Please see my regular report attached. I hope you will find something of interest there.
This week, Lyra Theatre’s Arts are launched their Impulse Programme: Monday 24th – Saturday 29th September. Lyra Theatre makes live performance with and for children and young people. They are based in Craigmillar at Artspace Theatre and Studio, 11 Harwood Road, EH16 4NT. All events are free of charge but they must be booked. Arts Installation "In Colour" at Artspace, Craigmillar. Space available on: Saturday 29th 1.30pm -2.15pm for children Age 2+ but they must be with an accompanying adult. Rebecca’s Midnight is for P5-P7 age range and there will be a site specific performance at Craigmillar Castle. There's a critically acclaimed performance of Real Men Dream In Black and White for 14 + age group on Thursday the 27th at 7.00pm – 7.50pm, with a question and answer session with the cast. Spaces are available on Thursday the 27, Friday 28 and Saturday 29 at 7.30 – 8.30 pm. There is also a performance of the show on Saturday morning, 10.30 – 11.30. Lyra Theatre can be contacted by phoning 0131 659 4759 or email jo@lyratheatre.co.ukCouncillor’s Report
September 2012
Maureen Child, Labour Councillor for Portobello/Craigmillar
Portobello High School Judgement
As everyone must know by now, the judgment by the Inner Court of Session last week said the Council had no legal right to appropriate Common Good land in order to build a new Portobello High School. I have an email inbox with a 4:1 majority of constituents in favour of finding a legal solution to this big set-back, so that the school can go ahead on the park. With colleagues from all political parties (and none) participating constructively, I helped organise a public meeting which attracted around 250 people from all sides of this argument. Some had to break into groups in the gallery, and on the floor upstairs, so that they could all engage with the process, using maps and post-its. First, they all heard a very clear summary of the legal background from Andy Wightman who has done a huge amount of research in Common Good. Andy has advised both sides of this argument and will also advise the Council. This law is far from clear cut. So, on a Friday night at short notice, 250 people engaged with the physical reality of the Portobello catchment area. They saw the size of site needed for a new school - 4.5 hectares - and they filled in lots of post-it notes. All the written information will be collated by staff from the offices of Sheila Gilmore MP and Kez Dugdale MSP in the next few days. The data, and the feedback I have had directly, will to be fed in and inform any possible way ahead. I am deeply grateful to everyone who took part, not least the Chair, Rev Peter Webster the School Chaplain our independent Chair who kept us focussed on mapping the best way forward. The Council will have a report at the next Council Meeting, October 26, which will set out all the options and the timescales involved.
Castlebrae High School
I was appalled that Councillors were bounced into making an announcement on the possible formal process towards a decision to close Castlebrae Community High School, without time to consult with local elected representatives at all levels. But that is the past, and can not be changed - although we can learn from it. The East Education Standards Subcommittee of local Councillors had already considered a report from the Inspectors on the follow up of progress made at Castlebrae on their last Inspection. The headlines did not make happy reading, but I do know that a huge amount of effort, professional expertise and good practice goes on at Castlebrae and has done for many years, often unappreciated. Local Councillors intend to find out all about those good things in a report which the Standards Sub Committee asked for and will come to us in November. All that good work is simply not translated into the confidence of the majority of local Castlebrae catchment parents, three quarters of whom send their children to other schools – 33% to Holyrood RC High School and 15% to Portobello High School, 31% to Castlebrae. T
Craigmillar Urban Design Framework (CUDF)
With Castlebrae High School in mind, Portobello/Craigmillar Neighbourhood Partnership unanimously agreed that our Convener, Councillor Mike Bridgman, write to the head of planning and the Planning Committee Convener asking for the proposed ‘refresh’ of the CUDF be done properly, taking due time to do a full consultation with the local community. The planning department’s business plan was to have this complete by December, but the Partnership felt this would be far too rushed and simply not good enough. The Partnership’s view is that space must be made available in the Craigmillar Town Centre for a new school. That commitment to Craigmillar became impossible to deliver through the regeneration process, which stalled with the recession. I have successfully pushed for this new school to come on to the list of priorities for a possible new build - with Scottish Government support - alongside Portobello High School, St John’s RC Primary School and St Crispin’s Special School. After the events of last week, new schools at Craigmillar and Portobello are now being talked of in the same sentence, with what consequences north and south of the railway line which divides the hearts of the two communities – I wonder?
New ‘Communities and Neighbourhood Committee’
The Council has reviewed the way it does its business in the City Chambers and has given communities and neighbourhoods much more prominence by setting up a Committee whose first job will be to lead through a review of how it devolves power to neighbourhood level. Chairing this Committee is now my lead responsibility. But I can’t do it all on my own, so I will be using my experience of the best of decision-making locally so that people doing their day job on the front line are freed up to use their common sense to problem solve and work out for themselves what needs done. It will be a challenge for middle managers but equally, it will be a challenge to all of us, as citizens, to engage positively in shaping our communities for the genuine common good – which can sometimes seem neither common, nor good!
Central Bar Opening Hours
On Monday morning at the Licensing Board I represented the views of 33 objectors to the application for the Central Bar to open at 7am in the morning rather than 9am, which is contrary to current licensing policy and was later applied equally to the Galleon Bar on Portobello High Street. I also involved those who object to the publican’s proposal to use of the back common ground (which he claims to own) as a designated smoking area. I was supported by the local vet and two nearby residents all of whom spoke against the use of that common back area – as well as the earlier opening. The upshot was that a majority of the Licensing Board, took Councillor Mike Bridgman’s lead and agreed (4:2) that the licence will remain 9am. It would be open to the new owner to open at 7am for breakfast and coffee and only start selling alcohol at 9am, as a first step, but that is not what he seems to want to do. This might have been a way for local people to begin to trust that the establishment will be well run, as there has been a lot of trouble in the past, even in the daylight hours. In the heat of the moment, after the decision went against them, we were told that the pub would now remain open until 1am every night, the implication being there would be trouble. I can understand their anger and upset, but forcing the issue in this way is not going to help the case in the longer term. I hope the owner will find another way of proceeding to allay the reasonable fears of local parents and grandparents.
‘Democracy Live on the Web’
That is the way this is being billed, although I think that ‘democracy live’ was more evident on Friday night in Portobello Town Hall. You can now watch Counicl Meetings and debates online as meeting are webcast live from the City Chamber. The first one was at the September one, when 600 people watched the meeting live, that being 595 more people than normally come to sit in the public gallery. You can follow debates on Twitter #edinwebcast or at www./edinburgh.gov.uk/webcast
I can multi-task, so am able to listen to colleagues’ speeches and tweet at the same time. It was somewhat disconcerting to get a direct message from a Craigmillar constituent saying: “I can see you!”
A reminder that the 4th Portobello Book Festival starts on October 5th, a week on Friday. Programmes and tickets (free) and available from Portobello Library. Some events are already oversubscribed. For once, I got my tickets early and avoided disappointment!
Best wishes
Maureen
Councillor Maureen Child | Labour Elected Member | Portobello/Craigmillar (Ward 17) | City of Edinburgh Council | City Chambers | High Street | Edinburgh | EH1 1YJ | Tel 0131 529 3268 | Mobile 07718 666 481
http://www.porty.org.uk
http://www.craigmillarcc.btck.co.uk
http://www.portobellocc.org
You can follow me on Twitter @MaureenChild1
p.s. My face-to-face Councillor Advice Sessions, or 'Surgeries', are usually every Monday at 5.30 pm in Castleview Community Centre, 76 Craigmillar Castle Avenue (Phone 661 4064) and then at 7 pm in Portobello Library, 14 Rosefield Avenue (Phone 529 5558) . Please phone me on 529 3268, or email, to check availability or to make an appointment for another time and place.