Tenants Voice: 1

SucceSS for eTf!

Issue 104 - February 2018

coNTeNTS

P1 Success for eTf!

P2 Getting to Know Your Housing

and economy councillors

P3 Welcome to craig

P4 Welcome to Mari

P4 expanding our rights Based

Approach

P4/5 Sleep in the Park

P6 rent communication Inspection

P6 Spotlight on repairs

P7 Inspiring Volunteer Awards

P7 Sharpening our Image!

P8 feeding the community

P8 Christmas at Laichfield

P8 Investment in North Sighthill

P9 city of edinburgh council News

P11 National News

P15 convenor’s report

P16 Dates for your Diary

TenantsVoice

The Newsletter of edinburgh’s federation of Tenants’ and residents’ Associations

ETF was delighted to be crowned winners at the Tenant Participation Advisory Service (TPAS) Scotland, National Good Practice Awards.

The event was hosted by Jane McCarry and Mark Cox, aka Isa and Tam from Still Game. ETF won Tenant Participation Champion of the Year (Organisation) 2017 and our Outreach Worker Justine Bradd won Outstanding Officer of the year.

Betty Stevenson, Convenor of ETF commented, “What an achievement for ETF to scoop these two fantastic awards for outstanding work in tenant participation in Scotland. I’m proud beyond words for everyone in the Federation.”

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Outreach Worker Justine Bradd said, “I was delighted to have been shortlisted for this award but to actually win has left me speechless. It’s fantastic to see so much good practice in Tenant Participation in Scotland and wonderful for my work and ETF’s to be recognised.”

Councillor Gavin Barry, Convenor on the Housing and Economy Committee said “On behalf of City of Edinburgh Council I would like to offer hearty congratulations to Justine on her Outstanding Officer award and to the Federation for their award of Outstanding Organisation. It is immensely pleasing to see both an individual and an organisation that we work with and support receiving such worthy accolades.”

Well done to all the winners on the night, we at ETF could not be prouder of the achievements of the organisation and our workers.

GeTTING To KNoW YourHouSING AND ecoNoMYcouNcIllorS

Justine with her award

The October 2017 Federation Meeting was an informal open space event for councillors on the City of Edinburgh Council’s Housing and Economy Committee to meet with members of tenants’ groups across the city.

The event welcomed councillors into their role on behalf of the Federation and encouraged groups to mix with people from other areas of the city.

Elected members chatted with tenants in wide ranging discussions from envisioning a community based social enterprise about waste collection, to action on local issues, Council new builds, getting to know housing officers, rents and repairs.

Councillor Gavin Barrie, Convener of Housing and Economy Committee said “It was very beneficial for councillors to attend this event to hear the views of Council tenants and speak to them about any issues in person. It was a great opportunity for the whole committee to learn more about the crucial services we provide.”

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Discussions at the tables

Comments from tenants

“Councillors need to be more present in their local areas.”

“Tenants are still unsure of who their

Patch worker is.”

“There is a positive impact when

Council interacts with the local people.”

“Better communication needed between the Council and tenants

about repairs.”

“Using a Human rights approach to housing

has had a huge impact on my area and its

development.”

WelcoMe To crAIGETF is delighted to welcome Craig Burns as our new Communications Assistant. Craig will be assisting ETF for the next 12 months in developing our communications work and will be working closely with the Executive Committee along with other staff members. Craig is excited with this opportunity and keen to learn more as the job goes along. “I am looking forward to expanding my skills, working in a team and helping ETF to the best of my ability.” Craig can be contacted at the Federation Office on 0131 475 2509 or email craig.burns@edinburghtenants.org.uk.

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WelcoMe To MArI

exPANDING our rIGHTS BASeD APProAcH

Betty Stevenson, Sheila Rutherford-McCallum and Clare MacGillivray from ETF joined more than 7000 folk sleeping out in Princes Street Gardens on the coldest night of the year in December for the Social Bite Sleep in the Park event to raise awareness and funds to end homelessness in Scotland.

SleeP IN THe PArK

Mari Lehva has just started with ETF as our Outreach Worker. Mari tells us about this new challenge and what drives her. She said “I have always had a passion for community work at the grassroots level, and whilst I was studying Sociology at the University of Edinburgh I became a member of Edinburgh Student Housing Co-operative. Much more than just a roof over my head, this was a community that got me passionate about tenants’ rights and housing. Five years ago this cooperative was just the ‘big dream’ of a small group of people, and now it is a thriving, self-managed community of 106 members. Having graduated this summer, I am super excited about starting to work with ETF! During my

time here, I am sure I will learn a lot and I cannot wait to meet with residents’ groups new and old to help them amplify their voices and be heard.” Mari can be contacted by phoning 0131 475 2509 or email mari@edinburghtenants.org.uk.

We’re delighted to announce a successful partnership with the Baring Foundation to fund a part-time Housing Rights Development Worker with ETF for a year.

This post will develop our housing rights in practice project in partnership with Participation and Practice of Rights (PPR) and the Scottish Human Rights Commission (SHRC) and will focus on supporting tenants to use a rights based approach to address their housing issues, and to raise awareness of rights based work in practice.

We’re thrilled that Justine Bradd will be leading this work, since Justine has developed an expertise in this field by successfully supporting residents in West Cromwell, Citadel and Persevere Courts to work with City of Edinburgh Council staff to improve housing conditions in the area.

We are also in discussions with NHS Health Scotland, NHS Lothian and the Scottish Community Development Centre to discuss our experiences. We want to encourage public authorities to use a rights based approach to enable citizens to hold duty bearers to account for the public service delivered.

If you’d like to know more about this project and how to get involved, please email justine@edinburghtenants.org.uk. Justine Bradd

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They donned sleeping bags and slept in survival kits to keep the frost out as temperatures plummeted to minus 6C.

A Sleep in the Park concert featuring Liam Gallagher, Deacon Blue and Amy McDonald kept the crowds’ toes tapping, whilst input from Josh Littlejohn, Founder of Social Bite and Bob Geldof highlighted the vision of ending homelessness in Scotland.

Perhaps the biggest impact of the night was in hearing directly the experiences of people who had been sleeping rough. They spoke poignantly of their survival on the streets and the impact human gestures of kindness make. “Don’t just walk past us. We’re people. Stop and say a few words,” was the message of one woman who had become homeless at 16.

Others told of the life changing moment when offered a job at Social Bite’s first café, four years ago describing it as “a chance to be human again.”

Over £3.6M was raised to kick start a Housing First model providing a permanent home with support packages to help 475 homeless people in Edinburgh and Glasgow sustain tenancies. 275 homes will be provided through the Edindex partnership in Edinburgh and 200 by the Wheatley Group for people in the central belt.

Betty Stevenson, Convenor of ETF said, “I want to thank everyone who sponsored Team ETF. Between us we raised more than £700 to help the most vulnerable in our communities. This effort was also about raising awareness and taking action for homelessness, and I’m delighted with the leadership shown by the housing providers to really help shift the focus of homelessness towards providing permanent and supported homes. The right to a home is one that all of us should enjoy in Scotland. This is the beginning of a step change in providing that right to all.”

liam Gallagher performing at Sleep in the Park

#TeameTf #sleepinthepark

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ETF’s dedicated team of Tenant Led Inspectors have recently completed the inspection in to how the City of Edinburgh Council communicates with tenants about rents. Our Tenant Led Inspectors looked at the different ways of communication and tenants’ experiences of this.

Heather Ford, Convenor of the TLI Group explains, “We were involved with interviewing Housing Officers, Team Leaders and Management. We looked at the different communication methods and how well they worked or sometimes did not! However, not all was doom and gloom; it was good to talk about positive things and see the positive reaction the housing officers gave when things turned out well and progress was being made.”

At the conclusion of the inspection we made 23 recommendations and look forward to seeing how the Council carry these ideas forward, making communications easier for all.

If you would like a copy of the full report please contact Mark at the ETF office on 0131 475 2509 or email mark@edinburghtenants.org.uk.

Heather ford, convenor, eTf Tenant led Inspection Group

reNT coMMuNIcATIoNINSPecTIoN

SPoTlIGHT oN rePAIrS The ETF Repairs Group brings together City of Edinburgh Council tenants to influence repairs issues. At the last meeting the focus was on Repairs Direct and the Council’s Contact Centre.

Council staff presented on the repairs contact centre and some new initiatives with the Repairs Direct team including:

• Focusing on quality control;• Tenants shadowing inspectors and meeting other tenants;• Using customer satisfaction surveys to change and shape the service;• Working with the digital team to create a non-emergency online form for repairs reporting.

The Repairs Group also features an open space for tenants to raise issues with Council officers. Points raised by tenants at this meeting will be addressed in a Council action plan that ETF will monitor through quarterly meetings with staff. We will report more about this in the next edition of Tenants Voice.

Heather Ford, Convenor of the ETF Repairs Group said, “The Repairs Group is a great way for Council tenants to come together collectively to talk about how the service can be improved. We meet quarterly and tenants come from all areas of the city to hear updates from Council staff as well as feeding back tenants’ views. I’d encourage people to get involved and meet other folk in an informal way.”

The next meeting of the Repairs group will take place on Wednesday 7th March 2018 from 7-9pm in Norton Park. To get involved in the Repairs Group, please contact Mark Henry on 0131 475 2509 or email mark@edinburghtenants.org.uk.

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SHArPeNING our IMAGe!

INSPIrING VoluNTeerAcHIeVeMeNT AWArDS 2018:NoMINATIoNS NoW oPeN

Is there an individual or even a group within your organisation that deserves an Inspiring Volunteer Award? If so then why not consider nominating them for the 2018 Lord Provost’s Inspiring Volunteer Achievement Award. Nominations are now invited

for this year’s awards and can be submitted online at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/8KSRZTD. Alternatively you can download the application form at http://www.volunteeredinburgh.org.uk/home. There is also an award for Housing/Tenant Participation Champion, so if you can think of someone who deserves this award then why not nominate them? Organisations are able to nominate up to three individual volunteers and one team of volunteers. All nominated volunteers will receive a certifi cate either in person at the Awards Ceremony or in the post. Nominations will close on Sunday 18th March 2018 at 10pm.

Frank Ross Rt. Hon. Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh will honour some of the dedicated volunteers who give their time, energy and commitment to the people of Edinburgh at a special awards ceremony on Wednesday 6th June 2018 at the City Chambers. The Awards Ceremony takes place during Volunteers Week – which runs every year from the 1st – 7th June 2018.

For more information please contact Tyler Norrie at Volunteer Edinburgh on 0131 225 0630 or email events@volunteeredinburgh.org.uk.

Work is ongoing to sharpen the image of ETF and we need to up our game on more engaging social media. That’s the view of a successful website and communications discussion in the middle of January. Don’t worry if you missed out as we will be having another session in the very near future.

Our Communications Assistant recently reviewed our website and has the following suggestions on what could be improved:

• Website very tidy and organised;• May need more colour/vibrancy;• May need more pictures/images;• Members login elsewhere than the front page for

better visibility;• The survey to be more noticeable;• ETF events to be more noticeable;• Different photos for the website pages;• More exciting fonts to be noticeable;• More images needed maybe in general;• More interesting and exciting posts on Facebook/

Twitter less formality.We will be asking your thoughts in our annual Member’s Survey so watch out for that! eTf’s website page

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feeDING THe coMMuNITYMike Vallance from the Community Kitchen in Fidra Court has secured funding to continue its work of feeding the community with great healthy food. The kitchen is located in the Muirhouse high-rise flat is run by volunteers from the Tenants and Residents in Fidra Court Group. The kitchen has been awarded a grant from the Lord Provost’s Rapid Action Fund and also receives invaluable support from various organisations including Community Renewal, Fareshare, Pilton Community Health Project, CEC, Scotmid, volunteers from Tesco – and of course from Edinburgh Tenants Federation. In addition, donations from kitchen users are at an all-time high, reflecting the appreciation of the community.

The kitchen has recently expanded to a five days per week opening which is especially welcome in the cold winter months. Since the kitchen works on a “pay what you can afford” donation basis, people can get warming soup, home-cooked meals and hot rolls no matter their financial circumstances. All are welcome in the kitchen, whether they are Fidra residents, other local residents living nearby, visitors from further away, Council or other local workers, whoever.....the kitchen is for everyone.

The kitchen is on the ground floor of Fidra Court, Pennywell Medway, Muirhouse EH4 4SE. From outside people can enter via the Cafe buzzer at the main entrance or by the back door – opposite side of the block from the main entrance.

Tenants and Residents in Fidra Court – email: mike92@riseup.net.

cHrISTMAS AT lAIcHfIelDLaichfield Community Association raised £186 at their recent Christmas Fayre. Local residents were treated to a variety of stalls including homemade cards, crafts and knitting to name a few.

The group is also looking for new office bearers. Christine Hudson explains, “We are appealing to anyone who may be able to help our committee with the role of Secretary. Due to a change in circumstances this role will become available. Previously we have had assistance from family members and friends so if you think you can help with minute taking, please contact Mari Lehva, ETF Outreach Worker on 0131 475 2509 or email mari@edinburghtenants.org.uk. Christine Hudson, Chair, Laichfield Community

Association

£35 MIllIoN INVeSTMeNT forNorTH SIGHTHIll

Work has begun on the regeneration development at North Sighthill. With an investment of £35 million, a total of 314 properties will be built on the site with a mix of homes available for sale and affordable rent. At an event on 30th November 2017, developers Keepmoat were delighted to hand over a cheque for £25,000 to go towards local community benefits.

Kevin Stewart, MSP Minister for Housing and Communities and Councillor Gavin Barrie, Convenor of the Housing and Economy Committee attended the event.

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Chairperson for North Sighthill Residents Association, John Aitken said, “I was sad I could not attend the event but I am delighted to hear that the local community will benefit from the £25,000. Residents have been waiting a long time for this investment and we look forward to passing over the running of the organisation once new residents have settled in. From the ashes of the old North Sighthill a new community will emerge.”

Betty Stevenson, Convenor of ETF said “It’s good that progress is finally being made, it’s been a long time coming for local residents. It was a lovely surprise that Keepmoat has announced £25,000 for community benefits and we look forward to seeing how this money will be invested.”

Justine Bradd, Housing Rights Development Worker/Outreach Worker for ETF said, “I have worked with North Sighthill Residents Association since I started with ETF 10 years ago. At this time residents in Broomview House were in the middle of being rehoused and I attended the blowdown of that block followed by Weir, Glenalmond and Hermiston Courts a few years later. There are a lot of memories here and it is great that the build is now underway, I hope the new residents will be able to make many more.”

Keepmoat handing over a cheque for £25,000

NeWS froM THe cITY ofeDINBurGH couNcIl council rent consultationLisa Mallon, Enabling Partnerships Manager with the City of Edinburgh Council was the star presenter at the November Federation Meeting. Lisa outlined the wide ranging methods that the Council’s rent consultation has taken this year – a process that has been co-designed by tenants on the Rent Matters Working Group.

Lisa said, “Thanks to the tireless efforts of the Rent Matters Working Group the annual budget consultation has gone from strength to strength. It is so important tenants get to have their say. The group has helped the Council to ensure messages and content are easily understood and available to all in a variety of different ways to ensure we get as many responses as possible.”

Federation Members heard about the Council’s ‘Invest to Save programme’, which aims to reduce tenants’ costs by investing in services. Lisa outlined the broad range of responses that tenants had already contributed about the average £2 per week proposed rent increase.

Lisa explained, “The majority of the responses received to date have supported the investment plan that seeks to build 10,000 new affordable homes, continue to modernise homes and neighbourhoods and deliver new services such as an energy advice service or tenant discount scheme to help reduce tenants overall cost of living.”

When asking tenants about what they were finding difficult to afford, the top three answers so far have been:

1. Energy; 2. Food; 3. Other household bills.

ETF will continue to work with the Council throughout the year to discuss rents and investment. Decisions about the proposed rent increase will be taken by elected members in February 2018.

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The onecity TrustThe OneCity Trust is pleased to announce that there is still money available in the 2017 Rapid Action Fund, for projects seeking funding up to £2,000. Registered charities and constituted groups based in Edinburgh who focus on innovative projects and initiatives that effectively address social exclusion through partnership working are welcome to apply.

Wherever possible, OneCity Trust seeks to encourage the active involvement of people in sectors of society that do not normally work together.

The Trust considers the following three priorities to be of primary importance, and any application should describe work on at least one of the themes:

1. Community connectedness: Community connectedness has positive impacts on communities, improving resilience, social

cohesion and mutual support, leading to an increase in overall community capacity and decrease in inequalities.

2. Cultural bridging: Cultural bridging is about actively working to create bridges between people and

organisations which are usually separated by a ‘cultural’ divide. The Trust views the word culture in its widest sense – sometime described simply as a shared awareness of ‘the way we do things round here’ – and does not restrict it to issues of national, ethnic, or socio-economic culture etc.

3. Civic inclusion: Civic inclusion means engaging with and further developing civic society and citizenship in

Edinburgh. This work must reflect the growing cultural diversity of the city, celebrating both our differences and our commonality, leading to a genuine desire in every citizen to engage in tackling the inequalities which hamper its social and economic potential, to create a more socially just city.

In addition to these priorities, applications can be considered by Travis Perkins who were awarded a contract in 2015 with the City of Edinburgh Council, and the two organisations are working in conjunction with the OneCity Trust to allocate a Community Benefit fund to projects in the city, as long as:

• Your organisation involves City of Edinburgh Council tenants, or• That your project serves a geographical area with a high concentration of City of Edinburgh

Council homes.Further details can be found at www.onecity.org.uk, or contact elaine@onecity.org.uk or phone (0131) 469 3856 for further information and an application form. Elaine McCafferty, Executive Officer, Lord Provosts Office, City of Edinburgh Council

city region Deal You may have heard that Edinburgh has secured a City Region Deal. Here are some questions that help explain what it’s all about:

What is the city region Deal?It is an agreement between the Scottish Government, six local councils (the City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Fife, Midlothian, Scottish Borders and West Lothian), the UK Government, colleges and universities in the region. It was signed on 20th July 2017 and is a commitment that all partners have made to invest around £1 billion in jobs, training, housing, infrastructure, research and technology.

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Why do we need a city region Deal? Our region is growing faster than many other parts of the UK but not everyone is benefitting from the wealth that is being created. House prices and private sector rents are very high and skills and training are needed to secure well-paid jobs. The City Deal helps us deliver more homes, skills and training.

What does the Deal mean for tenants?Tenants have told us that they want more affordable homes and support to get jobs. Through the City Region Deal, the Scottish Government has agreed to work with councils to support house building. This includes providing grant funding and other assistance to get sites developed, which will help the City of Edinburgh Council to deliver 20,000 affordable homes over the next ten years. Building more homes will create jobs and opportunities for training and local businesses. In addition to building more homes, a £25 million jobs and skills programme will help people to access a range of good career opportunities.

If you would like more information about the City Region Deal, please contact David Baxter at David.Baxter@edinburgh.gov.uk or call 0131 529 3224.

NATIoNAl NeWS#following GrenfellThe importance of housing as a human rights issue was recently underlined when the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) – Great Britain’s equality and human rights watchdog announced an investigation into the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

The EHRC has stated that “More than 70 people died in the Grenfell Tower fire on 14 June 2017, in homes managed by the State. They included children, elderly people, disabled people and migrants. Many hundreds more were severely affected, both on the night itself and during the months since.

The events surrounding the fire and the following treatment of survivors, their families and the community, raise serious human rights and equality questions around issues such as the right to life, the right to adequate housing, access to justice, the rights of children and disabled people.

Under human rights legislation, public authorities such as the government and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, have responsibilities to treat everyone with fairness, dignity and respect. We are determined to make sure these duties are highlighted as the Public Inquiry progresses and the national debate around this tragedy continues.”

Six months on from the horrific fire, David Isaac, Chair of the EHRC said “From the right to life to the duty to provide adequate housing, there are several areas where the State fell short in its duties to its citizens and these must be properly addressed. The official Public Inquiry is rightly looking at the building, fire and safety measures, property management and the events of the fire itself, but we believe our expertise in equality and human rights laws is essential in determining the extent to which the State failed, not only the residents of Grenfell Tower, but also those who witnessed the fire and have endured harm, physically or emotionally, as a result of it.”

For more information about the EHRC work #Following Grenfell, check out their website www.equalityhumanrights.com. David Isaac, chair, eHrc

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Dignity and respect in the Social Security AgencyScotland is getting a new Social Security Agency to look after the areas of welfare that have been devolved to the Scottish Parliament.

The Federation ran a very successful information session for members about the new social security powers, and met with Miriam Craven from the Scottish Government team that is setting up the new Social Security Agency to consider what dignity and respect will look like in the new agency.

Betty Stevenson, Convenor of ETF explains why this was important for Federation members, “Dignity and respect is a cornerstone of what the new social security system in Scotland is meant to be about, so we wanted to connect Federation members with the people envisioning the new system to tell them what this means in reality to us. We’ve heard so many stories from people about the degrading and humiliating experience of the UK benefits system and we want to contribute to getting it right in Scotland.”

Tenants came up with their top ten priorities for Scotland’s social security agency team to consider when creating the new agency:

1. Make communication easy to understand;

2. Make it easy to apply for benefits;

3. Pay benefits correctly first time, and on time and explain when mistakes are made;

4. Offer different ways for people to connect with the agency (face to face contact, email or post);

5. Have friendly, patient and approachable staff who treat people as human beings and listen to what they have to say;

6. Give advice that means the process is easy to understand and people claim the benefits they are entitled to;

7. Get the message across about the new agency, how benefits will change how the changes will be publicised;

8. Create spaces that are accessible and where there is no power difference between agency staff and applicants (make sure they’re on bus routes, create social spaces, have plants, comfy seats, “don’t make us feel like we’re going to a prison”);

9. Involve people from the experience panels in interviewing new agency staff;

10. Use the PANEL (Participation, Accountability, Non-Discrimination and Equality, Empowerment and Legality) principles of a rights based approach in the whole way the agency is designed, from creating the culture of the staff team to the application form.

Miriam Craven, Head of Local Delivery, Agency Implementation Team and Social Security Directorate of the Scottish Government said, “It was great to meet with the Federation to find out more about their views on the existing social security system, how they would like to see the devolved service differ and hear their ideas on how we can do better. This is valuable insight and we are building this feedback into our service design.

“We are committed to taking a human rights based approach, to the extent that it is the very first provision in the new Social Security Bill. We will ensure that we uphold the commitments that this places on us by ensuring that human rights, dignity and respect are at the heart of everything we do.”

For more information about the new social security agency, the proposed principles can be viewed in a paper published on the Social Security Bill pages on the Scottish Government website, this is also where you can keep up to date with the development of our new social security powers by going to: https://beta.gov.scot/policies/social-security/.

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Scotland’s Human rights Participation eventScotland’s National Participation Event for International Human Rights Day 2017 celebrated the end of the first four years of Scotland’s National Action Plan (SNAP). The event on 12th December brought together people and organisations from around Scotland to reflect on SNAP’s successes and challenges, guide what comes next, inform the final evaluation and report on SNAP’s first four years.

Here’s some highlights of the event:

Christina McKelvie MSP, Convenor of the Equality and Human Rights Committee at the Scottish Parliament opened the day and highlighted examples where SNAP is enabling people to claim their rights from the State.

Christina pointed to the Edinburgh Tenants Federation work with the Scottish Human Rights Commission (SHRC) and Participation and the Practice of Rights (PPR) to support residents in West Cromwell Street, Citadel and Persevere Courts Residents Association (WPCRA) in Leith to realise their right to adequate housing as a key part of SNAP and a shining example of using a rights based approach in practice. She highlighted the partnership approach and the investment by the City of Edinburgh Council to make significant improvements to housing conditions for local residents.

The First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon sent a message by video link saying, “Let us celebrate the progress we’ve made but let’s also recommit ourselves to the cause of promoting and protecting human rights in Scotland, in the rest of the UK and in all countries around the world.”

Nils Muiznieks, the European Commissioner for Human Rights spoke about SNAP as an example of good practice of how countries should be empowering citizens to know and claim their rights.

This highly participative and creative event featured live time input from 348 people who took part online; with the hashtag #AllOurRights reaching 855,000 people.

Commenting on Twitter about the Federation’s Housing Rights work during the event, the UN Special Rapporteur for Adequate Housing said, “The beautiful thing about human rights is that it empowers the individual – the Rights Holder. Look at this video to see what empowerment looks like, and what it looks like to claim your right to housing. Incredible work!”

Those in the room, linked actions from SNAP to the principles of a rights based approach, talked about the challenges and successes of the last four years and came up with ideas and priorities for the next steps in SNAP.

Nils Muiznieks

christina McKelvie - photo credit Michael rea

The first Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, MSP

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A fringe event by the Scottish Youth Parliament saw Amy Lee Fraioli MSYP introducing their impressive campaign Right Here, Right Now! which aims to strengthen young people’s rights including building the case for the incorporation of international human rights law into Scots law.

The final plenary session featured Alex Thorburn from the Adequate Standard of Living Reference Group, who talked about how a genuine change requires a culture shift, including bringing human rights into the school curriculum in Scotland.

Professor Alan Miller who will chairs the First Minister’s Advisory Group on incorporating human rights into Scots law talked about how Scotland is leading in human rights globally, that SNAP has normalised the talk of using

Group discussions at the event – photo credit Michael rea

The graphic facilitator mapped the discussions - photo credit Michael rea Heather ford speaks to her group – photo credit Michael rea

Alex, Alan, clare and Judith on the plenary session panel - photo credit Michael rea

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a rights based approach in Scotland saying “SNAP has demystified human rights” and that we must protect and promote human rights to prevent a regression of rights.

Our Development Coordinator Clare MacGillivray rounded off the plenary session talking passionately about using a human rights based approach to housing. Clare said that it is important to challenge the resistance to rights and we must do more to empower rights holders to name and claim their rights from the State. Going forward, Clare said, “We need to build capacity and tackle inequality if our rights are to be enhanced”.

Closing the event, Judith Robertson, Chair of the Scottish Human Rights Commission emphasised that the need for human rights to be collectively owned by everyone is more important than ever.

To find out more about SNAP check out the website www.snaprights.info.

Well folks we are into the New Year and if I was to say 2017 has been a very busy year for the Federation I would not be exaggerating. First of all I want to thank the staff for their hard work as you have all been pushed to the limit.

We have set up regular meetings with Councillors Barrie and Cameron which I am sure will be positive. I know it has been a difficult time for tenants with the changes within the council offices but hopefully this has now settled down and we can get on with working together.

I and my colleagues were tested to the limit with our Sleep in the Park in aid of the homeless.

I want to congratulate Justine Bradd ETF’s Outreach worker on her award of National Tenant Participant Officer also ETF as Outstanding Group; well done to all involved.

I enjoyed my stint at the Council Tenants’ conference and the great ideas that came from all of you who were in attendance.

I was delighted to meet with Director of Place, Paul Lawrence for our bi-annual tour of areas. This time we visited Carnegie Court and the Lochend and Restalrig areas of Edinburgh. We look forward to our next tour in 2018. If you would like us to come to your area please get in touch with the Federation office to let them know and we can try and schedule this.

Lastly I would like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year and best wishes for 2018.

coNVeNor’S rePorT

eTf representatives at the SNAP event - photo credit Michael rea

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Produced by Edinburgh Tenants Federation, Norton Park, 57 Albion Road, Edinburgh EH7 5QY Tel: 0131 475 2509 Email: info@edinburghtenants.org.uk www.edinburghtenants.org.uk

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The views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of ETF.

copy Deadline

Tenants Voice is usually published four times a year and is distributed to nearly 4,000 tenants, residents, decision makers and other interested individuals throughout Edinburgh. We always welcome contributions from our readers, though we stress that material included in Tenants Voice does not always represent the opinions of Edinburgh Tenants Federation. If you would like to contribute an article, please do so by the following deadline:

March 2018 editionDeadline for ArticlesMonday 12th February 2018

About edinburgh Tenants federationEdinburgh Tenants Federation is the umbrella organisation for tenants’ and residents’ groups in Edinburgh and a Registered Tenant Organisation. Tenants’ and residents’ groups can become members of ETF and individuals can become Associate Members. Just contact the ETF offi ce on 0131 475 2509 or email info@edinburghtenants.org.uk for more information.

comments, compliments, complaintsPlease give us feedback on this publication. If you have any comments, compliments or complaints we would like to know. Just contact us at the ETF offi ce.

Thoughtful Quote“It’s okay to be discouraged. It’s not okay to quit’.”

Ryan Holiday

DATeS for Your DIArYfull council, Deputation PlanningMonday 19th February 2018, 1.00pm-3.30pm, Norton Park, 57 Albion Roadfull council MeetingThursday 22nd February 2018, 10.00am, City Chambers, Royal MileeTf High flats GroupMonday 26th February 2018, 7.00pm-9.00pm, Birnies Court Community Centre, Muirhouse VieweTf repairs GroupWednesday 7th March 2018, 7.00pm-9.00pm, Norton Park, 57 Albion Roadregulation of Social Housing in Scotland consultationTuesday 13th March 2018, 6.00pm-9.00pm, Norton Park Conference Centre, 57 Albion Road

Tenant Participation: Back to Basics learning SessionMonday 26th March 2018, time and venue to be confi rmedPublic Speaking: finding Your Voice learning SessionMonday 23rd April 2018, time and venue to be confi rmedBalancing the Books learning Session Saturday 12th May 2018, time and venue to be confi rmedconcensus Decision Making learning SessionThursday 24th May 2018, time and venue to be confi rmed