Scotland’s third sector is the backbone of communities across the country — delivering vital, person-centred support in the face of rising demand and financial uncertainty.
Our newly published Annual Report showcases how, in 2024/25, we worked alongside charities and funders to strengthen resilience and unlock new opportunities for impact.
The organisations we support are often the first to respond to local needs, tackling poverty, inequality, mental health, and social isolation.
Our venture philanthropy model is designed to ease the burden, combining funding with tailored development support to help charities grow and adapt to changing circumstances.
In 2024/25, we managed over £47 million in funding across 16 programmes, supporting 333 organisations.
Our Specialist Volunteer Network delivered 460 projects, contributing 2,613 hours of pro bono support — equivalent to over a year and a half of full-time work.
As well as continuing to focus on delivering longer term funding for the sector, we also launched new initiatives, including the Neighbourhood Ecosystem Fund, supporting 14 local nature restoration projects, and expanded our Intandem mentoring programme into Dundee, thanks to new philanthropic investment.
We’ve worked hard to keep funding flowing, championing the sector and demonstrating the difference it makes.
Through new funding collaborations and strategic support, we’ve built new philanthropic partnerships that extend the impact of our model to others.
Recognising volunteering as a powerful force for good, we continued to bring in skills and expertise through our Specialist Volunteer Network. Time, energy, and professional skills are vital forms of philanthropy, and we’ve seen how this generosity strengthens organisations and builds resilience.
We’ve increasingly used the insight gained from our work to inform and influence policy. This year, we’ve done more of this work than ever before — sharing evidence, amplifying voices, and contributing directly to policy discussions. We recognise the responsibility and privilege of our position, which allows us to take messages from the frontline straight to decision-makers.
Our work is rooted in trust, collaboration, and a shared ambition for lasting impact. Whether managing Scottish Government programmes or unlocking new sources of investment, we are committed to building a Scotland where every person has the opportunity to thrive.
Thank you to our partners, funders, volunteers, and the organisations we support. Together, we are making a difference.
Gen Alpha turn to YouTube first on their TV set at home, while over 55s double their time on the service
Fewer than half of 16-24-year-olds watch broadcast TV weekly
Despite declines, traditional broadcasters’ content still makes up majority of in-home viewing
YouTube is leading the charge in the streaming takeover of TV sets, with the service now the first place younger viewers go as soon as they switch on, according to Ofcom’s annual report on the nation’s media habits.
Overall people spent an average of 4 hours 30 minutes per day watching TV and video content at home in 2024. And while broadcast TV still accounts for the majority of in-home viewing (56%), audiences are increasingly turning to YouTube. The platform is now the second most-watched service in the UK, behind the BBC and ahead of ITV.
At home, people spent 39 minutes on YouTube per day in 2024, with 16 minutes of this via the household’s TV set. Younger adults aged 16-34 are driving this trend, watching 18 minutes of YouTube a day on TV, while one in five (20%) children aged 4-15 head straight to the app as soon as they turn the set on.
But it’s not just Gen Z and Alpha driving this trend. Over 55s are now watching nearly double the amount of YouTube content on their TVs compared to the previous year (11 minutes per day in December 2024, up from just 6 minutes in January 2023). Last year, 42% of all YouTube viewing by this age group was on a TV set (up from 33% in 2023).
YouTube content evolving
The content audiences are watching on YouTube has evolved too. Half of the platform’s top-trending videos now more closely resemble traditional TV, including long-form interviews and game shows. This shift positions YouTube as a direct competitor to ad-supported TV services, while offering broadcasters a way to reach wider and younger audiences.
Some broadcasters are increasingly offering their own programmes on YouTube, for example ITV and Channel 4 make full length programming available on their channels, retaining control over adverts. Ofcom has identified these sorts of partnerships, making public service content available and prominent on online platforms, as critical to sustain the future of public service media in its recent report, Transmission Critical.
Public service broadcasters (PSBs) are seeing success with their online services, especially the BBC. For the first time, people are watching more online programmes from broadcasters than they are recorded programmes.
Ed Leighton, Ofcom’s Interim Group Director for Strategy and Research, said:“Scheduled TV is increasingly alien to younger viewers, with YouTube the first port of call for many when they pick up the TV remote. But we’re also seeing signs that older adults are turning to the platform as part of their daily media diet too.
“Public service broadcasters are recognising this shift – moving to meet audiences in the online spaces where they increasingly spend their time. But we need to see even more ambition in this respect to ensure that public service media that audiences value survives long into the future.”
Generational divide
Overall, people spent 4% less time watching broadcast TV in 2024 than the previous year, with average viewing dropping to 2 hours 24 minutes a day on TV sets. This trend was particularly driven by young adults (16-24), who watched just 17 minutes of live TV daily. Only 45% of this age group tuned into broadcast TV weekly, down from 48% in 2023.
Less than a quarter of 16-24s’ in-home video viewing is now to broadcaster content, versus 90% for those aged 75 and over.
Overall, people watched content from video-on-demand platforms for an average of 40 minutes per day. Netflix continues to be the most popular service, watched for an average of 22 minutes per day, and accounting for more than half of all viewing on streaming platforms.
Festive favourites top the list of most-watched moments
But broadcasters proved they can still bring the nation together for shared major TV moments, with the BBC and ITV boasting the top three most-watched shows of 2024.
Gavin and Stacy: The Finale (18.6 million) was the most watched programme last year, followed by Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl (16.9 million), with the fourth episode of Mr Bates vs The Post Office (14.7 million)coming in third. The top two most-watched programmes both aired first on Christmas day.
The Spain v England Euro 2024 final was the most-watched live sports event of the year across the BBC, ITV and STV, with 19.8 million people tuning in on the day.
Netflix’s Adolescence was the most-watched TV event in the first quarter of 2025 with 12.2 million viewers until the end of March. This marked the first time a streaming title topped weekly TV ratings [2].
Podcasts eat up audio diets
Our Media Nations Report also has its ear to the ground on how the nation’s listening habits are evolving. More than nine in ten UK adults (93%) listen to some form of audio content each week, increasing to 98% of 16-34-year-olds. YouTube (47%) and Spotify (36%) are the most popular online audio services, while BBC Sounds is the most popular from a radio broadcaster (24%).
Music streaming and podcasts continue to be an important part of our audio diets, particularly for younger people. People aged 15-34 now spend more than half of their weekly listening time with streamed music and podcasts (58%, up from 40% in 2019), which is close to double the amount for the average listener (30%) [3].
Podcasts are also increasingly available in video as well as audio form. Platforms such as YouTube, Spotify, and Global Player now regularly host video versions of UK podcasts, helping creators engage with broader audiences.
More top trends from our Media Nations reports are available on our news centre.
Acas in-demand ahead of major changes to employment rights
A year of strong results for Acas also marked a significant increase in individual disputes in Britain, according to its latest annual report.
In 2024-25 Acas dealt with over 117,000 individual disputes in Great Britain. Demand is at its highest since the covid pandemic: an increase of 13,000 from 2023-24. Acas helped resolve 9 out of 10 of these early conciliation cases without the need to go to employment tribunal.
To prevent disputes rising and to reduce the estimated £28 billion cost of conflict, Acas called on Britain’s employers and employees to work together to resolve conflict early. Disputes are always ideally solved within workplaces, without further escalation.
The news comes as major employment law reform gets underway.
Acas’s Chair called Acas a ‘critical national asset’ as these reforms come in and heralded the organisation’s success supporting small businesses through change.
Acas doubled its good practice advice and training interactions over its 2021-25 strategy period from 100,00 to over 252,000 and website advice growing from 9 million in 2021 to 20.5 million in 2025.
Collective disputes were down from 618 in the financial year 2023-24 to 522 in 2024-25. Data from the Office for National Statistics shows days lost to industrial action down from 1.85 million in 2023-24 to 597,000 in 2024-25.
In 2024-25, Acas resolved or supported progress toward settlement in 93% of collective dispute cases.
Acas Chair Clare Chapman said: “As the government introduces major employment law reform, and with the UK annual cost of workplace conflict estimated to stand at £28.5 billion, this is a reminder that Acas remains a critical national asset.
“The rise in individual disputes is concerning: just one conflict escalating can cause huge cost and stress to employer and employee. The good news is Acas now resolves 9 out of 10 early conciliation cases without the need to go to an employment tribunal.
“We call on all Britain’s employers and employees to work together to resolve conflict early. Small businesses particularly need support to avoid the damaging consequences of conflict.
“Our 2021-25 strategy helped thousands of small businesses through change. Acas doubled its good practice advice and training interactions and increased awareness of Acas support among small and medium-sized businesses from 83% to 90%.”
Results delivered 2021-25 against long-term Ambitions
· Acas helped resolve 9 out of 10 of early conciliation cases without the need to go to employment tribunal.
· Just 5% of early conciliation notifications now result in a tribunal hearing, saving time, money and further stress for all parties.
· The Acas website reached twice as many people – web sessions recorded on the website more than doubled from 9 to 20 million.
· Use of Acas good practice advice and training doubled to over a quarter of a million interactions.
· Increased awareness of Acas support among small and medium-sized businesses from 83% to 90% and among individuals from 56% to 77%.
Results delivered in the 2024/25 operational year
· Acas collective conciliation team facilitated confidential talks in over 522 disputes, resolving or supporting progress toward settlement in 93% of cases. Pay was the leading cause dispute and cases are down from 618 last year.
· Acas dealt with 117,951 Early Conciliation cases, the highest number since Covid, up on 104,884 in 2023/24.
· Advice and training had a quarter of a million interactions, a 78% increase on 2023-24.
· The Acas helpline answered 600,000 calls from employers and employees in Great Britain, a 3% increase from 2023-24.
· There was 91% positive engagement of users from the website (exceeding 90% KPI target). There were 20 million sessions in 2024-25 compared to 18 million in 2023-24, an 11% increase.
· Acas trained over 41,000 people in good workplace practice, with 94% of attendees saying their course met their objectives (exceeding 90% KPI target).
· E-learning services were accessed by more than 57,000 users, an increase of 13,000 on 2023-24.
Drinking Water Quality Regulator for Scotland’s annual report
The Drinking Water Quality Regulator (DWQR) for Scotland’s latest annual report shows that Scottish Water’s compliance with the stringent standards for drinking water remains very high, although continued investment is needed to ensure it stays that way in the face of a number of challenges.
Matt Bower, the Drinking Water Quality Regulator said: “Our drinking water in Scotland is amongst the finest in the world; however, ageing water treatment assets and changing source water quality mean that we cannot take this for granted.
“We must ensure that the scale and pace of investment in the maintenance and replacement of water assets is sufficient to safeguard the consistently high quality of our drinking water for future generations.”
The report, covering Drinking Water Quality in Scotland during 2023, states that a total of 272,017 regulatory tests were carried out on Scotland’s drinking water last year. Of those tests on samples taken to represent quality at consumers’ taps, 99.88% met the required standards. A direct comparison with previous years is not possible due to changes in the numbers and locations of samples.
The quality of water leaving water treatment works and treated water storage points, while still high, showed a slight deterioration in compliance with the standards on the previous year.
The number of water quality incidents requiring detailed investigation by the DWQR during 2023 was 29, a very similar figure to previous years.
A full copy of Drinking Water Quality in Scotland 2023 is available at www.dwqr.org.uk
The BBC’s annual report shows ‘a year of creative excellence and transformation against financial pressures and a challenging media market’
The report shows that the BBC is at the heart of national life and is the go-to media brand in the UK, with 95% of UK adults using our services on average per month, says the BBC’s Media Office.
We continue to deliver for audiences across the UK, and abroad, but we know we must accelerate the pace of change to increase relevance and value in a time of limitless choice and interactivity.
In March, we set out a long-term ambitious plan to prioritise, and focus our resources on, three essential roles: to pursue truth with no agenda; to back the best homegrown storytelling; and to bring people together.
Samir Shah, BBC Chair, said: “The BBC matters deeply to the UK, and continues to play an important role on the global stage.
“With the Board, I look forward to overseeing progress with the solid plans in place to preserve the benefits of public service broadcasting for all, and to ensure the BBC can deliver for audiences well into the future.”
Tim Davie, BBC Director-General, said: “This year’s Annual Report shows how we are transforming at pace to deliver for all audiences in the digital age.
“We remain firmly focussed on prioritising our resources into building a BBC for the future that can deliver crucial benefits for the UK at a critical time – and help support a healthy democracy, a thriving creative economy, and a strong society.”
Content
More people, by far, get their news from the BBC than from any other source and – across all our services – 35 million UK adults came to the BBC per day across 2023/24.
We are now the only UK provider to appear in the top five most-used media brands for young people and it was another record-breaking year for BBC Sounds and BBC iPlayer, with both seeing a significant increase in the number of weekly active accounts.
The BBC was the place to go for unmissable moments. We brought people together for the Coronation of King Charles III, watched by an average audience of 14.6 million, and the Eurovision Grand Final in Liverpool, watched by an average audience of 10 million on the night.
We saw huge audiences for homegrown storytelling across all genres, from Doctor Who and Planet Earth III to Ghosts and The Traitors. It was an incredible year for distinctly British drama from across the UK, including Blue Lights, Shetland, Steeltown Murders, Sherwood and The Responder.
BBC Radio continues to be the market leader in the audio space, with over 30 million adults listening on average per week – more than any other broadcast radio company or on-demand player. Radio 2 is the UK’s number one station overall, Radio 4 the number one speech station and 6 Music the biggest digital-only service.
Across the UK
Our Across the UK plan remains mission critical and has now entered its second phase. It is currently on track to exceed its £700 million spend target outside of London. To date, the programme has seen the BBC deliver more than £200 million of cumulative investment across its programming and services, including more than 350 roles being relocated outside of London. Over 54% of our workforce are now based outside of London.
In 2023/24, the BBC achieved its target to spend 60% of the Network TV budget outside of London and we are on track to sustain this permanently by 2026. While 44% of total radio and music production spend was outside of London, and we are well on the way to achieving the 50% target by the end of the current Charter.
Transparency and impartiality
We’re building trust with our audiences with a laser-sharp focus on transparency, spearheaded by the launch of BBC Verify. The team fact-check, counter disinformation, analyse data and explain complex stories in the pursuit of truth. This year we’ll be taking BBC Verify to audiences worldwide.
In May, we demonstrated our continued commitment to impartiality by publishing our second independent thematic review, on BBC coverage of migration, and announced the next review into our output on authentic and accurate portrayal and representation.
Finance and commercial
BBC Studios achieved a solid year of performance, despite a backdrop of challenging trading conditions, with sales of £1.9 billion (2022/23: £2.1 billion). An increase to our borrowing limits has kickstarted further investment and the recent acquisition of streaming service BritBox International demonstrates our sustainable future growth plans.
We aim to double our commercial business by 2027/28, generating additional content and funding for the BBC.
While licences in force declined by 2% year-on-year, the vast majority of our audiences remained committed to paying the licence fee and 95% of public service spend was directed to content and its delivery.
In real terms, the licence fee generated 30% more income in 2010/11 than it does today – a difference of more than £1 billion a year. We have been clear that the significant funding pressure we are under means we need to make further savings, on top of the major savings and reinvestment we have already made, to deliver the most value for audiences.
Transformation
We are becoming a leaner, more agile organisation, and we are accelerating our digital-first approach to reach audiences where they are. Public service roles continue to reduce this year, with headcount down 10% in the last five years; a reduction of almost 2,000 roles.
Over the course of the next two years, we will look to further move the money we have into the priority areas that provide real value for audiences. This means, in public service, we will close and transfer roles in some areas, and create roles in growth areas. By the end of March 2026, we expect to see a total reduction of around 500 public service roles.
Workforce diversity
We’ve made progress towards our overall 50:20:12:25 Diversity and Inclusion targets for the year, but there is much to do to ensure we remain representative of our audiences as we get smaller as an organisation. Disability and ethnicity are behind our expected ambition and both will be a focus of our refreshed D&I strategy which will be released in the coming year.
The report demonstrates delivery on all three of our key pillars.
We pursue the truth with no agenda ;
75% of UK adults use BBC News on average per week – well ahead of the next nearest provider
1.3m 12-15 year olds in the UK follow the news with the BBC – higher than any other organisation
We carry the UK’s voice, values, and influence to a weekly audience of 450 million people worldwide
We are the world’s most trusted international news provider
We back the best homegrown storytelling;
We contributed almost £5 billion to the UK economy last year and for every £1 of the BBC’s direct economic activity, £2.63 is generated in the UK economy
Half of our economic impact is outside London – versus 20% for the wider industry
99% of our original content is made in the UK – we are the largest single investor in UK-made programming.
We won 14 BAFTA TV awards in 2024 – more than any other broadcaster or streamer
We bring people together;
BBC coverage reached 25.2m people in the UK on the day of the Coronation of HM The King and HM The Queen Consort
There were a record 8.1bn streaming requests on BBC iPlayer – up 10% on the year before
Of the UK’s top 10 most viewed programmes in 2023, seven were on the BBC, highlighting our ongoing importance and relevance for today’s audiences
People spent 5hrs 44m watching BBC TV/iPlayer on average per week – more than all the big SVOD streamers combined
Inflationary pressures and cuts in real pay in many sectors have continued to trigger disputes across the public and private sectors in the last year according to workplace expert, Acas, in its latest annual report.
The new annual report covers the period from 1 April 2023 until 31 March 2024.
Acas Chair, Clare Chapman, said: “It has been another exceptionally demanding year for Acas and our staff have worked hard to help spread good work practice and resolve conflict in a challenging economic climate.
“The past 12 months have seen continuing inflationary pressures and a cut in real pay across the economy that are key drivers for collective disputes. Acas experts handled more than 600 of these disputes over the past year and resolved 94% of them.
“Our individual dispute resolution service also performed very strongly and helped to prevent costly and distressing court action for tens of thousands of employers and employees.
“The service dealt with over 100,000 cases during the year and over one million in the last decade. These successes have benefitted businesses and workers across Britain.”
Key facts and figures from this year’s annual report, include:
Acas was involved in 618 collective disputes between employers and groups of workers with a settlement rate of 94%. Pay was the leading cause of the disputes.
The individual dispute resolution service at Acas, which helps to resolve potential employment tribunal claims, dealt with 104,884 notifications for ‘early conciliation’. Seven out of 10 cases avoided the need for an employment tribunal. Wages were the top cause of conflict, followed by unfair dismissal and disability discrimination.
The Acas website continues to be popular for employers and employees seeking advice on workplace rights. Customers accessed its web pages 17.9 million times in 2023-24.
The Acas helpline answered 578,463 calls from employers and employees across Great Britain. Discipline, dismissal and grievance were the top topics for calls.
Acas trained over 40,000 people in good workplace practice. 93% of attendees said their course met their objectives.
Acas has made significant efficiencies in key service costs. The cost of handling a case in our collective and individual conciliation services has been reduced by 30% and 11% respectively.
A full copy of the 2023-2024 Acas Annual Report can be viewed here:
The Scottish Government is estimated to have invested almost £1.4 billion to benefit children in low income households in the last financial year.
The investment is detailed in an annual progress report which highlights key actions to tackle child poverty including:
Awarding almost £430 million to families through the Scottish Child Payment, supporting more than 329,000 children as of 31 March 2024
Widening eligibility for Best Start Foods, the benefit which helps low-income families access nutritious food, so thousands more children and pregnant women can benefit
Supporting around 4,400 children through continued work to develop a system of school age childcare and continuing to provide 1140 hours of funded childcare for all eligible children
Providing free bus travel to over 2.3 million people, with 727,000 children and young people registered as of March 2024
Delivering 6,045 affordable homes across Scotland, with two thirds for social rent, between April and December 2023 – helping an estimated 2,015 households with children into affordable housing
Ms Somerville said: “Eradicating child poverty is the First Minister’s top priority and the actions we are taking are making a difference. Modelling published in February estimates that our policies will keep 100,000 children out of relative poverty this year.
“Over the last year we have continued to provide immediate support to families through investment in the likes of our ‘game-changing’ Scottish Child Payment, and by mitigating the Benefit Cap as fully as possible within the scope of devolved powers.
“We have set out, through our Building a New Scotland series, how we would deliver differently in an independent Scotland. Only with the full economic and fiscal powers of an independent nation can we use all of the levers other governments have to tackle inequalities, and we will continue to make this case. However, this will not stop us from taking all the action we can towards our goal now.”
Following a further increase in the value from 1 April 2024, together the Scottish Government’s five family payments of Scottish Child Payment, Best Start Foods and the three Best Start Grant payments could now be worth over £10,000 by the time an eligible child turns six, and around £25,000 by the time they turn 16.
Social Security Scotland has published its Annual Report and Accounts, which show that it made £641 million in direct payments to people across Scotland from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023.
The payments were made across 13 Scottish benefits, seven of which are completely new forms of support not available anywhere else in the UK.
This includes the Scottish Child Payment which has been extended to eligible children under the age of 16. More than 300,000 young people are now receiving this payment.
The payments also include the new Winter Heating Payment, which has helped almost 400,000 people on low incomes with their heating costs.
The results of an annual survey of clients have also been published, showing that 93% of people who had been in contact with Social Security Scotland felt they had been treated with kindness.
Among those who responded to the survey, 97% said they had received their benefit payments when Social Security Scotland said they would and 90% said their experience with staff was ‘very good’ or ‘good’. A further 90% said staff listened to them and 89% felt they were treated with respect.
In total, the combination of direct payments made by Social Security Scotland and those paid through Agency Agreements with the Department for Work and Pensions saw the Scottish Government invest £4.04 billion in benefits across Scotland.
Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Shirley-Anne Somerville, said: “We are supporting families across the country at a time where they are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis and higher energy bills. We now deliver 13 benefits, seven of which are only available in Scotland and are delivering these payments while treating people with dignity, fairness and respect.
“Our decision to expand the Scottish Child Payment to all eligible young people under the age of 16 and increase the payment to £25 per week means we are supporting more than 300,000 children and making a significant contribution to tackling child poverty.
“As we prepare to launch Carer Support Payment, our 14th benefit, we are committed to making sure that people get the money they are entitled to and that people who are eligible know how to apply for our payments.”
Chief Executive of Social Security Scotland, David Wallace, said:“This last year has been the busiest in our five-year history. We have significantly expanded our service, including the national rollout of Adult Disability Payment, the extension of the Scottish Child Payment and paid Winter Heating Payment for the first time.
“We are continuing to develop and improve our service. Despite some challenges with processing times, which we are actively working to improve, we still maintained high client satisfaction rates. In our annual Client Survey, 93% of people who participated told us they were treated with kindness.”
Female-led Scottish scale-up crowned one of the UK’s best
SCOTLAND’S leading financial services recruiter has been identified by JP Morgan Private Bank as one of the top 200 women-powered businesses in the UK.
Founded by respected entrepreneur Betsy Williamson in 2005, Core-Asset Consulting receives the accolade shortly after being named a leading trailblazer at the end of 2022.
The firm – which now turns over £26.5m a year – places a strong focus on diversity, equity, inclusion and progressive working practices for both men and women.
Louise Powrie, co-Managing Director of Core-Asset Consulting, said: “This year’s standings perfectly reflect our continually growing upward trajectory which has seen us truly excel as a business.
“We place inclusion at the heart of what we do and have recently launched a new initiative to help improve socio-economic diversity in the sector – this accolade from JP Morgan highlights that we are more than meeting these goals.
“As an Edinburgh-based business that has grown from a start-up into Scotland’s leading financial services recruiter, the report – which celebrates women-powered businesses – should serve as a driver for all companies across the country which are fuelling female ambition and advancing financial equality.
“We are delighted to be a part of underlining the incredibly diverse role that women play in impacting and shaping British businesses and the economy.
“Each and every one of the top 200 businesses deserve their recognition – it’s fantastic high-growth businesses like these that will fuel our future.”
Core-Asset was born out of Betsy’s desire to take the best of her experience of large corporate recruiters, applying the focus on infrastructure and training to a more sector-specialised business.
It ranked 38 out of 200 in the third instalment of the annual JP Morgan report. It analysed over 46,000 companies that together form the UK’s high-growth ecosystem, revealing 13,255 women-powered businesses founded, led, owned, or managed by women.
Charlotte Bobroff and Stephanie Khalef-Wassmer, Co-heads of UK Women & Wealth and Executive Directors at J.P. Morgan Private Bank said: “Investing in the advancement of women is a focus of our firm that we believe is critical.
“Over the years, we have developed and launched a range of resources, networks and tools that enable women to progress in their career journeys as despite their impressive performance, women-powered companies still face the challenge of being underrepresented compared to their male counterparts.”
Core-Asset Consulting is Scotland’s pre-eminent recruitment and headhunting agency dedicated to financial and professional services.
Based in Edinburgh, the firm employs 24 people and works across the entire financial services sector, from the smallest boutiques to the biggest global players.
Initially the firm carved its reputation in Scotland’s globally-renowned asset management sector. However, the success of its model allowed it to expand across the wider financial services market. It now boasts dedicated accounting, investment operations and finance teams and also works in Scotland’s thriving legal sector.
Recently crowned the best city in the world by Time Out magazine, Edinburgh’s reputation as a great place to live, work, invest in and visit remains well intact. That’s according to the 16th annual Edinburgh by Numbers report, published by the city council last week.
The report reveals that residents’ lives are not only enriched by a vibrant cultural scene and more top-rated parks than any other comparable UK city – but on average Edinburgh people can expect to live longer, healthier lives.
Highlighting the city’s economic resilience, the findings also reveal that it’s not just residents who are in good health. Edinburgh has recorded the strongest local business survival rates and above average wages, retaining its position as the UK’s most economically productive city outside of London. Plus, all signs point to a post-pandemic rebound – with Edinburgh by Numbers demonstrating a bounce back in airport passenger numbers.
In summary, the stats reveal that:
Edinburgh has the highest life expectancy of the UK’s 8 major cities
And the highest proportion of life spent in good health (80%)
Boasts the most ‘green flag’ parks (35), twice as many as runner up Birmingham
With a greater number of ultra-low emission vehicles compared to elsewhere in Scotland (2.32% of vehicles)
More Michelin starred restaurants than any comparable city
And audiences eager to return to the city’s top rated visitor attractions and festivals
Strong recovery for the airport, with 11.3m passengers in 2022 vs 3m in 2021
The highest GVA per capita, the sign of a healthy economy
With above average wages and big decline in unemployment, down 50% in a decade
A highly educated workforce, with more people working at degree level or above
One of the highest student populations, behind Manchester and Bristol
Plus a population increase in the last decade of over 10% across all age groups, bucking national trends
While hard to believe, Edinburgh was also less rainy in 2022 than in the 5 years previous.
Council Leader Cammy Day said: “Edinburgh by Numbers is one of our most well-loved and well used pieces of research, providing a handy resource for everyone from school pupils to professors. This latest edition doesn’t disappoint and provides yet another unique overview of life in Scotland’s capital.
“It may be small but not many capital cities can boast the unique blend of greenspaces, beaches or indeed ancient volcanoes Edinburgh can – not to mention the most famous festivals on the planet. It’s no surprise, then, that Edinburgh is often cited as one of the most incredible places to live. But perhaps all of this culture and outdoor space is actually good for our wellbeing, too?
“With Edinburgh by Numbers revealing evidence of people living well and living longer compared to similar cities, plus good survival rates for local businesses, Edinburgh’s outlook is certainly healthy. All of this shouldn’t be taken for granted, especially following the hardship of Covid. Thankfully, the latest Edinburgh by Numbers points to a great level of business resilience in our city and now the gradual and welcome return of tourism.
“The ‘Team Edinburgh’ approach to economic recovery involved over 60 organisations coming together to set out what was needed for the city to bounce back from the pandemic. Clearly, this dedicated work to build Edinburgh back after lockdown has been a success.
“While all of this good news is to be welcomed, however, there is a flip side to the reputation Edinburgh has coined. Our population has risen faster over the last decade than other cities and we’re living longer, leading to increased demand for homes and some of the most expensive rents in Europe.
Wages are higher than average, but so too are costs and many residents continue to struggle with the cost of living crisis. In just three years, we’ve seen a 191% rise in the number of people who are in work claiming Universal Credit.
“For the council, Government and all city partners, it’s important that we use the findings of Edinburgh by Numbers and address these challenges. Future generations should be able to reap the benefits of ‘the best city in the world’ too.
“This involves planning for the future in line with our 2050 City Vision and projects like the tram to Newhaven, Granton’s regeneration and affordable housebuilding will be key to a more sustainable city, alongside our ambitious net zero carbon by 2030 goal.”
Podcasts eat up audio diets
