A HISTORIC new project is calling on young people from the LGBTQ+ community to share their life experiences for a first of its kind project.
The campaign, (Un)Seen (Unheard), a pioneering social history project to capture young people’s lived experience and preserve it in the national archives, comes to Edinburgh Pride on 24th June and Porty Pride on 8th July.
LGBT Youth Scotland working in partnership with the National Library of Scotland, will be hosting Past, Present and Proud workshops across the country during pride which aims to encourage people from a range of different generations to share messages of hope to their younger or older selves.
“Writing a message to their past or future self will allow them. to communicate their lived experiences on a national level and feel like an equal part of Scotland’s heritage.
“Bridging the past and present through stories will not only place LGBTQ+ experiences at the heart of local communities, but it will also help us all make Scotland a place where all young people can flourish and thrive.
“Our hope is that this project will not only connect with a new audience but will also inspire not-so-young people to get involved and foster intergenerational relationships within Scotland’s LGBTQ+ community.”
This year marks LGBT Youth Scotland’s 20th anniversary as an independent charity, priding itself in playing a leading role in the provision of quality youth work to LGBTQ+ young people, promoting health and wellbeing.
The campaign will have presence at three other pride events in Scotland over the coming months: Mardi Gla (Glasgow), Highland Pride (Inverness) and Pride Outside (Glasgow). Each with stalls and opportunities to engage with the archive project.
Along with collating stories from these pride events, the charity launched a campaign video on 1st June that showcases conversations between young and older members of the community, reflecting on what has changed and what we could still do better.
LGBT Youth Scotland is Scotland’s national charity for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer & Questioning and Intersex (LGBTQ+) young people aged 13-25. LGBTQ+ young people face unique and additional barriers to realising their potential and that is why LGBT Youth Scotland exists.
They believe Scotland can be a place where all young people can thrive and flourish, and they work alongside young people to remove those barriers; working with young people individually, and amplifying their collective voices to influence change.
If you are interested in submitting your story to the (Un)seen, (Un)heard archive or would like to know more about the project, email unseenunheard@lgbtyouth.org.uk.
Join them for DUSK, where you can experience a new wellness movement. Move your body through a glorious yoga practice to a DJ, reclaim the dancefloor, and still be home in time to pop your feet up on the sofa and get up early the next day. Or if you’re really feeling it, you could continue to party the night away!
Changes ‘ensure policy plans of this Government can be pursued with vigour’
The Transport portfolio will be restored as a Cabinet position as First Minister Humza Yousaf changed Màiri McAllan’s Cabinet Secretary remit to ‘Transport, Net Zero and Just Transition’.
Alongside this change, experienced former Cabinet Secretary Fiona Hyslop re-joins government as the new Minister for Transport. The range of experience Ms Hyslop brings to the role extends across the era of the Scottish Parliament, having held multiple ministerial roles, including responsibility for the economy.
The move will see Ms McAllan take a greater day-to-day role in the transport brief. Responsibility for the Green Economy will move from Ms McAllan to Richard Lochhead, who will report to her for these issues, freeing Ms McAllan to take on a greater role in transport. Mr Lochhead’s new title will be Minister for Small Business, Innovation, Tourism and Trade.
In addition, the First Minster has also amended the role of Gillian Martin, adding responsibilities to her remit and changing her title to ‘Minister for Energy and the Environment’. She will report jointly to the Cabinet Secretary for the Wellbeing Economy and to the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands.
Subject to agreement by Parliament and approval of His Majesty The King Ms Hyslop will, on appointment will be reporting to the revamped Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Net Zero and Just Transition.
The First Minister said: “I am pleased to announce that I am strengthening the ministerial team on transport.
“I have taken two steps: first, by changing Màiri McAllan’s remit, I am freeing her to take a direct day-to-day role in transport, effectively bringing transport explicitly back into Cabinet.
“Second, I am bringing one of the most experienced politicians in the Scottish Parliament – Fiona Hyslop – into the role of Minister for Transport. Her return to government means she can bring her decades of experience across government to bear on the challenges that exist, not least around ferry services.
“Finally, I am using this opportunity to also bring some extra support to the rural portfolio by expanding Gillian Martin’s role, and ensuring that Richard Lochhead’s title reflects his responsibilities supporting business across Scotland. This will ensure that the significant policy plans of this Government can be pursued with vigour.”
Detectives in Edinburgh are appealing for information and witnesses following a fire near to a property and a vehicle in Leith.
The incident took place on Jane Street, at around 10.35pm on Sunday, 11 June, 2023.
Officers assisted their partners at the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service at the scene. Whilst significant damage was caused, no injuries have been reported.
Enquiries to establish the cause of the fire are ongoing.
Detective Sergeant Christina Yeoman, from Gayfield CID, said: “We can be thankful that no one was hurt as a result of this fire.
“As our investigation continues, we are keen to hear from anyone who may have information, or potential CCTV or dashcam footage from the area.
“If you believe you can assist our enquiries, please call police on 101, quoting incident 4183 of 11 June, 2023.”
The Edinburgh International Book Festival today announces its 2023 programme which celebrates The Joy of Words and its 40 years as the world’s leading celebration of the written word.
From 12 – 28 August 2023, the Festival invites the world’s greatest writers, artists and thinkers to help create positive conversations that will celebrate the world’s best new fiction, spoken word and non-fiction.
From events that take audiences outside on excursions led by stars of endurance sport including Emily Chappell, to a climate positive strand featuring the world’s best-known climate activist Greta Thunberg – or from deep dives into comedian Sara Pascoe’s first novel, and the memoirs of Judy Murray, Rob Delaney and Munroe Bergdorf, to Festival Late Nights featuring Damian Barr, there is something for everyone this August.
Nick Barley, Director of the Edinburgh International Festival, said: “This year’s Book Festival programme is called The Joy of Words, and it’s been truly a joy to bring it together.
“My team and I have aimed to build an uplifting festival that is packed with exceptional thinkers from all over the world. At a time of polarised opinion and deep divisions, we hope to rediscover the pleasure of conversation; the satisfaction of spending time with people who can offer positive insights into the world today.
“This is my fourteenth and final programme for the Book Festival and I’m very excited by the prospect of 18 days in August with such a cornucopia of brilliant writers.”
This year the Book Festival returns to the Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) with a programme of nearly 600 live events featuring more than 470 authors, writers and thinkers from 49 countries.
More than 100 events will be live streamed and Festival Late Nights will return for the first time in three years, including special salons hosted by Damian Barr and Gemma Cairney.
As ever, there will be free children’s events and workshops across the site and everyone’s favourite authors, as well as rising stars, will be on hand to sign books at the Book Festival Bookshop brought to audiences by Waterstones.
Think Tanks encourage people to have robust conversations over food, wine (or soft drink) e and the Festival gears up to host the “Loud Poets Grand Slam Final” run in partnership with I Am Loud Productions.
Bernardine Evaristo, Jackie Kay, Val McDermid, Elif Shafak, and Ali Smith talk about how their experiences have informed their writing careers in a series called What Makes a Writer and, in its 40th year, the Festival has selected 40 writers for New Writers, New Worlds.
This strand highlights 20 emerging Scottish authors including Heather Parry and Em Strang, and international writers like Jenny Erpenbeck and Leila Slimani. 2023 also sees the return of three authors who attended the first ever Festival in 1983 — Alastair Moffat, Michael Rosen, and A.N. Wilson.
Seven Booker Prize winners also join the lineup including 2022 winner Shehan Karunatilaka, Eleanor Catton, Ben Okri, James Kelman, Ian McEwan,and Anne Enright with her brand new novel The Wren, The Wren.
Former International Booker winner David Diop will also appear, as will this year’s winners, the Bulgarian author Georgi Gospodinov and translator Angela Roden. Other international stars include the Prime Minister of Iceland, Katrin Jakobsdottir, who joins Ragnar Jonasson to discuss their crime novel Reykjavik.
A stellar lineup of Scotland-based authors feature heavily, with established names such as Irvine Welsh, Jenny Colgan, Denise Mina, Chris Brookmyre and Alexander McCall Smith discussing their books.
They are joined in the festival by leading British authors including Deborah Levy, Sebastian Faulks,and Katherine Rundell; and writers from further afield including Colson Whitehead, Chika Unigwe, Eileen Myles, Isabella Hammad, Ayobami Adebayo, Yiyun Li,Iman Mersal, Clemens Meyer, and Raja Shehadeh.
Laura Cumming’s Thunderclap, Raynor Winn’s Landlines and Malorie Blackman’s Just Sayin’ are three of a series of memoirs to be demystified by their authors on stage this year, alongside Jenni Fagan who was part of the first Book Festival Outriders project in 2017. Twenty years in the making Ootlin is Fagan’s highly anticipated memoir, offering a very personal insight into her experiences of growing up in the care system.
Chaired by writer and broadcaster Gemma Cairney, It’s Not Too Late to Change the World features Greta Thunberg and takes place at the Edinburgh Playhouse on Sunday 13th August and is one of the Climate Positive series events that looks at the health of our planet.
Featuring writers who offer an energetic call to action and ideas about how humanity can, and must, step back from the brink, it includes an event with Mikaela Loach, activist and author of It’s Not That Radical, who is also a medical student at the University of Edinburgh.
To mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement – Irish foreign correspondent Fergal Keane (who reported on The Troubles) will be joined by Aoife Moore and Jan Carson to discuss the fragility of peace.
Continuing in a political vein, heavyweights including former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Labour front-bencher Wes Streeting MP, Conservative peer Ruth Davidson,and former Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale discuss the options for this country’s political future.
Continuing the tradition of the Scottish leader conducting an interview at the Book Festival, First Minister Humza Yousaf will interview Hashi Mohamed, who arrived in Britain as an unaccompanied child refugee from Kenya – and is now one of Britain’s leading housing barristers.
Also in 2023, the NHS marks its 75th anniversary and Sarah Brown will lead a conversation about the challenges facing the system, while Devi Sridhar and Gavin Francis will discuss the cost of the cure.
This event is part of the Outside the Box strand which introduces audiences to the innovators whose ideas genuinely offer new approaches to resolving humanity’s challenges and also includes an event with David Farrier and Karine Polwart in which they interrogate how to transform planning for the future.
This year’s poetry lineup features stars from the USA including Claudia Rankine and Eileen Myles, as well as Canadian poet Dionne Brand. From Britain Zaffar Kunial and Alice Oswald come together on stage to present not-yet-published new work, while Liz Lochhead reads from her New and Selected Poems. Carol Ann Duffy presents poems from her new collection Politics, and Don Paterson will discuss his memoir of growing up in Dundee.
There’s also multilingual poetry from Marcas Mac an Tuairneir, who writes in Gaelic and English, alongside Sam O’Fearraigh, who writes in Irish and English.
Gerda Stevenson will present poetry in a variety of languages and formats in her event with JL Williams,and audiences will enjoy events featuring spoken word from Leyla Josephine and Michael Mullan.
Many authors appearing this year have been inspired by human rewilding: getting close to the earth and playing their part in restoring its ecosystems. Whether it’s Raynor Winn’s stories of her hikes with partner Moth or Merryn Glover walking the Cairngorms in the footsteps of Nan Shepherd,audiences can join those who are not only getting out into nature, but who are also exploring the sustainability of humanity.
Embracing the convivial spirit of this year’s programme, Think Tanks is a series of events offering audiences the chance to ‘deep-dive’ into topical issues such as the ethics of AI, with leading scholar Kate Crawford, or how the law can improve government with The Good Law Project’s Jolyon Maugham KC, whilst also enjoying food and wine (or a soft drink).
A new study, The Edinburgh Readerbank, is the product of a major new long-term research partnership between the Book Festival and Durham University. This study asks the question: ‘what is the relationship between reading, imagination, and mental health?’
Audiences can hear from experts as they share perspectives on belief, perception, and the imagination, and can also participate in this potentially game-changing study by contributing their data at a special drop-in data centre on site.
In the festival’s unique Outriders Europe project, four pairs of authors undertook intrepid journeys across Europe, travelling in the mountains of Transylvania and along the contested border of the island of Cyprus.
In two special events, audiences can hear from authors like Scottish storyteller Mara Menzies who, alongside Sami playwright Rawdna Carita Eira, trekked across the Sápmi lands of northern Finland, Sweden and Norway, and from other writers with connections to Scotland – Dean Atta, Cal Flyn, and Victoria McNulty –who join to talk about their own amazing journeys with writers from elsewhere in Europe.
Throughout the year the Citizen programme provides a space for conversation and creativity in North Edinburgh, Musselburgh, and Tollcross. As part of the programme writers in residence Eleanor Thom and Ryan Van Winkle deliver everything from zine-making to podcasting.
Continuing the Festival’s 40th anniversary celebrations, Our City, Our Stories will take place on the three weekends of the Festival and inviteswriters from across the Citizen programme (and other community-based groups including Intercultural Youth Scotland and Open Book) to perform brand new stories helping to create a love letter to Edinburgh.
As part of its commitment to increasing the accessibility of the Book Festival for the people of Edinburgh, the Festival has developed a long-term partnership with The Alternative School at Spartan’s Community Football Academy, and since August author Chris Barkley has been based at the club three days a week working with young people.
Chris has helped these young people explore their local area, how adults perceive them and what they want for the world, and they have recently written their own film script and worked with filmmaker Rory Easton to make it a reality.
Audiences are invited to join them for Letters of Hope,which will featurethe world premiere of their film and words from Chris and the young people about their dreams for the future.
Culture Minister Christina McKelvie said: “Without words there would be no books so the theme for this year’s Edinburgh International Book Festival is well chosen. With the world’s greatest writers and thinkers gathered in Edinburgh, there really is something for everyone.
“The Scottish Government is proud to support the festival as it celebrates its 40th anniversary with £182,500 from our Expo and PLACE Funds.”
Iain Munro, CEO of Creative Scotland said: “Huge congratulations to Nick and the team at EIBF on an outstanding programme for their 40thanniversary year. Featuring an impressive range of international and homegrown talent, this year’s programme provides an opportunity for people from all walks of life to experience the joy of words.
“I’d also like to take this opportunity to thank Nick, as he steps down later this year, for everything he has achieved during his time as Director of the EIBF.
“Nick and his book festival team have been instrumental in bringing people together from around the world to explore and debate contemporary issues of our time, underlining the fundamental role that literature in all its forms plays in influencing and shaping public debate.”
Headlining this year’s Young Adult offering is Alice Oseman who will be talking about her bestselling Heartstopper series with Benjamin Dean. We also welcome poet Nikita Gill, Scottish authors David Fenne, Emma Grae and Catriona Child, as well as fantasy sensation Samantha Shannon and a special event with playwright Alan Bissett, novelist Holly Bourne and screenwriter Emma Dennis-Edwards who will discuss the thorny issues around consent.
Alongside the Baillie Gifford Schools Programme unveiled earlier in the year, firm FREE favourites return in 2023 including Are You Sitting Comfortably in The Storytime Yurt every morning and workshops in the Creation Station with partners Craigmillar Books for Babies, Edinburgh Libraries and Dad’s Rock.
Also returning in 2023 is an animated outdoor space with Sprog Rock once again rocking the courtyard on the first Sunday of the Festival alongside beatboxer Bigg Taj, and everyone’s favourite costume characters (including a brand new addition – the mighty Supertato!)visiting the Festival Village every Saturday and Sunday morning. On the final weekend there will also be a Dragon Hunt, where 10 dragons illustrated by Cressida Cowell will be placed around ECA for families to find, to celebrate 20 years of How to Train Your Dragon.
Leading children’s authors including long standing Book festival fan Julia Donaldsonand Children’s laureateJoseph Coelhoalso return, alongside events featuring Dapo Adeola and Nathan Bryon, Tracey Corderoy and Steven Lenton.
Rachel Fox, Edinburgh International Book Festival Children’s Programme Director, said: “As well as our animated courtyard performances and character appearances we have an array of interactive workshops with leading authors, illustrators and comic book creators again this year.
“Children will have the chance to learn how to draw manga, preserve plant specimens, make explosions with food, and write the story of their life (so far!) and much, much more.”
Once again, while the Festival gears up to welcome audiences and visitors on site at ECA, it will also be taking lots of authors off site to spread the joy of the Book Festival to those who can’t join in person.
Award-winning author and illustrator Rob Biddulph will visit children on the wards of the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People and poet Leyla Josephine will run a workshop with the hospital’s youth group. For the third year in a row, a programme of events will be live streamed to The Birks Cinema in Aberfeldy and the Festival continues its work in prisons with authors visiting six across Scotland.
Once again the Festival seeks to make events more open and easier to attend, and offers a range of Pay What You Can, BSL interpreted,and Live Captioned events.
A series of free events across the adults, childrens and communities programmes run throughout the festival, and a brand-new £10 ticket concession for under 26s has been introduced.
In 2023 the Book Festival Bookshop is brought to audiences by Waterstones.
For more information on Edinburgh International Book Festival visit:
All tickets for Edinburgh International Film Festival go on sale at midday on 7 July via eif.co.uk/edfilmfest
Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) which this year is hosted by Edinburgh International Festival, is delighted to announce that the Festival will open on Friday 18 August 2023 with the world premiere of Silent Roar, the debut feature from Scottish writer and director Johnny Barrington.
A teenage tale of surfing, sex and hellfire set in Scotland’s Outer Hebrides, Silent Roarstars newcomer Louis McCartney as Dondo, a young surfer struggling to accept his father’s recent disappearance at sea. Caught up in grief, he is brought to his senses by rebellious crush Sas (Ella Lily Hyland), a high achiever who dreams of escaping the island. When an oddly-behaved new minister arrives on the island, Dondo begins to have cosmic visions …
Silent Roar is the first feature film from BAFTA-nominated writer and director Johnny Barrington, and has been produced by Scottish producer Chris Young (The Inbetweeners Movie).
The film was shot in the beautiful surroundings of Uig, on the Isle of Lewis, and draws inspiration from Barrington’s teenage years on the Isle of Skye.
The cast includes Louis McCartney (Hope Street), Ella Lily Hyland (Fifteen Love), Mark Lockyer (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince), Fiona Bell (The Nest, Shetland), Victoria Balnaves (Trust Me), Anders Hayward (Looted) and Chinenye Ezeudu (Sex Education).
Hosted by Edinburgh International Festival in 2023, Edinburgh International Film Festival will present a bold, hand-picked programme celebrating the work of exceptional local and global filmmakers and ensuring the flame of EIFF burns bright for future generations of passionate cinema fans.
Writer/Director of Silent Roar, Johnny Barrington has said:“I’m delighted for Silent Roar to have its world premiere at EIFF, and start its life from a festival and a city so close to my heart.
“The film is a fun ride into surfing, death and the cosmos and awkward high school memories from the 90’s. The shoot was the best time of my life, with the best cast and crew in the world sweating creative blood… (and partying hard at weekends – or so I have been told).
“What formed is a story well wadded with ineffable nonsense, tears and laughter. So, if you like staring into sea caves, the human soul and cement mixers, then you’ll love Silent Roar.”
Kate Taylor, Programme Director, Edinburgh International Film Festival, said: “Silent Roar is a very easy film to fall in love with. From the idiosyncratic charm of Louis McCartney’s performance, to Ella Lily Hyland’s turn as crisp-chomping cool girl Sas, to Hannah Peel’s soaring score, the film is infused with mystic charisma.
“Johnny Barrington renders the Hebridean landscape, shot on film, as something strange and elemental: a place where we can see transgressive explorations of mourning exist alongside witty forays into religion and teenage hormonal curiosity.
“Stylistically, Silent Roar is the kind of bold, vivid and highly absorbing cinema that EIFF wants to champion, and we can’t wait to give the film a beautiful launch into the world.”
Isabel Davis, Executive Director at Screen Scotland said: “It is so exciting that Johnny’s hotly anticipated debut feature will first meet its audience at Edinburgh.As one of Scotland’s most distinctive and beguiling new voices, it’s been a privilege to have supported his creative journey.”
Silent Roar was made with the participation of Screen Scotland, BBC Films, and BFI.
Edinburgh International Film Festival 2023 programme including participating film festival venue information launches on Thursday 6 July 2023.
Edinburgh International Film Festival runs from Friday 18 to Wednesday 23 August 2023.
All tickets for Edinburgh International Film Festival go on sale at midday on 7 July via eif.co.uk/edfilmfest
Sign up for all the latest EIFF news on the newsletter here.
NORTH EDINBURGH COST OF LIVING CAMPAIGN GROUP MEETING
The Cost of Living Campaign Group for North Edinburgh are meeting on Tuesday 20th June, 10.30am until 1pm at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre:
“We are the Cost of Living Campaign Group, we are residents of North Edinburgh concerned with the cost of living. A major issue contributing to the cost of living is the state of housing. Our homes are filled with damp and aren’t well insulated. Reporting repairs to Repair Direct and other services doesn’t seem to solve the issues.
“Structural lack of investment in the existing housing stock is undermining the human rights of residents, impacting on health, wellbeing and our personal finances.
“We invite you to listen to our stories and contribute to our campaign to improve homes across North Edinburgh and demand Repair Direct be made fit for purpose and a comprehensive response to dampness.”
LORD PROVOST RELAUNCHES EDINBURGH CITY VISION 2050
Edinburgh pupils and local business representatives came together to share their vision of what the capital city should look like in 2050.
Earlier this month, pupils from Granton, St David`s, Pirniehall, Forthview and Craigroyston Primary Schools joined pupils from Craigroyston, Broughton and Trinity Secondary Schools and representatives from Edinburgh businesses to share their ideas of what they expect and what needs to be done to make it happen before 2050.
2050 Edinburgh City Vision is a city-wide campaign beginning in 2016 and has heard from thousands of people. In 2020, the city developed four Vision Principles, shaped by over 22,000 responses to the public consultation – the largest such exercise ever undertaken by the Council.
The four 2050 Edinburgh City Vision principles are:
Fair: creating a more inclusive, affordable and connected city where opportunities are available to all and support is given to those who need it most
Pioneering: helping the local economy and society to prosper, leading the way in culture, data and business
Welcoming: striving to ensure Edinburgh’s citizens are happy, safe and healthy and that Edinburgh is a place where citizens belong and visitors are welcome; and
Thriving: delivering a low carbon, clean, green and sustainable city
While work continued to build on the campaign during covid, the event marked the beginning of fresh discussions across the city, with more events being planned.
Lord Provost Robert Aldridge said: “It was my pleasure to attend this celebratory event to remind us all about our shared Vision for Edinburgh.
“I was delighted to see so many people, particularly the number of young people, from our local schools, from Edinburgh College and our other universities, Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament alongside others who have played a part in making our 2050 Edinburgh City Vision a reality.
“Our 2050 City Vision builds from a position of strength. Edinburgh is a world-class city of international significance and can more than hold its own among the capitals of the world. It is, however, important that the benefits of that success are available to all of our citizens. A great city is one which commits to sharing success and improving the wellbeing and life experience of all its citizens.
“By 2050, our citizens want Edinburgh to be a city without barriers to achievement, where poverty has been eradicated and a good quality of life is a basic requirement enjoyed by all.
“Edinburgh should be Fair, and by that citizens told us that they wanted the city to be affordable, connected and inclusive. Edinburgh should be Thriving – green, sustainable, litter free. Citizens told us that they wish Edinburgh to be Pioneering with our local economy leading the way in culture, data and business.
“There was also a proud recognition that Edinburgh is a fantastic place in which to live, work, invest, study or to visit and that that Welcoming approach should be extended to ensure that all who live here are happy, safe and healthy.
“Whilst the pandemic prevented us from convening sooner, these values and principles are central to how we have acted as a city since the Vision was agreed.
“I look forward to more of these types of events speaking to the people of Edinburgh in the future. “
Bridie Ashrowan, Chief Executive of EVOC, said: “I was delighted to see so many children and young people, from local schools, from Edinburgh College and Members of the Scottish Youth Parliament, alongside many others who have played a part in making the 2050 Edinburgh City Vision a reality, at the Granton site of the College.
“We asked the children & young folk, and the adults present, to bring their imagination to bear, to help the public partners hear had what needs to be done to make the city vision happen before 2050.
“With their brilliant imagination in gear, the young people came up with the most fantastic ideas to present, and had no fear in raising their hands to speak to the Chief Executive of Edinburgh City Council about them.
“There was energy, optimism, and great practical and visionary ideas in the room, and huge talent – potential future employees of all the partners and young entrepreneurs!”
It is still possible for any Edinburgh bodies get to sign up to the 2050 Edinburgh Charter which will help keep the priorities of the City Vision firmly in view when making any decisions about future plans.
Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan report published
It is estimated that 90,000 fewer children will live in relative and absolute poverty this year as a result of Scottish Government policies.
The Scottish Government analysis is published alongside the first annual report on its Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan ‘Best Start, Bright Futures’.
The report sets out progress made on the four year plan, including that an estimated £3.03 billion was invested across a range of programmes targeted at low income households in 2022-23, with £1.25 billion directly benefiting children.
These figures represent an increase of £430 million and £150 million respectively, compared with 2021-22. As a result of that spending, poverty levels this year will be nine percentage points lower than they would have otherwise been.
The report also details key actions to help households and address the three main drivers of poverty – income from employment, cost of living and income from social security and benefits.
These include almost £83 million to help deliver employability support, introducing a rent cap to help protect tenants during the cost of living crisis and providing over £84 million to support housing costs, while increasing the Scottish Child Payment by 150% and expanding it to all eligible children under 16.
Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “The report demonstrates that we are preventing children falling into poverty and lifting people out of it. This year, 90,000 fewer children will live in poverty as a result of the concerted actions and focus we are providing, including lifting an estimated 50,000 children lifted out of hardship through the Scottish Child Payment.
“We are focused on driving forward action at the pace and scale required and the investment of around £3 billion in a range of programmes, with £1.25 billion directly benefiting children, demonstrates our commitment to taking action.
“By March this year, 303,000 children were receiving the Scottish Child Payment. Having increased the payment by 150% and by extending it to eligible children under 16, we are providing vital financial support to families worth £1300 a year.
“At the First Minister’s Anti-Poverty Summit in May our stakeholders, partners and people who have experienced poverty backed the approach we are taking. We will continue to do everything we can within the scope of our limited powers and fixed budget to help give more children the start in life they deserve.
“But it is only with the full economic and fiscal powers of an independent nation that Ministers can use all levers other governments have to tackle poverty and inequalities.”
The UK Covid-19 Inquiry began hearing evidence for its first investigation into the UK’s preparedness and resilience for a pandemic this morning (Tuesday 13 June 2023) at 10:00.
These public hearings are when the Chair, Baroness Heather Hallett, begins formally listening to evidence. Six weeks of hearings are planned for Module 1, which will run until Thursday 20 July.
The hearing opened with a statement from the Chair, followed by a short film showing the impact of the pandemic, featuring people from across the UK, sharing their experiences of loss.
The voices of some of those who suffered most during the pandemic are heard through the film. Some people may find the film difficult to watch.
This was followed by opening statements from Core Participants to the first investigation. The Inquiry then heard testimony from first witnesses.
The hearings are open to the public and will be held at the Inquiry’s hearing centre, Dorland House, 121 Westbourne Terrace, London, W2 6BU. Seating at the hearing centre is limited and will be reserved on a first come first served basis.
The hearings will also be available to view on our YouTube channel, subject to a three minute delay.
The Inquiry is expected to last three years.
The first four panels of the UK Covid Inquiry’s commemorative tapestry have been unveiled at the Inquiry’s hearing centre in Dorland House.
The tapestry hopes to capture the experiences and emotions of people across the UK during the pandemic, helping to ensure that people who suffered hardship and loss remain at the heart of the Inquiry.
The panels are inspired by the experiences of organisations and individuals from across the UK.
Each panel is based on an illustration by a different artist, following conversations with individuals and communities impacted in different ways by the pandemic.
“Broken Hearts” is a collaboration between artist Andrew Crummy and the Scottish Covid Bereaved group, one of the Inquiry’s Core Participants, and expresses the grief and sadness felt by so many at the loss of loved ones.
“Little Comfort” was created by Daniel Freaker, and is his interpretation of some of the emotions and experiences of those with Long Covid, following conversations with members of several Long Covid support and advocacy organisations.
“Eyes Forced Shut” was created by Catherine Chinatree. It explores the disempowerment and loss of freedoms experienced by patients and their relatives in care homes, and follows conversations between the artist and members of Care Campaign for the Vulnerable.
“The Important Thing Is That You Care” was created by artist Marie Jones, following a series of conversations with a bereaved individual in Wales, grieving the loss of her father.
Last month, the Inquiry announced that renowned art curator Ekow Eshun had been appointed to oversee the first phase of the project, with further panels to be developed over the coming months.
The Inquiry will be sharing further information about each of the panels, including from the artists, and those whose experiences helped shape the artwork, and the digital version of the tapestry will be available next month.
The tapestry will also be shown in different locations throughout the UK whilst the Inquiry’s work is ongoing. We plan to add more panels over time, so this tapestry reflects the scale and impact the pandemic had on different communities.
The UK Covid Inquiry’s commemorative tapestry is one of a growing number of sculptures, creative installations, and community initiatives being developed as the county (and the world) comes to terms with the enormity of the pandemic and its effect on the lives of countless millions of people. Each of these projects brings a unique perspective and adds a powerful new layer of value to the richness of our collective memory.
TUC: Inquiry must examine how “unchecked growth” of insecure work left millions vulnerable to the virus
NEW ANALYSIS: numbers in insecure work grew by a fifth in the decade preceding the pandemic – with half a million more in insecure work by the end of the decade
Insecure workers were TWICE as likely to die from Covid-19 during the pandemic
TUC says Tory failure on workers’ rights had devastating consequences for workers
The TUC has today (Monday) called on the Covid public inquiry to look at how the “unchecked growth” of insecure work left millions of low-paid and frontline workers vulnerable to the pandemic.
New analysis by the TUC shows that between 2011 and the end of 2019, the number of people in insecure work grew by a fifth – with half a million more in insecure jobs by the end of the decade.
In 2011, the numbers in insecure work were 3.2 million. By the end of the decade, the numbers were 3.7 million.
This growth is disproportionate compared to the growth of the labour market in this period (the proportion of those in insecure work grew from 10.7% to 11.2%).
The call by the union body comes as the Covid public inquiry prepares to take witness evidence from Tuesday 13 June.
Higher mortality rates
TUC analysis during the pandemic showed that those in insecure occupations faced mortality rates which were twice as high as those in more secure jobs.
The analysis showed that:
The Covid-19 male mortality rate in insecure occupations was 51 per 100,000 people aged 20-64, compared to 24 per 100,000 people in less insecure occupations.
The Covid-19 female mortality rate in insecure occupations was 25 per 100,000 people, compared to 13 per 100,000 in less insecure occupations.
BME and low-paid workers “forced to shoulder most risk”
The TUC says workers in insecure jobs were forced to shoulder more risk of infection during this pandemic, while facing the “triple whammy” of a lack of sick pay, fewer rights and endemic low pay.
TUC polling from 2022 showed that three in four (76%) in insecure jobs get the “miserly” statutory sick pay, or nothing, when off sick.
Insecure workers are markedly less likely to benefit from the full range of employment rights that permanent, more secure workers are entitled to, including vital safeguards such as unfair dismissal and redundancy protections.
Sectors such as care, leisure, and the elementary occupations have high rates of insecure work – compared to managerial, professional and admin sectors which have some of the lowest.
Those in insecure occupations largely continued to work outside the home during the pandemic – and many were key workers.
A government study suggested that agency workers at care homes – often employed on zero-hours contracts – unwittingly spread the infection as the pandemic grew.
During the pandemic, insecure workers accounted for one in nine workers – with women, disabled workers and BME workers more likely to be in precarious work.
Recent TUC research showed BME women are twice as likely to be on zero-hours contracts as white men.
Dismal record on workers’ rights
The TUC says that the government’s record on workers’ rights has been dismal.
Instead of “getting a grip of insecure work” as it grew from 2010 onwards, the Conservative government “let it flourish on their watch”.
This was despite government promises to boost employment rights.
The Taylor Review reported on 11 July 2017, promising “good work for all”. However, the following years have seen few of the review’s proposals implemented.
And since the pandemic, ministers have failed to learn lessons – instead repeating the same mistakes.
Ministers ditched the long-promised employment bill – and they are now backsliding on promised protections for workers from sexual harassment, as well as attacking workers’ right to strike.
TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: “The Covid public inquiry must look at how the unchecked growth of insecure work left millions vulnerable to the pandemic.
“Ministers let insecure work flourish on their watch – instead of clamping down on the worst employment practices.
“That failure had devastating – and even fatal – consequences for workers.
“Those in insecure work faced markedly higher Covid infections and death rates. And they were hit by a triple whammy of endemic low pay, few workplace rights and low or no sick pay.
“Lots of them were the key workers we all applauded – like care workers, delivery drivers and coronavirus testing staff.
“For years ministers promised working people improved rights and protections. But they repeatedly failed to deliver.
“It’s time for the government to learn the lessons of the pandemic and stamp out the scourge of insecure work for good.”
On the Conservative government refusing to hand over unredacted evidence to the inquiry Paul added: “Ministers seem more interested in playing political games than learning lessons from the pandemic.
“It’s time they fully cooperated with the inquiry and stopped dragging their feet.”
Friday 16th June
7pm
The Bongo Club | 66 Cowgate | Edinburgh
