The Budget committed £1 billion in extra money for Scotland, maintained the freeze on whisky and fuel duty, and saw a £150 million investment in the Tay City Region Deal. The Chancellor also committed to progress growth deals in Ayrshire, Moray and Borderlands. A good deal for Scotland, then? Aye, right! was the response from Holyrood. Continue reading Analysing the Budget: Short-changed or delivering for Scotland?
Britain’s world-leading researchers and entrepreneurs will benefit from an additional £780 million to create the technologies of tomorrow, the Chancellor announced yesterday. Continue reading Billion-pound backing for “catapult centres”!
£1.3 Billion boost for local economy
Prime Minister Theresa May and First Minister Nicola Sturgeon joined council, business and academia leaders to formally sign off the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal yesterday.
The £1.3 billion deal will deliver inclusive economic growth across the region through housing, innovation, transport, skills and culture. The Scottish Government and the UK Government will each invest £300 million over the next 15 years.
The Scottish Government’s investment will contribute towards 41,000 new homes, 21,000 jobs and improve the skills of an estimated 14,700 people.
The Scottish Government’s investment in the City Region includes:
• £60 million towards a Data Driven Innovation programme of investment, including the creation of economic infrastructure across the region to ensure that businesses and communities across the region are fully able to engage in the resulting opportunities
• £65 million towards a regional housing programme, including the creation of a new housing company and housing infrastructure funding to enable the delivery of 41,000 new homes
• £120 million for transport improvements to Sheriffhall Roundabout
• £20 million for public transport improvements in West Edinburgh
• £25 million for an Integrated Regional Employability & Skills Programme to reduce skills shortages and gaps and deliver opportunities for people across Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife and the Borders
• £10m towards a new concert venue for the city, providing a home for the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and reinforcing Edinburgh’s reputation as a leading centre for music and the performing arts.
In addition, the Scottish Government is also providing Edinburgh Festivals with a £5 million investment over the next five years to fund The Platforms for Creative Excellence (PLaCE) programme which supports new innovative programming and skills development opportunities across the capital’s 11 major festivals between 2018-2023.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “Edinburgh and the South East of Scotland is an area of huge importance to the Scottish economy. The region contains over a quarter of Scotland’s population and contributes £33 billion to the Scottish and UK economies.
“The Scottish Government’s £300 million investment in the City Region Deal will contribute towards 41,000 new homes, 21,000 jobs and improve the skills of an estimated 14,700 people across the region. Our investments will ensure businesses and communities from across the region benefit from the opportunities created by this the city region deal.
“Taken together these projects will help the region continue to thrive and grow, fulfilling our ambitions for the region to be one of the fairest and most inclusive areas in the country.”
Prime Minister Theresa May said: “It is fantastic to be here at the University of Edinburgh to sign off on the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Deal.
“We are in one of the great cities of our United Kingdom, at a time of year when it serves not just as the capital of Scotland but as the cultural capital of the world.
I had the privilege of experiencing first-hand some of the cultural riches that the Edinburgh Festivals have to offer earlier today, and a great pleasure it was to do so. The Festivals are an international calling-card for Edinburgh and the surrounding area and when people come to take part in them they find a city and a region that has huge potential for the future. You see it clearly in the imagination and creativity on display here every August.
“But you see it too in the innovative and ground-breaking work that goes on in this city and area all year round. In great universities and colleges. In high-tech businesses. In financial and legal services hubs.
This is a city and a region that has so much to offer Scotland, the UK and indeed the world.
“The Edinburgh and South East City Deal is all about building on those strengths to open up new opportunities for the future in the creative industries, in research, in housing, in transport and in skills, and it will have a lasting legacy.
The UK and Scottish Governments are both helping to build the IMPACT Concert Hall – a new venue to cement Edinburgh’s place as the world’s Festival City.
The City Deal partners also want to turn Edinburgh into the Data Capital of Europe.
“So we are providing capital investment to develop new data storage and analysis technology here in Edinburgh. This great new facility, the Bayes Centre, will open in the autumn with UK Government investment, and will provide shared working spaces for applied data science and artificial intelligence research teams.
“It is one of five hubs across the city that will use data technology to support research and development activity in sectors of the future, from fin-tech and robotics to bio tech and health sciences. I want the UK to lead the world in these technologies. I want us to have the best regulation, the most advanced research and the most lucrative commercial applications.
“The City Deal will put Edinburgh at the cutting edge of that work and it is exciting to think about the future possibilities that this investment will open up. UK City and Growth Deals are a key part of our Modern Industrial Strategy. The UK Government has already committed over £1 billion to them here in Scotland.
Five have been signed, and three more are being negotiated.
“Just like the Modern Industrial Strategy as a whole, they are a partnership between Government at all levels, business and academia to combine our resources and to tackle the challenges of tomorrow. Because I believe we can achieve far more together than we ever could apart.
“So thank you to all the Deal partners for your work to get us here: The University of Edinburgh, who have hosted us today, as well as Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh Napier University, and Queen Margaret University.
“To the local authorities: Edinburgh City Council, Midlothian Council, East Lothian Council, West Lothian Council, Scottish Borders Council and Fife Council. And of course our colleagues in the Scottish Government.
“This is a great day for the south-east of Scotland and an exciting step towards a brighter future for this wonderful part of the UK.”
“Tourism is the heartbeat of the Scottish economy”
Visits and spending by overseas tourists in Scotland rose to its highest level on record in 2017. The ONS Travel Trends 2017 statistics showed the number of overseas tourists visiting Scotland rose by 16.9% to 3.2 million, while expenditure increased by 23% to £2.3 billion.
The record figures were driven by European visitors who made 1.9 million visits to Scotland, a 17% increase from 2016, with spending rising by 36% to £1.1 billion. Across the UK as a whole the number of European visitors increased by 1% and spending fell by 1%.
A range of factors made Scotland an attractive place to visit in 2017 including events associated with the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology, the Outlander effect and VisitScotland digital activity.
Tourism Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “These figures show 2017 was a record year for overseas tourists visiting and spending money in Scotland, which is great news for the industry and our economy.
“Tourism is one of our most important industries, employing 207,000 people, creating jobs, supporting the local economy and building on our strong international reputation.
“As we get closer to the UK’s departure from the EU, we will continue to do all we can to ensure people from across the EU and elsewhere are welcome to work in our tourism sector and visit our beautiful, vibrant country.”
Malcolm Roughead, VisitScotland Chief Executive, said: “Today’s figures herald a remarkable period for Scottish tourism, with overseas visits in 2017 reaching a record high.
“These outstanding results show that Scotland can compete on a global stage. Using our unrivalled beauty, rich history, pioneering partnerships and innovative thinking we are communicating with visitors from every corner of the world.
“Groundbreaking apps, creative digital campaigns and inspirational content means we can reach visitors and potential visitors at every step of their journey, informing the visitors of today and inspiring the visitors of tomorrow.
“Tourism is the heartbeat of the Scottish economy, causing a ripple effect which touches every industry and community, creating employment and economic growth. Buoyed by the success of today’s figures we look forward to continue working with our partnerships across every aspect of the tourism industry to make sure Scotland is at the top of everyone’s list to live and work, invest, study and visit.”
The figures are available to view and are the highest for overseas tourists since the survey began in 1961/62.
A report released today by Fort Kinnaird, Edinburgh’s leading retail and leisure destination, has highlighted the significance of the centre’s contribution to the Scottish economy. With 14 million visits in 2017, Fort Kinnaird has seen its Recruitment and Skills Centre help 3,200 people into work over the past five years. Continue reading Edinburgh shopping centre central to Scottish economy
Promoting inclusion and innovation while tackling poverty are at the heart of the City of Edinburgh Council’s five year Economy Strategy, approved by the Housing and Economy Committee yesterday. Continue reading Edinburgh sets new five year economic strategy
Is enough being done to support Scotland’s local businesses? A new inquiry by the Scottish Parliament’s Economy, Jobs and Fair Work Committee will explore just this.
Continue reading Supporting our small businesses: Holyrood Committee launches survey
Housing and Economy Convener, Cllr Kate Campbell, has sets out her vision to bring prosperity to every neighbourhood in the city:
It is very well known that Edinburgh remains the most prosperous UK city outside London. In my new role as Housing and Economy Convener of the City of Edinburgh Council, my first priority is going to be to ensure that this prosperity reaches everyone, in every neighbourhood of the city.
I recognise that jobs growth alone has not been sufficient to deliver sustained improvements in living standards for everyone and the time has come to take a good look at why there are still people living in Edinburgh who are not sharing in this prosperity. At the heart of our economy strategy is the message that everyone must have the opportunity to benefit from Edinburgh’s success.
Our economy is going from strength to strength and has shown great resilience during tough economic times but we need to be fairer to everyone in terms of wages, opportunity, access to housing, education and good careers if we are to help it to grow further. It is also vital to the city’s economy that housing remains affordable in the city.
The economy strategy, which will be presented in June 2018 for approval, will set out an action plan to tackle inequality and poverty. This is an important shift in the focus of our work.
My passion lies in tackling Edinburgh’s chronic housing shortage. My first task, as chair of the homelessness task force, is to stop families with children being temporarily housed in bed and breakfasts by June, as we know this can make schooling children and access to cooking facilities difficult. I will also reduce the number of people being temporarily housed in B&Bs and the time they spend in them. It is also vitally important that we reduce the number of people sleeping rough.
Along with our housing association partners, we are delivering the biggest council-led affordable housing programme in the UK with 20,000 affordable homes planned for the next decade. This will help us to tackle the shortage of good quality homes for people on low and middle incomes in the city. There are currently over 2000 affordable and low cost homes under construction on 31 sites across the Edinburgh. This will make a big difference, but it’s just the start.
To help support the Capital’s continued growth, as a Council, we are also taking a proactive approach to stimulate development.
One of our priorities is to unlock brownfield sites for house builders and developers so that they can deliver the quality housing that we so desperately need and the space to allow businesses to start up, grow and thrive.
Last month we bought the National Grid site at Granton on Edinburgh’s Waterfront. This purchase is another step towards the delivery of The Granton Masterplan. An ambitious vision that will see the area transformed into a vibrant new community. This is hugely important to us as the Waterfront is one of seven key strategic development areas identified in the Edinburgh and South East City Region Deal, signed by all partners last summer.
In addition to the land for housing, community and business development, the site, set in parkland, includes an iconic last remaining gas holder in the city and the former Granton railway station, both of which are grade B listed buildings. Given the significance of these structures they will form a key role in the development proposals for the land and give a focus and identity to the new community.
Over in the west of the city we built industrial units after carrying out research which identified an increasing shortage of good quality industrial space. These units are now fully let. It is clear that there is a need for quality accommodation for businesses that are struggling to expand. Although all of the units are now let, officers are still receiving enquiries and this is a model we are keen to replicate elsewhere in the future.
The population in Edinburgh is at an all-time high and continues to grow at an unprecedented rate. This growth brings challenges of increased pressure on housing, transport and public services and I look forward to playing my part in ensuring that everyone in the city has the opportunity to access quality jobs and housing in the future.
This article first appeared in The Scotsman on 4th May.
The Scottish Business Taskforce of economic and business leaders came together on Friday to discuss ways to support some of Scotland’s most important sectors. The taskforce, announced by Scottish Secretary David Mundell last year, aims to exert a positive influence on the development of UK Government policy and in turn, advance Scotland’s interests. Continue reading The UK Government delivers for Scottish businesses, says the UK Government’s Scotland Office
UK Advertised Salaries Grow In Every UK Region
Average UK advertised salaries have increased in the last 12 months, up 3.5% to £33,646, according to Adzuna.co.uk. Growth in advertised wages is in evidence in every on of the 12 UK regions. Continue reading Salaries on the rise?
