Morrisons is currently the only one of the big four – Tesco, Asda and Sainsbury’s are the others – not to offer an online shopping option to their customers, but a deal with internet grocer Ocado will see it offer the new service by January next year.

Delivery vans will carry the Morrisons brand, with Ocado supplying logistical support from it’s distribution centre in the Midlands.

Morrisons chief executive Dalton Philips told BBC Radio 4:  “This is a very good transaction for both parties. We’re going from a standing start to the fast lane in the blink of an eye.”

Business analysts Conlumino predict that the total food and grocery market is forecast to grow 22% from £127bn to £155bn by 2017, with online food sales are expected to grow by nearly 70% over the same period, from £5.9bn to £10bn. Almost 30% of people in the UK now shop online for food and groceries.

Ever tried online grocery shopping? What’s the verdict? Let us know!

Former ice cream man Brian Robertson was a doting father, a big Hearts fan and an Elvis fanatic who cared deeply about the North Edinburgh community and social justice. He was a committed community activist for many years, always willing to get involved in campaigns and battles – Brian didn’t believe in too many meetings and ‘talking shops’, although over the years he must have attended more than most.

A founding member of Greater Pilton’s Community Alliance, Brian was at his best when he was doing things, not just talking about doing things: he was never afraid to speak out, whether as a school board Chair opposed to closures and PPP or about the inherent unfairness of fuel poverty or the Fairer Scotland Fund. If there was a community campaign you could be sure that Brian would be there at the front.

Most recently, despite poor health, Brian was proud to be an active and enthusiastic member of the North Edinburgh Social History Group (pictured below, centre). He absolutely believed that the area’s proud story of protest and activism had to be told to a wide audience, particularly to encourage a new generation of younger activists to take up the fight. Among other achievements the group produced the excellent ‘Never Give Up’ book – and those three words sum up wee Brian’s attitude to community activism to a tee.

Deepest condolences to Brian’s girls, wider family and friends, and we’ll give details of Brian’s funeral when we have them.

This message is to everyone to remind you that as from tomorrow (Saturday 18 May) we shall be having workshops from 12 noon – 2pm as well as the Friday evening workshops from 6 - 8pm. This is because we are working towards our performance on Saturday 29th June.

We are also working on a Saturday as some of you have said that you can come along then, but Friday evenings are not always so convenient. Everyone is very welcome to both sessions – Fridays and Saturdays.

We are working towards a very comical performance and there is fun for everyone to join in. So if you haven’t been at the workshops for a while, please don’t worry, you know you are always very welcome when you can make it. We have a crèche and it would be good to know if you are bringing your children so that we can plan crèche workers. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in contact with me or Kate at North Edinburgh Arts.

Looking forward to seeing you soon,  take care

Stephanie Knight

North Edinburgh Theatre Project

You may be aware that since the closure of CORE last year a small group of local people and organisations have been looking at the ongoing  issues for the BME (black and minority ethnic) community.

There was a short consultation and the findings have been written  up in the   ‘Living in Harmony’ report (see below). We have offered to facilitate an action planning  session to look at how local organisations and people can come together to  tackle some of the issues raised in the report.

There has been a significant rise in the incidence of hate crime in the area, as well as many issues that affect  the wider community.  We hope that a broad spectrum of people and  organisations will want to be part of this planning event. We also hope that by the end of the event local organisations and individuals will have committed to take forward actions that encourage interaction and integration between ethnic groups in the area and  remove or reduce some of the barriers for the BME population to accessing services.

This workshop is open for  all and we will provide creche (IF BOOKED IN ADVANCE) and refreshments.  We  particularly welcome members of the local Scottish community to take  part.

It will take place on Friday  31 May from 9.30 – 12  followed by lunch, at The Spartans Academy at Ainslie Park. Please let me know if you will  attend, or give me a call if you would like more information. Please feel free to forward this  invitation to other interested parties.

Living in harmony

 Anita  Aggarwal
Senior Development  Worker (Health Inequalities)
Pilton Community  Health Project, 73 Boswall  Parkway
Edinburgh, EH5  2PW
0131 551  1671
anitaaggarwal@pchp.org.uk
www.pchp.org.uk

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles is throwing his support behind Local Newspaper Week with a new law that will enshrine free press and help independent local newspapers thrive.

In a letter to the Newspaper Society, praising them for their campaign to highlight the contribution of the local newspaper industry, Mr Pickles says that when “local news flourishes, local democracy succeeds” and so he will be stopping councils from publishing regular “Pravda-style” free-sheets which, threaten local newspapers and waste taxpayers’ money printing up “town hall propaganda”.

Free press vital

Mr Pickles said he believes the 1,100 local newspapers across the country are important for preserving a healthy democracy by holding local authorities and politicians to account through informing readers of council activities. Local papers are read by over 30 million people every week and are viewed as one of the most trustworthy forms of media.

Publicity law necessary

Legislation proposed in the Local Audit and Accountability Bill will bring a new code of recommended practice on local authority publicity onto a statutory, rather than voluntary, footing limiting publication to 4 times a year, obliging councils to be cost effective and objective in any publicity material they publish.

Some councils have deliberately disregarded the current code and continue to publish free papers in direct competition to local newspapers. The new legislation will prevent this waste of tax payers’ money and misuse of council resources.

Mr Pickles (pictured below) said: “The spread of the town hall ‘Pravda’ is manifestly unfair because they offer cut price local news, but mixed in with council propaganda that pours taxpayers money down the drain. These free-sheets are often confused for the real thing by residents. I want our news to be told and sold under the masthead of an independent and free press, not through a knock-off Rolex imitation.”

Fair enough, this is English legislation, but

‘when local news flourishes, local democracy succeeds’

… I really couldn’t have put it better myself!

In total, 89 new apartments, consisting of one, two and three bedrooms, will be available at mid-market rental rates at the development.

In 2011, Miller Homes, the City of Edinburgh Council and Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) created a limited liability partnership (LLP) as part of the National Housing Trust’s initiative (NHT), aimed at fast-tracking the delivery of new homes for mid-market rental throughout Scotland.

The LLP is working with managing agent Places for People to manage the completed properties, identify potential tenants and manage the rentals over the contract term.

Rent First@Varcity North will be available for rent to selected tenants, (employed on a minimum salary of £10k per annum, but struggling to find an affordable home to rent).

Under the NHT initiative’s rules, homes must be available to rent for a five year period, following which, tenants will have the choice to purchase their house at the market value or move on. Should tenants select not to buy, Miller Homes will sell the property on the open market.

Housing Minister, Margaret Burgess said: “It is fantastic to see house developers like Miller Homes embrace the opportunities offered by the Scottish Government’s pioneering National Housing Trust initiative. These new homes at Varcity North will go some way towards providing much needed affordable rented accommodation for Edinburgh residents.

“The initiative has been hugely successful, with deals secured with 13 developers to deliver over 1000 high quality homes for families throughout Scotland at very little cost to the taxpayer. A vibrant, expanding housing sector stimulates growth and protects and creates jobs in the construction sector and wider economy.”

David Knight, Managing Director, Miller Homes Scotland said: “We are delighted to bring the mid-market rental homes to market slightly ahead of schedule. Securing affordable housing in Edinburgh remains difficult and the challenging lending environment also means that buying is still out of reach for some households.

“The 89 apartments will go some way to helping those in employment secure an affordable rental tenancy. The apartments are developed to Miller Homes’ high standards of the quality of the build, fixtures and fittings and will form part of vibrant, modern development, which is quickly establishing its own sense of community.

“Rent First@Varcity North provides much needed homes at affordable rents for key workers and has also created vital local employment opportunities within the house building industry.”

Rents per month are set at £457.20 for a one bedroom, £594.39 for a two bedroom en-suite apartment and a limited number of three bedroom apartments available. Further details are available from Miller Homes.

Councillor Norman Work represented the city council at the event. He said: “The affordable homes available at Varcity North are a welcome addition to the market in Edinburgh. We continue to tackle the shortage in affordable homes and look for opportunities like the LLP with Miller Homes and Scottish Futures Trust to bring these very welcome homes to fruition.

“With around one half of the national uptake of NHT being in Edinburgh that gives us a sizable amount of homes available for rent. Not only will it enhance the local community, it will also offer a significant boost for those who are in work, who can’t afford to rent at full market rent.

“It is a great model to increase availability of the number of homes for rent in the city and gives people a real opportunity to become tenants and secure a home of their own and save for the future.”

Christa Reekie, commercial director at Scottish Futures Trust said: “I am delighted that the first phase of homes is now complete, providing hundreds of people in the capital with high-quality homes at affordable rents. We are pleases with the high standards of the Varcity North development which has already attracted a great deal of interest.”

Miller Homes purchased the Varcity North site as part of a larger transaction from Telford College, which comprised three campuses (Telford South, Telford West and Telford North). The development of Telford West campus for Home Scotland Housing Association (40 affordable dwellings) was completed in 2010.

Telford South is now known as Varcity South and has become one of the city’s – and Miller Homes’ – flagship developments. The last campus, now known as Varcity North, comprises 327 apartments within five new build blocks and a possible converted building. The apartments under the NHT initiative are within the Dundas Campus and the Dean Campus.

New Varcity North tenant Claire Wilson chats to Housing Minister Margaret Burgess

The latest round of redundancies follow the loss of more than 35,000 job cuts since public money was used to bail out RBS following the financial crisis – the government still owns more than 80% of the bank.

Ross McEwan, the chief executive of RBS’s UK retail operations, said: “To serve our customers well, we have to ensure that our resources are focused on the things that matter most to them. Regrettably, we can only do that by restructuring the way we work in head office, so that every effort is concentrated on supporting our customers and the frontline staff that serve them. This is clearly difficult news for our staff and we will do everything we can to support them, including seeking redeployment opportunities wherever possible to ensure compulsory redundancies are a last resort.”

The Unite union described the cuts as “brutal and irresponsible”. Warning of the impact that the cuts will have on local economies and customer service, Unite national officer Dominic Hook said: “This is brutal and irresponsible behaviour from RBS which is almost entirely owned by the taxpayer. It is high time that the banks took its social responsibilities seriously. Since the beginning of the year RBS, HSBC, Barclays and Lloyds have announced plans to slash around 6,900 jobs. The industry almost caused the economy to implode in 2008 and now it is contributing to a jobs crisis.

“RBS made £826 million in the first quarter of this year, the bank is returning to profit. Unite does not believe there is a business case for cutting jobs so drastically. RBS argues that the restructure will make the bank more customer focused but a bank can’t be more customer focused with 1,400 fewer staff. Unite is demanding no compulsory redundancies and we expect this state-owned bank to do everything to ensure this is the case.”

There will be a significant impact on RBS staff in head office functions in Edinburgh with the rest of the cuts spread across the country. Two departments providing support to front line staff are being cut by 80 per cent. Since 2008 the bank has cut over 30,000 staff.

Local politicians have also expressed concern over the job losses. Speaking after yesterday’s announcement, Edinburgh Western MSP Colin Keir said: “This is devastating news and I understand that the bank have spoken to the Scottish Government who are acting as quickly is as possible to ensure that appropriate support can be brought in to minimise the impact and soften the blow for the people concerned. The staff facing this terrible news are not the ones who caused the crisis at RBS but members of staff with mortgages and everyday budgets and expenses – and many of them are my constituents. I met RBS this afternoon and have discussed how they will support staff through this difficult time.

“Whilst this news is deeply disappointing the long term investment being announced for Gogarburn, highlights the strength of business locating in Scotland, and I hope this will increase long term security for RBS employees. My thoughts are with the people who are experiencing losses today.”

North and Leith MP Mark Lazarowicz said: “This is a body blow to staff at RBS at what is a difficult time for anyone looking for work. I have been in touch with union officials in support of the staff and I will be seeking a meeting with senior management to discuss the redundancies. At the meeting I will be asking for a clear indication of future employment plans for the bank’s Edinburgh operations and assurances that these job losses are not part of a policy of outsourcing.

“The Chairman and Chief Executive of RBS claimed recently that the financial restructuring of the bank was largely over and that the Government could start preparing to return RBS to the private sector. That should not be at the expense of hard working employees, many of whose colleagues have already paid the price of the failure of management at the bank in the years prior to the financial crisis through losing their jobs.”

Councillor Frank Ross, the city council’s Economic Convener, said: “While this is disappointing news, Edinburgh remains an important player in the world financial markets. We were always aware that the financial crisis would result in a degree of restructuring in the finance sector and that, unfortunately, this would impact on levels of unemployment in the city. Obviously we recognise that this brings great uncertainty and worry for those affected. For this reason, we will seek to work with the Government, their agencies and our partners to ensure the workforce are supported as much as possible and I will be pulling together a task force to coordinate this activity.”

Hugh Rutherford, Chair of the Edinburgh Business Forum, said: “Although disappointing news we need to remember the financial institutions who have recently opened centres here including Tesco Bank, Sainsbury’s Bank and the Green Investment Bank thanks to our talented and skilled workforce. This continued investment from the financial sector in Edinburgh will help keep the City economy growing. The diversity and strength of the Edinburgh financial services sector, which has been growing through the downturn, and the skilled financial services workforce, will hopefully be absorbed by the new growth sectors in the financial areas of the capital.”

Earlier this month, RBS reported a return to profit the bank hopes to return to the private sector next year.

Go For It, Centipede! Funding boost for Muirhouse Project

Muirhouse Centipede Project has received a grant of £60,000 from the Church of Scotland to build on it’s successes over the last year. The local project’s founder Linda Dunbar takes up the story:

The Centipede project has received the great news that we have been awarded £60,000 over three years from the Church of Scotland’s GoForIt Fund. This will enable the Centipede to continue on its journey and explore more activities. We are incredibly grateful for the support of the church in recognising the collaborative work already undertaken, and the value and potential of the people of the area. We still have to raise more money and are in the process of fund-raising – we would like to be able to match the £60K grant. The steering group has a planning day coming up in June where we will be figuring out how best to hear the voices of the community, and what THEY want to see the Centipede doing. If anyone has suggestions they can email them in to:

centipedeproject@gmail.com

If anyone would like to offer financial support to the project, they can get in touch via the same email.

On a personal note, can I thank the folk of Muirhouse for their enthusiasm for the community and their great spirit. It has been a joy to work with them all, and I look forward to the new centipede events, whatever they turn out to be. If folk want to see a short film highlighting just some of the Pilot Project events they can find it at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCcd8BQg13U&feature=youtu.be

Sixty young people from The Boys’ Brigade (BB) took part in the annual Beating Retreat ceremony at Edinburgh Castle last Saturday (11 May). The event, now in it’s 56th year, featured the pipes and drums, bugles and trumpets of The Edinburgh, Leith and District Battalion, The Central Band of the Boys’ Brigade, 3rd Johnstone Flute Band and 13th and 44th Dundee Pipe Band.

The ceremony saw each band march across the drawbridge and perform a short routine on the Castle Esplanade to the delight of the gathered crowd of spectators and dignitaries. Chief guest was Mike McCormick, Assistant Chief Constable, Police Scotland.

Alastair Chalmers, CEO, Edinburgh, Leith and District BB, said: “The young people came from BB bands from across Scotland and did us proud. Their professionalism and talent shone through. Luckily, the weather was on our side too and we managed to attract a large number of tourists to the event.”

Beating Retreat is a military ceremony dating back to the 16th century, first used when drums were used as signals in the battlefields. Beating the Retreat was a signal for troops to retreat from battle as light faded.

TPAS Accreditation is awarded by the Tenant Participation Advisory Service (TPAS) to social landlords that go the extra mile to involve their customers in the shaping of services, and TPAS were particularly impressed by what they saw at Port of Leith. TPAS was also impressed at the range of PoLHA’s traditional engagement techniques, including the recent successful welfare reform information day, quarterly Port Call newsletter and registered tenant organisation consultation.

Lesley Baird, Chief Executive of TPAS Scotland, explained that PoLHA has fostered a real partnership with its customers. Lesley said: “We’ve been impressed by the way Port of Leith works together with its customers to set standards and scrutinise services. Their hard work has established a framework for involving tenants in self-assessment and measuring performance that others in the sector can learn from.”

PoLHA provides affordable rented housing throughout Leith and north of the city. It has created a range of opportunities for tenants and residents to get involved and influence the way services are provided. These range from community events to formal processes for tenants to influence decisions about housing services and investment, either as individuals or in formal groups.

Following a thorough consultation process, PoLHA has developed a Customer Charter to enhance assessment and scrutiny of services. The charter reflects the standards of the Scottish Social Housing Charter, whilst also factoring in important local priorities. It also sets service standards, outlines activities to achieve them and explains how performance will be measured. To ensure tenants are involved in the process, PoLHA also carries out mystery shopping in order to test services and facilitated a range of customer service reviews.

PoLHA Chief Executive Keith Anderson said: “Port of Leith Housing Association is committed to serving its tenants and we are delighted to receive this honour. To be the first community – based housing association in Edinburgh to be recognised for its achievements is testament to the hard work and efforts put in by our staff working in partnership with our tenants.”

Pictured (Left -Right): PoLHA Chairman Jack Hunter, TPAS Scotland Chief Executive Lesley Baird and Keith Anderson, PoLHA Chief Executive