The following table describes the status, the proposer and other metadata of this motion.
| Consultation: | Edinburgh Greens AGM 2020 |
|---|---|
| Proposer: | Green Councillors (decided on: 09/15/2020) |
| Status: | Published |
| Submitted: | 09/15/2020, 12:33 |
Report: Councillors
Report
Edinburgh Green Councillors Group:Melanie Main, Alex Staniforth, Gavin Corbett,
Steve Burgess, Mary Campbell, Susan Rae, Claire Miller, Chas Booth
- The Councillors started the year with changes to portfolios aimed at
broadening experience, working on our top priority of Climate Crisis with
Edinburgh’s 2030 Zero Carbon target and building momentum for 2022
elections.
- September (2019) was especially important for climate protesters at the
council. Despite advocacy by Steve Burgess and support on the licensing
committee from Susan Rae, the climate protesters were told by SNP
councillor Cathy Fullerton that they are explicitly banned from marching
down Princes Street. Obviously this is not the support we would expect
from a council that has declared a climate emergency, and both Susan and
Steve worked hard to reassure young climate strikers (and not so young
climate strikers) that they would be safe marching on Friday 20 September.
- Claire Miller joined the board of Transport for Edinburgh, which is the
board overseeing Lothian Buses, Edinburgh Trams and Edinburgh bike scheme.
Claire attended her first board meeting in August and has been to visit
the bike scheme and the tram depot to learn more about the businesses.
- In her new role in the Equalities brief, Mary Campbell had a motion passed
by the Council to mark Celebrate Bisexuality Day, which will have the
bisexuality pride flag flying on 23 September this year, and for the years
after.
- In his role as Co-convenor of the council group Alex Staniforth held the
coalition to account over the Lord Provost’s flights to China. Watch Alex
on webcast here. Alex ensured that the concerns on sheltered housing
residents were heard at GRBV and that issues regarding social isolation
would be addressed.
- At the special meeting of Policy & Strategy committee on the Climate
Emergency, in response to a deputation by Transition Edinburgh, XR
Edinburgh and Scottish Youth Climate Strikers, Steve Burgess proposed that
the Council receive a report on a Citizens’ Climate Assembly so that
residents voices can be heard.
- At Housing Committee, Chas Booth secured council support for housing as a
human right. In finance committee, Chas Booth pushed for the views of
electric vehicle drivers to be taken into account when new vehicle
charging infrastructure is rolled out by the council.
- Melanie Main gained agreement at full council for the Edinburgh Council to
work to secure accreditation for its welfare and advice services under the
Scottish National standards as part of her work supporting reform of
welfare services across Edinburgh and better access to the £82 million per
year unclaimed benefits by Edinburgh residents. Watch the webcast here.
- Melanie began work chairing a new committee overseeing performance and
delivery of Health and social care services in Edinburgh and won the
additional of climate crisis to the long-term strategic planning for its
strategic Board the EIJB.
- In her role on COSLA Mary Campbell discussed the upcoming Scottish budget
with Green MSPs and COSLA officers to make sure all the groups involved
are linked well and understand what is happening with the budget
negotiations.
- Gavin Corbett spent much time leading on the Green Group’s climate
emergency budget proposals, as well as developing plans for a community
share issue on public building solar panels as part of his role as a board
member of Edinburgh Solar Co-op.
- Gorgie City Farm went into liquidation. Gavin Corbett was very active in
seeking to secure a new future for the farm: taking a proposal to full
council which resulted in additional funding in the short term; and
working with former staff and community representatives on arrangements to
safeguard public fundraising for the farm.
- For Susan Rae work was very much dominated by £eithChooses 2020. All
applications are in, scrutinised & verified, and voting day Saturday 1
February, Leith Community Centre. Susan supported the Save Leith Walk
group. Following the SLW victory in the appeal over proposed demolition of
the Leith Walk block of shops, the next step is looking at community buy
out for the buildings. SLW is also looking at a proposal in Iona Street.
COVID-19
- March started as a regular month in Council and ended with lockdown.
Councillors and staff were working from home by the end of March and this
continues, with planning for return of some staff, and trialled
reorganisation of working from home and office from mid October. Under
emergency powers the CEO held the decision making powers, which were taken
on a daily basis in consultation with the Leader and Deputy Leaders of the
Council.
- Political groups were kept informed and able to feed at start though
weekly confidential leaders briefings, and formalised into the Leadership
Advisory Panel for an extended recess until the end of April. Thereafter
from May Council and committees were suspended and Policy and
Sustainability Committee was brought back under temporary standing orders,
to make all necessary Council decisions and advise other than those made
under emergency power. In practice this meant fortnightly meetings lasting
between 5 and 9 hours, mainly attended by the Group Co-conveners, with
much appreciated support from other councillors.
- The Green Group has continued to meet weekly, and much of the time of
green councillors has been taken up with scrutinising Covid-19 response
and supporting activity in the wards.
- In March a lot of councillor time was taken up both by shutting activity
down and by dealing with the consequences of this.
- April was still a busy time for councillors but, obviously, for very
different reasons than the norm. A lot of constituency work was taken up
with ensuring people received their small business grants and making sure
vulnerable people were looked after.
- In May Green councillors published a new report on a Green Recoveryfrom
the Coronavirus pandemic, continued to argue for a few specific community
centres to open for the sake of food distribution only given the theft of
food intended for distribution, and made sure that council policy is that
people who are abused should be considered above the abuser when
considering housing needs.
- In June at the Edinburgh councillor group AGM, Mary Campbell handed over
the reins to Claire Miller as the Green representative at COSLA, where the
Greens participate in the leaders meetings on issues affecting all local
councils across Scotland.
- Normally July is the quietest month for the City Council, as most
committees take a break and resident casework slows down while people take
holidays. Nothing about 2020 is normal, however, and it was as busy as
ever as the Council gradually starting to bring back more normal levels of
services.
- In July Cllr Derek Howie resigned from the SNP and has joined the Scottish
Green Party. Derek will remain an independent councillor for the remainder
of this term, ending in May 2022, but Green councillor group have been in
discussions about shared aims and priorities and how we might work
together. In our constructive discussions with Derek we have identified
ways in which we can work together, whether at meetings of all councillors
or at neighbourhood level. The arrangement will not change the formal
Green Group of Councillors as elected in 2017.
- The Group held an August EGM and agreed that Melanie Main and Alex
Staniforth would continue as co-conveners until May 2021.
- Full Council met for the first time on-line on 30th June, and from 1st
September all other Committees are meeting. All meetings continue to be
on-line.
Over the year Councilllors have deal with literally thousands of requests for
help from residents and supported and initiated numerous local projects. You can
read our full monthly reports which give highlights/examples.
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