Scheme launched to help return more empty homes to active use
A new online portal has been launched to bring empty homeowners together with prospective buyers or developers with the aim of facilitating more properties to be used as homes again.
Covering the whole of Scotland, this builds on the success of local pilots, referred to as “matchmaker schemes”, which allow owners of empty homes to upload details of their properties to a website through which anyone, such as first time buyers, families, developers or local authorities, can make purchasing enquiries.
The portal is hosted by the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership and has been developed as part of a £2 million investment this year to recruit additional empty homes officers and fund initiatives that will accelerate the pace and numbers of empty homes that are brought back into use.
Housing Secretary Màiri McAllan said: “If you have an empty home to sell, this new portal is for you.
“Making best use of existing housing stock is central to tackling the housing emergency. Bringing owners and buyers together is a great way of adding to the overall housing supply, be that for affordable housing or use on the private market and it complements our ambitious house building programme.
“We are already making progress in turning around empty properties. Over the past 15 years we have helped return almost 13,000 privately owned homes to use and last year we saw 2,066 homes brought back in a single year, the highest in a year to date.
“I would encourage anyone who has a home lying empty to use this new scheme and seek advice from the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership and their local council to bring their home back into use.”
Tahmina Nizam, Scottish Empty Homes Partnership National Manager, said: “Every home matters in our collective fight against the housing emergency, so we’re delighted to launch this brand-new matchmaker scheme.
“We know selling an empty home can be a daunting task; the matchmaker scheme is designed to make that process easier and to help get more homes back into productive use.
“We want anyone who owns an empty home to know that support is available, either from the network of dedicated local empty homes officers working in local authorities across the country or directly from the Scottish Empty Homes Partnership.
“No home was built to sit empty and it’s vital that we make the best possible use of the assets we already have. Every individual empty property could provide a safe and secure place for someone to call home, but collectively Scotland’s empty homes can make a huge contribution to ending the housing emergency.”
Former office on Festival Square will be converted into 195-bedroom Premier Inn
Whitbread PLC, the owner of the Premier Inn hotel chain, has received confirmation from The City of Edinburgh Council that it has granted planning permission for the conversion of Capital House in the centre of Edinburgh into a 195-bedroom Premier Inn.
Whitbread will invest £21 million in the conversion and rear extension of the 65,350 sq ft vacant office building into a latest format Premier Inn hotel with a ground floor restaurant and bar.
The new Premier Inn is anticipated to generate an additional £8.1 million per year in visitor expenditure through the external spending of more than 56,000 business and leisure guests which are predicted to stay at the hotel every year once it reaches maturity.
Whitbread believes half of this external year-round expenditure is anticipated to be spent supporting city centre businesses based on a comprehensive nationwide study of its customers in 2023.
Jill Anderson, Acquisitions Manager for Scotland at Whitbread, said: “We are fortunate to have an established network of 14 trading Premier Inn hotels in Edinburgh which welcome a million visitors a year and drive £32 million in annual external spending in the city.
“The strong year-round demand we are continuing to experience for our rooms in the city is driving the expansion of Premier Inn across Edinburgh, including at Capital House in the heart of the city centre.
“It is a sensational location for a budget hotel given its proximity to iconic tourist destinations like Edinburgh Castle, a host of theatres and concert venues, the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) and the Exchange District.
“Getting the green light to convert the 1980’s office into a latest format Premier Inn is a huge achievement for the team and we will waste no time in breathing fresh life into the empty building and adding another high-quality location for our customers in Scotland.”
Whitbread acquired Edinburgh Capital House freehold in late 2024 and submitted a planning application to change the use of the 1980s office block to a hotel in May 2025.
In addition to its investment in Capital House, Whitbread is working to expand the presence of Premier Inn at Edinburgh Airport and add a fourth hub by Premier Inn hotel in the city to the east of the city centre.
Premier Inn is the UK’s largest hotel chain with a network of 85,500 hotel bedrooms across the UK & Ireland trading from more than 840 hotel locations. Across both countries, the company believes in the long-term potential for 125,000 Premier Inn bedrooms.
Craigmount High School S2 pupils displayed great initiative in creating promotional materials encouraging young people to make positive lifestyle choices which were showcased during their recent ‘Live It!’ healthy living fair.
Several pupils chose to research the topic of e-cigarettes and addiction as part of their project work and created a campaign presenting information about the risks to health caused nicotine dependency.
The project work by students Owen Adams, Murray Bruce, Max Green and Olly Hay which also provided tips suggesting how young people could take steps to quit vaping, is being commended by health charity, ASH Scotland.
The pupils used the charity’s website to find details about the importance of tackling youth vaping, which is a major public health concern as e-cigarettes contain high levels of addictive nicotine as well as toxic chemicals.
Murray Bruce said: “Vaping isn’t only bad for your lungs. I’m concerned about young people getting addicted. I’ve found out it’ young people that are targeted with the bright colours and different flavours.
“I’d like to see more ‘fake customers’ going into shops to try to buy vapes from the shops that sell them to underage people and catch them. More people need to be caught so that they stop selling them.”
Project Learning Lead at Craigmount High School, Laura Thompson, who led the project said: “I’m pleased to see a number of our S2 pupils chose to focus on the issue of youth vaping, as it is a real concern to society.
“Banning smoking from public places seemed like such a game changer when that was brought in. Over 20 years on and we’ve just created a new problem. We don’t yet know the full extent of the issue, as long-term impacts of vaping are not yet known.
“I do worry about the health implications moving forwards. It’s important for young people to take the lead in finding out more and looking at what can be done to raise awareness of this problem.”
Sheila Duffy, Chief Executive of ASH Scotland, said: “We congratulate all the S2 students at Craigmount High School for their dedicated work to raise awareness about the issues of addiction among young people and the challenges to health presented by tobacco and recreational nicotine products such as vapes.
“The information campaign developed by Owen, Murray, Max and Olly raised much-needed awareness about the damage that tobacco and e-cigarettes can cause young people in their excellent project work promoting healthy living.”
For information about young people and vaping, visit:
Scotland to direct just under a quarter of its festive spend to local small biz
22% expected to spend more this festive season with food, gifts, clothing and alcohol top of the region’s spending plans
Over half will spend on nights out – more than the national average
Small businesses across Scotland are gearing up to take their share of a much-needed Christmas boost, as new data predicts the UK could spend £5.3 billion with small firms over the festive period, delivering critical end-of-year gains for this vital segment of the economy.
In wider positive economic signs, the new data from the Small Business Saturday campaign also found Brits could spend over £23 billion in total across the UK this festive season, representing a nominal 16% year-on-year spending rise.
On average, one fifth of the nation’s seasonal spending pot could go to small businesses this year – equating to £5.3 billion and representing an estimated 19% nominal uplift on the projected spend recorded in 2024.
And this trend is reflected across Scotland, with Scottish households set to show their love for small businesses, with just under a quarter (21%) of the Country’s planned festive budgets tipped to go to small businesses this year.
Across Scotland over a fifth of 22% of households expect to spend more on Christmas celebrations this year than last year.
The research also showed the most popular spending priorities are food (75%), gifts (71%), alcohol (53%) and clothing (47%), while over half (51%) will put festive spending towards nights out – slightly more than the national average of 46%.
As the Small Business Saturday campaign kicks off, organisers are issuing their annual call for the nation to support and spend with small businesses on 6 December and throughout the crucial ‘peak’ trading season, which is essential for sustaining many small businesses throughout the year.
“It is promising to see positive economic signs ahead of this year’s critical festive season. This bigger seasonal spending pot offers an incredible opportunity to boost the amazing small businesses across Scotland and the wider UK,” saysMichelle Ovens CBE, director of Small Business Saturday UK.
“Despite ongoing challenges, small businesses have experienced a period of relative stability this year.
“Public support can make all the difference in helping them finally turn a corner as the year ends – especially with Black Friday and Cyber Monday on the horizon, as small firms can really struggle to keep up with deep discounting events.
“It is vital the nation gets behind our favourite small businesses so we can unleash their power in supercharging the economy next year and delivering immeasurable wider value across society and our local communities.”
Encouragingly public support for small businesses continues to stay strong, with four in five people (84%) thinking it is important to support small businesses and 95% believing they add value to the local economy.
This comes as the number of small businesses rose to 5.6 million for the first time since 2020, after a series of falls in the UK’s small business population since the pandemic.
Jean Pryde, Founder of Brilliantly Brave in Moray, Scottish Highlands, said: “Winter always brings a flutter of nerves for a small creative business, but this year we feel more hopeful than anxious.
“We put our Christmas cards out in October – that’s early even by greeting card standards – and it’s been heartening to watch sales rise day by day through November. It feels as though people want to lean into the season again, and that support for small, values-led businesses is growing.
“For us, the festive period is not just about sales figures. Every card we send out helps fund free, local mental-health support here in Scotland, and that purpose sits behind everything we do. So if spending does rise this year, it won’t just give us a stronger winter, it will help us reach more people who need it.”
Small Business Saturday came to the UK in 2013 and is backed by principal supporter, American Express, which founded the campaign in the US in 2010. Over the time it has been running in the UK, the campaign has seen a growth in public support for small businesses with billions of pounds spent with small firms on Small Business Saturday.
Last year over 10 million Brits shopped small on Small Business Saturday, according to American Express, with a collective £634m spent on the day itself in-store and online in 2024, and average spend per person on the day rising to a level not seen since 2020 (3).
On Small Business Saturday customers across the UK go out and support all types of small businesses, both online and in bricks-and-mortar stores; from independent shops and restaurants to small service and b2b based businesses like accountants, plumbers and digital marketeers.
Many small businesses get involved in the campaign by hosting events, offering promotions, and collaborating with other local businesses.
Dan Edelman, General Manager, UK Merchant Services at American Express, said: “It’s positive to see the attraction of spending with small businesses remains strong among the public, especially with the festive season fast approaching.
“American Express is proud of its long-standing support of Small Business Saturday, a vital campaign encouraging the nation to shop small, whatever their budget.”
As well as encouraging the public to make a conscious effort to spend with small firms across the festive season and beyond, campaign organisers also suggest supporting favourite independents in other ways, such as leaving positive reviews or spreading the word amongst friends and family.
To learn more about Small Business Saturday visit –
Financial boost for carers ahead of the festive season
Carer’s Allowance Supplement will be paid to more than 96,000 carers across Scotland from 4 December.
Carer’s Allowance Supplement is an extra payment, currently made twice a year, for people in Scotland who get Carer Support Payment or Carer’s Allowance on the qualifying dates.
The payment of £293.50, which is only available in Scotland, will be made automatically from 4 December to people who were paid Carer Support Payment or Carer’s Allowance on 13 October 2025. Carers due to get the payment will get a letter from Social Security Scotland before the payment is made.
Social Justice Secretary, Shirley-Anne Somerville, said: “As one of the first payments introduced by Social Security Scotland in 2018, I’m proud of the difference that Carer’s Allowance Supplement has made for carers across the country.
“The payment recognises the important role that carers play in our local communities and wider society. We have also recently widened eligibility for our Young Carer Grant, meaning even more unpaid carers in Scotland are benefitting from extra help.”
Paul Traynor, Head of External Affairs, Carers Trust Scotland, said: “Since its introduction, Carer’s Allowance Supplement has provided vital additional support to unpaid carers in Scotland, helping to recognise the invaluable contribution they make to their cared for people and communities.
“With over one million payments made and hundreds of millions of pounds delivered, this supplement has helped ease financial pressures for thousands of unpaid carers.”
If a carer is eligible for December’s Carer’s Allowance Supplement payment but has not received a letter or payment by 15 December, they should contact Social Security Scotland free on 0800 182 2222.
The Vittoria Group has revealed the first two beneficiaries of its new Vittoria Giving Back programme, launched last month in honour of the group’s 55th anniversary, to support local organisations making a difference across Edinburgh.
The inaugural recipients Teens+ and Prospect Bank School were selected from the first round of applications, with each receiving donations worth up to £1,000. Rather than providing cash, the Vittoria Group chose to fund specific items requested by each organisation, ensuring the support would deliver long-term, practical impact.
Teens+, a transitional education service, based beside Vittoria on the Walk on McDonald Road, supports young adults with complex learning difficulties across its four centres in Edinburgh and East Lothian, helping learners gain confidence and prepare for life beyond school.
As technology becomes central to everyday independence, whether communicating online, completing coursework, making bookings or working toward qualifications, Teens+ highlighted the growing need for accessible IT equipment. The group will receive a specialist laptop to help students build essential digital skills and engage safely in an increasingly online world.
The second recipient is Prospect Bank School in Leith, which supports primary-aged children with complex, long-term additional support needs, including intellectual disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorder.
The school focuses on helping pupils communicate, manage sensory input, and participate in meaningful learning experiences. Funding from Vittoria Giving Back will enable the purchase of a SENSIS Cube – a piece of sensory play equipment designed for spinning, swinging and climbing, offering pupils calming or stimulating activities tailored to their needs.
The Vittoria Group is encouraging local schools, charities, youth groups and community organisations to apply for the next round of support.
Find out how you can get involved in YouthLink Scotland’s #EducationNeedsYouthWork campaign happening next week (1st to 5th December)
“Alongside schools, youth work improves the wellbeing, readiness to learn and educational outcomes of children and young people.” PEF National Guidance, Scottish Government
Next week, YouthLink Scotland’s #EducationNeedsYouthWork campaign will spotlight the role of youth work in:
Nurturing health and wellbeing
Tackling the poverty-related attainment gap
Enabling learner engagement – in communities and in primary school and secondary school settings
Supporting employability
Please join the campaign by posting examples and evidence from your local practice that demonstrate the impact that youth work can have in building skills, improving young people’s experiences and outcomes in education.
Use the #EducationNeedsYouthWork hashtag and tag YouthLink Scotland and we will share more widely across our social media channels.
We are holding our annual general meeting (AGM) on Tuesday 2nd December at 3.30 – 4.30pm.
Please do come along to hear about exciting plans for the future of our lovely centre, and to make your views known.
We are very interested in your vision for the future and the directions we can take.
All members welcome.
There’s been some good news to round off this special 30th anniversary year for Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre.
The Centre has just been awarded over £3500 from Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership’s Community Grants Fund to pilot a 6 month Monday Café offering free breakfasts, training opportunities, and monthly community lunches to reduce food poverty, build social connections and strengthen community use of the centre.
