Looking back on the year (and I have to say I am glad to be looking back on the year!) there was not much good in it for Sighthill Gorgie Ward. The year started off with the Gorgie Dalry Partnership going into liquidation as a result of the cuts imposed by this Lib Dem / SNP administration. The GDP for those who do not know organized things such as Christmas! This year there was no Santa in Gorgie Dalry, no children’s party, no selection boxes for the kids, no 'Best Dressed Christmas Window' and no Switch on Ceremony. The lights were switched on by some unknown council officer on the quiet. These things take months to organise and having scrapped the organisation that did it there was no one to take its place. The irony is that the GDP brought in sponsorship from local businesses such as £600 last year from Sainsbury’s for the children's selection boxes, so the cut in Council core funding has cost the local area thousands in donations for local projects and events. We told the Lib Dem / SNP administration this but they scrapped it anyway.
The year went on as it had begun with the scrapping of the Gorgie Dalry Gazette and the West Edinburgh Times – again Council funding withdrawn. The two biggest and best of the community newspapers, free through the letter box - gone. These vital local links needed and wanted to expand their delivery areas to include the new multi member wards but instead this administration withdrew their funding.
Every month seems to have brought new horrors such as the withdrawal of the 20 bus (we wanted to subsidise it till the end of the year but this was rejected) and even at the end of the year when the festive season had already begun they announced the closure of Westburn Primary (for reasons which were based on false information and assumptions) and lastly the Wester Hailes Rep. Council has had to be dissolved through lack of funds! That spells the end not only of the Rep. Council but probably many of the 15 Neighbourhood Councils which reported to it as well! So much for active citizens and informed participation. Make no mistake where the blame lies for all this, withdrawal of funds by this Lib. Dem./SNP Administration. As someone said to me the other day it's not rocket science, freeze the Council Tax, less money in so cuts across the board. And if it wasn't enough they should have said so instead of signing up to to the Single Outcome Agreement.

So the question remains - ‘What have I been doing about it?’

Being in opposition has meant that our ability to protect the local community has been seriously limited. Being voted on to the Chair of the South West Neighbourhood Partnership has helped a bit as I was able to use what little power has been given to these organisations to fight against these cuts minimise their impact.
I was very involved in the development of the Neighbourhood Partnerships which were designed to devolve decision making down to local areas. This administration however have failed miserably to give them real teeth or even respond positively when they bring something forward.
Neighbourhood Partnership local community grants however have benefited a variety of deserving local projects such as the Gorgie City Farm and the Broomhouse Centre.
There is not enough in this fund however to prevent the major closures but we took the fight to the Neighbourhood Partnership and the full Council through motions, questions and debates. There has not been a single month when I have not been proposing motions, asking questions or contributing to a major debate.
The year has also been characterised by numerous deputations from local groups and organisations fighting against the stringent cuts which have been imposed.
Getting round the multi member ward is a major challenge with calendar clashes virtually evening however I believe I have achieved a presence in the area with careful juggling and regular weekly surgeries.
Being made Labour’s Bailie is a responsibility I take very seriously believing as I do that it is important to be visible in the civic life of the city. I have also tried to do things locally wherever possible such as handing out the Garvald awards for achievement to people with learning disabilities at St. Brides. Local people and groups seem very pleased to have a Bailie who is also a local resident.
Other notable civic duties were when I read the ‘Complaint of the Black Knight’ in Fountainbridge Library and unveiled a plaque in the Cowgate to commemorate 500 years of printing in Edinburgh. I also unveiled a plaque on International workers memorial day in Princess Street Gardens which was to draw attention to health and safety at work and commemorate those who have died in industrial accidents. I highlighted the hazards of asbestos which has now become the subject of a major public awareness campaign.
I think there is everything to fight for in the new year. The administration’s cuts are far from finished and there are many challenges for the area in the months ahead. The Lib Dem and SNP Councillors for this area seem unable or unwilling to do what is best for local people. It therefore falls to us, the Labour Councillors, MPs and MSPs to defend local people and those who cannot defend themselves and that is as it should be since that is what the Labour Party is all about.

Well, the big news in my world has to be the Full Council on Thursday. Specifically the closure of Westburn primary. A travesty if ever there was one. The vote went to another 29/29 split and the Lord Provost closed the school with his casting vote! Surely another travesty. See below the notes of my speech though it was all to no avail.....

Consultation – widely described as a ‘shambles’.
Initial proposals full of mistakes. Eg 3rd lowest role – then had to admit it was the 14th. Then sent round an erratum changing it to 3rd lowest capacity but this is based on assumptions about accommodation which are also demonstrably false!

Sticking with this for a moment because it is central to the proposal. What are in fact the ICT rooms and Library are not allowed to be counted as general purpose space at Westburn and have been counted in other schools. This is apparently because they don’t have doors on them and it was even suggested that they should move the ICT suite and Library out into the corridor!
Criteria have at best not been intelligently applied with things being worked out on paper without looking at the actual reality in the school.

The condition of the school is portrayed as poor based on a survey done in 2003. The reality is that it has had 750,000 spent on it in recent years including, since that survey a new roof, new boilers, upgraded internal lighting, state of the art disabled toilets, not to mention teaching facilities like Smartboards nursery play equipment …..the list goes on and on…they have even got brand new staffroom lockers and kitchen facilities. The fact is that anyone walking around the school would think it was well equipped, well maintained and very fit for purpose …modern bright and well decorated. Not at all as it is portrayed on the consultation proposals.
Speaking as a teacher myself I know that assessment is for learning not for closing schools. Attainment statistics need to be taken in context and the context in this case is a high number of kids with very challenging backgrounds and home lives.

Westburn is a happy constructive learning environment that parents are happy to bring their children to and the kids are happy to come to. It is seen as a safe and happy place by all including the local community. There have been slurs on the competence of the staff and yet staff at Westburn are involved in and actually delivering in service training across the Region. The school wins awards for example the ‘Green Pencil’ award for Creative writing and the Standard Life Edinburgh award for working with a school in Malawi.

Overall then there seems a huge gulf between the school portrayed in the consultation document and what actually exists. The decision to close this school was based on grossly misleading and downright wrong information. Attempts to rectify these errors have not helped the situation. Objections from far and wide have produced only a digging in of heels by Children and families. This school should never have been proposed for closure, the reasons for closing it are false . The reasons for keeping it open are many. This is a well loved and well resourced school with hard working and dedicated staff and is a vital and central part of the local community. I understand the need for the rationalisation of school accommodation but for the reasons that I and others have stated closing Wesburn is a terrible mistake – don’t do it.

I said more than that but you can get the idea from the above notes.

Just back from the demolition of Broomview House It was dramatic in more than one sense of the word! There were tears and cheers. Some applauded with genuine delight and some clapped politely but with a look of sadness on their faces. I never stayed there and have only represented the area for a couple of years now so I would not try to guess what people were thinking. One long standing resident on the way to the viewing area said that although this could be a step towards something much better going in in its place you had to remember what a great thing it had been when it had first been built. He added that there had never been anything wrong with he building but some of the people who had been put in it that had caused the problems. Another resident joined in saying the most of the flats were kept clean and tidy and the concierges had always done a good job with the communal areas. Certainly I was in Broomview House many times as part of my election campaign and afterwards to visit constituents and the people I spoke to were friendly, decent people. At anyrate there is clearly a good community here and everyone needs to try to ensure that these people have a say in what goes in in place of the skyscraper. Perhaps we have just moved on in society so that the high rise or that kind of communal living doesn't work anymore. It is true that the same social problems such as anti social behaviour are present in many tenement stairs. I find myself sad for the loss of the good (a bit like a funeral), glad at the loss of the bad and also hopeful that with community involvement we can put something good there in its place. in any event it was a momentous occasion.

People at the School talk about winding down for the summer holidays, as usual however I find myself winding up rather than down. It has to have been two of the busiest weeks I have ever had. I hardly know where to start! First we have a new excellent Labour group leader - Andrew Burns. Wendy Alexander has resigned and we have started the process of electing a new leader at the Scottish Parliament. If all of this wasn't enough to be going on with, at the local level we have the disastrous announcement that Tesco is closing the Wester Hailes branch. Local people are still angry at the decision of B&Q to relocate to Hermiston Gate from Longstone and Gorgie. People of this area already know they find it hard to get to Hermiston Gate either by foot , bus or in fact car as if you go out to the by-pass you have to go all the way to the end , round the roundabout and all the way back just to get in! Vulnerable people and people with mobility problems will have real difficulty getting to the new store if Tesco decides to close the one in Dumbryden and open a large one in Hermiston Gate instead.
Meetings... a new record for my time at the Council - 12hours 20mins for the full Council last Thursday. I thought I was seconding an uncontentious motion to hold a reception to mark the contribution made to the city for over 30 years by the Gorgie Dalry Gazette and West Edinburgh Times. These papers were recently closed by the Lib Dem / SNP Administration and they also blocked an attempt by the South West Neighbourhood Partnership to get them started again. So much for the localisation agenda! No real reason has ever been given for withdrawing their funding and certainly without a doubt in the areas they served they were regarded as a community created, independent voice keeping people informed of what was happening in the area. This role made them a vital part of the local community and their loss is going to be deeply felt for some time. An example of this is the Gorgie Dalry Festival which is normally publicised in the Gorgie Dalry Gazette devoting a whole centre spread to photos. This year as a result in spite of the Community Association running around putting up posters the numbers were down with many local people saying they did not know it was on! I was surprised therefore that Cllr Nick Elliot-Cannon put in an amendment to the motion at the full Council effectively saying they were not having a reception and adding that Services for Communities were looking at options for alternative 'value for money' communications. I pointed out in my speech that thinking that another council publication could take the place of the independent local community newspapers showed a complete lack of understanding of what they were and why this was such a loss to the area. People will miss them more and more as time goes on.

This week, by contrast, has been mostly civic. Monday was the 'Ceremony of the Keys' , Tuesday the Garden Party and Wednesday the investitures for the Order of the Thistle. The Ceremony of the Keys is a grand spectacle as is the 'Shooting for the Edinburgh Silver Arrow' (all of which I attend as a Bailie) and I don’t think we advertise these things enough. The passers by that were there loved it but if more people knew it was on they would want to come along.

Would it be a crime to admit though that I am looking forward to my holidays?

Well that is all I'm going to get of the Common Riding this year. The Crying o' the Burlie and the start of the Busin o' the Colours. Still it counts. When you are a Souter (someone born in Selkirk) you are drawn like a magnet.
People come back from all over the world for Selkirk Common Riding. You can spot the flags hanging from windows. I spotted a Canadian one as I was leaving. Of course I'm missing the big day which is a source of sadness and annoyance to me but I have to go on an in-service in Glasgow and though I would normally catch the first and second drums before heading up to Edinburgh the time I would have had to leave to make a previously unvisited destination in Glasgow made it unworkable. The Common riding gives you a sense of who you are and also a continuity that is unique. I've been going literally since I was born and I know I'll be going till I die. I see people every year that I don't see any other time (because they come back for it too). The casting of the colours to the tune of 'It's up Wi' the Souters o' Selkirk' then 'The Flowers of the Forrest' played by the Burgh Band culminating in the two minute silence is an emotional and enduring experience that never leaves me. Sigh. Ah well maybe next year.

NB Pictures are from 2006

I've just been informed that the film they were making for the launch of the Everybody Online project in Gorgie Dalry is on YouTube. I've embedded it below. Although launching on 6th of February the project was first organised and brought forward by the Council's E-Government Division, BT, the now demised Gorgie Dalry Partnership (Council Cuts - don't get me started on that one again) and of course myself. As more and more of the Council's services and communications move over to ICT and the Internet it becomes increasingly important to take local communities along with you. So much is available and with more needing to be done online, I believe that to be truly healthy, a community must be encouraging and extending access as well as promoting the many benefits of digital incluson. I would describe this as fighting to address the 'Digital Divide' which is something I have always felt strongly about.

Reporting bad news to the local area gets too depressing after a while although of course it is virtually impossible to find a positive side to the closing down of the Gorgie Dalry Gazette, the West Edinburgh Times and the Gorgie Dalry Partnership to name but three. Given the enormous contribution these organisations have made in the Sighthill Gorgie area the 'disinvestment' strategy employed by the Lib. Dem. / SNP administration is doing catastrophic and irreparable damage to the local community.
There is a sense of shock and anger at every community council, neighbourhood council and residents association I attend. Even the organisations that are left have received cuts that threaten their future. This administration clearly does not believe in the voluntary sector at all!
The relatively small sums of money involved represented fantastic value for money including as it did volunteers and local support that could not be replicated in straight council services. No doubt the administration would try to blame this, as they have everything else, on the previous administration but the fact is that from the second Jenny Dawe signed on the dotted line to take the money from the Scottish Government and freeze the council tax they forfeited the right to blame anyone but themselves. If they were not being given enough to do the things they wanted to do then clearly they should not have signed! Supporting these local groups and organisations is obviously something they do not want to do then.