Police Scotland has provided an update on urgent action to maintain effective policing within the funding available to the organisation.
Hard choices are being taken to deliver effective policing within the funding available and action is being taken to achieve savings, with areas which encounter the greatest demand, and which carry the greatest risk in keeping people safe, being prioritised for resources.
Deputy Chief Constable Designate Fiona Taylor QPM provided an overview of work to prioritise resources, to keep people safe and protect the vulnerable during a meeting of the Scottish Police Authority Board in Glasgow yesterday (Thursday, 28 September).
DCC Taylor said: “As we have consistently highlighted over a period of months, hard choices are being taken to deliver effective policing within the funding available and action is being taken to achieve savings, co-ordinated through the Policing Our Communities programme.
“As I outlined during last month’s Board meeting, we have paused all police support staff recruitment, except for some business-critical areas such as our contact centres and custody suites. We are also reviewing our senior officer command structures and support services.
“The police estate is also an area where efficiencies and improvements to buildings in the wrong place or in poor condition can deliver savings and further, necessary cost reduction is planned in relation to police buildings.
“We shared our outline proposals to accelerate disposal of a further 30 police buildings with the Scottish Police Resources Committee last week and we are now developing detailed plans for that work.
“We understand and we are sensitive to community concerns around closing police buildings, but it is important to underline that, as we consolidate our estate, we now have over 60 co-locations with partners, providing more sustainable, more modern, and safer workspaces for our people.
DCC Taylor added: “Of necessity, as part of our commitment to delivering a balanced budget we are closely assessing the officer recruitment profile for the remainder of 2023-24.”
DCC Taylor underlined that Police Scotland would continue to communicate the decisions being taken to maintain effective policing within the funding available.
Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority, provided a joint submission to the Scottish Parliament’s Criminal Justice Committee as part of the pre-budget scrutiny process. This submission contains some estimates of police officer and staff numbers should future budgets be flat cash.
Police Scotland returns more than £200m to the public purse every year compared to legacy arrangements.
The Scottish Government’s budget for 2023-24 confirmed an £80m core funding uplift for policing, with £37m required to fund the ongoing cost of the 2022-23 pay award, leaving £43m to fund unavoidable pay and other inflationary costs for the current financial year.
Watch and listen to DCC Taylor’s update here from 31 mins and 20 seconds.
In that submission, we stated the following regarding our Grant in Aid budget from the Scottish Government for 2023/24:
“While we welcomed the Scottish Government’s decision in February 2023 to reverse the 10% cut to our Grant in Aid Budget which was originally announced in December 2022, it should be noted that the £6.6m this cut related to has not yet been confirmed in Creative Scotland’s budget.”
We are extremely disappointed to report that the £6.6m budget has not been included in the Autumn Budget Revisions.
This has been confirmed in writing by the Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Angus Robertson, in a letter to our Chief Executive, Iain Munro on 20 September.
This relates to Grant-in Aid funding that we receive from the Scottish Government and that we use to support 119 cultural organisations across Scotland through Regular Funding.
Given the extensive messaging and advocacy regarding the pressures on culture budgets and risks to the culture sector that we, and many others have been making, this is a concerning development.
To address this reduction, the Creative Scotland Board agreed on 27 September, to use £6.6m of our National Lottery reserves to prevent us having to pass it on to the Regularly Funded Organisations, especially given the next payments are due in 2 weeks’ time.
Whilst the unprecedented pressures on public finances are understood, we are disappointed that the Scottish Government has taken this decision. However, Creative Scotland is acting swiftly and pragmatically to help stabilise the situation in the short term.
This step of using our National Lottery reserves in this way will only happen once. The budget for 2024/25 will not be decided by the Scottish Government for some months yet but should the Scottish Government choose to sustain this reduction, we will require to pass it on to the sector.
Creative Scotland appeared before the Culture Committee at the Scottish Parliament on yesterday (Thursday 28 September) to give evidence as part of the Committee’s ongoing inquiry into culture budgets in Scotland.
David Watt, chief executive of Culture & Business Scotland, said: “At a time when Scottish Government ministers repeatedly speak about the importance and value of culture to our society and economy, the reinstatement of the £6.6M cut to Creative Scotland’s annual budget for the current year is unfathomable.
““Just yesterday (Thursday September 28), I, alongside other cultural representatives, gave budget evidence to the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee to hopefully ensure that this shortsighted budget decision does not extend into the 2024-25 budget for culture settlement.
“Investment in culture is essential for society, local communities, tourism, the economy and Scotland’s international reputation. The ongoing challenges of the legacy impact of Covid, Brexit and the cost-of-living crisis, are very real, with many arts and culture organisations operating on a knifes edge.
“These issues are exacerbated as the majority have a lack of unrestricted reserves and continue to struggle to build these up due to slow growth in ticket sales and increased overheads due to high energy prices.
“A reduction in public funding will rapidly increase the firefighting our culture organisations and venues are facing against challenge after challenge. If this budget pattern continues, with little opportunity to ensure future sustainability, there will be an inevitable shrinkage of the culture sector, and the economic and social impact of this will be significant for us all.”
As part of the Autumn budget review, the Scottish Government has re-instated a 10% cut to Creative Scotland’s 2023-24 annual budget (totaling approximately £6.6m), which following mass campaigning from the cultural sector, was overturned earlier this year (writes SMIA Interim CEO and Creative Director ROBIN KILPATRICK).
As the organisation which exists to strengthen, empower and unite Scotland’s music industry – representing a diverse membership of over 4,000 people working across all music genres and industry subsectors – we’re compelled to highlight the devastating impact of this decision; not just to music and culture, but to Scottish society at large.
The cut directly relates to the funding allocated to support Creative Scotland’s Regular Funding Network, comprising 119 cross-artform organisations (RFOs) that are structurally integral to both supporting and delivering Scotland’s cultural output. The SMIA is one of them.
In the short-term (for the rest of this financial year), Creative Scotland has had to divert to utilising National Lottery reserves to plug the gap and prevent the cuts from being passed on to members of the RFO network.
If this hadn’t been the case, in two weeks’ time when the next RFO funding payments are due, each of the 119 organisations would, in effect, have received a ~40% cut to projected funding.
In the SMIA’s case, this would have been two weeks ahead of the Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award Ceremony, and would have put the delivery of Scotland’s national music prize at significant risk.
The cut would have again been replicated in January at the next (and final) RFO payment for this financial year, which in the case of many organisations, would have meant the end. Whilst immediate disaster has been avoided, the use of Creative Scotland reserves at this stage means that they are now significantly depleted for what was their intended purpose.
Last month, Creative Scotland highlighted that over 500 cultural organisations stated their intention to apply for Multi-year funding; a new funding scheme that will replace the current Regular Funding one. From the intentions to apply, the indicative annual request was in excess of £113m – far exceeding what Creative Scotland expects to have available.
Inevitably, this means that Creative Scotland will not be able to support as many organisations on a multi-year basis as they currently do, and the application process will be highly competitive. Causalities are expected and imminent. Cultural organisations across all art forms are worried about their future, and the reserves that Creative Scotland has had to use now means that there’s far less available transitional funding for unsuccessful applicants.
Whilst the future for Scottish culture was looking bleak, there was at least some hope that organisations that are unsuccessful in securing Multi-year Funding would have some time to remain operational, pivot their business model and potentially find an alternative way forward. With Creative Scotland’s reserves now depleted, many unsuccessful organisations will soon vanish from the fabric of our cultural landscape, and with them, many creative opportunities and a significant part of our cultural identity as we know it today.
RFOs have been on stand-still funding since 2018. In the face of high inflation, rising interest rates, cost of living challenges, issues around staff retention and recruitment, the impact of Brexit, the legacy of Covid and a whole myriad of broader problems currently facing our sector, for Creative Scotland’s budget cut to have been re-instated, the future of music and culture in Scotland is now at significant and immediate risk. The foundations upon which it supported are being eroded at an increasingly alarming rate, and unless intervention is made by the Scottish Government, it will have impacts for decades to come.
Outwith the significant economic contribution that music makes to Scotland’s economy (£581m through music tourism alone in 2022, as noted in UK Music’s ‘Here, There And Everywhere’ report – and this is only based on events with 1500+ capacity), it’s important to remember that the value generated by the sector far extends an economic one.
With the Scottish Government has stated that they’re committed to building a well-being economy – which serves and prioritises the collective well-being of current and future generations – it’s fundamental to highlight just how intrinsic music and culture are to achieving that vision.
Culture is our identity; it’s how we see ourselves, how we see our place in the world and how we relate to others. It’s the stories of life in Scotland, and it underpins mental well-being – both collectively and individually – in many different ways. The silences that echoed across 2020 as live music vanished from our lives serve as a firm reminder of this. Unless intervention is made now, we’ll be lucky if there are whispers in the years to come.
We urge the Scottish Government to recognise the desperate situation of a vitally important sector; economically, socially and culturally. It’s essential that Creative Scotland has the resources to both support and preserve it.
Robert Kilpatrick – Interim CEO and Creative Director, Scottish Music Industry Association (SMIA)
CAMPAIGN FOR THE ARTS
The Scottish Government is breaking its promise on arts funding.
In February, thousands joined our campaign against plans for a £6.6 million cut to Creative Scotland, the public body responsible for investing in Scottish arts and culture. Ministers responded by abandoning the cut and instead heralded a “£6.6 million uplift … supporting the arts and cultural sector at this challenging time”.
But seven months on, the £6.6 million pledged to Creative Scotland hasn’t been delivered. And now the Culture Secretary Angus Robertson has told them that it won’t be.
This extraordinary short-changing of Scottish culture midway through the year has forced Creative Scotland to raid its limited reserves as a one-off, emergency measure. Otherwise, regularly funded arts organisations in Scotland would have seen their funding cut by as much as 40% as soon as next month.
This is absolutely no way to treat Scotland’s arts and culture, let alone in a perfect storm of economic pressures and post-pandemic challenges. This ‘U-turn on a U-turn’ puts treasured venues and companies, thousands of jobs and access to Scottish culture at risk.
We urge the Culture Secretary Angus Robertson to:
Honour the Scottish Government’s commitment in February to provide “an uplift of £6.6 million for Creative Scotland for 2023-24″.
Scrap any proposal to cut Creative Scotland funding from the 2023-24 Autumn Budget Revision.
Commit to maintaining and increasing investment in arts and culture from 2024-5, for the benefit of everybody in Scotland.
The SNP’s 2021 manifesto said “culture is central to who we are as a nation”, and that “the pandemic has demonstrated more than ever how vital it is to our wellbeing, mental health and sense of belonging”.5
But Scotland’s cultural sector has not fully recovered from the pandemic, during which it was one of the hardest-hit sectors. For many, incomes have fallen and reserves have dried up. Now, in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, costs are rising and uncertainty is rife. This is not the time to cut vital, core funding on which artists and organisations depend.
Economic pressures have already led to the permanent closure of the Filmhouse cinemas in Edinburgh and Aberdeen, the Blue Arrow Jazz Club in Glasgow and the Nevis Ensemble, which worked across the country. We cannot afford to lose any more arts organisations – or the benefits they bring to our lives, communities and society
Creative Scotland’s 120 Regularly Funded Organisations (RFOs) directly employ 5,000 workers, support 25,500 individual artists and provide millions of opportunities for people across Scotland to engage with the arts and culture.
Of these, Edinburgh-based arts organisations include:
(Organisation – Art form– Average annual grant)
Arika – Multi – £200,000
Arts and Business Scotland – Creative Industries – £200,000
Mental health, stress and work-related stress was behind nearly one-third (30 per cent or 500,021 FTE days)* of social care staff sickness absence in councils in England last year, shocking new figures uncovered by the British Psychological Society have revealed today.
Analysis of new data obtained by the British Psychological Society (BPS) from 114 local authorities in England, has also shown that for more than three quarters (77 per cent)** of local authorities, mental health, stress, or work-related stress is the most common reason for sickness absence in their social care workforce.
The figures are based on analysis of data for the period 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023, from 114 local authorities in England, obtained through Freedom of Information requests submitted by the British Psychological Society.
The British Psychological Society and British Association of Social Workers say the new figures highlight the desperate need for the NHS Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Hubs, which provided dedicated mental health support for struggling health and social care staff, until government funding ended in March 2023.
New research into the impact of three hubs recently published in the BMJ has found that Hubs were seen as a valuable, responsive and distinct part of the health and care system, but that the genuine promotion of and value placed on mental health support by health and social care management, and the creation of psychologically safe work environments, was vital.
At least 15 of the 42 hubs have already closed or are pending closure, while the majority of remaining hubs continue to operate in a funding limbo after NHS England provided an inadequate £2.3million for drastically scaled back services until March 2024 – despite staff wellbeing being a key focus of the new NHS Workforce Plan.
Some hubs had set up teams dedicated to reaching the social care workforce in their areas, including the Keeping Well in South East London (KWSEL) Mental Health and Wellbeing Hub, which proactively engaged with staff across six city boroughs. In one year, the team visited more than 110 care section organisations, with 448 care staff receiving training or an intervention to support their mental wellbeing, before the service was forced to close in March 2023 after its funding was cut.***
Integrated Care Systems in England are expected to make crucial decisions about future funding for the hubs and their staff wellbeing services in the next few months. The British Psychological Society and British Association of Social Workers are calling on health and care leaders to make funding for staff wellbeing support, including for the NHS Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Hubs, a key priority in their budgets.
Dr Roman Raczka, President-Elect of the British Psychological Society, and Chair of the Division for Clinical Psychology, said: “These troubling figures are yet more evidence of the staffing crisis and working conditions within social care, and the deeply concerning toll it is taking on the mental health of a demoralised and burnt out workforce.
“Despite this, funding for the NHS Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Hubs was cut just as many had started to make inroads into reaching social care staff who needed help, leaving significant unmet need.
“Health and social care leaders simply can’t afford not to invest in staff wellbeing if they wish to retain staff, recruit new talent, and provide the effective, safe services people deserve.
“We urge them to commit to long-term ring-fenced funding for dedicated mental health and wellbeing support for health and care staff, including through the remaining NHS Staff Mental Health and Wellbeing Hubs.
“They must now seize upon the opportunity to build upon the foundations created by the hub network to provide mental health and wellbeing support for staff that’s fit for purpose and rooted in best practice.”
BASW found a lack of funding for social care (68 per cent), recruitment and retention problems (54 per cent) and cuts to local services (42 per cent) were pinpointed as the biggest concerns for the profession as a whole.
More than a century after his death, Private (Pte) William James Meager, a 38 year old soldier from Bloomsbury in London, has finally been laid to rest with full military honours alongside two other unknown British soldiers.
The service, organised by the UK Ministry of Defence’s (MOD) Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC), also known as the ‘MOD War Detectives’, was held at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s (CWGC) Poelcapelle British Cemetery, Belgium yesterday (27 September, ‘23).
The remains were discovered in August 2019 during a commercial archaeological dig, which was being conducted prior to development on the site. Along with the remains, they discovered various regimental insignia of the former Middlesex Regiment.
The Middlesex Regiment cap badge which helped to identify Private Meager. (Crown Copyright).
JCCC research and DNA testing identified one set of remains as Pte Meager: reported missing on 18 August 1917 during the early stages of the Battle of Passchendaele.
With no remains recovered at the time of his death, he was commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial. Despite extensive additional testing, the other two men were not able to be identified so have been buried as unknown soldiers of unknown regiments.
Nicola Nash, JCCC case lead said: “Although it was disappointing to not name all three men, we are thrilled to finally lay Pte Meager to rest. The Battle of Passchendaele is best known for the horrendous conditions that the soldiers had to fight through and the huge number of casualties.
“Pte Meager and these two unknown soldiers tragically lost their lives during this battle. Today, we honour their sacrifice and pay tribute to their memory”.
Members of the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment travelled from the UK to lay their fellow soldiers to rest.
Members of the Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment bringing in the coffin of Private Meager. (Crown Copyright).
Alan and Kathleen Meager, great nephew of Pte Meager and Alan’s wife, said: “We feel extremely honoured to be one of the lucky families whose relative has been found.
“We are so thankful for all the amazing work that has been done to identify William and for the respect shown by the local people of Belgium.”
The service was conducted by the Reverend Paul Collins, 3rd Battalion, The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment (PWRR). The Reverend Collins said: “It is wonderful to know that men and women of our armed forces are not forgotten even when they died so long ago.
“Being able to lay them to rest and conduct the military funeral honouring their sacrifice will be a highlight of my ministry within the Royal Army Chapins Department.”
The graves of Pte Meager and the two unknown soldiers will now be cared for in perpetuity by CWGC.
Director for Central and Southern Europe at the CWGC, Geert Bekaert, said: “Since his death we have ensured Pte Meager has not been forgotten, but today we are very glad to be able to finally lay him to rest along with two of his comrades at our cemetery.
Blind and partially sighted museum-goers were in attendance as the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh hosted an Audio Described tour of their exhibition ‘Beyond The Little Black Dress’.
The exhibition explores how the little black dress by fashion designer Coco Chanel has changed over time and impacted fashion and culture, from punk and afro-futurist fashions to pieces from hit TV show Killing Eve.
Audio Described tours allow visitors with sight loss to experience museums and galleries with greater accessibility and enjoyment.
Kirin Saeed, a Disability Consultant and Actor, says: “For a visually impaired person like myself, the Little Black Dress exhibition is really brilliant.
“You know anything else you put with a black dress will match because everything can match with the black. It also has that kind of image of feeling sensational and a having lovely evening out, while also being comfortable. So, I was really excited to find out about the whole adventure of why the little black dress came about.
“I think all exhibitions should do an Audio Described tour or at least have a handling box or handling collection, so people can walk around and feel bits of material or what the artist has made the object out of. It brings it to life and makes the whole experience much more exciting, fun and warm and you learn a lot more about the information they’re sharing.
“I think the museum staff learned a lot from doing the Audio Described tour together, as opposed to just sharing bits of information you can read from a plaque. They were having to do a bit of research, think things through and describe the dresses which highlighted the great simplicity of some of the designs.”
Amelia Hilton, a Content Producer at RNIB Connect Radio, says: “This is the first Audio Described tour I’ve ever attended, and I absolutely loved it!
“It was brilliant to pay attention to and discuss the differences in colour and variety of shapes, materials and patterns the designers had used. Listening to the Audio Description of how the exhibition had been presented and organised really helped me understand the themes and the history of the Little Black Dress.
“The touch objects were really useful for understanding how designers wanted the wearers to feel when they had the outfits on, and it was so special to see the original Chanel dress and feel the material of such an important element of fashion history.
“Sometimes people think people with sight loss don’t enjoy or care about fashion, which is so far from the truth – on our radio station we talk to lots of people who love and create fashion, and who take a lot of pride in how they look. I’m so glad the 20th anniversary has helped us break down myths like this and helped us showcase some of the awesome skills and interests blind and partially sighted people have.”
* The ‘Beyond the Little Black Dress’ exhibition runs until October 29, and tickets are available on the National Museum of Scotland’s website:
Graeme Souness urges Scotland football fans to look after their heart health as he backs British Heart Foundation Scotland as Rangers Charity Foundation’s new charity partner
Ahead of World Heart Day tomorrow (29 September), former Rangers player and manager, Graeme Souness, is urging Scottish football fans to look after their heart health as he backs British Heart Foundation (BHF) Scotland as the Rangers Charity Foundation’s new national charity partner.
The partnership will last for the 2023/24 season with the Foundation pledging to raise £25,000 for BHF Scotland.
It will also help raise awareness of heart and circulatory diseases – conditions which are some of the nation’s biggest killers, causing around 50 deaths each day, and are estimated to affect 700,000 people in Scotland.
David McColgan, Head of British Heart Foundation Scotland commented: “We’re delighted the Rangers Charity Foundation has chosen BHF Scotland as its national charity partner for the season.
“Heart and circulatory diseases are some of Scotland’s biggest killers and we hope this partnership will help us raise awareness in Scotland’s footballing community about the importance of looking after your heart health, while also enabling more people to learn lifesaving CPR skills and raise an incredible amount of money for the British Heart Foundation.”
Graeme Souness has personal experience of heart disease and understands first-hand how important the lifesaving research the BHF helps to fund is.
The football legend said: “I was diagnosed with coronary heart disease at 38 and had a triple bypass. When I was diagnosed, I was extremely fit. I never thought I’d be the type of person to get heart disease, but if it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone.
“Ten years later, I had a stent fitted as another one of my arteries had become blocked. Then in November 2015, I was rushed to hospital after suffering a heart attack at home.
“Thankfully, I’m now OK, but without the research the BHF has helped fund into heart and circulatory diseases, it could have been a different story.”
The charity partnership will also encourage at least 50,000 people – the capacity of Ibrox Stadium – to learn lifesaving CPR via the BHF’s free online tool, RevivR.
RevivR allows people to learn CPR in just 15 minutes and aims to give people the skills and confidence to save a life. It teaches people how to recognise a cardiac arrest, gives feedback on chest compressions and outlines the correct steps in using a defibrillator. All people need is a mobile phone and a firm cushion.
The Rangers Charity Foundation will be spreading the word about the RevivR app, which can be downloaded at www.rangerscharity.org.uk/Revivr, to supporters and the wider public throughout the season.
Rangers Charity Foundation Chief Executive Connal Cochrane added: “The work of the British Heart Foundation Scotland aligns closely with the Foundation’s strategic priorities in terms of health and well-being and education and we are delighted to be able to combine both these pillars in a project which will roll out life-saving skills to thousands of fans.
“Our donation this season will support the British Heart Foundation’s RevivR app which is a really simple, easy way to learn key skills in your own home which could save a life.
“We also look forward to working with the British Heart Foundation on a number of other initiatives over the course of the season, such as providing free blood pressure checks at some home games for fans and sharing important information about heart health and where to go for help and advice.”
For more information about the British Heart Foundation visit: bhf.org.uk or to find out more about the Rangers Charity Foundation visit: rangerscharity.org.uk
The Campaign for Real Ale’s (CAMRA) Good Beer Guide – the UK’s best-selling beer and pub guide – is celebrating its 51st edition with a striking cover and a foreword supplied by Iron Maiden’s Bruce Dickinson.
The Guide, which surveys 4,500 of the best pubs across the UK, is the definitive beer drinker’s guide for those seeking the best pints in the nation’s pubs.
Dickinson’s foreword shines a spotlight on the cultural tradition of pubs within the United Kingdom, the importance of protecting the heritage, charm and welcoming nature of pubs and clubs, and not taking them for granted.
The Good Beer Guide, which is published annually by CAMRA, helps beer lovers take a barometer of the local beer scene.
As well as covering 306 of the very best pubs across Aberdeen and Grampian, Argyll and the Isles, Ayrshire and Arran, Borders, Dumfries and Galloway, Edinburgh and the Lothians, Greater Glasgow and Clyde Valley, Highlands and the Western Isles, Kingdom of Fife, Loch Lomond, Stirling, the Trossachs, the Northern Isles and Tayside, it keeps track of brewery numbers, and notes a net loss of four breweries across the counties.
The story is the same across the UK, as although the Guide records 82 new breweries, 142 have closed. This net loss of 60 breweries is a worrying reminder that a lack of support from the Government means dire consequences for local businesses, in the wake of a cost-of-business crisis and the constant pressure of fuel bills.
This year’s Guide contains 910 newly featured pubs, which is a fantastic prospect for the pub trade which has been struggling to stay afloat in recent years following the pandemic and rising fuel costs.
The trade also faces an impending threat from unlawful demolitions, which CAMRA has declared a ‘national scandal’ in the wake of the demolition of the Crooked House in Himley.
CAMRA Chairman Nik Antona said: “The last few years have been an incredibly difficult time for the industry, and we need more support than ever before to keep our nation’s pubs and breweries open and thriving.
“I’d encourage everyone to use this year’s Guide to visit the very best pubs and breweries across the UK and support them for generations to come.”
The Good Beer Guide, which reviews over 4,500 pubs across the UK, is the definitive beer drinkers’ guide to the very best pints in a variety of styles of pubs to suit individual tastes. Compiled by thousands of independent volunteers, it helps identify significant trends and themes locally and nationally.
Next steps to help displaced people rebuild their lives
A new strategy will help Ukrainians living in Scotland to settle into communities and gain longer term housing.
Developed by the Scottish Government in collaboration with the Scottish Refugee Council and COSLA, the Warm Scots Future paper sets out priorities for the next phase of Scotland’s Ukraine response to support those fleeing the conflict to rebuild their lives here.
These include reducing the use of temporary accommodation, boosting access to settled housing, and keeping human rights at the heart of all integration efforts.
To support these priorities, more than £1.5 million is being made available to third sector organisations to benefit Ukrainians.
Local authorities will also receive £3.2 million to support staffing of resettlement teams. This is alongside £30 million being distributed to councils to support Ukrainians into sustainable housing, including through private and social renting.
Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville launched the plan at an arts and wellbeing event at the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain’s (AUGB) Edinburgh hub.
Ms Somerville said: “Scotland acted swiftly to provide an immediate place of safety to Ukrainians following the illegal Russian invasion. We have offered sanctuary to more than 25,500 people since the war outbreak.
“Many of those arrivals have now started to rebuild their lives in Scotland – gaining employment, enrolling children in schools, and settling into communities. As we look to the future, it is right that our approach to supporting Ukrainians reflects these changing circumstances.
“This paper sets out the steps we and our partners will take to help Ukrainians continue to settle into life in Scotland for the longer term. Working closely with charities and local authorities, this will include support for integration – from English lessons, to employment support, to accessing mental health services – and help even more people into settled housing.
“We are clear that we want Scotland to be home for every Ukrainian living here for as long as they need it to be; and this includes a need to establish clear routes to settlement in Scotland for those who wish to stay here. We will also continue to press the UK Government for much-needed clarity on options available for people displaced from Ukraine when the three-year visa period ends.”
Chief Executive of Scottish Refugee Council Sabir Zazai said: “The illegal invasion of Ukraine reminds us how quickly and devastatingly any of our lives can change. It underlines the lifesaving importance of providing refugee protection in an era of mass conflict and global instability.
“At Scottish Refugee Council we’re proud to have played a part in supporting people through this emergency, and we’ll continue to be there for people from Ukraine to do all we can to support them through the process of rebuilding their lives here.”
COSLA Community Wellbeing spokesperson Councillor Maureen Chalmers said:“I cannot underestimate the tremendous effort it has taken Councils and all partners to ensure that our Ukrainian guests have found a safe and welcoming place to stay in Scotland.
“The publication of the Warm Scots Future paper represents the start of a conversation on how we can move from an emergency response to a long term and more sustainable approach to resettlement.”
Ukrainian Consul Andrii Kuslii said:“By offering comprehensive assistance, Scotland stands unwaveringly with the people of Ukraine, extending a message of hope and unity.
“The actions of the Scottish Government and its partners not only provide immediate relief but also send a powerful message to the world about the importance of coming together to support and protect vulnerable populations during times of Russia’s war against Ukraine.”
The Scottish Government no longer expects to have enough money to deliver all its planned £26 billion investment in public sector infrastructure. says spending watchdog Audit Scotland.
Growing the economy and delivering high quality public services relies on infrastructure like roads, railways, hospitals and other buildings. But a combination of reduced capital budgets, higher costs and increased maintenance requirements have left ministers with difficult decisions to make on prioritising capital spending. This includes stopping or pausing planned projects.
The Scottish Government’s investment plan focuses on driving inclusive economic growth, enabling the transition to net-zero emissions, and building resilient and sustainable places. But it is not always clear how the Scottish Government is directing funding to these three infrastructure investment priorities, or how they will contribute to reducing greenhouse gases.
Better data on the condition, occupancy and cost of the wider public estate is needed to ensure buildings are used more efficiently as part of Scottish Government plans to reform public services.
Stephen Boyle, Auditor General for Scotland, said: “Scottish Government spending decisions on infrastructure will affect public services, and ministers need to be transparent about how they are made.
“Efficient use of the public estate in the future is key to reforming public services, but the Scottish Government needs better infrastructure data to inform its planning.”
Edinburgh boy Alasdair MacDonald, 10, achieved his ambition of climbing 100 Munros before his 11th birthday for the National Deaf Children’s Society.
He scaled the final two, the twin peaks of Mayar and Driesh in the Cairngorms, on Saturday 23 September, accompanied by around 20 friends and family, meaning he’s climbed 50 Munros this year alone.
He set himself the challenge out of love for his little sister Heather, 8, who was born deaf, and to raise funds for the charity, who supported Heather and the family.
Ally’s family marked the occasion with a celebration on the summit of Driesh, followed by a party at their home to say thank you for all the support they’d received.
He’s smashed his target of £500, with £1,530 raised so far for the National Deaf Children’s Society, which supports the UK’s 50,000 deaf children.
Ally lives with Heather and their parents Sara and Ranald in Edinburgh.
Ally said:“It was an amazing feeling to complete the challenge and to get to the top of my 100th Munro. We had a lovely day on Saturday and I was very happy that so many of my friends could join me on the final walk.
“I never thought we’d raise as much money as we have for the National Deaf Children’s Society and I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who came and supported me.”
Sara, Ally’s mum, added:“We were so proud when Alasdair completed his 100th Munro on Saturday at Glen Clova with 20 of his friends and family. We were really lucky and the sun was shining as we set off.
“All the kids and adults were fantastic supporters throughout the day and it was a really emotional end to the challenge.
“When we got back home we treated everyone to pizza and drinks, to say thanks for the overwhelming support they gave Ally.”
Melissa Jones,who supports fundraisers for the National Deaf Children’s Society, said:“I want to say a huge thank you to Ally for taking on this brilliant challenge for us. 100 Munros, with the final 50 this year alone, and all before your 11th birthday, is a truly towering achievement. We’re so proud of you.
“The National Deaf Children’s Society is dedicated to supporting the UK’s 50,000 deaf children and their families. The efforts of fantastic fundraisers like Ally will help us to keep on doing our vital work, now and into the future.”
There are over 3,300 deaf children in Scotland, with around 200 in Edinburgh.
Those wishing to make a donation can still do so by visiting:
