Edinburgh and Midlothian Greens

Greens take creditable place in Forth by-election

admin — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 20:26:32 +0000

Amidst the predictable SNP-Labour squeeze in the Forth by-election, the Greens held their position. See the full results.

Student Greens want energy action

admin — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 20:23:54 +0000

Read Edinburgh University student president and Green activist, Adam Ramsay, in today’s Evening News.

Green councillor backs residents over “rat-running”

admin — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 08:00:55 +0000

Read about Green councillor, Steve Burgess, in the Evening News

Green councillor backs parents in schools

admin — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 19:56:59 +0000

Green councillor, Alison Johnstone has praised the work of parents in schools. Read the Evening News Mouthpiece

Climate Challenge Fund public meeting, Thurs 6 Nov 2008

davidm — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 19:09:05 +0000

Want to know about ways your community can take real action? Come to our public meeting and find out about the Scottish Government’s Climate Challenge Fund which has millions in grants available for community projects to reduce climate-changing pollution.

Venue: Nelson Hall, 5 Spittalfield Crescent, Newington, Edinburgh, EH8 9QZ. (Corner of St Leonard’s Street and Bernard Terrace)
Time: Thursday 6th November 2008, 7-9pm

The Climate Challenge Fund was introduced by the Scottish Government as a result of lobbying by Green MSPs.

Guest speakers:

Patrick Harvie MSP
David Gunn, Climate Challenge Fund Manager, Keep Scotland Beautiful
Alastair Tibbit, Greener Leith
Lorraine McCauley, Project Officer, Switch On to Climate Change, SEAD

This meeting is hosted by Southside/Newington Greens.

RSVP and more information: steve.burgess@scottishgreens 07887 682 574.

Help publicise this meeting: download our poster! (PDF, 1.6 MB)

Green councillors "bottom of the league" on taxi-fares

admin — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 09:28:23 +0000

An Evening News analysis has shown that Green councillors are the only group in the City Council not to have used taxis at the council’s expense since being elected in May 2007.

Greens urge public response on gas guzzlers consultation

admin — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 09:27:34 +0000

Green councillor, Steve Burgess, has urged the public to respond to the new consultation on higher parking charges for gas guzzling vehicles which will see two-thirds of permit-holders better-off. See also the survey.

Greens select local activist for Forth by-election

admin — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:39:22 +0000

Edinburgh Green Party have chosen local campaigner Kate Joester as their candidate for the Forth Ward by-election.

Kate is a community health worker and mother of two small children, who lives in Wardie, in the heart of Forth Ward. Kate is a longstanding campaigner on poverty and environment issues.

The Green by-election campaign will aim to get the message across to voters that their three Councillors, elected in 2007, have been an effective new voice on Edinburgh Council and that one more Green would give them more influence on environmental and social issues.

Green candidate Kate Joester said:

“This is the area I live in. It’s a really diverse place with some of the most deprived parts of Edinburgh alongside some of the more comfortable. It’s also an area which is seeing very rapid development, without matching improvements in transport and other services.

“I’ll be campaigning for better public transport, support for local shops and businesses, and for a strong, safe and sustainable Forth Ward.”

Kate is particularly concerned to improve quality of life for local people, and has helped lead the campaign challenging Lothian Buses’ ban on prams that don’t fold up. She designed a postcard to be handed out to bus drivers and featured in the Edinburgh Evening News.

She said:

“One immediate practical step I’d take if elected is to have the children’s play areas in the area cleared of broken glass, litter and graffiti and ensure open spaces such as Wardie beach are fit for local people to use.”

Green councillor Alison Johnstone answers ten questions

admin — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 18:18:23 +0000

Read Green councillor Alison Johnstone in the Evening News.

Greens call for extension on Westburn school closure

admin — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 18:11:59 +0000

Green Party Education spokesperson Alison Johnstone today called for an extension to the consultation period on the proposal to close Westburn Primary School.
Councillor Johnstone said “Inaccurate points regarding the school roll, the condition of Westburn School and the ‘Fitness for Purpose’ of the school have been identified in the original consultation papers issued by the Council. These papers were available for several weeks before an Erratum notice correcting them was issued. This didn’t occur until after the Public Meeting where local people informed officials of this catalogue of errors.”

At the Education Committee where the decision to consult was taken, Councillor Johnstone alone had asked that the consultation papers be approved by the Committee as a whole, rather than delegating this responsibility to the Director. Councillor Johnstone said today “The Scottish Government’s own consultation guidance highlights the importance of fair and thorough consultation. If local people have no faith in the consultation process, they will certainly have very little faith in the outcome.”

The consultation paper states that Westburn has the lowest roll in the city, when in fact it is fourteenth lowest. It states that dining takes place in the “principal circulation areas” instead of in the school hall, and it would have us believe that the school is in very poor physical condition when in fact it is evaluated as “Satisfactory”, second only to “Good” on the Council’s four point scale. Boilers have been replaced, a new and well insulated roof added, lighting and toilets upgraded.

Councillor Johnstone said “It comes as no surprise that parents perceive the Council’s consultation as merely a ‘tick box’ exercise when basic errors like this are distributed.

ENDS

(1) The Scottish Government’s School Closure Guidance states “Consultation is key to this whole process. If the process commands respect then, for the great majority of people, so will the outcome. Experience and ‘good practice’ both dictate that there should be a real emphasis here on both the quality and quantity of consultation. The emphasis should be on more consultation, more information, more time, rather than less; a fuller process rather than the minimum required to comply with the legislation.” See point 30 at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Education/Schools/Buildings/guidance

For further information contact Alison Johnstone on 07973 110054