This is a circular to all emailable Spokes members. [If you have recently sent us a change of email address, your change may not yet be in our database, so this message may go to your old address or possibly to both]. We hope you'll have the time to read this circular carefully and take action on those points that concern or interest you. If using email addresses shown below, replace AT by @. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A. THE DRAFT BUDGET 2012-13 : LATEST DEVELOPMENTS There have been many developments in our budget campaign. It is clear that MSPs are receiving a heavy email postbag from concerned constituents, and that this is having an impact. The worst possible scenario, the scrapping of the CWSS fund, will not now happen - CWSS is to remain - a major victory! - but is to be cut substantially. Having already been chopped from £9m in 10/11 to £7.5m this year, it will fall another ~20% to £6.1m in 12/13. Figures for the next 2 years have not been announced, but there are strong hints of a further cut in 13/14, followed by a significant rise in 14/15 as we approach the next Scottish elections. Although the saving of CWSS is great news, the other main relevant budget line, SAT, remains drastically cut. This is where Sustrans gets its funding for projects with councils, British Waterways and other such bodies - and currently it looks like Sustrans may get virtually zero capital funding in 12/13, despite having a long list of projects ready to go, with councils and others across Scotland. The fate of SAT is likely to be decided this month as the government draw up the final version of the budget. Therefore letters to MSPs (of all parties) remain very important. Our Budget Special issue of Spokesworker included Spokes comments on replies from SNP MSPs trying to defend the budget. These points may help you if you are dissatisfied with replies from MSPs. http://www.spokes.org.uk/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/spwkr11.11.28.pdf * If you have not yet contacted your MSPs, consider doing so now. * If you are unhappy with any replies received, let the MSP know why. * If you live in, or have sympathetic friends in, parts of Scotland outside Edinburgh and the Lothians, make a special effort to get letters to the MSPs for that area. * Find your MSPs at www.writetothem.com [you have one Constituency MSP and 6 or 7 Regional List MSPs] B. BUDGET DEMONSTRATION - for your diary Spokes is delighted at the forcefulness with which many national (Scottish) organisations have spoken out about the massive disparity between the transport funding for huge road projects, as compared to the absolute dregs for walking and cycling, currently set to be well under 1% of total transport spending in 2012/13. We have hovered around a miserable 1% for years, but it is now getting much worse under the new SNP majority government at Holyrood as road spending is boosted and walking/cycling cut. The debate and vote on the final version of the budget take place in January. A demonstration calling for adequate funding for active travel, walking and cycling, is planned in advance of the debate by a range of national organisations, headed by Stop Climate Chaos Scotland, and including WWF, FOE and Transform. Details are still to be decided and we will include them in the next circular. However it is likely to be on a weekday lunchtime and may feature a short cycle ride to the Parliament with speeches outside. At a previous Spokes budget demonstration in 2008 (when we were merely protesting that cycle funding was static!) over 40 people came along in their lunch hour (Spokes 102). Let's make it much bigger this time. Stop Press: The event will be at 1pm, Wednesday 11th January outside St Andrews House on Regent Road. As many people on bikes as possible!! C. SPOKES MAPP BUFF - Makes A Perfect Present Our wonderful 'Original Buffs' printed with an extract from a Spokes map have now arrived, and will be available for purchase from around December 14 (cost £10 if you collect it from any one of a range of addresses). For more info, pictures, and how/where to buy, see the Dec 7 news item on the Spokes website... http://www.spokes.org.uk/wordpress/2011/12/spokes-mapp-buff-a-perfect-present/ For buffs ordered (and paid for) at our Nov 17 public meeting you will hear from us shortly, if you have not already heard. D. PRINCES STREET PARADISE - Try it!! For the whole of December, Princes Street is free of traffic and free of roadworks. Why not go down with your bike (and family/ friends) and sample it!! The Council and Essential Edinburgh are putting on a range of attractions, cafes, etc, on Princes Street itself, and there is also an Ethical Christmas Market. We'd like to get some photos to show Princes Street working well with bikes and lots of pedestrians using it - this could be very useful in the long-promised consultation about eventual future of Princes Street. We are running a competition for the best photo, with a Spokes Mapp Buff as the prize. For more info, links to the attractions, competition details, etc, see the Dec 7 news item on the Spokes website... http://www.spokes.org.uk/wordpress/2011/12/princes-street-paradise/ E. APOLOGIES An outdated email list was accidentally used for our previous email circular (28 November). If you did not receive that circular, you can find it here... http://www.spokes.org.uk/wordpress/spokesworker/ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dave du Feu Spokes 09.12.11