A consultation is now open inviting Edinburgh residents to share their views on Community Payback Orders and the unpaid work carried out in their area.
Last year alone, just under 50,000 hours of unpaid work was completed in Edinburgh – equivalent to over 6,000 working days. Projects supported over the last year include:
- Gyle Park Pavilion - Improvement work to the appearance of Gyle Park Pavilion and the car park. This included repainting exterior doors and step bannisters to cover up unpleasant graffiti and work in the car park to clear vegetation in the car park drainage channels.
- The Ferry Road project - The unpaid work team helped clear areas in the community blighted by rubbish and fly tipping. The work had a big impact on the local environment making a previously heavily littered area useable and accessible.
- Leith Theatre - The unpaid work women’s group cleared the outdoor space at Leith Theatre. This included weeding, gardening and pruning trees to make the area safe and accessible.
Edinburgh residents are encouraged to share their views on the unpaid work part of a CPO, which replaced community service in 2011. We want to know:
- Do you have any experience of people doing unpaid work in your community?
- Do you think unpaid work gives people the opportunity to repay the community for the crimes they have committed?
- Do you have any ideas about residents, community projects or organisations who could benefit from unpaid work support?
CPOs are given by the Court to enable people to make amends for their crimes as an alternative to a prison sentence, with communities putting forward ideas to their local authority for the unpaid work carried out where they live.
Council Leader and Chair of the Edinburgh Partnership Jane Meagher, said:
Community Payback Orders (CPOs) offer an alternative and more positive way for people to repay locally for crimes committed. We know that CPOs are mutually beneficial to both the individual and the wider community. For those completing a CPO, they have the chance to learn new skills, work as part of a team, and make a positive contribution to society.
This year alone, with just under 50,000 hours of unpaid work carried out, we’ve seen a real difference to communities with previously unused or neglected areas transformed and, in some cases, put back into use. I encourage all Edinburgh residents to take the opportunity to have their say on the future of unpaid work and how it could benefit their local community in the future.
Share your views here.