consultations

by

Licensing consultations: LHNCC’s submission

(Please see this previous post for the background to the following.)

LHNCC has made a detailed submission to the current licensing consultation. In brief, LHNCC

  • welcomes the opportunity to comment on Edinburgh Licensing Board’s Statement
    of Licensing Policy
  • strongly supports the suggestion that the Licensing Board should open a specific
    review and consultation on Amplified Music policy
  • agrees that the Board should strengthen its policy on over-provision, including ‘intermediate zones’ to help to
    prevent alcohol-related harm from spreading more widely.
  • points out there are parts of its area that have previously been uninhabited, but that are now being developed into large new housing areas
  • would like to see a significant improvement in the Edinburgh Licensing Board’s commitment to accessibility of information, to transparency, and to communication
  • believes that overprovision of alcohol sales in Leith is directly linked to unacceptably high levels of alcohol-related antisocial behaviour, violence and crime, hospitalisation rates, death rates, fires and poor health and well-being.
  • commends the NE Action on Alcohol Group on an excellent piece of research that provides the evidence to support this view
  • reiterates and endorses certain general points made in the Scottish Green Party’s policy on alcohol statement:
    • Recognising the valuable role that pubs can play in the life of a community. We believe that this is particularly important in the case of smaller communities, and that it is best provided for by independent pubs rather than those controlled by large chains. We recognise the positive benefit to a community which well-run pubs and other licensed venues can provide.
    • Supporting the right of communities to be consulted before existing pubs are subject to a change of use, closure or demolition. We would seek to ensure that communities are able to exercise the option to take over a pub and operate it as a community owned enterprise rather than see it closed.
    • Supporting reform for tied pubs to ensure that licensees have a fair deal from
      suppliers.
    • Asserting the belief that the dominance of a small number of multinationals over the alcohol industry, both in production and in sales, has exacerbated the harmful effects of alcohol. We celebrate the resurgence of small independent brewers in Scotland. We wish to encourage businesses that are based on quality rather than volume sales.
by

City of Edinburgh Licensing Board – Consultations

Edinburgh’s Licensing Board is consulting on the terms of a new draft statement of Licensing Policy, and its Assessment of Overprovision in the Board’s area.  Details of the consultations are available on the Consultation Hub on the Council’s website at the following locations:

https://consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/cg/licensingstatement

https://consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/cg/overprovision

Responses to the consultations should be sent to licensing.consultation@edinburgh.gov.uk

The consultations remain open until 5 October 2018.

 

by

Planning for change, delivering services: 2019 – 2023

(adapted from an email from Edinburgh Council. NB this is an Edinburgh Council exercise, but LHNCC is happy to disseminate information that will affect its citizens.)

Edinburgh Council is asking for feedback on its initial ideas for meeting the continuing pressures on Council services and budgets.

Since 2012 Edinburgh Council has saved £240 million, but it expects it will need to save at least £106 million more between now and 2022/23.

No decisions have been taken yet and feedback will shape the long-term plans as well as the more detailed proposals for balancing the budget in February for 2019/20.

Please complete the online survey or try your hand at prioritising services and balancing our budgets by 7 December. You can also read Edinburgh Council’s ideas Planning for change and delivering services and fill in a print survey which will be available in libraries and Council offices from 15 October.

Please share this information far and wide.

Thank you.

Ross A Murray  | Governance Officer | Strategy & Insight Division | Chief Executive | City of Edinburgh Council | Business Centre 2.1  |  4 East Market Street, Edinburgh | Tel  0131 469 3870 | email Ross.murray@edinburgh.gov.uk

by

2050 Edinburgh City Vision: survey

Following on from a previous post, there is a survey on Edinburgh Council’s consultation hub.

This covers the three components of the ‘Connecting our City, Transforming our Places‘ project ‘will help achieve the Edinburgh 2050 vision; a fairer, thriving, connected and inspired city’. These components are:

  • Edinburgh City Centre Transformation– an action plan for a vibrant and people-focussed capital city centre to improve community, economic and cultural life, working to the following vision. ‘An exceptional city centre that is for all, a place for people to live, work, visit and play. A place that is for the future, enriched by the legacy of the past.’
  • The City Mobility Plan– setting citywide transport policy and actions based around the following vision. ‘Edinburgh will have a cleaner, safer, inclusive and accessible transport system delivering healthier, thriving and fairer capital city, and a higher quality of life for Edinburgh residents’.
  • Low Emission Zones– the Council is taking a comprehensive approach to developing LEZs as a step towards protecting Edinburgh’s citizens from the harms of poor air quality, in line with Scottish Government priorities to introduce LEZs in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, and Glasgow by 2020.

As with the previous post, this is an Edinburgh Council exercise.

by

2050 Edinburgh City Vision

(adapted from an email from Edinburgh’s Lord Provost)

As you may be aware, an engagement campaign has been launched with Edinburgh citizens to establish their vision for how they would like the city to be in 2050. To arrive at the best and most compelling vision for Edinburgh in 2050, we need as many citizens to contribute their views and aspirations, via edinburgh2050.com. This will help to identify areas of consensus that the city can unite behind and work towards as a common goal. The greater the number of contributors, the more accurate and representative the City Vision becomes and the greater the strength it then has.

Frank Ross
Lord Provost

by

Trams public consultation, closes 28 October

(Please note that this is an Edinburgh Council exercise. It may well be worthwhile visiting the tram project timeline (Tram pre/construction programme as published and communicated by Tram Team) and CCTT’s Joint Statement on proposed Tram Extension)

Edinburgh Council are consulting on the latest version of their plans for ‘trams to Newhaven’.

Please see the revised plans below (click the graphic to see the full-sized PDF), then tell Edinburgh Council what you think via the consultation hub.

by

Consultation about Common Good assets

(adapted from an email from Edinburgh Council.)

It may well be worthwhile visiting Andy Wightman’s post on the subject: http://www.andywightman.com/common-good.

In accordance with Part 8 of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 which relates to Common Good assets, Edinburgh Council is consulting on its proposed common good asset register.

The register and information on common good can be found on the Council website.

The Scottish Government has produced guidance with additional information.

You are welcome to consider the proposed common good register in conjunction with the criteria shown on the webpage which qualifies a property for common good status.   If you have any comments or representations to make you can do this using the link on the webpage to the Council’s Consultation Hub

Please feel free to distribute this email to any persons or groups you feel may be interested in this process.  The same information is being sent to Councillors, MP’s and MSP’s, Locality managers and to interest groups such as Edinburgh World Heritage and the Cockburn Association for example.

Thank you for your time in considering this consultation.

Yours faithfully,

Craig Lamont | Senior Estates Surveyor |City of Edinburgh Council |Estates Services |Property & Facilities Management |Resources | Level 1.5 Waverley Court | 4 East Market Street | Edinburgh | EH8 8BG |
t: 0131 529  5983 | f: 0131 529 6214 | m: 07733 015 055
craig.lamont@edinburgh.gov.uk | www.edinburgh.gov.uk/commercialproperty

by

Survey: have your say about the future of human rights in Scotland

(adapted from an email from the Scottish Community Development Centre)

Last year, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon set up an independent Advisory Group to develop a series of recommendations and actions around human rights in Scotland – and you can have your say with this online survey.

Human rights are a vital part of a just and equal society. They give you a set of rights and freedoms regardless of where you are from, how old you are, what you believe, or how you choose to live your life.

How your human rights are affected by governments and other bodies is becoming increasingly important, with the Advisory Group making recommendations on how we can protect our existing rights and examine how Scotland can go further in demonstrating human rights leadership.

The Advisory Group want to hear your views and feedback on their developing recommendations and how they can be made as effective as possible in improving the lives of people and communities.

Share your views

The survey will be open until 11th October. The survey has also been translated into BSL.

You can also join the discussion on Facebook and Twitter using #HumanRightsLeadership, You can follow the @HRLeadershipSco Twitter account, Like them on Facebook  and visit the website www.humanrightsleadership.scot for more.