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Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Luke Jackson<\/b><\/p>\n
The Scottish Government needs a delivery plan that clearly explains to the public how it will reform the NHS and address the pressures on services. <\/p>\n
Despite increasing funding and staffing, the NHS in Scotland is still seeing fewer patients than before the Covid-19 pandemic. Auditors found that: <\/p>\n
– commitments to reducing waiting lists and times have not been met <\/p>\n
– the number of people remaining in hospital because their discharge has been delayed is the highest on record
\n– and NHS initiatives to improve productivity and patient outcomes have yet to have an impact and lack clear progress reporting. <\/p>\n
Health accounts for about 40 per cent of the Scottish budget. Funding grew again in 2023\/24 but has mostly been used to cover pay commitments and inflation. Costs are forecast to continue rising and making savings remains challenging. Work to build new healthcare facilities also remains paused. <\/p>\n
The Scottish Government\u2019s restated vision for health and social care is not clear on how these operational pressures on the NHS will be addressed or how reform will be prioritised. It needs to work with NHS staff, partners and the public to set out a clear delivery plan and make tough decisions about how it may change or potentially even stop some services. <\/p>\n
Stephen Boyle, Auditor General for Scotland, said: <\/p>\n
\u201cTo safeguard the NHS, a fundamental change in how services are provided remains urgent. The Scottish Government needs to set out clearly to the public and the health service how it will deliver reform, including how progress will be measured and monitored. <\/p>\n
\u201cDifficult decisions are needed about making services more efficient or, potentially, withdrawing those services with more limited clinical value to allow funding to be re-directed. Taking those steps will require greater leadership from Scottish Government and NHS leaders than we\u2019ve seen to date.\u201d <\/p>\n
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Christine Klien is one of the residents who appealed over bin sheds.<\/p>\n
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Marie Sharp<\/b><\/p>\n
Residents in an East Lothian street have lost their fight to keep their bin sheds after building them on shrubbery beds outside their garden gates.<\/p>\n
Home owners living in Pithead Heights, Prestonpans, created the wooden covers after arguing that the council\u2019s decision to only empty household waste every three weeks left them with stinking bins in their small gardens.<\/p>\n
And they pointed out there was nothing to stop them putting the bins themselves out on the street, adding the wooden covers simply made them look more tidy.<\/p>\n
East Lothian planners ordered the sheds to be removed after a single complaint. Two residents who appealed an enforcement notice to Scottish Ministers have now lost their battle after the Scottish Government Reporter backed council planners saying the land the bins are on must be returned to communal space.<\/p>\n
At least four home owners in Pithead Heights, in Prestonpans, installed the wooden storage units over the last four years.<\/p>\n
However the single complaint from another residents led to years of wrangling with the local authority with the householders ordered to apply for planning permission for the shed, which was then refused.<\/p>\n
Residents Christine Klien and Susan Ralston both appealed the order from the council to remove their bin sheds.<\/p>\n
A third resident Debbie Gray had her appeal dismissed as being submitted a day too late for consideration by the Reporter.<\/p>\n
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<\/a>At the time Debbie, a nurse, criticised the council for wasting money pursuing the enforcement notices when there was nothing to stop the residents just putting their bins out on the strip of land.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cThere is nothing to stop us putting our bins outside our gates all the time. All we have done is put up a storage unit which makes it look tidy and stops recycling from being swept all over the street in windy weather.<\/p>\n
\u201cEast Lothian Council is always banging on that it has no money, so why is it wasting public funds pursuing enforcement action, It is a huge waste of time and money over something which received a single complaint and is doing no harm.\u201d<\/p>\n
Christine Klien, a business operations manager, said she was stunned when the council told her she had unlawfully \u201cextended her garden\u201d.<\/p>\n
She said: \u201cThey have no problem with the bins being left on the same strip of land all the time, other residents have put slabs down over the shrubbery to create a neat spot for them and not faced action.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a dog and if I keep the household bin in the garden he goes straight to it because the three weekly collections mean it can smell. It ruins the garden for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Reporter dismissed both appeals saying the plans for the housing clearly showed no planning permission was in place for the sheds and they did breach planning rules.<\/p>\n
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Edinburgh Boiler Company Managing Director Dougie Bell (left) with chairman Mark Glasgow.<\/p>\n
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Luke Jackson<\/b><\/p>\n
Founder Mark Glasgow has spoken of his pride at the Edinburgh Boiler Company (EBC) being named Building Services Contractor of the Year at the H&V News Awards 2024.<\/p>\n
The Dalkeith business landed the prestigious national honour after impressing the judges with its growth over the past year following a successful transition into renewables.<\/p>\n
The last 12 months has seen the firm more than double its staff to 50, using the nearby Energy Training Academy to upskill gas engineers into heat pumps and electricians into solar battery storage as part of a complete rebrand of the company. Turnover is also on course to hit record levels due to the ongoing demand.<\/p>\n
The H&V News Awards are the biggest and most respected event for the sector and to come out on top in the Contractor of the Year category, is a real milestone for the company which launched in 2015.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the key objectives we set at the at the start of the year was winning an H&V News award and it goes without saying how happy we are. Being recognised in this way when up against some of the UK\u2019s largest contractors is a special achievement for us,\u201d said Mark.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe knew we had to adapt to the changes in the sector. Transitioning into renewables was never going to be easy and the team deserves enormous credit for what they have done.<\/p>\n
\u201cI put a lot of faith in Dougie Bell when making him managing director and he has taken the business to another level while fostering a terrific spirit within the staff and delivering an enhanced customer service.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn terms of recognition, it has to be my proudest moment since starting the business. We lifted the Small Company Achievement of the Year award in 2021 but this is the big one we wanted.
\n\u201cCongratulations to all the other winners.\u201d <\/p>\n
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<\/a>Dougie Bell took on the MD role in January this year as Mark stepped into the chairman role and reflecting on this latest honour, he said: \u201cBeing nominated was a big thing for us but to actually win contractor of the year is incredible.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was stunned when I heard us called out as the winners and there was a bit of disbelief to be honest! It\u2019s still not really sunk in that we have been recognised in the industry as the best contractor in the UK.<\/p>\n
\u201cNone of this would have been possible without our amazing staff, from those in the office to everyone out in the field. It\u2019s been a real team effort and credit to everyone \u2013 this award is for all of them as they have all flourished over the past year.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a big decision to move into the renewable space and we carried out a full rebrand of the business to reflect that. If we hadn\u2019t made that transition, we wouldn\u2019t have seen that exceptional growth in the past 12 months.\u201d<\/p>\n
On a memorable night in London for EBC, it was also highly commended in the low carbon impact category.<\/p>\n
Neil Merrett, editor of emap\u2019s H&V News said: \u201cIt is a pleasure to be part of the continued recognition of innovative thinking across the HVAC and building engineering sector. The winners in 2024 demonstrate some of the most transformational technologies, products and services being developed to tackle notable challenges in the supply of lower cost and lower carbon heat for a range of users.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey also serve as important case studies for the wider industry to demonstrate the different approaches to efficiency and decarbonisation.\u201d<\/p>\n
For more information, see theedinburghboilercompany.com<\/a><\/p>\n A lodge at Blenheim Palace gives an example of how Dalkeith holiday accommodation could look.<\/p>\n Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Marie Sharp<\/b><\/p>\n A plan to build up to 200 holiday lodges within Dalkeith Country Park will help sustain the estate for the future and boost the local economy, its operators say.<\/p>\n The proposals are set to have a first look from Midlothian councillors at a meeting of their planning committee next week.<\/p>\n Buccleuch Estates says the move into holiday accommodation will provide \u2018vital income\u2019 towards its continued stewardship of the country park.<\/p>\n In their design statement for the lodges they say more investment is needed in the commercial side of the park to attract people all year round and ensure its future. They say: \u201cHoliday lodge accommodation offers an important commercial opportunity for the estate, given the natural beauty and accessibility of its parkland.<\/p>\n \u201cDeveloped sympathetically within the landscape at an appropriate scale, it would contribute vital income to Buccleuch\u2019s stewardship programme and provide a valuable economic benefit to the local economy, through employment and visitor spend.\u201d<\/p>\n The proposed site for the lodges lies between Salters Road on the East and the River South Esk on the west over nearly 42 hectares of land.<\/p>\n In their proposal the applicants say the lodges will be designed to blend in to the natural landscape and will be energy efficient and use eco-friendly material. There are also plans to reduce their footprint by off site construction to deliver them in sections to reduce onsite work and environmental impact.<\/p>\n They include an image of a lodge retreat cabin at Blenheim Palace as an example of the type proposed.<\/p>\n The Pre Application Notice will go before planning committee next week for councillors to comment on ahead of any plans being formally submitted.<\/p>\n They are available to view on the Midlothian Planning Portal HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n Doddie Weir and Christine Grahame in the Scottish Parliament in 2019.<\/p>\n Christine Grahame MSP writes her monthly column for Midlothian View<\/strong><\/p>\n More than 40 years ago, a friend and colleague told me she had been diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND). Neither she nor I had any real knowledge of what that was or what it meant. These were of course in the days before the internet where you can Google now almost anything. Within a short time she was confined to a chair, and reduced at first to being fed only Complan. Again as swallowing became more and more difficult, that was nor a dietary option, and indeed at one point a perfume dispenser was adapted to squirt water directly into her throat to allow her to keep her to have some fluid. Rough and ready compared thankfully to today\u2019s adaptations. <\/p>\n But there has not been progress on a cure or even stabilising this dreadful disease. Now you will all have heard of Doddie Weir and seen him in his individual garish tartan suit. Having retired from international rugby, in 2017 he was diagnosed with MND and told he would be confined to a wheelchair within a year. <\/p>\n Life expectancy is reckoned between one to five years with an erosion of any mobility as the body degenerates, until swallowing, breathing, speaking is taken away too. It is a diagnosis where the patient knows exactly the destination and the route the disease will take. Doddie used the time he had to set up the My Name\u20195 Doddie Foundation in 2017 to raise funds for research into motor neuron disease. <\/p>\n Since that time, the Foundation has invested over \u00a311 million in research into effective treatments and a cure for MND, but this remains a challenging disease and this will still be a long road to a cure. The Foundation\u2019s single largest annual fundraising campaign is Doddie Aid, which runs from 1 January for five weeks. It sees participants signing up with a \u00a320 one-off donation for their own personal exercise challenge, whether it be running, cycling, swimming, dancing or walking, over the five weeks. <\/p>\n In my case, that will be limited but we each can set our own achievable targets. I joined in this and the Scottish Parliament recently. Money raised will be invested in research, collaborating, partnering with others to influence the research agenda, and involving people affected by MND in everything the charity does. <\/p>\n Did you know that approximately 1,100 people are diagnosed with MND every year in the UK and that up to 5,000 adults in the UK are affected at any one time. It is not as rare as you would think. <\/p>\n Doddie Weir, born in Edinburgh lived most of his life in the Scottish Borders and died there on 26 November 2022. I had the privilege of meeting him while he was still out and about and remember a gentle giant with an endearing smile despite that dreadful disease. 40 years on from my friend and colleague, a cure is no closer but you can do your bit by taking part in the annual fund raising in January. Just visit www.myname5doddie.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n Lasswade High School. Photograph by Lee Live<\/a><\/p>\n Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Luke Jackson<\/b><\/p>\n Midlothian Council wants to hear the public\u2019s views on its proposal to close Lasswade High School Childcare Service. <\/p>\n The statutory consultation begins today and ends on Friday 24 January 2025.<\/p>\n If given the go ahead, Lasswade High School Childcare Service would close in September 2025. <\/p>\n CLICK HERE<\/a> to go online to give your views<\/p>\n Residents can also find the consultation on the council website at www.midlothian.gov.uk\/LasswadeChildcare<\/a><\/p>\n The council will hold a public meeting about the proposal on Thursday 16 January 2025 at 6:30pm in Lasswade High School.<\/p>\n Alternatively, local people can book a 20 minute slot at one of the council\u2019s virtual drop-in sessions. They will run from 2pm to 4pm and 5pm to 7pm on Tuesday 10 December and Thursday 12 December 2024.<\/p>\n To book a virtual slot email EducationConsultation@midlothian.gov.uk<\/a> Residents can also email EducationConsultation@midlothian.gov.uk<\/a> to ask for a paper copy, which can be posted back to Lasswade High School Childcare Service Consultation, Freepost SCO 622, Midlothian Council, Dalkeith EH22 1DN<\/p>\n The consultation can also be supplied in braille, large print, audiotape or in your own language although please note the council\u2019s website offers reading, speech and translation support when you use the browse aloud headphones icon at the bottom right-hand side of the pages.<\/p>\n Anyone who needs any further help should contact EducationConsultation@midlothian.gov.uk<\/a><\/p>\n The winners with Midlothian Provost, Cllr Debbi McCall and Midlothian Young People Awards Lord-Lieutenant, Lt Col Richard Callander. Photograph by Lee Live<\/a><\/p>\n Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Luke Jackson<\/b><\/p>\n Amazing young people in Midlothian have been recognised at a special ceremony held at Rosslyn Chapel.<\/p>\n The Midlothian Young People Awards (MYPA) are open to young people living, working or studying in Midlothian whose contribution to their local community deserves to be acknowledged.<\/p>\n The award scheme is a collaborative effort supported by the council\u2019s Communities Lifelong Learning and Employability (CLLE) team, Midlothian\u2019s Lord-Lieutenant & his deputes and the Midlothian Youth Platform and other young people.<\/p>\n Midlothian Council Chief, Executive Grace Vickers, welcomed everyone to the event which was hosted by Group Service Manager Annette Lang supported by S6 St Davids High School pupil, Eustaice Oweh who did a fantastic job as the co-host. Matt Kelly from the council\u2019s Recycling team, who is also a renowned poet, read a poem that he had written specifically for the event.<\/p>\n There are five categories of awards: <\/p>\n The Caring and Volunteering Award <\/strong><\/p>\n This recognises young people who volunteer in caring activities within Midlothian.<\/p>\n The Winner in this category was Reuben Ferguson and Runner Up was Chloe Patterson.<\/p>\n The Sport and Physical Activity Award <\/strong><\/p>\n This recognises success and outstanding improvement and achievement in a sport for a particular team of individuals or for one individual.<\/p>\n The Winner was Aimee Aitken and the Runner up was Aimee Falconer<\/p>\n The Arts and Culture Award <\/strong><\/p>\n This recognises outstanding achievement in performance, visual arts, music, singing, dance, creative arts and media. <\/p>\n The Winner was the KP Glee Choir and the Runner Up was Kieran Burnett.<\/p>\n The Achievement in Learning Award <\/strong><\/p>\n This recognises young people who demonstrate a commitment in developing skills for work and care about the future of young people in Midlothian.<\/p>\n The Winner was Jayden Bradley and the Runner Up was Rachel Leitch<\/p>\n The Local Community Award <\/strong><\/p>\n This recognises the role young people play in their local community which make a real difference locally, to a village, town or local area.<\/p>\n The Winner was Jake Mowatt and the Runners Up were brother and sister Blair and Aila Mackenzie.<\/p>\n The Midlothian Award <\/strong><\/p>\n This goes to a young person who is chosen from all the nominations and recognises their outstanding contribution to Midlothian as a whole.<\/p>\n The Winner was Rachel Pettigrew. <\/p>\n Prizes were presented by Midlothian Provost, Cllr Debbi McCall and Midlothian\u2019s Lord-Lieutenant, Lt Col Richard Callander.<\/p>\n Each Winner and Runner up received a certificate and a trophy and a charitable donation will also be made on their behalf to a charity of their choice. <\/p>\n Commenting on the young people\u2019s achievements for the Midlothian Young People Awards Lord-Lieutenant, Lt Col Richard Callander said: <\/p>\n \u201cAfter receiving a record number of entries for this year\u2019s awards, I am delighted to offer my warmest congratulations to all winners and runners up and thanks to everyone who made a nomination. Once again, these awards have provided an opportunity to highlight some amazing achievements by some of Midlothian\u2019s exceptional young people, who are an inspiration to us all.\u2019<\/p>\n \u200bMidlothian Provost, Cllr Debbi McCall said:<\/p>\n “Congratulations to all the winners at the Midlothian Young People Awards 2024. These awards provide a special opportunity to celebrate amazing and determined young people in our community. All the winners should be very proud of their achievements. They are role models and provide inspiration to other young people . A big thank you to everyone who made the effort to make a nomination.\u201d<\/p>\n This View has been written by Midlothian MP, Kirsty McNeill<\/strong><\/p>\n Dear Midlothian,<\/p>\n I am writing to you today about how I will be voting on the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill. This is what is called a \u2018free\u2019 or conscience vote, meaning individual members of parliament are not subject to any \u2018party line\u2019 on the topic and can vote entirely in line with their own views about what is best for the country.<\/p>\n Exercising judgement on a moral topic of this magnitude is a responsibility I have taken very seriously. I have gratefully consumed evidence and perspectives from so many organisations and individuals from beyond Midlothian and I would like to put on record my thanks to them all.<\/p>\n It is, however, to you the people of Midlothian that I am addressing this letter as I want you to understand what considerations have weighed most heavily on me in thinking about this vote. What follows is lengthy. That is because this has been a very finely balanced decision for me and I feel it is important to share with you not only which way I am voting but why.<\/p>\n I am hugely grateful to those of you who have written to me or attended one of our local community engagement sessions. I appreciate the time you have taken to suggest things I should read, watch or listen to and how thoughtful and thorough so many of you have been in explaining what has brought you to the conclusions you have reached. I feel especially privileged to have heard your stories of loss and I am holding those of you who are grieving particularly close to my heart today. Anyone who has ever lost someone they love knows that you do not \u201cmove on\u201d. I dearly hope, however, that you might \u201cmove forward\u201d and I will be willing you on each step along the hard road to come.<\/p>\n My rationale for listening so deeply to constituents\u2019 views is not because I wanted to outsource my decision to you. Instead, I have sought to consult and read widely because there are so many competing moral claims and diverging expert views. I have wanted to satisfy myself that I have tested my premises and intuitions thoroughly. There is nobody better to do that with than the people who sent me to parliament.<\/p>\n I do not expect everyone to agree with either my decision or my reasoning but I do hope, in setting it out, we can understand each other a little more. The ability to disagree well, recognising the humanity of those of different perspectives and the strength and legitimacy of their arguments is, in my view, the single most important skill we must develop in our democracy. That spirit was much in evidence in our discussions in Midlothian. The sensitivity and care with which people have debated some of the most fundamental questions about what it is to be human have been extraordinarily moving and will, I hope, continue to characterise our deliberations in future.<\/p>\n My vote will be cast\u00a0in favour of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill<\/b>\u00a0at its Second Reading.<\/p>\n Let me explain why.<\/p>\n Questions around choice and coercion<\/b><\/p>\n The most difficult part of this decision has been determining the extent to which choices at the end of life can ever be, or are likely to be, truly free.<\/p>\n My starting point on this has been that to want the ability to make significant choices about one\u2019s own life is a legitimate desire. It is one that should be facilitated by public policy unless there is a risk of substantial harm to others or good reason to believe that choices are being made under such a degree of pressure that they cannot really be called \u2018free\u2019.<\/p>\n Many of the people who have told me about their opposition to this bill have given powerful accounts of why they themselves would never choose an assisted death or how they have supported loved ones in their final days who would have never chosen this for themselves.<\/p>\n These have been very moving discussions about people\u2019s desire to squeeze every last moment out of life, regardless of the suffering they might need to endure. I have been enormously inspired when reflecting on those conversations. They do not, in my view, mean the choice should be denied to\u00a0others<\/i>\u00a0who might place a different premium on their life\u2019s ultimate duration, preferring instead to focus on its remaining quality, or who might have a different view of what is right or moral in their position. That strikes me as a decision every terminally ill\u00a0person should in principle be able to make for themselves, given that it is not a decision about\u00a0whether\u00a0<\/i>to die but instead about\u00a0when and how<\/i>. This is the argument to which I have given most weight.<\/p>\n The point that has given me pause here is the idea that this choice may not, in reality, be truly free. There are two distinct elements to this argument.<\/p>\n The first concerns direct coercion, where someone who stands to gain from a loved one\u2019s passing might apply pressure on them to consider assisted dying. The bill specifies a custodial sentence of up to 14 years for anyone who does pressure someone and that is to some extent a reassuring safeguard. But the point I lingered longest over is whether I could be confident that our society is good at\u00a0identifying<\/i>\u00a0coercion in other instances. It is, after all, only since 2015 that \u2018coercive or controlling behaviour\u2019 has been recognised as a specific offence in instances of domestic abuse. This remains a real concern for me but one that I have to weigh against the alternative of maintaining the status quo: currently there are no safeguards at all against coercion in families when terminally ill people end up attempting to take their own life.<\/p>\n At the moment, over 600 terminally ill people take their own lives each year. In these cases, a criminal investigation after the fact would be needed to establish coercion, but by then it is too late. Under the proposals for assisted dying, three professionals (two doctors and a judge) will be specifically directed to be vigilant against the risk of coercion. Doctors and judges are already routinely required to assess the likelihood or presence of coercion in other instances (including in discussions around ending life-sustaining care in the case of doctors) and they seem to me to be well qualified to take on this new responsibility.\u00a0\u00a0Introducing a system with multiple, clear, and strict legal safeguards, overseen by independent professionals and the courts, in my view does not increase the risk of coercion.<\/p>\n The second concerns a wider question of whether people will feel pressurised by society at large if assisted dying creates a new climate of opinion that some people are, per the name of one BBC Documentary, \u201cbetter off dead\u201d.<\/p>\n This argument tends to be about people not wishing to feel like a burden. I take this concern seriously but have decided that it ultimately rests on an elision between\u00a0quality<\/i>\u00a0of life and the\u00a0value<\/i>\u00a0of life. I believe all lives are of infinite value and I believe that is a universal principle held by everyone on all sides of this debate and indeed by those who want this choice to be available to them. We need to be careful, though, not to elide\u00a0quality<\/i>\u00a0of life and the\u00a0value<\/i>\u00a0of life. Every life ends: and when individuals look for help in ending their own, they are making a judgment on the level of suffering they believe that\u00a0they<\/i>\u00a0are able to endure at the end of their life. Seeking this for oneself does not imply anything at all about the value or indeed quality of the lives of others. The people who want this option stress their desire for autonomy as individuals.<\/p>\n I do accept that it is possible some people will weigh considerations about the impact of their condition on their families and the NHS when deliberating about their final months. We must do everything we can to prevent that from happening but must also acknowledge that this is also the case currently when people make choices about refusing life-sustaining support.<\/p>\n Questions around vulnerability and values<\/b><\/p>\n Before going further into how my own values have shaped my thinking I want to be crystal clear about one thing: I feel very privileged to have heard from so many people in Midlothian about how your\u00a0own<\/i>\u00a0values, including those informed by religious faith, have shaped your perspectives.<\/p>\n Some of you expressed to me an anxiety that your strong views around this bill would be discounted if religiously motivated. They have not been and I welcome ongoing dialogue with faith communities on this question as well as on the causes about which we are all so passionate: fighting poverty, protecting our beautiful planet and supporting those who struggle the most with life\u2019s cruelties and injustices.<\/p>\n Many opponents of the bill have rightly asked MPs to be particularly attentive to any differential impacts of the bill on people who are vulnerable or marginalised. Just as I believe all lives are of infinite value, all lives are of\u00a0equal<\/i>\u00a0value: indeed that is the very belief that brought me into politics. I have been particularly alive, therefore, to the worry expressed by some disabled people that the discussion around assisted dying could at best be a manifestation of and at worst an entrenchment of ableism.<\/p>\n It is very clear that the rights of disabled people are routinely violated and I think I understand\u00a0\u2013\u00a0as best as someone without a current disability can\u00a0\u2013\u00a0why some disabled people are so opposed to these proposals. This is one of the reasons I have rejected the language of allowing for \u2018dignity\u2019 in death and instead feel drawn to the idea of choice and autonomy at the end of life. I agree with those advocates who are disturbed by the idea that requiring or receiving personal care means losing dignity. We must guard against any suggestion that personal care compromises dignity when it can be given with a tenderness that, far from compromising, enhances the humanity of those who both offer and receive it.<\/p>\n I have listened to and reflected on the concern that disabled people could be brought within the scope of assisted dying provisions. I would be resolutely opposed to that and am reassured by the fact that people living with a disability or mental ill health are, under the terms of this bill,\u00a0expressly deemed ineligible<\/i>\u00a0for assisted dying if their only grounds for application would be their disability or mental health condition.<\/p>\n A number of people who contacted me in support of the bill have drawn my attention to the polling around public attitudes. A question of this complexity is not one that can or should be decided by the numbers of people on one side or the other. I have therefore given weight to polling only in two instances.<\/p>\n The first is in relation to the views of disabled people. I\u00a0have<\/i>\u00a0dug into the evidence around that and have been reassured that support for assisted dying for the terminally ill is actually higher among disabled people than the wider population.<\/p>\n The second area where I have found polling illuminating is the much stronger (some eighteen points higher) support for assisted dying among those who have lost a parent in the last five years. I give weight to that because I believe in listening closely to those with lived experience. Many of those who talked to me about the deaths of loved ones talked of their intense distress at being unable to help a dying family member who had asked for \u2018peace\u2019. In contrast, some others described the comfort they had drawn from being present at a chosen end in other countries where assisted dying is legal, where a loved one had been able to say goodbye at a time of their choosing, surrounded by the people and things that had brought them joy and meaning in life.<\/p>\n The status quo<\/b><\/p>\n Some of the most persuasive representations I have received have been around the inadequacies of the status quo.<\/p>\n The most important of these from my point of view is the horrifying rate of suicide among the terminally ill. The Office for National Statistics reports that the suicide rate among those diagnosed with low survival cancers is 2.4 times higher than among others.<\/p>\n I do not think we can tolerate a situation where people take matters into their own hands in this way. I have been asked to consider the potential trauma that might occur if wider family unsuccessfully oppose a loved one\u2019s application for assistance in dying. I appreciate the risk here. We know for certain, though, that the risk of family trauma exists\u00a0today,\u00a0<\/i>as it does for first responders and others at the scene of these tragedies. I hope one point of agreement among proponents and opponents of this bill alike can be around the urgent need for more support for all families touched by suicides, whatever the surrounding circumstances. They too are in my heart today.<\/p>\n The second area is that I am deeply uncomfortable that the decisions governing British people accessing assisted dying are made, in practice, by Swiss lawmakers rather than our own. One British person a week dies at an assisted death clinic in Switzerland and this presents a number of challenges. Only those with the financial means can afford the travel and to pay the fees that membership of these organisations requires. Only those with mobility can do so, and some people are travelling to end their lives earlier than they would otherwise like to because they are worried about becoming too unwell to make the journey. And anyone accompanying a dying person to Switzerland risks a police investigation which, while unlikely, compounds the stress and trauma of an already extraordinarily difficult time for families.<\/p>\n These, of course, are all arguments in favour of\u00a0a<\/i>\u00a0bill, not necessarily in favour of\u00a0this<\/i>\u00a0bill. Plenty of opponents of the bill have rightly said that any vote on legislation, whether at Second Reading or at Third, is a vote on the law as it is proposed and not on an abstract principle. If I felt strongly that\u00a0this bill as drafted<\/i>\u00a0did not have sufficient safeguards, even if persuaded by the \u2018in principle\u2019 case for assisted dying, I would not be voting for it. I am, however, satisfied by the safeguards in\u00a0this<\/i>\u00a0bill and have not heard arguments that I consider on balance persuasive about why I should not be.<\/p>\n Strong safeguards<\/b><\/p>\n The bill\u2019s proposer, Kim Leadbeater MP, has said multiple times that she believes this bill to contain the strongest safeguards anywhere in the world. In all of my reading I have not come across an opponent who disagrees. I know there are some opponents who do not believe it is\u00a0possible<\/i>\u00a0to provide sufficient safeguards: that is a legitimate position, but it is not one that I share.<\/p>\n For an assisted death to occur, two different doctors have to confirm eligibility, which means confirming i) a terminal diagnosis, ii) a six month prognosis for likely death and iii) the capacity to make the decision. Opponents of the bill often cite that medical caution about assisted dying is strongest among those working with the terminally ill. Given that, I don\u2019t think we have reason to believe doctors will be cavalier in making these decisions.<\/p>\n Another risk bill opponents have identified is that of \u2018doctor shopping\u2019, whereby people would seek the support of another doctor if initially refused. There are a few things that reassure me in this regard. The first is that for this risk to materialise we have to assume widespread malpractice by doctors, with a high number willing to certify eligibility when there in fact is none. The second is that there is no option for \u2018judge shopping\u2019 and the eligibility decision of the two doctors has to be confirmed by a High Court judge. In practice, a person wishing to access assisted dying needs to confirm several times, over several weeks, to several different professionals, that they are clear in their mind about the course they wish to pursue and their eligibility to do so. So many different people would need to collude, over such a sustained period, and avoid detection while they did so, for a person to access assisted dying against their will.<\/p>\n The final element of this consideration is the one that gave me the most pause. Some opponents of the bill have suggested that while the provision of assisted dying need not diminish the quality of palliative care it could dangerously alter its nature. I am grateful for those who have been involved in delivering hospice or palliative care who raised this with me and outlined their worry that this could fundamentally change the nature of the doctor-patient relationship. The explanatory notes published with the bill make provision for a clearly separate service to deal with assisted dying and this strikes me as a sensible way to allay this concern, ensuring as it would that people providing life-sustaining care and people providing assistance to end life are not one and the same.<\/p>\n Allied concerns have been expressed about whether the Mental Capacity Act 2005 is the right legislation to use to make capacity assessments in the case of dying, given that it stipulates that capacity should in general be assumed rather than assessed. But this is already the case now when decisions are made about withdrawing life-sustaining treatment.<\/p>\n Slippery and sticky slopes<\/b><\/p>\n Many opponents of the bill have looked at the international evidence and drawn the conclusion that passing any form of assisted dying legislation (even on terms that they might themselves support) leads inevitably to a widening of eligibility onto grounds that they would not support. This \u201cslippery slope\u201d argument has two main strands.<\/p>\n The first is that a general \u201cclimate of opinion\u201d in favour of choice could, once legitimised by parliament, gallop towards undesirable destinations. At our constituency events some people worried that \u201cthere\u2019s nothing to stop another MP trying to widen the eligibility\u201d and I should repeat in this letter what I said in person then. That is entirely correct: nothing in our system precludes future parliamentary or social activism to change the law. And I agree that the laws passed by our national parliament have a powerful normative and societal effect as well as an obvious legal one. I am alive to those concerns although I do not share them. I think it is the nature of our system that social reforms, once enacted, can be taken further\u00a0if parliament chooses<\/i>. But my reading of the international evidence is actually that laws tend not to be radically altered once passed.<\/p>\n The second concern people have around the slippery slope is that judicial activism might end up with the scope of the law being widened considerably without the consent of parliament. My understanding is the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has been pretty clear about this: it considers different laws on assisted dying to be well within the margins of legitimate divergence (the so-called \u201cmargin of appreciation\u201d) among members.<\/p>\n This means that the ECHR would not intervene to widen those laws.<\/p>\n In none of the 5 ECHR member states with assisted dying laws has eligibility been widened because of a challenge before the ECHR. In none of the 19 Anglophone countries with a law with a terminal illness eligibility has the court widened it. And in every instance where UK courts have been asked to intervene they have ruled that this is a matter for parliament.<\/p>\n As many people have brought to my attention, Canada\u2019s laws\u00a0have<\/i>\u00a0been expanded as a result of judicial intervention. That is because Canada has a Supreme Court more analogous to the American model than our own and their original legislation as drafted was deemed incompatible with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. There is no equivalent in this country.<\/p>\n My own reading of the evidence is that our legal and parliamentary systems mean we are more likely to have \u2018sticky\u2019 rather than \u2018slippery\u2019 slopes in this country. It is currently legal for someone to refuse life-sustaining treatment (like ventilation) or food and water. While it is distressing to think of it in this way, the nature of this decision means we do have to speak plainly: in this country we already allow the terminally ill to starve themselves to death even while in the care of our NHS. In fact, if they wish to die, as matters stand we\u00a0force<\/i>\u00a0the terminally ill to starve themselves to death or to refuse life-sustaining support like ventilation with all the distress that causes both to them and their loved ones. We have been stuck at this position on the slope until now. If we now change the law on assisted dying, we can similarly expect to stick in that new position, rather than that beginning a further slide.<\/p>\n Palliative care: it\u2019s \u2018and\u2019, not \u2018or\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n Everyone \u2013 proponents and opponents of this bill alike \u2013 would like to see properly funded, universally accessible palliative care. This is sometimes positioned as in opposition to, or a replacement for, assisted dying. I disagree for a few reasons.<\/p>\n Firstly, I am convinced that not all suffering can be relieved by even the most effective and skilled palliative care. My sense of the balance of opinion among opponents of the bill is that this is acknowledged but considered an acceptable burden to place on the terminally ill because of the potential harms associated with any change in the law. This seems to depend on a willingness to prioritise one\u2019s own assessment of the potential harms to society over a terminally ill individual\u2019s assessment of what pain they are willing and able to endure.<\/p>\n One of the ways we know that palliative care does not always relieve people of burdens that\u00a0they themselves<\/i>\u00a0consider intolerable is that 80 percent of those in the Australian state of Victoria who had an assisted death were already receiving palliative care. Research from Marie Curie found that a third of people in England and Wales were \u201cseverely or overwhelmingly affected by pain in their final week of life\u201d. And many people from the UK who travel to Switzerland to access assisted dying have already had experience of British hospice care which\u00a0\u2013\u00a0despite challenges of funding and access (which are real and important)\u00a0\u2013\u00a0is still generally regarded as the best in the world.<\/p>\n Secondly, I do not have any reason to believe that the provision of assisted dying will see a deterioration in palliative care. In fact, the Health and Social Care Committee found that \u201cIn the evidence we received we did not see any indications of palliative and end-of-life care deteriorating in quality or provision following the introduction of (assisted dying); indeed the introduction of (assisted dying) has been linked with an improvement in palliative care in several jurisdictions\u201d.<\/p>\n Some thoughts on process<\/b><\/p>\n Some of the people I most respect have a different view about the process which has led us to today. I have paid particular attention to this argument given the expertise in law and public policy of those making it. Their concerns generally fall into two strands.<\/p>\n The first is whether there has been enough pre-legislative scrutiny or whether this bill has been \u2018rushed\u2019. My own view is that there is a huge amount of information for MPs to draw upon when voting today.<\/p>\n Assisted dying has been the subject of prolonged and high-profile public debate and I have been the grateful recipient of a\u00a0huge<\/i>\u00a0volume of constituency and external correspondence on it. There has already been extensive debate in the House of Lords, on a previous Private Members\u2019 Bill in the House of Commons and, here in Scotland, on a bill before the Scottish Parliament, as well as about the international evidence from jurisdictions with some form of assisted dying (covering some 300 million people). There has been a Citizen\u2019s Jury and an inquiry by the Commons\u2019 Health and Social Care Committee lasting 14 months and resulting in a very comprehensive consolidation of the evidence base. While people may legitimately disagree with the vote I am casting at Second Reading I do feel I have had enough input at this stage to cast an\u00a0informed\u00a0<\/i>vote.<\/p>\n The second concern is whether there is enough provision for scrutiny should this bill pass its Second Reading. Some opponents believe it is wrong for such important legislation to be introduced as a Private Members\u2019 Bill. On this point I am reassured by the precedent of other landmark reforms being introduced in this way and by the confirmation by the former Clerk of the House of Commons, Sir David Natzler KCB, that \u201cPrivate Members Bills\u2019 go through the same legislative scrutiny procedures as Government bills \u2026 And there is as much if not more time for consideration in due course of any amendments from the Lords as for a typical Government bill\u201d. The Bill Committee will look at the bill clause by clause and vote on relevant amendments.<\/p>\n One particular concern from opponents is that Bill Committees on Private Members\u2019 Bills do not, in general, receive evidence from external witnesses. On this I am reassured on two counts. Firstly, the Standing Orders\u00a0do<\/i>\u00a0allow for the gathering of oral evidence from external witnesses even if it is not the usual practice. There is nothing to stop it in this instance and I would welcome it if the Bill Committee did this. Secondly, I know the diligence with which colleagues have approached our responsibilities at Second Reading. I do not know of a single MP who has been unwilling to consult widely and reflect deeply. This would be magnified many times over for members of the Bill Committee and the external experts and interested parties who have already been in touch to make representations on specific clauses can continue to reflect these concerns in correspondence with members of the Committee.<\/p>\n It is currently estimated that external parties would have five months between Second and Third readings in which to seek amendments and encourage parliamentarians to vote for or against the bill at Third Reading.<\/p>\n There is nothing about voting in favour of a bill at Second Reading that compels any MP, including me, to vote in favour at Third Reading. If the bill passes Second Reading today that is the beginning and not the end of more detailed discussions. Please do continue to feed in any evidence or consideration you think I have either missed or unduly discounted. One of my hopes in laying out my thinking in this level of detail is that it will enable exactly that sort of challenge and dialogue.<\/p>\n Where all this leaves me<\/b><\/p>\n Being your MP is the privilege of my life and I am aware that my role as a lawmaker gives me an outsized role in this debate. We can all, however, do more to ensure that this is the beginning of a new and better approach to the end of life in our country.<\/p>\n I have been prompted by my deliberations on this topic to check my details about organ donation are up to date and I will be looking to give blood soon. Please do consider doing likewise. If you\u2019d like to support our nearest hospices you can do so by donating to Marie Curie or St Columba\u2019s. Macmillan also supports end of life care in the wider NHS Lothian region.<\/p>\n However this vote goes, I hope we can agree that the best response to the enormous ethical questions it raises is to listen to and love one another that bit harder. I have tried to do both in the five months since you entrusted me with representing you. I hope this letter has done some justice to the faith you have placed in me and the enormity of the choice ahead of us all.<\/p>\n Yours aye,<\/p>\n Kirsty<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Danderhall community Christmas tree has been decorated by youngsters.<\/p>\n Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Marie Sharp<\/b><\/p>\n Hundreds of youngsters helped decorate their village tree as snow fell in a winter wonderland in Danderhall this week.<\/p>\n The children were invited to bring their own baubles to place on the tree which was unveiled by Danderhall Guerilla Gardeners outside the local primary school.<\/p>\n Primary Five pupils who work with the local volunteer gardeners led the charge as preparations for the evening were made at the school during the day and more than 200 children took part in decorating it at its official launch on Tuesday.<\/p>\n The guerilla gardeners, who were established during Covid to take over the care and maintenance of public space from Midlothian Council in a deal which has seen the local authority agree not to spray toxic weedkiller on the ground, oversaw the switching on of the tree lights.<\/p>\n And they welcomed Santa along to the event with its very own snow machine creating an early festive gift for all those taking part.<\/p>\n The gardeners thanked Bernard Hunter for donating the tree as well as council landscapers, Shawfair LLP, local councillor Stephen Curran and the school head teacher and staff for making the evening a great success.<\/p>\n A spokesperson said: \u201cIt was a wonderful evening and so many people were involved in making it a huge success. Our thanks go to everyone who helped.\u201d<\/p>\n Owners of land on the right say the housing development on the left of road has changed the landscape of their village. Photo courtesy ELC planning portal.<\/p>\n Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Marie Sharp<\/b><\/p>\n A council leader has been accused of \u2018misdirecting\u2019 colleagues after a family lost out on their bid to build new homes next to their business by a single vote.<\/p>\n Carol Auld launched a bid to build three houses on a paddock, next to her work buildings, on the edge of Elphinstone, East Lothian, for her and her daughters to live in and carry on the family business.<\/p>\n But her application was rejected by East Lothian Council\u2019s planning committee after splitting the vote in half with planning convenor, and council leader, Norman Hampshire holding the casting vote.<\/p>\n Now an appeal to Scottish Ministers agents for the applicant claim Councillor Hampshire\u2019s position was flawed after he warned approving the application could set a precedent for \u2018every village in East Lothian\u2019 and add that it was his comments which swayed at least one councillor to change their vote, leading to the split.<\/p>\n Planning officers had recommended the committee refuse permission for the houses saying the paddock was a rural location and new homes would be against their countryside policy.<\/p>\n However it was argued that since developer Bellway had been given the go ahead to build a large housing estate on the other side of the road from the paddock it was no longer a country location.<\/p>\n And it was widely acknowledged at the committee meeting that the site was likely to be included in the next Local Development Plan for the area, which sets out future housing land.<\/p>\n In their appeal statement agents for the applicant say: \u201cIt was unfortunate that the convener of the planning committee (and also leader of the council) misdirected the committee in expressing concern as to the setting of a damaging precedent that would weaken the council\u2019s ability to prevent inappropriate development across the county.<\/p>\n \u201cHe said that the granting of planning permission would open the door to sites in \u2018every village in East Lothian\u2019 and would fundamentally weaken the council\u2019s position and that they would lose control.<\/p>\n \u201cOn the back of this direction and highly emotive contribution, Councillor (Shona) Macintosh changed her decision and voted in support of the officer recommendation.<\/p>\n \u201cHowever it remains our position that Councillor Hampshire misdirected the committee in raising the matter of precedent with such gravity. There is no such thing as precedent, each application should be determined on its own merits, and each application will have a set of unique characteristics Councillor Hampshire did not comment on the claims. A council spokesperson said: \u201cReasons for refusal of planning permission were stated at the planning committee meeting on September 3 and it would be inappropriate for us to comment further pending the outcome of this appeal.\u201d<\/p>\n Midlothian View's first article in November 2018.<\/p>\n Written by Midlothian View Editor, Phil Bowen<\/b><\/p>\n Today it is ten years since the first Midlothian View news article was published. Since then a lot of virtual ink has flowed as we have reported on news and views across Midlothian.<\/p>\n That first article announced the result of the Midlothian East by-election result when Labour\u2019s Kenny Young was elected to the council. <\/p>\n Sheriffhall was one of our first major \u2018scoops\u2019 in 2015 when we reported that there were concerns over the delays to the decision to build a flyover. Almost ten years and a whopping 64 Sheriffhall articles later there are still concerns on the delays. <\/p>\n The council budget continues to be an annual article as whichever incumbent party struggles to match the demands with the available funds.<\/p>\n Planning and development have always dominated the stories we report on and I suspect they will continue to be as Midlothian continues to be Scotland\u2019s fastest growing county.<\/p>\n So who is in the Midlothian View team and how did it start? <\/p>\n Back in 2014 I also started my web and app development business, Pigeon Penguin, with the aim to build websites and apps for local businesses in Midlothian. <\/p>\n However, before I could get someone to buy a website from me I needed to prove to them that I could build one. Hence, I came up with the idea of building a website to give people a view of what is happening in Midlothian and also a chance to have their view. And so MidlothianView.com was born. <\/p>\n In those early days I produced about 3 articles a week but slowly interest grew, I joined Twitter and Facebook and interest grew more. Then a good friend suggested I contact our local MSP to see if he would contribute. Not expecting a reply I was shocked to get one an hour later. That was the start of regular monthly columns from politicians of every party.<\/p>\n It was in those early days that I decided that Midlothian View would be politically neutral and would allow all parties to make their case to readers, and for readers to come to their own conclusions. We still closely guard this principal. Over the years we have been accused of being biased towards every party which I think proves that we are biased towards none and we are achieving our politically neutral principal.<\/p>\n In 2018 Midlothian View was invited to apply to join the newly created BBC Local Democracy Report Service (LDRS). Not many people know but as part of its charter the BBC must support local journalism and so through the LDRS the BBC fund one reporter in every council area in the UK. We were successful in our application. <\/p>\n LDR reporters are assigned to a parent news organisation and their role is to report on all council news including meetings. However, the articles they then produce are shared with all local LDR members which includes Midlothian View. <\/p>\n Slightly typically, Midlothian is considered too small and so we share our LDR reporter, Marie Sharp, with East Lothian. Midlothian View also receives LDR articles for the surrounding councils, East Lothian, West Lothian, Edinburgh and the Scottish Borders. Marie and her LDR colleagues always produce good quality and in-depth articles which Midlothian View readers find very informative. It is always interesting to read the subsequent discussion on Facebook and Twitter about these articles. Without the BBC LDRS then a lot of residents would be none the wiser as to what is happening in Midlothian and surrounding counties.<\/p>\n Also in 2018 Midlothian View was invited to join the Independent Community News Network (ICNN). This is an organisation run by Cardiff University and setup to support and promote small independent news outlets, such as Midlothian View. Having worked alone for four years it was great to find out that there were over a 100 plus similar Hyperlocals, as we are known, across the UK. <\/p>\n Hyperlocals account for millions of news page views every day. Collectively we add up to a very significant media output which is similar to the mainstream national media titles. <\/p>\n The ICNN is doing a great job continuing to fight for the recognition, funding and advertising revenue that hyperlocals deserve. In an age of misinformation on social media, click bait and the demise of the established local news titles then hyperlocals are a beacon of hope for the future of local journalism. Our operating models are much, much leaner and with modern technology we can do so much more to get our news stories reported.<\/p>\n On the subject of click bait, it was another early decision in 2014 that Midlothian View would present the news in a clear, uncluttered and easy to read form. Unlike other online news websites we do not do click bait, we do not have over 40 adverts in one article but instead we allow the reader to read. <\/p>\n But we do carry advertising and we do this for two reasons. One we want to support and promote local businesses and two we do need the revenue from advertising to fund what we do. Earning sufficient revenue to keep going is a constant concern for all hyperlocals.<\/p>\n We used to carry Google AdSense advertising, which is Google\u2019s syndicated advertising network which enables large organisations to advertise on thousands on websites across the world. We got a moderate amount of income from AdSense but I have always been concerned that AdSense promotes multi-nationals rather than local business. Therefore, in the summer of this year we decided to withdraw from the AdSense network and instead concentrate on local advertising. It is a bit of a gamble but I think it is the right one. <\/p>\n If there are any local businesses reading this then please consider advertising with us and reaching our 35,000+ readers per month. You will not only get great returns from your advertising, you will also be seen as supporting Midlothian View which will be appreciated by our readers.<\/p>\n Yes that is right, Midlothian View is read by over 35,000 readers per month. Reader numbers have grown year on year and still continue to grow.<\/p>\n As well as the LDR articles Midlothian View publishes multiple articles a day. The source of these articles varies. A lot come from information provided by local businesses, charities and the council. We of course do our own reporting and in the last two years we have looked to give real world reporting opportunities to student reporters with a tie up with Napier University\u2019s journalism course. These talented journalists have produced some very interesting articles for Midlothian View. This has helped Midlothian View but has also allowed them to build up a good portfolio of articles that they can show future employers.<\/p>\n So Midlothian View has come a long way in ten years. We are now an established go to source of news for Midlothian and its surrounding counties. I think this was demonstrated in the summer when we were able to organise and sponsor the General Election hustings, which would not have gone ahead without Midlothian View. So we are contributing a lot to the news and views landscape.<\/p>\n What does the next ten years hold?<\/p>\n We want to grow, grow and grow. We want to report on the stories that matter. There are a lot of stories that just go unreported as we do not have either the bandwidth or the finance. There are a lot of people and organisations struggling in Midlothian because they do not have the ability to tell their story. There are a lot of decisions made without the people of Midlothian knowing that they are up for discussion. We want to change all of this.<\/p>\n Midlothian View in the next ten years could grow into something really big and become an even more useful resource for all the people of Midlothian. <\/p>\n If you would like to help us towards that aim then please do consider supporting us. Just for the price of a cup of coffee every month you will make a difference for us. Please support us by clicking HERE.<\/a> <\/p>\n I would love to be able to fund a full-time reporter, one of those Napier University journalism students would be ideal for Midlothian View.<\/p>\n Celebrate with the new MV App.<\/p>\n To celebrate our tenth anniversary we have launched the Midlothian View app, which has been built by my company Pigeon Penguin. It is hoped that the MV app will build further on our audience and their interaction.<\/p>\n The MV app will present the news in an easy to use and clear format. It will also help readers and support local businesses by providing an easy to search local business directory, enable businesses to display their latest offers and by partnering with Loyalty Pigeon enable businesses to run a loyalty programme.<\/p>\n You can download the MV app for free today at either the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store,<\/p>\n And finally a great big thank you to you our readers. Thank you for reading our articles, providing comments and promoting what we do. Your reaction to the articles we write makes it all worthwhile.<\/p>\n I really have enjoyed the first ten years with Midlothian View and I am looking forward to the next ten. <\/p>\n Many thanks<\/p>\n Phil Bowen Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Luke Jackson<\/b><\/p>\n Midlothian Libraries have been awarded \u00a315,000 from the national Public Library Improvement Fund (PLIF) for an innovative new project to help local people improve their digital skills.<\/p>\n Digital Learning Stations will be installed in each library, equipped with tablets, notebooks, or laptops pre-loaded with interactive tutorials and courses on essential digital skills such as basic computer use and internet safety.<\/p>\n The stations are designed to be user-friendly and accessible to individuals with varying skill levels, making sure customers can learn at their own pace and in their own time.<\/p>\n Take-home kits will also be available for loan. Each kit will include step-by-step guides, flash drives with resources, and practice worksheets.<\/p>\n Midlothian Council\u2019s Cabinet Member with responsibility for libraries, Councillor Ellen Scott said: <\/p>\n \u201cI think this is a fantastic, inclusive initiative that combines in-library and home-based learning so that people can progress at their own pace.<\/p>\n \u201cNowadays, there\u2019s an expectation that you should be able to do just about everything online \u2013 from applying for a job to booking an appointment. It\u2019s daunting if you don\u2019t have those skills \u2013 you feel left out and left behind.<\/p>\n \u201cThis project gives people the confidence and support they need to learn new digital skills that could potentially change their lives by introducing them to new ways to connect with others and access services, helping to tackle digital exclusion in our communities.\u201d<\/p>\n The project is one of 13 across Scotland to be awarded a share of the PLIF. <\/p>\n The Public Library Improvement Fund (PLIF) is an annual \u00a3450,000 administered by the Scottish Library and Information Council on behalf of the Scottish Government that sees \u00a3200,000 given to support creative, sustainable and innovative public library projects throughout Scotland.<\/p>\n The PLIF 24\/25 grant, launched in August this year, prioritised applications aimed at strengthening digital inclusion and sustainability efforts, as well as Gaelic and Scots language and new Scots languages initiatives.<\/p>\n Alison Nolan, Chief Executive of (SLIC), said: \u201cPublic libraries offer truly diverse value to their communities. They provide access to vital services and resources, a wealth of social activities and are hubs for expression and creativity.<\/p>\n \u201cInvestment is so important for the continued provision of these services, and the Public Library Improvement Fund is one of the ways in which we bolster our public libraries.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople, place and partnership are the pillars of our strategy for Scotland\u2019s libraries, and this year\u2019s winners captured the spirit of that vision. These thirteen projects expand on the vision of a library as solely a centre of literacy \u2013 they encourage civil engagement, expand people\u2019s skillsets and celebrate the richness of local heritage.\u201d<\/p>\n The Banking Hub in Jedburgh.<\/p>\n Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly<\/b><\/p>\n Jedburgh residents can cash in from this week with the opening of a new banking hub in the town.<\/p>\n Cash Access UK, the organisation set up to protect nationwide access to cash, has confirmed today that the new hub is open at 40 High Street, the former Bank of Scotland premises.<\/p>\n The official opening will take place tomorrow and Charlie Young, president of Jedburgh Callants Club, will be in attendance to cut the ribbon. Everyone is welcome to attend between 11am and noon.<\/p>\n The hub will offer a counter service operated by the Post Office, where customers of all major banks can carry out regular cash transactions, Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm.<\/p>\n It also offers a Community Banker service where customers can talk to their own bank about more complicated issues on the day their bank is represented at the hub.<\/p>\n In Jedburgh, the Community Bankers are available on the following days: Monday \u2013 TSB;Tuesday \u2013 Santander; Wednesday \u2013 Bank of Scotland and the RBS on Thursday. No community banker will be available on Friday.<\/p>\n The hub was initially recommended by LINK, the UK\u2019s cash access and ATM network, following the announcement of the closure of the Bank of Scotland, the town\u2019s last remaining bank branch.<\/p>\n Jedburgh\u2019s banking hub is the thirteenth to open in Scotland and 11 more are in progress.<\/p>\n Gareth Oakley, CEO at Cash Access UK, said: \u201cI\u2019m happy to announce the opening of our Jedburgh Hub, ensuring crucial access to cash and face-to-face banking services which are vital to both residents and businesses across the community.<\/p>\n \u201cCustomers can visit on any day of the week for their everyday banking transactions and if you have a specific or more complex enquiry for your bank, a community banker will be there to help on the day they\u2019re in the hub.\u201d<\/p>\n If you would like to know more about the Banking Hubs, please contact: cashaccessuk@cicero-group.com.<\/a><\/p>\n Costa coffee cup sticks out of hole in wall of new house in Wallyford.<\/p>\n Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Marie Sharp<\/b><\/p>\n A dad who discovered a hole on the outside wall of his brand new \u00a3250,000 home had been filled with a Costa coffee cup is calling for an independent regulator to be introduced to hold house builders to account.<\/p>\n Author Justin Lee Anderson spent three years fighting to have a long list of faults at his five bedroom house in Wallyford, East Lothian, fixed by developers Persimmons.<\/p>\n He established a local tenants and residents association after discovering his experience was not isolated on the new estate but says he was left frustrated by the housing firm\u2019s lack of response to his problems.<\/p>\n Now he is calling on the Scottish Government to establish a housing ombudsman to give home owners the right to demand higher standards and ensure developers face consequences when they fail to get it right.<\/p>\n And he wants local authority planning committees to have the right to reject applications from builders who have failed to produce good quality houses in the past.<\/p>\n Justin said: \u201cThere is a presumption of competence given to house builders which is just wrong and allows them to get away with shockingly poor standards without any real consequences.<\/p>\n \u201cNobody\u2019s properly inspecting the work. Contractors are paid piecework and given too many houses to cover in a day, so they end up leaving rushed, incompetent work to be \u201cpicked up in snagging\u201d. There\u2019s no proper quality control.<\/p>\n \u201cPlanning committees can\u2019t legally refuse a planning application from a builder as long as that application meets regulations. There is no consideration of the builder\u2019s record of competence. So they can build as many terrible houses as they like and keep getting planning permission for more.<\/p>\n \u201cOur experience was shocking but not unique as I discovered from talking to neighbours and other people on our estate. It is just not good enough.\u201d<\/p>\n Justin and his family faced problems from the day they arrived at their new home on the St Clements estate five years ago and discovered the oven and hob in the kitchen had been stolen as the house was not locked before they moved in.<\/p>\n That was just the first of a string of issues they would discover in the weeks and months ahead including finding a Costa coffee cup had been used instead of a cover for the extractor fan vent at the side of the house.<\/p>\n They also found issues with the heating which saw the thermostat upstairs controlling the heat downstairs and vice versa, the bath hot water tap producing cold water while the cold tap provided hot water and gaps between the walls and roof and windows allowing cold air into the property.<\/p>\n The list of snagging did not end there, Justin said: \u201cOur en suite shaver plug only worked when the light was on. Our extractor fan didn\u2019t work at all.<\/p>\n \u201cElectricians came to fix the plug, so that it worked without the light on. Then the extractor fan was finally replaced and works. Now the shaver plug only works when the extractor fan is on.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had a similar problem when the shaver plug was finally fitted in our main bathroom. It only worked when the light was on. The electricians had to climb into the attic to sort out that wiring.\u201d<\/p>\n The family also discovered the pipe from the extractor fan in the bathroom only went as far as the attic and was not attached to any external vent meaning damp air pumped into the loft area.<\/p>\n After three years of battling Persimmons and a list of site managers and customer service staff who, Justin said, would regularly leave and be replaced leading to the complaints process starting again, he told the developers he no longer wanted them involved in fixing outstanding problems.<\/p>\n Justin said: \u201cIt was exhausting and frustrating and I seemed to just get nowhere and I battled for three years. Most home owners would have given up before me and I think developers rely on that.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is absurd that they are making huge profits on houses but get away with botched jobs and using sub standard contractors.\u201d<\/p>\n Justin took his plight to the Scottish Greens annual conference last month where his call for a housing ombudsman to be appointed to oversee developments and a change of law to allow planners to refuse applications based on a firm\u2019s reputation was adopted by the party as policy.<\/p>\n Musselburgh councillor Shona McIntosh, Scottish Greens, said it was time for developers to be held to account.<\/p>\n She said: \u201cIt is like the wild west out there with no regulator overseeing developments or cracking down on shoddy work. This is the biggest investment in peoples\u2019 lives and a major decision for them, yet they are left at the mercy of housebuilders who are not answerable to anyone.<\/p>\n \u201cIt has to stop.\u201d<\/p>\n Persimmons said it was \u2018disappointed\u2019 to hear about Justin\u2019s experience with his home, which he moved into in 2019.<\/p>\n A spokesperson said: \u201cWe are disappointed that Mr Anderson did not receive the level of service we strive to provide and we apologise for the inconvenience he experienced. While we have not been made aware of any issues with the property since 2022, we are committed to addressing any concerns brought to our attention.\u201d<\/p>\n Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Luke Jackson<\/b><\/p>\n Concerned customers reported nearly 150,000 scam referrals to HMRC in the last year, as Self Assessment filers are warned to be alert to fraudsters.<\/p>\n With millions of people due to complete their Self Assessment tax return and pay any tax owed by 31 January 2025, fraudsters are targeting people with offers of tax refunds or demanding payment of tax to get hold of personal information and banking details. Around half of all scam reports (71,832) in the last year were fake tax rebate claims.<\/p>\n There has been a 16.7% increase in all scam referrals to HMRC \u2013 144,298 were received between November 2023 and October 2024, up from 123,596 in the previous 12-month period.<\/p>\n If someone receives communication claiming to be from HMRC that asks for their personal information or is offering a tax rebate, check the\u00a0advice on GOV.UK\u00a0to help identify if it is scam activity.<\/p>\n HMRC will never leave voicemails threatening legal action or arrest, or ask for personal or financial information over text message \u2013 only fraudsters and criminals will do that.<\/p>\n Kelly Paterson, Chief Security Officer at HMRC, said:<\/p>\n \u201cWith millions of people filing their Self Assessment return before January\u2019s deadline, we\u2019re warning everyone to be wary of emails promising tax refunds.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing vigilant helps you spot potential scams. And reporting anything suspicious helps us stop criminal activity and to protect you and others who could have received similar bogus communication.<\/p>\n \u201cOur advice remains unchanged. Don\u2019t rush into anything, take your time and check \u2018HMRC scams advice<\/a>\u2019 on GOV.UK.\u201d<\/p>\n HMRC will not contact you by email, text, or phone to announce a refund or ask you to request one. Anyone who is due a refund from HMRC can claim it via their online HMRC account or the free and secure\u00a0HMRC app<\/a>.<\/p>\n HMRC have also given this advice, Protect, Recognise and Report<\/p>\n Protect<\/strong><\/p>\n Recognise<\/strong><\/p>\n Report<\/strong><\/p>\n Tanker collects sewage at bottom of Elphinstone garden.<\/p>\n Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Marie Sharp<\/b><\/p>\n Angry residents in a small East Lothian village are having to put up with tankers pumping raw sewage at the bottom of their gardens after nearly 100 houses were built with no mains link.<\/p>\n The waste collections take place on land which is supposed to be a children\u2019s play area but after housing developers Bellway were unable to link their new homes to a mains sewage system as initially planned, it is used as access to the local sewage tank.<\/p>\n And every Monday, Wednesday and Friday tankers arrive to pump its contents out of one underground container before putting it into main drains on a different part of the developers site.<\/p>\n Villagers say the smell caused by the regular trips is unbearable at times while the noise generated by the tankers can go on for hours.<\/p>\n Graham Drummond, whose home backs onto the collection site, said some Mondays the visits go on all day.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cAfter the weekend, in particular, they make several trips and can be here from 9 in the morning til late afternoon pumping out the sewage.<\/p>\n \u201cIt can create a smell and is noisy, it makes using our garden impossible and we are concerned it will carry in until the summer as there seems to be no solution coming forward to solve the problem.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier this month East Lothian councillors delayed a decision over more houses being built on the new estate by Bellway after hearing the sewage issue was causing anxiety among residents.<\/p>\n And they heard it was not the only issue to raise concerns in the village after flooding issues were raised by residents living in homes south of the homes already built.<\/p>\n Homeowners in Waterloo Place, in the village, say their gardens remain waterlogged every time it rains after the developer built more than 80 homes on the site, which was agricultural land.<\/p>\n They are demanding more action is taken to protect people living in the village before plans for another 111 homes on the site are approved.<\/p>\n Rob Moore said the suds ponds created at the bottom of the field were not stopping water pouring into gardens in his street with no solution coming forward.<\/p>\n And he and his neighbours have been left infuriated after Bellway applied for permission to create a footpath from the new homes through their street, requiring a small woodland to be cut down and the loss of a grass play area.<\/p>\n Rob said: \u201cThis is a prime example of what happens if you build on agricultural land, taking away the natural protection. Our gardens are waterlogged and nothing is being done to fix it.<\/p>\n \u201cNow Bellway want to push ahead and create a footpath which will remove more woodlands and cross amenity land which belongs to our homes.<\/p>\n \u201cNo more housing should be allowed on this site until a proper enquiry into what has gone on so far has been carried out. The council should not allow the development to continue.\u201d<\/p>\n The views of residents in Waterloo Place is mirrored by Graham as he faces regular sewage uplifts at the end of his garden.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cIt beggars belief that houses on this estate were signed off and people allowed to move in without all of them being connected to a mains sewage. The council needs to take action now before anything else is allowed to happen here.\u201d<\/p>\n Bellway said it is installing pumps on the site to stop the need for tankers while it awaits the go ahead from the\u2019 Highways Department\u2019 to undertake roadworks to connect to main sewage in the village.<\/p>\n They said: \u201cRegretfully we can only fully connect the sewer when granted permission to do so that is outside of our control.\u201d<\/p>\n On the issues at Waterloo Place they declined to comment saying it was a \u2018live planning matter.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for the company said of the sewage situation: \u201cBellway has been addressing concerns of the local authority and residents on the site waste solution.<\/p>\n \u201cThe approved design for the site has two connection points at Elphinstone which connects to the Scottish Water drainage network. One of these was connected in May and June and this takes a portion of the site waste and it is working as designed.<\/p>\n \u201cThe connection of the second connection to the waste network has been delayed due to external issues in connecting the system. It is a complex piece of work which has been delayed and we intend to resume these works again in the New Year.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a result of the delay initially, we implemented the chamber and tanker solution. When the chamber fills we vacuum this to the other chamber on site, which discharges into the existing drainage network. We are currently installing underground pumps on site as an interim measure until the second connection to the waste network is completed, which will negate the need for the tanker solution.\u201d<\/p>\n Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly<\/b><\/p>\n Galashiels traders have voted in favour of more investment in the town.<\/p>\n Thousands of pounds could be heading into Galashiels over the next five years under the new Business Improvement District (BID) agreed in a vote declared on November 21st.<\/p>\n A BID is an initiative promoted by the Scottish Government to help support sustainable economic growth, normally within part of a town, a commercial district or a specific tourist related area.<\/p>\n BIDs can be a way of generating additional revenue to help local businesses invest in their local areas.<\/p>\n The successful Galashiels BID announcement means businesses in the town have voted to boost the town\u2019s economy by paying an additional levy on top of their normal business rates which will go towards improvement projects.<\/p>\n The additional income raised will be invested into the local area in line with priorities outlined in an agreed business plan. The levy could provide almost \u00a3170,000 each year to help deliver specific projects.<\/p>\n Four key themes have been identified in the BID \u2013 developing events and attractions for Galashiels; business support; creating a welcoming environment; and positioning the town as a visitor destination.<\/p>\n To see the results of the ballot and for more information about BIDs visit Business Improvement Districts.<\/a><\/p>\n Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Stuart Sommerville<\/b><\/p>\n West Lothian Council has said it cannot afford to replace any of its existing vehicle fleet with electric vehicles over the next five years.<\/p>\n Officials said a \u00a334 million replacement scheme would instead look to buy \u201cthe most efficient diesel or petrol equivalent\u201d, and admitted the cost of electric vehicles and the investment needed in charging infrastructure was unaffordable.<\/p>\n West Lothian is one of many Scottish council to have declared a climate emergency, and the decision was branded \u2018deplorable\u2019.<\/p>\n Only 10% of the council fleet is currently electric, a meeting of the Environment and Sustainability Policy Development and Scrutiny Panel heard.<\/p>\n Transport officer Douglas West outlined the council\u2019s plans to slim down the current fleet of 966 vehicles to 850 by 2027\/28. The replacement programme will cost \u00a334m.<\/p>\n A report to the PDSP said: \u201cWe have worked extensively with services to develop a Vehicle Replacement Programme involving 850 vehicles over five years from 2024\/25. This programme has been created in conjunction with services \u2013 discussing vehicle types, utilisation, and opportunities for vehicle sharing. <\/p>\n \u201cThe programme aims to deliver an overall reduced fleet size made up of the most efficient and operationally effective vehicles that can be delivered within budget.\u201d<\/p>\n Pippa Plevin representing the Joint Forum of Community Councils asked: \u201cYou mentioned that you want to replace in a sustainable way but it would be more useful if you gave some details of how that can be achieved. How many EVs for instance?<\/p>\n Mr West said: \u201cWe are always considering alternative fuel vehicles but we also have to consider budgetary availability and in this case we felt, with the five year replacement programme that we have planned, the best use of that budget would be to replace with the most efficient diesel or petrol equivalent at this stage.<\/p>\n \u201cThe budget constraints are not limited to the purchase of the vehicle. We have to consider the installation of electric charging infrastructure which is a massive outlay as well.<\/p>\n \u201cThe vehicles that we are bringing on are now utilising the most up to date engine technology and the overall reduction of vehicles will also contribute to lowering our carbon output.\u201d<\/p>\n Ms Plevin said: \u201cSo you have no plans to replace them with EVs. That goes against other parts of the council that are trying to move to net zero. I think its pretty deplorable\u201d <\/p>\n Mr West replied: \u201cAt this stage there are no plans to replace with EV. However we are always exploring alternative fuelled vehicles to see if they could become a realistic option with the budget constraints that we have.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr West said that hydrogen fuelled vehicles cost three to four times what diesel fuelled vehicles do. The electric vehicles which council currently has were funded through grant streams which are no longer available to support the difference between electric vehicle and a petrol or diesel equivalent.<\/p>\n Chair of the panel Councillor Tom Conn said the officer\u2019s comments \u201cputs my point of view into perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n He added: \u201c It\u2019s okay having national targets but if the financial resources are not given to local authorities then we are not going to meet those national targets. The Scottish Government isn\u2019t even meeting its own targets.<\/p>\n \u201cWe can only move forward with the resources that we actually have.\u201d<\/p>\n The projection is that within five years the council will operate 87 large commercial vehicles, over 3,500 kg, including refuse lorries, and lorries, 583 small commercial vehicles under 3,500kg, in vans, flat-beds and tippers and 36 buses and minibuses. All vehicles are leased but maintained by mechanics employed by the council. <\/p>\n Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly<\/b><\/p><\/p>\n Scottish Borders Council has joined forces with a technology partner to support small businesses join the Artificial Intelligence (AI) revolution.<\/p>\n The \u2018AI Navigator\u2019 programme run by ecosystem specialist CodeBase is designed to help Small Medium Enterprises (SME) and small business leaders use AI to improve productivity, reduce costs, and make data-driven decisions.<\/p>\n The Borders programme, which is free for participating companies, takes place between January and March 2025, with applications closing at the end of November.<\/p>\n The programme is jointly funded by SBC and the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Qualifying companies must have 5 employees or more, and revenue in excess of \u00a3500,000.<\/p>\n Lauren Wilson, head of Mobilisation at CodeBase, said: \u201cIn practice, AI is less about robots taking over the world, and more about tools that can boost your efficiency.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen it comes to organising your business operations, AI can streamline processes, save time, and create efficiencies that benefit your team, your customers, and ultimately your bottom line.\u201d<\/p>\n Lauren added: \u201cAt the speed that AI technologies are constantly evolving, it can be hard for SMEs to keep up and work through what will deliver tangible business benefits.<\/p>\n \u201cAI Navigator is positioned to cut through the noise and help SMEs focus on what is really important \u2013 how AI can be transformational to their businesses\u2019 efficiency and keep them competitive in fast-moving markets.\u201d<\/p>\n Global research by workplace communication platform Slack revealed that the use of AI tools in the workplace rose 24 per cent during the last quarter of 2023.<\/p>\n Around 80 per cent of businesses said AI has improved their productivity. At the same time, while 42 per cent of the sample said they were \u201cexcited\u201d for AI and automation to handle tasks from their current job, 31 per cent were \u201cneutral\u201d, and 27 per cent were \u201cconcerned\u201d.<\/p>\n Lauren Wilson said: \u201cThere are still a lot of misconceptions around AI, that\u2019s something we aim to cut through on the Borders AI programme. Overall, we\u2019re excited to get going with talented local businesses at the beginning of next year.\u201d<\/p>\n Companies can apply for the \u2018AI Navigator x Borders Council\u2019 programme here: www.thisiscodebase.com\/ai-navigator<\/a><\/p>\n Photomontage of planned extension at Newmains Holdings, photgraph courtesy ELC planning portal.<\/p>\n Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Marie Sharp<\/b><\/p>\n Plans to convert an ex-serviceman\u2019s cottage into a new sustainable home have been backed on appeal after one councillor described the design as \u2018beautiful\u2019.<\/p>\n East Lothian Council\u2019s planners had rejected the proposal to extend the country cottage, at Newmains Holdings, near Athelstaneford, creating a link from the main house to an outbuilding, saying it did not reflect the \u2018architectural heritage\u2019 of the cottages.<\/p>\n However a meeting of the council\u2019s Local Review Body this week heard praise for the design from councillors who rejected the decision by their officers.<\/p>\n Councillor Shona McIntosh said she welcomed the planned home.<\/p>\n She said: \u201cI do not agree it will be harmful to the character of the area, I think if I was cycling past and looked towards this new home I would think \u201coh what a beautiful house\u2019.<\/p>\n \u201cI applaud the level of ambition, particularly around sustainability.\u201d<\/p>\n The award-winning architects behind the design Edinburgh-based WT Architecture had argued the changes they planned for the bungalow were \u201cexactly the type of development that East Lothian Council should be encouraging\u201d.<\/p>\n They said their proposals would turn a group of unsustainable buildings, built to house servicemen post World War Two, into quality homes, reducing their environmental impact and extending their lifespan using sustainable techniques.<\/p>\n They said: \u201cThis proposed scheme represents the most high-quality, contextual and sensitive architectural intervention ever put forward for any of the properties along Newmains Holdings, and will significantly enhance the character of the existing buildings and area.<\/p>\n \u201dWe believe the merits of this application are clear and believe that the application is not merely acceptable, but should be actively supported and praised as an exemplary architectural addition to this part of East Lothian.\u201d<\/p>\n Planners had refused permission saying the new home was a \u201clarge, dominant dwellinghouse\u201d which would not \u201cbe reflective of the architectural character or style of the dwellinghouses at Newmains Holdings\u201d<\/p>\n The Local Review Body upheld the appeal by three votes to one with Councillors McIntosh, Neil Gilbert and Jeremy Findlay supporting it and Councillor Andy Forrest, rejecting it.<\/p>\n Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Stuart Sommerville<\/b><\/p>\n West Lothian Council has backed calls to demand a clampdown on fireworks and tighter controls on their sale.<\/p>\n The council also backed more work with police and fire services to control the abuse of fireworks.<\/p>\n A Conservative motion slated the weakness of new Holyrood legislation in the light of the disruption in West Lothian and beyond earlier this month.<\/p>\n Councillor Alison Adamson referred to the death of two animals in Edinburgh zoo around bonfire night, which were down to the shock from the noise of explosions. She cited them as failures of the new Firework Control Zones.<\/p>\n Councillor Adamson said: \u201cThere are people and animals being traumatised by continuous noise and communities are living in fear of the consequences of the actions of an unruly element. <\/p>\n \u201cThe over-hyped firework control zones still allow for licensed organised displays but put undue pressure on police. It is apparent we need to take a firm approach to control this escalating public nuisance for the safety and wellbeing of families, animals and emergency workers.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is now a matter of priority.\u201d<\/p>\n Councillor Adamson said: \u201cLocal trading standard officers can inspect local registered retailers to ensure all safety regulations are being met. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for online suppliers using couriers to deliver potentially unregulated imported fireworks and pyrotechnics (flares).\u201d<\/p>\n Her motion concluded by calling for a: \u201cA ban on the sale of noise making fireworks for general sale and only have sales of silent or reduced noise fireworks available to the general public. <\/p>\n \u201cConsiderations for submitting a ban on all online sales and deliveries of fireworks and pyrotechnics. New measures need to be considered as a matter of urgency for enforcement in 2025.\u201d<\/p>\n Councillors agreed to back the motion without debate.<\/p>\n Another motion regarding greater communication with community council and community groups over potential Firework Control Zones from the SNP\u2019s Maria MacAulay was accepted as work ongoing by the Public and Community Safety executive councillor Craig Meek as work ongoing<\/p>\n GMB spokesperson John McCartney revealed shocking number of attacks on Midlothian school workers.<\/p>\n Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Marie Sharp<\/b><\/p>\n Six school staff reported being assaulted every day in Midlothian last year, according to figures released by the council.<\/p>\n More than 1250 attacks were recorded in Midlothian schools during 190 school days over 2023, ranging from assaults with weapons to biting, physical assaults and things being thrown at them.<\/p>\n The shocking figures, revealed by workers union the GMB, are feared to be just the \u2018tip of the iceberg\u2019 by their local representative.<\/p>\n Midlothian Council said it was committed to tackling the issue and supporting staff and pupils on a daily basis.<\/p>\n Figures released by the local authority to the GMB revealed a total of 1,254 assaults were reported last year with 90 per cent taking place in the classrooms themselves.<\/p>\n They included 964 physical assaults, six involving a weapon, and 107 involving biting. In 75 cases the staff member was hit with an object while a further 22 were struck by objects thrown at them while 62 reported verbal assaults and the rest were described as \u2018other injuries\u2019.<\/p>\n John McCartney, the GMB organiser in Midlothian Council, said the figures were \u2018shocking; but not surprising.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cViolence against staff in our schools is clearly at crisis levels but official records are still underestimating the scale of that crisis. These reports are the tip of the iceberg.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom what our members tell us, the incidents of violence and abuse that are not being reported, recorded or investigated could far outstrip those that are.<\/p>\n \u201cNo worker should go to their work in fear and feel relief if they arrive home unhurt. No one should be asked to go to their work to be punched, kicked, bit, spat on, and expecting to suffer verbal or physical abuse.<\/p>\n \u201cOur members do not feel the authorities are tackling or even recognising the violence in schools but are instead glossing over it and allowing it become normalised.\u201d<\/p>\n A Midlothian Council spokesman said the council was committed to supporting its school community.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cPolicies, processes and training are in place to help staff to prevent incidents from occurring and to de-escalate pupils in distress. When an incident does occur, staff are encouraged to report it to their line manager and record it on the health and safety management system. Incident data is used to review the support packages in place for individual children and across schools.\u201d<\/p>\n A national survey of GMB members has revealed two thirds of incidents are never recorded while three out of four victims said they receive no feedback if they do report an incident.<\/p>\n The union is piloting a poster campaign to bolster reporting systems with trial in schools in five local authority areas initially and plans to roll it out across the country if successful.<\/p>\n In the picture with Dalkeith High pupils are: artist Christ Rutterford, pictured centre back. Council Leader Kelly Parry is pictured in the blue coat standing next to Dalkeith ward councillor Margot Russell, in red. Colm Bourke, Project Manager at Ogilvie Construction is behind Cllr Russell in blue.<\/p>\n Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Luke Jackson<\/b><\/p>\n Dalkeith High pupils have given Midlothian Council housing, on the site of the former school, \u201ca real sense of soul\u201d thanks to a new mural they worked on with Scottish artist Chris Rutterford.<\/p>\n Unveiling the artwork at a ceremony today, Chris said the finished product \u201cfeels sunny and joyful, rooted in optimism\u201d.<\/p>\n Chris, whose work includes the famous Colinton Tunnel mural and the mural in Mayfield, thanked pupils for their artistic contributions adding: \u201cThey should be very proud of themselves. They\u2019ve given this new place a real sense of soul.\u201d <\/p>\n The mural, which depicts nature and animals in vibrant colours, is on a wall on Normandy Drive, home to a \u00a317 million development of 44 new homes, plus eight bungalows and 39 amenity flats for people aged 55 and over.<\/p>\n Council Leader Councillor Kelly Parry said: <\/p>\n \u201cNot only do our council tenants get to enjoy their new homes, but passing this wonderful, eye catching piece of artwork each time they arrive and leave is a real added bonus.<\/p>\n \u201cWell done to everyone involved, you\u2019ve left a fantastic legacy to uplift us all for decades to come.\u201d<\/p>\n Main contractor Ogilvie Construction commissioned Chris to produce the art as part of its community benefits programme.<\/p>\n Colm Bourke, Project Manager at Ogilvie Construction, said: \u201cChris and the pupils at Dalkeith High have created an amazing artwork that shows how the heart of the development lies beyond the new buildings in the connections formed when people come together in new communities.\u201d<\/p>\n Chris, who lived near the mural until recently but is now based in Strathyre, near Callander, was approached by Ogilvie Construction in 2020. <\/p>\n Given the development is on the site of the old Dalkeith High, he felt it fitting to involve local pupils. <\/p>\n They wanted to create artwork with a sense of optimism but it had to be something residents could \u201clive with and would love\u201d, he said. <\/p>\n Chris, who is working on what is thought to be the biggest mural in Scotland in the Alloway railway tunnel, took up residency in the school for the first week and a half in October and worked with more than a hundred pupils from various year groups.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very grateful the Eilidh Zielinski and the entire art department got so behind the project. In many ways I feel like a benevolent pirate when I invade a school, but once we got started the ripples of joy and creativity soon echoed throughout the whole school. I could feel the pride of ownership in the pupils who took part.<\/p>\n \u201cTheir exuberance and my experience combined make this mural a truly a collaborative piece.\u201d<\/p>\n A solar farm.<\/p>\n Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly<\/b><\/p>\n Plans for a new solar farm in East Berwickshire have moved a step closer to reality after a planning application was submitted to Scottish Borders Council.<\/p>\n Voltalia UK Ltd is proposing to develop Bowshiel Solar Farm approximately 2km south of Cockburnspath.<\/p>\n The project is proposed to generate over 50MW and covers approximately 190 hectares.<\/p>\n A scoping Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report was this week submitted to SBC.<\/p>\n The application also incorporates a Battery Energy Storage System with anticipated generating capacity of up to 150MW.<\/p>\n The company carried out consultation from August 20 to September 17, which included an in-person event at Cockburnspath Village Hall.<\/p>\n SBC is a consultee over the proposals with the ultimate decision resting with the Scottish Government\u2019s Energy Consent Unit.<\/p>\n The MV App is available for both Android and iOS phones.<\/p>\n Written by Midlothian View Editor, Phil Bowen<\/b><\/p>\n Today we have launched the Midlothian View app. We are hoping that our readers find that it is a great new way to access our news stories and much more.<\/p>\n The app has four main features:<\/p>\n – The News tab presents the news in an easy to use and clear format. <\/p>\n – The Business tab provides an easy to search local business directory. <\/p>\n – The Offers tab displays the latest local offers. <\/p>\n – The Loyalty tab uses our Loyalty Pigeon system to enable businesses to run a loyalty programme for their customers.<\/p>\n If any local business wants to display their offers or create a loyalty programme then please get in touch via email info@pigeonpenguin.com.<\/a><\/p>\n The app has been built by my company, Pigeon Penguin Web & App Development (good work team!). If you didn’t know Midlothian View is a Pigeon Penguin publication.<\/p>\n Please download it and give it a try. We’ve tested it a lot but the proof is always in the pudding so any feedback is always welcomed. We have a list of features (notifications coming soon) that we want to add to the app over time but if you have any ideas then please do tell us.<\/p>\n You can download the MV app for free at either the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store, just search for “Midlothian View”.<\/p>\n Or click the appropriate button below.<\/p>\n An impression of how new and old will blend on the Bangour hospital site. Copyright West Lothian Council.<\/p>\n Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Stuart Sommerville<\/b><\/p>\n Councillors have agreed plans for the conversions of the listed buildings on the site of Bangour Village.<\/p>\n The former hospital buildings and church will be integrated into the new housing development which will provide almost 1,000 homes in West Lothian near Dechmont<\/p>\n The only criticism came from councillors who said both council and developers should have considered underground communal bins instead of adopting common practice for flats with bin stores.<\/p>\n Communal bin stores are popular in Europe and in some redeveloped city sites in the UK where large underground bins which are emptied by specialised vehicles replace multiple and unsightly communal bins stored on the surface. They are difficult and expensive to retrofit but could easily be built into new build developments. <\/p>\n The housing plans had been delayed for a month after the last meeting of the Development Management Committee as councillors claimed that they did not have time or information on which to make a decision.<\/p>\n Councillors on the Development Management Committee voted to approve two applications for the final phase of the residential development at Bangour, which would take the total number of homes approved on the site up to 976.<\/p>\n A further four applications were also granted for listed building consent, to allow the future of the historic buildings to be secured by converting them to residential apartments.<\/p>\n The latest consents take the number of homes agreed to 976 and includes all of the retained listed buildings occupying the northerly part of the Bangour site.<\/p>\n The only visible changes to the listed buildings are that some of the chimneys will have to be removed as the internal structural walls are changed. Gable end ones will be retained.<\/p>\n Councillor Tom Conn told the meeting: \u201cWe have been on long journey getting to today but the overall plan that has been presented to us retaining the buildings and restoration of the church are the very positive outcomes of the process that we have gone through so I welcome the development in that sense.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I have to finish on a negative note and take on board what the developer has said that he has not prepared to reconsider the position on waste collection and disposal. I find that really disappointing particularly given the district heating system on site. For me it falls at the final hurdle.\u201d<\/p>\n Speaking for developers planning consultants, Robert Evans had said that discussion with the council had concentrated on waste management that would be uniform with the rest of the county using overground bin stores.<\/p>\n Councillor Conn had suggested earlier in the meeting that the provision of large underground bin stores could have been introduced into plans for the flats rather than relying on introducing factoring to control waste management. Large underground bin stores would have encouraged residents to take their rubbish for disposal and recycling, he said.<\/p>\n It was a position which won backing across the chamber from SNP councillors and Tory group leader Damian Doran-Timson who suggested that the council should have done more to encourage the development.<\/p>\n He told the meeting: \u201cThere\u2019s massive positives about this. My only negative comment isn\u2019t just aimed at the developer but I think it\u2019s something that the council should have taken forward and looked at better solutions for waste storage.\u201d <\/p>\n He said that given the number of different bins households were required to have: \u201cIt’s really unfortunate that we haven\u2019t demanded a better solution.\u201d<\/p>\n Councillor Pauline Stafford, SNP group depute leader said: \u201cThanks, I would echo a lot of these points thanks for the extra time and extra detail. It was really helpful for a plan of this size\u201d She congratulated the plan for its commitment to active travel. <\/p>\n She called for future agreement on the siting of affordable housing to ensure that homes are spread through the development unlike some new developments where affordable housing is crammed into one area.<\/p>\n Historic Preston Tower and gardens.<\/p>\n Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Luke Jackson<\/b><\/p>\n The project team which led an exciting heritage project at historic Preston Tower, doocot and garden are celebrating after taking home two awards at the Edinburgh Architectural Association Awards for Architecture.<\/p>\n Representatives of the project received the Conservation and Heritage Award as well as the Building of the Year Award.<\/p>\n A \u00a31.1 million heritage project at the Scheduled Monument in Prestonpans, parts of which date back to the 15th century, was completed earlier this year.<\/p>\n The first phase involved repairs to the doocot, installation of new interpretation boards, a new garden seating area around a carved stone contemplation circle and new paths.<\/p>\n The second phase involved specialist stonework and plaster repairs and renewal of metalwork to the Tower, in addition to installation of external CCTV and lighting. This phase also saw the installation of an external staircase to allow public access to the inside of the tower for the first time in over 40 years.<\/p>\n Councillor Colin McGinn, Cabinet Spokesperson for Community Wellbeing, said:<\/p>\n \u201cThe heritage project at Preston Tower was a very successful initiative which saw East Lothian Council work in partnership with local residents including Prestonpans Community Council, the Friends of Preston Tower, Groves Raines Architects Studios, the National Trust for Scotland and Historic Environment Scotland.<\/p>\n \u201cIn recognising the significance of Preston Tower to the local community and as an historical landmark, great care was taken at every stage to ensure that the works were of high quality whilst being sympathetic and sensitive to the structure and fabric of this Scheduled Monument.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m absolutely delighted to see the project recognised at the Edinburgh Architectural Association Awards for Architecture \u2013 huge congratulations to everyone involved. Their efforts will ensure Preston Tower can be appreciated by generations of local people and visitors well into the future.\u201d<\/p>\n Speaking on behalf of the owners of the building, the National Trust for Scotland, Bryan Dickson, Head of Building Conservation Policy said:<\/p>\n \u201cWe are thrilled that the team\u2019s efforts are recognised in this way, with both awards recognising the spirit of community engagement and the level of thoughtful interventions required in providing access for future generations. The project is an exemplar, addressing the needs of this ancient monument, whilst providing a new generation with a chance to see what makes it so special.\u201d<\/p>\n DJ Johnston-Smith, Chair of Prestonpans Community Council, said:<\/p>\n \u201cOur Community Council was delighted to learn that the Scottish Government funded Preston Tower regeneration project has received this thoroughly well-deserved award. Over the past four years, GRAS, East Lothian Council officers, representatives from the National Trust for Scotland and the Community Council have all collaborated closely with each other and with a host of fantastic local and national contractors to develop, evolve and improve every part of this project as it went along. <\/p>\n “It has not only successfully saved, for another generation, these beloved historic Prestonpans landmarks, but it has also seen the installation of some fantastic new interpretation across the whole site, improved accessible routes into the Tower Gardens and, for the first time in decades, most importantly it has provided access inside the actual Tower itself.<\/p>\n \u201cThis close partnership and novel working arrangement has ultimately delivered a superb, safe, accessible heritage asset, alive and brimming with so much potential. We now look forward to the speedy creation of a solid partnership agreement between the local community, represented by the new “Friends of Preston Tower” group, and the Tower’s guardians, East Lothian Council, and its owners, the National Trust for Scotland, so that a sustainable, long-lasting, local community heritage project can emerge that will generate significant economic and wellbeing benefits for the town, the ward and the county for years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n Traditional construction techniques and materials were required with the council working closely with specialist contractors and consultants to deliver an appropriate repair project with all of the works led by conservation accredited consultants at Groves Raines Architects Studios, supported by the National Trust for Scotland.<\/p>\n Construction work was carried out by East Lothian-based firm Campbell & Smith.<\/p>\n Prestonpans Community Council secured initial funding for survey work from Preston Seton Gosford Area Partnership.<\/p>\n Salt of the Earth Heritage Connections, a community network linked to the Area Partnership and funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund Great Places scheme, was also a key partner in the development work at Preston Tower. The community were able to feed into the decision-making process through various activities including community council representatives being involved in fortnightly meetings with the client and design team.<\/p>\n The repair project to the tower, doocot and gardens was funded from a variety of sources including the Scottish Government through its Town Centre Fund and Place Based Investment Programme, as well as the UK Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund and by the National Trust for Scotland.<\/p>\n Viewed from the A703, the junction with the A702 at Hillend.<\/p>\n Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Luke Jackson<\/b><\/p>\n A notoriously bad junction in Midlothian is about to get new traffic lights. For years Midlothian residents have wanted something to be done on the A702 near Hillend, at the junction with the A703 and Old Pentland Road. <\/p>\n The junction has been the scene of numerous accidents and is also a traffic bottleneck as motorists struggle to turn right out of the A703.<\/p>\n BEAR Scotland, acting on behalf of Transport Scotland, is planning to install traffic signals at the junction in December.<\/p>\n The works will take place over ten nights between the hours of 19:30 and 06:00, beginning on the night of Monday 2 December and concluding on the night of Friday 13 December. No works will take place on the nights of Saturday 7 or Sunday 8 December.<\/p>\n The A702 at this location will be closed in both directions during the works, with a signed diversion route in place between Lothianburn Junction on the A720 and Easter Howgate, via the A720 to Straiton Junction, the A701 and Bush Loan Road. This diversion will add approximately 9 minutes and 3.5 miles to affected journeys.<\/p>\n Access for emergency vehicles will be maintained at all times, and local access will be provided for residents who live within the closure.<\/p>\n All traffic management will be removed outside of working hours.<\/p>\n Consultation has taken place with relevant stakeholders in advance of these works to make them aware of the traffic management arrangements and to minimise any inconvenience.<\/p>\n Tommy Deans, BEAR Scotland\u2019s Southeast Network Manager, said: \u201cThese new traffic lights will improve safety for motorists using the junction between the A702, the A703 and Old Pentland Road.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is essential for the safety of the workforce that we close the road during the works, however we\u2019ve scheduled them during overnight hours to minimise any disruption.<\/p>\n \u201cWe thank road users in advance for their patience.\u201d<\/p>\n Road users are encouraged to plan ahead before setting out by checking the Traffic Scotland website www.traffic.gov.scot<\/a> for up-to-date travel information and allowing extra time for their journey.<\/p>\n A Battery Energy Storage System in Pillswood, Hull. Image credit Fully Charged Show<\/a>.<\/p>\n Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Paul Kelly<\/b><\/p>\n A Berwickshire councillor campaigning against the \u201cindustrialisation\u201d of his community is calling for an extension to the public consultation period over proposed battery energy storage systems (BESS).<\/p>\n Recent months have seen a proliferation of BESS bids, particularly around the Eccles Sub-station.<\/p>\n Independent councillor James Anderson is calling on the Scottish Government to reconsider the current framework for energy storage systems and the wider implications of electricity infrastructure consenting in Scotland.<\/p>\n Mr Anderson, who represents East Berwickshire, has highlighted what he regards as insufficient consultation processes and inadequate provisions for community involvement.<\/p>\n He has written to Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy, Gillian Martin MSP, saying the current consultation period of between three to five weeks was \u201cfar too short\u201d and calling for it to be extended to at least eight weeks.<\/p>\n Mr Anderson, who has raised particular concerns over the Lees Hill Renewable Energy Park, 5km west of Duns, said: <\/p>\n \u201cMany community councils, including Cockburnspath and Cove, meet only monthly or bi-monthly, undermining a community\u2019s ability to respond effectively within the given time-frame.<\/p>\n \u201cFor meaningful engagement to occur, I urge the Scottish Government to extend the consultation period to at least eight weeks, allowing local representatives to gather feedback from their communities.<\/p>\n \u201cI also advocate for comprehensive pre-application requirements, including meaningful consultations that truly involve affected communities rather than solely relying on developers to disseminate information.<\/p>\n \u201cThe current fragmented approach to project proposals must cease. Communities need access to complete information on proposals, including connections to the grid, substations, and associated infrastructure, at the initial consultation stage to understand the full impact of developments.\u201d<\/p>\n Mr Anderson added: \u201cIt seems to be that the private companies are calling the shots because the Government haven\u2019t put the proper regulations in place.<\/p>\n \u201cThe companies seem to have a tactic of rushing these projects through as fast as they can.\u201d<\/p>\n New fence section at Chester View, Bonnyrigg, had been refused planning permission.<\/p>\n A pensioner who faced having to tear down her fence after putting her life-savings into it has won the right to keep it on appeal.<\/p>\n The Bonnyrigg resident’s fence was blown down in high winds but when she replaced it she moved it to take in open grass she owned beside her home because, she said, people were leaving dog poo in \u2018double figures\u2019 on the land daily.<\/p>\n Midlothian planners refused to grant permission for the new fence saying it was too high and close to the pavement of her home, on Chester View.<\/p>\n But last week councillors overturned the decision on appeal after ruling she was entitled to safeguard her home.<\/p>\n Councillors urged the pensioer to consider painting the fence to fit in with neighbouring perimeters as they gave it permission to remain in place.<\/p>\n Earlier they had been told the pensioner had used her life savings to put the new fence up and would not be able to afford to replace it again.<\/p>\n At a meeting of the council\u2019s Local Review Body Councillor Peter Smaill pointed out there were other fences on the street of a similar height and said if the colour was more in line it would not stand out.<\/p>\n And Councillor Colin Cassidy agreed adding \u201cit may be with a bit of toning down it will be less intrusive\u201d.<\/p>\n A representative for the home owner said plans were in place to paint the fence but had been put on hold because of the appeal.<\/p>\n Councillor Derek Milligan said he sympathised with the owner\u2019s concerns about littering and mess on the open land.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cI think the reason the occupant has moved the fence out is for a genuine reason and I do not see any reason to refuse it.\u201d<\/p>\n The appeal was upheld and planning permission for the fence was granted.<\/p>\n
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\nthat will avoid clear precedent being set.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\nEditor, Midlothian View.<\/p>\n
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<\/div>","PostId":24928,"postDateTime":"2024-11-21 15:58:31"},{"Headline":"Dalkeith High pupils give Midlothian Council housing \u201ca real sense of soul\u201d","Excerpt":"","FeaturedImage":"https:\/\/www.midlothianview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Dalketh-High-School-Mural.jpg","Content":"![\"Dalketh-High-School-Mural\"](\"https:\/\/www.midlothianview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Dalketh-High-School-Mural.jpg\")
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<\/div>","PostId":24924,"postDateTime":"2024-11-21 15:39:05"},{"Headline":"New solar farm on the Scottish Borders Council\u2019s agenda","Excerpt":"","FeaturedImage":"https:\/\/www.midlothianview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/solar-farm-unsplash.jpg","Content":"![\"solar-farm-unsplash\"](\"https:\/\/www.midlothianview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/solar-farm-unsplash.jpg\")
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<\/div>","PostId":24921,"postDateTime":"2024-11-21 15:34:08"},{"Headline":"We have launched the Midlothian View App","Excerpt":"","FeaturedImage":"https:\/\/www.midlothianview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Midlothian-View-App-Launch-November-2024.jpg","Content":"![\"Midlothian-View-App-Launch-November-2024\"](\"https:\/\/www.midlothianview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Midlothian-View-App-Launch-November-2024.jpg\")
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<\/div>","PostId":24894,"postDateTime":"2024-11-21 09:44:13"},{"Headline":"Final Bangour plans agreed on listed buildings","Excerpt":"","FeaturedImage":"https:\/\/www.midlothianview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bangour-1.jpg","Content":"![\"Bangour\"](\"https:\/\/www.midlothianview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Bangour-1.jpg\")
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<\/div>","PostId":24876,"postDateTime":"2024-11-20 19:34:57"},{"Headline":"Award success for Preston Tower heritage project team","Excerpt":"","FeaturedImage":"https:\/\/www.midlothianview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Preston-Tower-9-Jan-2024.jpg","Content":"![\"Preston-Tower-9-Jan-2024\"](\"https:\/\/www.midlothianview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Preston-Tower-9-Jan-2024.jpg\")
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<\/div>","PostId":24873,"postDateTime":"2024-11-20 19:27:46"},{"Headline":"Notoriously bad Hillend junction to get traffic lights","Excerpt":"","FeaturedImage":"https:\/\/www.midlothianview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/A702-A703-junction.jpg","Content":"![\"A702-A703-junction\"](\"https:\/\/www.midlothianview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/A702-A703-junction.jpg\")
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<\/div>","PostId":24864,"postDateTime":"2024-11-20 13:04:18"},{"Headline":"Councillor\u2019s plea to extend battery storage consultation","Excerpt":"","FeaturedImage":"https:\/\/www.midlothianview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Fully-Charged-Show-BESS.webp","Content":"![\"Fully](\"https:\/\/www.midlothianview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/Fully-Charged-Show-BESS.webp\")
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<\/div>","PostId":24861,"postDateTime":"2024-11-19 15:40:28"},{"Headline":"Pensioner wins fence fight","Excerpt":"","FeaturedImage":"https:\/\/www.midlothianview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/fence-Hedgehog-holes.jpg","Content":"![\"fence-Hedgehog-holes\"](\"https:\/\/www.midlothianview.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/fence-Hedgehog-holes.jpg\")
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