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Edinburgh Reporter
13-05-2025
- Automotive
- Edinburgh Reporter
Council reduces number of vehicles hired to enter LEZ
When The City of Edinburgh Council set up the Low Emission Zone in June 2024, a number of council-owned vehicles did not comply with the new regulations. The 41 vehicles, which amounted to 3.5% of the council fleet, and which for example included buses fitted with special lifts for those in wheelchairs, had to be replaced with hired vehicles. The council now says that replacement vehicles have been ordered to replace all 41, but that the specialist nature of the vehicles meant that it would take a longer time to obtain delivery as they were made to order. The council has managed to replace 32 of the vehicles with only 9 left which are still on hire. In addition to this group there are 22 other vehicles which do not comply with the LEZ requirements, but which do not require to access the city centre. The Transport Convener said this morning that it is the council's intention to make their entire fleet compliant within the financial year. Cllr Stephen Jenkinson, Transport and Environment Convener, said:'Later on this year, I'll be pleased to report that The City of Edinburgh Council's entire fleet is compliant with the LEZ.' The council was asked to supply the cost of hiring vehicles to comply with the LEZ restrictions during the last year. The total cost for the period from 1 August 2024 to date is £308,232. The LEZ came into effect on 1 June 2024. Enforcement of the LEZ in Edinburgh began in June 2024 PHOTO ©2023 The Edinburgh Reporter Like this: Like Related
Edinburgh Reporter
07-05-2025
- Edinburgh Reporter
Alarm on lodge house in Dalry Cemetery to be 'deactivated'
Following a long running court case involving the owner of the lodge house at Dalry Cemetery, Philippa Berry, and the founder of Friends of Dalry Cemetery, Jakob Assarsson, it has been agreed that the alarm at the lodge house will be deactivated. The alarm which sounded a loud 'air raid style' siren had been installed by Ms Berry after buying the house from the council in 2016. Although funerals at the cemetery are now rare, the siren sounded during the two minute silence at remembrance services held by the Friends group despite the owner being given advance notice. In 2023 Ms Berry accused Mr Assarsson and the Friends of harassment, and obtained an interim interdict to prevent him from either working or going near her house. She had multiple cameras fitted to the exterior of the house, along with the alarm which sounded when anyone entered the cemetery. Since then the court action continued but has been recently settled without liability on either side on the basis that Ms Berry removes the alarm and restricts any new alarms to within her property boundary. The other terms of the settlement are confidential although Mr Assarsson said he has waived a portion of his legal expenses as part of the agreement. Mr Assarsson said that the 'important thing is that it's finally over'. He said to all his supporters: 'Thank you so much for your support through this and your ongoing support. I couldn't have done this without you.' He founded the Friends group during lockdown to voluntarily improve and clean up the cemetery grounds as well as giving volunteers somewhere to spend time outdoors. All Friends groups in the city are governed by rules laid down by the The City of Edinburgh Council. Jakob set up a GoFundMe page to assist in defending himself against the court action by Ms Berry in which he explained the situation: 'One local resident recently had an exterior siren installed. This 'gate alarm' has no security function for their house. Instead, it goes off whenever someone enters the Cemetery through the main cemetery gates on Dalry Road, from early morning to late evening, seven days a week. 'The siren has been installed as a deterrent to prevent the public enjoying a precious green space that local people have worked so tirelessly to improve. It is also distressing to those visiting family graves. The resident also manually activates various additional sirens and alarms at specific people, such as me and my family, and other group volunteers. 'The resident describes the driveway at the main entrance to the cemetery as 'shared', although in reality it is wholly owned by the City of Edinburgh Council and the resident only has access across it. In using adjacent areas to turn their vehicle, they have repeatedly driven over graves, including a Commonwealth war grave, churning the grass into mud.' He explained that he had to defend himself to ensure the issue was permanently resolved. The fundraising page which has to date raised more than £21,000 continues as there are legal fees still to settle, although there is an undertaking that any surplus will be invested in the Friends group. Their recent activities include setting up a Little Free Library in the cemetery. The GoFundMe page is here. ©2023 The Edinburgh Reporter Like this: Like Related
Edinburgh Reporter
22-04-2025
- Politics
- Edinburgh Reporter
Sufficient number of nominees for new Old Town Community Council
At least eight valid nominations for community councillors have been received as new members of Old Town Community Council. In addition a Local Interest Group Representative has also put themselves forward for membership. The minimum number of elected representatives for a new version of the Old Town Community Council after the recent elections was six. Old Town Community Council was one of eight community councils which failed to reach the minimum number of nominations in the first round of elections. It would have collapsed if not for a second round of nominations organised by The City of Edinburgh Council, and nominations closed just last week. Cllr Finlay McFarlane who has been the Returning Officer for the Old Town Community Council Election is delighted. He said: 'I am over the moon that the oldest residential community in the city has rallied to save their Community Council. The Old Town Community Council is an incredibly important voice whose absence would have been a tragic consequence of the councils failure to listen and properly respond to city centre communities. 'Without their campaigning, we may have not secured controls over Short-Term Lets (STLs) from The Scottish Government – a policy already beginning to show green shoots of renewal in one of the most hollowed out areas of the city with residents reporting long-term neighbours returning to their stairs as STLs revert to residential use. 'To say the process for residents wanting to step forward as a community councillor was convoluted would be an understatement. The Crannie Community Hub has been an invaluable help to me in attempting to make the process as easy as possible and acting as a hub for co-ordinating efforts to resurrect the community council and I would like to extend my thanks to them for all their support. 'I look forward to calling the AGM of the new community council term and would encourage the wider community to engage with their work, as I will promise to do everything I can as a city councillor for the Old Town to help secure real change to improve the lives of residents living there.' Fellow Old Town councillor, Margaret Graham has called for a review of the community council election procedure, saying that she wants 'to give community councils more power and impact within the local community'. The Old Town is the centre of the Festival Fringe PHOTO Alan Simpson 7/8/2024 Like this: Like Related
Sky News
05-03-2025
- Sky News
Mum says 12-year-old son's mental health 'severely impacted' after pornography shared between pupils at Edinburgh school
The mother of a 12-year-old boy has told of how her son's mental health has been "severely impacted" due to pornography being shared between pupils at an Edinburgh school. The woman said the explicit material has caused her son to suffer anxiety and left him "scared it's going to happen again". She told Sky News: "I've seen it affect his sleep, his anxiety, not wanting to go to school." The mother, who we are not naming to protect the identity of her son, said the boy has been shown inappropriate material by fellow secondary school pupils on at least six to seven occasions. Some of the pornographic images and videos screened via the children's phones were said to be "very, very explicit", with the mother adding: "His mental health has been severely impacted by what he has seen." The mother said the incidents usually occur during lunch and break times, with the latest reportedly happening around two weeks ago. On one occasion, an explicit gif of male genitalia was allegedly shared within a school year WhatsApp group. 'Once it's seen, you can't unsee it' The mother said: "I don't know how many students are in that, but presumably quite a lot. "Once it's seen, you can't unsee it. The problem with phones is the reach. "All it takes is for one kid to send something to a whole group and then everyone's affected. So, that's the problem." Councillor Joan Griffiths, education, children and families convener, told Sky News it was "shocking to hear" that the inappropriate image had been shared in a secondary school. She said: "Incidents of phone misuse in school are treated extremely seriously, and we take immediate action to ensure that instances like this are dealt with appropriately." The councillor added restrictions had been placed on phone use in the school "as necessary", with a "variety of support measures" implemented - including assistance from the school councillor. The mother's concerns separately come amid an ongoing police probe into a sextortion plot which has seen an eight-year-old Edinburgh schoolgirl targeted. In December last year, it emerged that pupils in the Scottish capital were able to view explicit material on school-issued iPads. At the time, The City of Edinburgh Council said blocking inappropriate content was a priority and steps had been taken to prevent it from being accessed. It was this that prompted the mother to ask her son if he had viewed anything inappropriate. She said: "Apart from the porn, he's also been shown shootings and kidnappings. And he's finding it all very difficult to deal with, very overwhelming." The mother has lodged a complaint with the secondary school and is calling for the building to be "phone-free" as part of efforts to prevent further instances from happening again. 'This is his childhood' The headteacher was said to have apologised for the boy having an "unpleasant experience". The mother said: "It's not just unpleasant. This is his childhood, and he'd never seen porn until he went to high school. "We can't have kids as young as 11 viewing pornography at the school. It's inappropriate and they're not mature enough to deal with that." 'They're scared to report it' The mother claims the current onus is on the children to report incidents of this nature, which she said "puts too much responsibility" on the youngsters and could lead to bullying. She added: "They're scared to report it. They're just kids. "For me, it's a major safeguarding concern. I can't contact all the other parents and tell them to put controls on their kids' phones or to check the content. "I do personally think parents have a responsibility when they give their kids these devices. "But for the people who don't give their kids the devices, they should expect high school to be a safe place, socially and for their learning."
Sky News
05-03-2025
- Sky News
Mum says 12-year-old son's mental health has been 'severely impacted' after pornography shared between pupils at Edinburgh school
The mother of a 12-year-old boy has told of how her son's mental health has been "severely impacted" due to pornography being shared between pupils at an Edinburgh school. The woman said the explicit material has caused her son to suffer anxiety and left him "scared it's going to happen again". She told Sky News: "I've seen it affect his sleep, his anxiety, not wanting to go to school." The mother, who we are not naming to protect the identity of her son, said the boy has been shown inappropriate material by fellow secondary school pupils on at least six to seven occasions. Some of the pornographic images and videos screened via the children's phones were said to be "very, very explicit", with the mother adding: "His mental health has been severely impacted by what he has seen." The mother said the incidents usually occur during lunch and break times, with the latest reportedly happening around two weeks ago. On one occasion, an explicit gif of male genitalia was allegedly shared within a school year WhatsApp group. 'Once it's seen, you can't unsee it' The mother said: "I don't know how many students are in that, but presumably quite a lot. "Once it's seen, you can't unsee it. The problem with phones is the reach. "All it takes is for one kid to send something to a whole group and then everyone's affected. So, that's the problem." Councillor Joan Griffiths, education, children and families convener, told Sky News it was "shocking to hear" that the inappropriate image had been shared in a secondary school. She said: "Incidents of phone misuse in school are treated extremely seriously, and we take immediate action to ensure that instances like this are dealt with appropriately." The councillor added restrictions had been placed on phone use in the school "as necessary", with a "variety of support measures" implemented - including assistance from the school councillor. The mother's concerns separately come amid an ongoing police probe into a sextortion plot which has seen an eight-year-old Edinburgh schoolgirl targeted. In December last year, it emerged that pupils in the Scottish capital were able to view explicit material on school-issued iPads. At the time, The City of Edinburgh Council said blocking inappropriate content was a priority and steps had been taken to prevent it from being accessed. It was this that prompted the mother to ask her son if he had viewed anything inappropriate. She said: "Apart from the porn, he's also been shown shootings and kidnappings. And he's finding it all very difficult to deal with, very overwhelming." The mother has lodged a complaint with the secondary school and is calling for the building to be "phone-free" as part of efforts to prevent further instances from happening again. 'This is his childhood' The headteacher was said to have apologised for the boy having an "unpleasant experience". The mother said: "It's not just unpleasant. This is his childhood, and he'd never seen porn until he went to high school. "We can't have kids as young as 11 viewing pornography at the school. It's inappropriate and they're not mature enough to deal with that." 'They're scared to report it' The mother claims the current onus is on the children to report incidents of this nature, which she said "puts too much responsibility" on the youngsters and could lead to bullying. She added: "They're scared to report it. They're just kids. "For me, it's a major safeguarding concern. I can't contact all the other parents and tell them to put controls on their kids' phones or to check the content. "I do personally think parents have a responsibility when they give their kids these devices. "But for the people who don't give their kids the devices, they should expect high school to be a safe place, socially and for their learning."
