Raising community concerns with Police Scotland

Did you know that you can raise community concerns with local Police Officers by email?

It is really important that any specific crimes are reported to Police Scotland by calling 101 (non emergency) or 999 (emergency). These telephone numbers are always monitored and allows your reports to be logged & assigned to officers.

But, community concerns can be emailed to local community Police Officers. The email address for the Leith & Leith Walk Wards is EdinburghCPTNorthEast@scotland.pnn.police.uk. Please be aware however that this email address is monitored by operational Police Officers amongst their other duties so it is not continuously monitored meaning you may have to wait a few days for it to be read & responded to.

You can also send a tweet to community Police Officers in North East Edinburgh@edinpolne.

 

 

£eith Chooses 2021 – it’s happening!

It was unclear whether or not £eith Chooses would be able to go ahead this year or not, but the good news is Yes! It’s happening!

The application process for £eith Chooses 2021 is now open – and your community group is invited to apply.

To find out more, and to download an Application Form, head over to the £eith Chooses website.

£eith Chooses (called £eith Decides, originally) is an annual event since 2010 in which members of the local community in Leith vote to make the decisions on how community grants funds are to be allocated to local community projects. It’s called ‘participatory budgeting’ (PB) but its more than that – it’s a brilliant form of community engagement and involvement,  as local voters get to know about the great community groups and projects in their area.

Leith Links Community Council has been very closely involved with this process for many years, having been the successful recipient of Scottish  Government  funding to support PB (between 2016 – 2019) and also very actively involved in the day to day running of the organisation of £eith Chooses (via the Steering Group – a partnership between the Leith Community Councils, the City of Edinburgh Council, and community groups in Leith).

City of Edinburgh Council by-election: Ward 14 – Craigentinny / Duddingston.

Due to a vacancy caused by a resignation, a by-election is to be held to elect one councillor to the Craigentinny / Duddingston multi-member ward of the City of Edinburgh Council.

  • Register to vote, or arrange a proxy or postal vote by 27 October
  • Polling will take place on 12 November 2020.

If you live in this area, please be sure to vote!

Thursday 12 November, from 0:700 until 22:00

Although most of the Leith Links Community Council area sits within the Leith ward (ward 13) area, the Eastern part of area sites within Craigentinny / Duddingston ward (ward 14).

Candidates standing in the by-election are;

  • Elaine Ford, Scottish Liberal Democrats
  • Margaret Arma Graham, Scottish Labour Party
  • Tam Laird, Scottish Libertarian Party
  • Andrew McDonald, Independent
  • Ben Parker, Scottish Green Party
  • Eleanor Price, Scottish Conservative and Unionist
  • Ethan Young, Scottish National Party (SNP)

For more information on the election please visit the City of Edinburgh Councils website by clicking here.

For more information on registering to vote, obtaining a postal vote or obtaining a proxy vote please visit the Electoral Registration Officer website by clicking here.

The map below details the Craigentinny / Duddingston ward area.

 

 

 

Short Term Lets: Consultation on a licensing scheme and planning control areas in Scotland. A consultation by Scottish Government

The Scottish Governments latest consultation on Short Term Lets gathers final views on proposed new legislation for the regulation of Short Term Lets in Scotland.Scottish Government publishes Debt Advice Routemap for Scotland | Money Advice Liaison Group

Their proposals include a mandatory licensing scheme to ensure that all Short Term Lets are safe and to address issues faced by neighbours. The regulations, if passed by the Scottish Parliament, would come into force by April 2021.  These would also give councils powers to manage pressures created by the use of whole properties as short-term lets.

Leith Links Community Council is encouraging citizens to submit their own responses to the consultation via the Scottish Governments website. The consultation closes on Friday 16 October 2020. Click here to view the consultation on the Scottish Government website.

We are currently working on our response, which we will publish on this website next week. If you have any comments in relation to the consultation, which you feel we should take into consideration please submit them to us commenting below no later than 6pm on Tuesday 13 October 2020.

 

Seafield Update

Information received from Scottish Water:

“We wanted to make you aware that Veolia plans to clean the storm tanks at Seafield between Monday 21st September and Wednesday 23 September, next week.  This is the first available opportunity to complete this maintenance task following the recent heavy rainfall in the catchment area, and whilst weather conditions are forecast to be favourable.

In addition, as part of planned maintenance activities at the site, Primary Settlement Tank 1 (PST1) is to be drained and cleaned. This activity has been scheduled to commence today with work expected to take approximately one week.

Conditions are currently forecast to be favourable and every effort will be made to minimise the odour risk when carrying out these activities.

Both SEPA and the City of Edinburgh Council have been informed.

We will issue a further update once Veolia has completed the work.

Note: A link to this communication will be posted on social media and also on our website  – https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/seafield

As always if you smell any sewage it’s important that you complete our report form.

I can assure you that all public bodies and elected councillors sit up and pay attention to every complaint made. Your MSP Ben MacPherson has also worked hard on your behalf to secure a commitment by the Scottish Government to invest no regrets funding to reduce odour emissions in 2020/21 and a new state of the art sewage works will be built on the same site in 2030 hopefully to end the Seafield Stench.

Jim Scanlon

Chair, Leith Links Community Council

Free benefit and debt advice for Edinburgh residents

Free benefit and debt advice for Edinburgh residents

As the coronavirus pandemic hits the economy harder, more people are now dependent on benefits due to job loss and reduced income. Many people aren’t able to pay for essential things like rent and mortgage costs while others struggle with fuel and food costs.

Four of the city’s advice services are still busy working to support residents to maximise their income and support through these difficult times – whether it is helping people to get the benefits they are entitled to, helping manage debt or rent arrears, giving advice on housing problems or budgeting or help with food and bills. All services are currently providing assistance remotely though some are starting to offer limited face to face appointments.

Contact us if you or any of your clients/residents/community/members need help through these difficult times:

Possible smelly weekend…

Scottish Water have sent the following ‘warning’ of work at the Seafield sewage plant this weekend that could cause a possible increase in foul odours.

From: Bill Elliot <Bill.Elliot@SCOTTISHWATER.CO.UK>
Date: 10 July 2020 at 09:41:47 BST
Subject: Seafield Update 10/07/20
Dear Stakeholders,

As part of our commitment to keep the community informed we want to make you aware of a planned maintenance activity at Seafield Waste Water Treatment Works this weekend.

After regular rainfall over the past few weeks, the site operator Veolia will start draining the storm tanks this afternoon, and cleaning will commence on Saturday  (11/07/2020) with work due to finish on Sunday. The current forecast suggests favourable conditions for this period, providing Veolia with an opportunity to clean the tanks before further periods of forecast heavy rain. This work was initially planned for Wednesday 08/07/2020, but was postponed due to unfavourable weather conditions, in particular, a persistent onshore wind.

I would be grateful if elected members and the Community Council could help and share this message locally to help us ensure as wide a reach as possible.

An update will be provided upon completion of the works.

Note: A copy of this communication will be posted on our website  – https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/seafield

Kind Regards,

Bill Elliot

Stakeholder Development Manager (Scotland)

Corporate Affairs

07875 879159

bill.elliot@scottishwater.co.uk

twitter SW_BillElliot

Hart Builders seek to finish noisy building works ahead of schedule to limit community impact

Update as of 9/7/20: Crawford Builders have advised that piling works have now been completed, well ahead of schedule.

 

There has been lots of discussion within our community over the last two weeks as to what the source of the thudding noise being heard during the day in the Leith Links area is.

The source of the noise is pile driving works taking place in an area of housing development behind Leith Franklin Academicals Beige Cricket Club.

The works are being undertaken by Hart Builders and are expected to be completed in the third week of July, four weeks ahead of schedule.

Hart Builders are in regular contact with City of Edinburgh Council around the works, providing information around the works programme and noise meter records.

A spokesman for Hart Builders said today;

We (Hart Builders) fully appreciate that these works are very intrusive and frustrating but we at Hart are doing our utmost to complete these early to avoid any further inconvenience to the local community.

 

 

 

 

Community Councils Together on Trams: Minutes of meeting held on Thursday 28 May 2020

Leith Links Community Council is a member of ‘Community Councils Together on Trams’ alongside Leith Central Community CouncilLeith Harbour & Newhaven Community Council and New Town & Broughton Community Council. CCTT is the coalition of Community Councils who meet regularly to discuss, scrutinise and influence the intended continuation of the Edinburgh Tram system to Newhaven.

Minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 28 May 2020 are copied below for our communities information.

Actions and decisions are in italic.

» Read more

Edinburgh Evening News reports Council have scrapped plans to make changes to Duke Street, Great Junction Street, Leith Walk & Easter Road

Since this post was made the Edinburgh Evening News have deleted their article on their website & social media, and City of Edinburgh Council have advised that the article was false.

To avoid confusion the article written on this website has been removed.

Later, a retraction & apology was issued by the Edinburgh Evening News.

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