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The City of Edinburgh Single Outcome Agreement commits the City Council and its partners to a series of important local outcomes related to their policy priorities which include:

The protection of children and vulnerable adults and early intervention with vulnerable families.

Supporting educational excellence at all levels.

Tackling deprivation, inequality and disadvantage in the community across a number of programmes including the Fairer Scotland Fund, helping long-term unemployed back to work and closing the attainment gap.

Working with the community and voluntary sector, supporting vulnerable people and increasing service quality in neighbourhoods.

I would expect provision of community learning and development (as community education is now described) by the council and its partners to contribute significantly to delivering on these priorities. A number of important specific contributions are detailed in the single outcome agreement (please refer to information provided below). Equally it is important to note that COSLA and the Scottish Government have agreed that Single Outcome Agreements are intended to be high-level strategic documents setting long-term outcomes for local priorities. Much of the contribution that community learning and development will make to the priorities should therefore be detailed in supporting plans and strategies for the city and for specific areas. You should of course be able to access these through Edinburgh''s Community Planning Partnership.

The City of Edinburgh single outcome agreement is available to the general public on the Improvement Service Website using the following link:

http://www.improvementservice.org.uk/component/option,com_docman/Itemid,43/task,cat_view/gid,561/dir,DESC/order,date/limit,5/limitstart,10/.

The following information summarises what the single outcome agreement says about the provision of community learning and development in the City of Edinburgh.

Within the Single Outcome Agreement, Community Learning and Development (CLD) is reported to contribute to the following national outcomes:

National Outcome 4 - Our young people are successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens.

Work is underway by CLD staff in partnership with youth agency colleagues to set up Local Youth Forums in each community planning partnership area. There is activity surrounding the Duke of Edinburgh awards scheme as equipping young people with a range of relevant life skills. Relevant indicator used to measure progress in the single outcome agreement is the number of young people achieving the Duke of Edinburgh Awards. Required action by local partners includes: commitment to develop more qualitative measures using local forums; make arrangements to obtain young people''s views, and develop measures to assess the extent to which they are achieving the outcome in relation to confident individuals.

National Outcome 5 - Our children have the best start in life and are ready to succeed.

Required action by local partners commits to delivering the Early Learning and Literacy programmes along with NHS Lothian and the Council''s Services for Communities. There is also commitment to deliver the Live Literature programme, supporting greater access to reading for customers; as well as commitment to improve support for young children and their families so that children are ready to succeed.

National Outcome 7 - We have tackled the significant inequalities in Scottish society.

Edinburgh''s SOA acknowledges significant literacy and numeracy needs. CLAN Edinburgh works with literacies learners, creating individual learning plans and personal targets. The local outcome is to improve adult literacy and numeracy. Local indicators include: an increase in the number of new City Literacy and Numeracy (CLAN) learners; an increase in the percentage of CLAN leavers achieving all or part of their agreed personal learning plan goals.

The launch of the consultation is being scheduled into the new year to enable us to take account of recent policy developments in this area.

The concordat between Scottish Government and COSLA established a new way of working based upon mutual respect, trust and partnership. The concordat makes it clear that it is the responsibility of each local authority to allocate resources on the basis of local needs and priorities, including the key strategic objectives and manifesto commitments of the Scottish Government.

In that context, the funding of local services is entirely a matter for local authorities and their partners.

Scottish Government planning policy and advice on biomass is contained in:

Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) 6, Renewable Energy (2007),

Planning Advice Note (PAN) 45, Renewable Energy Technologies (2002) and,

PAN45 Annex, Planning for Micro-Renewables (2006).

The contents of these documents are material considerations to be taken into account by the planning authority in the determination of planning applications that incorporate wood-burning biomass energy elements.

PAN45 Annex highlights that certain wood fuel boiler systems have been approved for use in areas covered by Smokeless Zone Regulations and indicates that a list of such technologies is available at:

www.uksmokecontrolareas.co.uk.

The concordat between Scottish Government and COSLA established a new way of working based upon mutual respect, trust and partnership. The concordat makes it clear that it is the responsibility of each local authority to allocate resources on the basis of local needs and priorities, including the key strategic objectives and manifesto commitments of the Scottish Government.

In that context, the funding of local services is entirely a matter for local authorities and their partners.

Scottish Government planning policy and advice on biomass is contained in:

Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) 6, Renewable Energy (2007),

Planning Advice Note (PAN) 45, Renewable Energy Technologies (2002) and,

PAN45 Annex, Planning for Micro-Renewables (2006).

These documents provide information and guidance to planning authorities on the technology, including fuel types and processes, and the planning issues to be taken into account when considering planning applications.

Guidance and screening tools to help local authorities assess the potential air quality impacts of such planning applications will be included in the revised guidance issued to authorities to assist them in undertaking their local air quality management duties under the 1995 Environment Act. This guidance is due to be published by the end of 2008.

Offering management leases and cutting rights is a potential option for releasing capital from the national forest estate which could be used to fund woodland creation projects to help mitigate climate change. This option is included in a public consultation currently being carried out on Climate Change and the National Forest Estate at http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-7KUMVM.

The consultation closes on 27 January 2009. All responses will be carefully considered and will be taken into account as part of a wider options review being carried out by Forestry Commission Scotland.

No decisions have therefore been taken on the length of any leasing arrangement, although there may be good arguments for it lasting several decades. Forestry Commission Scotland will be considering a range of options on this aspect as part of its review.

Offering management leases and cutting rights is a potential option for releasing capital from the national forest estate which could be used to fund woodland creation projects to help mitigate climate change. This option is included in a public consultation currently being carried out on Climate Change and the National Forest Estate at:

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-7KUMVM.

The consultation closes on 27 January 2009. All responses will be carefully considered and will be taken into account as part of a wider options review being carried out by Forestry Commission Scotland.

The options review will be published after we have had the opportunity to consider it.

Offering management leases and cutting rights, and transferring the proceeds to a not-for-profit trust for investment in woodland creation, are potential options for releasing capital from the national forest estate which could be used to fund woodland creation projects to help mitigate climate change. These options are included in a public consultation currently being carried out on Climate Change and the National Forest Estate http://www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/INFD-7KUMVM. The consultation closes on 27 January 2009. All responses will be carefully considered and will be taken into account as part of a wider options review being carried out by Forestry Commission Scotland.

It is therefore too early to say which geographical areas would be considered for leasing, but they are likely to be those parts of the national forest estate where timber production is the main objective, and where public benefits such as conservation, community engagement and recreation are relatively less significant.

No.