People in local communities are missing out because the council does not support the costs of printing or translation of leaflets connected to Local Place Plans (LPPs).

The council is now working on preparing the City Plan 2040 and as part of that has put out a call to any “constituted group” to have their say in the form of a Local Place Plan. This will help the council in producing a plan for the whole city which reflects the views of people living here. Some of those groups are community councils. So far two LPPs have been registered – one for Wester Hailes and one for Midmar Paddock.

At a recent Planning Committee meeting, the Green group tried to fix the problem, by asking that the council would pay for “accessible materials for community groups” but they lost out at the vote – and the Planning Convener said this was “already happening”.

Community groups say that not everyone in the area can contribute or participate easily as English is not their first language and so leaflets translated into other languages are a necessity. According to a recent FOI request around a quarter of the residents of Gorgie/Dalry speak a language other than English. And it appears that the council – despite suggestions from the Planning Convener to the contrary – will not make any financial contribution to printing or translation costs until council officers have looked into the likely costs ahead of budget-setting.

A spokesperson for Gorgie/Dalry Community Council, Moira said: “Gorgie Dalry is a diverse area, and we want our local place plan to be representative of our whole community whether they have internet access or speak English as a first language or not. We need the council to provide support to assist with this goal.”

Cllr Alys Mumford said: “Everyone is agreed that hearing community voices in planning decisions is vital, so it’s really disappointing that our request to support local groups to access translation services and other accessibility measures was voted down. Groups making Local Place Plans – something the council asks them to do to improve our work – should be supported to reach as many people in their communities as they can, and we know that having information in a wide range of formats and languages can help with that. It is so disheartening to hear councillors from other parties claim to support access and inclusion and then repeatedly fail to take the tiniest steps towards making this happen.

“At least the promise to have information on including costs in the upcoming budget decision will allow us to see which parties actually value community voices, and who fails to prioritise measures to help those furthest from democracy to have their say.”

Planning Convener, Cllr Joan Griffiths said: “We’re grateful for the huge amount of time and effort Community Councils all over Edinburgh put into their Local Place Plans. It’s important that they feel supported to carry out this work and we’re looking at how we can improve this. There are many ways community groups can take action to make their plans as inclusive as they can. Our officers can provide advice and support on this.”

Cllr Ross McKenzie. Photo: © 2022, Martin P. McAdam www.martinmcadam.com

Cllr Ross McKenzie who represents Gorgie/Dalry said: “I watched this item with interest as I was aware that Gorgie Dalry Community Council had requested help with translation. Sadly, it played out like so many other decisions on this Council. The Greens made a really strong case, backed with evidence, in line with Council strategy, and were supported by the SNP. The Convener simply said “these things are already happening” and voted the proposal down with Tory and Lib Dem support. These things are not already happening – that’s why a proposal was made and that’s why there was a vote! The only explanation for the Convener’s confusion is that she had failed to engage with the issue and simply voted in line with officers and Tories. This happens all the time. It’s absolutely pathetic.”

According to the council website: “Every place in Edinburgh is different. Local Place Plans have been brought in to reflect this. They are a new type of plan introduced by the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019. Producing a Local Place Plan gives you a chance to shape the future of your local area by creating a plan that addresses local needs or concerns.”

The council budget will be set in February 2026.

Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.

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