Richard Shillcock, the Communist Party of Britain candidate for the Southside/Newington ward, has officially declared that tackling the city’s housing crisis through municipal house building will be a core priority of the Communist Party campaign for the upcoming City of Edinburgh Council by-elections on 3 September 2026.
Richard Shillcock emphasised that the current market-driven approach has failed local residents, arguing that a massive return to publicly owned housing is the only viable solution.
“Edinburgh has a housing crisis and there is only one answer to it—build council houses,” he said. “We need the Council to build, own, maintain, and administer council housing and not leave such an important issue to the free market.”
The Communist Party campaign outline focuses heavily on local job creation and public investment, linking a housing strategy directly to local economic development and skills training.
Shillcock added: “We need to employ council staff and invest in a new generation of apprentices to learn the skills required to build and maintain the highest quality council housing.
“Large-scale council house building was the best answer to the postwar housing crisis. It worked. Since then, turning homes into commodities in a market has failed us.”
Addressing potential concerns regarding budgets, Shillcock pointed to historical precedents and called for a major shift in public spending priorities away from military conflict and toward domestic infrastructure.
“If the money could be found in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, it can be found now. “The Communist Party would spend on homes for people, not endless warfare,”Shillcock concluded.
The Southside/Newington and Craigmillar/Portobello by-elections will take place on Thursday, 3 September 2026.
Shillcock is standing alongside fellow Communist candidate Peter Olech, who is standing in the Portobello/Craigmillar ward, on a platform of peace, public ownership, tax justice and workers’ rights.
Our Summer Breakfast Club is having a special visit from National Museums Scotland! They’ll be popping by on Wednesday morning 22 July with a box of museum highlight objects for you to explore, touch, and get curious about!
BREAKFAST CLUB runs every morning, 10am–12pm, Monday–Saturday, until 8 August.
Pop by Macmillan Hub for free breakfast, hang out with your friends, and play games. We’ve got cereal, fruit, pastries, breakfast bars and refreshments waiting for you!
For local children and families living in Muirhouse, Pilton, Drylaw and Telford areas
The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE or “the College”) is pleased to announce the launch of its new Global Health Scholarships, a major initiative aimed at increasing the number of specialist physicians in low- and lower-middle income countries across sub-Saharan Africa.
Working in partnership initially with the Kenya Associations of Physicians and the Malawi College of Physicians, the scholarships will support postgraduate training in internal medicine through the East, Central and Southern Africa College of Physicians (ECSACOP). Beginning in the 2026/27 academic year, the programme will initially fund four trainee doctors, covering tuition and examination fees for the full four-year training programme.
This initiative responds to a critical shortage of doctors in the region which limits access to care, constrains training capacity for future healthcare professionals, and slows progress toward universal health coverage.
The ECSACOP programme, established in 2015 with support from international partners, provides high-quality, locally delivered specialist training aligned with international standards. By enabling doctors to train within their home countries, the programme strengthens national health systems and improves retention of skilled professionals.
The RCPE Global Health Scholarships aim to reduce financial barriers that prevent many qualified doctors from pursuing specialist training. Selection will be competitive, recognising clinical excellence, leadership potential, and a commitment to serving local health needs, particularly in underserved and rural communities.
While modest in scale, the initiative is expected to have a lasting impact by strengthening clinical leadership, enhancing training capacity, and improving access to specialist care across the region.
This programme aligns closely with RCPE’s strategic commitment to promote high standards in medical education globally and to develop meaningful partnerships with low- and middle-income countries.
Commenting Dr Conor Maguire, Vice-President (International) of the College, said:“We are delighted to be co-operating with colleagues in Kenya and Malawi to offer these Global Health scholarships.
“ This initiative reflects our commitment to global health equity and to working alongside partners in low- and middle-income countries to advance medical education, improve health outcomes and support the development of a sustainable specialist workforce.”
Professor Mark Strachan, President of the College said:“We very much hope that this initiative will help strengthen local health systems in Kenya and Malawi and allow doctors to train and remain in their home countries.
“This is a pilot that, if successful, we hope to extend in future years.”
Associate Professor Ndaziona Peter Kwanjo Banda, President of Malawi College of Physicians said:“We are so excited and grateful for this financial support to our trainees from The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.
“We are very happy to be among the first beneficiaries of these global health scholarships. This support will help in increasing the number of much needed qualified specialist physicians in a country and regional overburdened by both communicable and non-communicable diseases.
“Additionally, the qualified Specialist Physicians will become clinical educators and research mentors for future trainees under ECSACOP fellowship training program’’.
POLICE are appealing for information after two pedestrians were struck by a car at Little France.
The incident happened around 3.40pm on Monday, 20 July, 2026, outside the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh on Little France Crescent and involved a red Peugeot 208.
The two pedestrians, an 85-year-old woman and an 88-year-old man, remain in a critical condition.
No other injuries were reported.
Sergeant Paul Ewing said: “I am appealing to anyone who witnessed the incident and has yet to speak to officers to please come forward.
“I’d also ask those with dash-cam footage who may have been parked or driving into the area at the time to please review this to see if it has captured anything that could assist with our investigation.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 2205 of 20 July, 2026.
Building a fairer, more accessible legal aid system
Views are being sought on plans to reform the legal aid system, improving the service for the people who use it and the professionals who deliver it.
The Legal Aid Reform consultation sets out wide-ranging proposals to modernise the system, paving the way for a new Legal Aid (Scotland) Bill.
Legal aid provides publicly funded assistance to help people pursue or defend their civil legal rights or receive support with their legal defence when they could not otherwise afford to do so.
Proposals include simplifying processes, reducing duplication to support quicker decision making, improving access for those who use legal aid and providing greater autonomy for accredited solicitors.
Scotland’s legal aid system currently supports around 170,000 grants each year, with total expenditure reaching £169 million in 2024-25 – the highest ever annual spend on legal aid in Scotland.
The proposals build on a significant actions already under way, including a 13% increase in solicitor fees which will come into force in September, reforms to children’s and criminal legal aid which will be in place by the end of the year, a new £1.5 million Legal Aid Traineeship Fund supporting up to 40 trainees across Scotland and the establishment of the Independent Fee Review Mechanism Group, which is considering the longer-term changes needed to create a legal assistance system fit for the 21st century.
Minister for Victims and Community Safety Kirsten Oswald said: “At its heart, this is about building a legal aid system that works better for the people who rely on it and the professionals who deliver it.
“The proposed reforms build on work already underway and align with our wider programme of Public Service Reform, focusing on efficiency, value for money and improved outcomes through more streamlined and effective services.
“This consultation marks an important step in shaping the future of legal aid informed by the experience of those who rely on the system and the expertise of those who deliver it. I encourage all those with an interest to share their views.
“Together, we can build a legal aid system that is fairer, more accessible and fit for the future.”
A jewel in our genre crown, EIFF’s Midnight Madness strand is now a perennial favourite with late night Edinburgh audiences. A food-obsessed hippo, doomed influencers and more populate this bumper crop of the best new genre delights.
Each electrifying film will have its Premiere at Cameo Cinema when the clock hits midnight:
Bad Day at the Office dir. Chee Keong Cheung
Waking up in a strange hotel room with a dead body and no memory of the night before, Karl (John Hannah) is about to have a very bad day indeed in this ultra-violent cinematic rollercoaster packed with pure unapologetic carnage.
Abandoned dir. Joby Stevens
Presented with The Evolution of Horror, Abandoned follows two urban explorers in pursuit of viral success. Attempting to recover a lost drone, they become trapped within an abandoned facility, and the nightmare of the building’s past unravels and threatens to consume them. Screening with Skinned dir. Alexandra Ruggieri.
Imposters dir. Caleb Phillips
When a child goes missing, a struggling marriage faces its toughest challenge yet in this mind-bending thriller starring Jessica Rothe and Charlie Barnett, This slippery tale of parallel worlds and a lost child is a multiverse of madness. Screening with IDYLL dir. Austin Cauldwell.
Hungry dir. James Nunn
When a group of tourists venture off the beaten track in the Louisiana Bayou, they find themselves trapped by a very large, very food-centred hippo in this taut, tense survival thriller. Screening with No One Believes In Me dir. Anabelle LeMieux.
Rise of the Footsoldier: Retribution dir. Nick Nevern
Intent on avenging the murder of his best friend and partner in crime, Pat Tate finds himself on a roaring rampage of revenge in Ibiza in the explosive seventh instalment of the cult series. Screening with Meeting Your Maker dir. Gregory JM Kasunich.
Faces of Death dir. Daniel Goldhaber
In this wildly entertaining reboot starring Barbie Ferreira, Dacre Montgomery and Charlie xcx, a website content moderator becomes obsessed with a series of disturbing videos that seem to recreate scenes from the iconic Faces of Death film series.
The first phase of transforming The Causey into a permanent, people-centred civic space is now underway, as charity Causey Development Trust sees implementation of a Traffic Regulation Order at West Crosscauseway.
Causey Development Trust (CDT) is delighted to announce the long-awaited implementation of the Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) at The Causey, the historic triangular street space on Edinburgh’s Southside, marking the first phase in its long-awaited transformation.
The order will reverse and reduce through-traffic in an area that sits at the heart of the city’s festival footprint, marking the most significant step forward ina 19-year community-led campaign – and the first stage in creating a space that genuinely prioritises people, for both locals and visitors alike.
The first phase of the order will see rubber kerb partitions and wands installed on the road, with appropriate signage and road markings to reduce through-traffic on the western section of West Crosscauseway.
Two-way cycling will be introduced and residents’ parking outside Buccleuch Church will be instated at Buccleuch Place, forming a protected triangular pedestrian zone.
The implementation of the TRO is the first step toward delivering the agreed long-term capital works scheme designed by Ironside Farrar Landscape Architects. It provides an opportunity to demonstrate how the space functions without through-traffic while progressing plans for permanent place for people transformation that is safer for all users.
Sarah Drummond, Chair of Causey Development Trust, said: “This is a moment we have been working towards for nearly two decades.
“The community has always known that The Causey could be something extraordinary – a place for people, for culture, for connection and community events – and this first phase is proof that the case has finally been heard.
“We are enormously grateful to everyone who has supported us, from the Causey Steering group, Southside Ward Councillors and others from across the political spectrum, to those who have shown up on a Saturday morning, or simply believed that a traffic island could become something much more.”
Council Leader Jane Meagher said:“I recognise the strength of feeling surrounding The Causey and welcome the fact that we’re seeing progress.
“These changes will help people get around easier, whilst making the area safer. I’m looking forward to seeing these plans develop over the coming months and wish the Trust all the best.”
A Campaign Rooted in Community
The Causey campaign began in 2007, inspired by the late architect Alison Blamire, who recognised the untapped potential of the site and dramatised it memorably by transforming the traffic island into a temporary tropical island for one weekend in May 2007.
From that act of imagination, the Causey Development Trust was born – a grassroots charity committed to restoring the space at the junctions of West Crosscauseway, Nicolson Street, Chapel Street and Buccleuch Street to civic life.
The Causey sits within the Southside Conservation Area on the edge of Edinburgh’s UNESCO World Heritage Site, framed by two historic churches – the B-listed Chapel of Ease (1755–56) and the towering Buccleuch and Greyfriars Church (1856).
Its very name, The Causey, given to it by Alison Blamire, derives from the ‘cassies’ or ‘causeys’ – the cobbled setts that paved Edinburgh’s earliest streets, likely quarriedfrom nearby Salisbury Crags. It is a place of genuine historical and cultural significance, currently dominated by vehicles and a redundant traffic island.
Through years of community engagement, weekly ‘Sit Oots’ on the traffic island, light projections, cycling events and persistent advocacy, CDT has built a broad coalition of local residents, students, visitors and city councillors around a shared vision: a pedestrianised public space hosting arts and community events, connecting Holyrood Park and The Meadows, and drawing visitors beyond the boundary of the World Heritage Site.
A Hard-Won Step Forward
The road to this point has not been straightforward. A permanent TRO was approved following a public hearing in 2021, with Scottish Ministers confirming it without modification in June 2022. Design proposals, developed with Ironside Farrar Landscape Architects on the basis of community consultation, were agreed. Yet funding challenges – including the withdrawal of Place Based Investment Programme money and continued pressure on council budgets – meant that physical transformation remained out of reach.
The implementation of this Temporary TRO now delivers the first physical stage of the agreed scheme. It gives the community what it has long needed: real-world evidence of how the space works with limited through-traffic, while continuing to build the case – and secure funding – for the full £1.6m permanent transformation.
Tourism Levy Recognition and Future Funding
Encouragingly, The Causey has recently been name-checked at Edinburgh’s Visitor Levy funding forums as a project deserving of support. Edinburgh’s Visitor Levy – the UK’s first scheme of its kind, coming into effect on 24 July 2026 – is projected to raise up to £50 million a year for investment in city infrastructure, culture, heritage and destination management.
The site sits on a well-used route through the Southside, within walking distance of major festival venues including Bristol Square (Underbelly), George Square (Assembly and Underbelly), Summerhall and Assembly Roxy, as well as the Edinburgh Futures Institute, the new home of the Edinburgh International Book Festival. Adjacent to the University of Edinburgh campus, it is used daily by students, staff and visiting families as well as festival audiences.
Its transformation aligns closely with the priorities of the Levy, which aims to enhance the experience of both residents and visitors while supporting sustainable tourism.
By improving walkability, reducing congestion and creating a high-quality civic space for cultural and community use, the project would support the distribution of footfall beyond the core World Heritage Site and encourage people to spend longer in the surrounding neighbourhood.
In doing so, it contributes to a more balanced, people-centred visitor economy while protecting the liveability and historic character of the city.
CDT believes The Causey is precisely the kind of community-rooted, heritage-rich, people-centred project that the Levy was designed to support, and is hopeful that future funding will enable delivery of the full scheme.
A Model for Community-Led Urban Change
The Causey story is about more than one street in Edinburgh. It demonstrates what sustained, grassroots community action can achieve: a small group of local people, working over nearly two decades without paid staff or guaranteed resources, has kept a vision alive through a pandemic, funding setbacks and changing political priorities – and is now seeing it begin to be realised.
As cities across the UK grapple with how to reclaim road space for people and reduce car dominance in historic urban centres, The Causey offers a compelling case study – and a reminder that long-term change often begins with small, visible steps.
It’s important to talk to children and young people about their safety around water. Have a conversation about it today and explain:
• They should never swim in an unsupervised area like lochs, rivers, sea or ponds where there isn’t an adult to help if they get into trouble
• It’s much safer to go to a swimming pool where there’s a lifeguard on duty
• They shouldn’t play with or touch lifesaving equipment like life rings by the side of waterways. That equipment might be used to save someone’s life.
New Prime Minister takes immediate action to cut taxes on electricity bills to give millions of households breathing space this winter
New Prime Minister takes immediate action to cut taxes on electricity bills to give millions of households breathing space this winter
Tax cut this year funded from cancelled Digital ID programme will see VAT on electricity bills removed from October 1
In one of his first acts as Prime Minister Andy Burnham promises to “put more money in people’s pockets and bring back hope”
Millions of households across the UK will benefit from immediate action to help with their electricity bills this winter, the Prime Minister has announced as one of his first decisions in office.
This follows his commitment to the nation on the steps of Downing Street yesterday to give people some breathing space and help with the cost of living.
Government is tackling rising bills with a tax cut to remove VAT from domestic electricity bills from October 1 in time to impact the next Ofgem price cap. This immediate action applies and is funded for this financial year.
The cost of this immediate action for this financial year – taken now, before the next price cap – is being funded from the cancellation of the (£1.8bn) Digital ID programme.
Any further action, including on funding for longer-term measures, will be taken at the Budget alongside an OBR forecast. All decisions at that point will continue to be funded and also consistent with the government’s fiscal rules.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: “Westminster has not been working for people for too long, with families struggling with the cost of living.
“That needs to change. I said I wanted to give people breathing space, and that’s what I’m announcing on my second day as Prime Minister.
“We’re taking immediate action to cut taxes on energy bills, put more money in people’s pockets and bring back hope.”
Cutting VAT on electricity bills is expected to take around £45 off the yearly Ofgem price cap in October. This is on top of the £150 removed from bills at the last Budget.
By targeting electricity bills, more people will be supported with rising bills and the government is helping to keep inflation down.
All suppliers are expected to pass the VAT reduction on to all customers, including those on fixed tariffs, as they did with the £150 of costs taken off energy bills announced at the last Budget.
Small businesses who qualify for the domestic energy VAT relief and are not registered for VAT, as well as charities and residential care homes eligible for the reduced rate will also benefit.
Chancellor of the Exchequer John Healey MP said: “For too long, too many people have struggled with the cost of living.
“Today’s energy tax cut will give families some breathing room on bills, and provide some reassurance this winter.
“This measure is funded this year from cancelling the Digital ID programme, and it will help bring down inflation while supporting households in every postcode.”
Welcoming the announcement, local MP Tracy Gilbert MP said: “Families across Edinburgh North and Leith have been paying the price for the cost-of-living crisis for far too long. This VAT cut on energy bills is welcome news that will make a real difference to household finances.
“Labour is taking practical action to reduce costs for working people and deliver the change people voted for. This is a government that is on your side, helping families with the pressures they face every day.”
Cutting VAT on electricity bills is expected to take around £45 off the yearly Ofgem price cap in October. This is on top of the £150 removed from bills at the last Budget.
By targeting electricity bills, more people will be supported with rising bills and the government is helping to keep inflation down.
All suppliers are expected to pass the VAT reduction on to all customers, including those on fixed tariffs, as they did with the £150 of costs taken off energy bills announced at the last Budget.
Small businesses who qualify for the domestic energy VAT relief and are not registered for VAT, as well as charities and residential care homes eligible for the reduced rate will also benefit.
As part of the ‘day one commitment to bring back hope to Britain’, the change supports the poorest households, who spend a higher percentage of their income on energy bills.
Energy bills have risen since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and have been exacerbated because of the war in Iran. But people need support now, which is why the government has acted to provide immediate breathing space for millions of households.
The NI Executive will receive comparable funding to enable it to support NI Households with the cost of living to ensure households across the UK benefit.
Bad Day at the Office dir. Chee Keong Cheung
