Stuart McKenzie for Midlothian East

06/05/2022

Huge thank you to all the residents who turned out in large numbers yesterday to vote, and an especial thanks to those who voted for me.
Thanks to everyone who worked hard in Midlothian council delivering a successful count.

Time for the hard work now (not that elections are easy).

Midlothian has many great towns and villages. It has many great businesses. It has a diverse, hard working population. It has many who give up their time and effort to help others and ask for no reward.

Time to help Midlothian flourish. The council is here to support all residents, young and old. Hopefully over the next 5 years we can get better at that.

24/04/2022

FYI everyone

Unfortunately the pool and spa (spa pool, sauna and steam room) is closed at Community Campus today.
This is because of a power failure affecting the hot water supply. Apologies for the inconvenience.

12/04/2022

Last week was un-usual in so far as I had no 'official' council meetings to attend. This often happens immediately prior to elections as taking big decisions when the Administration may change makes sense.
However, things still go on and Tuesday held the Mayfield and Easthouses Community Council. Community Councils have their own budget and can make decisions locally, represent the community to the local authority, bring matters directly to the attention of their councillors and help organise events like gala-days.
A particular item that caught my attention was the feedback about how difficult it has become to get correct information about how to licence events, who to speak to, what forms to fill in. It seems to me that 'simplicity' should be a watch word for the future administration.
Interesting discussions around how community represents its views around parks and green spaces. The general view seemed to me to be communication could be improved and perhaps a new forum would be required. Again, simplicity about identifying what needs done, when it will be done and who's doing would seem to help.
Town centre regeneration for Mayfeild was raised. And again, alas, feedback was that it has not been an easy and rewarding process for those involved from the community.

On the upside, work has started in Easthouses park to install the new path. This has come about through the hard work and dedication of Passionate about the Park - locals who have stated their case, stuck to their guns and are finally getting what was needed. The path should open up the park for walks around the bottom which is often boggy. So no excuse for not getting your steps up!

05/04/2022

The main feature of last week was the meeting of the full council which was held on Tuesday. This was the final full meeting before the May election and with many councillors standing down the final meeting for some. A lot of these guys have dedicated years of service and, regardless of party, have contributed a huge amount.
We had an update on and voted for additional funding to help Ukrainian Refugees. This had cross party support as we all recognise the huge issue the war in Ukraine is having.

Education gave an update about their planning for the school intakes due in August.I think I've said it before, but much of the council work is below the radar. When I took my kids to school for the first I didn't really appreciate how that all needs planned, often years in advance. You just rock up to the first day of school right, have a tearful farewell and then go back to a (blissfully) quiet house. But Midlothian has 30 primary schools. so that's near 1500 wee ones annually.
A discussion was brought forward about land available for future housing supply. Now, I make no secret that it's my belief that there is a housing crisis in the UK. We have some of the most expensive, smallest and least well insulated houses in Europe. That's because nationally we haven't built enough houses for the last 25 years. Now there are some winners in not building enough housing but I have to ask why as a nation we cant get our act together to provide the most basic need.
The council has something called "Strategic Housing Investment Plan" (or SHIP for short and this paper was seeking to address a small part of that which is land supply. Contrary to common belief the council is not sitting on a huge land bank, most of the suitable land has already been built upon or allocated and the SHIP has 31 sites in play already. This paper now looks at smaller patches of land, specifically old garage sites that are no longer used. Whilst not huge sites in themselves if they can be used to provide a family home, I'm all for it. (if re-elected) I'll definitely be following up this initiative - we need ambitious and creative thinking for homes.

Another report that came to council was Care at Home report and Inspection of Newbyres Village Care Home. Good to see a good general bill of health was given. There are still areas that need improvement. These report types are given regularly throughout the year so we'll be looking to take good to great and improve on the areas needed. It's a tough gig providing personal care, another thing that the council does out of the limelight.

What did not come to council in March was the much awaited report on Roads and Road safety. I was very disappointed to hear that the report wasn't now coming until May. We're all responsible for traffic if we have a car and should recognise that our transport is someone else head-ache. Speeding is the main complaint I hear as a councillor. What's needed is a strategic aim. How do we balance improving the roads free-flow whilst ensuring that our towns and village are safe to walk around? Compared to our neighbouring counties Midlothian is way behind the curve. What we want to do is learn from what went well in our next-door neighbours, make sure we know what our communities want locally and get ahead and take action.

Today photo is Cousland Pavillion. Cousland must be a great place to live as I very rarely hear difficulties from the residents!! A great bacon roll was had, I'll be back.

30/03/2022

This weeks post is a little late, busy, busy, busy.
Last week brought about the 'Local Review Board' again. The whole thing takes about a day and involves visiting sites where planning applications have been looked at and refused. The applicant then has the right of appeal and these come before elected councillors. It was a lovely day and to be fair and we all wished we'd brought a picnic. There were three sites to visit. Planners are on hand to explain the proposed development, why it falls outside the rule book and what their concerns are, so it takes a bit of time to go through the details.
Travelling around it strikes me how much of Midlothian is actually rural. It's easy to forget if you live on the side nearer Edinburgh to think of the county as built up, but there is much less of it than you think. And a lot more of the country.

Wednesday was the last Performance, Review and Scrutiny Committee (PRS for short) before the May election. PRS has attendees of all political parties (so not just the ruling Administration) and the Heads of Council Departments.

PRS gives councillors more time to delve into the performance of council departments. It also gives the Heads of Department an opportunity to describe particular difficulties they may be facing.

The format of the meeting is that the Head of Function will go through their quarterly report and balanced score card. For anyone unfamiliar with the term 'balanced scorecard' it is a document used to capture key objectives and score progress via Key Performance Indicators. They can be colour coded Red/Amber/Green for ease. One thing PRS does give you is the enormous breadth of involvement the council has.

I was also up in Mayfield last week generally being nosy!
The photo of the week comes from Mayfield town park where volunteers cleared a whole lot of scrub from next to the playpark. What a difference they have made. Apparently it took the council days to haul away the huge amount overgrown bushes they had cut back!! Great effort!

14/03/2022

As you can see from the photos we had another bright spring week..apart from when it was raining...or cold..or all three in the space of five minutes.

Monday was a trip up to Pathhead Village hall for a meeting with the A68 Focus Group organised by Colin Beattie MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh. Purpose of this group is to help bring together all the people affected by this trunk road as it winds its way our towns and communities. And this week we were walking the village looking for sites for proposed pedestrian crossing (and a good chance to just chat to people face to face).
Being a councillor is so interesting. One of the engineers was explaining all the things they have to take into account when selecting proposed sites. Next step will be consulting folk affected.
Big thank you to all those that took time out their day to have the communities voice heard.

As I was close I by also nipped up to see the drainage work being done at Fala Dam. Lot of work being done to help drainage and looks like making steady progress since last time I drove through that way.

Quieter week in terms of 'official' type meetings for me. Wednesday was an open meeting for anyone planning on standing in the May elections. No surprise for anyone who knows me, I'm planning on standing. Being a councillor is actually really enjoyable¬

Talking of drainage..I never really mention the work I do on this for residents. Its the most important aspect of the role but I see it as private to them. Any-hoo, drainage. I would say at least 20% of the emails I get are to do with poor drainage. I don't know if its old and outdated drain design, clogged or poorly maintained culverts or heavier rain than we used to get that causes it. Maybe all three. But I'd be interested to hear what the drains are like in your area. We only get things fixed if we know about them. Cant always promise a quick fix but we can at least get the big wheels turning for you.

07/03/2022

Call me bias, but I think Midlothian East has to be the bonniest part of the county!

Last week started by attending a seminar on National Planning Framework (NPF4). Whats a NPF I hear you ask?
At national level the Scottish Government has a long term plan for the future of the environment we live in. This national plan seeks to shape policy, for instance the move away from burning gas for power, to net-zero. Or, do we need to think more about flood defenses as the rain gets heavier.
At a local level however, it is your council that implement much of the work. So the Scottish Government draft proposals and put these out for consultation. This seminar was to review Midlothian Council responses to the draft proposals.In time these policies change planning rules, if we get it right, for the better.

Wednesday had 'Licencing Board' meeting. In essence this board sits to review people or companies that want to sell alcohol. So if a shop wants to change the floorspace it devotes to selling drink it has to ask permission - obviously alcohol can have a negative impact on the community. By and large most companies and shop keepers do sell in a responsible manner but it is the boards duty to make sure the rules are followed.

Our SNP group also had an interesting meeting with representatives from one of the teaching unions - The EIS. They had completed survey work to see how COVID had affected their members. It was good to hear directly how their members were feeling after the last 2 strange years. And it was good of them to take the time to share this with us. Food for thought.

And lastly, Mayfield and Easthouses Community Council monthly meeting was mostly given over to the new development planned at Lingerwood. As a Councillor I'm not able to express an opinion on the development itself. What was good to see was a good turnout of folk. Really pleased to see people turn out to have their say and make comment. It's a significant development and one that need to be done well if it is to serve the community it serves. Well done to MECC for organising it.

01/03/2022

Last week came with shocking news from the international scene. Closer to home the work of the council continues to keep the wheels turning. Big shout out to the gritting teams - an early start and late finish for those guys. Really valuable role they have.
Tuesday brought the 'Local Review Board' meeting. If a planning permission is refused then the applicant can ask for that to be reviewed. Planning is difficult as there are lots of regulation. Sometimes how the rules are correctly interpreted lead to situations where decisions seem contrary to what is best for the community. And that is where your elected councillors can step in.

Also on Tuesday was a meeting to discover how the Parks and Landscaping team can help a local group improve their park. Glad to say that the parks manager was very accommodating in offering his help. When the community group need volunteers expect to see something here. Willing hands make light work.

Our regular catch up with the Roads and Landscaping teams was on Thursday. This is our chance to raise items that are maybe taking a while to resolve and for the work teams to give us feedback as to why. For instance, the recent storms have brought down a number of trees. This affects the Landscape team because their teams are taken away from 'normal' pruning to cover emergency items.

20/02/2022

Keep your eyes peeled for a notification through the door.
Every 3 years the council publish their plan for Health and Social Care. As part of that planning stage they ask the residents of Midlothian for their views.

It's one way the council can listen and be responsive so it's really important.

If you get a wee form like this through the post it'll only take a few moments to record your thoughts.

Even if you don't use the services much yourself it's likely that a family member will - so have your say or share this post so as many people can respond.
http://www.midlothian.gov.uk/mid-hscp/

15/02/2022

There might be snow on the Pentlands but spring has sprung.
I was up seeing a gem of a gentleman in Crichton who does a lot in his village keeping drains clean etc. A huge thanks is due by us all to people who use their own time to make small acts of kindness for the benefit of the community.
Last week saw us preparing for this week's budget. Finance department gave us a very informative update on the numbers. Finance are charged with managing council borrowings and day to day monies. Complex and crucial work. Whilst they take guidance from the ruling administration they also provide impartial information and guidance to all political parties. This is so important as we, the councillors represent you and for us to hold the ruling administration to account we must know an accurate financial picture

08/02/2022

Wouldn't catch me up there in a wind!
Housing repairs are probably one of the most significant enquires that Councillors receive.
If you live in a council house and need repairs then contact; [email protected] or
0131 663 7211 to report it.
If you need help once it's reported the feel free to contact me by email and I can help.
[email protected]
In other matters, last week held the Mayfield and Easthouses Community Council. A few issues were raised here that have been passed along to the correct people. Of most concern to me is the uptick in crime and antisocial behaviour in and around the shops. Definitely one to raise with the Community Police to see what can be done to get a visible Police presence in the right places. Another thing raised was getting access to the library now COVID restrictions have eased. I know this has been welcomed in other communities.
Another matter that come up was planning and housing. The CC want to hold an event to raise awareness of the up and coming housing developments. If you live in the area keep an eye peeled for this ince it's organised.

01/02/2022

This issue pre-dates my time as a councillor and from the state of dis-repair clearly these garages on Stone Place in Mayfield have been going downhill for quite some time. Glad to say to local folk that progress has been made and the council are now waiting on the contractor to provide quotes for their demolition. We should have Oak Crescent dealt with soon too.
Whilst we are talking about the landscape, last week was also our SNP group meeting with the people who run the roads and park teams. It's a chance to tell them, or remind them, of issues raised when we are out speaking to people in our towns and villages. So for example the trees in Bogwood court that need a trim.
On a completely different tack, Wednesday was a briefing on what is known as 'City Region Deal'. City Deal is long term. Money (£1.3billion) is provided by government to Edin, Fife and Midlothian etc so that this area can prepare transport, employability skills and housing well into this century. It's not the sort of project where you will see your road getting dug up tomorrow, but it was good to learn that the long term needs are being addressed and thought about in a joined up way. For example, everyone knows technology will play a bigger part in the future. But how do schools know what to teach? What job will someone who is in primary 1 now do in the future and how do we prepare them for it? 'City Region Deal' attempts to draw together universities, schools and employers to help understand that sort of 'stuff' and then make sure we have the environment to be prepared. Sorry for going on at length, but it was very interesting!