A new inquiry into the affordability and sustainability of Scotland’s tax and spending plans has been launched. It is the first Holyrood parliamentary inquiry from the newly formed Finance and Public Administration Committee.
In particular, the investigation will assess the viability of the Scottish Government’s plans to bridge the anticipated £4.77 billion fiscal gap by 2029-30.
The Committee will also consider how the Government’s approach to taxation fits in with its wider plans to ensure the sustainability of public finances.
The Committee’s ‘pre-budget scrutiny’ inquiry is intended to influence the government’s budget preparations later this year.
A call for views is open now.
Finance and Public Administration Committee convener Clare Haughey MSP said: “Our first inquiry of the new parliamentary session involves asking fundamental questions about Scotland’s public finances.
“Are the government’s tax and spending plans affordable and sustainable? How will Ministers bridge the £4.77 billion fiscal gap that’s anticipated by 2029-30. And how will the government respond to inflationary pressures on the Scottish Budget, including in relation to the cost of living?”
“We’ll also want to look at how the Scottish Government should use its financial flexibilities – such as borrowing, bonds, the ‘mutual finance model’ and the Scotland Reserve – to manage budget pressures.
“Our job is to influence the government’s budget preparations and ensure Parliament has transparency on Scotland’s tax and spending plans.”
The committee has launched a call for views asking 11 questions to inform written evidence for its new inquiry.
The call for views opened on 29 June and runs until 14 August 2026.
MORE THAN 65 golfers gathered at Dalmahoy West Golf Course to raise £21,500 for a transformational project that will support disabled people and their families across Scotland.
Held in association with Truscott Property, Capability Scotland’s Annual Golf Day brought together businesses, supporters and charity champions for a day of competition and fundraising .
Funds raised will support the charity’s Our Inclusive Community Project in Perth, the largest and most ambitious development in Capability Scotland’s 80-year history.
The project will create a state-of-the-art residential and day service alongside a community hub featuring a hydrotherapy pool, accessible gym, sensory room and a range of accessible facilities designed to support disabled people from across Scotland.
Ailsa Wallace, Head of Fundraising and Communications at Capability Scotland, said: “The support shown by everyone who took part was incredible and will make a genuine difference to the future of disability support in Scotland.
“Every pound raised brings us closer to delivering a facility that will offer opportunities, independence and community connections for disabled people and their families.
“Our Inclusive Community Project is the most ambitious development in our history and events like this play a vital role in helping turn that vision into reality. We are hugely grateful to everyone who supported the day.”
Planning permission for the Perth development has now been submitted, with construction expected to begin in January 2027.
Once complete, the project will serve people from communities across Scotland, creating a national resource designed around accessibility, inclusion and wellbeing.
Teams competed throughout the day in a Texas Scramble format, with golfers also taking part in a series of on-course challenges, including Closest to the Hole and Longest Drive. The day concluded with an after-dinner appearance from footballing legends Gordon Smith and John Brownlie.
A raffle and auction helped boost fundraising further, while a number of businesses supported the event through sponsorship and participation.
Stephen Truscott, Director of Truscott Property, said: “It was fantastic to see so many people come together behind such an important cause.
“Our Inclusive Community Project will have a lasting impact on disabled people and their families, and we are proud to support Capability Scotland as it works to deliver this ambitious vision.
“The generosity shown throughout the day demonstrates what can be achieved when businesses and communities work together to create meaningful change.”
The annual golf day has become a popular fixture in Capability Scotland’s fundraising calendar, helping generate support for projects that improve the lives of disabled people across the country.
This year’s event marked another significant step towards delivering a development that will benefit generations of people and families in the years ahead.
Excited to be screening Operation Recomply in July.
Operation Recomply, the name given to the counter-terror policing operation, is an independent documentary which follows the events surrounding the Filton 25 case: a group of activists who entered an Elbit Systems facility in Filton, exposing Israeli drones being manufactured on British soil.
Told through the eyes of Filton 25’s loved ones, the film documents their fight for justice as the state escalates its crackdown on the pro-Palestine movement.
Schools urged to ban phones during teaching time ‘as a minimum’
Schools are being encouraged to restrict the use of mobile phones by following updated national guidance, published today ahead of planned legislation to create phone-free learning environments.
Education Secretary Màiri McAllan said schools should introduce restrictions during teaching and learning time “as a minimum”, while also considering implementing whole school restrictions.
Publication of the updated guidance meets a commitment for the first 100 days of the Scottish Government. The guidance sets out how schools should work with the whole community to develop phone-free learning policies informed by children, young people, parents, carers and school staff. It also suggests possible exemptions for pupils with caring responsibilities, medical conditions or additional support needs that require them to use their phones.
A consultation will be launched early in the new academic term on legislation to restrict the use of phones in all of Scotland’s schools.
The Education Secretary said: “We know that mobile phones are causing distraction in the classroom and we must end this so our children and young people can reach their full educational potential.
“Beyond distraction, we know there is a spectrum of other harms associated with the online world from issues with sleep, mental health and loss of concentration through to exposure to harmful, violent or misogynistic content and, in extreme cases, incitement to self-harm, severe bullying and grooming.
“The Scottish Government intends to introduce new laws to restrict the use of mobile phones in schools. As we develop the legislation, I am encouraging Scotland’s education authorities, headteachers and schools to act now, following our refreshed guidance.
“As a minimum, restrictions should apply during teaching and learning time, but schools should also consider implementing a whole school ban. Any steps taken by schools should be informed by consultation with the whole school community, including with pupils and staff.”
COSLA Spokesperson for Children and Young People Councillor Tony Buchanan said: “Supporting our Children and Young People to use new technologies is essential and COSLA supports an evidence-based approach to mobile phones in schools. Councils continue to take steps to ensure that learning environments are safe and healthy spaces for all learners.
“We look forward to working with children and young people and colleagues across Scotland to respond to the full consultation and will work with Scottish Government to carefully consider any proposed changes to ensure our schools continue to be and are positive spaces of learning.
“We must work with our communities, partners and governments and ensure this is not the sole responsibility of schools, rather a whole society discussion on how best to support our children and young people.”
Humanitarian aid efforts in Venezuela will receive £250,000 Scottish Government funding following the devastating earthquakes that have struck the country.
The support will help those affected by the earthquakes, which have caused significant loss of life and severe damage to homes and infrastructure.
The funding will go to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) to support people to access shelter, food, water and medical care in the worst affected areas.
International Development Minister Simita Kumar said: “My heart goes out to everyone in Venezuela who has lost their loved ones or their home in the wake of these devastating earthquakes.
“The scale of suffering is immense, and I am deeply concerned for everyone caught up in the crisis, including the hundreds of thousands of children who most urgently need support.
“Scotland has a proud tradition of standing with communities in their darkest hours and will play its part in supporting the international humanitarian effort in Venezuela. This funding will help get vital assistance to those who need it most.”
Val Brown, Head of Christian Aid in Scotland and spokesperson for the DEC Scotland Appeal, said: “This is an unimaginably difficult time for the people affected by the earthquake.
“From the terror and chaos of the earthquakes to the ongoing anguish of missing or injured loved ones. People are coming to terms with the fact that their whole lives have changed in seconds. Many have lost their homes and belongings, whole neighbourhoods have been destroyed.
“Many of DEC’s member charities were already working in Venezuela so are able to work well with local and national experts. They responded immediately by delivering basic aid from the very beginning – food, water, emergency medical care. But so much more is needed now and in the coming days and weeks.
“We’d like to thank the Scottish Government for their generous support for this latest appeal, the 80th we’ve launched in the DEC’s 60 year history. We hope the £250,000 they have provided will encourage people from all over Scotland to dig deep and help make a difference right now.”
The DEC brings together 15 leading UK aid charities to raise funds quickly and efficiently at times of humanitarian crisis overseas, with 10 of its 15 member agencies already operational in Venezuela or working with local partners on the ground.
To make a donation to the Venezuela earthquake appeal, visit the DEC website.
People in Edinburgh are going All In for Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games, as local groups prepare to host National Lottery-funded arts, sport and community activities, inspired by the Games.
With just three weeks till the Games begin, four projects in Edinburgh have received over £26,000 (£26,919) of National Lottery Awards for All funding, including Big Hearts Community Trust, Edinburgh Giants Inclusive Sports Club, Edinburgh International Jazz & Blues Festival and Fischy.
This will help bring people together, encourage participation and help local communities by creating inclusive, locally led activities and events that build excitement, pride and connection ahead of an unforgettable summer of sport.
The awards are part of an additional £2.2 million investment through National Lottery Awards for All Scotland, delivered jointly by The National Lottery Community Fund, sportscotland and Creative Scotland.
The announcement is part of the wider All In campaign, Glasgow 2026’s Scotland‑wide movement inviting communities, schools, sports clubs, cultural and voluntary organisations and businesses to celebrate the Games in their own altogether brilliant way.
Big Hearts Community Trust will use its funding to expand its Together Equality Achieves More (T.E.A.M) project, providing access to free activities for children and young people, aged between eight and 12 years old from multicultural communities across Southwest Edinburgh.
Amanda Farquhar, Head of Delivery at Big Hearts said: “The Big Hearts’ TEAM project is about building a community that celebrates our young people in all their diversity and helps them thrive emotionally and physically through sport.
“We are grateful to National Lottery players whose support has enabled our charity to bring the spirit of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games to south-west Edinburgh. We look forward to hosting more opportunities for young people to get active and build friendships outside of school.””
Edinburgh International Jazz & Blues Festival will deliver a five-month community Carnival Arts programme and a street parade to coincide with the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Explaining how the funding will be used, Giles Agis, Carnival and Community Manager, said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive this National Lottery Awards for All Scotland funding.
“This support will help Edinburgh International Jazz and Blues Festival bring communities together through carnival arts, music, dance, and cultural celebration, marking the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games in a way that is inclusive, creative, and rooted in Scotland’s diverse communities. We are very grateful to National Lottery players for making this possible.”
Other projects to receive funding, include Edinburgh Giants Inclusive Sports Club, will help train and certify 12 people in wheelchair rugby league coaching and first aid so they can then develop, run and evaluate a 9-month wheelchair rugby league programme for around 100 disabled children and young people living in Edinburgh.
Fishcy received support to deliver a free, celebratory Commonwealth Games 2026 online music and movement event to engage primary schools and Additional Support Needs schools across Scotland.
The funding is helping remove barriers to participation, enabling more people to take part in sport, arts and community activities while supporting health, wellbeing and social connection. Projects will also celebrate Scotland’s cultural diversity and ensure communities across the country can feel part of Glasgow 2026.
Announcing the first 40 grants totalling £317,456, on behalf of National Lottery Awards for All Scotland distributors, Neil Ritch,The National Lottery Community Fund Director for Scotland,said: “We’re delighted to support Big Hearts Community Trust, Edinburgh International Jazz & Blues Festival and Edinburgh Giants Inclusive Sports Club and Fischy to bring the spirit of the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games to their community through The National Lottery Awards for All Scotland.
“It’s really exciting to see so many communities go All in and get inspired to deliver sports, arts and cultural activity. Thanks to National Lottery players, we’re helping make sure the benefit of the Games is felt in communities right across Scotland.”
Chris Ansell, Glasgow 2026 Director of Live Programmes and Engagement, said “From Shetland to the Borders, we want every community in Scotland to feel part of Glasgow 2026.
“The response from communities across the country has been brilliant with the nation really embracing the spirit of the Games and channelling it into sport, arts and cultural activity. Thanks to support from the National Lottery, we are gathering communities together to celebrate the Games in their own way.
“These projects are proof that the impact of the Games reaches far beyond our incredible venues, sparking something real and lasting in communities. We couldn’t be more proud to see that happening right across Scotland.”
National Lottery Awards for All Scotland has awarded grants of up to £10,000 to help groups deliver activities that resonate with local communities. Funding remains available for projects taking place after the Games, helping extend the legacy of Glasgow 2026 long after the closing ceremony.
Community groups interested in applying can find out more about National Lottery Awards for All Scotland on The National Lottery Community Fund website.
Always lock your vehicle and close windows.
Keep vehicle keys away from doors and windows, particularly for keyless vehicles.
Remove valuables and personal belongings from sight.
Park in well-lit areas whenever possible.
Consider additional security devices such as steering wheel locks.
REPORT IT 
Friday 17th July
7pm (doors open at 6.40pm)
£6.50 – £10
Craigroyston CYFC U15s – Sponsorship Opportunity 
