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Finance Secretary urges MSPs to back Scottish Budget spending plans

The 2022-23 Scottish Budget should be supported by MSPs to help accelerate economic recovery, tackle the climate emergency and reduce entrenched inequalities, according to Finance Secretary Kate Forbes.

It is the Scottish Government’s first Budget in partnership with the Scottish Green Party.

Speaking ahead of the Stage One Budget Bill debate in Parliament today, Ms Forbes said: “Our bold and ambitious spending plans are focused on supporting our key priorities, ensuring no one and no region is left behind.

“It targets resources towards low income households, invests in initiatives to end Scotland’s contribution to climate change and fundamentally, provides much needed investment to bolster our economic recovery.

“Recognising the severe impacts of the pandemic, £18 billion will support health boards and accelerate the recovery of vital health and social care services. Significant funding is also being provided to support the next steps in the single greatest public health reform since the establishment of the NHS – the creation of a new National Care Service.

“This Budget also funds our key priority of tackling child poverty and inequality, by targeting over £4 billion in social security payments, including £197 million to double the game-changing Scottish Child Payment from April 2022.

“Green recovery and economic transformation are central to our spending plans and an investment of at least £2 billion in infrastructure initiatives will support green jobs and accelerate efforts to become a net-zero economy, in addition to £150 million to create an active travel nation.

“Despite increased financial pressures, we are also continuing to treat councils fairly and we are providing a real terms increase of over 5% to local authority budgets for the coming year – despite cuts to Scotland’s overall budget by the UK Government.

“It cannot go unsaid that despite the ambition of this Budget, it comes amidst an extremely challenging fiscal backdrop and difficult decisions have had to be made. With uncertainty surrounding the cost of living, sky high energy prices, the ongoing impacts of the pandemic and the fallout from Brexit,

“I urge MSPs across the chamber to support this Budget and help us secure the way forward to becoming a fairer, greener, more prosperous country.”

The SNP budget is certain to be passed with Green Party support.

Read the 2022-23 Scottish Budget.

Urgent action needed to address critical issues in delivery of social care

Action is needed now to change how Scotland’s social care services are delivered so that it meets the needs, and improves the experience of, people relying on care and support, say Scotland’s spending watchdogs.

The joint briefing by the Accounts Commission and the Auditor General for Scotland says fundamental issues and threats to the future sustainability of Scotland’s social care system need to be addressed. The pandemic has exacerbated long-standing challenges, highlighting the precarious situation of many vulnerable people who rely on social care or support.

Over £5 billion a year is spent on delivering social care services, yet some services are at near crisis point. There needs to be a shift in how this money is used, with a far greater emphasis needed on preventative care that meets the needs of individual people. Service users do not always have a choice or say about what support works best for them. Nor are carers getting all the support and advice they need, despite existing legislation.

Now the Scottish Government, together with its partners, must listen and bring together the views and experiences of service users and carers. This will support the delivery of their long-held ambitions for social care.

The 200,000-strong workforce is under immense pressure and feels undervalued. There is a high vacancy rate and a continuing problem of recruiting and retaining this workforce into roles which often have low pay and poor conditions of employment. At the same time demand for social care services continues to increase.

Commissioning social care services tends to focus on cost, rather than quality or outcomes. Worrying limitations in social care data has created major gaps in the information needed to inform improvements.

William Moyes, Chair of the Accounts Commission, said: “There are significant problems with the delivery of social care services. These services are vital, yet we have a workforce that’s not adequately valued or regarded.

“Staffing shortages are a major issue across the sector and not all people’s needs are being met. Too often a focus on costs comes at the expense of delivering high quality services that aren’t at the heart of the needs of individuals. The additional funding to achieve this will be significant. Not taking action now presents a serious risk to the delivery of care services for the people who depend on them.

Stephen Boyle, Auditor General for Scotland, said: “We cannot wait another five years until the planned National Care Service is in place. Action must happen now, and at speed, by the Scottish Government.

“There must be clear timescales for delivery, demonstrating that lessons have been learnt from previous reforms of health and social care services. This will create a strong foundation for the government’s vision to create a National Care Service.”

briefing_220127_social_care Download

COSLA’s Health and Social Care Spokesperson, Councillor Stuart Currie, responded to the Audit Scotland report on social care: ‘The Audit Scotland report sets out many of the challenges that Local Government has consistently highlighted for many years now.

“There is an urgent need to address these challenges – many of which have been exacerbated by the pandemic – by working with our partners across Scottish Government, in the third and independent sector, and most importantly, people with lived experience.

“We agree with Audit Scotland that Social Care reform cannot wait for a National Care Service to be implemented. Local authorities are central to delivering the right care at the right time in the right place.

“Local Government recognises that we cannot stand still if we want to create meaningful change for our communities. We continue to work with Scottish Government to progress our shared commitments outlined in our Joint Statement of Intent so that we can now begin to implement much of the reform that was called for in the Independent Review of Adult Social Care.

“Fundamental to these shared commitments is a recognition that through empowering people, valuing our workforce and embedding a human rights-based approach in social care, we can begin to deliver real solutions for our local communities, unpaid carers, and our workforce.”

Five-minutes of fame for Scotland’s winning SMEs

Prize-winning SMEs to take the stage at Scotland’s national innovation summit
The Summit announces new keynote speaker, Mari-Anne Chiromo, Entrepreneur and Business Growth & Effectiveness Specialist

Three of Scotland’s most innovative SMEs have secured a global audience spot at the CAN DO Innovation Summit after entering a competition to appear on the events #SMEstage.

The successful candidates; FC Laboratories Ltd, Cheemia ReSET and Danu Robotics Ltd, will join a host of world-class speakers, addressing an audience of over 800 investors, academics, entrepreneurs and innovators at the third-annual event held virtually on 23rd February 2022.

The competition, open to all small and medium sized Scottish businesses, required applicants to submit a short video demonstrating how their business drives innovation that is creating solutions to society’s biggest challenges.

The three winners were chosen from a wide variety of high-quality submissions and will now claim their prize spot on the Summit’s SME stage and will also benefit from two days of support from an Innovation Specialist at Scottish Enterprise worth £2K to help take their idea to the next level.

This year’s virtual CAN DO Innovation Summit will connect start-ups and SMEs with leading innovators, entrepreneurs, and academics from across the globe to explore new opportunities that marry purpose and profitability. It will feature a speaker line-up of over 40 multi-sector SMEs and a range of innovation support agencies across 12 industry-led panel sessions.

Keynotes, panel discussions and live Q&A sessions will run throughout the day covering practical insights on how people power, combined with the right tech, as well as sustainable and inclusive business practices can accelerate and enable a smoother digital transformation journey for businesses.

Mari-Anne Chiromo, Entrepreneur and Business Growth & Effectiveness Specialist at Apple is the latest name to join the selection of world class keynotes speaking at the event.

Further speaker highlights on the day include:

Kate Forbes MSP, Scottish Government
Wade Davis, Feminist, Former NFL Player and Educator on gender, race, and orientation equality (consulted with Netflix, Google and Viacom)
Gayemarie Brown, Forbes Top 25 Futurist, plus many more.

Delegates from a range of sectors – from fintech and health to manufacturing and the creative industries – have already signed up to this year’s event looking to expand their networks, learn about progressive workplace cultures and business models, and make connections for innovative project collaborations.

Dr Laura Bell of the CAN DO Innovation Summit, said: “Recent social and economic changes have created unprecedented challenges for SMEs and we would encourage them to attend the CAN DO Innovation Summit to be part of our vision of making Scotland a world-leading entrepreneurial nation.

“This virtual focal point for business will help SMEs adopt new technologies, build progressive working cultures and access the right support for innovation-led recovery and growth. We have a wide selection of world-leading speakers lined up for the event, as well as interactive sessions which can benefit SMEs across all sectors.

“I’d like to thank our panel of judges for selecting three excellent winners to take their well-earned place in the spotlight at the summit on the #SMEstage. We look forward to welcoming many more SMEs on 23 February.”

The #SMEstage competition winners were selected by an independent panel of judges made up of Evelyn McDonald, CEO at Scottish EDGE, Enoch Adeyemi, CEO at Black Professionals Scotland and Colin Meager, Innovation Team Lead, Scottish Enterprise.

FC Laboratories Ltd, Cheemia ReSET and Danu Robotics Ltd will appear at the Summit at 4pm to showcase how they are building innovation into their daily practices.

Colin Meager said: “It’s inspiring to see that, despite the economic and societal challenges we are facing, there are a wealth of entrepreneurs and businesses in Scotland using digital transformation to develop new business models and more innovative products and services.

“Winning the competition will give these businesses access to useful connections and support as well as linking them into invaluable practical support from Scottish Enterprise.”

Early Bird rates are available for a limited time. If you’re keen to attend the Summit but the cost would prevent you from attending, visit the CAN DO Innovation website for info on how to get access.

For more information on the event and to register, please visit:

www.candoinnovation.scot

HMRC: Don’t miss out on up to £2k towards childcare costs

Thousands of working families in Scotland could be missing out on an opportunity to get up to £2,000 a year to help with the cost of childcare, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is reminding parents ahead of the February mid-term break.

Tax-Free Childcare – the 20% childcare top-up – provides eligible working families with up to £500 every three months (or £1,000 if their child is disabled) towards the cost of holiday clubs, before and after-school clubs, childminders and nurseries, and other accredited childcare schemes.

More than 18,500 working families used Tax-Free Childcare across Scotland in September 2021, receiving a share of £35 million in UK Government top-up payments towards their childcare costs – an increase of about 90,000 families compared to September 2020.

Tax-Free Childcare is available for children aged up to 11, or 17 if the child has a disability. For every £8 deposited into an account, families will receive an additional £2 in government top-up.

This scheme is one of many ways the UK Government is supporting households to raise their incomes and keep more of what they earn.

Parents and carers can check their eligibility and register for Tax-Free Childcare via GOV.UK.

Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said: “The 20% government top-up offers working families help to pay for childcare, whether it’s nursery bills, after school clubs or holiday clubs.

“Search ‘Tax-Free Childcare’ on GOV.UK to find out more.”

Helen Whately, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury said: “Whether it’s for holiday clubs, breakfast clubs, or childminders and nurseries, Tax-Free Childcare is a great offer that gives working parents a helping hand with their childcare costs.

“This UK Government is committed to supporting working families which is why it’s fantastic that thousands more are saving money through the Tax-Free Childcare scheme. I urge as many parents as possible to take advantage of this support.”

By depositing money into their accounts, families can benefit from the 20% top-up and use the money to pay for childcare costs when they need it. Accounts can be opened at any time of the year and can be used straight away.

For example, if parents and carers have school-aged children and use holiday clubs during school holidays, they could deposit money into their accounts throughout the year. This means they could spread the cost of childcare while also benefitting from the 20% government top-up.

Tax-Free Childcare is also available for pre-school aged children attending nurseries, childminders, or other childcare providers. Families with younger children will often have higher childcare costs than families with older children, so the tax-free savings can really make a difference.

Childcare providers can also sign up for a childcare provider account via GOV.UK to receive payments from parents and carers via the scheme.

New Holyrood inquiry launched into poverty-related stigma

MSPs have today (Wednesday 26th January) launched a call for evidence on the impact of poverty-related stigma, after being told by experts that negative and discriminatory attitudes towards people living in poverty are continuing to blight the lives of people across Scotland.

The Scottish Parliament’s Cross-Party Group on Poverty, which brings together MSPs from all parties with organisations working to tackle poverty in Scotland, have issued the call as part of their new inquiry into the causes, impacts of and solutions to poverty-related stigma in Scotland.

At an evidence session held yesterday (Tuesday 25^th January) as part of the inquiry, MSPs heard evidence from Professor Imogen Tyler (Lancaster University), Professor Tracy Shildrick (Newcastle University) and Dr Greig Inglis (University of the West of Scotland).

The three academics, all of whom specialise in the links between stigma and poverty, told the inquiry that:

Stigma is created by a combination of factors, including media depictions of poverty and the creation of media and political narratives that portrays people on low incomes as ‘undeserving’ of support
Negative experiences of public services, for example experiences of judgemental attitudes from staff, can entrench feelings of stigma and shame
Stigma is directly linked to poorer mental health and lower levels of wellbeing
Key to tackling stigma is to involve people with experience of poverty in the design of services, particularly the social security system.

Now, MSPs have issued a call for written evidence to be submitted to the inquiry. They’re asking for people and organisations from across the country to feed in their experiences and perspectives of poverty-related stigma, to help inform and shape their final report, which is due to be published in May.

As well as the call for written evidence, the group will also be holding further evidence sessions with people working in the media, as well as with people who have experience of poverty.

Peter Kelly, Director of the Poverty Alliance, said: “Too many people living on low incomes across Scotland face challenges and barriers because of the stigma associated with poverty.

“This can impact on the kind of support people are able to access, the treatment by public services, the media and the wider public, and most importantly on individual mental health and wellbeing.

“The Cross-Party Group on Poverty’s new inquiry offers the opportunity to explore some of the drivers of poverty-related stigma as well as, importantly, what the solutions are.

“Critical to the success of the inquiry will be the involvement of people with experience of poverty, who will help shape the inquiry’s findings and key recommendations.”

Pam Duncan Glancy MSP, Deputy Convenor of the CPG on Poverty, said: “Stigma is not only unfair and causes real pain for people, it stops people accessing the essential support they need. That traps people in poverty.

“People in Scotland living in poverty need support and action, not blame and suspicion. They have seen far too little support for far too long.

“If we’re to reduce poverty in Scotland, we have to end the stigma of it, and take down all barriers to getting support.

“I am pleased the Cross Party Group on Poverty have created an opportunity to dig deeper on this. This will give us a clearer idea of how to break down barriers – and empower people to speak up and reach out when they require support.”

For full details on the call for evidence, including how to submit your views, click here.

There’s still time to nominate Edinburgh’s unsung heroes for the Young Scot Awards

The countdown is on to nominate local young heroes for the Sunday Mail Young Scot Awards 2022, which recognises the extraordinary young people who are making a real difference to the lives of others.

Now in its sixteenth year, the awards highlight the triumphs of young people across a range of categories – from sport and the environment to enterprise and volunteering – and shine a light on the invaluable contributions made by remarkable young people across Scotland.

Nominations are still open at youngscotawards.com and will close on 13 February 2022.

The results are set to be announced on 27 April 2022 by BBC Radio 1 DJ Gemma Cairney at a star-studded red-carpet awards ceremony hosted at Edinburgh’s International Conference Centre.

The winners will join a prestigious roll call of previous recipients including RuPaul’s Drag Race champion Lawrence Chaney and social media star Jamie Genevieve. Charitable duo Jack Mullen and Alfie King were crowned 2021’s ‘Young Scots of the Year’ for their work raising donations and keeping community spirit alive during the pandemic.

Kirsten Urquhart, Chief Executive (Interim) at Young Scot, said: “Since the launch of the Sunday Mail Young Scot Awards in 2006, we’ve been blown away by the inspirational achievements of young people from across Scotland.

“It’s an honour to be able to celebrate their achievements, so if you know someone who’s gone above and beyond to help others – we want to hear about them! Please make your nomination today.”

Awards host Gemma Cairney said: ‘I’m over the moon to have been chosen to host the Sunday Mail Young Scot Awards again this year!

“There’s still time for people across Edinburgh to celebrate the young people who have made a real difference to their communities so make sure you get your nominations in. I can’t wait to meet your local young heroes.”

The categories for 2022 include:

· The Arts

· Community – Sponsored by the Scottish Government

· Enhancing Education – sponsored by Skills Development Scotland

· Enterprise

· Entertainment

· Environment – sponsored by First Bus

· Equality and Diversity – sponsored by Arnold Clark

· Health and Wellbeing

· Sport – sponsored by sportscotland

· Unsung Hero – sponsored by Solace Scotland

· Volunteering

· Young Hero

To nominate a young person please visit: youngscotawards.com

THREE Holyrood Committees join forces to look at tackling drug deaths and problem drug use

The Scottish Parliament’s Criminal Justice Committee, Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, and Social Justice and Social Security Committee are coming together to hold two special sessions looking at the actions taken to reduce drugs deaths and problem drug use in Scotland.

The sessions, which will question the Scottish and UK Governments, as well as the new Chair of the Scottish Drugs Deaths Taskforce (SDDT), will seek to focus on what progress has been made and actions taken so far, including implementation of SDDT’s recommendations, as well as what more can be done.

The Committees are working together, recognising the issues which lie behind this crisis stem from different policy areas. Each Committee will send representatives to question witnesses and consider the progress made.

The Committee will question Rt Hon Kit Malthouse MP, UK Minister of State for Crime, Policing and Probation, on the afternoon of Tuesday 1 February.

On the following day, MSPs will then question the new Chair of the Scottish Drug Deaths Taskforce, David Strang, followed by the Scottish Government’s Minister for Drugs Policy, Angela Constance MSP.

Speaking as the joint sitting of the three committees was announced, Criminal Justice Committee Convener, Audrey Nicoll MSP (above), who will chair the joint sitting, said: “Problem drug use, and tragically, drugs deaths blight too many families and communities in Scotland.

“We know that the roots of these issues are complex and historical, and that the Taskforce recommendations touch many policy areas.

“Implementing the wide ranging solutions requires a co-ordinated approach by Parliament and Government.

“Addressing this drugs crisis is a priority for our committees. We want to support the individuals and families affected, as well as the agencies who work with them and the Government in taking the right actions to reduce drug deaths and tackle the misuse of drugs.

“I hope these sessions allow us to see some progress in this area, and perhaps find consensus and focus on what more can be done.”

The Committee is a joint meeting of three Committees and not a new Committee.

It is expected the following MSPs will attend the joint sessions as delegates:

Audrey Nicoll (SNP) (Convener)

Miles Briggs (Con)

Foysol Choudhury (Lab)

Russell Findlay (Con)

Gillian Mackay (GRN)

Gillian Martin (SNP)

Pauline McNeill (Labour)

Paul O’Kane (Lab)

Sue Webber (Con)

It is expected that the new SJSS Convener will also attend, once this person is appointed. (SNP).

The meeting with Kit Malthouse is expected to take place virtually between 3 – 4:30pm, Tuesday 1 February.

The meeting with the Taskforce and Angela Constance MSP is expected to take place virtually 10am – 12:30pm, Wednesday 2 February. The panel with the taskforce anticipated to last 10 – 11am, and the Minister thereafter.

Edinburgh author is winner of the Bookbug Picture Book Prize

Caveman tale captivates children across Scotland

Inch and Grub announced as the winner of the Bookbug Picture Book Prize

The winner of The Bookbug Picture Book Prize 2022 is Inch and Grub (Walker Books) by Alastair Chisholm and David Roberts.

Run by Scottish Book Trust, the national charity changing lives through reading and writing, the winner of the prize has been selected by the children of Scotland. 45% of voters selected Inch and Grub as their favourite book on the list.

The Bookbug Picture Book Prize celebrates the very best picture books by authors or illustrators living in Scotland.

Children and their families were able to cast their votes either through their class teacher, or online at www.scottishbooktrust.com/bpbp.

Books that were also shortlisted for the prize include Arlo the Lion Who Couldn’t Sleep by Catherine Rayner (Pam Macmillan) and My First Book of Woodland Animals by Zoe Ingram (Walker Books).

A free copy of each of the three books on the shortlist was gifted to every Primary 1 child during Book Week Scotland (15-21 November 2021), in the Bookbug P1 Family Bag. 60,150 Bookbug bags were gifted to Primary 1 pupils across Scotland, plus 850 Gaelic bags.

Alastair Chisholm is an award-winning children’s author and puzzle creator. He is the author of the sci-fi middle-grade adventures Orion Lost and Adam-2, and children’s picture books The Prince and the Witch and the Thief and the Bears, as well as books of Sudoku, Kakuro and other puzzles, including the Kids’ Book of Sudoku and Kids’ Book of Kakuro series.

Alastair lives in Edinburgh with his wife and two children.

Alastair Chisholm said: “It’s incredible to see Inch and Grub chosen as the Bookbug Picture Book Prize winner!

“The Bookbug Bag is a brilliant, important project, one my own daughters benefited from when they were younger, and I’ve loved seeing a new generation of readers enjoying all three books – and to be picked out of those awesome choices is just amazing.

“Huge thanks to Walker Books, and to everyone involved – I know David will be as pleased as I am!”

David Roberts is a children’s illustrator originally from Liverpool. He has illustrated a large number of books in both black and white and colour.

He has worked with such well-known authors as Philip Ardagh, Peter Bently and Julia Donaldson.

His sister Lynn Roberts is also a writer and the siblings have collaborated on several retellings of fairy stories, including Rapunzel: A Groovy Fairy Tale, which was shortlisted for a Blue Peter Book Award, and Little Red: A Fizzingly Good Yarn, which was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal.

The winning book was announced in an exclusive video to schools and registered groups. View schools engaging with The Bookbug Picture Book Prize via this twitter moment.

Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said: “Congratulations to Alastair Chisholm and David Roberts on winning the 2022 Bookbug Picture Book Prize.

“Inch and Grub has delighted families across Scotland through the Bookbug P1 Family bag. We hope children treasure the book for years to come.”

Viccy Adams, Literature Officer, Creative Scotland said: “Congratulations to Alastair Chisholm and David Roberts – Inch and Grub is a thoughtful and engaging read for young children and their caregivers and has clearly spoken to the children of Scotland in a year when we have been particularly confined to our homes and living spaces.”

Dentistry: Latest data highlights access crisis and widening inequalities in Scotland

The British Dental Association Scotland has called on the Scottish Government to strongly support NHS dentistry to address the large reduction in patients visiting the dentist as new data reveal further decreases in attendance and ever-widening inequalities.

Registration rates remain high due to lifetime registration – over 96% of the Scottish population were registered with an NHS dentist in September 2021 – but the percentage of children registered fell from 91.4% in 2020 to 87.7% in 2021.

Participation rates – contact with a dentist within the past 2 years – continued to fall during the pandemic due to ongoing restrictions imposed on dental practices. At 30 September 2021, just over half of registered patients (52.6%) had seen an NHS dentist within the last two years, a considerable reduction from almost two-thirds (65.1%) in 2020. The participation rate among children was higher than for adults (63.9% compared to 50.2%).

Oral health inequalities between the most and least deprived areas in Scotland continue to grow, with the new data showing record gaps in participation rates.

In September 2008, the gap between the child participation rates for the most and least deprived areas was three percentage points; this had increased to seven percentage points by 2010, and eighteen percentage points (55.3% compared to 73.1%) in September 2021.

Similarly, in September 2008 the gap among adults was three percentage points; this had increased to six percentage points by 2010, and eleven percentage points (45.1% compared for 56.4%) in September 2021.

The BDA has repeatedly warned that lower levels of participation will inevitably translate into a higher disease burden, with deep oral health inequalities expected to widen even further, given the cumulative impact of limited access to services, the suspension of public health programmes, and the impact of lockdown diets.

Lower participation will reduce the chance of picking up early signs of decay and oral cancers at routine check-ups, and delays in treatment will mean higher costs to the NHS and worse outcomes for patients.

Free NHS dental care at the point of use remains a central Scottish Government policy. The stark results of a recent BDA survey showed that Scottish Government plans to revert to pre-COVID models of care risk sparking a flight of dentists from the NHS, with potentially devastating consequences for patient access across Scotland.

BDA Scotland has long warned that a return to a ‘business as usual model’ – low margin and high volume – will put practices under unsustainable financial pressure and will likely lead to closures or movement to the private sector.

BDA Scotland repeats its assertion that the Scottish Government must, in the short term, develop a suitable interim funding package to support dentists and their teams as they work through the backlog, and begin work on a new, sustainable long-term model for NHS dentistry.

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Robert Donald of the British Dental Association’s Scottish Council said:
“Today’s figures provide further evidence of the devastating effect of the pandemic on dental services.

“Plummeting participation rates and the record gap in oral health inequalities present a bleak picture which will take a real commitment of time and resource to fix.

“The Scottish Government needs to heed the concerns of the profession. It’s not just their signature policy of free dentistry that risks becoming unattainable. Failure to act risks sparking an exodus from the workforce that will leave families across Scotland losing access to NHS dentistry for good.”

Rabbie’s back on Bernard Street!

Leith’s iconic Burns statue returned to its home on Bernard Street as Scotland prepared to celebrate the national bard.

The 19th century bronze sculpture was put into storage in December 2019 to make way for Trams to Newhaven construction. It has since undergone specialist conservation work before its reinstatement at Bernard Street’s junction with Constitution Street.

Yesterday, on the morning of Burns Night (Tuesday, 25 January), Council leaders, tram project officers and contractors were joined by conservationists and former Edinburgh Makar Alan Spence to unveil the monument.

They also marked the placement of a new time capsule underneath the statue, alongside an original capsule discovered in 2019, which contained relics from both the late 19th century and the 1960s.

Councillor Lesley Macinnes, Transport and Environment Convener, said: “I’m delighted to see this much-loved Robert Burns statue returned to its home in Leith – and spruced up thanks to specialist conservation work – just in time for Burns night.

It’s fantastic that so many members of the community have been able to contribute to the new time capsule placed underneath the statue. Thanks to their input we’ll be able to share an insight into Leith today with future generations, just like our 19th century forebears did when they buried the original time capsule.

Councillor Karen Doran, Transport and Environment Vice Convener, said: “What better way to celebrate Scotland’s national bard than the unveiling of this newly-restored statue?

Its return also marks progress being made on the Trams to Newhaven project, as the area begins to take shape. I’m excited to see what the coming months will bring as ongoing improvements are delivered.”

In November last year the Trams to Newhaven project reached its two-year point and, despite challenges posed by the Covid pandemic, including a 13-week site shutdown, remains on track for opening for revenue service in Spring 2023.

The next main phase of construction between Coatfield Lane and Queen Charlotte Street began this week, while it is hoped the current stage of work on Picardy Place, which has resulted in some changes to traffic management, will be complete by spring. The entire section from York Place to London Road is expected to be completed in Autumn 2022.

On Tuesday, Alan Spence read out a specially written poem, which has been added to the 2021 time capsule created for the statue’s reinstatement. The capsule also contains poems and stories by Victoria Primary School pupils, a letter from the Edinburgh Burns Club, coins from 2021 and a face mask, amongst other artefacts.

This has been placed in a purpose-carved socket in the plinth underneath the monument along with the original time capsule, which originates from when the statue was first erected in 1898.

This was opened when the statue was moved in December 2019 and its contents include newspapers, coins and a letter from the Leith Burns Club. From 1961, there were newspapers and a letter from the people who had opened the original time capsule.

Meanwhile, Lord Hardie’s Edinburgh Tram Inquiry trundles on … EIGHT YEARS AND COUNTING … I wonder what Rabbie would have said about that!

Find out more about the Trams to Newhaven project online.