Calton Hill Conservation Trust were disappointed by the prospect, set out in the report to the Culture & Communities Committee, of a hypothetical grant of £50,000 – from an as yet unidentified source and at an unspecified date – that might be divided among 85 community groups.
Although the report is titled ‘Grant Funding for Friends of and Trusts’, its main recommendation was to endorse the Parks and Open Space Volunteer Action Plan (with a glossy 15-page appendix). This allocates £1.25 million to Council strategic planning, rather than providing direct support to community groups.
Meanwhile, with regard to Calton Hill, this year’s ring-fenced Parks Levy income has not yet been released for improvements. City councillors speak warmly about the invaluable contribution of volunteers who give their time freely to care for Edinburgh’s green spaces — the sentiment is greatly appreciated — but to quote (or misquote?) George Bernard Shaw, “why don’t they try money?”
No community groups spoke at the meeting. The Trust did not learn of the report until the night before, due to what appears to have been a failure in the council outsourced notification system. Had we been aware earlier, we would have wished to make a deputation to present the case for allocating resources more effectively.
This release is also available in pdf form here.