EDI NBVRG H+ THE CITY OF EDINBURGH 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 Scotland. 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 Capital city, 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.