Malcolm Chisholm in June, outside the site of proposed Biomass Plant
I have asked several questions in Parliamentabout the proposed biomass plant at ImperialDock. This will be formally submitted to theScottish Government by Forth Energy inJanuary .The public will then have twenty eightdays in which to send comments to the EnergyConsents Unit of the Scottish Government at:
Energy Consents and Deployment Unit
Scottish Government
4th Floor
5 Atlantic Quay
150 Broomielaw
GLASGOW
G2 8LU
I have already written to the Scottish Government with initial objectionsfollowing a consultation with hundreds of constituents who live near theproposed plant. I believe that the proposed plant with its hundred metre highchimney will be an eyesore with negative environmental consequences. Much ofthe wood will be transported from thousands of miles away but a large numberof heavy goods lorries will also go in and out of the plant each day. It will notcontribute to our important climate change objectives, a point I emphasised inone of my oral questions on this topic in June. Factoring
Malcolm discussing the Factoring Bill with Patricia Ferguson, fellow MSP and a constituent
Throughout the year I have been on the FinanceCommittee and the Equal Opportunities Committee.I have also been attending the Local Government andCommunities Committee for the Property Factors(Scotland) Bill. Factoring is an enormous issue forthe many constituents who live in new build flatsand I have had a very large number of complaintsabout various factoring issues.
That is why I welcomeand support the Property Factors Bill which is beingpromoted by my colleague Patricia Ferguson MSP. TheBill would require property factors to be registeredand to adhere to a set of prescribed standards. Itwould also set up a dispute resolution procedure withenforcement powers. I have consulted hundreds ofconstituents about this and the Bill has been broadlywelcomed. Hopefully it will become law in the earlymonths of next year.
Read Malcolm's contribution to the Scottish Parliamentary Debate on the Factoring Bill . Freedom from Fear Campaign
I was pleased to support the Freedom from Fear Campaignthat was organised by the shopworkers’ union USDAW. Thecampaign highlights the abuse that shopworkers face and isseeking to protect shopworkers by working in partnership withpoliticians, employers and the public to spread the message thatabuse is not part of the job. I am also supporting the Workers(Aggravated Offences) (Scotland) Bill which aims to extend theprotections that emergency workers and some health workerscurrently have to all public workers.
In the Parliament...
I have spoken in a large number of debates in Parliament this year and haveintroduced constituency issues through debates, questions and motions. Youcan find the full text of speeches on my website (www.malcolmchisholm.org.uk). Subjects have included the Curriculum for Excellence, Climate Change, theHealthcare Quality Strategy, Factoring Services, the Alcohol Bill , the Budget,Housing Strategy, Forensic Services, the Public Services Reform Bill and manyothers.
As always I have been prepared to take an independent view where necessaryand spoke, for example, in favour of minimum unit pricing for alcohol. On Health,Housing and Local Government Finance I have put the case consistently for agreater share of Scottish resources to come to Edinburgh.
Throughout the year I have been co-convener of the Cross Party Group on Cancer.One of the cancer issues I became involved with was the Breakthrough BreastCancer campaign on lymphoedema and I introduced a debate about this in May.
Lymphoedema is a condition which affects many women with breast cancerand other conditions and improvements to the service available could be provided at very little cost. There waswidespread support across the Parliament for this in the debate and many people signed my motion aboutit. There was also a Breakthrough Breast Cancer Reception after the debate where I was photographed with aconstituent who is a breast cancer campaigner (see left). Trams update I have been very actively engaged with the tram issue and amwell aware of the differing views on that within the constituency.I have raised it several times in Parliament and reproduce belowa recent exchange between me and the Cabinet Secretary forFinance John Swinney.
16 September 2010 – General Questions
Malcolm Chisholm: Does the minister accept that there will have to be an inquiry into the tram project in due course, coveringproblems with the 2008 contract, mismanagement by the council, the extent of any monitoring by the Scottish Governmentand other matters? Does he agree that there are two more urgent and immediate priorities: first, to drive as hard a bargain aspossible with Bilfinger Berger, the company that is holding up the work and is trying to extract as much as possible from thepublic purse; and secondly, to ensure that the whole line, from the airport to Newhaven, is completed without extra cost tocouncil tax payers, but using, if necessary, innovative funding methods such as tax increment financing, which I suggestedin a recent letter to the minister?
John Swinney: As Mr Chisholm will be aware, I have been making it clear to the City of Edinburgh Council for some considerabletime that the Government has offered and continues to offer practical assistance in the development of a tax incrementfinance proposition for the City of Edinburgh Council. I look forward to continuing discussions with the city council on that.On resolution of the current disputes with Bilfinger Berger, I assure Mr Chisholm of my insistence with TIE and the City ofEdinburgh Council that they must protect the public purse and act to complete the project. That is certainly the approachthat is being taken by TIE, and I encourage resolution of the contractual disputes so that the tram project can make progress.Malcolm with Freedom from Fear campaigners Newhaven Gala
One of the highlights of the year was speaking at the Newhaven Galaand crowning the Gala Queen. Congratulations are due to VictoriaPrimary School, Harbour and Newhaven Community Council andeveryone else who was involved in resurrecting this great occasionwith its long history. I went into some of that history in my speechand hope there will be many more Galas in the years to come.
Seafield Stench
I have attended regular meetings about the Seafield WasteWater Treatment Works and observed the improvementwork that is being carried out. Once the work is completednext year there will have to be very stringent monitoringof how effective or ineffective it has been. If there is stilla problem for local residents at that time then strongermeasures will be required.
Budget priorities
I have repeatedly argued for the protection of schoolbudgets and supported parents who opposed the schoolcuts proposed for Edinburgh’s budget before last April. Ihave urged the Scottish Government to find a mechanismfor protecting school budgets and halt the decline inteacher numbers. I have also continued to emphasisethe importance of increased investment in social rentedhousing because of the extreme shortage of such housingin Edinburgh and Leith.
Read Malcolm's speech in Septemberdiscussing housing strategy . Renewable Energy As co-convener of the Cross Party Group on Climate ChangeI have been very keen to support the development of wind,wave and tidal power. I am glad therefore that Pelamis WavePower based in Leith is such an important pioneer in thiskind of work. I visited them once again this year and called inParliament for more support for this kind of technology. LeithDocks could also be a place where off-shore wind turbines areconstructed. World Fun Day
I was pleased to open the World Fun Day organised by LeithCommunity Centre in the summer. This is now an annual eventand celebrates the diversity of Leith and the abundance of culturesthat come together to make Leith the vibrant community it hasalways been.
Local Health Projects
I was pleased to attend the Health Fair in Telford Collegeand to see the many excellent health projects and initiativeswhich currently exist in the constituency. I am picturedabove with a volunteer at the Stress Centre in West Pilton, asuperb community mental health initiative which has been apioneering project for many years and provides a model thatthe rest of Scotland could well follow.
The same could be said of the Pilton Health Project basedin Boswall Parkway which has continued to provide manyexcellent services in spite of funding challenges. I waspleased to take park in the great community walk theyorganised in September which attracted several hundredparticipants.
I have continued to support these and many other greatvoluntary organisations in the constituency. They will beincreasingly needed in the difficult times we face. Economy and development
The economy and jobs have been central to much of mywork this year in Parliament and out. Among the places Ivisited was the Community Employability office in FerryRoad Drive run jointly by the North Edinburgh Trust and theEdinburgh Chamber of Commerce. As jobs become moredifficult to find it is all the more important that support isavailable for those seeking work and the figures on the wallof this office tell their own story.