Local Round-up: Nurses hand petition to politicians

NURSES have handed a petition to MSPs pleading with whoever wins the Scottish elections to protect and then improve health services.

Organised by the Royal College of Nursing in Edinburgh, the document was presented to politicians yesterday.

Chairwoman Eileen Frame said: "We want whoever forms the next Scottish Government to improve health services by managing money better. We are proposing a range of ways to achieve this."

Camera sites out in force

Mobile speed cameras will be in operation from next Monday on the A90 Cramond, West Granton Road, Muirhouse Parkway, Comiston Road, A70 Balerno, A71 Breich, A706 Longridge, A89 Armadale, A706 Cairnie Place, A71 Polbeth, A705 East Whitburn, A899 Deer Park, A68 Cranston and A68 Pathhead.

Care home to open its doors

AN open day is to take place at the city council's latest care home. The Inch View facility, which was named by local children, will stage the event today until 7pm.

The first residents are expected to move in over spring, with this day providing an opportunity for people to see inside for the first time, council chiefs said.

Deaf to hold telecoms protest

DEAF people will gather for a protest on Friday to call for better access to video telecoms systems for users of British Sign Language (BSL).

The event at the King James Hotel in Leith Street will see BSL users join the VRS Today! campaign.

Students get in check to design tartan

STUDENTS at Edinburgh's Telford College have entered a creative contest to design a college tartan.

HND Textile learners were tasked with designing a tartan cloth which reflects the recent rebrand of the college and incorporates the colours purple and blue.

Textiles lecturer Kim Gunn said: "It will be difficult to select a winning design as the entries are so varied and vibrant."

Office rent prices remain stable across Capital

THE average price of renting an office in the Capital remained stable last year, according to a new report.

Commercial property firm Knight Frank said core prime rents in Edinburgh city centre were at 27 per square foot in the final quarter of 2010.

Take-up in the last three months of the year was 100,000sq ft, bringing total take-up across the city centre in 2010 to 511,000sq ft, a 5.4 per cent increase on 2009.

Drew Oswald, partner at Knight Frank, said: "Scotland is still holding up well."