing and delivering key projects to meet national growth targets for tourism. Places can be booked by contacting Shona Black at [email protected] or on 01 31 473 3873. Further information on ETAG and the conference can be found at www. i nspiri ngtourism .co. u k.

22. Promoting School Uniforms

Colleagues may be aware of comments attributed to Professor Sheila Riddell, Professor of Inclusion and Diversity, Moray House School of Education, which seemed to question the merits of promoting school uniforms. I was concerned about this and approached Professor Riddell for clarification. Professor Riddell has told me that she gave a television interview about school uniforms which was selectively picked up by the press, with quotes attributed to her out of context and without reference back to her to check their accuracy.

What Professor Riddell actually did in her interview was to acknowledge that many teachers, parents and pupils believe that school uniforms may be a way of encouraging pupils to identify with their school and thus to encourage school discipline and ethos. As a parent, Professor Riddell indicated that she would always back the school’s line on school uniform. She did, however, make a number of comments, one of which was that there is no simple association between the wearing of uniform and an improvement in school discipline. She went on to say that, in continental Europe, children in state schools generally do not wear school uniforms and their discipline is not significantly worse than in the UK. Professor Riddell explained that the reason for the lack of uniforms in state schools in Europe is that, during the post-War period, uniforms were associated with Nazi Youth and were regarded in those countries as a negative rather than a benign influence. It was this point that has largely been misrepresented in the press.

I have long supported a school dress code of wearing uniform. As Executive Member for Children and Families, I actively promoted the wearing of uniforms in schools and am delighted that young people in all but one of our schools in Edinburgh now wear some form of school uniform. Professor Riddell does, however, make some valid points about the complexity of understanding the effect of school uniforms on a school ethos.

I know that Professor Riddell was upset at being misquoted and most concerned to ensure that the views attributed to her did not in any way undermine the work of the Council in schools in Edinburgh. I am grateful to her for taking the time to set the matter straight. The right of schools to enforce school uniform policy was also raised recently at Prime Minister’s Questions, when the Prime Minister made clear that the Government “supports fully the right of schools to enforce their school uniform rules.” 23. Road and Pavement Repairs Performance Improves 100% Roads Services staff conducted a wholesale review of the defect repair process which revealed significant issues in the way reported defects were managed and scheduled. Consequently, we have set ourselves a more stringent performance target of 90% within three working days from first report to the defect being made safe.

Thanks to a new Emergency Road and Pavement Defect Repairs database and the hard work of staff, performance has significantly improved. From April 2006 to mid-January 2007, in handling 24,000 defects, 95% of priority defects, and 87% of defects, have been attended to within three working days, exceeding targets of 90% and 75% respectively. This is more than a 100% improvement on the 47% of priority emergency road defects attended to within three working days during April to June 2005.

The Council has significantly increased the road maintenance budget. The new database has allowed this extra funding to be targeted most effectively to improve the city’s streets. The database identified all emergency make-safe repairs carried out on our main roads and the extra funding enabled these to be followed up with permanent repairs. There is still a lot to do on repairs throughout the city. We are, however, making real progress with nearly 14,000 carriageway defects on main roads permanently repaired since July 2005.

24. One of Britain’s Safest Cities

Crime in Edinburqh down bv 5%, Solvencv UP by 6%

Recorded crime in Edinburgh was 5% lower in December 2006 than at the same time in 2005. Detection rates had also improved, with a 6% increase in the number of crimes being solved citywide including an 8% increase in the number of crimes of vandalism, including graffiti, solved. This improvement can be attributed to many factors, not least the additional police officers being funded by the Council and the close partnership working on public safety across the police, the Council and the many private and voluntary agencies in Edinburgh.

On IApril, existing police beats will be realigned with the new Council Electoral Wards. This will further strengthen partnership working, by improving the coordination of partner resources and, consequently, the implementation of crime reduction and community safety measures.

Jack Anderson Inquiry UPdate

A 19-year-old man has been traced, arrested and charged in connection with the murder of Edinburgh schoolboy Jack Anderson. He is the second man to have been arrested but efforts are continuing to trace a 25-year-old man connected with the murder.

Arrest for Street Robberies

A 16-year-old youth has been arrested and charged following three incidents connected to street robberies in Edinburgh during the past month. The incidents occurred at Cambridge Avenue on 8 January, Dryden Street and Rossie Place also on 12 January. As of the end of December 2006, incidents of robbery across the city were down 1% on the same period last year.

CCTV facility and mobile units unveiled

The new Council CCTV Central Monitoring Facility (CMF) encompasses 66- monitors, which are viewed on a shift rotation 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The Facility is designed for operators to provide a proactive approach to monitoring the city and it builds on the successes of 200546, when the CCTV CMF recorded more than 12,000 incidents citywide. Of these, I,215 resulted in arrests and 1,696 in warnings by the police. In addition, a total of 1,488 public safety incidents were picked up by the cameras, and 26 missing persons were traced through CCTV footage.

110 public space cameras are monitored by the Council through the CCTV CMF, while the Multi-Storey Concierge Service monitors a further 50 public space cameras. The use of CCTV footage is a valuable tool in fighting crime and antisocial behaviour and it reassures citizens of Edinburgh’s position as a safe city. CCTV is part of a range of community safety initiatives, such as community police officers, anti- graffiti squads and the Community Safety Night-Time Team. CCTV for Youth Action Team Vans To enable access to areas where existing fixed cameras may not be effective, the Council received money from the Scottish Executive to equip six police Youth Action Team vehicles with CCTV. Superintendent Ronnie Liddle said: “Access to mobile CCTV and the excellent partnership that exists between police and City of Edinburgh Council CCTV Monitoring Unit is a key factor in addressing crime and antisocial behaviour across the capital.”

Citv Centre Police and CCTV ensure arrests for Burger King disturbance

Following a disturbance in the premises of Burger King on 1 December, five youths aged 15-18 years have been traced and charged. It was heartening to note the comments of Constable Craig Fogg, from the City Centre Policing Unit, who said, “a quick response from the police and our colleagues from the City of Edinburgh Council CCTV Monitoring Unit ensured that the incident was contained and we are now following positive lines of enquiry to trace the other persons involved." The additional police officers for the city centre are making a real difference in tackling crime and anti-social behaviour.

Podcastinq

Podcasting offers an additional communication channel for the public to access police information in the form of video and audio files. These can be downloaded and played free of charge on any personal computer or portable MP3-playing device. Podcasts on the Festive Drink Driving Campaign, CRIMESTOPPERS and Personal Safety are available on the Lothian and Borders Police Website at www.1bp.po1ice.u k.

Safer City Centre Winter Initiative a Success

The multi-agency Safer City Centre Winter Initiative was a great success. It achieved its main aims of: enhancing the public's sense of safety through a highly visible presence; combating and reducing alcohol-related and youth violence and disorder; and helping people get home safely after a night out. High visibility and plain-clothed patrols at the Winter Wonderland attraction and in the city centre were supplemented by Community Safety staff and extended CCTV coverage from the mobile unit. Footage was used to direct police officers on the ground to incidents and for court productions on arrest. Around 191 litres of alcohol was seized and six people were found to be in possession of drugs. Thankfully, no-one stopped was found to be in possession of a weapon.

Bus passengers and drivers also hailed the success of the initiative, in which police and Lothian Buses Route Managers undertook gateway checks on buses entering the city centre at main routes to monitor youth disorder and identify youths carrying alcohol. One licensed premises is under investigation by Lothian and Borders Police for selling alcohol to a 16-year-old and one individual charged for buying alcohol for a group of 15-year-olds, following visits to pubs, clubs and off-sales premises by Licensing Standards Officers.

Overall, the excellent partnership working resulted in a noticeable and positive difference in the conduct of people within the city centre. Chief Inspector Willie Wills said: "we are delighted with how successful our joint initiative with the Council has been. Our main aim was to ensure that revellers in the city centre could enjoy the festive season without fear of abuse or antisocial behaviour. I think that the results speak for themselves and the initiative has been a fine example of partnership working ." Prohibition of the consumption of alcohol in desiqnated public places Responding to problems arising out of the consumption of alcohol in public places throughout Edinburgh, the Council invoked powers to create a byelaw to tackle the consumption of alcoholic liquor where this contributes towards antisocial behaviour in public places. This byelaw is not intended to introduce a complete ban on drinking in public. The purpose of this legislation, which is unique in Scotland, is to reflect Edinburgh’s status as an international capital city. It allows police officers the power to require a person who is consuming alcohol and behaving in an antisocial manner, is doing so in a place where antisocial behaviour is prevalent, to desist from drinking. The use and impact of the byelaw will be closely monitored.

Proceeds of crime used to make Edinburgh cleaner

Funding seized from convicted criminals under the Proceeds of Crime Act has been used by the Edinburgh Community Safety Partnership to purchase and staff a multi-purpose clean-up vehicle. Operating in the Muirhouse/Drylaw and Holyrood areas, seven days a week from 06:30 to 17:30, the vehicle is equipped to remove graffiti, chewing gum and fly posting and to complete other Task Force jobs, such as weed spraying and the cleaning of bus shelters and litter bins.

The state-of-the-art vehicle has high pressure, hot water and twin rotary lances and can carry almost 500 litres of water. It also has a steam cleaner for chewing gum and graffiti removal and a paint sprayer for covering graffiti on suitable painted surfaces. The vehicle is fitted with a back pack sprayer for the application of sanitising detergents for soiled areas and an electric generator to power a host of electric hand tools. In four months the unit has removed 400 square metres of graffiti and 374 square metres of chewing gum. Due to its success a further two vehicles have been ordered.

25. Keeping You Safe From Fire

Please Call For a Free Smoke Detector

Firefighters are finding that most homes need a new, or additional, smoke detector installed in their home. The Free Home Safety Check Programme was launched in Lothian over 18 months ago. Firefighters have visited 120,000 homes in the Lothian and Borders area and have completed 28,500 home safety checks and installed 29,000 smoke detectors. Smoke detectors are now being fitted at a rate of about 1,800 per month across Lothian. Of these home safety checks, 10,000 were completed in Edinburgh. Although this proves the success of the programme, more needs to be done. The easiest way for people to be fire-safe in their homes is to have a working smoke detector. This is a free service to all residents. By calling the freephone at 0800 169 0320, firefighters will come and fit a free detector with batteries that will last for 10 years and provide any safety advice you may require.

Callincl for the Help You Need

Last year fire control operators received 36,315 emergency calls (including repeat calls) from people reporting fires or other emergencies. Fire crews attended 22,278 incidents across the Lothian and Borders area. Before fire crews are sent out, or while people are waiting for the crews to arrive, control operators provide invaluable fire safety advice and communicate constantly with fire crews en route. Such was the case on 13 January when an emergency call was placed from a first floor flat that was on fire with two people trapped inside. They were unable to exit through their front door due to the fire and a control operator provided step-by-step instructions on where they should go and what were the best things to do to ensure their safety until the fire crews arrived. With this life-saving advice, and effective communication with fire crews, the individuals were rescued , uninjured, from their backroom window by the attending fire crew.

Cool Down Crew - A Successful Youth Initiative

Since September 2005, Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service have been offering an intensive one-week programme for 13 to 16 year olds called the South Edinburgh Cooldown Crew. This unique experiential learning opportunity based on fire and rescue activities (pump drills, ladder climbing, etc) encourages teamwork, builds self- confidence and good citizenship. It also looks at the potential consequences of anti-social behaviour. Young people are accepted on a referral basis due to their past involvement in, or risk of, offending or being involved in anti-social behaviour. A total of 44 young people have successfully graduated from the course and 86% of these young people had changed views and thoughts on anti-social behaviour upon completion. The programme relies on partnership with the South Edinburgh Community Learning and Development Department and others partners involved in the delivery are the South Edinburgh Housing Office, and the South Edinburgh Youth Action Team from Lothian and Borders Police. The scheme is funded by the Edinburgh Community Safety Partnership.

. 26. France looks to Edinburgh for Homeless lessons

The Auld Alliance was revived in December after the French Prime Minister, Dominique de Villepin, highlighted that Paris had copied Scotland's legally enforceable right to housing, and promised to introduce a similar measure throughout France. This led to a flurry of media activity as the French press and TV swept into town to learn how things are done in Edinburgh. The French delegation viewed our facilities for homeless people and discussed the similarities, and the differences, between the two capital cities. It is very pleasing that policies developed in Scotland are envied abroad.

Our discussions highlighted the importance of increasing the supply of affordable housing. In Edinburgh, we need to build 12,000 new affordable homes over the next ten years but only have the funding for 3,000. We are talking to the Scottish Executive about this impending crisis to ensure that the lessons learnt in Scotland’s capital city, whilst being applied in Paris, are not ignored at home.

27. Drug Treatment Testing Order Team to be Honoured

The joint Council and NHS Lothian Drug Treatment Testing Order team (DTTO) has won a national award for its work in reducing drug related crime. The team will pick up the prestigious prize, awarded by the Butler Trust, at Buckingham Palace in March. The Butler Trust is an independent charity whose annual award scheme recognises exceptionally dedicated, and often creative, work undertaken by individuals and groups working with offenders in custody and in the community throughout the UK.

28. Edinburgh’s Newest Care Home to Open in Spring

The first of the four new care homes to be built in Edinburgh will be completed in the Spring in Lochend. A decision on the name will be taken shortly.

29. E-tendering under way for agency staff cover

We are about to advertise an E-tender for agency staff to provide cover in our care homes for older people and for people with learning disabilities. This is on a three year framework agreement with the option to extend for a further year and follows a successful initial E- tender and framework agreement ll months ago, which has ensured that the care homes and residents receive good quality service at a reasonable price. These agreements will expire in August.

The new E-tender and framework agreement will include care workers, support workers, domestic workers, cooks and kitchen assistants to ensure that there is adequate cover in our care homes during holiday, sickness and as otherwise required. Residents and staff at the care homes have been consulted and issues important to them have been incorporated into the E-tender questionnaires, which are used to ensure that all organisations tendering pass stringent quality checks before being awarded a framework agreement.

30. Edinburgh is one of the UK’s healthiest cities Research carried out by Dr Geoff Ellis for the Sky Travel channel found Edinburgh to be the UK’s seventh healthiest city based on residents’ lifestyles and eating habits. Edinburgh also had the lowest percentage of population too ill to work of any of the cities surveyed.

31. Food Hygiene

Information Scheme Cooks up Better Hygiene

The Council is participating in a pilot scheme, along with four other councils and in conjunction with Food Standards Agency (Scotland). Since INovember 2006,all food businesses in the target area of the New Town, Tollcross and Holyrood have been asked to display voluntarily the outcome of their latest food hygiene inspections by means of a certificate classed as Pass or Improvement Required. New businesses are included in the scheme and are provided with an Awaiting Inspection certificate.

The scheme has been positively received by both businesses, with a high percentage already displaying their certificates, and consumers who are using the scheme to influence their choice of eating place. An improvement in standards has been noted in the pilot area over the first two months of existence, with over 80% of businesses being awarded a Pass certificate. It is anticipated that this number will continue to increase as those businesses in the pilot area strive to meet and exceed basic legislative standards and are recognised for high standards of hygiene, good practice and management control.

Touqh Action Taken to Enforce Food Hygiene

In December 2006,Henry Tse & Co Ltd pled guilty to nine charges under the Food Hygiene (Scotland) Regulations 2006, relating to offences committed at the Rainbow Arch Restaurant, Morrison Street. The company was fined f2,000for each offence, making a total fine of f 18,000.

Following a number of inspections, Environmental Health Officers served five improvement notices and made follow-up visits to ensure compliance. During a further routine inspection, however, officers again uncovered unacceptable food hygiene conditions and, as there was an imminent risk of injury to health, the business was closed by using a hygiene emergency prohibition notice. These actions and the severity of the sentence in this case, highlight our determination to ensure that the citizens of Edinburgh can rest assured that food hygiene enforcement is prioritised across the city.

32. Edinburgh Inspiring Cuisine A new initiative to entice visitors is promoting Edinburgh as Scotland's food capital and highlighting the quality of our food establishments. Identified as a priority by the Edinburgh Tourism Action Group (ETAG), Edinburgh lnspiring Cuisine has been established by a partnership of funding bodies comprising the Council, Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian, VisitScotland and EventScotland. Marketing material will be available soon and a website packed with information will be launched early this year. Organisations are being invited to join the network, which will not only promote the range of restaurants in the city but also profile the leading food and drink brands which are produced in Edinburgh.

Edinburgh Inspiring Cuisine is title sponsor for the 2007 Scottish Food Scholarship, created to encourage and develop the culinary skills and talents of young chefs in Scotland. The Scholarship will be judged by a selection of Scotland's Michelin starred chefs and will give the winner the opportunity to work with some of the best in the food and catering industry.

Organisers also hope to work closely with participating companies to identify skills gaps within the sector and promote the career opportunities available in the food and drink sector in Edinburgh. For more information on Edinburgh Inspiring Cuisine contact alison.sweenev63edinburgh.gov.u k.

The initiative forms part of the flagship "Taste of Edinburgh" event taking place in the Meadows from 7-10 June. Following the success of Taste of London, this high-quality restaurant food and drink event features the most prestigious local restaurants and celebrated chefs who will create sample-sized signature dishes for all to try! Find out more at www.channel4.com/life/microsites/T/taste.

33. Making Council Facilities Fit For Future (FFF)

The FFF programme involves 2,700 staff moving from 50 into nine locations with 99% of these moves occurring within a nine week period. By the end of January, Waverley Court will be 90% occupied, with only Health and Social Care and some sections of Corporate Services to move. The move has gone extremely well. This has been achieved by the hard and efficient working of our move teams and contractors, including the FFF project team, our departmental champions, the Council's IT partner, BT and, of course, staff.

The FFF project will provide the Council with the buildings and effective ways of working it needs to serve its citizens and visitors in these early decades of the 21'' century. It will act as the catalyst for the regeneration and revitalisation of a number of sites in east and central Edin burgh. I am determined that the public are able to see for themselves how Waverley Court, the new Council headquarters, provides value for money and supports services which will best serve our local communities for many years to come. Details of the official opening ceremony, staff and public open days are currently being worked out and will be announced soon.

The new Services for Communities office at 1 Cockburn Street is scheduled to open by the end of January. This will develop into the new Neighbourhood Office for the Central area. Currently the Central Edinburgh Housing Office and the Homelessness Service are relocating there.

34. Charter Mark Success

Services for Communities cemented its ongoing drive to ensure the best customer focus, with two new services - Homelessness Services and Edinburgh Building Services - recently successful in achieving Charter Mark status. Between them the services were recognised as providing Best Practice in ten areas, including:

0 standards that are meaningful and relevant to all customers, partners and key players; 0 consultation with people in a variety of ways, and the regular review of these to make sure that the results are effective and reliable; 0 arrangements with other providers to actively provide a co-ordinated service; 0 individual performance monitoring as part of our performance management framework; and 0 the highly empowered attitude of staff.

Congratulations to both services!

35. Recycling continues to gather apace

Recvclinq in Edinburqh outstrips tarqet

The European Union sets strict recycling targets to which member states must comply. These targets are implemented by local authorities. The UK’s most recent target was to reach 25% recycling in 2006. Latest figures show that Edinburgh has surpassed this target with 26.09% achieved from April to November 2006. This has yet to be ratified by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) but we are confident that we have exceeded the target. Thank you to staff and residents alike whose dedication to recycling has helped to achieve this dramatic five-fold increase in recycling rates over the last four years.

Garden waste recvclinq It has been another record year for the popular garden waste collection scheme. Over 17,600 tonnes of garden waste was collected for composting through the brown bin kerbside scheme in 2006, an increase of 1,721 tonnes. The seasonal collection, now servicing 100,000 households, resumes in March. If you receive the service, watch out for your calendar which will be posted out in February.

Christmas tree recyclinq wovided for the first time

On street Christmas tree recycling has this year been provided by the Council for the first time. In addition to the usual recycling options offered in the form of garden waste bays at the Community Recycling Centres and the brown bins, the Council undertook to collect Christmas trees from householders if they were laid out alongside their bin in the second week of January. In the first four days of collections, an astonishing 60 tonnes of trees were picked up across the city. A huge thank you goes out to all the refuse collectors for picking up so many trees at a time when the weather was wreaking havoc. I am also grateful to the large number of Edinburgh residents who took part in this exercise. All the collected trees were taken to the composting facility at Braehead for shredding and composting.

Citv Recvclers help Save the Children

Christmas came early for one charity which benefits from Edinburgh residents' ever-increasing recycling efforts. For every tonne of material recycled through the familiar red and blue box kerbside collection scheme, f 1 is donated to the Save the Children charity by Abitibi Consolidated Recycling Europe (ACRE), the company that runs the service on behalf of the Council.

In the last year, f 16,400 has been raised through the multimaterial kerbside scheme, which collects cans, card board, glass, paper and textiles. The service, which makes it easier for people to recycle, has been in operation since June 2005 and 112,000 residents are currently on the collection routes. In addition to showing that the people of Edinburgh are enthusiastic about recycling, it is excellent news that the money raised goes to a good cause.

36. New bins sympathetic to Edinburgh's architecture and heritage.

The Council and the Cockburn Association have worked together to identify an appropriate style for new litter bins for Princes Street Gardens. In addition, the process of fitting integrated ashtrays to existing litter bins has commenced at Waterloo Place. This work will continue on a rolling programme across the city centre over the coming months. 37. Pupils take litter into their own hands

Currie High School pupils have introduced a number of measures to tackle the litter dropped in and around their school. The school has always been active in cleaning up the surrounding area but, through the help of the Edinburgh Schools Litter Initiative, pupils have literally taken the problem into their own hands. In a joint project involving the Keep Edinburgh Clean team, the Education team from Services for Communities, Environmental Wardens and the Task Force, pupils have been educated on the effects of litter and the consequences of not picking up what they drop. As a result of all this hard work and effort, the pupils and Council staff were successful in being shortlisted for the Keep Scotland Beautiful People and Places Awards 2007. A presentation was given to a panel of judges on 13 December 2006 and the winners are due to be announced on 27 February.

38. Active Schools making real progress in Edinburgh Physical activity and sport sessions in schools across Scotland have increased by 53% in primary schools since Active Schools was launched two years ago with f 12 million per annum of backing from the Scottish Executive. The Active Schools Network is managed by Sportscotland and forms part of the Executive's Healthy Living Campaign, which aims to offer children the motivation and opportunities to adopt active, healthy lifestyles. It supports the Executive's aim that all schools should be health promoting.

39. Portobello High Looks to Retain Young Consumers' Crown for Edinburgh

A team from won a closely contested Edinburgh final of the Young Consumers of the Year Competition. The victorious team narrowly triumphed over , St Augustine's RC High School and . Portobello High School now qualifies to compete in the Scottish Final on 26 March at the Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh.

Young Consumers is a UK-wide competition in which pupils are tutored on consumer rights and responsibilities. Last year's UK trophy was won by our own Boroughmuir High School, the first ever Scottish winners in the competition's 21 -year history. I am sure that colleagues will join with me in wishing Portobello High School every success.

40. Council Awarded Diploma of Merit by National Music Council

The National Music Council (UK) recently awarded the Council a Diploma of Merit in the Awards to Local Education Authorities for 2006. The National Music Council sits at the centre of a network of national music organisations and is a key organisation which exists to promote the interests of the music industry as a whole. This is especially exciting, as it is Edinburgh’s first time of applying and the authority achieved not only an honourable mention but a diploma of merit.

These awards recognise outstanding commitment to music education. It is fantastic that our holistic approach to musical education and the range of our music provision, including the free musical instruction which we provide to our partnerships with artists and musicians, is held in such high regard. Particular strengths noted by the judges include:

0 the number of pupils learning to play an instrument is well above the national average;

0 the support of a wide range and large number of authority-wide orchestras, bands and ensembles meeting weekly; the commissioning of a number of high quality music theatre works involving relatively large numbers of pupils;

0 the instigation of considerable cross-arts activity; and

0 the provision of comprehensive and imaginative INSET and CPD opportunities.

41. Forrester funds Cancer Research UK Scotland The staff and students at have once again outdone themselves and raised a staggering f 18,650 for Cancer Research UK Scotland through their sponsored walk. Hearts goalkeeper Craig Gordon presented the cheque, together with certificates to the school’s top three fundraisers, in the company of Professor David Harrison, Director of Edinburgh Cancer Research Centre at the . Head Teacher, Allan Clapperton, praised the “magnificent effort” of his pupils, adding that “they voted for Cancer Research UK Scotland to be the beneficiary, and their commitment not only to participating in the walk, but also to getting sponsors and collecting the money has been outstanding. It shows how caring young people can be when given a cause they believe in.” The past four Forrester sponsored walks have raised over €60,000 for Cancer Research. Well done, Forrester!

42. Leith Academy Sponsored Walk 2007

Over 700 Leith Academy pupils took part in their 6thbi-annual sponsored walk from Bonaly to Flotterstone to smash their record and raise, to date, f20,256.65. Most of the monies raised will go towards promoting the school’s partnership with a school in Malawi, with which they have just established a link. They have not yet decided exactly how they will spend the money. Congratulations to all concerned at Leith Academy for this fantastic effort.

43. BUPA Great Winter Run and the Great Edinburgh International Cross Country

Record numbers took part in the BUPA Great Winter Run in early January. The EventScotland Great Edinburgh International Cross Country, held the same day, also boasted arguably the strongest ever elite field for what is now regarded as the best non-championship cross country in the world.

The Council and EventScotland have confirmed they will contribute to the funding of both these two events, as well as the BUPA Great Edinburgh Run, up to and including 2012. The BUPA Great Edinburgh Run is Scotland’s fastest growing running event and this year is expected to attract up to 10,000 runners in May. The decision to extend funding until 201 2 emphasises not only our commitment to these individual events but also to ensuring Edinburgh continues to attract a diverse range of events for participants and spectators alike as part of our pledge to make Edinburgh Europe’s most active city by 2020.

44. World Cross Country Championships 2008

With the outstanding success of Edinburgh hosting the 2003 European Cross Country Championships, it was a natural fit that we bid for the World Championships in 2008. These were awarded to us last November.

Edinburgh continues to prove itself in hosting international sporting events and this event will be no exception. It will bring some of the best international cross country athletes to our city providing an outstanding event for participants and spectators alike. It will also be the first time the event is staged in Scotland since 1978.

45. Polish Information Day

An Information Day for members of the Polish community was held recently at McDonald Road Library. The Council, Police, Careers Scotland, employment agencies and local MP, Mark Lazarowicz, all participated in what was an excellent example of partnership working to promote and tailor access to information, advice and practical help about living and working in Scotland to the needs of the Polish community.

Polska Swietlica, a social club/social work support drop in for Polish people based in Leith, was invaluable in providing voluntary interpreters for the event which drew over 500 attendees. Representatives from Polish-language newspapers Szkocja.net, an Edinburgh-based website aimed at the Polish community in Edinburgh and Scotland, also participated.

46. Leith Bookstart launched

The Leith Bookstart Project was recently launched in with 60 babies and 80 adults taking part in a Rhymetime morning. Rhymetime is held twice monthly (on the first and third Wednesday of the month between 10.30am-11.I 5am) at the large, and wonderfully revamped, baby area at the Library. Outreach Rhymetimes are held at Fort Primary pre-nursery group, Kirkgate, Stanwell Nursery and with toddler groups in the area. Rhymetime has proved a popular and welcome local project and forms ‘part of the Regeneration Fund projects running in Leith over the next two years which are providing valuable services to the local community including Fort and Newhaven Harbour Wards.

47. Time and tide stand still for Edinburgh resident

Seventy-eight year old Edinburgh clockmaker, Archie McQuater, has developed the first mechanical clock for over 300 years which more accurately predicts the time of the tides of the seas. Inspired by a challenge set to members of the British Horological Institute, at a meeting in Edinburgh in 2005, Mr McQuater’s clock differs from previous clocks by reflecting the movement of both the sun and the moon. As a result, Mr McQuater’s clock is twice as accurate as existing models - a design improvement that has defeated craftsmen for the last 300 years!

48. First ScotRail

Waverlev Station Upgrade

Five new platforms at Waverley and Haymarket Stations came into use in December, as part of the upgrading of Waverley Station. New escalators have also been introduced.

Edinburqh benefits from Small Rail Fund

The following train and station improvements in Edinburgh and the Lothians will be funded through the Small Rail Fund: CCTV at Slateford Station; ticket vending machines and automated public address at many stations on the Edinburgh suburban rail network; induction loops for the hard of hearing at Help points; and a car park extension at Prestonpans Station. Appendix A