Councillor Mike Bridgman
Portobello/Craigmillar Ward Newsletter
October 2015
Welcome to my Autumn newsletter. Please feel free to share the information with anybody you think might be interested, and if you no longer wish to receive my newsletter please email michael.bridgman@edinburgh.gov.uk and I’ll remove you from my mailing list.
Neighbourhood Partnership Update
Neighbourhood Partnerships bring together the community, Police, Health, Fire, voluntary sector and elected members, supported by officers from the Council.
I convened the last meeting of the Portobello and Craigmillar Neighbourhood Partnership on 23 September 2015 at the East Neighbourhood Office and the link below is to the Neighbourhood Partnership website where you will be able to read the papers.
http://www.edinburghnp.org.uk/neighbourhood-partnerships/portobello-and-craigmillar/
The next Portobello and Craigmillar Neighbourhood Partnership meeting is 18 November 2015 at 6.30pm in the East Neighbourhood Office, 101 Niddrie Mains Road.
The upcoming Neighbourhood Partnership sub-group meetings are listed below and if you’d like to get involved or suggest something for the agenda please contact Graham Rowan on 0131 529 6374.
P&C NP Economic Development & Employment sub group – Tuesday 20 October 2015 at 2.00pm in the White House, 70 Niddrie Mains Road.
P&C NP Community Safety sub group – Wednesday 21 October 2015 at 2.00 pm in the East Neighbourhood Office, 101 Niddrie Mains Road.
Committees
In addition to being Convener of the Portobello & Craigmillar Neighbourhood Partnership and attending many of the Sub Groups I also convene the Edinburgh Police and Fire Scrutiny Committee, and I sit on the following committees and boards which meet on a regular basis. If you have any issues around any of these committees then you are very welcome to contact me regarding them.
Licensing Board
Communities and Neighbourhoods Committee
Health Social Care and Housing Committee
Education, Children and Families Committee
Edinburgh Partnership Board
PARC Board
Cre8te
Lowland Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Association
Armed Forces Community Covenant Grant Committee
In addition I attend as many Community Centre Management Committee meetings as my diary allows, and keep up to date by reading the agendas and minutes.
|
Month |
Number of Committees/Public Meetings attended |
|
May |
17 |
|
June |
18 |
|
July |
Council Recess – 6 |
|
August |
14 |
|
September |
20 |
Budget Proposals
On 24 September, the Finance and Resources Committee considered a report outlining the proposed savings for the 2016-20 budget. It approved proposals for engagement with the public. You can download the report and the detailed budget proposals on the webpage.
http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/info/20254/our_future_council/1356/providing_feedback_on_the_2016-20_proposals
Parking
Parking controls help to keep traffic on Edinburgh’s streets moving smoothly, improve road safety and manage the number of vehicles on our roads. The draft parking action plan was approved by the Transport and Environment Committee on 25 August 2015. It seeks to improve parking management while encouraging more walking and cycling, support the city’s economy and protect residents’ spaces. You’ll find more information here. http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/info/20016/roads_travel_and_parking/1337/parking_action_plan
Ward update
Since the start of this year I have been contacted by constituents on a variety of different subjects, from Housing matters to Roads, Planning, Community Safety, Parks, Waste and more. The total number of constituents who have made contact to the end of September is 158, some of whom have been in touch about more than one issue. I’m always happy to hear from people living and working in the ward and will endeavour to assist wherever I can to achieve a positive outcome.
Schools
I recently sat on the interview panel for Peigi MacArthur’s replacement at Portobello High School. The three candidates were of a very high standard. Appointing Ruth McKay was a unanimous decision, and she is expected to take up her post by November. A week later a permanent appointment was made for Castlebrae Community High School when Norma Prentice was the successful candidate. Norma has been acting Head Teacher for nearly a year and her permanent appointment is a positive step. She has done a fantastic job in the time she’s been at Castlebrae. I extend my best wishes to both Head Teachers, and thank Peigi for all her years of service in the education of our young people.
Summer activities
I enjoyed events for people of all ages over the summer in the ward. It was good to see local communities coming together and I would like to thank everyone involved in making the events the great success they are.
The Summer Bash at the Jack Kane Centre was enjoyed by everyone in spite of the heavy rain, in contrast as you can see from the pictures below we had a lovely day for the Portobello Village Show at Rosefield Park.
Craigmillar Castle Regeneration Group (CCRG) asked builders involved in local developments to sink funds into a community chest for use in the local area. Chair of CCRG Norrie Davies thought it would be a good idea to get some defibrillators for the wide variety of organisations and venues in Craigmillar. This subject was highlighted due to the campaign in the Edinburgh Evening News following the sad death of 13 year old Liberton High School pupil Jamie Skinner who suffered a cardiac arrest during a football match. Last month I attended a ceremony where people from local groups were presented with their certificates to show they are now trained by the Scottish Ambulance Service to use the twelve defibrillators which have been purchased and distributed to organisations in the area including Holyrood Boxing Gym, Caring in Craigmillar, Niddrie Mission, Castlebrae Community Centre, Castlebrae Community High School and Castle View Primary School.
Skate Park proposal – Update
In my last newsletter I explained my ideas for a Skate Park in Bingham. I have since had a site visit with the Neighbourhood Manager and the Community Parks Officer who are working on plans for a Public Consultation. Things are moving forward and I’ll update you when there is further news.
Parks
As part of the planning conditions for the new Portobello High School, funding has been set aside by the Council for a brand-new new adventure play area. After consultation with local residents, Magdalene Glen has been chosen as the preferred site.
Edinburgh and Lothians Greenspace Trust are seeking local residents’ input on where in Magdalene Glen the new play area should go, and what should be in it. Please click on the link here to go to their website and see the 3 proposals.
http://www.elgt.org.uk/projects/play/magdalene-glen-playpark
The Chronicle
The Chronicle is a community newspaper serving the Great Craigmillar and Portobello area. It is estimated that approximately 23,000 people will pick up a copy of the paper each month, but you can access it online from this link – https://chroniclecraigmillar.wordpress.com/
Council Tenancies – Kitchen and Bathroom Upgrades – Update
After I took this on board and pushed for the programme to be escalated an agreement has been reached to bring the proposed works forward by two years. This means that Council tenants, who’ve yet to have their upgrades carried out, will have them done sooner than originally planned. I will continue to monitor the progress.
Community Councils
Craigmillar Community Council – The next meeting is on Tuesday 10 November 2015 at 7pm in the Hays Business Centre, 4 Hay Avenue. You can come along as a member of the public and voice your opinions or get more involved and become a community council member.
Portobello Community Council – The next meeting of Portobello Community Council will take place on Monday 26 October 2015 at 7:30 pm in Portobello Baptist Church Hall, 185 Portobello High Street. Meetings are open to the public and all are welcome.
Local Libraries
Keep up to date with what events are running at our local libraries on their Facebook pages.
Craigmillar Library –
https://www.facebook.com/CraigmillarLibrary
Portobello Library –
https://www.facebook.com/PortobelloLibrary
Surgeries
If you’d like to discuss any issues with me in person my surgery times are below.
Bingham Community Complex, 1st Monday 6:00pm (during school term)
Magdalene Community Centre, 1st Monday 7:00pm (during school term)
Portobello Library, 2nd Monday 6:00pm (during school term)
St Francis Primary School, 2nd Monday 7:00pm (during school term)
Outwith those times you can email michael.bridgman@edinburgh.gov.uk or call me on 0131 529 4233. My assistant is Sarah Davidson and her number is 0131 529 4477 or email sarah.davidson2@edinburgh.gov.uk
Best Wishes
Mike