The recent Scottish Parliament election should give all of us cause for reflection. With voter turnout sitting at just over 52 per cent, nearly half of eligible voters chose not to participate in one of the most important democratic exercises in our nation.
The troubling story here is the growing sense of apathy and disengagement among the public, with the election campaign failing to ignite the public’s enthusiasm.
The SNP clearly won the election, but attracted only about one in five potential voters, and the Labour Party one in ten.
When almost one in every two voters stays at home, it raises profound questions about trust in politics, political representation, and whether our institutions are genuinely connecting with the people they serve.
Low turnout should not simply be accepted as the new normal. It should serve as a warning sign that democratic participation in Scotland cannot be taken for granted. The alarming lack of interest is a crisis that should concern all parties, and they should devote themselves to addressing this apathy by engaging the public.
If this trend continues unchecked, the Apathy Party risks further eroding the legitimacy of our institutions and undermining public confidence in government, paving the way for the rise of more extreme parties.
Politics must once again become something people feel part of — not something done to them from a distance.
Contini George Street is proud to announce a meaningful new partnership with Maggie’s Edinburgh, a charity offering expert cancer support and information in Edinburgh.
The newly formed partnership will support the charity’s vital cancer care services throughout the month of May through a series of fundraising initiatives, headlined by a pre-loved designer pop-up shop and a specially curated menu designed to reflect the spirit and colors of Maggie’s.
From May 14th to 17th, the former Jo Malone shop at 93 George Street will be transformed into Maggie’s Boutique, featuring over 1,200 donated lines of high-end designer fashion.
To celebrate the collaboration, anyone visiting the pop-up will receive a voucher for a complimentary Maggie’s Cocktail (available in both alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions).
The voucher can be redeemed at Contini George Street with the purchase of any main course during lunch or dinner service and featured cocktails include:
Brindisi per Maggie: A refreshing Passion Fruit Spritz with prosecco, Aperol, passionfruit, and mint.
Dolce Maggie (Non-alcoholic): A sophisticated blend of Crodino Biondo, soda, and 0% ABV sparkling wine.
These cocktails will also be available for general purchase at £10, with £1 from every drink sold donated directly to the charity.
For the entire month of May, Contini George Street will also feature two dedicated dishes on their à la carte and breakfast menus, with a portion of every sale supporting Maggie’s fundraising goals.
Buongiorno Maggie’s (£9): A breakfast delight of seasonal fruit salad with Graham’s Greek yoghurt, Victor’s honey, and homemade granola.
Maggie’s Giardino (£20): A nutritious take on the classic Italian Caprese, substituting traditional red tomatoes for orange Datterini tomatoes and fresh Italian apricots to match Maggie’s signature branding. This vegetarian and gluten-free dish features Mozzarella di bufala DOP, Contini kitchen garden basil, and Victor’s organic extra virgin olive oil.
Carina Contini, co-owner of Contini Restaurants, said: “We are incredibly proud to collaborate with Maggie’s this May. Our ‘Maggie’s Giardino’ dish is a tribute to their work. We invite all our regulars and new visitors to the George Street pop-up to join us in raising a glass, and more importantly, vital funds for a charity that holds a special place in the hearts of so many Edinburgh residents.”
By combining the reach of Contini’s George Street presence with the high-profile designer pop-up, both organisations hope to drive significant foot traffic and awareness for cancer care support in the capital.
Maggie’s Edinburgh Fundraising Manager Samantha Lea said: “We are so grateful to Contini for supporting us this May, particularly with Maggie’s Boutique later this month.
“As a charity we rely almost entirely on voluntary donations to support people facing a cancer diagnosis, as well as their family and friends.
“It is 30 years since we opened our centre in Edinburgh, the first of what is now 27 across the UK, and thanks to partnerships like this one with Contini we are able to reach even more people living with cancer from across the whole Lothian region.”
Event Details & Opening Times
Maggie’s Boutique Pop-Up (93 George Street):
Thursday, May 14th: Noon – 9:00 PM
Friday, May 15th: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Saturday, May 16th: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Sunday, May 17th: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Contini George Street (103 George Street):
Maggie’s Fundraising Menu: Available daily throughout May 2026.
Cocktail Voucher Redemption: Valid for pop-up visitors during event dates.
Aldi Scotland’s Supermarket Sweep is back for another year, giving shoppers in Edinburgh & the Lothians the chance to raise vital funds for Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS).
Inspired by the iconic game show, the high-energy challenge is set to bring a buzz to the aisles, offering one lucky EH postcode holder the chance to race through their local Aldi store in Edinburgh & the Lothians and fill the trolley with their favourite products.
Now in its eleventh year, the initiative has raised over £60,000 for charities across Scotland.
First launched in 2016, the Supermarket Sweep invites participants to take part in a five-minute trolley dash, collecting as many items as possible before the clock runs out. Once time is called, the winner takes home their haul, while Aldi matches the total value as a donation to CHAS.
Each year, CHAS supports more than 500 babies, children and young people across Scotland with life-shortening conditions, along with their families. In 2026, every penny raised through Aldi’s Supermarket Sweep will go directly to the charity, with £10,000 pledged in support.
This April, CHAS launched its £20 million More Than A Hospice appeal, a once in a generation opportunity to transform children’s palliative care across Scotland and redesign how the country cares for children with life‑shortening conditions and their families.
The appeal will fund the crucial rebuilding and refreshing of CHAS’s hospices, alongside the expansion of care in homes, communities and hospitals, giving families real choice over where and how they are supported when they need it most.
Residents in Edinburgh & the Lothians can apply to take part in the Supermarket Sweep from Monday 11 May – Sunday 24 May.
Sandy Mitchell, Regional Managing Director, Aldi Scotland, said:“We are proud to once again be partnering with CHAS, following the success of last year’s Supermarket Sweep campaign.
“It is always a highlight to bring this initiative to communities across Scotland, and we’re looking forward to giving one lucky Edinburgh & the Lothians resident the chance to enjoy a truly unique supermarket experience.
“CHAS is a charity very close to our hearts, providing vital support to families across the country. As the Supermarket Sweep returns for 2026, we are pleased to once again raise important funds and awareness for the incredible work they do.”
Iain McAndrew, Director of Income Generation and Engagement, CHAS said: “Last year’s partnership with Aldi Scotland was a huge success, with the team going above and beyond to raise vital funds and awareness through its Supermarket Sweep and a range of generous initiatives.
“That support has had a real impact on the families we care for and means so much to everyone involved.
“This year, we have really ambitious plans. Our bold £20 million More Than A Hospice appeal comes at a critical time and will allow CHAS to meet rising pressure on children’s palliative care services by transforming how Scotland cares for its most vulnerable children and families.
“Across Scotland, we support babies, children and young people with life-shortening conditions, as well as their families, through a range of services including specialist palliative care, respite stays, emotional support and bereavement care.
“Every contribution makes a difference, and we are incredibly grateful to Aldi Scotland and everyone taking part for helping us reach more children and families across the country.”
Entry is free and customers can apply by emailing their name and chosen store to supermarketsweep@aldi.co.uk before Sunday 24 May.
From today (12 May 2026), only learner drivers can book and manage their own driving test – part of a crackdown on exploitation by third-party services
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has introduced new rules for car driving test bookings, putting learners firmly in control of their own booking.
The change means it is now against the law for third parties, including unofficial test booking and cancellation finder services, as well as driving instructors, to make bookings for someone else.
Simon Lightwood, Minister for Roads and Buses, said: This government inherited record waiting times and a huge backlog of learners waiting for tests, with the system seeing too many people paying over the odds to third-party touts.
“But we’re taking action and seeing results, delivering almost 2 million tests over the past year, more than 158,000 extra tests since June 2025, and military driving examiners now on the ground helping boost capacity across the country.
“These new rules put learners back in control by stopping others from snapping up tests and reselling them for profit, helping make the system fairer and ensuring tests go to the people who genuinely need them.”
Beverley Warmington, DVSA Chief Executive, said: “Our priority is to stop learners being exploited by third parties, put them in control of their driving test and make the process fairer by clamping down on businesses that resell tests at inflated prices.
“These new measures help bring a halt to a system where the use of bots and third parties increases the amount some learners pay for a test and blocks test availability for many others. These measures will help free up appointments for genuine learners who are ready to take their test.
“We’re determined to reduce waiting times further, building on the more than 158,000 additional tests delivered between June 2025 and March 2026 – supported by driving examiner numbers at their highest level since 2018 and the recent deployment of military driving examiners who are already carrying out tests.”
New rules are making booking fairer
The new rules aim to make booking driving tests fairer for learner drivers.
Learners should only ever pay the official DVSA fee – £62 on weekdays and £75 on evenings, weekends and bank holidays.
The changes introduced today build on the reduction in the number of changes that can be made to a test from 6 to 2, which came into force on 31 March 2026.
From 9 June 2026, further restrictions will come into force, limiting learners to moving their test only to one of the 3 nearest driving test centres. This will help to deter bookings at locations where learners do not intend to take their test.
Driving instructors and driving schools can still:
advise learners on when they are ready to take a test and offer support throughout their learning journey
set their available times, preventing learners from booking tests at times that do not work for them
More driving examiners and more driving tests
DVSA is continuing to increase driving examiner capacity to help provide more tests. As of April 2026, there were 1,604 full-time equivalent driving examiners in post – the highest level of examiner capacity since March 2018.
DVSA has doubled its training capacity for new driving examiners, meaning it can recruit more driving examiners and get them testing sooner.
More driving tests taking place
Provisional data shows that the number of driving tests taking place has increased over the last year. 1,998,608 car driving tests taken between April 2025 and March 2026 – an increase of 8.6% from the previous year.
The team at Tesco Extra in Corstorphine donated £200 to Corstorphine Dementia Project for new kitchen equipment.
The equipment will support the charity, who host the Jubilee Club, a lunch and social event for people with Alzheimer’s and dementia.
The charity has launched a crowdfunding page to help renovate their new premises.
The team at Tesco Extra supermarket in Corstorphine has supported a local dementia charity with a donation of £200, which has been used to purchase new kitchen equipment.
The equipment, which includes kettles, toasters and utensils, will help support the team at Corstorphine Dementia Project, which hosts a day service on Monday to Fridays each week for members to enjoy regular lunch events where people with Alzheimer’s and dementia can meet, enjoy lunch and socialise.
This donation comes at a vital time for the group, which, for more than 30 years, has been a well-known, and vital community lifeline, providing essential support for families in North West Edinburgh.
With its current premises planned to be demolished within 12 months, the charity has found a new home that will secure its future for decades to come, allowing its caring and dedicated team to continue providing the care and support that families in North West Edinburgh have come to rely on.
However, the new premises require refurbishment, so the Corstorphine Dementia Project has launched a Crowdfunder page to raise £35,000 which will go towards the work needed on the new site.
Karen Brown, Senior Support Worker at the Corstorphine Dementia Project, said: “We’re hugely grateful for this incredible donation and we’d like to thank the lovely team at Tesco Extra Corstorphine for their support.
“It has made a real difference and is very much appreciated by both our members and the team.
“Our group’s day-care centre, the Jubilee Club, provides a safe, supportive and stimulating environment where people living with dementia and cognitive impairment can enjoy meaningful activities, social interaction and personalised care.
“With this new equipment, we can continue providing them with tasty lunches and hot drinks, while giving them an opportunity to socialise with other members in the community.
“We’re also grateful for any donations to our crowdfunding page, which will allow us to continue our vital work, securing our future in an environment where we can thrive and make an even greater impact. We hope to create a new home that fosters hope, inclusion and growth.”
Deborah Brown, Community Champion at Tesco Corstorphine Extra, said: “The vital work carried out by the Corstorphine Dementia Project at its Jubilee Club is an incredibly important part of our community, so we were really delighted to be able to play our part in supporting them.
“The sessions they host for people living with Alzheimer’s and dementia are wonderful and we wish them the best of luck working on securing more funding for their new premises and urge our customers to donate to their crowdfunding page if they can.”
To donate to the Corstorphine Dementia Project crowdfunding page, please visit:
ECCAN’s annual fund for community-led climate action is back – supporting projects, ideas and collaborations working towards a greener, fairer and more resilient Edinburgh.
This year we’re particularly excited to support:
• Youth-led initiatives
• Climate adaptation & resilience projects
• Work that widens access and participation in climate action
Whether you’re part of a community group, local organisation, neighbourhood initiative or have an idea you’d like to develop with others – we’d love to hear from you.
We’ll also be running online and in-person support surgeries from mid-May to help people shape ideas and applications.
New legislation to be announced in the King’s Speech on Wednesday will give government the option to bring British Steel into public ownership
Government to introduce legislation which would give it the option to nationalise British Steel, subject to public interest test being met.
Primary legislation would give Government a route to safeguard UK steelmaking capacity and avoid sudden halt of production at Scunthorpe, while it considers options for British Steel to help deliver on government’s Steel Strategy ambitions.
Move strengthens economic resilience and backs Government’s long‑term ambition for a resilient, modern UK steel sector.
British Steel could be back in Government hands for the first time since being sold off in 1988, thanks to powers that will be included in new legislation to be set out in the Kings Speech tomorrow.
The new powers would be subject to public interest tests, and if used to nationalise British Steel, they would boost national security while giving stability to workers at Scunthorpe, and British Steel’s suppliers and customers.
The Prime Minister announced the new legislation in a speech yesterday (Monday 11 May) where he set out his plan to boost our sovereign capabilities, protect British industry, and prioritise British jobs and industrial communities.
The Government intervened at British Steel in April 2025 under the Steel Industry (Special Measures) Act to ensure uninterrupted steel production and to avoid the sudden closure of the blast furnaces, which would have disrupted supply chains and risked thousands of jobs.
Since then, the Government has been in discussions with British Steel’s owner to find a pragmatic and realistic solution for the business on acceptable terms.
It has not been possible to agree a commercial sale with the current owner, and government does not believe an agreement could be reached which would deliver acceptable value for money for taxpayers.
The Government believes introducing legislation to provide a route to public ownership is the appropriate next step, while recognising that any decision to use the powers in the Bill would be subject to the Bill’s public interest test being met.
The public interest test considers factors including national security, maintaining critical national infrastructure and supporting the economy.
The announcement today follows the launch of the Government’s landmark Steel Strategy in March, which set out its long‑term plan to revitalise the UK steel sector and bolster economic resilience by meeting up to 50 percent of UK steel demand domestically.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “Steel is strategically important to our economy and our national resilience. That’s why we acted last year to avoid a sudden halt to production at Scunthorpe, protecting workers and the community that depend on the site, and why we’re now bringing forward legislation to give us options to protect Britain’s steelmaking capability.
“This is what an activist state looks like – taking decisions in the national interest. This Bill would allow us to take action if we need to, while we continue rebuilding our steel sector.”
Business Secretary Peter Kyle said: “Strong domestic steel production is vital for our economy, and this legislation would allow us to ensure stability for British Steel’s workers, suppliers and customers and avoid damaging disruption to crucial supply chains, while we consider options for the site’s future.
“Revitalising our steel sector is a top priority for this government, and bringing forward this legislation would allow us to explore potential future options for British Steel. The government recognises that securing the long-term future of the UK’s steel sector relies on both public and private investment for modernisation.”
Following the Government’s intervention in April 2025, British Steel has continued operating at the Scunthorpe site, protecting steelmaking capacity and supporting jobs across the local economy and supply chain, providing reassurance and stability for the town and its workforce.
The new Bill will be formally introduced to Parliament this week. Any decision to bring British Steel into public ownership would only be taken after the Bill receives Royal Assent, and if the public interest test set out in the legislation is met.
Changes to Edinburgh Airport’s pricing will raise pick-up and drop-off charges to £8.50 to help cover an extra £8 million business rates bill recently imposed on the terminal.
The move follows a 142% rise in business rates, meaning the airport – already the highest rates payer in the Lothians – will now pay more in business rates than the next three largest ratepayers in the region combined. This represents the largest increase in costs faced by any airport in Scotland and the UK.
It stands in stark contrast to the treatment of comparable Scottish airports, including Glasgow (+51.5%) and Prestwick (+39.1%).
As a result, Edinburgh Airport now faces difficult decisions to cover the cost and will also be forced to remove the 50% reduction for electric vehicles. This will come into effect on 18 May.
The free drop-off and pick-up area, where passengers can park for up to 30 minutes without charge, will remain in place with more spaces added. A free bus service from the free area to the terminal will also resume.
Gordon Dewar, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Airport, said: “This decision to impose an unplanned and wholly disproportionate £8 million rates increase has an immediate and negative impact on our business.
“We made this clear in correspondence with the Lothians Assessor, who set the increase, and in discussions with the Scottish Government, which has endorsed it.
“A 142% increase reduces our ability to invest, grow and compete. In practical terms, it equates to funding around 200 jobs, two aircraft stands, or five new security lanes. It is not a cost that can be absorbed; it must be covered, and trade-offs like this are unfortunately unavoidable.
“Like many across the hospitality and tourism sectors who have seen business rates soar, we have no choice but to pass part of this cost on to passengers. We had not planned to raise fees this year, but the absence of a transitional relief scheme – equivalent to that available in England and Wales – leaves us with no alternative.”
Edinburgh Airport has written to the Convenor of the Lothian Valuation Joint Board, which sets non-domestic rates, as well as the First Minister and the Public Finance Minister, to outline its concerns about the current rates process.
Mr Dewaradded: “We have always accepted that, given our size, we should pay more, but the scale of this increase is simply unacceptable.
“We have made clear to both the Assessor and the Scottish Government that a system which produces such markedly different outcomes for comparable assets operating within the same national economy cannot credibly be described as fair, proportionate or fit for a modern Scotland. This systemic inconsistency lies at the heart of our concern.
“While we welcome the manifesto commitment to review the business rates system, the harm caused by the current framework is already confirmed and must be addressed. We hope a fair and meaningful review can be concluded within this parliamentary term, and we will continue to engage with Ministers, including through early discussions, to help drive that process.”
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