Scotland’s innovation, skills and natural resources are to be showcased at Expo 2025 Osaka in Japan later this year.
Three one day events at the global exhibition will highlight the country’s strengths in creative industries, life sciences and the offshore wind sector.
It follows a successful attendance at Expo 2020 in Dubai, which generated forecast sales of almost £90 million for participating Scottish businesses.
Games companies will be the focus of the creative industries day on 17 April, including eight being supported through the Scottish Government’s Techscaler business accelerator. Also attending will be KeelWorks, an established Edinburgh game development company with an existing deal with Japanese publisher KONAMI.
Business Minister Richard Lochhead visited the company to launch the Expo programme and hear about its export success.
Mr Lochhead said: “This is an opportunity for Scotland to showcase and shine on the global stage. Our message in Osaka will be simple – Scotland is open for business and is one of the best places in the world to invest.
“We will demonstrate first hand that we have the skills, technology and opportunities in a range of emerging industries. KeelWorks is just one example of that and later in the year our buoyant life sciences businesses and the offshore wind sector will also be centre stage.
“Japanese businesses already recognise Scotland’s economic potential, including Sumitomo, which is currently building a subsea cable factory at Nigg in the Highlands. I am confident that further companies and significant investment will follow as result of our presence at the Expo.”
KeelWorks Chief Executive Meher Kalenderian said: “This activity is about strengthening connections, driving investment and opening new doors for collaboration. So, we’re thrilled to be part of Scotland’s presence at Expo 2025 Osaka, highlighting the strong business opportunities between Scotland and Japan’s prominent gaming industries.
“This platform offers a great chance to showcase our thriving creative sector and build new collaborations. At KeelWorks, we’ve seen first-hand the value of such partnerships through our work with KONAMI on CYGNI: All Guns Blazing.
“Our presence at the Expo reflects the growing potential for Scottish and Japanese gaming sectors to engage, as both countries lead in innovation.”
Expo 2025 Osaka takes place from 13 April to 13 October. It is an international event at which countries, organisations and companies showcase innovations, cultural exchanges and solutions to global challenges.
It is expected to attract about 28 million visitors and more than 150 participating countries. Scotland’s three events are supported by Scottish Enterprise.
Hundreds of thousands of working people and families will reap the rewards of new towns across England, as Starmer paves the way for the largest housebuilding programme since the post-war era.
Over 100 sites across England have come forward to be considered for next generation of new towns
Government on track to create beautiful communities, provide affordable homes, and deliver much needed infrastructure, including schools and nurseries, GP surgeries, and bus routes
By taking on the blockers, 20,000 homes, along with new schools and health facilities, will move forward following government action, and we will now turn to unblock the remaining 700,000 homes across 350 sites
Comes as government rolls out major planning reforms to sweep away the blockers and push through its housebuilding agenda as part of the Plan for Change
Hundreds of thousands of working people and families will reap the rewards new towns across Britain (? – Ed.), as the Prime Minister paves the way for the largest housebuilding programme since the post-war era.
Visiting a housing development today, the Prime Minister will unveil the government’s plans for the next generation of new towns – well-designed, beautiful communities with affordable housing, GP surgeries, schools and public transport where people will want to live.
Over 100 proposals from across every region in England were submitted, showing local areas and housebuilders’ ambition to get on board to build the next generation of new towns – playing their part in getting Britain building and tackling the worst housing crisis in living memory. Every new town will have the potential to deliver 10,000 homes or more.
Delivering security is central to this government’s Plan for Change, because the least working people deserve when they graft hard is a secure home. That’s why the government is providing much-needed housing in the right places with the right infrastructure, and the New Towns Taskforce has today set clear principles on what the next generation of new towns will deliver: affordable housing, vital infrastructure and access to open green spaces and nature, to transform the lives of working people.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “For so many families, homeownership is a distant dream. After a decade of decline in housebuilding, the impact is a disconnect between working hard and getting on.
“This is about more than just bricks and mortar. It’s about the security and stability that owning your own home brings. I know what this means for working people – the roof above our head was everything for our family growing up.
“We’ve already made progress in just seven months, unblocking 20,000 stuck homes. But there’s more to do.
“We’re urgently using all levers available to build the homes we need so more families can get on the housing ladder. We’re sweeping aside the blockers to get houses built, no longer accepting no as the default answer, and paving the way for the next generation of new towns.
“As part of the largest housebuilding programme since the post-war era, our ambitious Plan for Change will transform the lives of working people, once again connecting the basic principle that if you work hard, you should get on.”
Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for Housing, Angela Rayner said: “Time and again we are seeing too many new homes stuck or stalled that not only act as a barrier to growth but also has real-world consequences for working people and families who see homeownership as nothing more than a distant dream.
“I will not run away from the tough choices to fix the housing crisis we inherited that has left thousands of families on housing waiting lists, allowed homelessness to spiral out of control, and stopped an entire generation from picking up the keys to their first home.
“While our vision for the next generation of new towns is setting the stage for a housebuilding revolution in the years to come, urgent action is needed now to build the homes and infrastructure that our local communities are crying out for.
“That’s why our New Homes Accelerator is working at pace to find solutions and remove blockages in the system, executing long-lasting solutions to get spades in the ground.
“Today we are embarking on the next chapter in our Plan for Change to build 1.5 million new homes, deliver the biggest boost in social and affordable housing in a generation, and raise living standards for working people and families across the country.”
For far too long, working people have been let down by a decline in housebuilding. That’s why the government is ‘rolling up its sleeves’ and is ‘taking on the blockers’ with major reforms to planning regulation to get Britain building.
That work is already underway, with a staggering 20,000 new homes now successfully unblocked by the government’s novel ‘New Homes Accelerator’ programme, which deploys planning expertise to speed up the delivery of housing sites held by unnecessary delays.
Areas that have already benefitted from direct government action include:
Over 1,000 homes unlocked at Cowley Hill in Liverpool, where an agreement has been reached with the Environment Agency who withdrew its previous objections on both flood risk and biodiversity grounds, subject to planning.
And at Wolborough in Devon, the Accelerator has worked with Natural England to help accelerate this development, whilst ensuring environmental improvements are secured. On top of the 1,100 homes the site is injecting £1.75 million towards off-site pedestrian and cycle improvements, playing pitches, bus services and a local travel plan.
Housebuilders and local councils have put forward over 350 housing development sites stuck in the system under the previous government – that together could unlock around 700,000 new homes.
Around a quarter of sites submitted are already receiving government attention since the call for evidence closed in October – demonstrating success of the programme, and local ambition to support the government’s 1.5 million homes target.
This goes hand-in-hand with government action to overhaul the planning system, supporting the builders and not the blockers, taking the brakes off economic growth, raising living standards, and making the tough decisions to deliver for working people and families.
This includes:
Publishing a new growth-focused National Planning Policy Framework, which introduced new mandatory for councils to deliver the right homes in the right places, with a combined total of 370,000 homes a year.
Introducing the Planning and Infrastructure Bill next month. The Bill will overhaul environmental regulations to no longer accept the failed status quo where bats are more important than trains or newts more important than homes, and remove blockers to fast-track delivery of the homes and infrastructure that local communities need.
To get Britain building now – the government today announces plans to fast stream planning through brokering disagreements between the agencies and expert bodies, which by law must be consulted within the planning process. Bodies including National Highways, Natural England and the Environment Agency will need to bring planners and housebuilders to the table and iron out concerns that have been holding back development.
Responding to sector concerns on pinch points, work stepping up with the Building Safety Regulator to ensure greater timeliness and efficiency when new tall buildings are signed off – to provide more homes for more people.
This work will be bolstered by extra government funding announced today, including:
£1 million for government agencies, including National Highways, Natural England and the Environment Agency, to speed up the planning approval of new homes and improve feedback to local authorities and industry where required.
£2 million to support the Building Safety Regulator to continue improving the processing for new-build applications.
Over £3 million of grants for local councils to bolster planning capacity, alongside direct advice and navigate through some of the more complex issues holding up new development.
Alongside the Accelerator, the government is also supporting local partners through a clearing service to help accelerate the sale of uncontracted and unsold affordable homes, with nearly 300 housebuilders, local councils and registered providers signing up in the first 50 days of its launch.
In December, the government set a clear hierarchy of brownfield first, grey belt second and green belt third. Today, further funding is being injected to drive regeneration and brownfield deliver in the following areas:
£20 million to help transform neglected small-scale council-owned sites into new homes, for areas most in need.
Nearly £30 million from the Brownfield Infrastructure and Land Fund in Bradford to transform derelict brownfield sites into a vibrant residential area with 1,000 new homes, three community parks, shops, cafés, restaurants, and offices.
£1.5 million to support a regeneration programme at Manchester Victoria North, delivering a new district of 15,000 homes with transport links and green spaces.
Getting homes built for working people is a priority and is backed by investment in housing which is increasing to £5 billion for this year, including a top-up of £800 million being injected into the existing Affordable Homes Programme to help deliver tens of thousands of new affordable and social homes across the country.
This is in addition to an extra £100 million of cash to bolster local resources with increased planning fees to cover costs and funding to recruit 300 planning officers, making sure councils have the capacity they need to rubberstamp new homes and infrastructure.
Local Scottish Green MSP Lorna Slater is calling on Edinburgh to bid to be one of the first councils to sign up for the expansion of free school meals for thousands more S1 – S3 pupils.
The Scottish Greens have recently secured money for the expansion of free school meals to thousands of S1-S3 pupils who receive the Scottish Child Payment (SCP), starting with eight council areas in August 2025.
This builds on the ongoing rollout to P6 and P7 pupils who receive SCP and the previous extension to all P4 and P5 pupils, both of which were secured by Green MSPs during past rounds of budget negotiations.
Edinburgh currently has a child poverty rate of 20.4% and around 4,500 of S1-S3 pupils who receive the Scottish Child Payment, a support payment for families on low incomes.
By signing up to be one of the first councils to receive more free meals for pupils, thousands of local children and families will benefit.
Eight councils will be chosen for the initial rollout and the Scottish Greens will be pushing the Scottish Government to extend the project to all 32 council areas as soon as possible.
Lorna Slater the Scottish Greens MSP for Lothian said: “Children can’t learn if they’re hungry. Problems like classroom hunger simply should not exist in a country as wealthy as Scotland.
“As a result of this work by Green MSPs, thousands more pupils in S1-S3 will now get a free school meal. I hope Edinburgh will volunteer to be one of the first areas to provide these lunches.
“The Scottish Greens have always championed free school meals. This high school expansion builds on the work we’ve already done to provide more meals in primary schools.
“No pupils should have to learn on an empty stomach simply because they cannot afford a school lunch. Each and every child in Scotland should have what they need to do well at school, including a free and healthy lunch.”
RAC warns actions of a few are putting other road users at serious risk
NPCC roads policing lead: “We all have a responsibility to keep each other safe”
Almost half of UK police forces (48%) have caught motorists driving over 90mph on 30mph roads – more than three times the speed limit, new data analysed by the RAC has revealed.*
A Freedom of Information request to the UK’s 45 police forces also found that, of the 40 with data, almost all (90%) had clocked people driving at 60mph – more than twice the limit – on these roads.
With the highest recorded speed on any road being 167mph on a 70mph stretch of the M1 by Leicestershire Police, the new RAC study paints an alarming picture of the speeds some motorists have been caught driving at.
Looking at the largest difference between the speed recorded and the posted limit, the highest logged speed was 161mph on a 50mph eastbound stretch of the A303 in Somerset.
More than half of police forces (23, or 58%) recorded drivers travelling in excess of 140mph. While most of these contraventions were on 70mph motorway stretches, this wasn’t always the case. South Yorkshire Police clocked a driver at 146mph on a 50mph southbound stretch of the M1, while Police Scotland detected someone driving at 148mph on a 60mph section of the A68 in the Scottish Borders.
But perhaps most disturbing of all are the speeds some people are prepared to drive at on 20mph and 30mph roads – those that are far more likely to have high numbers of pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable road users using them.
South Yorkshire Police recorded a speed of 122mph on a 30mph road, while North Wales Police logged a vehicle being driven at 88mph on a 20mph road. Both speeds are more than four times faster than the speed limits.
In total, six-in-10 police forces (24) have caught motorists driving over twice the speed limit on 20mph roads, with seven recording speeds of more than 60mph.
Government data shows speed is the biggest factor reported in fatal road collisions – it is a factor in 58% of fatalities, and in 43% of road collisions of all severities. In 2023 speed contributed to 888 fatalities, and 39,882 collisions of all severities.**
RAC road safety spokesperson Rod Dennis said: “Although this data is a snapshot, it shines a light on the incredibly dangerous actions of a few, that are putting law-abiding road users at serious risk. Thankfully, the police were on hand to catch these drivers.
“There is no place for the vastly excessive speeds that some people are prepared to drive. While some speeds were recorded in the middle of the night when traffic will have been lighter, this isn’t always the case – some of the fastest drivers were clocked at other times of day when they’d have been sharing the roads with many others.
“Speed is the leading cause of deaths on UK roads. We look forward to the Government’s forthcoming road safety strategy understanding what can be done to reduce such avoidable casualties on the UK’s roads.”
National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for roads policing Chief Constable Jo Shiner said: “We know that some incidents of going over the speed limit can be genuine mistakes or errors but the speeds cited here are clearly drivers taking deliberate decisions to travel at excessive speeds, putting everyone at risk.
“Speed limits are set based on many factors including the road layout, what’s in the surrounding area and taking into account where there might be more vulnerable road users. Choosing to drive above those limits is reckless, selfish and completely unacceptable.
“We all have a responsibility to keep each other safe and do whatever we can to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads each day.”
Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “One life lost on our roads is one too many and that’s why I’m committed to Vision Zero. No more deaths on our roads.
“Too many people are being killed or seriously injured and we need to act now. I’ve launched a Road Safety Action Plan and appointed the UK’s first dedicated road safety commissioner, Mat MacDonald, to make sure communities’ voices are heard and real action is taken to prevent more tragedies on our roads.”
The RAC’s study on speeding – one of the so-called ‘Fatal Four’ behaviours that cause most fatal collisions on the roads*** – follows its earlier work in January that identified a culture of speeding among some drivers in the UK.
Safety is at the heart of the city council’s fleet, with the entire fleet of new Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) along with their welfare buses all equipped with enhanced safety features.
Edinburgh has taken inspiration from the Progressive Safe System (PSS) which was implemented by Transport for London (TfL) in October 2024 to enhance vehicle awareness and reduce the likelihood of collisions.
There are seven key requirements under PSS:
Camera monitoring system fitted to the vehicle’s nearside
Class V and VI mirrors
Blind spot sensors fitted to the vehicles nearside
Moving off sensors fitted to the front of the vehicle
Side under-run protection on both sides of the vehicle
Audible warning alerts when vehicles turn left
Prominent visual warning signage
In addition to adhering to PSS requirements, all new vehicles are fitted with an Advanced Emergency Braking System (AEBS). AEBS uses sensors to monitor a vehicle’s surroundings and automatically apply the brakes if a collision is likely.
Whilst there are no such safety requirement anywhere else in the UK outside of London, the council took the decision to ensure all HGVs purchased as part of the replacement programme were equipped with the technology to meet this standard.
The city council’s 152 strong HGV fleet is comprised of refuse collection vehicles, road sweepers, road gritters, mobile library uses, construction vehicles in roads services, and utility trucks for maintaining streets and greenspace.
Whilst our 27 welfare buses, which transport children with Additional Support Needs (ASN), are not classed as HGV Edinburgh took the decision to order these buses with the new safety features. These vehicles operate in and around schools and built-up areas during peak travel times so it’s important they are as safe as possible for everyone.
The council has now taken delivery of over 70 of our new HGVs, with all new refuse collection vehicles due to arrive by the end of March 2025 and all other HGVs due to be in service this year.
Transport and Environment Convener, Councillor Stephen Jenkinson said: “I was delighted to go down to Bankhead this morning to see some of these new vehicles firsthand and talk to our colleagues who operate them.
“We have a responsibility to our colleagues and our residents to make sure our fleet is as safe as possible. This is why we’re investing tens of millions of pounds into our fleet.
“With these changes I’m confident that we have the most advanced local authority fleet in Scotland when it comes to safety features. I hope that other parts of Scotland and the UK will look to London and Edinburgh’s example and follow suit.
“Safety is an absolute priority for us when delivering our services and I have no doubt that these new features will have a positive impact.”
