Author: Pre2017

Alcohol Focus Scotland recently developed a new toolkit to help people raise concerns about the impact of alcohol in their local community.

‘Alcohol licensing in your community: how you can get involved’ outlines action that people can take about problems alcohol is causing in their local area. It also explains how the licensing process works in Scotland and provides practical assistance for people who want to get involved but aren’t sure where to start.

To make it easier for people to get in touch with people who may be able to help them, Alcohol Focus Scotland has also produced a list of contact details for the licensing board, local licensing forum and licensing standards officers in each local area.

An interactive version of the toolkit and the contact list can be found on Alcohol Focus Scotland’s website here. We have also attached a print version of the toolkit. While these documents are in colour, these are designed also to print in black and white.
We hope this toolkit will empower people to play a more active role in their local community, particularly in helping them to speak up about issues that concern them. Given the important role licensing forums have in enabling communities to engage on local licensing issues, we would welcome any support you can offer in making this information available to communities in your area, for example by placing the toolkit on the forum’s website, encouraging your membership to distribute the toolkit through their channels, and encouraging your local licensing board to place it on their website or to signpost to the toolkit on the Alcohol Focus Scotland website.
The toolkit is designed to be used across Scotland, and therefore cannot address the individual practices of local licensing boards. We would encourage local licensing boards and forums who have not already done so to consider whether provision of local information about licensing board procedures and processes would be a useful supplement to this national resource.
It also should be noted that the toolkit does not reflect the upcoming changes to licensing law being introduced by the Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2015. We will therefore be updating the toolkit in a few months’ time once these changes come into effect. There will be an opportunity at that time to make other changes to the toolkit and we would therefore welcome any feedback you have about the ways in which the toolkit could be improved.

AFS Licensing Brochure FINAL Print (002)

Pet owners be aware please,

The events team at the Royal Yacht Britannia have informed us there will be two short firework displays on 11.03.16 at 22.15 hrs and 21.04.16 at 21.00hrs both lasting approximately 3 minutes.

Please find enclosed details of Leith Community Cinema’s latest film showing.

 Bride and Prejudice will be on Friday 18^th March at 7pm.

 Suggested entry is £3 although we accept donations as people feel able.

 On the night there will be food from Punjabi Junction (cost £2 per head) along with craft beer tasting and Indian dancing

 Tickets can be reserved at www.leithcommunitycinema.com

Bride Bollywood flyer v3

Leith Links Community Council membership numbers have recently fallen below the level required to operate as a community council. Arrangements are being made for an interim election to take place and further information on this and how you can become a member of the community council will be made available in the near future. 

 Unfotunately due to resignations, changes of address and failure of elected community councillors to attend meetings we only have 5 elected members left which is below the required number to be called a community council. We need a minimum of 6 to function and a maximum of 12 based on geographical area. People who know me and follow us by email, webpage or more recently Facebook will know how committed we are to the community. Interim elections will begin on 7th March until 30th March and publicity during this period will be handled by the City Council but I will also keep anyone interested updated.

Best wishes

Jim

Alcohol in Leith

In 2014, local people said that alcohol was a factor in some of the issues which needed to be prioritised.  Those views are supported by statistical information which tells us that alcohol impacts on the Leith Neighbourhood Partnership area in a number of ways.  

 The City of Edinburgh’s Licensing Board regularly produce a statement on how they will carry out licensing in the city and the Partnership is asked to say how it would like this done in Leith.  The Partnership would like to be sure that what it says is the correct view of local people.  So it would like to know more about local people’s experience and views on alcohol. 

 Please help by taking a few minutes to answer the questions in this online survey.

 Results of the survey will be presented at the Leith Neighbourhood Partnership meeting at 6.30 pm on 24 May 2016 at Lorne Primary School (venue to be confirmed).  Next steps will be discussed at that meeting.

 Young Leithers wanted to Research Alcohol and Social Media in Leith

 Following up from the consultation on alcohol in Leith.   Young Leithers are being asked to take part in an 8 week programme to look into the following:

• The role and impact of advertising, in particular social media.
• How and why the industry targets young people through social media.

 Findings will be used to inform the Leith Neighbourhood Partnership’s submission to the Licensing Board for the next Licensing Policy Statement.  Support and guidance will be provided by Alcohol Focus Scotland. 

This opportunity may be of particular interest to young people with an interest in citizenship, or looking for opportunities to add to their CV to help with job-search or college applications.

Meetings will take place at the Business Hub, McDonald Road Library on Friday afternoons from 2 September 2016.  (No meeting during school break)

For further information and to note interest contact Jane Wilson by telephone to 0141 572 6598 or e-mail jane.wilson@alcohol-focus-scotland.org.uk.

The next meeting of Leith Links Community Council takes place on Monday,29th February at 7pm in Leith Community Centre. If you live in the Leith Links area we would be pleased to see you.LLCC Minutes Jan 2016,LLCC 290216

A walk has been planned for Friday, 11th March to improve this well used link.
Unfortunately over time it has become a target for fly tipping,graffiti and vandalism.
Elected councillors,neighbourhood services and members of Leith Links CC will take part
on a site visit to identify what can be done to improve the area. If you’re free and use the path regularly please come along and pass on your views.

Leith Programme Phase 4 – Pilrig Street to McDonald Road

Anticipated Timescale 2016
We would like to inform you that the initial stages of the procurement process for appointing a contractor to carry out the next phase of the Leith Programme works are underway. It is planned that contractors will mobilise on site to allow construction to start after the Edinburgh Festival in summer 2016. At this stage, it is anticipated that the works will take around 10 months to complete.
As you are probably aware, on 12 January 2016, the Transport and Environment Committee gave permission to set aside the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) objections and make the Order for the next phase of the works between Pilrig Street and McDonald Road. Objections to the Redetermination Order (RSO), however, have been referred to Scottish Government Ministers for consideration and construction dates could be affected if Ministers decide to instruct a public hearing to consider these. We will keep you fully updated as soon as we have more information.