consultations

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Community Choices fund: new money for participatory budgeting

(adapted from an email from Citizen Participation Network.)

New: Community Choices Fund announced for 2017/18

The Scottish Government has announced the £1.5 million fund will be open for applications until 21st July 2017.

First launched in 2016/17, the Community Choices Fund has supported participatory budgeting (PB) in Scotland.

For 2017/18, £1.5 million of the Community Choices Fund is available in two categories of £750,000 each:

  • Category one for Public Authorities which includes Local Authorities and other Public Bodies.
  • Category two for Community Organisations and Community Councils.

The fund aims to support PB activity which will significantly expand opportunities for more local people to make decisions on local spending priorities and contribute to local participatory democracy.

Targeted particularly at work in deprived areas, the fund aims to build on the support provided by the Scottish Government for PB since 2014 as part of a broader agenda around democratic innovation and engaged citizenship.

The closing date for applications is midnight 21 July 2017.

More information: https://pbscotland.scot/blog/2017/6/9/community-choices-fund-announced-for-201718

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Age-friendly cities and communities

(Adapted from an email from Dr Ryan Woolrych)

Click the thumbnails to read more:

A study has commenced exploring how neighourhood can better support older adults to live at home and in their communities.

Give the rapid growth of ageing populations in many cities, the importance of developing appropriate design interventions to enable active and healthy lifestyles for older residents is more urgent than ever.

Place-making with older adults: Towards age-friendly communities is a three year project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and will be exploring how older adults experience the communities they live in.

We will be working closely with older adults, local government, service providers, community organisations and pracitioners to deliver policy and practice recommendations to support the delivery of age-friendly cities and communities.

As part of the work we are looking to speak to anybody over the age of 60 who  currently lives in Leith. Please contact Dr Ryan Woolrych on r.d.woolrych@hw.ac.uk or by telephone on 0131 451 3899 or 07957 406677 to hear more about the project or to participate in the research.

Please also visit our website on http://placeage.org/en or join us on Twitter @placeage.

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Forth and Leith wards hustings: Monday 24th April

(with apologies for the short notice but we’ve only just been told about this)

Victoria Primary School parents’ council has organised a hustings on Monday 24th April with the candidates for Forth and Leith wards, to discuss the future of the school and wider community issues.

While everyone is welcome to attend, an idea of numbers would help if possible but realise this is short notice.

The hustings itself finishes at 9, and we will be following it up with a chat with parents about the parent council.

Hustings

Monday 24th April, from 7pm, Newhaven Church, Craighall Road

Refreshments and crêche will be provided

  • Ask local candidates about the relocation of Victoria Primary school, new school plans and interim arrangements (19.00-20.10)
  • Put your questions about the old school building and wider community issues (20.10-21.00)
  • Chat with Parent Council members (21.00-21.30)

For further information, please visit: www.facebook.com/VictoriaPrimarySchoolParents

RSVP: s.widdicombe2@gmail.com or 07952 969 253

 

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Can Leith become the next zero-waste town?

(adapted from a communication from Changeworks)

Send in your views for a chance to win a £50 shopping voucher!

Leith based environmental charity, Changeworks, is looking to assess the potential of Leith becoming the next Zero Waste Town. This is your opportunity to tell us what you think about how waste is currently managed in Leith, and to input into Changeworks’ proposed project activities.

Share your views by completing this online survey by Friday 17 March 2017 and be entered into a £50 voucher prize draw*. Continue reading →

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Play your part!

(adapted from an email from North East locality)

play-your-part

Edinburgh Council has received many responses about services, including:

  • 101 dialogue ideas
  • 784 online surveys responses
  • 66 print questionnaires returned
  • 443 social media comments.

This year Edinburgh Council asked for ideas on how to deliver some services more effectively whilst staying customer focused. There was support for more shared facilities for services such as the Drumbrae Hub, using more volunteers (but not to replace paid staff) and improving our online services.

Read the results in full

You can now read the full play your part report.

Watch the decisions being made

The play your part report will go to Edinburgh Council’s Finance and Resources Committee on 19 January. The Council will then consider this feedback when it sets the 2017/18 revenue budget on 9 February. You can watch these meetings live on the Council’s website or view a recording afterwards.

Find out more

Edinburgh Council will continue to work with communities as it reshapes and develops services.

Once the Council makes the final budget decisions, further information will be available on our website www.edinburgh.gov.uk/playyourpart

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Moving Victoria Primary School?

(adapted from an email form Robbie Crockett, Acting School Estate Planning Manager)

Aa statutory consultation on a proposal to relocate Victoria Primary School to a new building in the Western Harbour and undertake catchment changes in the Western Harbour and North Leith areas of the city began on 30 January 2017.  The public consultation period will run until 5pm on Friday 17 March 2017.

The proposal in the statutory consultation paper principally affects Victoria Primary School and Trinity Primary School.  The paper also proposes very minor catchment changes for Holy Cross RC Primary School, Trinity Academy and St Thomas of Aquin’s RC High School.

Further information including the full statutory consultation paper, background papers and an online questionnaire are available at www.edinburgh.gov.uk/newvictoriaschool.  Copies of the statutory consultation paper are available for inspection at the Council Offices at Waverley Court, at Leith and Central Libraries and at the schools affected by the proposals.

Continue reading →

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Consultation: Developer Contributions and Infrastructure Delivery

Edinburgh Council wants your views on its draft supplementary guidance on Developer Contributions and Infrastructure Delivery. To learn more, and let the council know what you think, go to https://consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/sfc/developer-contributions-infrastructure-delivery-sg/

NB This consultation closes on 3 February.

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Improving Scotland’s planning system: get involved!

(adapted from a post on the Scottish Community Alliance website)

An independent review of the Scottish planning system (May 2016) commissioned by the Scottish Government recommended that actions should be taken to ensure that community involvement in planning for place is fairer and more inclusive. A White Paper is due to be published in early 2017 outlining proposed changes to the planning system – including tackling barriers to greater involvement in planning, taking account of measures contained in the Community Empowerment Act and the Land Reform Act.

As part of this work, yellow book, along with the Scottish Community Development Centre and Nick Wright Planning, have been commissioned to investigate the factors which inhibit communities, young people and other seldom-heard groups from engaging in the planning system. Continue reading →