The recent announcement by the Integrated Joint Board (IJB) regarding the disinvestment from up to 64 community organisations as part of its recovery plan for 2025/26 has ignited significant outrage among Third Sector, including members of the Edinburgh Community Health Forum (ECHF).
This drastic cut threatens the very fabric of our community support systems and undermines our collective commitment to health and wellbeing in Edinburgh, said ECHF’s Strategic Development Manager, Stephanie-Anne Harris.
Stephanie-Anne vehemently criticised the decision, stating: “This disinvestment will lead to the closure of numerous charities and an increased reliance on statutory services, including the NHS and Council.
“Furthermore, it contradicts the Scottish Government’s and Public Health Scotland’s advocacy for prevention and early intervention strategies.
“Evidence overwhelmingly supports that investing in prevention is one of the most cost-effective methods to improve health outcomes and reduce inequalities.
“This short-term approach to achieving savings is fundamentally misguided.”
Historically, core funding for the Third Sector was managed by the Council before being transferred to the IJB.
The current proposed cuts pose a severe threat to organisations that provide essential services to some of Edinburgh’s most vulnerable residents.
Catriona Windle, Chair of ECHF and CEO of Health All Round, a charity dedicated to supporting residents in Gorgie Dalry, Saughton, Stenhouse, and surrounding areas, added: “We call for an immediate halt to cuts scheduled for 2025 and urge the IJB to engage in meaningful discussions with the sector about sustainable funding solutions.
“While we recognise the need for budgetary considerations, we cannot afford to compromise on the vital support that Third Sector organisations provide. We propose delaying cuts until September 2025 to allow for a proper conversation about the future.
“The IJB must recognise that resourcing for the Third Sector is not non-essential; it is crucial for the wellbeing of our communities.
“We implore Council leaders and the IJB to consider resuming full responsibility for funding these vital services or to engage the Third Sector in developing a strategic funding model that ensures ongoing investment in our collective health.”
EDINBURGH Integration Joint Board meets on Friday 1 November at 10am in the Dean of Guilds Room at the City Chambers.
See belowfor meeting papers – including details of the cuts being recommended:
Climate justice campaigners have condemned the Lothian Pension Fund for increasing its investments in fossil fuels despite the worsening climate emergency.
The latest investment holdings list from the Lothian Pension Fund reveals that the fund’s investments in oil and gas companies have risen in value to £208m in 2024 from £166m in 2022. This increase is driven by the purchase of additional shares rather than changes in the market value of existing holdings and has arisen despite Edinburgh and East Lothian councils passing motions in 2022 calling on the fund to divest from fossil fuels in order to tackle the climate crisis.
The Lothian Pension Fund is the second biggest fossil fuel investor of all the council pension funds in Scotland. It invests in some of the world’s biggest climate polluters, including TotalEnergies, Exxon Mobil, Eni, Equinor, Shell and BP.
TotalEnergies, now Lothian Pension Fund’s largest fossil fuel investment following a recent significant purchase of additional shares, is currently developing the East African Crude Oil Pipeline. If completed, the pipeline will stretch 1,444km across Uganda and Tanzania, to pump oil out of new oil fields in Uganda to be exported on the international market. It would produce 379m tonnes of carbon emissions if it goes ahead.
Joan Forehand from campaign group Divest Lothian said:“It is appalling that the Lothian Pension Fund is choosing to invest even more of its members’ pensions in companies that, despite responsible investors’ efforts over many years to get them to change course, are doubling down on oil and gas expansion plans.
“The science is clear: we need to rapidly transition away from fossil fuels to avoid catastrophic climate breakdown, and the economic collapse that would bring. Increasing investment in the fossil fuel industry highlights the failure of the Lothian Pension Fund to adequately assess climate change risk in its financial modelling.”
Sally Clark, divestment campaigner at Friends of the Earth Scotland, said:“It’s unbelievable that despite the worsening climate crisis and clear support for ending fossil fuel investments from councillors in Edinburgh and East Lothian, Lothian Pension Fund has actually increased investments in fossil fuels.
“These fossil fuel companies are driving climate breakdown and the pension fund’s managers have a responsibility to act in the best interests of their members and future generations.
“The money moved away from fossil fuels could instead be invested in ways that support local communities and protect the planet for everyone, like renewable energy. As skyrocketing energy bills are plunging millions of people into fuel poverty across the UK, this transition is more important than ever.”
Jane Herbstritt, climate campaigner at Global Justice Now added: “Despite the certainty of the climate emergency, TotalEnergies is pressing ahead with its climate-wrecking development of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline – displacing local communities and destroying the environment in order to profit from pumping out more new oil than can be safely burned.
“It is wholly irresponsible for the Lothian Pension Fund to give its backing to this by increasing its investment in TotalEnergies, particularly when councillors in Edinburgh and East Lothian have voted for the pension fund to divest from oil and gas.”
Divest Lothian is calling on the pension fund’s managers to stop investing in fossil fuels and to instead invest in renewable energy and social housing in order to prioritise the long-term health and well-being of its members and of communities around the world.
Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist issued a statement last night updating on the significant policing operation taking place in London on Saturday:
This operation took place in unique circumstances, against a backdrop of conflict in the Middle East, on Armistice Day and following a week of intense debate about protest and policing. These all combined to increase community tensions.
The extreme violence from the right wing protestors towards the police today was extraordinary and deeply concerning.
They arrived early, stating they were there to protect monuments, but some were already intoxicated, aggressive and clearly looking for confrontation.
Abuse was directed at officers protecting the Cenotaph, including chants of “you’re not English any more”.
This group were largely football hooligans from across the UK and spent most of the day attacking or threatening officers who were seeking to prevent them being able to confront the main march.
Many in these groups were stopped and searched and weapons including a knife, a baton and knuckleduster were found as well as class A drugs.
Thanks to the considerable efforts of our officers, who put themselves in harm’s way, nobody was able to reach the Cenotaph, which was protected at all times.
Nine officers were injured during the day, two requiring hospital treatment with a fractured elbow and a suspected dislocated hip. Those officers were injured on Whitehall as they prevented a violent crowd getting to the Cenotaph while a remembrance service was taking place.
While the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) march did not see the sort of physical violence carried out by the right wing, we know that for London’s Jewish communities whose fears and concerns we absolutely recognise, the impact of hate crime and in particular anti-Semitic offences is just as significant.
At the end of the PSC march, we once again saw breakaway groups behaving in an intimidating manner.
Officers intercepted a group of 150 who were wearing face coverings and firing fireworks. Arrests were made after some of the fireworks struck officers in the face.
There were also a number of serious offences identified in relation to hate crime and possible support for proscribed organisations during the protest that we are actively investigating.
Locating and intercepting suspects in a crowd of the size we saw today will always be challenging, but we were further limited in our ability to do so due to the number of officers we had to deploy, from early in the day, in response to violence from the right wing groups in central London.
We will soon publish images of some of those we suspect have committed these offences and as we have shown in recent weeks, we will pursue all available lines of enquiry to identify suspects and take action even after the conclusion of protests.
As I write, there are many officers still deployed across central London responding to any outbreaks of disorder and ensuring key sites are protected ahead of tomorrow’s remembrance events.
Many more are working in custody suites dealing with the 126 people who have been arrested so far.
I am extremely proud of what our officers have achieved in challenging circumstances, including the many officers who came from across the country to help us keep London safe.
PM statement on Armistice Day protests: 11 November 2023
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also released a statement last night:
I condemn the violent, wholly unacceptable scenes we have seen today from the EDL and associated groups and Hamas sympathisers attending the National March for Palestine. The despicable actions of a minority of people undermine those who have chosen to express their views peacefully.
Remembrance weekend is a time for us to come together as a nation and remember those who fought and died for our freedoms. What we have seen today does not defend the honour of our Armed Forces, but utterly disrespects them.
That is true for EDL thugs attacking police officers and trespassing on the Cenotaph, and it is true for those singing antisemitic chants and brandishing pro-Hamas signs and clothing on today’s protest.
The fear and intimidation the Jewish Community have experienced over the weekend is deplorable.
All criminality must be met with the full and swift force of the law. That is what I told the Met Police Commissioner on Wednesday, that is what they are accountable for and that is what I expect.
I will be meeting the Met Police Commissioner in the coming days.
EDINBURGH’s tram service was suspended for two hours yesterday afternoon ‘due to a large protest in the city centre affecting trams in both directions’.
Two-thirds say the condition of local roads has deteriorated, a huge jump on last year
A third of drivers (35%) have had to swerve quickly to avoid hitting potholes
Anger with the poor state of Britain’s local roads has reached its highest point in nine years with half of drivers (49%) surveyed for the RAC’s annual Report on Motoring* listing it as a top motoring concern, making it the single biggest issue by a considerable distance this year.
Concern among drivers is now at a record level since the RAC first started asking drivers for their views on the condition and maintenance of local roads in 2015. The previous high – 46% – was recorded in 2021. The next biggest worry after local roads was the cost of fuel which was cited by 42% of drivers.
The condition and maintenance of local roads is a particularly significant problem for older drivers with 55% of those aged between 45 and 64 saying it is their top concern. This rises to 59% among those aged 65 and older.
The RAC study also reveals that two-thirds of drivers (67%) say that the condition of the local roads they regularly drive on has deteriorated in the past 12 months, up from 60% in the 2022 report, making for the biggest increase since 2017. This year only 4% think local road conditions have improved over the last 12 months. While problems with road surfaces are overwhelmingly to blame (cited by 97% of drivers), there are several other factors contributing to this decline, including faded road markings (61%), litter (35%) and poor signage visibility (34%).
The desperate state of roads has also led to most drivers having to take sudden, sometimes even shocking evasive action, with a third (35%) reporting they have been forced to swerve quickly to avoid a pothole and ended up completely crossing into another lane or going on to the other side of the road.
Seven in 10 (69%) say they have been forced to slow sharply to drive over a pothole and 37% have tried to maintain a greater distance from the car in front to give themselves more time to react to road-surface problems.
Drivers had more positive views about the condition of Britain’s motorways and high-speed dual carriageways in comparison to local roads, but many are still frustrated by the level of deterioration they have witnessed.
This year, 11% of drivers say the condition of these major roads is a top concern, up from 8% in the 2022 report. Among those who use motorways and other high-speed roads, 44% say their condition has worsened in the past 12 months, up significantly from 38% in 2022.
This deterioration is mainly due to worsening road surfaces (cited by 81%), but faded lane markings (46%), roadside litter (39%) and poor signage visibility (28%) are also to blame.
Where repairs are being carried out to roads of all types, drivers are wholly unimpressed with the quality of the work done: 81% say they do not think roads are resurfaced to a high enough standard, while the same proportion (81%) do not believe roads are resurfaced as often as they should be.
The disruption caused by maintenance work is another source of dissatisfaction, with 74% of drivers saying they are frustrated by roadworks taking place on the same road in quick succession and 72% complaining that works frequently overrun.
The 2023 edition of the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA)’s annual report indicates that local councils in England and Wales continue to face significant shortfalls in the funding required to keep road surfaces in a reasonable condition.
The latest Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) report**, published in March 2023, says that the total amount of money now needed to address the backlog in road maintenance works has increased to more than £14 billion, up 11% from a year ago.
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “Many drivers will be wondering why so many potholes appeared on the country’s local roads in the absence of a particularly cold winter.
“Sadly, a long-term lack of funding for maintenance and repair work means our roads are in a such a fragile state that it only takes a little rainwater getting into existing flaws followed by some sub-zero temperatures for them to break down further.
“We have to bring the ongoing deterioration of our local roads to an end by giving councils the certainty of funding they need to be able to plan proper maintenance programmes which include resurfacing roads that have gone beyond point where they can be patched up.
“This is why we continue to call on the Government to ringfence 2p from every litre of existing fuel revenues over a five-year period which will give councils the funds they need to be able to plan proper maintenance programmes.
“We have raised this issue with the Secretary of State for Transport and urged the Chancellor in our Autumn Statement submission to shake up his road funding policy, because as it stands the £26bn collected from drivers is currently just another form of general taxation.
“We believe a change in funding strategy is long overdue, not least because England’s major roads receive seven times what local roads are given, despite the fact there are seven times more miles of minor roads.
“It is plain wrong that drivers who contribute billions in tax every year have to put up with roads that are so far from being fit for purpose.”
Hundreds of new oil and gas licenses will be granted in the UK, PM confirms
Prime Minister commits to future oil and gas licensing rounds, as new analysis shows domestic gas production has around one-quarter the carbon footprint of imported liquified natural gas
North East Scotland and the Humber chosen as locations for two new carbon capture usage and storage clusters – building a thriving clean industry in the North Sea which could support up to 50,000 jobs
Investment in the North Sea will continue to unlock new projects, protect jobs, reduce emissions and boost UK energy independence
Hundreds of new oil and gas licences will be granted in the UK, the Prime Minister has confirmed today (Monday 31 July), as the UK Government continues to back the North Sea oil and gas industry as part of drive to make Britain more energy independent.
The Government and the North Sea Transition Authority (NSTA) are today announcing a joint commitment to undertake future licensing rounds, which will continue to be subject to a climate compatibility test.
By adopting a more flexible application process, licences could also be offered near to currently licensed areas – unlocking vital reserves which can be brought online faster due to existing infrastructure and previous relevant assessments.
With the independent Climate Change Committee predicting around a quarter of the UK’s energy demand will still be met by oil and gas when the UK reaches net zero in 2050, the Government is taking steps to slow the rapid decline in domestic production of oil and gas, which will secure our domestic energy supply and reduce reliance on hostile states.
This will increase the UK’s energy security and reduce dependence on higher-emission imports, whilst protecting more than 200,000 jobs in a vital industry as we grow the UK economy.
As part of a visit to a critical energy infrastructure site in Aberdeenshire today, the Prime Minister will highlight the central role the region will play in strengthening the UK’s energy independence and meet the next generation of skilled apprentices key to driving this work forward.
The NSTA – responsible for regulating the oil, gas and carbon storage industries – is currently running the 33rd offshore oil and gas licensing round. They expect the first of the new licences to be awarded in the autumn, with the round expected to award over 100 licences in total.
Future licences will be critical to providing energy security options, unlocking carbon capture usage and storage and hydrogen opportunities – building truly integrated offshore energy hubs that make the best use of the established infrastructure.
This comes as new analysis released by the NSTA today shows that the carbon footprint of domestic gas production is around one-quarter of the carbon footprint of imported liquified natural gas.
As the UK is a rapidly declining producer of oil and gas, new oil and gas licences reduce the fall in UK supply in order to ensure vital energy security, rather than increase it above current levels – so that the UK remains on track to meet net zero by 2050.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “We have all witnessed how Putin has manipulated and weaponised energy – disrupting supply and stalling growth in countries around the world.
“Now more than ever, it’s vital that we bolster our energy security and capitalise on that independence to deliver more affordable, clean energy to British homes and businesses.
“Even when we’ve reached net zero in 2050, a quarter of our energy needs will come from oil and gas. But there are those who would rather that it come from hostile states than from the supplies we have here at home.
“We’re choosing to power up Britain from Britain and invest in crucial industries such as carbon capture and storage, rather than depend on more carbon intensive gas imports from overseas – which will support thousands of skilled jobs, unlock further opportunities for green technologies and grow the economy.”
The UK’s oil and gas industry are also vital to driving forward and investing in clean technologies that we need to realise our net zero target, like carbon capture usage and storage, by drawing from the sector’s existing supply chains, expertise and key skills whilst protecting jobs.
Today, the Government has confirmed that projects Acorn in North East Scotland and Viking in the Humber have been chosen as the third and fourth carbon capture usage and storage clusters in the UK.
The Government has already committed to deploy CCUS in two industrial clusters by the mid-2020s – the HyNet cluster in North West England and North Wales, and the East Coast Cluster in the Teesside and Humber – and another further two clusters by 2030 – now confirmed as Acorn and Viking.
Together, these four clusters will build a new thriving carbon capture usage and storage industry, which could support up to 50,000 jobs in the UK by 2030.
The UK has one of the largest potential carbon dioxide storage capacities in Europe, making the North Sea one of the most attractive business environments for CCUS technology. The Government has committed to provide up to £20 billion in funding for early deployment of CCUS, unlocking private investment and job creation.
Energy Security Secretary Grant Shapps said: “In the wake of Putin’s barbaric invasion of Ukraine, our energy security is more important than ever. The North Sea is at the heart of our plan to power up Britain from Britain so that tyrants like Putin can never again use energy as a weapon to blackmail us.
“Today’s commitment to power ahead with new oil and gas licences will drive forward our energy independence and our economy for generations. Protecting critical jobs in every region of the UK, safeguarding energy bills for British families and providing a homegrown fuel for our economy that, for domestic gas production, has around one-quarter the carbon footprint of imported liquified natural gas.
“Our next steps to develop carbon capture and storage, in Scotland and the Humber, will also help to build a thriving new industry for our North Sea that could support as many as 50,000 jobs, as we deliver on our priority of growing the economy.”
The Prime Minister has also tasked the relevant Government departments and regulators to work collaboratively and report back by the end of the year on how we can make the best use of our offshore resources in a truly integrated way as we unlock CCUS and hydrogen opportunities in the North Sea.
A call for evidence has also been launched by Government today, seeking views on the evolving context for taxes for the oil and gas sector to design a long-term fiscal regime which delivers predictability and certainty, supports investment, protects jobs and the country’s energy security.
CAMPAIGNERS FURY OVER NEW LICENSES
‘Rishi Sunak is gleefully encouraging the arsonists to go and put more fuel on the fire‘
Climate campaigners are furious that the Prime Minister is ‘doing the bidding’ of the oil industry after he re-affirmed that the UK Government will issue over 100 new licences for oil and gas exploration this Autumn.
Rishi Sunak also said that the Acorn project was chosen as the third of four carbon capture and storage clusters in the UK. Climate campaigners regard carbon capture and storage (CCS) as an attempt to ‘greenwash’ the oil industry and pointed to the long history of failure of the technology.
Campaigners say that instead of giving more public money to oil firms it should be invested in climate solution that work today and can improve people’s lives such as public transport and home insulation.
Friends of the Earth Scotland head of campaign Mary Church said: “Burning oil and gas is driving extreme weather and killing people on every continent yet Rishi Sunak is gleefully encouraging the arsonists to go and put more fuel on the fire.”
“By ignoring the huge harm caused by fossil fuel company greed and doing bidding of the industry, the UK Government is blatantly in denial about climate breakdown.”
“By committing to future licensing rounds on the same day, it’s clear to see that carbon capture is little more than a greenwashing tactic by big oil to try and keep their climate-wrecking industry in business.”
“CCS has a long history of over-promising and under-delivering yet both the Scottish and UK Governments have fallen for the snake oil salesmen rather than face reality that the only solution to the climate crisis is a fast and fair phase out of oil and gas.
“Funding for the Acorn project is yet another massive public subsidy to oil companies like Shell who have been making billions in profits, while ordinary people are struggling to pay the bills.
“Instead of handing more money to polluters, it is time to redirect that investment to climate solutions that we know can deliver emissions cuts and improve peoples’ lives today – such as improving public transport and insulating people’s homes to help with energy bills.”
Commenting on the UK Government’s citation of analysis showing domestic gas production has a lower carbon footprint than imported gas, Ms Church continued: “It’s pure spin to try to sell more climate wrecking extraction as lower carbon when every nation needs to phase fossil fuels out with rich nations like the UK going first and fastest.
“What’s more, the Prime Minister is comparing apples and pears as most of what’s left in the North Sea is heavy oil, that we don’t even use domestically, not gas, so it has to be exported anyway.”
Unsurprisingly, ‘stakeholder’ comments have been overwhelmingly positive:
David Whitehouse, CEO Offshore Energies UK said: “Domestic production is the best pathway to net zero and the UK Government’s commitment to licences is a welcome boost for energy security and jobs.
“Oil and gas fields decline naturally over time. The UK needs the churn of new licences to manage production decline inline with the maturing basin. There are currently 283 active oil and gas fields in the North Sea, by 2030 around 180 of those will have ceased production due to natural decline. If we do not replace maturing oil and gas fields with new ones, the rate of production will decline much faster than we can replace them with low carbon alternatives.
“Developing our new carbon capture industry and its high-value jobs needs significant investment from our energy producing companies. This means that the bedrock to success and delivering growth in the economy can only be collaboration between private and public capital.
“The UK’s skilled offshore workforce, its engineering expertise and its geology have given our nation a unique opportunity to lead the way in building a net zero world.”
Tom Glover, RWE UK, Country Chair said: “RWE is delighted that Viking CCS has been awarded Track 2 status for the Government’s Cluster Sequencing Process.
“RWE is a long-term cluster partner of Viking CCS and is developing two projects that could use this facility, providing firm, secure and flexible low carbon power generation to support our transition to a net zero economy.”
Will Gardiner, Drax Group CEO, said: “We welcome the Government’s decision to designate Viking as a Track 2 carbon capture utilisation and storage cluster (CCUS). Progressing a CO2 transport and storage network in the Humber represents a significant step toward helping the region meet its Net Zero ambitions and ensuring that it remains a source of high-skilled jobs and energy security for decades to come.
“The announcement shows the importance of CCUS to the Humber and, along with the East Coast Cluster, creates an additional pathway to support our plans for bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) at Drax Power Station.
“We are currently engaged in formal discussions with the UK Government on this project and hope to invest billions in its development and deploy this critical, carbon removals technology by 2030.”
Dr Nick Cooper, CEO of Acorn lead developer Storegga, said: “We are thrilled that the Acorn Project has advanced directly into Track-2. Acorn has been progressed by the development partners as the Track-1 reserve since late 2021 and is ready to move promptly to support the decarbonisation of Scotland and the wider UK.
“Today’s news is a defining milestone for us, and the Scottish Cluster. Acorn will be a major contributor towards meeting the UK and Scotland’s carbon reduction targets, able to serve emitters connected by pipeline and ship.
“As Lead Developer, Storegga thanks Acorn partners and Scottish Cluster participants for their support and we look forward to working with Government to deliver the multiple benefits of creating and future-proofing jobs, bringing inward economic investment, developing green-tech industries and, crucially helping decarbonise Scotland and the UK.”
Harbour Energy’s Executive Vice President of Net Zero and CCS Steve Cox said: The successful award of Track 2 status to Harbour’s Viking CCS project in the Humber as well as Acorn in northeast Scotland is another demonstration of how we are well positioned to use our existing skills and infrastructure to help develop the burgeoning CCS industry in the UK.
“More widely, the announcement today shows the key role the North Sea oil and gas sector will play in helping to deliver the UK’s carbon capture goals.”
Ruth Herbert, Chief Executive at the CCSA, said: “We are pleased to see the UK Government pushing ahead with its CCUS deployment programme and selecting the next two CCUS clusters, as time is running out to meet 2030 targets.
“This CO2 infrastructure is critical to safeguarding the UK’s supply chain security, enabling local industries to continue to thrive whilst reducing their emissions as we transition to a net zero economy.
“It is therefore vital that the Government urgently sets out clarity on the process and timeline for selecting carbon capture sites within these ‘Track-2’ clusters and within the previously announced Track-1 cluster expansion.
Billions of pounds of investment is waiting to be deployed to decarbonise these industrial regions, but firm plans are required to secure it.
“There are a number of other clusters under development across the country, which is why last year we asked government for visibility of the longer-term CCUS deployment plan.
“Collectively, CCUS clusters could protect 77,000 current jobs and create a further 70,000 jobs across the UK. Government’s forthcoming vision for the UK CCUS sector needs to be published as soon as possible, to avoid investment flight in those regions that have not been selected today.”
Simon Roddy, Senior Vice President of Shell UK‘s Upstream business, said: “This is an important step forward for one of the UK’s leading CCS clusters. The Acorn Project is a central part of plans to decarbonise North Sea operations, and to store emissions from other parts of Scottish industry.
“As Technical Developer, we bring Shell’s global experience of CCS and the delivery of major projects. T
“o stimulate investment in this and other CCS clusters, continued co-operation with governments will be key to finding the most innovative approaches and business models to allow CCS to reach the scale needed to help the UK achieve net zero.”
Alistair Phillips-Davies, Chief Executive of SSE, said: “Carbon capture will play a critical role not only in decarbonising the UK’s power system but also in unlocking economic growth and boosting our energy security, and today’s announcement marks a major step forward in its deployment.
“We know how important it is that the north-east of Scotland and Humber are decarbonised and the decision to support the Scottish Cluster and Viking Cluster shows that there is commitment to doing so.
“Time remains of the essence. Now, we must move quickly to deploy the transport and storage infrastructure which will underpin the rollout of CCS across the chosen clusters. Doing so will allow crucial low-carbon projects – such as our carbon capture project at Peterhead – to be brought forward, supporting the energy transition while providing good, green jobs and enhancing regional economies.
“The UK has a real opportunity to lead the world on carbon capture if we can accelerate progress and today’s announcement provides welcome impetus.”
Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th May between 11am and 5pm
As lockdown eases there’s an exhibition opening in an unconventional gallery space in a corner of Edinburgh that might help us to pause and reflect on what has happened before we rush out and enjoy the freedom.
‘Toll’ is an artwork by Edinburgh-based artist Andrew Brooks at the new Concrete Block Gallery, which makes a single mark for each of the first year’s reported deaths involving Covid19 in the United Kingdom.
The total reported deaths involving Covid19 for the first year in the UK was 145,652 and this is the number of marks made over 52 performances by Andrew in the space, each performance representing a single week’s statistics.
Andrew began the project online on March 13th 2021, publishing the first performance video on the one-year anniversary of the first reported deaths in the UK, and will complete this work of protest and remembrance on May 13th.
Andrew Brooks said: “There are two elements to the artwork: the physical piece with the marks made on the paper and also the performance of me in the space making the work – I do it in silence and on my own. The performance of this is very much the work part of the work and is just as important as the paper.”
Each mark is made with a single brush dab and is 4cm high and made on rolls of paper 1.5m wide and 10m long. The marks fill 53 metres of paper and have used over a litre of black ink.
Each week’s statistics is filmed separately, and the longest film is 3 hours 6 minutes, representing the 6th week of Covid related deaths in the UK which was the highest toll for the year at 9,510.
Andrew continued: “The act of remembrance is very important in the way that I have gone about constructing this, attempting to recognise each one of those deaths. Understanding what one hundred and forty-five thousand marks looks like and how much time it takes to make those.
“I try and be as considered as possible when I make a mark because that is somebody – that is somebody’s family member, somebody’s friend and it’s somebody’s life that’s ended.”
Seeing Andrew’s endeavour on Instagram, documentary film maker, Dave MacFarlane of DMtwo Media, approached him to document the process of making the work.
Dave MacFarlane explained: “This recent filming project is one of those that come along and you can’t help but take notice.
“The subject matter, the artistic concept and the wider social impact were all key factors in wanting to produce this short documentary”.
Reflecting on why he decided to make the work, Andrew said: “When you think about the statistics it easily gets abstracted away but I’m doing this to make it physical and make it so that it can’t be avoided.
“It’s a visualization that really makes you understand what’s happened, over a hundred and forty-five thousand deaths, you have to realise that this is something to get angry about.
“The impetus for this was anger and that’s what’s fed it. It’s anger at Westminster and at central government. I’ve felt that they haven’t been decisive, they haven’t made strong decisions, there has been a lot of waste, that has resulted in over a hundred thousand deaths.
“This is a protest piece, this is my version of holding up a placard and standing out in the street – this is my concerted silent protest. Art can have many roles in society, and one of those is definitely protest and this is my protest”.
‘Toll’ will be exhibited for viewings at Concrete Block Gallery Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th May between 11am and 5pm.
Campaigners across Scotland are calling on the Scottish Government to do everything in their power to eradicate the draconian elements in the UK Welfare provision. The opportunity arises as elements of the Welfare Budget are transferred to the Scottish Parliament.
‘I Daniel Blake’ shows the impact of the UK Government’s attack on welfare provision. It depicts the disrespect and de-humanisation and the creation of a blame culture on those who find themselves relying
on welfare provision.
Following previews of the film across Edinburgh at Friday 21 st October’s opening night over 50 community campaigners pledged to take their distress and anger at the demonisation of those who need benefits to the Parliament.
Campaigners, organisations and Unions will be outside the Scottish Parliament at 1pm tomorrow (Thursday 27 October) after First Minister’s Question Time.
We will be asking all MSPs to sign a large ‘I Daniel Blake’ poster to show their support for a radical change to the welfare system in Scotland.
A meeting is being arranged for Saturday 26th November to mobilise all parts of Scotland to pressure their MSPs to maximise the opportunity that any transfer of welfare provision to the Scottish Parliament allows.
Community groups throughout the east of Scotland will be holding showings of the film when the DVD becomes available in January to continue the mobilisation.
