The Scottish Liberal Democrats formally announce the selection of Mike Andersen as their candidate for Edinburgh North and Leith in the upcoming general election. Originally hailing from South Africa, where he practiced as a litigation attorney, Mike now lives in Canonmills with his husband and their dog.
Mike’s passion for his chosen country and his commitment to community service led him to join the Liberal Democrats, where he has become an active and engaged member.
“I love having the opportunity to get out on the streets of Edinburgh North and Leith to connect with constituents, listen to their views, and understand their concerns.
“I am additionally immensely proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the committed Liberal Democrat Councillors of Edinburgh North and Leith. Their relentless dedication mirrors our party’s steadfast commitment to serving the community and driving real, positive change.”
Raised in a household where service and community were paramount values, Mike’s upbringing instilled in him a profound sense of duty and accountability.
“From a young age, with my father serving in the military, I can remember being taught to do the right thing and not only the easy thing. I resolutely believe that ethics and accountability in public service are non-negotiables. Ethics should not only be talked about but should be seen and shown in action.”
Mike’s decision to stand as a candidate reflects his desire to enact meaningful change, placing the needs of Edinburgh North and Leith front and centre. He envisages a future where promises are kept, voices are heard, and every individual has an opportunity to reach their potential, embodying the core principles of the Liberal Democrats.
“Scotland is filled with talented, good, hardworking people. People who are simply seeking a fair deal in life, the deal they were promised through their hard work. The Liberal Democrats are the only party working to fulfil this promise of a fair deal.”
As the candidate for Edinburgh North and Leith, Mike presents a vision of a United Kingdom that embraces a role as a global leader in human rights and culture, while fostering an environment where both individuals and businesses can flourish.
“We can have a UK that is again proud to hold its head high on the global stage, as both a voice for Human Rights and a cultural superpower. We can have a UK which helps the vulnerable in society while providing the space for people and businesses to flourish.
“We can have a UK where voices are heard and Scotland sits as an equal partner. It is this vision I am fighting for and it is a vision which can become a reality but only if we vote for actual change”
Mike Andersen embodies the spirit of change, offering a fresh perspective and a steadfast commitment to Edinburgh North and Leith, Scotland and the United Kingdom, say the Lib-Dems.
Scotland’s councils faced a collective gap of up to £585 million between the money needed to deliver services and the money available when setting their budgets this year. This is estimated to increase to £780 million by 2026/27. Ever tougher decisions must be made to ensure councils are financially sustainable.
Councils are addressing this most commonly by making ongoing savings, using reserves and raising money through charging citizens for some services.
An Accounts Commission report on the budgets set by councils for 2024/25 says that a near six per cent increase in Scottish Government revenue funding to councils – totalling £13.25 billion – masks significant underlying financial challenges and strain. Almost all the increases in funding have been ring-fenced for policies and to cover the costs of pay increases in 2023/24.
Whilst councils received £147 million of government funding to mitigate the impacts of this year’s council tax freeze, there are longer-term financial consequences as future rises will provide less income for councils. Also, a third of councils say the government funding does not fully-fund the freeze.
The full impact of proposed savings by councils on service delivery and communities is unclear. There has been significant public opposition in some council areas to cuts to services, with new and increased charges also affecting people.
We will continue to monitor this area closely, as councils must meet savings in full this year. Failing to do so will intensify and exacerbate the impacts on services in future years, as further savings will be needed.
Councils must look to the future as they make increasingly difficult decisions to deliver savings, at scale, to address projected budget gaps. Planning and delivering on transformational change are vital if councils are to be financially sustainable.
Derek Yule, Member of the Accounts Commission said: “It’s getting harder for councils to do more with less. They have to find and then deliver significant levels of savings to address budget gaps.
“Fully engaging with local people and being clear about the different and difficult budget choices is vital, whilst understanding the impacts on the most vulnerable.
“Councils need to improve the way in which they present financial information, and do this in a clear, consistent and accessible way.
“The Accounts Commission calls on councils to increase the accessibility and transparency of publicly available budget information. This will allow for improved comparison between councils, particularly around key information including actions to tackle existing and future budget gaps, as well as savings plans.”
Extra investment to grow and nurture high-growth businesses and entrepreneurs has been announced.
The £5 million package will help deliver end-to-end support for Scotland’s start-up companies. It forms part of an ongoing to commitment to deliver on the recommendations of the Logan report into developing a world-class technology sector, and the Pathways report which is focussed on expanding the number of women starting and scaling-up businesses.
The package includes:
funding to expand the business funding competition Scottish EDGE, helping broaden and tailor the range of financial support available to fledgling businesses
the development of pre-start support, aimed at stimulating the earliest stages of business creation and product development for under-represented groups.
support to maximise the economic impact of university spin-out companies, and commercialise research
investing in initiatives that will attract the world’s top talent and showcase Scotland as a global destination for start-up founders and investors.
The additional support coincides with an announcement that Codebase, delivery partners of the Scottish Government’s £42 million Techscaler programme, are to partner with Scottish EDGE to develop the end-to-end support offered to businesses and entrepreneurs.
Deputy First Minister and Economy Secretary Kate Forbes announced the new funding as she visited the National Robotarium, the UK’s centre for Robotics and Artificial Intelligence and home to a number of spin-out tech companies.
She said: “Innovation is at the very heart of our economy. We have the talent, the skills and the facilities to make Scotland one of Europe’s fastest-growing start-up economies: an economy that is strong, successful and dynamic.
“This package of measures, which builds on the multi-million investment the Scottish Government is already making into our start-up business community, forms the next step in providing one of the most comprehensive government-backed support networks in Europe.
“The partnership between Codebase and Scottish EDGE also underlines our joined-up approach to fostering and nurturing Scotland’s young and vibrant business community. My message to Scotland’s innovators, entrepreneurs and disruptors is simple but clear: this Government believes in you and we will back you.”
Founder of the Hunter Foundation Sir Tom Hunter said: “Scottish EDGE is a proven, world class model of delivering finance to potential high growth early stage businesses and that has been independently verified.
“I am delighted the Deputy First Minister has recognised that and added significant additional resource to Scottish EDGE. When business and Government come together as they do in financing Scottish EDGE it can drive real economic growth by building the pipeline of entrepreneurial businesses, employment and the taxes that pay for public services.”
Entrepreneur and Investor Ana Stewart, author of the Pathways report on under-representation of women in entrepreneurship, said: “‘This is a meaningful step forward in tackling the extreme gender imbalance which currently exists in entrepreneurship.
“I look forward to engaging and supporting the Government and other partners in enacting change whilst building on the existing momentum created since the publication of the Pathways report.
“Change will not happen overnight so I am also encouraged to see the adoption of a more strategic approach with a multi-year investment – a critical component if we are to tackle these persistent challenges.”
SGN has teamed up with Generation Science, an innovative educational programme led by Edinburgh Science, to empower primary school children with insights into future energy solutions and how we can tackle climate change. The leading energy company is delivering LTS Futures – a first of its kind project – which aims to validate the compatibility of utilising the existing gas network to carry hydrogen. The success of the project, which is repurposing a 30km decommissioned natural gas pipeline between Grangemouth and Granton, would pave the way for hydrogen transportation on a national scale.
Thanks to funding provided by SGN, around 330 pupils aged 7 to 11 (primary 4 to 7), who attend schools based along the LTS live trial pipeline, have benefited from the 90-minute climate and engineering themed sessions.
The Green Machine is an interactive workshop dedicated to unravelling the complexities of energy transfer and renewable electricity generation. Guided by the Edinburgh Science team of experts, students delve into lessons to refine their understanding and perfect their innovative machine designs.
Recently SGN’s LTS Futures Project Director Nancy Thomson joined the Generation Science team at Moray Primary School in Grangemouth, to participate in a session which explored future energy solutions for the Earth’s changing climate.
It looked at different sources of renewable and sustainable energy such as solar, wind and green hydrogen, and how we can utilise them to live in an environmentally responsible way.
Heather Chalmers, P6 class Teacher at Moray Primary School, said: “The Generation Science experience was absolutely delightful. As the students immersed themselves in the wonders of renewable energy, they discovered a world brimming with possibilities.
“The team took them on a wonderful journey through the ages, tracing the origins of fossil fuels and illuminating the necessity for sustainable alternatives. From the intricacies of solar panels to the power of wind turbines, each discussion highlighted the importance of sustainable practices in shaping our future. The workshop not only sparked curiosity but also instilled a sense of responsibility towards the environment.
“Witnessing the students’ enthusiasm and eagerness to learn was truly heart-warming. What made the experience even more remarkable was the generosity of the sponsor, whose support made this invaluable, educational opportunity accessible to all. Grateful for their contribution, we’re reminded of the immense impact such partnerships can have in nurturing young minds and fostering a brighter, greener tomorrow.”
Laura McLister, Head of Learning at Edinburgh Science, said: “We’re delighted to have SGN on board as a supporter for this year’s Generation Science tour.
“Our mission for Generation Science is to provide high quality science activities to primary school pupils across Scotland, providing the same experience no matter where they live.
“SGN share our drive to inspire the next generation of engineers and champion the importance of sustainable sources of energy for homes. Thanks to their generous support we’re able to bring ‘The Green Machine’ to Granton and Grangemouth.”
Fort Kinnaird has launched a brand-new monthly book club, bringing the community together over the joy of reading.
In partnership with Musselburgh Library, the free sessions are hosted in Fort Kinnaird’s Caffè Nero, with participants discussing their current reads and all-time favourite novels while taking inspiration from others and enjoying a free hot drink.
The club meets on the last Thursday of every month, with the next session at Caffè Nero on Thursday 30th May, 10am – 11am.
The book club launch coincided with the return of the centre’s popular book swap, which saw over 300 books exchanged by the local community last year.
This year, in addition to the ‘Little Library’ of children’s books in the play area to exchange for free, there is also a dedicated area for novels for all ages to swap in Caffè Nero, with both book swaps available now.
Liam Smith, centre director at Fort Kinnaird, said: “We’re so pleased to launch our new book club – it’s a pleasure to be able to bring the local community together to socialise and chat over a good book.
“A special thank you goes to Musselburgh Library and Caffè Nero for providing their expertise and a venue. We’re looking forward to the next session!”
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Wilma Porteous, community librarian at Musselburgh Library, said: “We are passionate about the benefits of reading, both for wellbeing and education, and were delighted when Fort Kinnaird approached us to work on this book club together.
“Whether you’re into thrilling crime novels or prefer a literary classic, the book club is the perfect excuse to while away an hour with fellow readers.”
HRH Prince Edward, the Duke of Edinburgh, witnesses first-hand how Dance Base helps dance flourish and changes lives
HRH Prince Edward, Duke of Edinburgh, paid a visit to Dance Base, Scotland’s National Centre for Dance, on Saturday. The Edinburgh-based charity has a mission to encourage and support the potential for dance in everyone.
Jim Hollington, Dance Base CEO, said: “We were delighted to welcome His Royal Highness to Dance Base.
“In 2001 his brother, His Majesty King Charles, officially opened our brand-new centre on Edinburgh’s Grassmarket. We were delighted to show HRH some of what we have achieved over nearly a quarter of a century, helping dance to flourish and change lives.”
During his visit, the Duke of Edinburgh received a tour of the purpose-built building, a centre for creating, nurturing, and celebrating dance in the heart of Edinburgh.
Completed in 2001, the building hosts four unique studios, over 60 classes a week, broad reaching support for dance artists, performances, international exchanges, community projects and more – all delivered by a knowledgeable and passionate team. HRH visited children taking part in an Aerial Skills class, hosted by All or Nothing, and dancers in a West African dance class.
Duke of Edinburgh also enjoyed a series of curated performances featuring dancers aged from their teens to their eighties, offering a snippet of the important work the organisation has been doing across their public, professional and Health & Wellbeing programmes. These included:
Dance for Parkinson’s film – When We Dance
When We Dance is a collaboration between Dance Base’s Dance for Parkinson’s and filmmaker Lucas Chih-Peng Kao. The collaboration comprises of people living with Parkinson’s, their families, friends, carers, our volunteers, and a team of professional artists. Running since 2013, Dance for Parkinson’s is a core part of Dance Base’s Health and Wellbeing work and established a strong president of supporting people living with neurological conditions through dance. Dance Base has supported satellite groups to be established all over Scotland and continues to support the network.
24 Carat Gold – Freak Out
24 Carat Gold is a company offering opportunities to underrepresented elderly dancers with current members ranging in age from their 60s to 90s. They will perform Freak Out, choreographed by Alan Grieg.
Lothian Youth Dance Company – Kids Today
Lothian Youth Dance Company are Dance Base’s in-house dance company for young dancers aged 14 to 21 years old. Inviting new members each year, LYDC provides opportunity for young people to find their creative voice through dance. They will perform a piece titled Kids Today, choreographed by Dance Base’s Artistic Director Tony Mills.
Jo Richards – Barbieland
Jo Richards has been a professional dancer and dance teacher for over 23 years. She teaches Commercial Improvers, Commercial Jazz Beginners and Street Dance classes at Dance Base and represented the organisation at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Ceremony in India. She will perform her piece Barbieland alongside students from her dance classes.
The Dance Base team was proud to showcase their achievements and broad reach which includes:
50,000+ attendances at public classes
10,000 attendances at our August festival performances
50+ artist residencies where dance artists based in Scotland come to create new work
330+ live performances in August and throughout the year
60+ weekly classes in 12+ dance styles
They also talked about the upcoming events at the organisation, including Skills ‘N’ Billz, a Breakin’ battle on Sunday 26 May featuring Breakers from across the UK and beyond, invited for the daylong battle; Dance with Pride event to celebrate Edinburgh Pride and this term’s specialist workshops in Reggaeton, Ballroom and Contemporary techniques.
On 6 June, Dance Base announces the 25+ shows from Scotland and all over the world which will be presented this August as part of Dance Base 2024 Festival in association with Assembly Festival.
Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home reports drop in donations has had a serious impact on pet owners
The pet food bank service which has been used as a lifeline by so many has been severely affected by the drop in donations it receives.
The Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home (the Home) works with 87 pet food bank providers across East and Central Scotland, providing meals to pet owners who would otherwise not be able to afford to feed their beloved pets.
Without food bank support from the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home, some pet owners would be forced to surrender their beloved dog or cat. However, capacity at the Home itself is at a maximum and if even 1% of animals supported by foodbanks had been surrendered to the Home, they would be beyond capacity and be forced to turn them away.
In 2023 the Home was able to fulfil over 75% of pet food requests that they received, but that number has dropped to less than 50% since February 2024. The Home is now struggling to support the food banks with even the basic amount of cat and dog food that they require to support families in desperate need.
The demand for pet food bank support is growing so rapidly it is currently outstripping supply.
Last year the Home provided 671,000 pet meals in total through emergency food packs accessed at the Home and through food banks – a staggering 104% increase on the number of meals they provided in 2022. In April 2024 alone the Home supplied 1,144 dogs with one week’s worth of dog food and 2,124 cats were supported with one week’s worth of cat food.
Jamie Simpson, Director of People and Services at Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home, said,“Our Pet Foodbanks are a lifeline for thousands of dog and cat owners across East & Central Scotland, who, without our support, may have to give up their loved pet.
“We rely solely on donations to provide food supplies and with the cost-of-living crisis, demand is increasing. The Home is now at a point in which our foodbank donations are critically low but demand for help is at a record high, so we are asking anyone who can to support us with a donation of dog or cat food, to help pet owners in need in the community and keep pets in loving homes.”
The cost of living crisis has put pressure on food banks to support growing numbers of communities who are not able to afford to feed their families and pets.
In 2023 the Edinburgh Cat and Dog Home supplied 86,779kg of pet food, 595,816 meals were distributed at pet food banks across East and Central Scotland, 753 dogs were helped through Emergency Food Packs (75% increase from 2022), and 798 cats were helped (an 8% increase from 2022).
Food bank provider, Marie Johnson from Broxburn’s The Larder, said, “A couple of years ago I used to go out once or twice a week to collect donations, now I’m going out every single day.
“As soon as I stack the shelves they are being emptied.”
Without food bank support from the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home, some pet owners would be forced to surrender their beloved dog or cat, as this anonymous user explains: “I didn’t realise I could get help with dog food. I have been missing meals myself to make sure my two dogs were being fed, thanks to the Larder and the Dog and Cat Home, I can eat as well now.
“Without the food provision support I would have to give up my two dogs which would be terrible – my pets are key to my mental and physical health and overall wellbeing. I would like to say thank you for the pet food, I really don’t know what I would do without this service.”
The support of generous donors has kept Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home open for 140 years, giving animals a safe place to recover and find love and helping countless more pets through 87 foodbanks across East and Central Scotland.
Twenty volunteers collect, organise and distribute donations to pet food bank locations across Scotland each week.
Please contact foodbanks@edch.or.uk if you would like to support the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home by running a pet food drive at your place of work or community group, or if any pet food store/business would like to help with donations.
The first national volunteer survey of litter found by Scottish rivers and waterways has revealed that plastic bottles were the most littered item, followed by plastic pieces, plastic snack packets, drinks cans and polystyrene pieces.
With 80% of marine litter coming from land, our Upstream Battle® campaign focuses on raising awareness, gathering evidence and inspiring action to change littering behaviour to prevent marine litter at source along rivers in Scotland.
The recently published Upstream Battle® Citizen Science Report – a snapshot of data gathered by volunteers across a three-month period between December 2023 and February 2024 – consists of 185 surveys conducted along 26 rivers and waterways in 20 local authority areas across Scotland. It forms part of the national rollout of the campaign, aimed at understanding and addressing marine litter across the country.
In total 20,383 items were counted during the survey period, with the majority of litter found to be items which would be addressed under a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) or effective Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations.
The rest of the top 10 items littered include cigarettes, glass fragments, dog poo, plastic bottle caps and plastic bags.
Barry Fisher, our Chief Executive, said: “On the back of an extremely successful Spring Clean, this report celebrates the efforts of many individuals and groups who took time out of their busy lives to carry out surveys and send data to us, providing us with much needed evidence of the range of items that are damaging our rivers and waterways.
“The data shows similarities across the country, but also highlights regional nuances – this report highlights the importance of understanding and addressing these issues at a national and local level.
“I’d like to thank everyone who supported this data drive, from our tireless volunteers to our partners and funders who have shared and echoed our message and vision.
“Scotland’s litter emergency is damaging our rivers. We need our governments to commit to tackling single-use packaging litter through improved Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulations and to ensure a Deposit Return Scheme is not further delayed. These policy measures are needed now – litter levels will only get worse without them.”
Our Upstream Battle® campaign raises awareness of how litter from land travels from source to sea – becoming marine litter – and inspires people to take positive action.
The First Minister has set out his ambitions for Scotland’s economy during a speech in Glasgow.
Speaking at the Barclays Campus in Glasgow’s financial district on Friday, First Minister John Swinney outlined his government’s approach to economic policy making.
Mr Swinney said poor decision-making at UK level, typified by Brexit and immigration policy, means the Scottish Government must work even harder with its limited powers to help businesses and workers thrive.
The First Minister stated his determination to bring hope and optimism and said he will “go all out” to encourage economic investment.
John Swinney said policy making will be governed by:
Moderate left of centre, progressive values
A partnership approach with unions and business
A focus on actions
Problem solving based on evidence
The First Minister will highlight significant announcements in Scotland’s renewable energy sector this week and actions the Scottish Government is taking to boost high growth businesses.
The First Minister said: “My goal is to help people live happier and healthier lives with higher living standards and to help businesses boost profitability.
“The evidence shows that independent countries that are comparable to Scotland are wealthier and fairer than the UK.
“Scotland has the talents and resources to match that performance with independence but in the here and now and in the face of Brexit we must work even harder to help Scotland’s economy with the powers we have.
“I will go all out to encourage investment in Scotland and I will ensure people know my government is a firmly pro-business administration.
“A partnership with trade unions and business will be at the core of my approach and through that approach and given our resources, not least incredible renewable energy, we should look to the future with hope and optimism.”
ANALYSIS: FRASER of ALLANDER INSTITUTE
New FM – new approach on the economy?
Today, the new First Minister John Swinney set out his broad economic aspirations for Scotland (write MAIRI SPOWAGE and EMMA CONGREVE).
In a speech at the impressive Barclays Glasgow Campus (which he said embodied the ambition he wished to have for the economy), he set out the vision he had for Scotland to have a strong, successful, innovative and dynamic economy.
For people who were after specific policy actions, the speech was light on detail, but it was not perhaps fair to expect the FM to outline these sorts of specifics in a speech like this.
The FM also had a difficult line to tread, given (as he himself pointed out) that he has been a Minister in government for 16 of the last 17 years and wanted to talk about successes in a record he is “immensely proud of”. At the same time, he needed to recognise that there were failings in the previous administration that had led to him being in office as First Minister.
Economic Growth is front and centre
The First Minister had said as he took office that eradicating child poverty was his key policy objective. This morning he was keen to set out that there is no conflict between eradicating child poverty and boosting economic growth – rather, they go hand in hand. He set out that boosting the economy will create opportunities for people and raise living standards and that reducing poverty raises spending power and boosts productivity. This is to a large degree true, but there will at times be trade-offs that will require one to be prioritised over the other.
Given the key stakeholders from businesses and business organisations in the room for his speech today, he was very keen to set out that his government was going to work collaboratively with businesses and other organisations to design and implement policies to strengthen the economy. Even more broadly, the FM said that he wished to bring more consensus building back into Scottish politics to try to achieve outcomes – to “build up, not tear down” as he put it.
There was a clear “Scotland is open for business” from the FM today. Supporting more investment in Scotland (particularly related to the Energy Transition and Housing) is clearly a priority for this new administration. This featured heavily in this speech and has been supported by some of the policy announcements made earlier this week.
We will do, rather than write strategy documents
A widely welcomed aspect of the speech is likely to be the FM’s acknowledgment that his government could probably do with carrying out “more concrete actions and fewer strategy documents”.
We have been on record a number of times as saying that the Scottish Government produces too many and too weighty strategy documents. So this is a crowd pleaser to a room of people who are likely to want to see action rather than just warm words and have seen endless strategies come and go.
However, it is important to remember what the problem sometimes was with these documents. Sometimes, in the case of recent economic strategy documents, the problem is that they aren’t really strategies – if they set out high-level principles that no one can disagree with, but don’t provide a meaningful framework for prioritisation and dealing with trade-offs, then they aren’t particularly useful.
In other cases, even where strategies are set, they can often gather dust on a shelf rather than meaningfully drive activity in government.
All of this from the FM is likely to be broadly welcomed – it’s an easy sell to say there will be less bureaucracy. But let’s not forget that we still need a clear economic strategy from the FM and the DFM – and that a strategy is not a strategy unless it rules some things out and recognises trade-offs and carries through into day-to-day activity. This clarity and policy stability is what is likely to be required to inspire the confidence in investors that this new administration would like to see.
Looking forward, not back
Many of the questions from journalists in the room today were designed to get the FM’s views on what went wrong with economic policy under the previous leadership, In addition, he was asked what his government was likely to do on policies like rent controls, short term lets legislation, and tax increases (specifically income tax) that have been put in place at the past budgets. Essentially, people were keen to hear what, in these specific areas, might change under a John Swinney government.
The FM said clearly that he was “looking forward, not back” in response to the question about what went wrong under Humza Yousaf.
With regards to specific policies where regulation was impacting businesses, he said his Cabinet colleagues were looking at lots of areas of policy and that more details on specific policies would be following in the weeks and months to come.
On tax, he was more forthcoming – acknowledging that the higher tax rates on above-median earners in Scotland are an important component of raising revenue in straitened fiscal times, but also saying that “we can’t keep raising taxes”. It will be interesting to see how this approach to tax is reflected in the Government’s Draft Tax Strategy, which is due alongside the Medium Term Financial Strategy (date currently tbc). That is if these two documents survive the cull of strategies …
Evidence-based approaches
The FM today said a number of times that the government he leads will be more practical and will be driven by the evidence of “what works”. We are very supportive of this, of course, and hope it signals a shift of more meaningful appraisal and assessment of policy options within the Scottish Government, with the associated investment in evaluation.
In doing this, unintended consequences, whether economic or otherwise, are more likely to be identified and can be proactively mitigated, and/or it can allow the government to change course at an earlier stage.
In addition, progress and continuous improvement can only happen in a culture of meaningful evaluation and being prepared to learn from what worked and what didn’t work.
For example, how well has the policy on rent freezes and caps worked to date? It would initially appear from rental costs that it has had the opposite effect on rents than the government presumably desired, and it would also appear to have had an impact on investor confidence in the sector. Given the FM’s focus on housing in his speech today, and his commitment to be evidence-based, it will be interesting to see how this policy area progresses.
Is this a meaningful shift in approach?
With his speech today, that is certainly what the FM is trying to convey. He was saying many of the right things to hearten those who want to see the government focus on economic growth.
However, the proof will be in the policy action that is actually taken. So, let’s wait for these details in the weeks to come.
