Day: February 8, 2024

Over 43,000 automatic payments to help families with cost of living

Best Start Grants awarded without need for a separate application

More than 43,000 payments have been paid automatically to help parents and carers with the cost of living and starting school, latest official figures show.

The introduction of automatic payments means that tens of thousands of people getting Scottish Child Payment have been awarded Best Start Grant Early Learning and School Age Payments without the need to apply separately.

For each of the two benefits, people are awarded one-off payments of £294.70 per child to help with costs like clothes, toys and school trips.

Some parents and carers don’t get Scottish Child Payment but could still qualify for the two grants and they have been urged to apply.

These include people who opted out of automatic payments and some who get housing benefit.

On a visit to Ibrox Primary School and nursery in Glasgow, Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “The introduction of automatic payments means we are getting money to families quickly in the crucial early years of their child’s development, as these figures show.

“The majority of eligible people get these payments automatically, but we are urging those who don’t to check if they are eligible and get the support they are entitled to.

“The UK Government makes no equivalent provision to either the Early Learning or School Age Payments and removing the need for separate applications has made things even simpler for people who need this support most.

“While the UK Government chose to continue with welfare cuts in the middle of a cost of living crisis, the Scottish Government has allocated £3 billion each year to protect people as far as possible.

“In 2024-25 we are committing a record £6.3 billion for benefits expenditure, providing support to over 1.2 million people.

“This is £1.1 billion more than the UK Government gives to the Scottish Government for social security, demonstrating our commitment to tackling poverty.”

Satwat Rehman, the chief executive of charity One Parent Families Scotland said: “Many of the single parents we support have limited access to digital devices so automation ensures that children in need will not lose out.

“Due to the inadequate levels of Westminster’s benefits these payments help at some of the most important stages of a young child’s development to give them the best start in life.”

Transport Convener: Are we doing enough for future generations?

Councillor Scott Arthur, Transport and Environment Convener, looks forward to some of the major changes to transport planned for the Capital:

Are we doing enough when it comes to delivering a safer, more accessible, and environmentally friendly city for future generations?

There will be a range of opinions on that, but the fact is that if we are to reach net zero for transport by 2030, we need to act 12 times faster than we have over recent decades.

Alongside tackling air pollution, congestion, road safety, poverty and rapid population growth, climate change, and our response to it, forms one of the key challenges for Edinburgh’s transport system.

Thankfully, public engagement shows that many of the people who live here share my love of Edinburgh and my opinion that changes need to be made to the way we move around the city. Whether it’s improving pavements to make it easier to get around on foot, expanding our cycle network for safer travel by bike or prioritising public transport, the appetite for cleaner transport is there.

That’s why I was so passionate about working cross-party to agree a package of ambitious measures to transform travel in Edinburgh at last week’s Transport and Environment Committee and was delighted when progress was made.

Thanks to committee approval we’ll now be able to accelerate plans to open up the heart of our city to make it truly people-friendly. On Thursday we heard from Peter Vansevenant from Ghent, who told us about the ‘Big Bang’ approach they took in the city, where they introduced restrictions over a single weekend and saw rush hour traffic drop and public transport levels increase.

Learning from others is invaluable but one size doesn’t fit all, and we’ll be carefully considering how any of our own changes to traffic flow could impact residents, businesses and public transport before implementing them.

Our first action, a trial the closure of the Cowgate from this summer, will be part of the process for considering how to take forward a wider package of proposals to help create a calmer, safer city centre sooner rather than later.

Other cities across Europe have already done this, it is time for us to catch up!

Of course, these decisions aren’t easy, and a balance needs to be struck. We now recognise that streets like Morningside Road are so much more than transport corridors, they’re communities and retail and leisure destinations in their own right.

It’s essential that we allocate limited space in our historic city to best serve the communities and businesses that call it home, while also addressing the climate emergency, accessibility and issues like air and noise pollution, which disproportionately affect low-income households.

To do this we need to get the balance right between different modes of transport, and that’s not straightforward. However, the framework sets out a clear and transparent set of guidelines for apportioning space on different kinds of streets, which is an excellent place to start.

Progressing aspirations to build a tram line between Granton and the BioQuarter and Edinburgh Royal Infirmary via the Western General and the City Centre may involve some tough decisions too, but last week’s vote to put the route to public consultation signals our intent to move forward.

The service would not only carry a million passengers per month and link key areas of growth and development to the city, but it would support local regeneration, boost economic growth and connect to educational and cultural venues along the route.

This is a huge, transformative project and we need to get it right, which is why we’ll be presenting both routes to Granton – along the Roseburn path and through the Orchard Brae area – clearly and objectively for people to tell us what they think.

I am always being told that Edinburgh must be bolder and act faster in the face of the climate emergency. The choices we’ve made over the last week are our chance to show Edinburgh is serious.

Promoting equality in schools

Further library funding announced

Around 20,000 pupils are expected to benefit from anti-racism and equality projects based in school libraries across Scotland.

A total of 21 schools will be awarded a share of £200,000 from the School Library Improvement Fund (SLIF).

Projects include:

  • books to support children who have recently arrived in East Ayrshire from countries including Ukraine
  • teaching pupils Black, Asian and minority ethnic history as part of learning on historical links to slavery in Inverclyde
  • a Holistic Inclusion Hub to support parents and pupils from diverse backgrounds to feel more included in the school community in Edinburgh.

Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth announced the funding during a visit to Annette Street Primary School in Glasgow, which will use the investment to support children from the Roma community.

Ms Gilruth said: “School libraries play a key role in our efforts to further boost literacy and continue improving attainment but they are also places where positive values can be developed and celebrated.

“Projects supported by this funding will help young people to understand the harmful consequences of racism and ensure they feel empowered to challenge discrimination.

“Scotland’s school libraries are a vital resource and all children should have access to the opportunities they provide. This funding will help ensure that young people from all backgrounds feel the full benefits.”

Chief Executive of Scottish Library and Information Council Pamela Tulloch said: “School libraries play a key role in accelerating education and learning, and ensuring every young person has the chance to fulfil their full potential by enabling access to information and creative opportunities.

“We’re particularly proud to award support to those advocating for anti-racism and anti-discrimination through this year’s Fund, with many projects aiming to increase access and support for pupils who may experience barriers to learning, including those with Additional Support Needs (ASN) and pupils with English as an Additional Language (EAL).

“Involving children and young people, and their families, in defining the school library service creates a flexible space for reflection and conversation where learning and creativity are encouraged in a nurturing environment.  We look forward to seeing these initiatives come to life.”

Glasgow City Council’s Convener for Education and Early Years, Councillor Christina Cannon said: “Our schools and teachers are always looking at ways in which to support our children and young people – particularly pupils with English as additional language – and this additional funding will help provide resources to complement this work.

“Our diversity is something that we celebrate and we are proud to have more than 113 languages spoken across the city.”

SCVO: Charities face staff and volunteer crisis

A third of organisations reported this as one of their top challenges  

Third Sector organisations in Scotland are increasingly facing shortages of staff and volunteers, a new report has warned.

The Scottish Third Sector Tracker has found that issues relating to staffing and volunteers are one of the top challenges for a third of voluntary sector organisations.

Data from the tracker observes the emergence of the sector from the Covid-19 pandemic through 2021, followed by the development of the cost-of-living crisis and associated organisational concerns during 2022 and 2023.  

In August 2021, 35% of organisations reported a significant concern about staff and volunteer numbers. Just two years on, that figure has now risen to 65%, with only finances currently proving a bigger challenge for the sector.  

While staff and volunteer support remain a growing concern, third sector groups report an ongoing increase in demand for their core services and activities over the six waves of the tracker. In Wave 1 (Aug 2021), 56% of organisations reported an increased demand, rising to 63% by Wave 6 (Apr 2023). 

These factors, on top of growing financial pressures due to the rising costs crisis and public sector funding cuts, are leading to a perfect storm for charities and voluntary groups, with strain put on already stretched teams.  

Anna Fowlie, Chief Executive of the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO), said: “The Scottish voluntary sector is a significant employer, providing jobs for 5% of the Scottish workforce. 

“At a time where many organisations are facing recruitment challenges, the funding environment means that many voluntary organisations are struggling to keep pace with salary increases needed to attract and retain staff. 

“Existing staff and volunteers have been working flat out since Covid, helping organisations and communities to weather the cost-of-living crisis.  We can no longer afford to rely on their goodwill to go the extra mile. 

“The invaluable services and supports provided by Scotland’s voluntary sector need sustainable investment to ensure their survival.” 

Volunteer Scotland are also concerned by the staff and volunteer crisis facing the sector, highlighted by the Third Sector Tracker.

The recent release of the 2022 Scottish Household survey results reinforces the volunteer crisis, with formal volunteer participation rates falling by 4 percentage points since 2019 to 22% – this equates to less than one million Scottish adults volunteering.  

In light of the current crisis, the actions that can be undertaken by volunteer involving organisations include ensuring that volunteer expense policies are clear and considering how roles can be made more flexible to fit with the decreased time volunteers have available.  

Alan Stevenson, CEO of Volunteer Scotland said: “The many impacts of the cost-of-living crisis on volunteering has meant that we can no longer take for granted the contribution of our volunteers.

“While recruitment and retention issues are being felt more acutely by some, the first step for all must be the focus on good volunteering practice, appropriately supported.” 

The Scottish Third Sector Tracker is a growing research community made up of representatives from third sector organisations based across the whole of Scotland, who are willing to share their experiences, views and concerns as the sector faces both new and ongoing challenges. 

The Tracker is run by an independent research company called DJS Research on behalf of SCVO, the Scottish Government, the William Grant Foundation and the National Lottery Community Fund. 

Those involved in the running of a third sector organisation operating in Scotland are invited to represent their organisation as a member of the Scottish Third Sector Tracker.   

An Executive Summary of the Scottish Third Sector Tracker’s First Phase of research can be found here: 

https://scvo.scot/policy/research/evidence-library/2023-scottish-third-sector-tracker-waves-1-to-6-executive-summary 

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