Richard Demarco, the Scottish artist, academic, impresario and public intellectual was presented with the award of Scottish European of the Year for 2025 at a ceremony at the Scottish Parliament.
The presentation was made by Angus Robertson MSP, Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture.
The Scottish European of the Year award is voted for by members of the European Movement in Scotland. Richard Demarco topped this year’s poll, beating distinguished nominees from media and politics.
Mr Robertson said. “I am delighted to be able to make this presentation to Richard Demarco, who has for decades been making an outstanding contribution to Scotland’s engagement with European culture.
“I am also thrilled to see that he is continuing to remain active and contribute to Scotland’s presence in the cultural landscape of Europe.”
The certificate awarded to Mr Demarco says:
‘In recognition of his lifelong commitment to European culture, his championing of the values of free expression through the Arts, his numerous contributions to enriching the cultural life of Edinburgh and Scotland, his internationalism and his belief in unity and peace across Europe.’
Richard Demarco said: “I thank the members of the European Movement in Scotland for this award and for lightening my spirits in these too often dark times.
“I have never been in doubt, given the entire history of Scotland, particularly as I take the Declaration of Arbroath as proof, that Scotland is distinctly part of Europe.”
The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo has announced that its special 75th Anniversary fundraising initiative has raised a remarkable £157,161.75 for St Columba’s Hospice Care, following the conclusion of this year’s Show.
The donation, generated from 75p from every ticket sold in 2025, aimed to resonate with the message of this year’s performance, The Heroes Who Made Us, celebrating and supporting those that go above and beyond in our society.
This donation will enable St Columba’s Hospice Care to continue providing compassionate, free-of-charge palliative and end-of-life care to individuals and families across the region.
During the 75th Anniversary Show, each performance included a special moment honouring different individuals, highlighted as Spotlight Heroes, whose dedication and service enrich communities and the lives of those they encounter. Among those celebrated was Liz Gallagher, a valued fundraising volunteer at St Columba’s Hospice Care.
Liz has been part of the hospice’s fundraising team for six years, giving countless hours to bucket collections, events, and creative fundraising ideas. In her day job supporting people with additional needs, Liz involves her clients in St Columba’s Hospice Care fundraising activities, helping them feel part of the hospice community.
The donation from The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo will be put towards St Columba’s Hospice Care’s continued specialist care provision for people across Edinburgh and the Lothians ensuring that individuals and families can access the support they rely on at such an important time.
This donation goes above and beyond the Tattoo’s usual charitable giving which sees surplus profits distributed annually to military and arts charities in the UK. St Columba’s Hospice Care was chosen by the community with over 50,000 votes cast to select from a selection of non-military charities that provide vital services in the local community.
Jackie Stone, CEO at St Columba’s Hospice Care, said: “Incredible donations like this don’t come along very often, and at a time when hospices across Scotland are facing significant funding challenges, we are especially grateful.
“Support from our community has never been more vital and we are deeply thankful to everyone who voted for us and helped generate this remarkable sum, simply by going along to enjoy the Show.
“It was also wonderful to see our volunteer, Liz, recognised as one of the heroes of the Tattoo’s 75th Anniversary. Her energy, creativity and dedication truly reflect the spirit of our entire hospice community.
“We would like to thank the Tattoo once again for this generous donation. It comes at an important time, helping us continue to provide specialist, compassionate care for people across Edinburgh and the Lothians and ensuring that individuals and families can access the support they rely on, when they need it most.”
Jason Barrett, Chief Executive, The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, said: “Our 75th Anniversary was a tribute to the people who have built and sustained the Tattoo over the years, and it was a privilege to extend that celebration to community heroes like Liz and the team at St Columba’s Hospice Care.
“This donation was made possible entirely thanks to our wonderful audience, whose support enables us to contribute to partner charities and champion the military, traditional arts, and—this year—an extraordinary cause.
“We are proud to stand behind such an exceptional organisation and the dedicated volunteers who give their time so selflessly.”
A report highlighting achievements and progress in attainment among learners for academic session 2024-25 was discussed at Education, Children and Families Committee last week (27 November).
In a positive step forward, across several measures, the report showed that the gap between the least and most disadvantaged learners is narrowing. This includes at National 5 and Higher, or equivalent, level where the performance of the least advantaged learners in the city has improved in almost all measures.
The report shows an increase in attainment during the senior phase of secondary school, with the measure relating to leaver destinations the best on record. The percentage of learners gaining five Highers has improved each year since 2022.
Reflecting an increased offering of vocational courses across secondary schools, the number of vocational qualification passes, National Progression Awards (NPA), has almost doubled in recent years – from 941 NPA passes in 2023 to 1944 in 2025.
Figures highlight pupils’ appetite for this expanded curriculum offer with the number of learners taking part in the foundation apprenticeship pilot increasing from 16 young people in 2023-24 to 200 young people this academic year.
In primary schools, the attainment gap in literacy, which includes reading, writing, listening and talking, has decreased significantly. In numeracy combined data for P1, P4 and P7 shows that the numeracy attainment gap is at the lowest level for 5 years.
Despite the positive progress, there is more to be done to close the poverty related attainment gap and the report highlights measures to do this, including ongoing focused work providing guidance and support to priority schools, supported by partnership working with the Education Scotland Attainment Adviser and Equity Lead officer.
Commenting on the report, Councillor James Dalgleish, Education, Children and Families Convenor said: “This report demonstrates positive leaps forward in attainment outcomes in our schools.
“I am particularly pleased to note the progress we’ve made in narrowing the gap between those children and young people who are most and least advantaged.
“Regardless of a child’s background, it is crucial that every child or young person in our schools is supported to reach their aspirations and ambitions.
” In our secondary schools we continue to offer an increasing number of vocational course options, which not only support young people to make informed choices about life beyond school but equip them with qualifications and a route into the world of work.
“It is disheartening to see that there are gaps in attainment for certain cohorts of our pupils and I am committed to working closely with officers to understand why this is the case and how we can work to close the poverty related attainment gap.”
Local people are invited to join their neighbourhood boards to have a say in shaping their areas over the next decade as part of the Pride in Place programme
Communities to receive a jump start to the Pride in Place programme with an initial £150,000 to 169 communities to begin delivering the change they want to see.
Local people invited to join their new Neighbourhood Board and take control of up to £20m of funding and support to deliver a decade of change in their neighbourhoods.
This comes as Phase One areas get started on their ambitious regeneration plans to transform their neighbourhoods.
People across the country are being urged to sign up to new Neighbourhood Boards – set up as part of the Pride in Place programme – to decide how £20m of new funding is spent in their communities over the next decade.
Pride in Place will empower neighbourhoods to make the changes they need in their communities to restore local pride and reinvigorate their areas, based entirely on local voices and priorities.
From revitalising their high street to setting up a community sports league, or boosting healthy eating with community cooking classes, guidance published today sets out a range of potential project ideas and provides communities with the toolkit to choose the projects that are right for them and suit their local needs and ambitions.
Alongside this, each of the 169 areas in receipt of Phase Two Pride in Place funding will now receive £150,000 of their funding early in the new year to enable them to get the ball rolling sooner on rebuilding their local communities, setting up their Boards and engaging the community on plans for the next decade.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “Whether it’s breathing new life into a high street, setting up a local sports league, or saving the pub at the heart of your community – Pride in Place is about putting power back where it belongs: in the hands of local people.
“We’re backing the local residents who step forward, join their Neighbourhood Boards, and help shape a decade of transformation.
“This isn’t about short-term fixes – it’s about lasting change that restores pride, strengthens communities and creates opportunities for everyone.”
Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Steve Reed, said: This is about bringing lasting change to people’s communities after years of decline.
“So today we’re calling on people up and down the country to get involved in bringing back pride to their community and country.”
Minister for Devolution, Faith and Communities, Miatta Fahnbulleh, said: “Putting local people at the centre of the Pride in Place Programme is what really puts the value behind this money.
“Change and investment means nothing unless local people have their voices heard and their priorities met, so we are putting the residents that know there area best in the driving seat.”
Crucially, the new guidance also outlines that Neighbourhood Boards will have to prove they have listened to and have the backing of residents and their local community to receive all their funding, ensuring that community voices sit at the heart of the decisions made about the future of their areas.
Any resident with big ideas and a desire to transform their community can get involved, with boards being chaired by an independent member of the community, chosen for their ambition and potential to lead their community.
Local authorities and MPs in Pride in Place neighbourhoods will now begin to work with their communities to pick the right chair to take the reins of their Neighbourhood Board, lead on engagement with the community, and drive forward the changes they want to see.
Those interested in getting involved should contact their local MP or Local Authority.
Heritage, vision and the future of Edinburgh’s grand boulevard
Princes Street has long occupied an uneasy place in Edinburgh’s civic life: simultaneously its most recognisable address and one of its most contested (writes JAMES GARRY, COCKBURN ASSOCIATION).
Both our shop window and our common ground, it is the point at which the ordered confidence of the New Town meets the drama of the Old Town.
As is well documented, its magnificence was carefully curated, and fiercely debated. From many vistas, Princes Street and Princes Street Gardens still retain their constructed beauty; from others, the street feels tired, fragmented and increasingly disconnected from the care and coherence that such a prominent civic space demands.
In recent months, that unease has sharpened. Vacant shopfronts, makeshift replacements, inconsistent materials and a creeping loss of identity have pushed Princes Street back into the spotlight once more.
The City of Edinburgh Council’s draft Princes Street and Waverley Valley Strategy was met with thoughtful but firm criticism from community councils and civic voices alike. The strategy was widely perceived as underpowered: incremental where ambition was required, procedural where leadership was needed.
Significantly, at the Planning Committee meeting on 12 November 2025, councillors formally requested that council officers convene an elected member / officer / stakeholder workshop, bringing together those with transport, culture, heritage and placemaking expertise so that a more ambitious and exciting strategy for Princes Street could be brought forward for approval.
This proposed convening has already been described in the press as a “summit”, following rejection of the existing strategy as insufficiently bold. The terminology matters less than the intent: this is an opportunity for genuine reset.
But it must not become another carefully managed procedural exercise. Princes Street does not need consultation for its own sake; it needs a bold, principled conversation that acknowledges the scale of the challenge and the opportunity before us.
This challenge is not unique to Edinburgh. Across the UK and Europe, the traditional high street model is buckling. The drift of big-name retail to enclosed malls and out-of-town centres, combined with online shopping and changing habits, has hollowed out historic cores. Some cities have responded with imagination and courage.
Others have relied on surface-level aesthetic improvements and marketing rhetoric, mistaking cosmetic change for meaningful renewal.
These pressures are not anecdotal but structural: research by Historic England and the UK Parliament highlights sustained long-term decline in traditional high-street retail, driven by changing consumer behaviour, the expansion of online commerce and rising operational costs, trends felt most acutely in historic city centres.
There are lessons to be drawn from elsewhere, and they are encouraging for proponents of local, ethical, sustainable, low-emission and bespoke urbanism.
York has rebalanced parts of its historic core through its Streets for People programme, prioritising pedestrian movement and smaller independent retailers in ways that reinforce place identity rather than dilute it.
Bath has used careful, phased public-realm investment to support its World Heritage setting, framing its centre as a place for lingering rather than simply passing through.
Bruges and Ghent have demonstrated, through people-first circulation strategies, how heritage streets can remain economically viable while reducing traffic dominance and strengthening civic life.
Vienna has quietly reimagined several of its central boulevards as dignified, coherent public environments that support everyday use as well as cultural richness.
London, despite its scale and complexity, offers particularly instructive examples grounded in formal policy and design evaluation.
Westminster City Council’s Covent Garden Public Realm Framework sets out a structured approach to balancing commercial vitality with pedestrian priority, heritage sensitivity and coherent materials, helping to reposition the area as a thriving mixed-use environment rather than a purely retail corridor.
Meanwhile, the Strand Aldwych scheme has transformed a former traffic-dominated gyratory into a generous pedestrian civic space, restoring historic connections between the Strand and Somerset House and creating substantial new areas of public realm.
These interventions demonstrate that historic streets can be reimagined as people-first civic environments without sacrificing architectural gravitas or cultural identity.
What these places share is not a single blueprint but a shared attitude: they treat their most historic streets as civic infrastructure, not merely commercial corridors. Retail remains part of the mix, but it no longer defines the entire purpose or identity of the space.
Princes Street has already begun, almost by necessity, to edge towards a more mixed future. The City of Edinburgh Council has itself acknowledged this transition, noting the shift from traditional retail towards a broader mix of hotel, leisure and experience-based uses as part of the wider “changing face” of the street.
Media commentary has likewise tracked the steady replacement of flagship retail with hotels and large-scale visitor destinations, reflecting both local pressures and national trends in retail restructuring.
While such evolution is not inherently negative, it risks becoming reactive and piecemeal if not anchored within a clearly articulated civic vision. The danger is not evolution itself, but drift.
For the Cockburn Association, this is a familiar and hard-won narrative. Princes Street and Princes Street Gardens have been central to our work for over 150 years. From early campaigns that expanded public access to the Gardens, to resistance against overbuilding, intrusive commercialisation and visual clutter, the consistent argument has been clear: these spaces are not commodities, but shared civic ground, and must be stewarded accordingly.
At this moment, the Cockburn Association, as Edinburgh’s Civic Trust, is uniquely positioned to help facilitate precisely the kind of workshop now being sought. With long institutional memory, independence from commercial interests and a track record of principled advocacy, the Association can provide a trusted platform for serious, solutions-focused dialogue. A workshop (or “summit”) convened or co-facilitated by the Cockburn would demonstrate that this is not simply another technical stage in policy development, but a genuinely civic exercise grounded in public interest, professional expertise and historical understanding.
The task now is not to resist change, but to ensure that it is guided by care, clarity and long-term vision. Poorly handled, Princes Street risks becoming a diluted stage set for transient retail cycles and short-term commercial expediency. With imagination and leadership, however, it could reassert itself as a coherent, distinctive and genuinely civic boulevard.
The Cockburn Association’s long record of principled intervention is explored in Campaigning for Edinburgh, which traces 150 years of advocacy, resistance and considered action. It demonstrates that the Association has never opposed change itself. What it has consistently challenged is lazy change. Change without memory. Change without craft. Change without respect.
Any credible vision for Princes Street must therefore begin with principle. The view matters. The Castle, the Old Town ridge, the Gardens and the open sky are not decorative extras; they are the street’s defining framework. Materials matter too. Paving, lighting, planting and seating must speak of coherence and dignity, not contribute to a fragmented collage of competing interventions.
Equally vital are inclusion and accessibility. Princes Street must feel welcoming and navigable for everyone: with generous seating, clear wayfinding, step-free routes and design that supports everyday use as well as major civic moments.
The vision must also respond to the climate emergency through reduced traffic dominance, prioritisation of walking and cycling, and climate-resilient design incorporating greenery, shade, permeable surfaces and sustainable drainage.
Streets that respond intelligently to environmental stress are not aspirational luxuries; they are future-critical necessities.
Edinburgh now has the opportunity to articulate a distinctly Scottish response to the high street question, rooted not in trend-following, but in stewardship. Not in glossy reinvention, but in thoughtful continuity. Princes Street should not be permitted to slide into generic urban sameness. It can remain both living and grounded; practical and poetic; evolving, yet unmistakably Edinburgh.
This is an important civic moment and it deserves seriousness as well as optimism. The Planning Committee’s request for a workshop, now popularly framed as a summit, should be seen not as a procedural footnote, but as a meaningful opening: a chance to reset ambition and reassert quality at the heart of decision-making.
Princes Street will change. That much is inevitable. The opportunity now lies in shaping how and with whom that change is guided.
With principled facilitation, inclusive dialogue and renewed civic confidence, Edinburgh can restore Princes Street as a place that reflects the city’s character, honours its history and meets the challenges of its future with integrity rather than compromise.
Environmentally-friendly hydrolysis, also known as water cremation, was introduced under draft regulations laid in the Scottish Parliament testerday.
The regulations will, if approved, give an option for people interested in alternatives to burial or cremation for the first time in more than a century.
Through this process, the body is wrapped in a silk or woollen shroud, or other biodegradable material, before being placed in a chamber with hot water and chemicals, speeding up decomposition. Remains can be returned to next of kin, similarly to ashes following cremation.
International evidence suggests hydrolysis is more sustainable than traditional cremation, which uses large amounts of natural gas.
The Scottish Government consulted on the issue in 2023, with 84% of those who responded supporting the introduction of hydrolysis.
Public Health Minister Jenni Minto said: “We are introducing these regulations today following extensive consultation which has shown significant public support for the introduction of new, environmentally-friendly alternatives to burial or cremation. This included hydrolysis – which is already in use in some countries including Ireland, Canada and the USA.
“These regulations, if passed by Parliament, will give an option for people interested in alternatives to burial or cremation for the first time in more than 100 years.
“We are not suggesting hydrolysis replaces or displaces traditional methods of burial or cremation in any way.
“It is a matter of individual choice, but it is important that we ensure bereaved families and friends can have confidence in the care and dignity given to their loved ones when they pass.”
Making more social rent homes available would allow households currently using unsuitable temporary accommodation, such as bed and breakfasts, to access more appropriate settled accommodation. This would return B&Bs to their intended uses of shorter-term guests.
It is expected the Fund would support three new build developments – at Fountainbridge, Meadowbank and Coatfield Lane in Leith – with around 361 social rented homes and around 111 mid-market rent homes.
The investment is subject to approval from Council at the budget meeting on 26 February 2026. If it proceeds, the performance of the delivery programme will be reported to the Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Committee on an annual basis.
The levy applies to paid overnight accommodation booked after 1 October 2025, if the stay takes place from 24 July 2026 onwards. It is a 5% payment on the accommodation-only cost and applies to the first five nights’ stay.
The scheme is projected to raise up to £50 million a year to invest in developing, supporting and sustaining services for visitors to the city, and enhancing Edinburgh’s worldwide appeal as a place to visit and live.
Council Leader Jane Meagher said:“Many of those working in our city’s thriving visitor economy and cultural sectors are often unable to find affordable housing in the city, making it difficult for them to live close to where they work.
“In addition, the Council has declared a housing emergency, with more and more people presenting as homeless and not enough social homes available to meet this demand, and so too many residents have to use temporary accommodation, often in bed and breakfasts or hotels, taking vital capacity away from what should be tourist accommodation.
“That’s why it’s so important that this new funding is being committed towards a Housing and Tourism Mitigation Fund, which will be used alongside our existing investment programme for house building.
“This will ensure affordable homes are available for visitor economy workers in the city and means that bed and breakfast and hotel rooms can be used for their intended purpose – to welcome visitors to Edinburgh.
“This is the first fully agreed use of the Edinburgh Visitor Levy’s funds and will help deliver our objectives of developing, supporting and sustaining the quality public services and infrastructure that Scotland’s capital city must deliver for all visitors, residents and businesses.”
The money generated by the Visitor Levy scheme will be reinvested directly into initiatives that benefit residents and enhance visitor experiences.
In addition to housing, the investment streams include: city operations; destination and visitor management; culture, heritage and events; and a participatory budgeting programme, which will further allow residents and communities to have a say in how investment can be made to enhance the visitor experience in their area.
These investment streams are being developed by officers, and the Visitor Levy Advisory Forum will be consulted on all proposals. The proposals will be presented for final approval from relevant Council committees in January and February 2026.
Fiona Campbell MBE, Chief Executive, Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers and Vice Chair of Scottish Tourism Alliance (STA) Policy Group said:“The ASSC fully supports the delivery of more affordable housing but this is not the right way to go about it.
!The levy was meant to support visitor infrastructure and services, not fund housing projects. Tourism businesses are once again being scapegoated for issues far beyond their making.
“It is deeply regrettable that Edinburgh Council now lays itself open to further avoidable legal and reputational damage. Instead of brushing aside reasonable concerns, the Council should listen to industry partners who will ultimately be the ones administering their visitor levy scheme.
“We urge the Council to halt these plans immediately until the legal risk has been properly evaluated.”
NHS Lothian is proud to announce that two of our community nursing leaders have been awarded the prestigious title of Queen’s Nurse, a mark of excellence in community nursing across Scotland.
Ashley Lawrence, Health Visiting Team Manager in East Lothian, and Leigh Williams, Clinical Team Lead for District Nursing and the Bladder and Bowel Service in West Lothian, were among 18 nurses celebrated at a ceremony in Edinburgh on 28 November after completing a nine-month development programme run by the Queen’s Nursing Institute Scotland (QNIS).
The Queen’s Nurse Award recognises exceptional community nurses who demonstrate leadership, innovation, and a commitment to improving health equity. Originally introduced in the late 19th century, the title was reintroduced in 2017, with around 20 nurses selected annually to undertake the Queen’s Nurse Development Programme.
There are now almost 200 contemporary Queen’s Nurses working across Scotland.
This achievement highlights the outstanding contribution of our community nursing teams in Lothian. Ashley and Leigh’s success reflects their dedication to delivering high-quality care and making a real difference in the lives of the people they serve.
Pat Wynne, Nurse Director for Primary and Community Care for NHS Lothian, said: “I’m delighted to see both Ashley and Leigh being awarded the Queen’s Nurse title. This is a significant achievement for community nurses across Lothian.
“It reflects their dedication to delivering outstanding care and their commitment to improving health and wellbeing in our communities. We are incredibly proud of their success and the positive impact they continue to make every day.”
Pictured TOP: Leigh Williams (left) and Ashley Lawrence (right).
Pictured above from the left is Debbie Marklow, CNM HV East Lothian, Ashley Lawrence Health Visiting Team Manager, Pat Wynne Nurse Director for Primary and Community Care, Leigh Williams, Clinical Team Lead for District Nursing and the Bladder and Bowel Service, and Leanne Grant CNM DN West Lothian.
Life can be wonderful. Life can be tough. Relationships. Work. Money. Loneliness. Mental health. Self-harm. We can all struggle. Any place. Any time. One in four of us have had suicidal thoughts.
Ahead of the 2026 Holyrood Election, leading national suicide prevention charity, Samaritans Scotland, is asking all political parties to make suicide prevention a priority, keeping it in mind across all policy areas to help people not only in their moment of need, but before they reach crisis point.
The charity says that suicide is and needs to be treated as an issue of inequality, with the rate of suicide mortality in the most deprived areas in Scotland being 2.5 times higher than the least deprived area. The charity says that tackling inequalities across Scottish society and in services is the only way to reduce the number of lives lost to suicide in our communities.
Developed alongside its Lived Experience Advisory Group, Samaritans Scotland’s manifesto outlines Five Priorities to Save Lives that it wants to see taken forward by the next Scottish Government.
These priorities include increasing funding for mental health services, delivering a minimum income guarantee, using workforce training to end stigma and discrimination, increasing support for people in prison, and increasing resourcing for community services.
The asks aim to target the root causes of circumstances that can contribute to someone experiencing suicidal thoughts and behaviour, before they reach crisis point.
Speaking at the launch event, Neil Mathers, Executive Director for Scotland, said: “As we look ahead to the 2026 election and next parliament, Scotland faces many big challenges. Our communities are still grappling with the cost of living, cuts to frontline services, and the ongoing impact of inequality on mental health and wellbeing.
“But there are also real opportunities at next year’s election to make lives better – to reduce poverty, improve wellbeing, to make sure the right support is there at the right time, and ultimately, to reduce deaths by suicide.
“Suicide remains one of the most urgent public health issues facing Scotland. At Samaritans Scotland, we’re calling on all political parties, candidates, and policymakers to make suicide prevention a real priority ahead of the election.”
Mark Diffley, Founder and Director of the Diffley Partnership, was in attendance to deliver an overview of the political landscape ahead of election day. It was highlighted that three out of four people in Scotland are already supportive of a Minimum Income Guarantee, with the top priorities of voters at the moment including healthcare and the cost-of-living crisis.
Research by Samaritans Scotland in partnership with Strathclyde University released last year indicated just how closely connected economic insecurity was with suicidal ideation, as well as the importance of social connection and community support networks, which is why the charity is urging politicians to prioritise these areas.
With the most recent probable suicide rate for people in prison in Scotland standing at 18.9 per 100,000 people, higher than the probable suicide rate of 12.7 per 100,000 in the general population, the charity is also calling for increased support for people in prison.
Nancy Loucks, Chief Executive of Families Outside, who was also in attendance, spoke about the potential for delivering a Minimum Income Guarantee for Scotland, saying: Having a Minimum Income Guarantee is so important.
“So much of what we see (at Families Outside) is a result of poverty and trauma. We expect prisons to solve problems that start much earlier. It’s about giving people the opportunities at the start, that prevent these issues from arising.”
Scott Thomson, member of Samaritans Scotland’s Lived Experience Advisory Group, said: “My key ask of the next Scottish Government would be to increase funding for mental health services.
“The NHS and frontline services are under too much strain; waiting lists are too long, and people need support now.
“Nurses and doctors are at a higher risk of suicide, with burnout and workplace pressures being significant factors. I think that by increasing funding towards these services, we can impact and potentially alleviate many other challenges that arise from a system that is struggling to cope with demand.”
Suicide is complex and touches every part of society. It is vital that politicians recognise the devastating impact that suicide has on people’s lives and make clear commitments to address the factors that contribute to suicide risk.
Services in Scotland are working tirelessly to improve the lives of the people that need support, but statutory mental health services must have greater investment to enable them to keep up with growing demand.
Suicide is preventable. Samaritans Scotland’s vision is that fewer people die by suicide, that people feel able to ask for help when they are struggling, and where the right support is available at the right time.
Professor Alexis Jay to chair National Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Strategic Group
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Education, His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Healthcare Improvement Scotland and the Care Inspectorate will undertake an independent national review of responses to group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation.
Professor Alexis Jay will chair the National Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Strategic Group from January 2026, and will provide expert advice to Ministers on the findings of the national review as it reports on its progress.
The work of the national review will be undertaken alongside that of the independent Scottish Child Abuse Inquiry, and work already underway by Police Scotland to review previous cases, to gather evidence on the extent of group-related child sexual abuse and exploitation. This evidence will inform any decision on the need for a future inquiry into group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation.
Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said: “Our thoughts are with victims of child abuse who have already suffered so much – this matter must be handled sensitively and with the utmost respect and consideration for their experiences.
“The issue of group-based sexual abuse and exploitation of children is sensitive and complex, and the Scottish Government has been giving it very detailed consideration.
“We have been clear that we are prepared to give every consideration to an inquiry on this issue, and that any such decision needs to be based on information, evidence and a greater understanding of the scale and nature of this form of abuse and of the responses to it.
“Professor Alexis Jay has extensive expertise in this area, and her insights will be invaluable to Ministers as this work is taken forward.
“I have written to the leaders and spokespeople of other political parties to offer a briefing with Professor Jay and Police Scotland on this work in the new year.”
Professor Alexis Jay said: “I am pleased to take on the role of Chair of the National Group, and to build on the excellent leadership of my predecessors, Iona Colvin and Sarah Taylor.
“There is much to do and do quickly. The work of the independent Inspectorates should provide the evidence for Scottish Ministers to determine whether further action is required to disrupt child sexual exploitation in Scotland.”
HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary in Scotland, Craig Naylor said: “His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland acknowledge the announcement that along with the Care Inspectorate, HM Inspectorate of Education and Healthcare Improvement Scotland we will work jointly on this independent national review of responses to group-based child sexual abuse and exploitation.”
Chief Executive of the Care Inspectorate, Jackie Irvine said: “This an issue of vital importance to victims and communities and we look forward to working closely with partners to take this forward.”
