I’m Chris Murray, and I’m honoured to have been elected as your new MP for the Edinburgh East & Musselburgh constituency at the recent election. 

I’m going to be working hard to serve you and the wider community in the years ahead. I love living in this fantastic place. This area has so much going for it. I’m determined to work as hard as I can to see us achieve our potential. 

I’ve been out and about across the constituency during the campaign and since the election. I’m currently setting up an office, and will be holding regular advice surgeries. 

Please reach out to me if there’s anything you think I can help with. You can contact me at chris.murray.mp@parliament.uk, or on social media @chrismurraymp 

Like many people in Craigentinny-Duddingston ward, I live in a flat that was built by the Council between the two World Wars (in the 1920s and ‘30s). At that time, all across Scotland big numbers of council houses were being built to get families out of decrepit tenements which often didn’t have indoor toilets and were in very poor condition. The ‘Penny Tenement’ in the Southside famously collapsed with families sleeping inside – incredibly no one was badly hurt. 

The good quality council houses which were built in the ‘20s and ‘30s were a big improvement for many families moving in. But in 2024 we are now talking about homes that were built up to a century ago. And clearly building techniques have moved on, especially when it comes to energy efficiency. 

That is a big deal. You, like me and like folk all over the world, will have seen your electricity and gas bills shooting up over the last couple of years. The increases in energy prices have been caused by big international factors that are outwith the power of the Council to influence. So, the question then follows – what can be done to ensure that people have lower heating bills, even though energy costs are higher? And the answer is, to make homes more energy efficient so that they can be heated (and stay warm) while using less fuel. 

And that in a nutshell is what the retrofit programme that the Council calls the ‘Mixed Tenure Improvement Scheme’ (MTIS) is all about. The aim is to take 90-odd year-old properties and bring them up to 21st century energy efficiency standards, to reduce bills. Many residents of Lochend and Restalrig will be affected – either as a council tenant, or an owner or private tenant in a building where the Council owns one or more of the other properties. 

So, the intention behind the scheme is good – who could argue with lower bills? But of course retrofitting properties to improve energy efficiency is an expensive project, and some people who own their home are finding the financial cost that they are being asked for to take part in the scheme hard to bear. And that clearly is a big worry. 

If you’re in that position, I’d be keen to hear from you – please get in touch at cllr.danny.aston@edinburgh.gov.uk 

It is so good at long last to have some sunny weather. I know that the school holidays can be difficult for some parents trying to keep children amused without spending a fortune.  

Make Music Day at Craigmillar Castle with young people from Castlebrae Community Campus was very entertaining with a variety of different styles of music. You could not ask for a better setting and if you have not visited Craigmillar Castle it certainly worth a visit. The acoustics in the Great Hall where we were entertained by Craigmillar Community Choir and young people from Castlebrae Community Campus was amazing. 

The  Masterplan process of Seafield Regeneration Area continues with 7N Architects over the summer holding a series of consultation events. It is important to have a balance view to create a great place and to this end engaging with local community. I was able to attend the one at Portobello Town Hall and listen to local people having their say. 

Growing together exist to ensure neighbourhoods across Edinburgh have access to Community Gardening & Growing opportunities  supporting Health & Wellbeing bringing people together and I am pleased to say that Hawkhill & Nisbet Court received material to support gardening beds.  We are also very fortunate in our area to have Lochend Secret Garden.  

As I am sure you will be aware  that we had a general election last month and  new MP for this constituency is Chis Murray MP, Chris is holding surgeries across the constituency and will be attending with me at my local surgeries.  

Hope you enjoy the remainder of the summer holidays.

We have removed Thursday evening as an opening time and replaced the slot with a Monday morning due to higher usage in the building.

🥳 Edinburgh Tool Library's 10th Birthday Programme Launch: Saturday 7 September!  
2024 marks ten years of sharing for the Edinburgh Tool Library. From once a week at the Leith Walk Police Box to lending thousands of tools to thousands of people, the ETL community has grown so much and we are ready to celebrate! Join ETL on Saturday 7 September, 12-4pm for an outdoor drop-in event at the place where it all started. There will be tea, cake, and a chance to try your hand at some human-powered woodturning! No need to book tickets, just pop by on the day (but if you'd like a reminder, you can sign up HERE). 

As part of out 65+ Summer Programme we were able to take a group out the Dynamic Earth as part of their community golden ticket scheme! They had a great time learning about the planet, the environments and dinosaurs. 

Summer has brought a lot more variety of fruit and veg into the kitchen - plenty of strawberries, raspberry, blueberries, courgettes, leafy greens and other things for the cafe to enjoy. It's been a bit quieter in the cafe as summer has arrived but we've been cooking up a storm in the kitchen all the same, and introducing some new volunteers The Ripple. Expect to see a few new faces about the place next time you're in cafe! A final exciting arrival has been a coffee machine thanks to Tapside Coffee in Bo'ness. We're saying goodbye to wasteful single-use coffee pods and and getting much tastier coffee in the process. Our used grounds are currently heading up the road to the Lochend Secret Garden as well to be used to help grow vegetables too!