In challenging financial circumstances, this week’s announcements included some excellent commitments that will positively impact our constituency. I will continue to work for investment in the local services we need.First Minister John Swinney announced this year’s Programme for Government, outlining his priorities of:
🔵 Eradicating child poverty
🔵 Building prosperity
🔵 Protecting the planet
🔵 Improving public services
ℹ️ gov.scot/programme-for-government
Eradicating child poverty is the single greatest priority for this government.
We will support households by investing almost £1 billion in affordable, high-quality and funded early learning and childcare.
We will build prosperity by:
🔵 Promoting home-grown entrepreneurs and innovators
🔵 Making Scotland more attractive for investment
🔵 Supporting a transition to a greener economy that creates jobs
To protect the planet we will publish our Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan.
This supports a programme of clean energy projects, protecting the planet and providing jobs and prosperity.
A reminder that my drop-in help and advice surgeries are tomorrow.
It was my pleasure to meet Ben Macpherson MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith. I hope that he can help with Scotland's NHS Dental Access Crisis.
📢 Lothian is delighted to announce the launch of a partnership with Strut Safe, a volunteer-operated support telephone line offering a friendly voice at the end of the phone for those travelling alone.
Strut Safe telephone lines are open on Friday and Saturday evenings between 1900 – 0300 hrs, and on Sundays from 1900 – 0100 hrs. The volunteer-led team stay on the phone with callers until they have arrived safely at their destination, no matter where they are going or where they have come from.
Lothian is the first public transport provider in the UK to enter into an official partnership with Strut Safe, and we're excited about what this new opportunity may bring for both organisations.
Learn more 👉 www.lothianbuses.com/news/2024/09/lothian-buses-launch-partnership-with-strut-safe/
#LothianBuses #StrutSafe #Edinburgh
📢 Message from the Office of Ben Macpherson MSP 📢
The City of Edinburgh Council launched a consultation asking for views from residents, stakeholders and businesses on short-term lets to understand how the licensing scheme is working after two years of operation.
Since being elected, Ben has been contacted by a large number of constituents regarding short-term lets and he has been actively engaged on this issue.
Have your say on short-term lets at the link here: consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk/sfc/short-term-lets-2024/
The consultation closes on Monday 14 October.
Short-Term Lets 2024 - City of Edinburgh Council - Citizen Space
consultationhub.edinburgh.gov.uk
Find and participate in consultations run by City of Edinburgh CouncilEarlier this week I wrote to The Scottish Government on behalf of constituents affected by Creative Scotland’s sudden decision to close their open fund to individuals. I know Ministers are very strongly committed to supporting the arts and culture and, in a constructive spirit, I hope this particular fund can be restored.
This letter provides full context to the article in The Scotsman yesterday: www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/scottish-government-creative-scotland-arts-cuts-edinburgh-inter....
Beaverhall Studios Custom House, Leith Leith Creative The Out of the Blue Drill Hall Leith Theatre LS Productions Colony of Artists Leith School of Art Screen Education Edinburgh Tinderbox Collective
I was pleased and grateful to receive such a reassuring response from Cabinet Secretary for Culture Angus Robertson MSP, and know that many constituents who wrote to me feel the same.
Proud to support local businesses in Edinburgh Northern & Leith, & generally, during this #SLLWeek & all year round.#ChooseLocal will be particularly welcome this month here, after a busy #EdFringe when so many folk understandably go into the town centre. #ScotlandLovesLocal
Great video, I think I might start a coffee and cake marathon 😀
🧸 We’ve delivered 1140 hours of free early learning and childcare, helping out families and bringing down costs.
🔎 Find out more about how the SNP is delivering for you at snp.org
Pleased to see these proposals published yesterday and to be working with Scottish Historic Buildings Trust on the future of Custom House, Leith as an asset & place of interest for even more local people, organisations, small businesses & visitors.
Ben do you not remember you and your SNP buddies are closing loads of museums across Scotland?... what's the point of this when you can't fund what we have. Make up your mind. www.scotsman.com/arts-and-culture/scottish-heritage-museums-galleries-culture-4746877
Good to meet with Lothian Buses & discuss their recent success, some local connectivity issues, the huge benefits of the under 22s bus pass, & how to address antisocial & violent behaviour undertaken by a minority. I do think this is worth considering: www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/news/edinburgh-bus-boss-backs-confiscating-free-passes-from-troubl....
This year I set up a Water of Leith Basins Stakeholder Group to bring everyone involved together & build on the years of admirable work by Friends of the Water of Leith Basin (FOWL.b), Water of Leith Conservation Trust & SOSLeith. The basins are privately owned (sold by previous UK Government decisions) & we all felt a forum would be helpful to coordinate & get things done collectively. I’m really glad this early success has been achieved (see the post) - protecting the quay walls from further damage & improving the local environment. Thank you to those funding & undertaking the work - the landowners & Forth Ports have stepped up & are investing in the common good of Leith, which is great & commendable. As a Group we are working on a number of other things, from improving water quality, silting, public safety & trying to get The Shore re-cobbled. I’ll share more updates as they are progressed. Grateful to all involved.
Yesterday I caught up with Turning Point Scotland to discuss what more I could do to assist them, & the impactful work they do to support those in our community in recovery, & to reduce harm from addiction. Today’s drug death figures for Scotland are unacceptable & I will continue to work with The Scottish Government & others to help make sure there are adequate facilities & initiatives in our area. For example, I do think a safe consumption facility (probably more than one) in Edinburgh is required. Also, the U.K. legislation is so out of date & out of touch it’s ridiculous, & causing so much damage. These laws are reserved to Westminster so please email your MPs & urge them to push for the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (yes it’s over 50 years old, which is farcical) to be replaced asap! Let me know in the comments if you have any thoughts on these issues.
Heroin use has increased since the introduction of needle exchanges and harm reduction facilities. These measures have helped to reduce the spread of H.I.V. and some other blood borne infections but have enabled more people to feel comfortable and safe using heroin. It's a double edged sword. Perhaps there should be a greater emphasis on helping people to break their addiction or measures aimed at helping to prevent addiction in the first place. It's also very interesting to note that "legal highs" were being manufactured and brought into Scotland by a former member of the SNP, Dave Llewellyn. He was a member of the SNP at the time. He was easily able to exploit each and every loophole and stay one step ahead of the Scottish Government for quite some time. He later switched his allegiance to Alex Salmond and his Alba party. Alex Salmond was aware of who and what Dave Llewellyn was, just as Nicola Sturgeon and her clique were, but none of them seemed to care about the fact that he was flooding Scotland with these life destroying drugs. That's very telling.
📢 Message from the Office of Ben Macpherson MSP 📢
Have your say on the proposed improvements at Granton Medway Community Park.
The second consultation event takes place this Wednesday 21 August 2024 from 4pm-7pm at the Granton Medway Park entrance.
📢 Message from the Office of Ben Macpherson MSP 📢
Beaverhall Studios are having an Open Studio Weekend on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 August from 10am-5pm.
Feel free to stop by to support some local artists and see what they have created.
Good to catch up with a number of organisations across the constituency during the last week or so, including Fresh Start in North Edinburgh and Hibernian Community Foundation in Leith.
Like many of you, and as your local constituency MSP, I am very concerned about the various community safety issues in the area at the moment. That’s why - and on your behalf - I have had several meetings with senior local police officers in recent weeks (at Leith Station and at Drylaw Station), and have engaged in a number of different stands of correspondence on behalf of constituents to try to make a meaningful and positive difference. Please be assured that this issue is a top priority for me and my team, and any correspondence you send me will be useful to help tackle it. Police Scotland Edinburgh have reassured me that there are measures underway to address the different aspects of criminality that a small minority are engaging in. I will support the police in this as much as I can. Every email I get from constituents helps me to make the case for more action and resources, so please do get in touch with me. Please also keep reporting incidents to Police Scotland: 999 in emergencies, 101 generally and CrimeStoppers if you wish to remain anonymous 0800 555 111. I’m sorry that a small minority of people engaging in criminality is affecting the majority of us.
❤️An Official Statement on behalf of the Edinburgh Interfaith Association supported by the Lord Provost of Edinburgh Robert Aldridge, City of Edinburgh Council Leader Cammy Day & Edinburgh faith communities' representatives.
The City of Edinburgh Council: @edinburghcouncil
Cllr Cammy Day: Cammy Day
A reminder that I have my monthly 'Drop-in Help & Advice Surgeries' today.
When is your next day at Royston/Wardieburn please can you let me know??
Brunton Place surgery. Brunton Place Il centro medico ci metteva in fila alle 5 del mattino come le bestie. La manager cancellava dati senza dire nulla ai medici e segretari. Dal 2020 al 2022 hanno continuato a lavorare con un sistema messaggistico automatico non funzionante. Io personalmente ho rischiato di morire. Potete gentilmente controllare con il Governo e la sanità scozzese cosa successe nel periodo del COVID e dopo, grazie. Brunton Place surgery. Brunton Place The medical centre used to queue us up at 5am like beasts. The manager would delete data without telling the doctors and secretaries. From 2020 to 2022 they continued to work with an automatic messaging system that did not work. I personally almost died. Can you kindly check with the Scottish Government and Scottish Health what happened in the COVID period and after, thank you.
It was very good to catch up with the team at Multi-Cultural Family Base this week, at their office in Leith. They are a remarkable organisation and assist a lot of New Scots across the city, and I’ve always been grateful to collaborate with them - to help people in my constituency and beyond.
Thank you 🙏 Ben Macpherson MSP
Worked with the MCFB on many occasions during my career , a wonderful organisation
Sincere congratulations to Tracy Gilbert MP & Chris Murray for Edinburgh East & Musselburgh MP on their elections &, now that they’ve been sworn in at the UK Parliament, I look forward to working constructively & collaboratively with them & their teams to serve & represent local people, organisations & businesses.
Photos from Deidre Brock for Edinburgh North and Leith's post
Commiserations. I hope that you can help your party learn. If they are in listening mood, perhaps they will have answered more if their voters concerns in time to retain seats in the Scottish Parliament.
Just a reminder that my monthly 'Drop-in Help & Advice Surgeries' are taking place as usual on the first Friday of the month, with the next one being this Friday, 5 July.
A welcome recent update from The Scottish Government and I was pleased to see part of this funding going to the Spartans Community Foundation and Hibernian Community Foundation, who make such a positive impact in our communities.
Football activity club funding doubles to £4 million
www.gov.scot
Support to help families on low incomes with childcare.🗳️Vote Scottish National Party (SNP) on 4 July.
⬅️ West of Easter Road: Deidre Brock for Edinburgh North and Leith.
➡️ East of Easter Road: Tommy Sheppard.
🏴 Strong, effective, experienced voices for our communities, social justice and Scotland.
A happy moment for #Leith on Saturday when Daniel from Citadel Youth Centre reopened the Victoria swing bridge, having been refurbished & made safe by Forth Ports Community. A welcome & appreciated investment, for the common good of our area.👏🏻
Thanks to them & to Friends of the Water of Leith Basin (FOWL.b), SOSLeith, Leith Harbour & Newhaven Community Council & others who have helped to make the case for this to happen over the years.⚓️
Leith's historic Victoria Swing Bridge officially opened after refurbishment
www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com
Pleasure to be at The Out of the Blue Drill for the organisation’s 30th year anniversary - brilliant & remarkable story of facilitating so much creativity, community engagement, social good & entrepreneurialism. Thank you.
Pleased to also submit a The Scottish Parliament motion: www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/votes-and-motions/S6M-13380
Thank you so much!
All parliamentary business officially came to an end last night for the general election. There are now no MPs and I'm the SNP candidate seeking re-election in Edinburgh North and Leith.
Contact me at deidre@edinburghsnp.org
📢 Message from the Office of Ben Macpherson MSP 📢
Fischy Music has been shortlisted as a finalist for the ‘Small Charity of the Year’ category at the Scottish Charity Awards and is also eligible for the ‘People’s Choice Award’ which is voted on by the public.
If you would like to help them win, make sure you cast your vote before 5pm on Friday 24 May when voting closes at the link here: scvo.scot/scottish-charity-awards/vote/2024/charity-of-the-year-less-than-500k/fischy-music
Best of luck to Fischy Music and all finalists!
scvo.scot
Vote now for the Scottish Charity Awards People’s Choice Award sponsored by HSF Health PlanHelp & Advice Surgeries on Friday 3 May.
*Mr. Neil Lal Defends Kate Forbes Amidst Criticism, Highlights Her Integrity and Service* link.medium.com/wmrN7IzxiJb
A pleasure to join our Sikh community for #Vaisakhi celebrations - walking together through the local area & then gathering at the Edinburgh Gurdwara in #Leith.
Congrats to the organisers & thank you for the kind invitation. Cheers also to Police Scotland Edinburgh.
Together, #WeAreScotland. 🏴🧡
Heard you all as you passed the end of my road!
Great to see Deidre Brock MP and Amy McNeese-Mechan SNP at the event today.
Cari amici Europei, diffidate da questi due nelle foto .
Good to catch up with Fresh Start this week - proud to be working together to support their remarkable work, including the R2 collaborative and www.freshstartweb.org.uk/what-we-do/nessie.
Lei si dovrebbe dimettere ed anche con urgenza. You should resign Lei ha omesso di fare controllare il sistema di messaggistico automatico del centro di Brunton Place nel 2020 che ha continuato ad essere utilizzato fino al 2022 e speriamo che non abbia creato altri problemi ad altri pazienti. Lei o la sua segretaria mi avete risposto di dover contattare il mio consolato dimostrando una forte e completa ignoranza nella gestione di un qualcosa che doveva essere di vostra competenza. Lei si deve dimettere perché sono mesi che non risponde chiaramente alla mie email. La verità che a Leith, noi Europei, siamo buoni solo sotto elezioni. You failed to have the Brunton Place centre's automated messaging system checked in 2020 which continued to be used until 2022 and hopefully did not create any more problems for other patients. You or your secretary replied to me that you should contact my consulate demonstrating a strong and complete ignorance in handling something that should have been your responsibility. You must resign because you have not responded clearly to my emails for months. The truth is that in Leith, we Europeans are only good in elections.
The Community Grants Fund returns! Apply for up to £5,000 for your community project until the 20 May deadline 💷
Find out more about the scheme and how to apply www.edinburgh.gov.uk/news/article/13952/funding-available-for-community-focussed-projects-in-edin...