August 2024 News from Councillor Neil Ross

Travellers camp on Braid Hills

Following concerns raised by local residents, I have been in regular contact with officers within the Council regarding the camp at Braid Hills Drive. Officers have started regular visits to the site and are engaging with the families in relation to health and wellbeing concerns, accessibility to services, rubbish disposal, conduct and also a timeframe for their stay. The Council is duty bound to follow the Scottish Government’s Guidelines on managing Unauthorised Camp Sites.  I understand the land owner is preparing the legal action required to move the people on.

If you are experiencing issues regarding the control of dogs, please report to the Street Enforcement Team via Streetenforcement@edinburgh.gov.uk  Littering/fly tipping can be reported via Waste@edinburgh.gov.uk or by phone 0131 608 1100. If you witness anti-social behaviour, you can report this to Police Scotland via 101 or to the Council’s Family and Household Support team via Southeast.familyandhouseholdsupport@edinburgh.gov.uk or by telephone on 0131 529 5494 during office hours.

Warning about the Bin Strike

Unless pay negotiations are successful in time, the Council is expecting a bin strike from 14 to 22 August. It would mean no kerbside or street bin waste collections, no street cleaning or weed removal. Recycling centres and public toilets would also be closed. More information, with regular updates, is available here.

Council reduces use of Glyphosate

The Council is minimising the use of glyphosate weed killer on roads and pavements, in response to the climate and ecological emergencies, and will this year cease its use altogether in parks and greenspaces. Instead, it is increasing its labour-intensive manual and mechanical weed removal methods, which take longer. However, if your street is weed infested, you can make a request to the Council via waste@edinburgh.gov.uk. More information is available here.

Eric Liddell 100 window display competition

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Eric Liddell’s gold medal achievement in the 1924 Paris Olympic Games, the Eric Liddell Community is running a shop window display competition till 4 August in Bruntsfield, Church Hill, Morningside and Comiston. For more information and to register your vote for the best display, visit the Eric Liddell website here.

Short Term Lets Licensing consultation

Since introducing a licensing scheme for Short-Term Lets (STLs) in 2022, the Council has received over 4,000 applications for STL licences. It now wants to hear from residents and operators on its licensing policy. The consultation can be found here. It closes on 14 October. As convener of the committee responsible for the policy, I would encourage residents and operators to feed in their views so that the committee can consider suggestions for improvements. The Council has recently agreed to trial a shorter, simpler application form for home sharing and home letting.

How to report overgrown plants & bushes

Obstructions on pavements caused by overgrown hedges, plants or trees are a nuisance to pedestrians. Reports of overhanging foliage can be made to the Council and a letter should be issued asking the land owner to cut them back. Report it here.