City-wide fireworks ban to be considered after violence and zoo deaths
Plus: Social care projects saved; teenager admits school terrorism charge; and it's a wrap on Good Omens
City to consider further firework restrictions after years of trouble
A city-wide fireworks control zone is to be considered as part of plans to tackle anti-social behaviour and misuse of fireworks in Edinburgh around the Hallowe’en and Bonfire Night.
City councillors on the Culture and Communities Committee will be asked to approve an eight-week consultation on Thursday, which will focus on establishing Firework Control Zones in the areas worst affected last year as well as a potential city-wide Control Zone.
Planning is already underway following serious anti-social behaviour in recent years, last year in particular in the Niddrie, Sighthill/Broomhouse, and Gracemount/Moredun areas.
A “fireworks summit” planned for 17 March has been arranged with senior council, police, fire service and voluntary sector representatives to explore a different approach to preparing for disorder this autumn.
What happened last year?
Following serious problems in 2023, four Firework Control Zones were introduced in Balerno, Calton Hill, Niddrie and Seafield. The Balerno order was designed to reduce stress on animals at the SSPCA care centre there, which it did successfully.
Similarly, the Calton Hill Zone reduced the number of fireworks being set off there by 80-90%.
Nonetheless, last year gangs of masked youths and adults attacked police officers, firemen and ambulance crews, as well as buses and private cars. In one case, a car dealership was targeted and several cars vandalised. So far, a dedicated Police Scotland investigating team has arrested 41 people on a total of 85 charges.
Last year, two red pandas died at Edinburgh Zoo – with experts there linking the deaths to the stress and fright caused by fireworks.
What action has proved effective?
Most of the anti-social behaviour involved attacks on police and other emergency services, plus buses, using street signs, bricks, stones and bins. While Dispersal Zones, allowing police to break up gatherings of more than two people where there is anti-social behaviour, are the most effective action taken, Firework Control Zones are felt to be useful in reducing the use of fireworks during disorder, particularly the more powerful professional standard fireworks.
It is also helping a decrease in firework sales throughout the city. Over the past few years, the number of traders selling fireworks has fallen from 33 to 27.
What more might be done this year?
Lessons learned include the need to plan potential Fire Control Zones further ahead, and consult more with communities to invite applications for such Zones.
In addition, there are plans to increase diversionary activities for children, young people and families. As well as a potential increase in organised events, there are also proposals to provide opportunities for community groups planning smaller local events to apply for limited grant funding.
For example, despite the disorder that occurred in Niddrie on Bonfire Night, The Community Alliance Trust in partnership with Sandy’s Community Centre and supported by the Council, held a successful family bonfire event which saw 600 people attend.
The Council is in talks with zoo officials to see how a Zone might be introduced to help protect its animals, including endangered species such as the red pandas.
Action is likely to include preventative education work in schools, police officers boarding buses in “hot spots” and spot-checks on all outlets selling fireworks, as well as removing bulky waste from streets in ‘hot spot’ areas.
Is a city–wide Zone likely?
The report to councillors acknowledges there is “not currently an evidential basis to implement a city-wide zone”, but the possibility should be included in the consultation due to the extent of problems in previous years.
Who pays for all of this?
Last year, Scottish Government provided £100,000 of additional funding to help pay for the Fire Control Zones, but no decision has yet been made as discussions continue.
YOUR EDINBURGH BRIEFING
FINAL CURTAIN: David Tennant and Martin Sheen have finished filming on the final episode of their Amazon Prime smash hit series Good Omens at the Pyramid Studios in Bathgate. The final episode has been filmed as a 90-minute special replacing earlier plans for a third series. Neil Gaiman, co-author with Terry Pratchett the novel on which the series is based, has not worked on the production following allegations of sexual misconduct.
TEENAGER ‘PLANNED SCHOOL SHOOTING’: A teenager has been remanded in youth custody after pleading guilty to charges under the Terrorism Act at the High Court in Glasgow. The court heard the 17-year-old had talked enthusiastically about carrying out a mass shooting at his high school in Edinburgh. Police investigated after a social media photo of him at school in 2023, in combat gear and carrying an imitation gun, caused panic among pupils and parents. The teenager and the school he attended cannot be identified due to his age. He is due to be sentenced next month.
Terrorism monitoring: The court heard the boy, who held racist and pro-Nazi views, had already been referred to a UK-wide programme designed to stop people becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism. His defence KC Shelagh McCall said: "This is a vulnerable young person. He has mental health difficulties. He is a transgender person - that would need to be taken into account."
SCHOOL LOCKDOWN: A teenager has been arrested after a high school in East Lothian was locked down over reports of a youth with a BB gun in the school grounds. Knox Academy in Haddington went into lockdown on Friday morning before a 15-year-old was promptly arrested. The incident passed peacefully and Police Scotland say there is no wider threat to the school or members of the public.
MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE: An Edwardian message in a bottle has been discovered during ongoing renovation work at the King’s Theatre. Theatre donor Mike Hume was on scaffolding 12 metres above the stage during a backstage tour when he spotted the bottle wedged behind an ornate crown decoration. The bottle contained a list of workers who helped build the theatre in 1906 including prominent Edinburgh builder William Stewart Cruickshank.
SOCIAL CARE SAVED: Social care projects and some of the charities delivering them have been saved from closure after the city council agreed £3.5 million in emergency funding. Sixty-four community projects were put at risk last year when the Edinburgh Integration Joint Board (EIJB) - the partnership between NHS Lothian and the city council which oversees social care in the Capital - cut their £4.5 million funding as it faced a financial crisis of its own. City councillors agreed to provide £3.5 million to save many of the projects.
The charities say: Stephanie-Anne Harris, strategic development director of Edinburgh Health Community Forum, said: “This funding will prevent the immediate loss of essential local services and organisations across the city come 1 July 2025, and crucially… We hope that we can continue working with the City of Edinburgh Council to carve out a sustainable, long-term strategy for the city’s Third Sector.”
School cuts were also reversed - protecting primary school pupil support assistants and transition teachers who help pupils during their move up to high school - in return for Lib Dems support of the Labour budget. The EIJB will create a new fund to develop IT and telecare as part of the deal to secure Conservative support.
MIDLOTHIAN TAX UP: Midlothian Council is expected to follow East Lothian by approving a 10% rise in council tax on Thursday. That will see average Band D bills rise to £2,266.59, once water and sewage charges are included (compared to the new £2,109.89 in Edinburgh following its 8% increase). A report to Midlothian councillors explaining the rise says are the only option other than “some very challenging savings options.”
HOMELESS VILLAGE: The homelessness charity behind the Capital’s Social Bite Village says it is hopeful their plans for a new village will be approved by the city council despite being on greenbelt land. The widely acclaimed village in Granton provides housing to around 15 people who have found themselves homeless. It has to move because its lease with the council has run out and the land is earmarked for development. The charity hopes to move the village to land next to the Gypsy Brae recreation ground.
THE BUSINESS
City business innovating in the cleaning industry
Edinburgh businessman David Lilly is aiming to clean up by cleaning up the commercial cleaning industry.
He is chief executive of For Spills, which has developed a patented range of eco-friendly dry cleaning products for commercial and industrial spills.
He said: “The commercial cleaning industry that services sectors as diverse as supermarkets and hospitals is surprisingly stagnant. While technology has revolutionised countless other fields cleaning largely relies on antiquated methods. The ubiquitious mop and bucket, chemical-laden detergents, and the wasteful use of water are all haallmarkets of an industry desperately in need of a shake up.
“The lack of innovation is not only inefficient, it’s also environmentally damaging.”
He said key was moving away from “wet” to “dry” cleaning methods, often cutting costs as well as improving efficiency. “A recent analysis we did for a major fast-food chain showed that a mopping operation costs £1.48 when all factors are taken into account, whereas that costs drops to £1.13 when using dry methods.”
He added that a full switch in methods could save the company £1 million a year in cleaning costs.
HOME SUPPORT: Miller Homes Scotland East has donated £1000 to support the Community Renewal Trust in Edinburgh, to support its initiative The Pennywell Pantry which offers local people in need the chance to buy a variety of food and household essentials at reduced prices.
PORT APPOINTMENTS: Forth Ports Limited, the city-based ports group with eight ports on the UK’s strategic estuaries – the Thames, the Forth and the Tay – has promoted David Webster and Derek Knox to newly created Regional Director roles for Tilbury and Scotland respectively, and they will join the group’s Executive Board.
THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT
WILDE ABOUT NCUTI: Edinburgh’s own Ncuti Gatwa and three-time Olivier Award-winner Sharon D Clarke star in the National Theatre’s stunning new version of The Importance of Being Earnest. The Cameo is showing an ‘as live’ recording of the show’s performance from London’s West End tomorrow, on Thursday and other dates.
WILD ABOUT DANCING: You can dance your heart away and hear the sounds of wild animals (when they are not being drowned out by the dance band) at a fund-raising ceilidh night at Edinburgh Zoo. Ceilidh in the Wild is being held at the zoo’s Mansion House on Thursday in support of charities including Adoption UK in Scotland.
MAGIC MUSHROOMS: Could psilocybin, the active compound in magic mushrooms, provided the basis for new treatments for depression and addiction? Hear about the latest scientific advances in the field from Dr Mourad Wahba, a consultant psychiatrist leading the mood disorder research clinic in Newcastle. The Science of Magic Mushrooms is at Assembly Roxy on Thursday at 7pm.
QUICK BITES
POPEYES IN CITY: New Orleans inspired fast food chain Popeyes is opening – much-loved for its fried chicken and sauces by global superstar Beyonce – is to open its first Edinburgh restaurant in the former Halifax building at 131-133 Princes Street in the coming weeks.
NEW THAI LANDS: A new Thai halal street food restaurant, Manorah, has opened at 38 Clerk Street in the Southside of Edinburgh on the site of the former Soi 38. A refurbishment has seen new seating and signage installed.