Tag Archives: Community engagement

Funding sources newsflash

(adapted from an email from Maureen Thompson of Local Community Planning)

Please see below our January Newsflash focussing on grants for groups supporting women and children/young people. We are also promoting the excellent edinburgh4community website which helps show funding sources relevant to your own projects. This is provided  by our Libraries Service.

There is a short YouTube video showing how to do a search.

You may also be interested in looking at previous monthly Newsflashes. Please have a look at http://www.edinburghnp.org.uk/about-nps/funding/external-funding-updates/

Maureen Thompson | Policy Assistant | Local Community Planning | Services for Communities | The City of Edinburgh Council | The Drum Brae Library Hub, 81 Drum Brae Drive, Edinburgh, EH4 7FE | Phone 0131 469 3595

Source Themes Minima and maxima Eligibility Contact Deadlines
Women’s Projects
Women’s Fund for Scotland

Foundation Scotland

 Supporting women’s development, self sufficiency and social /economic equality.
Current priorities building skills & confidence, health/well being/social networks, moving on from violence.		 £250 to £2,000 Voluntary groups Shona Blakeley
Development Manager
Foundation Scotland
0131 524 0353
shona@foundationscotland.org.ukwebsite		 No deadlines: rolling programme
Children & Young People
Victoria & David Beckham Children’s Charity Children with disabilities or illnesses. Not stated Voluntary organisations Mrs Jacqueline Adams
Victoria & David Beckham Children’s Charity
Old School House
St James Road
Goffs Oak
Waltham Cross
EN7 6TP		 No deadlines
Weavers Company Benevolent Fund Disadvantaged young people(5 to 30) & those at risk of offending. Max £15,000 pa for 3 years Voluntary organisations income under £100k website 30/3/15
The Kids Fund Developing environmental understanding for disadvantaged young people through provision of Field Study courses. Provides max 80% of course fees Voluntary groups or schools website 1/3/15

Leith Economic Framework: consultation

(adapted from an email from Edinburgh Council’s head of economic development) 

Edinburgh Council is consulting on the draft Leith Economic Framework. This will last 8 weeks, then a finalised version will go to Edinburgh Council’s Economy Committee on 28 April 2015. Edinburgh Council will then develop the “Priority Areas for Council Action” into an action plan with allocated responsibilities and timescales, to fit with the timetable for the overall operational plan for the Economic Development Service.

Alongside exploration of alternative options, Edinburgh Council will continue to examine options for the Leith Docks area as a hub for renewables manufacturing.

Please see papers on Edinburgh Council’s website – and let LCCC know what you think. We welcome input by post (28 Pilrig Street, Edinburgh EH6 5AJ), email and Twitter.

Poor mapping? Poor Planning? HMO & homelessness issues?

Increased pressure on Leith Central area is not welcome

Leith Central’s planning subcommittee (PSC) is probing whether Edinburgh Council is using inaccurate maps in its consultation on Edinburgh Planning Guidance: Student Housing – Issues Paper. The PSC has asked the Edinburgh Councillors for Leith Walk to investigate some potential errors in maps used in the consultation paper:

  • Map 1 (Operational student accommodation 2014) stops at (obscured) Picardy Place
  • Map 2b (Student concentration by data zone, 2011) shows different scale from map 2a (2001) which is used for comparison, and fails to take account of post-2011 changes (e.g. student accommodation in McDonald Rd and off Montgomery Street)
  • Map 3 (Student housing developments by number of beds and planning status since August 2010): Map extract is poorly chosen – it does not show all applications in the pipeline: Haddington Place, Shrubhill, Bothwell Street

LCCC does not want to delay matters, so it has asked for the maps to be amended without holding up the consultation.

There is a high correlation between the distribution of students (in the 2011 census) and the distribution of HMOs, according to Edinburgh Council’s own House in Multiple Occupation Market Review. The background to this is ‘transient pressure’ that might be created by HMOs being used as temporary housing for homeless people (including emergency cases, such as domestically abused women and their children; but also ex-prisoners). In Edinburgh, there are high densities of HMO properties in the Meadows and Bruntsfield links areas of the city, with notable concentrations at either end of the Marchmont area, Bruntsfield, Dalkeith Road, Leith Walk, the New Town and Pilrig.

LCCC is not against housing homeless people and does not cry ‘NIMBY!’ But it argues that its area is the mostly densely populated area of Scotland and any extra stress needs to be carefully assessed. If possible, it needs to be ameliorated or avoided, especially in the context of increased pressure on the dilapidated southern end of Leith Walk which may not be repaired for years to come. This dilapidation cannot be tolerated, in LCCC’s opinion.

Sheila Gilmore, Labour MP for Edinburgh East, has argued that Edinburgh Council may be taking an incorrect approach to limiting HMOs, noting that Dundee Council has adopted a policy that, in certain defined areas, more than 12·5 per cent of properties being HMOs is over-provision. Closer to home, Midlothian Council has approached homelessness/HMO issues by converting properties it already owns to house homeless people – and has saved money into the bargain.

£EITH DECIDES APPLICATIONS STILL NEEDED

(adapted from a post on Leith Links CC’s website)

Applications are still needed to provide a good choice of projects for the people of Leith. Making an application gives the opportunity to get a grant of up to £1,000 for a Leith project. But it does more than that. Applicant groups and organisations become part of the £eith decides publicity which promotes the groups and organisations involved. Posters are displayed in libraries as well as information going out on the Neighbourhood Partnership website and social media. However, The Leith Event in February attracts hundreds of local people, providing valuable networking opportunities and enables participating applicants to recruit new participants, members or volunteers.

The decision is made on the day of the event (7 February) for projects to be completed by 31 August. So good timing for any Spring and/or Summer 2015 events or projects. Projects who have been made awards in the past have benefitted children, young people, older people, families as well as people vulnerable for a number of reasons. There have been a wide range of projects involving the arts, such as music, drama, dance and painting; the environment such as gardening and clean up campaigns; fun activities such as imaginative play, camping, sailing and day trips; skills training for young people and jobseekers; support for people with physical disabilities or mental health issues, and more.

So spread the word and get those talented and capable Leithers involved. See the website http://www.edinburghnp.org.uk/neighbourhood-partnerships/leith/about/%C2%A3eith-decides to download an easy-to-complete application form and easy-to-understand guidelines.

Applications must be in by 28 November 2014. They can be e-mailed to Loraine.duckworth@edinburgh.gov.uk. (Signed hard copies may be needed later.)

If you need more information or have any questions, please contact:

Loraine Duckworth | Partnership Development Officer | Leith Neighbourhood Partnership | Services for Communities | City Centre Leith Team| Cockburn Street| Edinburgh | phone: 0131 529 7403 | Mobile: 07739188437