Original PDF: 2022-23 Engagement report.
Contents
- Introduction
- Noticeboards
- NTBCC website
- Residents’ associations
- Walkabouts
- Formal responses to local government consultations and deputations to City of Edinburgh Council committees</li>
- Engagement with other community councils, networks and heritage organizations</li>
- Reform of the community councils
- Previous NTBCC Engagement Plans
1. Introduction
The New Town & Broughton Community Council (NTBCC) met both in-person and by video conference during 2022-2023.
Video conference enabled a high level of community engagement during the pandemic, and we have continued to use it alternately with in-person meetings at St Mary’s Broughton’s Drummond Room. (Since the last AGM in June 2022 we have had six in-person meetings and seven video ones.)
We have continued to use Zoom, notable for its easy interface, quality of video and audio, and bandwidth handling capacity which we regard as superior to other platforms such as MS TEAMS.
2. Noticeboards
As in 2020, 2021, and 2022, the Communications Committee produced a laminated notice of NTBCC meetings for 2023 which was displayed in locations throughout our area.
3. NTBCC website
The NTBCC website (http://www.ntbcc.org.uk) continues to be used to advertise meetings, agendas, publish minutes and consultation documents and to communicate government, council and other information to residents. Views per month rose from 1000 in 2019 to 1,400 in 2020, and then 1840 in 2021. In 2022 it fell to 1400 views and then to 1336 in 2023.
4. twitter
The twitter platform continues to be used by NTBCC to reach the wider Edinburgh public. During the year, the number of followers rose from 1575 to 1631 – reflecting the continued influence of NTBCC in the community and ability to reach the media, council services and councillors.
5. Residents’ associations
The number of residents’ associations (RAAs) represented on NTBCC increased to six, with the addition of a representative for the Moray Feu Neighbourhood Association. There are two vacancies.
Carol Nimmo, Chair of NTBCC, continued to convene a wide group of NTBCC member and non-member residents’ associations to discuss waste issues.
6. Walkabouts
No walkabouts were held during the year.
7. Formal responses to local government consultations and deputations to City of Edinburgh Council committees
NTBCC made six submissions and deputations during 2022-2023 compared with 17 during 2021-2022, 11 in 2020-2021, and 8 in 2019-2020.
These were:
- The FLY music festival – NTBCC’s objection, 30 August 2022
- Edinburgh Christmas Market Application for 2022 – 2026 : NTBCC Response, 6 November 2022
- ‘Use of Public Spaces in Edinburgh for Events and Filming’: deputation to Edinburgh Council Culture & Communities Committee, 13 December 2022
- ‘Edinburgh’s Thriving Greenspaces 2050’ consultation, 28 December 2022
- Deputation to Transport and Environment Committee meeting to be held on 18 May 2023 regarding item 7.3 Communal Bin Review Update, 16 May 2023
- NTBCC statement on George St, 12 Sept 2023
The list above does not include representations submitted to various planning applications, DPEA appeals and others during the period or submissions to the Licensing Sub-committee on various applications (occasional or permanent).
8. Engagement with other community councils, networks and heritage organizations
NTBCC continued to be actively involved with Community Councils Together on Trams (CCTT) alongside the three Leith community councils. Ten meetings were held: on 26 July, 11 August, 8 September, 13 October, 11 November, 12 December 2022, 9 February, 9 March, 13 April, and 11 May 2023.
The Five City Centre Community Councils, of which NTBCC is a member, met once on 26 June 2023 for a discussion with the FLY Open Air event organisers, while informally the community councils have corresponded about many city centre issues. Old Town, Tollcross and West End Community Councils supported the NTBCC deputation on the ‘Use of Public Spaces for Events and Filming’ to the City of Edinburgh Council Culture and Communities Committee on 13 December 2022.
The George Street Association (GSA) have continued to invite NTBCC to participate in their meetings and we reciprocated by inviting the GSA. The Edinburgh Access Panel have also attended NTBCC to discuss the George Street proposals.
NTBCC also attends the Civic Forum, organized by the Cockburn Association, that promotes dialogue between city officers and community councils.
9. Reform of the community councils
A statutory consultation on the Community Council Scheme and Boundary Review 2023 opened on 9 October and will run to 5 December (drop-in sessions and video meetings), while an online consultation Community Council Scheme and Boundary Review 2023 -Phase 1 suddenly announced on 6 October, runs (retrospectively!) from 5 October to 18 December 2023.
10. Previous NTBCC Engagement Plans
The first NTBCC Engagement Plan of May 2020, presented at the AGM on 12 October 2020, dealt at length (17 pages) with background information about NTBCC and the area it represents. This is relevant to the current review of community council boundaries (https://www.ntbcc.org.uk/new-town-and-broughton-community-council-engagement-plan-may-2020-2).
The second NTBCC Engagement Plan of June 2021 is also available online (http://www.ntbcc.org.uk/ntbcc-engagement-plan-june-2021).
The third NTBCC Engagement Plan of June 2022 is also available online (https://www.ntbcc.org.uk/new-town-broughton-community-council-engagement-plan-june-2022).
Simon Holledge,
NTBCC Engagement Officer,
9 October 2023