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Samaritans: Here for you this Festive Season
Day: December 14, 2024
Capital’s libraries launch Edinburgh 900 poetry competition
A new poetry writing competition to mark the 900th anniversary of the capital has been launched by Edinburgh Libraries.
As part of the Edinburgh 900 celebrations taking place the city-wide contest invites local residents to share their creativity and love for Edinburgh through original poems.
The competition celebrates the city’s rich history, culture, and community spirit and six winning entries will be featured on exclusive bookmarks distributed throughout the capital’s council-run libraries.
Entries must be written about the City of Edinburgh in connection with the Edinburgh 900 celebrations. There are ten themes for the Edinburgh 900 which can be used as inspiration:
- City of David
- City of Faith
- City of Commerce
- City of Industry
- City of Conflict
- City of Finance
- City of Ideas
- City of Leisure
- City of Celebration
- City of Diversity
Lord Provost Robert Aldridge, said: “This is a wonderful opportunity for the city’s poets to showcase their creativity and contribute to Edinburgh’s special celebrations.
“I’m excited to hear voices from all over the city capturing the spirit, beauty and history of our remarkable capital.
“Edinburgh has long been a city where literature thrives, as we mark 900 years these unique bookmarks provide another meaningful way to honour the city’s legacy and the power of words to connect and inspire.”
The deadline for submissions is Friday 31 January 2025. Entrants should reside in the Edinburgh postcode area and have an EH postcode and be 18 years or older.
Full details on how to enter and terms and condition are on the Edinburgh 900 website.
Addressing Delayed Discharge
£100 million Scottish Government funding to improve patient flow
£100 million funding in the 2025-26 Budget to tackle delayed discharge will make Hospital at Home the ‘biggest hospital in the country’, if approved by Parliament.
The service, which offers a safe alternative to admission to an acute hospital, will grow to 2,000 beds by December 2026, alleviating pressure on health and social care settings.
The money will also ensure all A&E departments in Scotland have frailty units directly linked to community care settings, with an increased focus on collaborative working to identify ways to improve patient experience.
It is part of an overall £200 million package to clear the majority of new outpatient and treatment time patient waits and renew the NHS.
Social Care Minister Maree Todd visited Queen Margaret Hospital in Dunfermline to outline a package of measures to reduce delayed discharge and to learn about other services that can be replicated across Scotland, such as Discharge to Assess that has been successful in Fife.
Ms Todd said: “Reducing delayed discharges is a key priority for the Scottish Government and the Budget we published last week will throw the weight of the government behind NHS improvement.
“More than 96% of all hospital discharges happen without delay but we are working with local health partners and local government to find solutions for those that don’t and address the variation we are seeing across Scotland. Our Budget for 2025-26, if approved by Parliament, will provide £200 million to help clear waiting list backlogs, improve capacity and remove blockages that keep some patients in hospital longer than necessary.
“Once someone has been assessed as well enough to be discharged from hospital, the best place for them to be is at home, supported by a bespoke care package. This can be delivered by services for older people such as Hospital at Home, and evidence shows that those benefitting from it are more likely to avoid hospital or care home stays for up to six months after an acute illness.
“We want to expand that service to make it the ‘biggest hospital in Scotland’, providing the very best care, in the comfort of a patient’s own home or home-like setting.
“We have a plan to renew our NHS and the Budget’s record funding for the health service will ensure that 150,000 extra patients are treated, deliver additional support for GPs, and invest in new hospitals at Belford and Monklands.
“We want to improve our NHS, but to do that Parliament must approve our Budget Bill to unlock investment to drive long-term and lasting improvements – and the healthier population that we all want to see. The NHS needs Parliament to unite behind this Budget.”
Granton Goes Greener: Final class of 2024 of 2024 coming up on Monday
We would like to remind all our FREE sewing class participants that the final class this year is this coming Monday (16/12/2024) at the usual time ( 10-12 noon) at the East Hall of Granton Parish Church, Edinburgh.
We will be sharing some textile stories and asking everyone to bring a special piece of clothing they either made, got from a charity shop or have some personal attachment to 
.
Our classes will start again on Monday 6th January 2025.
We would like to wish everyone MERRY CHRISMTAS AND ALL THE BEST IN 2025!
Thank you for being part of our talented and creative sewing community 
Women’s Charity Calls Upon Government to Prevent Domestic Abuse as ‘Orange the World’ 2024 Ends
Registered women’s charity, Soroptimist International Great Britain & Ireland (SIGBI), is calling upon the government to prioritise prevention against domestic abuse, and other crimes that incite Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), as ‘Orange the World’ 2024 draws to a close.
The Crime Survey for England and Wales estimates that approximately 2.1 million women are victims of domestic abuse per year and that between two and three women each week are killed by a current or former partner.
Refuge reports that, in the UK, the police receive a domestic abuse-related phone call every 30 seconds. Yet, it’s estimated that only 24% of domestic abuse crime is reported to the police.
Over the past few weeks, SIGBI has been campaigning for the elimination of VAWG and domestic abuse with its annual ‘16 Days of Activism’, a UN Women campaign that highlights gender-based violence worldwide.
Ruth Healey, President of SIGBI, said: “Amounting to a national emergency, violence against women and girls can take so many forms – physical, emotional, financial, and coercive – and much of it is now hidden, especially when it comes to domestic violence, which makes it so much harder to combat.
“It’s terrifying that between 2018 and 2023, there was a 37% increase in violent crimes against women and girls.
“The issue is growing, and the urgency for collective action is underscored by staggering numbers and reports highlighting the prevalence of gender-based violence both nationally and globally.
“Gender-based violence needs to be unacceptable in all parts of our society, and it requires a multi-faceted approach to address it. This includes prevention, protection, and prosecution, but mostly prevention.”
The ‘16 days of Activism’ also commonly referred to as ‘Orange the World’ commenced on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and has recently drawn to a close on 10 December, Human Rights Day.
Over the course of the campaign, SIGBI’s members – known as Soroptimists – have turned the UK orange, lighting up key monuments and buildings, to shine a light on these issues.
St Alban’s Museum, Hertfordshire County Hall, Cartmel Priory, The Hoad Monument, Barrow Town Hall, Pembrokeshire County Hall, Cirencester Parish Church, Wigan Town Hall, Wills Hall in Bristol, Bristol City Hall and key buildings in Salisbury are a few locations which turned orange over the past few weeks.
The campaign took place not long after the UK Government announced new measures to combat VAWG, marking the first step in its pledge to halve violence against women and girls in the next decade.
Ruth said: “As Soroptimists, we believe we need to continue to raise awareness of this issue – empowering communities with the knowledge needed to help prevent violence before it starts.
“This is why – as the campaign ends this year – we’re keen to call on the Government to do more. While reforming police responses, strengthening the justice system, empowering victims and making Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) a mainstream issue is important, it is most important to prioritise the prevention of domestic abuse crimes or VAWG in the first instance.
“By turning the UK orange this 25 November to 10 December, we took action, raised awareness and ignited change, but we don’t want it to stop there. We are committed to creating a world where women and girls can live free from fear, empowered to reach their full potential.”
Soroptimists across the UK undertake a significant amount of work to prevent VAWG and domestic abuse – much of that work involves education around the impact of crimes against women.
The charity’s Lichfield club, for example, has run several Healthy Relationship talks to boys, aged 15 – 17 years old at the Lichfield City Football Academy, emphasising the need for Consent and Respect. Feedback from the Academy is that there has been a definite shift in behaviour.
Programmes are being run across the UK alongside conferences that bring together local agencies, councillors, Police Crime Commissioners and others to discuss local approaches.
Soroptimists have also launched observation studies into the treatment of female domestic abuse victims, watching over 220 sessions of the Special Domestic Violence Courts in the pilot alone. This work has now been replicated in Wiltshire (2018), the Midlands (2020 and now in Wales (2024).
The observations have consistently supplied similar recommendations. These include:
- Female victims need consistent access to Domestic Abuse Advisors.
- Technology needs to be used effectively to make a stressful situation less so, and to ensure that trials are not affected by an abuse of technology.
- Essential training needs to be delivered to all magistrates, judges and Crown prosecutors so they fully understand domestic abuse, and how fear and control affect a victim’s decisions.
- The voice of the victim must be represented appropriately.
SIGBI is a membership organisation which focuses on empowering women and girls to achieve their full potential and works to eliminate barriers and discriminations that hinder women’s progress.
The charity does this through its 248 clubs throughout the UK, Ireland, Malta, Asia and the Caribbean – over 200 of which are in the UK. It currently has a total of 5,150 members.
The organisation has consultancy status at the UN – with members participating in UN meetings, submitting statements and collaborating on global projects which advance gender equality.
The 16 Days of Activism, and the charity’s work on VAWG, are a part of this. Get involved here: https://sigbi.org/
“Women’s safety is not a privilege, it’s a basic human right,” Ruth concluded.
Call for urgent action as number of legal plans for vulnerable children in Scotland slumps to a new low
The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC), an alliance of leading providers of specialist care and education to vulnerable children and young people, is calling for urgent action following a sharp decline in the number of legally binding education support plans for those with complex or multiple additional support needs (ASN).
So-called co-ordinated support plans (CSPs), prepared by local authorities, are the only education plans that are legal documents. These provide some guarantees of entitlement to additional resources and legal redress, placing statutory duties on local authorities to review and ensure the provisions contained within it are being met.
However, despite a Scottish Government promise that there would be no reduction in the proportion of pupils receiving them since their introduction in 2004, there has been a significant fall in the number of pupils with a CSP, as highlighted in the recent Scottish Government’s annual census of pupils and teachers in publicly funded schools.
In 2014, there were 3,128 pupils with such a plan. 1 However, by 2024 this number had fallen to 1,215. 2 This amounts to a drop of 61.1% and is a reduction from 2.2% to 0.4% of those with ASN, amounting to 0.2 per cent of the pupil population.
This sharp fall in the number of CSPs contrasts with a dramatic increase in number of pupils with ASN, such as autism, dyslexia and mental health problems, which in 2024 reached a record high of 284,448.3 This represents 40.5% of the pupil population, rising from 140,542 in 2014 (20.8% of all pupils).4 It amounts to a more than doubling (102.4%) in numbers over the past decade.
This situation is in contrast with England, where the number of those receiving an education, health and care plan (EHCP), the CSP equivalent, is 4.8 per cent of the pupil population.5 Amounting to around 24 times the percentage of those receiving a CSP in Scotland, this figure is also on the increase.
A concern raised by the SCSC is that local authorities are reluctant to issue CSPs because they are seen as cumbersome and time-consuming, as well as being resource-intensive and subject to enhanced scrutiny.
This is all set against the backdrop of a lack of resources, with many local authorities now reluctant to provide, what would be legally enforceable support, due to cuts in health, education and social work services. With legal action taken if the needs of the child or young person are not believed to have been met, non-statutory alternatives are often being offered in their place, with families or carers not being offered the option of a CSP.
Despite a greater prevalence of those with ASN in the most deprived communities, CSPs are more likely to be opened for pupils with ASN living in the least deprived neighbourhoods, compared with those living in the most deprived neighbourhoods. This means that they may not be getting the care and support they so vitally need.
The SCSC has called for an expansion in access to CSPs, with the Scottish Government, local authorities, health and other relevant agencies collaborating more effectively to ensure that those requiring such a legal plan receive one.
This needs to be supported by the necessary resourcing of the services involved, and increased awareness and understanding of CSPs by families or carers, and professionals. This includes training for local authority and school staff, including highlighting statutory entitlements.
The SCSC has also called for a particular focuson care- experienced children and young people, and those from the most deprived neighbourhoods.
A spokesperson for the SCSC commented: “We are calling for action following figures highlighting a decline in the use of CSPs, which are designed to support those with the most complex needs. This is despite a Scottish Government assurance that they would not decline and against the backdrop of a dramatic increase in the numbers of those with ASN.
“By not providing this legally enforceable provision, many of these vulnerable individuals are being failed and not getting the support they are entitled to. This is of particular significance given the devastating impact of Covid-19 and cost-of-living crisis. The Scottish Government, local authorities and other agencies need to collaborate to ensure that those requiring a CSP receive it, with the necessary resourcing in place to support this.
“With those with ASN drawn disproportionately from poorer neighbourhoods, if we are to genuinely close the educational attainment gap, they must get the care and support they need, when they need it.”
1 Scottish Government, Summary Statistics for Schools in Scotland, No. 5: 2014 Edition, 10th December 2014, table 3.5.
Available at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/summary-statistics-schools-scotland-5-2014-edition/pages/16/ (accessed 10th December 2014).
2 Scottish Government, Summary Statistics for Schools in Scotland 2024, 10th December 2024, figure 23. Available at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/summary-statistics-for-schools-in-scotland-2024/pages/classes-and-pupils/ (accessed 10th December 2024).
3 Ibid.
4 Op. Cit.,Scottish Government, Summary Statistics for Schools in Scotland, No. 5: 2014 Edition,
5 Department for Education, Special Educational Needs in England 2023/24 ,20th June 2024. Available at:https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england(accessed 13th December 2024).
Get your Child Benefit claim wrapped up in time for baby’s first Christmas
- More than one million parents have claimed online or via the HMRC app since new digital service launched
- New parents who claim Child Benefit online could get their first payment before Christmas
- 87% of new Child Benefit claims are made online
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) reveals more than one million families have claimed Child Benefit using the new digital service launched earlier this year. New parents are reminded if they claim online or through the HMRC app, they could get their payment in time for their baby’s first Christmas.
Child Benefit is worth £1,331 a year for the first child and £881 a year for each additional child. It can be claimed online at GOV.UK or via the HMRC app just 48 hours after registering a baby’s birth and parents typically receive their first payment within 3 working days.
Parents are opting to claim for Child Benefit digitally because it is quick and simple to do. Latest figures show 87% of new claims each month are via the app or online – ensuring more parents are getting their cash quicker.
Downloading the free HMRC app makes managing claims even easier too. Families can use the app to track payments and update their details on the go – from changing their address or bank details, to seeing when their next payment is landing.
Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said:
“Having a baby is a busy and expensive time but claiming Child Benefit online or via the app means you’ll get cash in your bank account as soon as possible. Claim now and you could get your first payment in time for your baby’s first Christmas. Download the HMRC app today.”
Claims can be backdated by up to 12 weeks, so the sooner families claim, the better. Child Benefit is typically paid every 4 weeks.
To get started, parents will need to create an online account for HMRC services. To make a claim, families will need:
- child’s birth or adoption certificate
- bank details
- National Insurance number for themselves and their partner, if they have one
- child’s original birth or adoption certificate and passport or travel document, for children born outside the UK
HMRC has released a YouTube video which explains what new parents need to do and how to make a claim.
If either parent has individual income between £60,000 and £80,000, the higher earner will be subject to the High Income Child Benefit Charge. For families who fall into this category, the online Child Benefit tax calculator provides an estimate of how much benefit they will receive, and what the charge may be.
If families claimed Child Benefit before 6 April 2024, and the higher earner had an individual income of over £50,000, they may have to pay the tax charge for 2023 to 2024. If they need to pay the charge, they must register for Self Assessment.
Families who were subject to the High Income Child Benefit Charge when the threshold was £50,000 and opted out of payments are able to restart their payments quickly and easily online or via the HMRC app if they choose to.
There’s more to Child Benefit than just payments though, as claimants receive National Insurance (NI) credits which count toward their future eligibility for the State Pension. This can help people who are not in paid employment and not receiving NI credits through their employer or other routes, such as Universal Credit.
A person living in a household subject to the High Income Child Benefit Charge will still receive NI credits if they claim Child Benefit but choose to opt out of receiving payments.
Claiming Child Benefit also makes sure the child automatically gets their National Insurance number when they turn 16.
Whitehouse Road fatality: driver charged
A 28-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with a fatal crash in Edinburgh.
The incident happened on Whitehouse Road around 8.20am on Friday, 1 March, 2024 and involved a schoolboy and a bin lorry. Emergency services attended but the boy was pronounced dead at the scene.
The man has been charged with a road traffic offence and a report has been submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.
He is expected to appear in court at a later date.
Today: Craft & Flea Fair at The Pitt
Saturday, 14 December
10:00 – 18:00 Tickets £3.00 under 12s free
Shop small and shop local in our authentic twist on the traditional Christmas market with a huge selection of products from illustration to vintage bric-a-brac, plants to jewellery, sustainable products to food, ceramics to candles and so much more!
Shelter Scotland calls for “immediate intervention” against City of Edinburgh Council after vote to strip homeless households of human rights
“Elected and unelected members have shown themselves to be incapable of following the rule of law“
- Charity says it has “lost confidence” that the City of Edinburgh Council will uphold the rule of law and calls on Scottish Ministers and the Scottish Housing Regulator to intervene immediately – the first time the charity has called for special measures to be taken against a local authority
- City Council acting unlawfully in use of unlicensed HMO accommodation to house some homeless households
- City’s elected and unelected members voted in favour of suspending lifeline housing rights until March 2028, breaching housing laws they are charged with upholding
- If the Scottish Government and SHR decide to intervene, it will be the first time that they have exercised the powers afforded to them to protect the housing rights of people experiencing homelessness
Scotland’s leading housing and homelessness charity has today (12 December) called on Scottish Ministers and the Scottish Housing Regulator to intervene against City of Edinburgh Council after the local authority voted in favour of stripping homeless households of their basic rights.
At a meeting of the city’s Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Committee, councillors voted six to five in favour of proposals to strip people experiencing homelessness of their right to adequate housing through the provision of suitable temporary and permanent housing.
The vote follows confirmed cases of homeless households being placed in unlicensed HMO (Houses in Multiple Occupancy) properties as temporary accommodation – a criminal offence. (2)
In a letter to Scottish Ministers and the Scottish Housing Regulator (3), the charity’s director Alison Watson warned that the Council’s plans are a concerted effort to undermine Scotland’s housing and homelessness rights system and that sanctions must be taken.
She states that: “We cannot stand by and watch efforts to strip people of their housing rights without putting up a fight on behalf of the most disenfranchised people in our communities. Law breaking on this scale cannot be normalised.”
The call comes following the Scottish Government’s reversal of cuts to the affordable homes budget last week after pressure from housing campaigners.
Alison Watson, director of Shelter Scotland said: “It should outrage everyone in Scotland that officers and elected members within a local authority have unilaterally decided to strip people in the capital of a fundamental human right.
“Edinburgh’s homelessness crisis is partly of the Council’s own making, but instead of showing compassion and seeking to help some of the most disenfranchised people in our society, they have chosen instead to punish them in this inhumane way by taking away hard-won rights.
“Shelter Scotland has lost confidence in the leadership of the City of Edinburgh Council to do the right thing and uphold the rule of law. The leadership has systematically failed homeless people for years and is now stripping them of their rights to cover up their own failures.
“I have written to the First Minister John Swinney MSP, urging him to use his powers to call in the council’s homelessness strategy for scrutiny. It is our belief that this will highlight that the current strategy is not only unfit for purpose and cannot guarantee the rights of people at risk of homelessness but is in fact in breach of the law.
“The Scottish Government must do more to fully fund local services through the upcoming budget. However, more money won’t work if the wrong decisions are being taken locally on how to spend it.
“I have also written to the Scottish Housing Regulator as recent assurances provided by the council leadership in their annual statement clearly do not hold up to scrutiny.
“Elected and unelected members have shown themselves to be incapable of following the rule of law. They must reverse the committee’s decision or else immediately step aside.”
Shelter Scotland is calling for the Regulator to consider its powers to use sanctions up to an including the appointment of new management in the housing department within the City of Edinburgh Council, under its powers contained in the Housing (Scotland) 2010 Act.
Under Scottish housing legislation, Scottish Ministers have the powers to call the City of Edinburgh Council’s homelessness strategy in for review, including its provision of temporary accommodation.
Alison Watson added: “Shelter Scotland has never called on the Regulator or Ministers to intervene in this way. We do not do so lightly. However, we will not stand by – and nor should the people of Scotland – and watch people’s rights be eroded without a fight.
“We cannot normalise law breaking on this scale. There must be consequences otherwise there can be no prospect that other rights will be protected, nor of the situation improving for the thousands of people in desperate need of a safe and secure home.”
There are currently around 5,250 households in temporary accommodation in Edinburgh. It is estimated that over a quarter (1,488) of these households are living in properties under an Unsuitable Accommodation Order.