Spring has arrived at the NEA Community Garden, and we’re thrilled to share some exciting news with you all! We’ve received funding from The National Lottery Community Fund to support our Garden and Shed projects over the next two years.
This funding will help us grow more than just plants. It will create opportunities for our local community to get involved in activities that respond to the climate emergency, focusing on outdoor learning, sustainability, and the circular economy.
It also means we can continue to strengthen North Edinburgh Arts’ commitment to sustainability, improving how we manage our carbon impact.
Watch this space for more updates!
In the meantime, come and visit our NEA Community Garden within our opening hours (Monday-Wednesday: 9am-5pm, Thursday & Friday: 9am-8pm & Saturday: 10am-2pm)
If you live locally in the areas of Muirhouse, Pilton, Drylaw and Telford, come and join our free drop-in sessions at the Garden (Tuesday & Thursday, 1.30pm – 4pm) or the Shed (Tuesday – Thursday, 10am – 2pm).
Enjoy the perfect family day out this Easter break with a special programme of shows and workshops at the National Museum of Scotland. Kids can play the role of scientist as they Dig Up a Dinosaur, solve a crime in CSI: Crime Scene Investigation or make slime to take home in Splat-tastic.
The whole family can enjoy Mini-Medics: The Body Show and The Rocket Show, and explore our free Tech Decoded drop-in activities.
Celebrate the extraordinary life and legacy of Jane Goodall, PhD, DBE – Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace – whose groundbreaking research and community-led conservation work transformed our understanding of chimpanzees and the natural world.
Audiences will hear personal reflections from some of Jane’s former colleagues, view images and video from Goodall’s career, and will have the opportunity to submit questions for a concluding Q&A.
Join Prof Dame Lorna Dawson of The James Hutton Institute and international experts for an interactive event exploring the science of provenance.
Learn how scientists determine authenticity and link objects or people to places, including crime scenes. The panel will discuss organised crime, murders, illegal mining, conflict minerals, gold trading, wildlife crime and the fossil trade.
Dr Brooke Vandermolen has taken the internet by storm as ‘The OBGYN Mum’, smashing down taboos and debunking myths about overlooked and misunderstood areas of women’s health and medicine.
In this special event, join Dr Brooke Vandermolen and host Prof Philippa Saunders, as they navigate the biggest myths, misinformation, and medical jargon about female health, and show how the internet is making it harder than ever to find accurate information you can trust.
In remote Himalayan regions of Nepal, yaks are vital for local livelihoods, yet crossbreeding with cattle – where antibiotics use is common – may help spread resistant germs.
Join an international team from the Research Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology in Nepal and the University of Edinburgh to explore this urgent issue, its implications for yak milk safety, and the challenges of conducting science in the Sagarmatha (Mt. Everest) National Park.
Town Hall Rich List 2026 findsthat a record 4,733 council employees received over £100,000 remuneration in 2024-25, with 1,255 receiving over £150,000 in total remuneration in 2024-25, another record.
The TaxPayers’ Alliance (TPA) provides a council-by-council breakdown of local government executive pay deals. A regional breakdown is available in this press release.
Click herefor frequently asked questions about the Town Hall Rich List.
In the wake of the largest council tax increase since 2004, the TaxPayers’ Alliance (TPA) launches its Town Hall Rich List 2026 (THRL), the 20th edition of the project. THRL is the only comprehensive list of its kind with a council-by-council breakdown of local government executive pay deals.
The number of council bosses receiving more than £100,000 in 2024-25 stood at 4,733, the highest level since this dataset was first published in 2007 and 827 more than last year’s edition. This is an increase of over 21 per cent on last year, as council wage bills continue to grow.
In contrast, the Yorkshire and the Humber region saw the smallest increase in the number of employees receiving over £100,000, rising by 2 per cent from 204 to 209.
The number of staff receiving over £150,000 has also hit a record high of 1,255. This is a 14.9 per cent increase from last year and almost twenty times more than in the first edition of THRL when Tony Blair was prime minister. The THRL reveals there were 320 council employees who received a higher salary than the prime minister was entitled to in 2024-25.
The highest remunerated council employee in 2024-25 was from Staffordshire council, who received around £457,500. The name and job title of this individual were not provided, nor was the breakdown of what this figure encompassed, though they were a council employee and not teaching staff.
Councils have routinely increased council tax by 4.99 per cent each year, the maximum before a local referendum is mandatory in England, often citing stretched budgets and increased demands.
Despite budget shortfalls, councils have been able to consistently find ever-increasing amounts to pay senior staff. Local councils employed more than double the number of senior managers as the NHS did the year before.
Six councils that issued Section 114 bankruptcy notices since 2020 had 124 council employees receiving over £100,000.
Some increases in the figures are partially driven by an increase in the number of councils that have published accounts compared to the 2025 edition of this list.
In a positive move towards more transparency, the number who failed to publish accounts in time for this year fell from 15 to five.
In 2024-25, there were at least 4,733 council employees receiving £100,000 or more in total remuneration. This is a 21.2 per cent increase from 2023-24, representing 827 more people and compared to 2005-06, there were eight times more people in this category. Of these, 1,255 council employees had total remuneration of at least £150,000 in 2024-25, which represents a 14.9 per cent increase or 163 more people from 2023-24. Compared to 2005-06, there were almost twenty times more people in this category.
At least 366 local authority employees had total remuneration of at least £200,000 in 2024-25. This is a 39.7 per cent increase from 2023-24, representing 104 people. In 2005-06, there were five people in this category.
The prime minister had a salary entitlement of £172,153 in 2024. 320 council employees received a higher salary than this in 2024-25, as opposed to total remuneration. This is a third more than in 2023-24.
A total of five councils did not provide accounts for 2024-25. This is lower than previous years, with 15 not producing 2023-24 accounts in time for last year’s note, which was significantly down from 59 in 2022-23.
In 2024-25, the highest remunerated council employee was from Staffordshire council, who received £457,500. The name and job title of this individual were not provided, nor was the breakdown of what this figure encompassed.
The council employee with the largest compensation for loss of office payment in 2024-25 was the unnamed assistant chief executive at Cambridge council, who received £222,559 in compensation and £330,101 in total remuneration.
Elaine Allergretti, strategic director, children and adults at Barking and Dagenham council, received the largest bonus payment in 2024-25, at £34,161, with total remuneration of £232,923.
Westminster council was the local authority with the most staff receiving over £100,000 in 2024-25. The council had 92 such individuals, 19 more than 2023-24. This is a twelve-fold increase from 2005-06, when the council had seven council employees receiving over £100,000 in total remuneration.
Yorkshire and the Humbersaw the smallest increase in the number of employees receiving over £100,000 total remuneration from 2023-24 to 2024-25, rising by two per cent from 204 to 209.
Six councils have issued section 114 notices since 2020, effectively declaring bankruptcy. There were 124 employees in these councils receiving over £100,000 in total remuneration in 2024-25. Of these, Claire Demmel, interim executive director of place at Thurrock council, had the largest total remuneration in 2024-25, at £283,844.
From 2005-06 to 2024-25, band D council tax has risen by 120 per cent in Wales, 79 per cent in England and 30 per cent in Scotland.
John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said:“Taxpayers are caught in a pincer movement with a record-breaking tax burden on one side and a bloated public sector feathering its nest on the other.
“Our latest Town Hall Rich List exposes a surging class of council bosses enjoying six-figure packages, even as they plead poverty, slash frontline services, and hike council tax bills far beyond inflation.
“Residents can see exactly how many local bureaucrats are receiving plush packages and judge for themselves whether they’re getting value for money.”
In Scotland:
Scotland had 369 council employees who received at least £100,000 in 2024-25, which is 24 more than the previous year.
The highest remunerated council employee was Katrina Hassell, chief officer (business and digital) of North Lanarkshire council, who received £281,680.
Humane World for Animals UK (formerly known as Humane Society International UK) will take its campaign to ban farrowing crates to Edinburgh today (14 April) by installing a life-sized animatronic pig named Penny to highlight the harsh reality faced by tens of thousands of mother pigs on industrial farms.
Penny will appear inside a metal crate like those used to confine sows while they give birth and nurse their piglets. The striking installation is designed to show the severe restriction endured by mother pigs kept in these systems.
You can meet Penny at the Mercat Cross today from 10am – 2pm.
As of 2025, Scotland is home to 25,600 sows, about half of whom are kept in indoor pig farms that keep mother pigs in these cages. Under current laws, they can be kept for up to five weeks confined in narrow metal cages every time they give birth, typically two or three times a year.
The cages are so restrictive that the animals are unable to turn around and have little opportunity to engage in natural behaviours such as nest-building or moving freely with their piglets, damaging their physical and mental health.
Polling commissioned by Humane World for Animals UK revealed that 84% of the Scottish public reject the use of farrowing crates for mother pigs.
Over half of respondents (54%) stated they would be willing to pay more for meat from crate-free pigs, indicating opportunities for farmers to benefit from the highest welfare standards financially.
Claire Bass, senior director of campaigns at Humane World for Animals UK, said: “Many people are shocked that such extreme, prolonged confinement is still legal in Scotland.
“Farmers must end cruel caging, not replace old cages with new ones that would condemn millions more pregnant and nursing pigs to future decades of misery. A cage is a cage, and public opinion is clear: mother pigs don’t belong behind bars.
“With the Scottish election fast approaching, our tour is turning public compassion into political pressure. Voters in Edinburgh and across Scotland are demanding change and joining our call for the next Scottish Government to support farmers to put an end to pregnancy cage cruelty.”
Residents at an Edinburgh care home have experienced an afternoon of hands-on fun as a host of weird and wonderful animals popped in to visit.
The team at Care UK’s Lauder Lodge, on Wakefield Avenue in Portobello, invited a variety of creatures to visit the home to meet residents for an interactive afternoon of animal therapy.
Residents were able to observe, hold and stroke a gerbil, bearded dragon, snail and tortoise brought in by ZooLab, the UK’s leading ethical animal encounter provider.
They learned interesting facts about each of the animals, including their habitats and favourite foods, while residents who dared were able to experience handling some of them.
Resident Betty Fisher, age 94, said: “It’s wonderful to see the animals up close and it’s also a great experience to learn about them and even hold them.”
Anees Riaz, Home Manager at Lauder Lodge, added: “We are always looking to plan interesting and exciting activities for residents. So many have an interest in wildlife and nature, so we knew we had to invite ZooLab for an afternoon of animal therapy.
“Whether big or small, spending time with animals can be incredibly beneficial for older people, as being around them can instantly help to lift a person’s mood and encourage social interaction, especially for those living with dementia. Animal therapy sessions are always met with such a positive reaction from the residents – they were fascinated by the reptiles, especially the tortoise!
“Every visit brings its share of surprises, and we never know which animal will come through the door. We’re all looking forward to welcoming the ZooLab team again very soon.”
Lauder Lodge is a state-of-the-art care home that provides full-time residential, nursing and dementia care.
Designed to enable residents to lead enjoyable and fulfilling lives, it has its own cinema room, pub and hair and beauty salon, and there is plenty of space – both indoors and out – for relaxation and recreation.
To find out more about Lauder Lodge, please contact Customer Relations Manager Chelsea Smith at chelsea.smith@careuk.com, call 0131 357 1760 or visit
We’re delighted to launch a new series of Life Drawing sessions on Tuesday evenings and Portrait & Figure Drawing on Thursdays at Granton:hub.
The programme begins with Life Drawing on Tuesday 21 April, followed by the Portrait & Figure Drawing course starting Thursday 23 April.
Working from a live model each week, these relaxed and welcoming sessions are open to all levels — whether you’re picking up a pencil for the first time or looking to develop your practice further. The classes focus on observation, proportion, gesture, and expression, with plenty of guidance and individual feedback throughout.
Both classes offer a great opportunity to build confidence, meet others, and enjoy a focused creative space in Madelvic House. The portrait sessions are particularly distinctive, as they feature local “heroes” from the Granton community — offering a unique opportunity to draw and paint people who actively contribute to the life of the area.
“I highly recommend the portrait drawing classes by Romain and Gareth. I went with a friend and we really appreciated the amount of feedback we received — it was incredibly helpful.
“The structure of the sessions worked very well, starting with quick drawings to get used to the model, followed by longer poses with breaks in between. The models were all ‘heroes of the city’, including Sibar, a well-known baker at Granton Kitchen, and Willie, a long-standing community activist from Granton. I would come back every week if I could!” — Naomi
Life Drawing (Tuesdays) 6:30–8:30pm · 21 April – 19 May, £58.50 for 5 sessions · Limited to 12 places
Book now: Life Drawing (Tuesday)
Portrait & Figure Drawing (Thursdays) 6:30–8:30pm · 23 April – 21 May, £58.50 for 5 sessions · Limited to 12 places
