Here are draft minutes from the meeting of 18 November: 2013_11_18 draft
Topics discussed include:
Hot on the trail of the post below, here’s more information on how Police Scotland are working in Leith.
The Leith Walk Multi Member Ward Plan2013 lists local policing priorities identified by Leith citizens, and shows how these are being tackled. The priorities are:
For up-to-date information on the policing team, the area covered and some contact details, visit the Police Scotland Leith Walk page.
Police Scotland and Edinburgh Council want your help creating the 2014-2017 Local Policing Plan.
There is a drop-in session at McDonald Road Library Wednesday 3rd November, 2-4 pm. (There are other drop-in sessions. Here are the details.) Alternatively, there is an online questionnaire.
Here is the current Edinburgh local policing plan. The introduction reads
This plan sets out the local policing priorities and objectives for Edinburgh Division for 2013-2014 and is a statutory requirement of the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012. It complements and builds on the Scottish Government’s overarching vision for public services, the Strategic Police Priorities set by Scottish Ministers, the Scottish Police Authorities Strategic Police Plan and the Chief Constable of Scotland’s Annual Police Plan.
The policing plan for Edinburgh represents a critical part of the delivery process for the new service, demonstrating our commitment to local policing at the same time as the service generates a national planning framework. The plan is designed so as to enable police officers and staff in the city to respond effectively to the concerns of local communities at the same time as meeting and tackling national demands. As a local authority plan it will be supported by seventeen ‘ward level’ plans, which respond directly to community needs and demands.
(Our emphasis. With thanks to Spokes for information and links.)
The Leith Funding Panel have £5,813 to allocate at their next meeting on 18 November 2013. This money can be used to make improvement to the local area and to encourage community activity. The box below gives more detail of the kind of thing that this money can be used for:
| 3. What kind of things will the Neighbourhood Partnership Community Grants Fund pay for?
Applications for locally targeted, one-off activities aimed at improving and encouraging community activity in the area are encouraged. The kinds of things that the fund will support could include:
Some examples of projects which could be funded include: consulting the local community on their priorities for improving facilities in the partnership area, providing activities for young people to encourage them to move away from being involved in anti-social behaviour and community events.
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If you are not sure whether your project is eligible please come to the next Community Council meeting on the 23rd of September to discuss it or give Loraine Duckworth a call on 0131 529 6194 or 07739188437.
If you wish to apply for a community grant of up to £3,000, applications must be submitted no later than 18 October 2013. See the link below.
To see the Guidlines and Standards and Conditions of the Community Grants as well as an application form please go to
http://www.edinburghnp.org.uk/neighbourhood-partnerships/leith/about/community-grants-leith/
The next Community Council elections will be held on the 24th of October 2013. We at Leith Central Community Council are keen to attract new members and for those of you who are unsure of what being a Community Council member means, Charlotte Encombe has put her experience into words:
I have been a member of the LCCC for some 4 years and find having the opportunity to influence what happens in Leith quite exciting and a very rewarding experience.
My reason for becoming a member is that I take a passionate interest in how Leith develops as a neighbourhood and would like to see more sustainable development in terms of transport, housing, parks etc. and I feel the Community Council is a good way of promoting this.
Attending the meetings takes up some of my precious free time, but there are always new people to meet, many of them like-minded individuals. I have made some good friends and have learnt a lot about how local government works.
Being on the CC makes it possible to have meaningful and constructive discussions on a vast number of topics with other residents, Council Officers, Representatives of the Police and Fire Brigade and local voluntary organisations.
Even more importantly, I have got to know my local Councillors, my MP and my MSP, who attend the meetings regularly. I now have a much better understanding of how they fit into the running of the Leith ward.
As a statutory elected body the Leith Central Community Council is able to raise questions and issues with the Leith Neighbourhood Partnership – who manage all Council business in Leith on a day to day basis – and work on solutions to local issues, often compromises.
However, it’s not always a walk in the park, so to speak. Take the reinstatement of Leith Walk. As a Community Council we have spent countless hours commenting on the designs and are now chivvying the Council along to speed up the works as we consider the current delays unacceptable.
This takes a lot of hard work: phoning, blogging, social media, letter writing, negotiating, gaining an understanding of how a road is designed and built; skills that I didn’t really have until I started honing them as the need arose. In addition to that you need to be able to express your views clearly, concisely and reasonably, be tolerant, patient and persevere.
So, for anyone out there thinking about joining the Community Council, it will take up some of your free time to help communicate the work that we do – about an hour a week as an ordinary member, more if you are wishing to become and Office Bearer – but please also consider what being a member of the Community Council can do for you:
1. You will be able to influence what happens in your local community and meet like-minded people.
2. You will gain a whole range of skills that will look good on your CV and
3. If you are looking for a greater challenge and an opportunity to improve your leadership skills, you might apply for the job of Chair or Treasurer.
If you want to find out more or have a chat about this, please email me at contactleithcentralcc@gmail.com and I will get in touch with you.
The map below shows the boundaries of Leith Central Community Council:
Leith Central Community Council 