Tag: Cyrenians

Housing Bill published

Preventing homelessness and strengthening tenants’ rights

New legislation which aims to keep people in their homes and help prevent homelessness has been published.

The Housing (Scotland) Bill will introduce an ‘ask and act’ duty on social landlords and bodies, such as health boards and the police, to ask about a person’s housing situation and act to avoid them becoming homeless wherever possible.

It also reforms provision for people threatened with homelessness up to six months ahead and includes provisions for tenants experiencing domestic abuse.

The Bill will outline proposals for a New Deal for Tenants, a key part of the Bute House Agreement between the Scottish Government and the Scottish Green Party.

Proposals include long term rent controls for private tenancies, new rights to keep pets, decorate rented homes and stronger protection against eviction.  

Housing Minister Paul McLennan and Tenants’ Rights Minister Patrick Harvie will lead the Bill’s passage through Parliament.

Mr McLennan said: “Scotland already has the strongest rights in the UK for people who become homeless – but nobody should have to experience the trauma and disruption of losing their home.

“Early action, through the kinds of measures included in the Housing Bill, results in fewer people reaching the point of housing crisis. It also means people facing homelessness have more choice and control over where they live, helping them to maintain relationships in their community and stay in work.”

Mr Harvie said: “A fairer, well-regulated rented sector is good for both tenants and landlords. Tenants benefit from improved conditions and security, while good responsible landlords will thrive when their good practice is recognised by regulation.

“Scotland has led the way across the UK in improving the experience of people who rent their homes and this reform has been at the same time as significant growth in the size of the private rented sector.  So progressive reform can lead to better conditions and a healthy rented sector overall.

“I want to keep working with both tenants and landlords to achieve that goal.”

THE housing bill published today by the Scottish Government fails to address the systemic issues driving the housing emergency, Shelter Scotland has said.

The charity warned that there was no realistic prospect of councils being able to fulfil new statutory obligations given that local authorities are regularly failing to meet their existing legal duties.

The bill’s publication comes in the wake of figures which show a significant decline in the delivery of social homes, which Shelter Scotland says is essential in tackling the systemic issues driving the housing emergency.

Shelter Scotland Director, Alison Watson, said: “There is a growing consensus that Scotland is in the grip of a Housing Emergency. Already four local authorities have declared housing emergencies, with more expected to follow in the coming weeks.

“Today’s housing bill was an opportunity to address the causes of that emergency and end the scandal of 10,000 children trapped in temporary accommodation.

“What we need is urgent action to drive up the supply of social homes, invest in local services and stop to councils breaking existing homelessness laws.

“Instead, we have a Housing Bill that does none of that and risks diverting frontline staff from the task in hand. By proposing new additional duties on councils already failing to deliver existing laws, we run the risk of making the situation worse.

“It is time for Scottish Ministers to listen to what our communities are telling them – declare a housing emergency and bring forward a new plan to deliver the social homes we need.”

Responding to the Housing (Scotland) Act being published, Citizens Advice Scotland Housing spokesperson Aoife Deery said: “The pandemic and cost of living crisis underlined the need for better protections for tenants and more affordable housing. In many ways the market is simply broken and urgently needs repaired. 

“The CAB network in Scotland gives out hundreds of thousands of pieces of advice a year on housing, and it was one of the top areas of crossover advice – where people seeking help with housing also needed help with something else, often social security, debt or energy bills. In fact a third of all single working age households contacting CABs do so for advice on housing.

“We welcome this once in a generation opportunity to improve the rented sector and shape a fairer system. We look forward to getting into the detail of the Bill, change needs to happen with both landlords and tenants involved, we will be contributing our evidence as this work moves forward”


Cyrenians welcomes the introduction of the Housing (Scotland) Bill to the Scottish Parliament today. Long awaited, the new prevention or ‘Ask and Act’ duties included within it have the power to reach people before they become homeless and get them the right help, much faster.

‘Ask and act’ forms the cornerstone of a wider set of reforms to homelessness legislation. If passed, the Bill will require public bodies – including healthcare and justice agencies to implement systems whereby people at risk of homelessness are easily identified and directed to the appropriate services before they reach crisis point.

These duties will implement recommendations from the Homelessness Prevention Task and Finish Group (co-chaired by Crisis and Cyrenians), published in August 2023 [click here to read the Group’s report].

The group drew on its collective knowledge of the housing sector, as well as the lived experience of people who were homeless, through the All in for Change programme.

Throughout the process, building up to the publication of the Housing Bill, Cyrenians has consistently argued for increased funding to resource new prevention duties. We will continue to advocate for the necessary resource that our public bodies and local authorities will need to make the promise of the Housing Bill possible.

Ewan Aitken, Chief Executive of Cyrenians, said: ““Scotland is in the grip of a housing crisis. Several local authorities have now formally declared a housing emergency as the numbers of people facing homelessness is reaching record levels.

“But we know from our work across 60 services in Edinburgh, the Borders, Falkirk and the Lothians, that in many cases homelessness can be stopped long before people reach crisis point. 

“To do that we need to widen the scope of responsibility, giving people within public bodies the right training and resource to be able fulfil this role. We believe that this, a public health approach to homelessness, is key to tackling the housing crisis.

‘We are very pleased to see the plans for prevention duties within the Housing Bill, published today. This legislation has the potential to prevent homelessness in Scotland. However, to do that, it needs to be properly resourced.  

“As a charity which tackles the causes and consequences of homelessness, we regularly work with people whose situation could have been prevented, if they had received help earlier. We urge the Scottish Government to ensure that these duties are properly funded so that the bill can live up to its potential.”  

Cats Protection has welcomed the new Housing (Scotland) Bill, which will for the first time give renters the right to own a pet.

The charity’s Advocacy & Government Relations Officer for Scotland, Alice Palombo, said: “This is a landmark day for renters in Scotland, who will finally be given the right to own a pet with an end to blanket ‘no-pet’ policies.

“We hope this new law will stop the misery faced by animal lovers who have been denied the chance to ever own a pet cat, simply because they rent rather than own their own home.

“People in rented housing pay significant amounts of their income every year on fees and rent, and it is only right they should be able to feel at home in that property. Pet ownership – whether it’s a cat or another companion animal – provides companionship to all sorts of people. Whether it’s older people at risk of loneliness or young families with children learning how to care for others, pets play a vital role in our lives.

“We’re particularly pleased to see the Bill introduces an obligation for local authority and social landlords to publish a policy relating to domestic abuse. Cats Protection operates a free fostering service for cat owners fleeing domestic abuse, but many victim-survivors can struggle to find cat-friendly housing. We hope that domestic abuse policies will include a commitment to ensuring victim-survivors can keep their pets when they settle into new housing.

“A survey by Cats Protection and Dogs Trust found a lack of sufficient pet-friendly rented housing in Scotland, with only 22% of Scottish landlords allowing pets. This puts a strain on rehoming charities, and landlord-related issues is one of the top reasons for cats coming into our care.”

The Housing (Scotland) Bill was informed by three public consultations and will now by scrutinised by the Scottish Parliament.

News from Heart of Newhaven

Welcome to your March newsletter

The Heart welcomes Lord Cameron of Lochiel

New Scotland Office minister Donald Cameron included the Heart in his first official visit on Thursday 22nd February.

Mr Cameron, now Lord Cameron of Lochiel, has sat in Holyrood since 2016 but quit the Scottish Parliament in February for the House of Lords and a position in the Scottish Office at Westminster.

As well as the Heart, he also visited Granton’s historic gas holder, which is being restored as the centrepiece of a new public space in the regeneration of the waterfront and Portobello Town Hall, recently rescued for the community by a local charity much like ourselves here at the Heart.

All three projects have recently received much-welcomed funding from Westminster’s Levelling Up Fund.

Lord Cameron met many of the Heart’s Partners and users, including the Ukranian Spiders, Mwamba, Vintage Vibes, Robert Furze and some of the History of Education volunteers who were coincidentally hosting a visit from Primary 7 pupils from Victoria Primary School.

He also spoke to Alex Bird from Tortoise in a Nutshell, Charlie Traylor from Men of Leith’s Shed, volunteer Judy Gray hard at work on our knitted Christmas Tree project, and artist Jill Boualaxai, so he got a good overview of the many skeins bound up within the Heart.

Building work at the Heart

The emergency conservation works including roof and window repairs are being undertaken by a team from our contractors, Ashwood, led by site foreman, Findlay and should be finished by the end of March.

Ashwood will then return in April to fit a couple of stones and install some new windows that are being cut or made off site. (Did you know that when you need to replace stone, a stone “library” is brought to site so that the stone can be matched?)

Most of those repairs won’t be visible, but were very necessary to get the building wind and water tight, before we embark on future works to bring the building into the 21st century in terms of repair and energy efficiency for the comfort and use of all.

In the meantime, people might see safety scaffolding going up in the atrium for a few weeks, and our apologies in advance to our Partners and user groups who may experience some disruption as windows are repaired.

We must give a huge shout out to our funders without whom we couldn’t have done all this; The Department of Levelling Up, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Historic Environment Scotland and The Pilgrim Trust and of course there’s also the Design Team who specialise in the conservation of listed buildings in community use, led by John Gilbert Associates.

Hear About… talks

Our Hear About… talks taking place in the Heritage Suite on Friday afternoons have been proving very popular, with up to three dozen people attending each of the various events.

They will continue to run until the first Friday in April and then we will pause them over the summer and restart them in the autumn.

Here are the next scheduled talks …

Friday 8th March – Bill Hall on the Newhaven fishing industry

Friday 15th March – Kenneth Williamson on the old Caledonian Railway between Leith and Granton

Friday 22nd March – Niall Campbell on birds of the Isle of May

Friday 5th April – Anna Inman on the Restoration Forth project

More details on the website.

Volunteer to help and get a guaranteed place in the action! 

We are keen to recruit a team of volunteers to help with the logistics of the talks. We need to set up the chairs (and rearrange them again at the end) in the Heritage Suite as well as welcome attendees and then serve teas and coffees at the end.

Would you be willing to lend a hand? Contact christine.mcderment@heartofnewhaven.co.uk or admin@heartofnewhaven.co.uk if you’d like to help.

It may be the end of the Spring talks in April, but we already have talks lined up for the autumn, including one on the Hill & Adamson photographs of Newhaven fishwives, from Louise Pearson of the National Portrait Gallery and another on Celtic folklore and the mythical sea creatures of Newhaven. Watch this space!

Death Cafés at the Heart of Newhaven

A death cafe is described as a safe place where people can feel free to talk about anything they wish, to do with death and dying.

On Saturday morning, 27th January we held our very first death café when fourteen people attended and the feedback was very positive. The discussions were enjoyed by all and there was delicious cake.

There will be more death cafés at the Heart on Saturday mornings of April 27th, July 27th and October 19th, all 10.00 am to 12.00 noon. Please arrive around 9.45 for welcome and coffee.

Remember our regular Events

Monday lunch club

The Cyrenian Lunch Club takes place at the Heart every Monday from 12.30 until 2pm. The lunches are free and open to all (advise in advance if you have allergies)

They’ll be serving a nutritious two-course meal along with tea/coffee. Some weeks there will also be entertainment to enjoy!

Sharing the Past meetings at the Heart are now taking place on the last Thursday of every month and the next one will be on Thursday 28th March.

Come along and reminisce with our Reminiscence volunteers. The topic changes every time. All on a Thursday at 10.30 -1130 am.

Keep up to date with all the regular events and activities by checking our website or following us on social media.

Oyster Mural

Remember too to get involved in the Restoration Forth project to create a mural for one of the outside walls of the Anchor Building. There will be a get-together to discuss plans, with coffee and cake at the Heart on Saturday 23rd March at 10am.

You can find out more on our website or follow the link below:

Register on Eventbrite

The Friends of Western Harbour Ponds have asked us to help raise awareness of their fight to save the re-wilded space now home to numerous bird species and a precious haven for humans too.

A petition calling on The City of Edinburgh Council and The Scottish Government to “recognise the value of the self-willed wetland habitat for nature and for people, and to help save it from development” has so far gathered more than 3,000 signatures.

You can find out more about the campaign at Save Western Harbour Ponds

If you’re keen to help document the biodiversity of the Ponds and other spots in Edinburgh, pop 26 to 29 April in your diary!

The City Nature Challenge is an annual worldwide bioblitz to record wildlife and plant life in cities, with the Edinburgh project coordinated by RSPB Scotland.

Cyrenians launches new HQ

New office move underpins charity’s ‘significant growth‘

AN INNOVATIVE charity hub has created a purpose-built new HQ for one of Scotland’s most important organisations dedicated to ending homelessness.

Cyrenians has already spent 25 years based in Norton Park in Edinburgh but was spread across several units in the former school, which is home to 21 third sector organisations.

When a rare space came available in the building – renowned as the home of charities in Edinburgh – bosses at the hub bent over backwards to ensure it was refitted to perfectly suit the needs of Cyrenians.

Now the 220-strong charity, dedicated to tackling both the causes and consequences of homelessness has moved into a space almost double the size of its previous offices, which had become cramped as the organisation grew steadily.

Last year alone Cyrenians supported over 10,800 people experiencing or who were at risk of homelessness.

Delighted Catherine Bromley, marketing and communications manager with Cyrenians, heaped praise on Norton Park – a charity in its own right – as a brilliant landlord providing specialist and affordable offices space to those in the third sector.

She added: “Being in Norton Park, we are close to many other organisations who are striving towards similar goals. That opens us up to so many opportunities for collaboration, which has been fantastic.

“The facilities and amenities at Norton Park enable our staff to collaborate more effectively as we work to make real, lasting change in the lives of people in Scotland.

“We are launching a strategic plan for 2024 to 2027 and the move to the bigger space is very much consolidation for us as we strive to focus on and strengthen the services we offer at a time when Scotland is facing a housing emergency and we have never been more needed.”

The milestone move for Cyrenians means the organisation is now based in 3100 sq feet of space at Norton Park, where previously its team were spread across 3 units in the building with a total footprint of just 2800 sq ft. It also has offices in Falkirk and the Borders.

Since moving into Norton Park in 1999, Cyrenians has undergone significant expansion, currently providing 63 essential services across seven local authorities.

It attributes the expansion to the growing need for its services as a result of the persisting housing crisis and rising cost of living, leading to heightened levels of homelessness and temporary accommodation placements for many Scots.

Norton Park, in the heart of Leith, was a primary and secondary school which catered to generations of Edinburgh youngsters since 1903.

However, it later fell into disrepair until 1998, when it was rescued by the former Albion Trust (now known as Norton Park SCIO) which was founded to transform the building.

Continued investment means it now boasts a campus of modern shared offices, serviced with a reception – and fully accessible conference meeting and events spaces. Its conference centre, housed in a converted church adjacent to the school, provides space for up to 120 delegates.

It provides rent and services to charities significantly below market rates, enabling them to put more money back into their various missions.

Yolanda Wringe, Chief Operational Officer from Norton Park said: “Over the past 25 years we’ve had the privilege of accommodating Cyrenians and witnessing its remarkable growth as an organisation.

“Our aim to create a supportive community for these vital organisations so they can focus on their mission-driven work. 

“From charities with a two people-strong team to 220 people, our premises enable sharing of experiences and resources which can help enable organisations like Cyrenians to grow.”

Norton Park is Edinburgh’s first office complex exclusively for charities and social enterprises, offering discounted rates for registered charities, community groups and public sector organisations.

The eco-friendly building offers flexible leasing arrangements and specially designed spaces to foster productivity and cooperation among non-profits.

Mixed response as 2024-25 Scottish Budget unveiled

‘Targeted funding for people and public services’

A £6.3 billion investment in social security and more than £19.5 billion for health and social care form the heart of the Scottish Budget for next year, alongside record funding for local authorities and frontline police and fire services.

With targeted funding to invest in public services and protect the most vulnerable, the Budget underpins the social contract with the people of Scotland, Deputy First Minister and Finance Secretary Shona Robison told Parliament. She also outlined policies to grow the economy and progress the commitment to deliver a just transition to net zero.

Difficult decisions have been required to prioritise funding for the services people rely on in the face of a deeply challenging financial situation, Ms Robison added.

The 2024-25 Scottish Budget includes:

  • £6.3 billion for social security benefits, which will all be increased in line with inflation. This is £1.1 billion more than the funding received from the UK Government for devolved benefits in 2024-25
  • £13.2 billion for frontline NHS boards, with additional investment of more than half a billion – an uplift of over 4%
  • record funding of more than £14 billion for local government, including £144 million to enable local authorities to freeze Council Tax rates at their current levels
  • more than £1.5 billion for policing to support frontline services and key priorities such as body-worn cameras
  • almost £400 million to support the fire service
  • £200 million to help tackle the poverty-related attainment gap, almost £390 million to protect teacher numbers and fund the teacher pay deal, and up to £1.5 million to cancel school meal debt
  • almost £2.5 billion for public transport to provide viable alternatives to car use, and increased investment of £220 million in active travel to promote walking, wheeling and cycling

The Finance Secretary said: “It is an enormous privilege to present my first Budget. A Budget setting out, in tough times, to protect people, sustain public services, support a growing, sustainable economy, and address the climate and nature emergencies.

“At its heart is our social contract with the people of Scotland, where those with the broadest shoulders are asked to contribute a little more. Where everyone can have access to universal services and entitlements, and those in need of an extra helping hand will receive targeted additional support.

“This Budget is set in turbulent circumstances. At the global level the impacts of inflation, the war in Ukraine, and the after-effects of the pandemic continue to create instability. In the UK the combined effects of Brexit and disastrous Westminster policies mean that we are uniquely vulnerable to these international shocks.

“We cannot mitigate every cut made by the UK Government. But through the choices we have made, we have been true to our values and rigorous in prioritising our investment where it will have the most impact.

“We choose investment in our people and public services. This is a Budget that reflects our shared values as a nation and speaks to the kind of Scotland that we want to be.”

RESPONSES:

Responding to the Scottish Budget, STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer said: “With Westminster induced pressure on public spending in Scotland, we’re pleased that the Scottish Government has listened to the STUC and introduced a higher rate of tax for those on higher incomes.

“This represents a markedly positive approach which should be recognised. Equally, taking a more proportionate approach to rebates for business speaks to a Government which recognises the importance of the public sector to growing the economy.

“However, the Scottish Government’s Council Tax freeze and its unwillingness to countenance more ambitious tax reform has left a hole it was never going to be able to fill. High-quality, fully funded public services must be at the heart of a well-being economy and we cannot countenance any cuts – spun and packaged up as ‘reforms’ – which act as a barrier to that goal. Government should be under no illusions on this. The continuation of the regressive council tax simply damages our ability to support local government and those most in need.

“It is disappointing to see opposition parties failing to make any demands of government save for calling, impossibly, for more services but lower taxes. To this extent the whole of the Parliament is letting people down. We have to start of using the full powers of our Parliament to deliver tax reforms aimed at wealth and property, reforms which if implemented could raise £3.7 billion tax.”

Responding to the 2024/25 draft Budget, SCVO Chief Executive Anna Fowlie. said: “The draft Budget represents a missed opportunity to set out vital support for Scotland’s voluntary sector – at a time when it is being squeezed by the cost-of-living and running costs crises.  

“While we welcome the Scottish Government’s commitments to move towards Fair Funding for Scotland’s voluntary sector by 2026, there was little evidence of that today.  

“The UK Government delivered a modest but welcome package of running costs support for voluntary organisations in England – as part of the Spring Statement. Today, at the very least, the Scottish Government could have committed to doing the same here in Scotland. The sector is still waiting on any such commitment. 

“While we recognise the challenging financial environment, the sector needs more than warm words and missed opportunities. Just last month the First Minister told assembled voluntary organisations at the Gathering that he’ll move beyond warm words and put money where his mouth is. Today we didn’t see that.  

“We need to see meaningful support for the sector, with urgent progress on Fair Funding to safeguard essential services. We stand ready to support the Scottish Government to deliver that progress.” 

Joanna Elson CBE, Chief Executive at Independent Age: “We welcome the Scottish Government’s greater focus on older people in poverty in today’s Budget. The news that all devolved social security payments, including the Winter Heating Payment, have been uprated by inflation and that the fund for Discretionary Housing Payment has been increased will be a welcome relief to those struggling financially in later life.  

“However, these measures do not go far enough for the 150,000 older people now living in poverty in Scotland, a figure that has risen by a quarter in the last decade alone, now affecting 1 in 7. Today they really needed the Scottish Government to announce a clear, long-term strategy with legally binding targets and ambitions action to tackle pensioner poverty and reverse this frightening trend.  

“Older people in Scotland, including those in financial hardship, urgently need greater representation. We were disappointed that the Scottish Government didn’t use today’s announcement as an opportunity to announce funding for an Older People’s Commissioner.

“A Commissioner would give better representation across policy making and provide a crucial independent voice for people in later life. With 1 in 4 of us projected to be over 65 by 2040, there’s no time to waste. 

“While we welcome the measures announced today that will improve life for older people on low incomes, the Scottish Government need to go further and faster to address rising pensioner poverty in Scotland. Both a long-term solution to financial hardship in later life and an end to older people feeling ignored by those in power is needed. The time is now for Scotland to have a pensioner poverty strategy and an Older People’s Commissioner.” 

Jonathan Carr-West, Chief Executive, LGIU Scotland, said: “With one in four Scottish councils warning that they may be unable to balance their books next year, today’s budget will not offer much reassurance.

“The Verity House Agreement promised early budget engagement, and it promised ‘no surprises.’ This financial settlement does not meet either of those promises or provide councils with the funding they have told us they need. 

“A council tax freeze funded as though council tax were increased by 5% is equivalent to the rises that councils were planning for this year, but it denies them the increase in their tax base and thus undermines their finances next year and for years to come.

“The “additional support” promised all appears to be ring fenced to Scottish Government priorities rather than enabling democratically elected councils to make decisions about priorities in their areas. Again, this goes against the Verity House agreement.

“Before the budget, every council told us they were planning cuts to services, 97% that they were planning to increase charges, and 89% that they would have to spend their reserves. The funding announced in the settlement will not alleviate the need for these biting budget measures.

“The council tax freeze this year will not help residents affected by councils’ inevitable spending cuts and it will not help residents next year, when councils’ spending power is reduced further because their council tax base can’t increase in line with the amount they need. 

“Our recent survey shows just how strong the concerns are across local government. Only one respondent to our survey said they were confident in the sustainability of council finances. Not a single person said they were happy with the progress that had been made on delivering a sustainable finance system.

“Senior council figures widely condemned how limited their involvement in the pre-budget process was, and this funding settlement confirms the suspicions that led to only 8% of respondents believing the Scottish Government considers local government in wider policy decisions. 

Most worryingly, 8 separate councils (25% of all local authorities) warned us that they could be unable to fund their statutory services – the services they have to provide by law. The funding announced today will be no comfort to these struggling councils, who will now have to make even more difficult choices to make up for their funding shortfall. 

For the average resident, this means their life will get more expensive and their services will get worse. For some of the most vulnerable members of society, as councils warned us, it may mean that if nothing changes then there is not enough money to fund the services they rely on. 

“The funding settlement is not enough for councils to provide the services that millions of people across Scotland rely on. More than that though, it demonstrates that annual funding settlements of this type are not the right way to fund councils or to empower councils to tackle their long-term challenges.

“Councils should be given more powers over how they raise and spend their own money. This means ring-fencing and directed spending need to be reduced, as agreed at Verity House, and councils need to be free to set their own council tax.” 

Commenting on the budget, UNISON’s Scottish Secretary Lilian Macer, said: “Today’s budget is a bad day for local services and deals a further financial blow to local councils who are already struggling to balance the books and to deliver the vital services our communities rely on.

“Our public services are on their knees due to years of underinvestment and the Scottish government’s council tax freeze will be a disaster for local services. We need to see investment in public services and a council tax freeze stops investment in public services, in schools and in the NHS.

“The Scottish government had the chance to make big choices to raise more money for Scotland’s public services but while the measures on income tax are welcome, much more could and should have been done. We still have a government boasting of low business taxes at the same time that they are delaying urgent improvements to public services.

“The Deputy First Minister spoke of cutting the public service workforce – people need to be aware that job cuts mean service cuts. What communities across Scotland need is investment, not abandonment.

“While we welcome investment in the NHS, the Scottish government failed to say how this would be targeted to tackling the staffing crisis and ensuring proper funding so the safe staffing act can make the improvements the NHS so desperately needs.

“Given the Scottish government’s commitment to become a fair work nation by 2025, it’s concerning that there was no mention of fair work anywhere in the budget statement, particularly in social care, a sector in crisis.”

Responding to the Scottish Government’s Budget Stuart McMahon, Scotland Director of consumer group CAMRA whose members had been lobbying MSPs asking for a 75% business rates discount to help save pubs and breweries, said: 

“Pubgoers will be deeply disappointed by the lack of help for most of our locals today. Whilst 100% rates relief for hospitality businesses in island communities will be welcomed, failing to pass on extra money from the UK Government to help with business rates for the rest of our hospitality businesses is undoubtedly a blow and puts many of our pubs at risk of permanent closure.  

“Yet again it seems that the Scottish Government just doesn’t understand the importance of our pubs, social clubs and breweries as a vital part of our social fabric – bringing communities together and providing a safe, regulated environment to enjoy a drink with friends and family. Our locals are community hubs that need and deserve help to make sure that they survive and thrive.  

“With reports that pubs are closing at a faster rate here than elsewhere in the UK, Scottish Government ministers urgently need to re-think the decision not to give our locals the 75% discount with business rates bills that pubs south of the border are receiving. The Scottish Government also needs to support consumers, pubs and breweries in the new year by ditching any plans to bring back restrictive bans on alcohol advertising.” 

In response to the Scottish Budget, Stephen Montgomery, Director of the Scottish Hospitality Group said: “We are sorely disappointed that the Scottish Government has not delivered new emergency support for Scottish hospitality.

“Unless a hospitality business is located on the islands, this Budget offers no new support to Scottish hospitality to survive the unprecedented challenge of rising costs, inflation, and the legacy of the pandemic.

“The very real implication is that many Scottish hospitality businesses will struggle to survive, and customers will see prices increase. This will be a bitter pill to swallow for thousands of Scottish hospitality businesses, given English hospitality businesses will be benefitting from a 75% business rates discount for the next year. Our attention will now be focused on helping those hospitality businesses survive what will be a very challenging year to come.

“However, we welcome the Scottish Government’s commitment to exploring a long-term, fairer deal for hospitality on business rates. It is a ray of hope in an otherwise disappointing day for Scottish hospitality.

“This is a golden opportunity to deliver a fairer deal for Scottish hospitality once and for all. We have been engaged with the New Deal for Business Group for a number of months and it is time that the Scottish Government’s actions matched their words.

“The Finance Secretary has committed to introducing a long-term, fairer deal for Scottish hospitality at next year’s Budget. We will hold her feet to the fire to make sure she delivers on this promise.”

Scottish Budget 2024-25

Summary of UK Economic and Fiscal Outlook from Office of the Chief Economic Adviser

Charity partnership plants seeds for success

Edinburgh venue becomes next veg bag hub 

A POPULAR Edinburgh hospitality and performance venue has paired with a homelessness charity to increase local sustainability, by supporting its organic vegetable bag subscription. 

Located in Edinburgh’s Old Town, Café 1505, part of the Surgeons Quarter campus, has become the 10th distribution point for organic fruit and vegetable bags grown at the Cyrenians Farm, based outside the city. 

The initiative allows shoppers to customise their bag choosing its delivery frequency, size, and excluded items. 

Aimed at reducing food waste and packaging by utilising re-useable bags, subscribers received a selection of fruit and vegetables grown at Cyrenians Farm in Kirknewton. 

The Nicolson Street based café joins a chain of other collection points across Edinburgh, Kirknewton, Ratho and Bathgate. 

Sophie Bell, Fundraising Manager at Cyrenians said: “We have been working with Surgeons Quarter on a number of initiatives, and we’re continually impressed by their commitment to work with like-minded enterprises. 

“Having Café 1505 as a distribution point gives subscribers more locations to collect our delicious produce, giving supporters on the South side of Edinburgh a whole new way to tackle homelessness with us.”  

Cyrenians Farm in Kirknewton, West Lothian, is home to a community for young people aged 16-25 years, and the surrounding working farm provides opportunities for residents, volunteers, and visitors to grow vegetables, and develop life skills, while being in a trusting and nurturing community. 

Another initiative includes Café 1505’s coffee grinds being used in compost for the Cyrenians Farm creating a circular sustainability scheme.  

To mark World Homelessness Day in October, Surgeons Quarter’s flagship hotel – Ten Hill Place – hosted an event with Cyrenians to launch its latest impact report. The report celebrates the role Cyrenians has played over the last year to tackle the causes and consequences of homelessness, supporting over 10,000 people in their time of need through the 60+ services that it runs in Central and South East Scotland. 

This charity partnership is the latest in a long line of ethically motivated actions by Surgeons Quarter whose profits go towards the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh’s (RCSEd) objective of improving patient outcomes globally. 

Stewart Munro, Operations Manager at Surgeons Quarter, said: “We are always looking for new ways to incorporate sustainable practices across the entire SQ campus.  

“That’s why it’s important that we work with incredible charities, like Cyrenians, to foster these initiatives is something we are all very passionate about, and we’re delighted to work with them as a distribution point for their veg bag subscriptions.  

“By enjoying coffee at Café 1505, you’re contributing to compost at Cyrenians Farm, where the veggies for these bags are grown. It’s a wonderful cycle of sustainability!” 

As part of Surgeons Quarter’s commitment to ethical practices, Equal Exchange’s ‘Grown by Women’ coffee is served in Café 1505, which supports female farmers in Peru and Mexico.  

It has also held a Gold Award in Green Business Tourism since 2009 and prioritise sustainability in the four-star Ten Hill Place Hotel, which they manage and promote along with all other commercial activities held within the RCSEd campus. 

More information about Surgeons Quarter can be found at: 

https://www.surgeonsquarter.com/  

EDINBURGH DECLARES HOUSING EMERGENCY

Shelter Scotland welcomes Edinburgh’s housing emergency declaration 

https://twitter.com/i/status/1720109347743666177
Homes for social rent in Edinburgh

Councillors in Edinburgh have overwhelmingly voted to recognise and seek to address the scale of Edinburgh’s housing crisis.

In a first for the city, members agreed to officially declare an emergency today (Thursday 2 November) during a Full Council meeting.

It comes as Shelter calls on local authorities to take concerted action across the country, and as homelessness reaches close to 5,000 households a night in the Capital despite a huge amount of preventative work by the third sector, Council and partners.

Councillor Jane Meagher, Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener, said: Edinburgh is a caring, welcoming city and our council officers, charities and partners do an incredible job supporting our most vulnerable residents. Sadly, however, despite us doubling the Council’s homelessness budget over the last three years, we are now at risk of failing households who need our help most.

“Edinburgh may be a wealthy city on the surface, but we are seeing demand for homes far outstrip supply. Close to 5,000 households including many children will need to live in temporary accommodation this Christmas, because of this housing shortage.

“This is not a new challenge, but it is at the stage of breaking point. Rents are being driven up, the cost of living continues to put pressure on household bills and homelessness is rising. We have ambitious housebuilding plans, but we face rising construction costs as a result of inflation and difficulties securing land. This is against a backdrop of Edinburgh having the lowest proportion of homes for social rent in all of Scotland.

“By declaring a housing emergency, we hope to draw widescale attention to an issue that demands urgent and united action. Every single person deserves a warm, safe, and affordable place to call home and we can address this, if we act now.

“I’m pleased this decision received such powerful support today from Councillors and we will now work towards establishing a Housing Emergency Action Plan, while seeking the resources necessary to achieve its success.”

Shelter Scotland has welcomed the City of Edinburgh Council’s declaration of a housing emergency. 

The capital becomes the first city in Scotland to declare a housing emergency, with councillors backing a motion at today’s full council meeting. 

The motion also commits the council to developing a housing emergency action plan alongside key housing, social justice, and other stakeholders from across the city. 

The housing and homelessness charity pointed to the chronic shortage of social housing in Edinburgh, the record numbers of children stuck in temporary accommodation in the city, and the rising average cost of private renting as evidence of a housing emergency in Edinburgh. 

Shelter Scotland Director, Alison Watson, said: “Rents are out of control, record numbers of kids have nowhere to call home, more and more people are becoming homeless – Edinburgh is clearly in a housing emergency. 

“The housing emergency is touching communities across Scotland, but a chronic lack of social homes, and the enormous number of properties used exclusively for short-term lets are just some of the factors which have made the situation especially acute in Edinburgh.  

“By coming together to acknowledge that reality today, councillors now have licence to deliver the emergency response we need.

“Of course, there are aspects of the housing emergency that are beyond the council’s control, both the UK and Scottish governments must share responsibility, but it’s clear that a business-as-usual approach isn’t going to cut it anymore. 

“People in the capital are crying out for action – every level of government has a duty to respond.  

“Today’s declaration of a housing emergency is just the start of the journey; Shelter Scotland is ready to support the council as it prepares its action plan and we’ll be monitoring progress closely.” 

Scottish Labour Lothians MSP Sarah Boyack has today called on the Scottish Government to provide targeted and substantial resource to fix Edinburgh’s housing Crisis.

In anticipation of the City of Edinburgh Council declaring that Edinburgh is facing a housing crisis, Sarah Boyack MSP asked the First Minister to provide the resources and funding needed to fix Edinburgh’s broken housing market.

Commenting Ms Boyack said, “Humza Yousaf’s empty words at FMQs do nothing to alleviate the concern of the 5000 families living in temporary accommodation here in Edinburgh.

“With rents skyrocketing and families being forced out of Edinburgh the SNP Government has presided over a national failure in housebuilding.

“We need more affordable and social housing in Edinburgh, and with 84% of Scotland’s population growth being concentrated in the Lothians we urgently need the funding to address Edinburgh’s housing crisis.”

Lesley Anderson, Regional Director at the Scottish Procurement Alliance – which was crucial to the delivery of 567 affordable homes last year, including 193 in Edinburgh – commented on the city’s housing emergency.

She said: “The announcement of Edinburgh’s housing crisis is no surprise and a clear wakeup call that we need immediate action to empower social landlords to get social homes back on track.

“It’s a Scotland-wide problem. By providing better funding and cutting the red tape, we can enable associations to deliver quality, community-driven social housing. 

“With a raft of head winds facing the housing sector at the moment, Scotland’s Housing to 2040 vision will be a major challenge to achieve.

“Other regulations and aspirations aren’t helping the cause. With the uncertainty of the proposed Scottish Passivhaus equivalent standard from December 2024, adding to the hefty load the sector is already carrying.

“Recent rent freezes, soaring prices, inflationary pressures, skills shortages and sustainability of contractors have all played a part in the reduction of new build development and existing unoccupied social housing.

“Housing providers across Scotland need more support and guidance if they are to have any chance of meeting government-led targets and manoeuvre this crisis. “

Allied Vehicles £2k boost for Cyrenians 

An Edinburgh-based homelessness charity will be able to continue running a ground-breaking initiative in the city for the next year after a four-figure donation from one of Scotland’s leading family firms.

Cyrenians approached the Allied Vehicles Charitable Trust over concerns for the future of their Homeless Navigator Project, which helps homeless men and women in Edinburgh access and engage with the support they need to secure safe accommodation and get their lives back on track.

“We focus on prevention and reaching those at the edge of homelessness, as well as those in crisis and in recovery,” said the charity.

“Beyond providing direct support to those experiencing street homelessness, we work to prevent homelessness in the first place by alleviating poverty, tackling food insecurity and providing support to families and young people.”

The Homeless Navigator Project offers potentially life-changing support to around 80 homeless people in Edinburgh ­– a street-based initiative delivering street-based emotional and practical help.

Navigators meet people where they are and help them on a journey to where they want to be. They operate in pairs in the centre of Edinburgh three times a week and develop trust-based relationships with people who may have had past negative experiences with support services.

Allied Vehicles Charitable Trust – the charity arm of Allied Vehicles Group in Glasgow – gave the group £2,000 to continue the Homeless Navigator Project.

Calum Wright, Cyrenians fundraising coordinator, said: “The recently released homelessness figures make for grim reading, with rough sleeping on the rise across Scotland.

“Thanks to the generosity of funders like the Allied Vehicles Charitable Trust, our Homeless Navigator project will be able to respond to this rising need and continue to offer life-saving support to some of the most vulnerable people in our society.

“By offering a friendly face and building trusted professional relationships, our staff are able to work with those who are street homeless for as long as it takes for them to get their lives back on track.”

David Facenna, Allied Corporate Culture Director, added: “Behind the rising homelessness figures are real people who have fallen on hard times, many through no fault of their own.

“The Homeless Navigator Project is a novel way of trying to tackle it and I hope our donation will help Cyrenians keep it running over the next year.”

Cyrenians: ‘It’s in our power to turn the tide on homelessness’

10,000 children in temporary accommodation in Scotland

An annual update on Homelessness Statistics covering 2022-23 has been released by Scotland’s Chief Statistician. 

Findings for that period show:

  • There were 39,006 applications for homelessness assistance – an increase of 3,247 (9%) compared with 2021-22, and higher than pre-pandemic (37,053 in 2019-20).
  • There were 32,242 households assessed as homeless or threatened with homelessness – an increase of 2,903 (10%) compared to 2021-22, also higher than pre-pandemic (31,618 in 2019-20).
  • There were 15,039 households in temporary accommodation at 31 March 2023 – a 6% increase compared with 14,214 at 31 March 2022. This compares to 11,807 at 31 March 2020.
  • The number of children in temporary accommodation has increased to 9,595 in March 2023 from 8,805 in March 2022 (9%). This compares to 7,355 at 31 March 2020.
  • Households becoming homeless from a private rented tenancy have been reacting to legislation changes. There was a low of 3,049 in 2020-21, following emergency COVID-19 legislation (11% of all homeless households). Since this was lifted in May 2021, numbers have been increasing, reaching 2,990 across the first six months of 2022-23 alone (19% of all homeless households). However, the cost of living legislation introduced in October 2022 to protect renters resulted in a drop to 2,200 for the second six months of 2022-23 (13% of all homeless households).
  • There has been an increase in rough sleeping, with 2,438 households reporting rough sleeping during the previous three months and 1,500 the night before the application. These remain lower than pre-pandemic and are the same proportions of all applications as the previous year (6% and 4% respectively).
  • Homelessness applications that closed in 2022-23 which used temporary accommodation spent 223 days in temporary accommodation on average. This increased from 214 days in 2021-22 and 175 days in 2017-18, when the time series started.
  • There were 445 instances of households not being offered temporary accommodation. This is a decrease of 38% compared to 2021-22. Almost all of these (420) were in Edinburgh.
  • 83% of households assessed as unintentionally homeless secured settled accommodation in 2022-23, increasing from 82% in 2021-22.
  • The average length of time to close a homelessness case has been increasing over time and reached an average of 266 days in 2022-23. This compares to 262 days in 2021-22 and 226 in 2019-20.
  • Of the 32,242 homeless households: 62% of applicants were aged 25 to 49; 66% were single person households; 85% of applicants were of White ethnicity; and 51% of applicants had at least one support need.
  • There were 275 applications nationally which reported being from a Ukrainian displaced household, this accounts for 0.7% of the total.

Responding to yesterday’s release of homelessness figures for 2022-23 from the Scottish Government, showing a 10% increase in households experiencing homelessness in Scotland, Ewan Aitken, CEO of Edinburgh homelessness charity Cyrenians, said: “We are in the grip of a housing emergency in Scotland.

“That something so fundamental, something most of us take for granted – a safe and secure home – is out of reach and remaining out of reach for so many is an unconscionable reality made clear in today’s figures.  

“Over 15,000 households, including children and families, refugees, those who have experienced trauma and abuse, and those with complex needs (over half of those assessed as homeless have additional support needs) are spending months and years in varying types of temporary housing solutions across Scotland.

“And those temporary solutions – some is housing of a standard we would not consider safe or secure – is stretched to breaking point, with the average time spent before moving on to stable housing now sitting at 223 days.

“As homelessness presentations continue to rise and the backlog in housing continues to build, we need to see urgent action from the Scottish Government and local authorities to end this crisis.

“That means substantial investment in social housing, land reform, and improving the supply of affordable homes which meet people’s basic needs. But housing alone isn’t enough – we need to address this as the public health crisis it is, and urgently invest in ways to tackle homelessness before it happens through early intervention, social support, community care, and ending poverty.

“The last child poverty figures, published back in March of this year, told us that nearly a quarter of children in Scotland are living in poverty. We now know how many children are homeless – nearly 10,000 living in temporary housing solutions. We can’t live with these figures.

“Homelessness happens because of poverty and huge health inequalities, creating lasting impacts that echo through people’s lives. That so many people are experiencing this is a tragedy – but it’s in our power as a nation to prevent.

“Every day charities like Cyrenians make a significant impact, but in order to stop these numbers continuing to rise, we have to see a collective commitment to sustainable prevention activity.  

“In next week’s Programme for Government, the Scottish Government has the opportunity, by prioritising affordable housing, new and long term funded prevention duties, and social support, to turn the tide on this crisis.

“We hope these latest numbers force a commensurate response – we can’t turn our back on the human cost of the housing crisis.”

No more excuses: Edinburgh needs more social homes

Shelter Scotland reacts to latest homelessness stats 

Leading housing and homelessness charity Shelter Scotland has slammed government inaction on the housing emergency following the publication of new homelessness figures.  

Statistics released by the Scottish Government today show a shocking rise in child homelessness in Edinburgh and that families are facing long stays in temporary accommodation.  

There was also a 28% increase in the number of Edinburgh’s households becoming homeless compared to the previous year. 

Nearly 1,600 children became homeless in Scotland’s capital over the course of last year, a 16% increase, while more than 2,700 kids are trapped in temporary accommodation, a record high for the city. 

The figures also show the council is struggling to meet its legal obligations, with homeless services busier than ever. People entitled to temporary housing are being turned away or being housed in grim conditions, unsuitable for their needs. 

The charity said the figures were a direct result of decades of underfunding social homes and a consistent failure of governments to fix Scotland’s broken housing system. 

Meanwhile, City of Edinburgh Council also came in for sharp criticism from the charity after it reduced its affordable housing delivery targets. 

Assistant Director of Shelter Scotland, Gordon MacRae, said: “These horrifying new figures add to the pile of mounting evidence that Edinburgh is in the grip of an unprecedented housing emergency.  

“While responsibility for the housing emergency ultimately lies with the Scottish Government, the City of Edinburgh Council’s decision to lower its affordable housing delivery targets demonstrates a startling lack of ambition and a worrying disdain for meaningful accountability. 

“For decades social housing has been neglected and this is the result; thousands of kids in Edinburgh with nowhere to call home.  

“It is utterly shameful.  

“We have some truly fantastic housing rights on paper, but the fact is they’re being breached as a matter of course in Edinburgh and the capital’s homelessness service is on its knees. 

“There is no mystery surrounding the solution to this emergency, no need for more summits or round tables to puzzle out an answer. Edinburgh needs more social housing, and we need it now. 

“The First Minister has repeatedly said that his mission in government is to end poverty, child poverty especially, in Scotland. There can no hope whatsoever of achieving that aim unless he and his ministers commit to serious investment in delivering social homes.  

“The 2,700 kids in Edinburgh who are having their childhoods robbed can’t wait a second longer for politicians to get their act together.” 

@CllrChalmersSNP the @COSLA Community Wellbeing Spokesperson on yesterday’s Homelessness Statistics. “These statistics are about real people.”:

Surgeons Quarter full of beans with new coffee partnerships

Hospitality venues adopt new partners to drive sustainability efforts

A POPULAR venue which helps to support the advancement of surgery around the world has adopted a range of impressive new sustainability measures.

The moves see Surgeons Quarter serving up a new coffee bean supplier while also delivering a partnership to recycle coffee grinds, as part of a sustainability review across its portfolio.

The organisation, which operates a range of venues to support the work of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd), has named workers’ cooperative Equal Exchange as its preferred coffee supplier across all its venues, including luxury hotel Ten Hill Place.

Now the ‘Grown by Women’ coffee range will be used in all espresso and bean-to-cup machines throughout its venues. Grown by Women’s coffee is directly sourced from Equal Exchange’s female cooperative members, and helps support women, their families, and wider communities.

Meanwhile, Surgeons Quarter has also partnered with a farm operated by homelessness charity, Cyrenians, to recycle coffee grinds from its Café 1505 venue on Nicolson Street. The charity’s working farm uses organic waste, including coffee grounds, in its compost.

Stewart Munro, Operations Manager at Surgeons Quarter, said: “We are renowned for our sustainable practices especially in Ten Hill Place Hotel, but we continually seek new partnerships to help us build these practices across the campus.

“We’re delighted to be supporting Equal Exchange by taking them on as our coffee supplier and partnering with Cyrenians to upcycle our coffee grinds in a sustainable way.

“Cyrenians Farm is a fantastic enterprise, we’re already looking at ways to expand the partnership to support the work they do to produce sustainable, organic produce.

“We were also particularly drawn to Equal Exchange’s ethos to invest in crucial initiatives such as mobile health clinics. Given our affiliation to the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, we were especially keen to support these enterprises.”

Surgeons Quarter promotes, sells, and manages all commercial activities held within the Royal College of Surgeons Edinburgh campus.

It includes facilities for conferences, meetings, private events, parties, weddings and its own four-star hotel Ten Hill Place as well as Café 1505 and SQ Travel. 

The new partnerships have been implemented following a review of sustainability practices across its venues, in a bid to meet ambitious sustainability goals.

Sophie Bell, Fundraising Manager at Cyrenians said: “Working with Surgeons Quarter is an exciting opportunity for us, we’re impressed by their commitment to work with likeminded enterprises.

“Our farm aims to foster a sense of community and supports our work to tackle the causes of homelessness. We’re excited to be partnering with Surgeons Quarter’’.

Cyrenians Farm in Kirknewton, West Lothian, is home to a community for young-people aged 16-25 years, and the surrounding working farm is a social enterprise providing opportunities for residents, volunteers, and visitors to grow vegetables, and develop life skills, while being in a trusting and nurturing community

Stewart added: “We have several initiatives in place to offset CO2 and drive sustainable practices in all our venues. Which is why it’s important that the products enjoyed by our customers, guests, and employees are ethically sourced and sustainable, as we want to make a positive difference.

“Undertaking the sustainability review allowed us to make an informed decision about how we could provide the best combination of quality and sustainability in our choice of suppliers.”

Additionally, Surgeons Quarter plans to expand its ethical retail range of products in Café 1505 through Equal Exchange to offer organic fairtrade chocolate, raw honey, and Palestinian extra virgin olive oil.

The review also appointed Scotland based Caffia, a third-generation family-run business, as the new preferred supplier of filter coffee and tea across the Surgeons Quarter venues. Caffia will supply a range of organic, Fairtrade, and Rainforest Alliance coffees and teas.

Profits from the Surgeons Quarter portfolio go towards the advancement of surgery and the improvement of patient outcomes worldwide.

More information about Surgeons Quarter can be found at: 

https://www.surgeonsquarter.com/

ELREC’s new Creative Kitchen project

ELREC is pleased to announce our new small project, The Creative Kitchen, thanks to the cost of living part of The Lottery Community Fund. And in partnership with Cyrenians who give us fresh ingredients.

The project aims to deliver free weekly workshops on sustainable cooking, making simple yet nutritious and fresh meals from whatever you have left in the fridge.

The sessions will be delivered in different locations, with the first one held at Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre, by our staff member and chef, Shana.

You can find out more by following us on Instagram:

THECREATIVEKITCHENCOMMUNITY

The sessions are free, to sign up please email: bolyn@elrec.org.uk