East Lothian Council must make significant progress in changing how it delivers public services as it addresses significant demographic challenges, with rapidly expanding younger and older populations.
In its latest report, the Accounts Commission recognises many of the council’s services have improved, or at least maintained levels of performance, in the face of financial pressures. But this has come at an unsustainable cost. The council can no longer rely on using money saved in reserves to support the delivery of services. It needs to be clearer about how it will balance its budget in a sustainable way.
Given financial constraints and increasing demand, the council now focuses on a smaller number of key priorities. The council’s commitment to engaging with residents and communities is encouraging. But it must be clear about the services deprioritised and the impacts, as it looks to bridge a £46 million budget gap in the four years from 2026/27.
The council must make significant changes in how it delivers services. It benefits from having plans for change in place, but now needs to invest further and set clear actions and targets to drive digital transformation and save money through efficiency. Continuing to develop opportunities to collaborate and share services in the face of recruitment and retention challenges is critical.
Jo Armstrong, Chair of the Accounts Commission said: ‘Unlike most councils in Scotland, East Lothian has numbers of both rapidly expanding younger and older populations.
“This presents real opportunities as well as significant challenges and strains on staff, money and resource.
“The council must continue to hold ongoing conversations with staff and communities to shape and agree the changes it needs to make to services.
‘It’s reassuring the council’s latest financial plans limit the use of reserves.
“Now we need to see progress on the council’s programme to change how it delivers services and improves efficiency.
“This must happen, to ensure the council’s future financial security.”
People carrying out unpaid work as part of a community sentence have been helping to develop an NHS community garden in Morningside.
The City of Edinburgh Council’s justice services have teamed up with the Cyrenians charity so that people carrying out a community payback order (CPO) can learn how to care for the garden.
Councillor Tim Pogson, Chair of Edinburgh’s Community Safety and Justice Partnership, said: “We have been exploring innovative ways to support those who have committed offences to repay the community for their crimes while at the same time, giving participants the opportunity to learn valuable skills and work as part of a team.
“Through joining forces with the Scottish charity Cyrenians we’ve been able to support the environment through the development of a community garden project offering placements to people completing unpaid work as part of a CPO.”
Cyrenians delivers the project in a supportive environment, delivering learning, while providing help to those on the project to access additional supports they may need to be reintegrated into their community and become contributing members of society.
The project has proved to be a great success with participants saying how working in the garden had improved their mental health and led to a renewed appreciation of the outdoors. Many have enjoyed contributing to a wider project team while being supported by Cyrenians through a low point in their lives to move on from their crime to a more positive space and a crime-free life.
A supervised team of people work together on the garden woodland and orchard, including landscaping, planting, pruning and composting. Participants learn how to grow vegetables, herbs and flowers and develop skills in making garden furniture.
Hannah Macrae, Community Gardens Service Manager at Cyrenians, said: “We have loved working in partnership with community justice services, to offer placements to people completing a community payback order.
“Our community gardens provide a lot of solace to people and we are very grateful to those who have come on placement for all their efforts to maintain and improve this special space. Many of the people who come really enjoy the time working in the garden and we hope that they take away a new set of skills and a sense of pride in what they have achieved.”
A number of areas across Edinburgh have been transformed by people carrying out a CPO and previous projects have included fencing and decking work at Dr Neil’s Garden in Duddingston and supporting garden maintenance at Inverleith Park.
More than 11.6 million hours of unpaid work have been completed across Scotland since CPOs were introduced in 2010 – with around 1.4 million hours recorded benefiting communities for the reporting year 2023-24. There were 15,086 CPOs imposed by the courts – a three per cent increase on the previous year.
There are various projects highlighted in the new annual CPO report 2023-24 by Community Justice Scotland. It shows that the number of CPOs imposed has increased and how people have been held to account and supported to reconnect and contribute to their communities.
Catherine Dyer, chair of the board of Community Justice Scotland, said: “Community payback orders allow people to repay locally for the harm they’ve caused and access support to services, such as addiction counselling, to tackle the behaviour which led to their offending.
“The increase in the number of CPOs imposed by courts shows the confidence of Sheriffs in community-based sentences which can help reduce the risk of reoffending compared to short-term imprisonment.
“Unpaid work has transformed areas across the country, making a meaningful impact on communities such as improving school playgrounds, painting and gardening for local organisations as well as helping individuals who need work done.”
Edinburgh is seeking the public’s views on unpaid work and suggestions for new projects. You can complete the short survey online here at the City of Edinburgh Council’s website (until 8 September 2025).
The charity Crimestoppers Scotland has launched a new campaign appealing for information about the dangerous and illegal use of off-road motorbikes and other mechanically propelled bikes across Scotland.
There has been rising concerns and reports from communities across Scotland over the illegal use of off-road bikes and other mechanically propelled bikes including mopeds, e-bikes and e-scooters.
Complaints often centre around off-road bikes becoming a threat to the public as the bikes are ridden recklessly in residential areas, town centres, on pavements and in green spaces – with no concern from the riders for their own safety or that of the public.
Crimestoppers spoke to people in Scotland who has been directly affected by dangerous and illegal use of off-road bikes:
A Farmer in Dumfries told us his fields had been ripped up overnight, costing thousands in repairs and increased security costs.
An elderly lady in Edinburgh almost stepped in front of a bus to prevent a bike on the pavement from crashing into her.
In February Whinhill Golf Club in Greenock experienced extensive damage to the greens and fairways.
Angela Parker, National Manager, Crimestoppers Scotland, said: “We heard from many people who felt scared and threatened by the increased use of illegal off-road bikes. This illegal activity also damages the environment and heritage, taking years to recovers and costing thousands to repair.
“Our campaign aims to support communities in reporting anonymously to our charity and providing information on where people can safely and legally enjoy riding their bike.”
Victims and Community Safety Minister Siobhian Brown, said: “I’m pleased to support this important campaign.
“Using off-road vehicles illegally is dangerous, anti-social and can cause huge disruption to residents in local communities as well as causing damage to parks, playing fields and the natural environment.
Crimestoppers enables individuals to report crime anonymously and these reports help the police to tackle this crime. Together, we can make a real difference.”
Councillor Stephen McCabe, leader of Inverclyde Council, said: “These bikes are causing untold damage and misery in our community, damaging public and private property and leaving residents feeling scared and intimidated, which is simply unacceptable.
“Areas like Grieve Road have been particularly affected by the rise in off-road bikes and the course at Whinhill Golf Club, which the council owns, has also been damaged so there is a cost to the taxpayers to repair the fairways and greens, not to mention the inconvenience caused for golfers and staff.
“As with most things, the authorities need the help of the public to tackle this problem by reporting illegal and anti-social activity and Crimestoppers is a way in which people can do that and do it completely anonymously.”
Useful information includes:
Who is riding them illegally and what they were wearing?
The names of those responsible for putting the public and themselves in danger.
Where are they being stored?
The exact location, date and time the bike/s were seen?
Anything distinctive: colour, make, number plate details.
If you own or ride an off-road bike or other mechanically propelled bike, (that includes e-bikes and e-scooters), you must ensure that you comply with UK law. Our campaign webpage gives useful information on all manner of bikes.
To pass on information about the illegal use of off-road bikes completely anonymously, visit the Crimestoppers website (Crimestoppers-uk.org). You can fill in a safe and secure form or you can call the 24/7 UK-based Contact Centre on 0800 555 111. Young people can also report crime via the charity’s youth service website Fearless.org.
Please note: With Crimestoppers-uk.org and Fearless.org, computer IP addresses are never traced and no-one will ever know you contacted them.
For telephone calls to Crimestoppers via 0800 555 111, there is no caller line display, no 1471 facility and calls have never been traced.
The issue of people who are well enough to leave being stranded in hospital wards and occupying increasingly scarce inpatient beds must be addressed if Emergency Care in Scotland is to improve.
That’s the response of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine Scotland as new data reveals that May 2025 was the second worst May on record for so called ‘delayed discharges’.
Published today (1 July 2025) the figures from Public Health Scotland, which detail A&E performance, show a daily average of 1,852 beds were occupied by people who were considered to no longer need inpatient care – the second highest for any May since guideline changes in 2016.
And when compared to the previous month (April 2025) – it’s an improvement of just two beds.
If patients cannot be discharged, this affects the flow of people through the hospital – and people end up stranded in A&E, often waiting extreme hours on a trolley in a corridor, for a ward bed to become available.
Covering May 2025, the figures reveal that:
125,779 people visited a major A&E Department (Type 1) in Scotland. A 6.7% increase compared to April.
Of these, one in three patients (40,261) waited four hours or more to be treated, admitted or discharged (32%).
Meanwhile, just fewer than one in 10 patients (12,672) waited eight hours or more in major EDs – the second highest number for the month of May.
And 4,863 patients waited 12 hours or more – the equivalent to one in every 26 patients. Which is a slight improvement on the previous month when 5,139 patients endured this wait.
Of the total number of delayed discharge bed days, 73% were due to health and social care and patient and family related reasons (522,599).
Vice President of RCEM Scotland, Dr Fiona Hunter, said: “Yet again, the evidence to address delayed discharges continues to mount.
“As I’ve said before, and I will say it again, the situation at our hospitals’ ‘backdoor’, where we unable to discharge people, is deeply concerning and distressing for both patients and the workforce.
“Patients when they are well enough to leave want to do just that – leave, to continue their recovery. But often they can’t because of a lack of social care.
“Meanwhile in A&E, seriously unwell people are left waiting for that elusive ward bed to become available, watching the clock tick by and counting the hours they have spent on a trolley in a corridor.
“This is the reality for thousands of patients every month, while Emergency Medicine clinicians try their best to treat patients in areas that weren’t designed to deliver care in. And it’s not just an issue confined to the winter months – it’s year-round.
“So it is hard to celebrate slight improvements in extreme waiting times when every day my colleagues are struggling to admit vulnerable patients that need further care.
“Until available inpatient bed numbers increase the crisis in our EDs will continue.”
Retail trade union Usdaw is concerned by the continued growing trend of shoplifting incidents, which have more than doubled since the pandemic, alongside a persistent decline in police ‘clear-up’ rates for the offence.
The union welcomes that the protection of retail workers law has been effective in nearly 8,000 assaults, but calls for greater priority to be given to retail crime.
Police recorded retail crime in Scotland:
Shoplifting increased from 20,557 during the pandemic to 44,730 last year (2024/5), which is a 118% increase and includes a 16% rise on the previous year (2023/4).
The ‘clear-up’ rate for shoplifting has fallen every year over the past 10 years from 74.6% in 2014/5 to 49% in 2024/5, an overall decrease of over one-third.
Since the Protection of Workers (Retail and Age-restricted Goods and Services) (Scotland) Act 2021 came into effect on 24 August 2021, there have been 7,861 police recorded incidents of common assault of a retail worker.
Tony Doonan – Usdaw regional secretary for Scotland says:“Scottish retail workers suffer far too many incidents of violence, abuse and threats. No-one should feel afraid to go to work, but far too many retail workers are.
“Usdaw’s own survey shows that nearly three-quarters of our members working in retail are being abused, threatened and assaulted for simply doing their job and serving the community. They provide an essential service and deserve our respect and the protection of the law.
“The scale of the epidemic of retail crime is laid bare in these shocking police recorded crime statistics. It is increasingly common for retail stores to be targeted by organised crime gangs stealing to order.
“This is in no way a victimless crime, with weapons and violence used to ensure these criminals are not stopped.
“Having to deal with repeated and persistent offences can cause issues beyond the theft itself, like anxiety, fear and physical harm to retail workers.
“Scotland’s protection of retail workers law has made a difference, having been used for nearly 8,000 assaults, but more needs to be done.
“We continue to work with retailers, the Scottish Government and Police Scotland to help ensure that legislation is fully utilised so that all retail workers receive the protection and respect they deserve.”
Bringing more easily accessible care closer to home
Prime Minister launches government’s 10 Year Health Plan to bring the NHS closer to home
Neighbourhood Health Services to be rolled out across the country, bringing diagnostics, mental health, post-op, rehab, and nursing to people’s doorsteps
Neighbourhood health centres will house services under one roof, open at evenings and weekends
Plan for Change will rebuild the NHS to train thousands more family doctors, transform hospital outpatient appointments, and provide personalised care plans for complex needs
Millions of patients will be treated and cared for closer to their home by new teams of health professionals, Prime Minister Keir Starmer will set out today, as the Government’s Plan for Change delivers a ‘brand-new era’ for the NHS and delivers ‘one of the most seismic shifts in care in the history of the health service’.
The launch of a Neighbourhood Health Service will see pioneering teams, some based entirely under one roof, set up in local communities across the country, to dramatically improve access to the NHS. As part of the Government’s aim to shift care out of hospitals and into the community, they will free up overstrained hospitals from perpetual firefighting so they can focus on delivering only the best, most cutting-edge, and personalised care.
These neighbourhood health centres will provide easier, more convenient access to a full range of healthcare services right on people’s doorsteps – stopping them from having to make lengthy trip to hospitals.
Neighbourhood teams will include staff like nurses, doctors, social care workers, pharmacists, health visitors, palliative care staff, and paramedics.
Community health workers and volunteers will play a pivotal role in these teams, and local areas will be encouraged to trial innovative schemes like community outreach door-to-door – to detect early signs of illness and reduce pressure on GPs and A&E.
Launching the government’s 10 Year Health Plan today, the Prime Minister will set out how moving care from hospitals to the community is one of the three key shifts required to tackle the inherited challenges and neglect of the NHS, make sure it is equipped to look after a modern society, and ensure people feel the change and improvements in healthcare that they voted for.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1940492226800333207
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “The NHS should be there for everyone, whenever they need it.
“But we inherited a health system in crisis, addicted to a sticking plaster approach, and unable to face up to the challenges we face now, let alone in the future.
“That ends now. Because it’s reform or die. Our 10 Year Health Plan will fundamentally rewire and future-proof our NHS so that it puts care on people’s doorsteps, harnesses game-changing tech and prevents illness in the first place.
“That means giving everyone access to GPs, nurses, and wider support all under one roof in their neighbourhood – rebalancing our health system so that it fits around patients’ lives, not the other way round.
“This is not an overnight fix, but our Plan for Change is already turning the tide on years of decline with over four million extra appointments, 1,900 more GPs and waiting lists at their lowest level for two years.
“But there’s more to come. This government is giving patients easier, quicker and more convenient care, wherever they live.”
The plan follows Lord Darzi’s diagnosis of the challenges facing the NHS last year where he assessed it was in a ‘critical condition’ as a result of deep rooted issues including low productivity, poor staff morale, a failure to keep up with new technology, rising waiting times, and a deterioration in the health of the nation.
The PM will set out how the plan will deliver three key shifts to get the NHS back on its feet: hospital to community; analogue to digital; and sickness to prevention. Built around these three principles, the reforms within the plan will deliver the government’s promise to stop rising waiting lists, deliver more convenient care, and tackle inequalities across the country.
New health centres will house the neighbourhood teams, which will eventually be open 12 hours a day, six days a week within local communities. They will not only bring historically hospital-based services into the community – diagnostics, post-operative care, and rehab – but will also offer services like debt advice, employment support and stop smoking or weight management, all of which will help tackle issues which we know affect people’s health.
“The truth is, those in greatest need often receive the worst quality healthcare.” – @WesStreeting.
Our 10 Year Health Plan will invest billions of pounds in more equipment, staff and technology in working class communities.
— Department of Health and Social Care (@DHSCgovuk) June 26, 2025
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said: “Our 10 Year Health Plan will turn the NHS on its head, delivering one of the most fundamental changes in the way we receive our healthcare in history.
“By shifting from hospital to community, we will finally bring down devastating hospital waiting lists and stop patients going from pillar to post to get treated.
“This Government’s Plan for Change is creating an NHS truly fit for the future, keeping patients healthy and out of hospital, with care closer to home and in the home.”
The status quo of ‘hospital by default’ will end, with a new preventative principle that care should happen as locally as it can: digital-by-default, in a patient’s home where possible, in a neighbourhood health centre when needed, in a hospital if necessary. This approach will make access to healthcare more convenient for patients and easier to fit around their day to day lives, rather than disrupting people’s work and personal lives.
Thousands more GPs will be trained under the 10 Year Health Plan, as the Government lays the groundwork to bring back the family doctor, end the 8am scramble and make it easier to see your GP when you need to instead of having to turn to A&E.
The government inherited an analogue NHS, reliant on paper and fax machines and out of step with modern technology. The government’s plan will bring it into the digital age, making sure staff benefit from the advantages and efficiencies available from new technology. This includes rolling out groundbreaking new tools over the next two years to support GPs.
AI scribes will end the need for clinical notetaking, letter drafting, and manual data entry to free up clinicians’ time to focus on treating patients. Saving just 90 seconds on each GP appointment can save the same time as adding 2,000 more doctors into general practice.
The Government will also use digital telephony so all phone calls to GP practices are answered quickly. For those who need it, they will get a digital or telephone consultation the same day they request it.
As it stands, some practices are struggling to keep up with an ageing population and 21st century health needs. New contracts will be introduced which encourage and allow practices to cover a wider geographical area. It means smaller practices in the catchment area will get more support to ensure the right access is in place so that everyone can access their GP when they need to.
Sir James Mackey, Chief Executive, NHS England said: “The Neighbourhood Health Service is a huge opportunity for us to transform how we deliver care over the next decade – starting right on people’s doorsteps.
“By bringing together a full range of clinicians as one team, we can deliver care that’s more accessible, convenient and better for patients, as well as reducing pressures on hospitals.”
The plan will also deliver on the government’s promise to tackle the current lottery of access to dentists. Dental care professionals will work as part of neighbourhood teams, where Dental therapists could undertake check-ups, treatment, and referrals, while dental nurses could give education and advice to parents or work with schools and community groups. The work therapists cannot do would be safely directed to dentists.
Under the plan, it will also be a requirement for newly qualified dentists to practice in the NHS for a minimum period, intended to be 3 years.
Following the government’s work already to roll out supervised toothbrushing for kids, the plan will also improve access to dental care for children, making better use of the wider dental workforce, especially dental therapists, including through a new approach to upskilling professionals to work at the top of their clinical potential beginning in 2026 to 2027.
This includes proposals to allow dental nurses to administer fluoride varnish for children in between check-ups, and the greater use of fissure sealants for children – covering back teeth with thin plastic coating to keep germs and food particles out the grooves.
Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive of the NHS Confederation, said: “This is a vital step towards a more preventative, community-based NHS.
“Bringing care closer to people’s homes through blended neighbourhood health teams recognises the complex and interconnected challenges many patients face, and it is the right direction for both improving outcomes and alleviating pressure on hospitals.
“In many areas of the country, general practices working at scale through primary care networks and GP Federations, are already partnering alongside other organisations to deliver joined up care. It will be important to build on these positive successes.
“Delivering on this ambition will require sustained investment in digital and estates, support for the NHS’s workforce, and a commitment to decentralise national control by empowering local leaders to do what is best for their populations.
“On behalf of our members, we are eager to work with the government to help turn this bold vision into lasting change.”
With the 10 Year Health plan the majority of outpatient care will happen outside of hospitals by 2035, by transforming care in the community.
New digital tools will allow GPs to refer patients quicker, and a wider range of services available on people’s doorsteps will mean less need to attend appointments in hospital for ophthalmology, cardiology, respiratory medicine, and mental health.
As a result of this shift to community, hospitals will be able to focus on patients who need hospital care, and get them seen on time again.
The Westminster government’s Plan for Change is already delivering action to cut waiting lists and fix the foundations of the NHS.
Waiting lists are at their lowest level in two years, including the first drop in April for 17 years. An extra 4.2million appointments have been delivered since July – over double the government’s target.
10 new surgical hubs have opened since January, and 1,900 more GPs have been recruited since October.
HSS Sewa Edinburgh is proud to announce the successful conclusion of the Arthur Seat Charity Walk, which was held on Saturday, 31st May, in support of Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS) (writes DIPIKA JAIN).
The event, which began at Holyrood Car Park at 10:30am, saw a tremendous outpouring of support from the community, helping to raise both moral and financial support for this vital cause.
For over 30 years, CHAS has been offering palliative care, family respite and support services for babies, children, and young people with life-shortening conditions. Their work, which spans hospices, homecare, and hospital support, has made a profound impact on families across Scotland.
The Arthur Seat Charity Walk was organized to help continue CHAS’s crucial mission, and thanks to the participation of many, the event raised an impressive total of £555 for the charity. Each step taken during the walk directly contributed to ensuring CHAS can continue providing care and comfort to those who need it most.
HSS Sewa’s Commitment to Service
The walk was part of HSS Sewa’s ongoing initiative to support small and medium-sized charities that are making a big difference in local communities.
The term “Sewa”, derived from Sanskrit, representsselfless service to humanity and nature.
HSS Sewa is committed to selfless service, whether supporting local charities or responding to national and international crises. HSS Sewa, through its dedicated volunteers across over 65 towns and cities, strives to uplift communities through compassionate, hands-on support.
The Arthur Seat Charity Walk saw volunteers of all ages – from young children supported by their parents to local residents and well-wishers – come together to raise funds and awareness for CHAS. Participants helped to bring attention to this important cause and show their solidarity.
A Thank You to Our Community
“We are deeply grateful to everyone who participated in the Arthur Seat Charity Walk and helped us raise £555 for CHAS,” said an HSS Sewa representative.
“The walk was a powerful reminder of what we can accomplish when we come together as a community.
“Every step, every contribution, and every moment of support brings us closer to making a meaningful difference.”
Though the walk has concluded, HSS Sewa remains dedicated to supporting organizations like CHAS.
Jet2.com puts thousands of July seats up for grabs at £49 or less
Jet2.com has kicked off July in style by announcing fantastic savings for holidaymakers looking to grab a July getaway – with thousands of one-way July seats up for grabs for £49 or less.
Customers looking to book a getaway to a sunny hotspot or a European leisure city this month have more reason than ever to get clicking.
With over 475 routes on sale from across 13 UK airport bases in Summer 25, customers travelling with Jet2.com are spoiled for choice when it comes to getting some well-deserved sunshine across Europe, the Mediterranean, Morocco and Canary Islands.
As well as enjoying the best destinations for just £49 or less this July, customers can also experience Jet2.com’s award-winning flights and customer service, with 10kg hand luggage included, which has seen the airline win an array of high-profile awards, including Which? Recommended Provider status for the past ten years running.
A spokesperson for Jet2.com said: “There is no better feeling than securing a spot in the sunshine for less, so we are getting July off to the best start by announcing this sale, which means cheaper flights and cheaper holidays.
“With thousands of seats in July available for £49 or less on our award-winning airline, we know there will be enormous demand, so we are expecting seats to sell very quickly.”
To take advantage of these fantastic savings, visit www.jet2.com.
Wednesdays: 9, 16, 23 & 30 July
10am – 1pm
Friday 1 August – Celebration & Exhibition of work created
North Edinburgh Arts, Macmillan Hub, 12c Macmillan Square, EH4 4AB
Free to attend, but places are limited – all materials provided!
To sign up: Email 
Call 0131 315 2151
Or drop by the NEA Welcome Desk (Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm)
