A Third Sector Response to the Draft EIJB Strategic Plan for 2025-28
In response to the EIJB consultation inviting people and organisations to have a say on the draft Strategic Plan for 2025 – 28, the Third Sector Reference Group is working on a contribution on behalf of our sector.
This is another in a series of actions in light of the future funding crisis third sector organisations are facing across the city.
Your input to this response is vital and we would ask any and all third sector groups and organisations to share your hopes, fears and priorities, by answering the 9 questions in this short survey.
You are also encouraged to submit a separate response individually, feeding back on the identified priorities, planned actions and measures of success.
You can find out more and submit a response to the consultation here.
Please be aware that the deadline for the consultation submission is extremely tight – Sunday 23rd Feb 2025.
This is strongly influencing the actions we are focusing on to deliver the best outcome for the sector.
The Reference Group has pulled together several resources that you might find useful:
On Monday 10th February at 6:30pm, members of The Ripple project and residents of Ward 14 will get the chance to speak to their local councillors.
Have you ever seen Question Time or even better Debate Night? If the answer is yes, then you know how important a local event like this can be.
If not, then read the quick explainer on the event below.
Members of The Ripple project and the wider community of Ward 14 will have the opportunity to put questions to our local representatives. After a question-and-answer session each councillor will have the opportunity to detail their priorities for the upcoming year or make any other address they deem appropriate.
Tristan Green, The Ripple Community Action Worker who will be chairing the evening said: “‘I am delighted that all four of our local councillors committed to this event with such enthusiasm.
“Events like this can help reduce the barriers that make it so hard for regular people to engage with politics at a local level. It is a groundbreaking evening for this ward and I am looking forward to some healthy debate’.
Rachel Green, Director added: ‘Genuine engagement by elected members is becoming essential at a time when more and more is being asked of the third sector and local communities.
” Only by knowing what is important to local people can our councillors serve the communities who elected them”.
To attendees and those who wished to be kept in touch about conference developments:
Hi,
Thank you for attending the workshop on Saturday or for expressing an interest in campaign developments. We will produce a written report on the conclusions arising out of the discussion at the plenary session of the workshop.
Attached is the agenda for the workshop on Saturday,
One of the key issues to be discussed at the workshop is the City Council’s response to the proposed cut in funding to third sector organisations.
The cut will take effect on 30/6/25. However, we understand that Council action to mitigate the effects of the cuts will be discussed during the Council’s budget setting meeting on 20/2/25.
There may need to be a lobby of the Council meeting.
Regards,
Des Loughney Secretary Edinburgh TUC
EDINBURGH SOCIAL CARE CAMPAIGN – THE WAY FORWARD
Unitecd Augustine Church, George IV Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1EL
Workshop Saturday 18th January 2025
AGENDA
Chair: Ian Mullen (UNISON City of Edinburgh Council Branch)
9.30 am – 10.00 am: Tea/ coffee and biscuits.
10.00 am – 11 am. Introduction to workshop
Des Loughney – Secretary, UNITE Edinburgh Not For Profit Branch (1)
Councillor Tim Pogson – Vice Chair of the Edinburgh Integration Joint Board (2)
Denise Ritchie: Fair Work Project Officer, Scottish Trades Union Congress (3)
Linda Sommerville: Deputy General Secretary, Scottish Trades Union Congress. (3)
11am to 12.30pm Working Groups ( two)
12.30 pm to 1.00 pm – Plenary Session and summing up.
Speakers:
Des Loughney will comment on the impact of the proposed EIJB cuts on services and third sector worker terms and conditions. The impact includes compulsory redundancies and downgrading of contracts of employment from guaranteed working weeks to zero hour contracts,
Councillor Tim Pogson will update us on the response of the Council to the proposed EIJB cuts. The City Council is seeking to mitigate the impact of the cuts on the third sector.
Denise Ritchie and Linda Sommervile will brief the workshop on proposed campaigning activity at a local level and a Scottish level.
Thanks to everyone who has given us feedback so far by completing our survey!
GIC are passionate about providing the best possible service to our clients and we are delighted with the results and the many positive comments we’ve received since April:
The financial situation of the Edinburgh Integration Joint Board (EIJB) is very challenging. In 2025/26, the IJB seek to realise around £51m of savings. Future years will see further savings required, currently estimated to be £76m in 2026/27 and £105m in 2027/28.
These savings will be difficult and their impact will be substantial. So, managing change, and ensuring key services are delivered to communities will require collaboration by the IJB and city partners, including the Third Sector.
Reference Group
On November 1 2024, Third Sector representatives presented deputations to the EIJB challenging proposals around the Third Sector Grants Programme and an in-year cut (2024/2025). The IJB did not approve the proposal for the in-year cut with an alternative proposal being approved.
Following that meeting, the IJB invited Third Sector representatives to talk through concerns and identify areas to work together. To inform those meetings, EVOC and their TSI partners collaborated with the Edinburgh Community Health Forum and representatives of other Third Sector interests across the city to create a Reference Group.
The purpose of the Reference Group is to:
inform governance and city partnerships
assert the value of the Sector
shape investment
support change
distil the voices of the Third Sector to effectively represent the sector on the IJB
EIJB Engagement and Proposals
The Reference Group has rapidly considered the short-term issues around funding, and the longer-term issues of future partnership models, sharing a briefing note with the IJB on issues and options in early December. The engagement with EIJB has been positive given the difficult circumstances, and this positive engagement has resulted in an EIJB paper to the December Board which recommends:
That the Health Inequalities grants programme, due to end on 31 March 2025 should be extended for three months into 2025/26 which will help provide time for the organisations affected to adapt.
The Board support work currently underway to undertake a series of collaborative workshops which will inform some of the savings proposals and invest-to-save opportunities that will be submitted for consideration by the EIJB in March 2025.
In the current landscape this is a positive outcome for the Third Sector, informed directly by the voice, needs and priorities of the Sector.
City of Edinburgh Council Engagement and Proposals
Given the challenges to funding for the Third Sector and the impact cuts will have to the viability of Third Sector Organisations, the Reference Group have also argued the need for a cross city partnership approach to investment.
Following the November 1 EIJB meeting, the TSI wrote to the Chair of the EIJB, the Chief Executive of City of Edinburgh Council and NHS Lothian asserting the need to [a] reset investment [b] reform ways of working [c] repair relationships. In the immediate term, a key priority is to secure a commitment from City of Edinburgh to invest to mitigate the risks to critical and anchor organisations.
On December 10 the Council Policy and Sustainability Committee considered and approved a proposal that recognised that the Council may need to provide core or foundational funding to stabilise vital third sector organisations. The TSI with ECHF collaborated to present a joint deputation, welcoming the Council proposal, and offering support.
Council officers were instructed to:
Work on a briefing paper for the Council’s political groups on what the Third sector needs now, specifically transitional funding, medium term, ahead of the Council setting its budget in February;
Undertake a review of all grant funding, exploring the provision of longer term, sustainable funding;
Work with the Edinburgh Partnership and Third Sector to co-design solutions, and agree terms of reference for a short life group and report back to Policy and Sustainability Committee in March.
Priorities: December EIJB meeting and Future Planning
The Reference Group will continue to meet and shape the next steps. An immediate priority is to agree on Terms of Reference and confirm representatives in the Group. We will be sharing a set of proposals before Christmas for your consideration.
A strong voice is essential to shape the long-term relationship with the EIJB and in particular the workshop series in spring 2025.
The Edinburgh TSI with EVOC and others from the Reference Group will support the paper to the EIJB on December 17 on progress on the Third Sector Grants Programme and the next steps in working collaboratively with the Sector, and also with the City of Edinburgh Council.
If you need any further information in advance of the IJB meeting tomorrow (Tuesday 17 December), please get in touch with us or reach out to any member of the Reference Group.
We will also provide regular briefings on progress, through the fortnightly EVOC E-news and targeted updates on key information as necessary.
I am writing to you to provide an update on Edinburgh TSI* activity since the EIJB Board meeting on November 1 and to invite your collaboration on the next steps.
Though it was welcome that the IJB agreed not to proceed with an in-year cut to the Third Sector Grants Programme, the process leading to that decision, and risks flowing from the meeting on November 1 remain very challenging.
Resolving the funding position for the Third Sector Grant recipients, and all third sector funding from the IJB for 2025/6 alongside co-designing the conditions of success for any future model of working in partnership is a key priority for the Sector, and as a consequence, for the Edinburgh TSI.
We believe the IJB proposals need to be part of a wider strategic conversation in the city about how we invest in the Third Sector, ensuring we have the right investment in the right places with the right capacity to deliver the most impact.
Edinburgh TSI letter following November 1
In the lead-up to the November 1 IJB meeting, we worked collaboratively with the Edinburgh Community Health Forum, and others across our sector to draw out information for briefings from affected TSOs through phone calls, questionnaires and meetings. This concluded with a detailed rebuttal of arguments in Paper 7.2, as presented to the IJB as well as a TSI deputation. The deputation sought to build on the arguments put forward by organisations for time to plan better and work differently.
Following that meeting, I wrote on behalf of the TSI to the Chair of the EIJB, the leader of the Council, the CEC Chief Executive and the NHS Lothian Chief Executive. I emphasised the need for:
Resetting investment: there is a need for a whole city conversation on a sustainable financial settlement for the Third Sector
Reforming ways of working: there needs to be a better approach to commissioning, valuing and supporting The Third Sector through change
Repairing relationships: recognising and valuing the value of the Third Sector contribution to communities is an important part of relationship development
Edinburgh IJB engagement on Third Sector Grants and contracts
Agreeing on a funding settlement for 2025/6 is a key objective for the Third Sector, both for the Third Sector Grants Programme and for the larger contracted services with Third Sector Organisations.
There are different possible scenarios. A best-case scenario might be a one-year continuation of the grants programme while time is dedicated to coherently and collaboratively designing a sustainable “replacement” which enables the IJB to purchase what they need and want from the Third Sector while providing foundational funding for the wider sector.
This will require a series of conversations, some sense of prioritisation and scoping of how to manage change. The big challenge is time. Initial discussions are progressing between Edinburgh TSI and the IJB on immediate priorities, and a meeting has been invited with CEC.
To inform the discussions on funding, the Edinburgh TSI met with a group of Third Sector partners to scope priorities. This includes articulating the real consequences of making any cuts on the Sector and its ability to deliver outcomes with communities; seeking confirmation on the priority focus for the IJB in 2025/6, and inviting discussion on options around the best use of our joint resources through a process of co-design. These conversations will need to be ongoing. We welcome your views as to how best to shape them.
Edinburgh IJB engagement on Public Social Partnership
Any change to a way of working to a Public Social Partnership or some other commissioning model by the IJB demands an investment of time up front.
This time is needed to confirm commitment to co-design to ensure that any partnership is a partnership, and any working relationship is founded on clear conditions for success.
This needs an investment in learning from other PSP’s in the city, what worked, and what didn’t, and it needs clarity on roles and responsibilities. In the meantime, a clear transition arrangement needs to be set out, describing how current commitments and contracts are to be managed.
Following the November 1 meeting, the IJB have been reviewing budget and partnership proposals. They have invited a group of Third Sector representatives to discuss how to progress partnership working together on shared issues and challenges.
The purpose of the meeting is to start a conversation about how best to work together, who to engage and what success looks like. The next steps will need wider conversations within the sector and between the sector and the IJB, and we invite your views as to how best to shape this.
Reference Group Proposal
The Third Sector has important Board roles on the EIJB and other city institutions. However, at the EIJB meeting, Cllr Pogson asked if there was enough Third Sector representation on the Board.
A reformed Board may be a future possibility, but meanwhile, it is critical to be able to support the people who occupy these Board seats so the voices of the sector feed into them, support and challenge them.
This is particularly the case in the next year or so where there will be very challenging issues and decisions to consider, with significant impact for the Sector.
To try and make sense of where to best put attention around these issues, we have convened a small, embryonic group of sector people. We aim to build this into a Reference Group with representation from across the Sector to distil and amplify the voices of the sector around priority issues. This will evolve over the next few months, and we invite your collaboration.
Our initial sense is that the areas of focus are about:
Asserting value: articulating the impact of the sector with fair methods of measurement
Supporting resilience: co-designing ways of working for sector sustainability
Shaping investment: making the case for ongoing investment around sector need
Informing governance: supporting Third Sector Board seats on city partnerships
We have developed Draft Terms of Reference for this Group, which builds on the current issues around the IJB but also focuses on the Third Sector as a whole.
Next steps
In sharing this context and background, it is my intention to work collaboratively to find a solution to the real risks we are facing as a sector.
In this context, I invite you to get in touch with initial feedback on the role of the TSI in shaping the Reference Group. In the meantime, Edinburgh TSI colleagues will continue to convene the sector through forums, networks and meetings, alongside the Edinburgh Community Health Forum.
Together, we can also continue to highlight the risks and impact of this loss of investment in the third sector, both individually and collectively.
Please get in touch and get involved. We recognise that our strength is in working together and supporting each other across our rich, diverse and talented Third Sector. I look forward to working with you.
COMMUNITY PROJECTS TO LEARN THEIR FATE AT EIJB MEETING
SIXTY-THREE voluntary sector organisations will learn their fate today when Edinburgh Integration Joint Board makes crucial decisions on cost-saving measures.
EIJB is looking to make ‘savings’ (i.e. cuts) of £60 million and the proposal to disinvest in third sector projects would see the EIJB ‘save’ £4.5 million, but the voluntary sector argues that the scale of the cuts in some of the capital’s poorest communities – cuts imposed without any prior consultation – will actually cost the city far more in real terms – and they are urging the EIJB to think again.
If the EIJ Board accepts Chief Officer Pat Togher’s recommendations to disinvest, projects across Edinburgh will be forced to slash services, make staff redundant and, in some cases, close completely.
One of the projects affected is Libertus Services, a charity dedicated to supporting people to live independently. Libertus provides two registered Day Care services to local older people, located in Gracemount and Canalside, alongside a plethora of recreational, educational, cultural and social activities.
Libertus Services is dedicated to empowering its’ Members to make informed choices and to engage with activities which offer a selection of physical activity, reminiscence, games and art as therapy.
Their Positive Futures project supports local people (50+) across Edinburgh to develop and run activity groups in community based settings. The groups take place on a weekly basis, facilitated by a dedicated team of volunteers.
Andrew Farr, General Manager at Libertus, said:“Libertus Services has been established for 43 years and employs 23 staff members to provide services for people at risk of many vulnerabilities, including social isolation, and has provided support to thousands of people.
“The impact of EIJB cuts to Libertus Services will affect at least 300 people aged over 50, and older vulnerable people and their support base who rely on the input and outcomes achieved within our groups.
“The loss of peer support, interaction and professionally led early intervention will inevitably lead to an increase in our vulnerable population of older people becoming more reliant on statutory services now and in the future.
“The potential closure of our Positive Futures over 50’s service and our volunteer service additionally losing 42 volunteers not only increases risks to our Day Services for older people, which will no longer receive the additional social and practical input from our volunteers, but also reduces our financial stability.
“This is due to our premises increasing their reliability on the already reducing contract with the EHSCP, following a 10% in year contract reduction, followed by additional year on year 10% reductions in funding from 2025 onwards.
“A significant number of people would be without our support, leading to social isolation for a significantly higher number of people with social and psychological needs. Service provision would need to be absorbed by adding further pressure within statutory services, including hospital admissions and readmissions, due to the increase in demand resulting from the loss of this preventative service.”
The projects facing cuts today are:
ACE-IT
Art In Healthcare – Room For Art project
Autism Initiatives
Bethany Christian Trust – Passing The Baton project
Bridgend Farmhouse – Community Kitchen
Calton Welfare Services
Care for Carers – Stepping Out residential and short-term breaks for Carers
Caring in Craigmillar – Phonelink
CHAI Community Help and Advice Initiative (Edinburgh Consortium) – Income maximisation, debt and welfare advice
Citizens Advice Edinburgh (Edinburgh Consortium) – Income maximisation, debt and welfare advice
Changeworks – Heat Heroes programme
Community One Stop Shop – COSS
Community Renewal Trust – Health Case Management
Cruse Bereavement Care Scotland – Edinburgh bereavement services
Cyrenians – Golden Years Community Connecting Service
Drake Music Scotland – Musicspace
Edinburgh and Lothians Greenspace Trust – Healthy Lifestyles South Edinburgh
Edinburgh Community Food – Healthier Food, Healthier Lives, Healthier Future
Edinburgh Community Health Forum
Edinburgh Consortium (CHAI, Citizens Advice Edinburgh and Granton Information Centre) – Income maximisation, debt and welfare advice across the city
Edinburgh Garden Partners – Befriending Through Gardening project
Edinburgh Headway Group – ABI Rehabilitation Support Project
Edinburgh Leisure – Steady Steps programme
Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre – Rape crisis support service
Eric Liddell Centre – Caring for Carers Befriending Service
FAIR – Family Advice and Information resource for people with learning disabilities
FENIKS – Reach Out, Help Within support for Eastern European community
Fresh Start – Helping previously homeless people make a home for themselves
Granton Information Centre (Edinburgh Consortium) – Income maximisation, welfare and debt advice
Hillcrest Futures – Futures Hub
Health All Round – Community health initiative in Sighthill Gorgie
Health in Mind – Counselling in Craigmillar
Home Start Edinburgh West and South West – promoting positive perinatal health
LGBT Health and Wellbeing – Core funding and community programme
Multicultural Family Base MCFB – Syrian mens mental health group
Murrayfield Dementia Project – Day Resorce
Pilmeny Development Project – Older people’s services
Pilton Equalities Project – Mental health and wellbeing support service
Pilton Equalities Project – Day Care services
Portobello Monday Centre – Informal daycare for people with dementia
Portobello Older People’s Project – Lunch and social club for isolated people
Positive Help – HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis C support service for vulnerable adults
Queensferry Churches Care in the Community – support services for older people
Rowan Alba Ltd – CARDS service for people with alcohol-related brain damage
Scottish Huntingdon’s Association – Lothian Huntingdon’s Disease service
Sikh Sanjog – Health and wellbeing group for ethnic minority women
South Edinburgh Amenities Group – community transport service
South Edinburgh Day Centre Volunteer Forum
Support in Mind Scotland – RAISE for Carers project
The Broomhouse Centre – The Beacon Club
The Broomhouse Centre – Vintage Vibes consortium
The Broomhouse Health Strategy Group – B Healthy Together initiative
The Dove Centre – Social day centre
The Health Agency – Community-led health improvement initiative
The Living Memory Association – drop-in facility for isolated older people
The Open Door Senior Men’s Group – tackling social isolation
The Ripple Project – Community hub in Restalrig
The Welcoming Association – Welcoming Health programme for migrants/refugees
Venture Scotland – Outdoor activities and residential experiences
VOCAL – Counselling support for carers
Waverley Care – HIV and Hepatitis C support
The following projects will make deputations to this morning’s meeting:
It’s looking increasingly likely that common sense will prevail today and that recommended funding cuts will NOT be imposed before the end of this current financial year – always an unrealistic ambition given the timescales involved and the lack of prior consultation.
Edinburgh Green Councillor Alys Mumford tweeted yesterday: “I’m sure everyone has been very concerned about news of potential in-year cuts to 3rd sector organisations.
“Here is an update from the Edinburgh Councillor Group, and as a board member of the Integration Joint Board, I’m glad I’ve submitted this joint proposal to reject the cuts:
So a small victory for the voluntary sector IS possible today, maybe, but would this be just a stay of execution, a short reprieve?
The EIJB must balance it’s books, and with the city council, NHS Lothian and the Scottish Government all facing financial challenges of their own, just how does Edinburgh Integration Joint Board fill that black hole?
And what is the future for our community projects – and the hundreds, perhaps thousands. of vulnerable people they support across what is supposed to be an affluent capital city – come the new financial year? Can it be a Happy New Year for them?
Hopefully all will become clearer this afternoon.
Good luck to all of the deputations this morning and here’s hoping Edinburgh Integration Joint Board belatedly sees the real human cost of the cuts being proposed – and rejects them.
EDINBURGH INTEGRATION JOINT BOARD PLANS TO END £4.5 million GRANTS TO 63 COMUNITY PROJECTS
SCOTTISH COUNCIL of VOLUNTARY ORGANIATIONS (SCVO)
SCVO response to proposal by Edinburgh Integrated Joint Board to remove grant-funding from voluntary organisations:
Letter to Councillor Cammy Day, Leader of City of Edinburgh Council,
Professor John Connaghan OBE, Chair of NHS Lothian
cc Pat Togher, Chief Officer EIJB
Proposal by Edinburgh Integrated Joint Board to remove grant-funding from voluntary organisations
I am writing to add SCVO’s voice to the protests regarding the IJB’s proposal to withdraw funding in-year from charities and community groups. 37 of our members are impacted by this decision.
The intention outlined in the board paper to take a more strategic and collaborative approach in the future has been totally undermined by the impact of reneging on this year’s grant funding.
Trust is a fragile thing, and it will take a long time to rebuild any sense that the council and the health board have an understanding of, or respect for, the voluntary organisations that do so much to support our communities.
When you look to build your strategic partnership in 2025, many of them simply won’t be there because they will have gone out of business.
Far from saving money, this will generate significant costs to public services as people fall through the cracks, and the additional millions of pounds voluntary organisations bring in from trusts and foundations or the private sector through match funding and other fundraising activities will disappear. A truly strategic approach would be looking to maximise that income-generation, not cut it off.
It appears that over 100 people who were already in a precarious enough position will lose their jobs. And the discretionary effort of hundreds more volunteers will be lost.
It is evident that when money is tight, which I recognise it is, the council and the health board have retrenched and focused on short-term savings rather than the public good.
The table in the board paper which illustrates where the money could be “better spent” says it all – to the IJB, acute services matter more than prevention or early intervention. As well as being short-sighted ethically and financially, it flies in the face of all the evidence around what communities need and the rhetoric around person-centred services and prevention.
I would urge you to intervene and stop the IJB making a decision everyone involved will regret.
Yours sincerely,
Anna Fowlie Chief Executive, SCVO
BIG HEARTS: “The value the charity sector brings to our local communities should never be in doubt.”
VOLUNTARY HEALTH SCOTLAND:
VHS Chief Executive @MistryTej has commented on the recent cuts being proposed by Edinburgh IJB.
What will it take for recognition of the crucial work the third sector are doing to reduce health inequalities?
Along with the rest of the sector we are extremely concerned by the proposed early cessation of EIJB grant funding to 64 voluntary sector organisations. As well as the loss of important services and the associated job losses, this will impact volunteering.
Volunteers are at the heart of the affected organisations, contributing 206,000 hours of support to people in the community worth over £2m. These volunteering opportunities are not only a lifeline to people they help support.
They also enable local people to be active in their communities, build confidence, develop skills, reduce isolation – all of which contribute to better health outcomes for volunteers themselves.
The impact of the loss of these volunteering opportunities cannot be understated.
LIVING RENT:
64 charities are at the risk of closure due to £4.5 million worth of proposed cuts. This will have devastating effects for tenants, for workers and for communities across Edinburgh.
Let’s defend our community centres, services & jobs.
Join us to say NO to Labour-led cuts!
SCOTT ARTHUR MP:
I have today (Wednesday) written to the Cheif (sic) Officer of the EIJB opposing the proposed cuts to the third sector in my constituency – I expressed my concerns in the strongest possible terms.
I support @cllrcammyday fully in his call for fair funding for Edinburgh.
Edinburgh Integration Joint Board meets TOMORROW (Friday 1 December) in the Dean of Guilds Room at The City Chambers at 10am.
The following organisations will make their case against the cuts at the meeting:
Community projects across the city are facing financial armageddon following news that Edinburgh Integration Joint Board (EIJB) plans to discontinue funding to 64 community projects across the city.
The EIJB is facing a financial crisis and sees slashing funds to third sector organisations as a way to tackling a massive deficit. If the recommendations are approved by board members at a meeting on Friday, the disinvestment in much-needed community services would save EIJB £4.5 million.
Although rumours of swingeing cuts were circulating for some days, the key papers announcing the plans only appeared online late on Friday afternoon – and they make grim reading for community organisations across the city.
The full papers for Friday’s meeting can be found below – and the Chief Officer’s recommendations make truly awful reading for 64 community organisations and the thousands of citizens they support.
Rubbing salt into the wounds, the EIJB also proposes cutting funding before the end of THIS financial year – two months early – forcing voluntary sector organisations to issue redundancy notices immediately. A fine early Christmas present!
For some projects, cuts on this scale would see a devastating reduction to the services they are able to provide to people living in some of Edinburgh’s most deprived communities. Scores of jobs will be lost if the cuts go ahead, vital services will be slashed and a number of community organisations may even be forced to close completely.
Restalrig’s Ripple Project announced: ‘The Ripple is devastated by the release of proposals to remove a huge proportion of health and social care funding from The Ripple in just 90 days time.
‘Please come to the Ripple next week and join us in our campaign to stop this happening.’ The Ripple provides and hosts a range of services from their busy community hub and they have set up a petition to oppose the cuts.
People Know How have already made the difficult decision to close their doors – and more will undoubtedly follow if the proposed cuts go ahead.
People Know How told service users: “Due to the drastic changes across the fundraising landscape in Scotland, it is with great sadness that we must announce that we are beginning to work towards closing People Know How including the redundancy of all our staff team.”
An online post explains: ‘People Know How was founded in 2013 and has grown to deliver services to thousands of people across Scotland over the past decade. Supporting people to be digitally and socially included through Reconnect, providing help to children as they move from primary to secondary school through Positive Transitions, and enhancing communities with projects including All Aboard, People Know How has always put people at the heart of what we do. ‘
‘A dedicated team of 24 paid staff and around 100 annual volunteers, interns, and placement students (VIPs) make all this work possible, and we collaborate with numerous funders and partners to maximise the reach and impact of the charity. In the last 4 years, People Know How has also expanded its reach to effect social change nationally as well as locally, through research, campaigning, influencing policy and our national Digital Support Helpline.
‘Due to the drastic changes across the funding landscape in Scotland, at the end of September, our Board and Chief Executive were faced with a difficult conversation in light of the lack of funding for the current and forthcoming financial years.
‘In just the last few months, we have seen devastating funding cuts across the sector and a drastic shift in the funding landscape. As a result, we have seen fewer options for long-term funding, with other funders closing entirely and leaving those that remain severely over-subscribed.
‘The Scottish Government is currently examining their approach to funding in the third sector, responding to calls from the sector for longer-term funding, unrestricted core funding, funding to accommodate paying staff a Real Living Wage and more. But as the debate continues, charities like People Know How are dealing with the reality.
‘The decline of available funds is directly at odds with the increasing need of the communities we support. Over the last few months, we have seen attendance to our digital groups and calls on our Digital Support Helpline increase.
‘We also recently partnered with BT to provide information about the digital landline switchover, with many groups across the country eagerly coming forward to work with us on this project. And just 2 months ago, we began our Positive Transitions support in schools for the new academic year, addressing a very real need for support felt by the children, young people and families moving to secondary school.
‘While we have funding for some projects, we will not hear back from our biggest funders until the end of this financial year and cannot move forward without the certainty that we will be able to support our service users and employ our staff beyond Christmas.
‘Since September, People Know How has been undergoing a 30-day collective consultation process to assess its future and options to avoid redundancies, including pausing all new activities to prioritise the support of those using our services.
‘We have also been speaking with our partners and contacts to assess options and opportunities where possible. That consultation process has now come to an end and unfortunately, we have not found a solution to save the 24 jobs and charity and have had to make the extremely difficult decision to work toward closing People Know How.
‘From today, (25 October), we will be working to wind down our projects and identify opportunities for those who use our services to continue being supported by other organisations. Our staff will also be looking for new employment opportunities. We will remain open until December but our capacity will be reducing gradually until then, as our team moves on.
‘Consideration is being made on how we close in the best way possible to value all the work and achievements since 2013. We are proud of what we have achieved over the last 11 years, supporting communities to improve wellbeing across Scotland.
‘The passion we have seen in every single one of our staff members and VIPs during this time has been incredible and we couldn’t be prouder to have been part of their lives and careers. Thank you to all who have been with us on this amazing journey.’
North Edinburgh’s R2 group is a coalition of local projects who united during the Covid pandemic lockdown to support vulnerable local people with food and essential supplies.
Spartans Community Foundation CEO Debbi McCulloch, who chairs R2’s development group, wrote to politicians and members of the EIJB yesterday:
Proposed IJB cuts to third sector organisations
As Chair of R2 Development Group I am writing to express our concern and dismay at the current rumours circulating within the 3rd sector about the IJB cuts to third sector grants, and potential disinvestment from 64 community organisations.
This disinvestment appears to be part of the IJB’s in year recovery plan and savings strategy for 2025/26. We find this particularly surprising given the consultation that the IJB have recently completed on their new strategy which prioritised prevention and closer collaboration with the 3rd sector.
We would also like to acknowledge that the third sector has already taken significant cuts this year from the grant funding and has still achieved (or in many case over achieved) on the targets set, yet the sector is facing the biggest cuts.
In north Edinburgh, it is estimated that this will result in around £1million worth of funding being lost to the area. We are particularly concerned that local income maximisation services could be lost as many of us work in partnership with these services and see the difference they can make in household income for the people we work with. This work is key to our collective contributions to reducing poverty in the City.
While we recognise the significant funding challenges faced by the IJB, disinvesting from the 3rd sector for short term cost savings seems misguided. Such actions are likely to increase pressure on both NHS and Council services, contradicting the Scottish Government, Public Health Scotland, and the Audit Commission’s strong advocacy for enhanced prevention and early intervention strategies which are known to take time and require investment.
Evidence consistently shows that investment in prevention is one of the most cost-effective methods to improve health outcomes and reduce inequalities, ultimately fostering greater sustainability with economic, social, and environmental benefits.
We hope for a constructive discussion with the IJB and other partners on how we can best support our communities together. We would be very grateful if you could investigate on our behalf and advise us accordingly.
We ask that:
• The funding for this year is guaranteed and runs the full length of the contract. • That the 25/ 26 grants are not cut in entirety and that we can be part of a conversation regarding how we maybe able to assist in making savings.
• That there is recognition that is these “savings” are to go through, we are shoring up future impacts.
We’d ask you to explore this matter further and share anything you find out with us. In particular we would like to know:
• What consideration has been made for the Audit Scotland, Chief Medical Officer and Scottish Government guidance to invest in health prevention, health activities in community? • If an equality impact assessment on these proposals has been carried out and what the conclusion of this was?
Finally, we’d ask you to talk your party colleagues, particularly if they sit on the IJB and ask them to do all they can to prevent these cuts.
We know, that when local community sector organisations get cut, it can take years to rebuild projects and relationships with local communities. As the social and health issues in our communities are continuing to increase, we want to continue to do all we can to alleviate the current crisis and build towards a more positive future. Please help us do this.
Edinburgh Community Health Forum (ECHF) has called for an immediate halt to the funding cuts announced by IJB.
ECHF’s Strategic Development Manager, Stephanie-Anne Harris, said: “This drastic cut threatens the very fabric of our community support systems and undermines our collective commitment to health and wellbeing in Edinburgh.
“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.”
EVOC, the voice of Edinburgh’s voluntary sector, said: “We are devastated to see the depth of the cuts proposed to the Third Sector in the EIJB Meeting Papers: https://bit.ly/4eZsPXL
“Our sector has an essential role to play in delivering key health and social care services for some of the most vulnerable people in Edinburgh and contributes to the four priorities of the @EdinburghHSCP ‘More Good Days Strategy’.
“Our Board and staff are meeting key colleagues and partners to move quickly on a strategic response and will share more details in the coming days.”
The first option would close the existing programme early, giving grant recipients only three months’ notice and saving £700,000 in this financial year. This would be extremely disruptive for both organisations and people accessing their programmes. Third sector organisations are reasonably entitled to expect to receive funding for the entire grant period. We are especially concerned that this could lead to sudden job losses and financial hardship for affected third sector workers.
The second option would be to end the grants programme entirely in future years, and develop an alternative approach, saving £4.5mn in direct costs next year and beyond. Whilst this would mean existing grants would continue for the remainder of this financial year, it would result in significant uncertainty for the future of some organisations and programmes and for the people who ultimately benefit from these supports and services.
Nevertheless, it is claimed that only one of the funded services represents “value for money”. Our understanding is that this assessment has been made via an additional, retrospective EIJB evaluation, and it is unclear if organisations were given adequate time and direction to monitor and evidence the value of their programmes.
In many cases the impact assessment refers to the availability of statutory services as an alternative, for example in relation to maternal mental health. However, the extreme pressures on statutory services, especially mental health services, are well documented.
Third sector services are in many cases supporting people who have fallen through the gaps in or been unable to access statutory services. The withdrawal of grant funding for third sector services will therefore leave those people with no support at all.
Responding to the proposals, the ALLIANCE Chief Officer of Development, Sara Redmond, said:“Third sector organisations provide a range of invaluable services that help to reduce health inequalities and support a preventative approach to health and wellbeing. We are therefore extremely concerned by the proposals from Edinburgh IJB that could see their entire health inequalities grant programme close.
“The EIJB’s own impact assessment acknowledges that these proposals will negatively impact the health and wellbeing of people in Edinburgh, especially in areas already experiencing higher levels of health and socio-economic inequality. In addition to the risk of job losses, these proposals also risk seriously damaging the relationship between the third sector and statutory sector funders, especially as there has been no public consultation in advance.
“Third sector organisations must be able to trust when bidding for contracts or grants that funding will be provided for the entire contracted period. They must also be consulted as equal partners to find a way forward when circumstances change, and for the responsibility to be shared for evaluating the impact of what are complex social policy agendas.
“We urge the EIJB to reject these proposals and develop a fairer way forward that will ensure people receive the support they need and that the third sector can continue its invaluable work to mitigate and prevent health inequalities.”
Work has urgently been going on behind the scenes since the EIJB papers were released and a number of meetings have taken place with more to follow in the run-up to Friday’s crucial board meeting.
Deputations are being arranged, community support is being harnessed across the city and politicians are being lobbied – and opposition to the draconian proposals has gained political support.
SNP Councillor Vicky Nicholson is a member of the EIJB board and she announced last night that the SNP will oppose the report recommendations:
Labour’s Cammy Day said in a statement on Twitter yesterday: ‘After over a decade of @theSNP cuts& under funding Edinburghs health &social care, proposals to cut the third/voluntary sector are here.
“Edinburgh Labour will propose a way forward to engage the sector, work with them & city partners and stop the in year cuts wherever we can.’
Edinburgh Integration Joint Board meets on Friday 1st November at 10am in the Dean of Guilds Room at the City Chambers.
You can read the full details of the recommendations here:
Budget speculation, the economy returns to growth, the impact of cuts, and the disability employment gap
Three weeks still to go, and speculation about what will be in the Budget on 30th October continues (writes Fraser of Allander Institute’s MAIRI SPOWAGE, SANJAM SURI and EMMA CONGREVE).
Will the Chancellor change her fiscal rules? It looks likely that there will be some movement on this, whether in the definition of debt or something more fundamental, however much that could undermine their commitments in the manifesto.
Will there be increases in Capital Gains Tax? The speculation on this has reached fever pitch, with some stories suggested rates from 33% to 39% are being considered. (Interestingly, when we look at the ready reckoners from the HMRC, changes of this magnitude in some forms of CGT actually may result in less revenue when behavioural effects are taken into account). There certainly seems to be expectations out there in the economy that the rate may change, with lots of signs that disposals have increased hugely in anticipation.
Will there be increases to employer national insurance contributions? There has been much discussion about this, given the commitment of the UK Government not to “raise taxes on working people”, and due to the fact that the PM would not rule this out this week. A 1 percentage point rise in employers NICS would raise almost £9bn according to the ready reckoner (although we think that doesn’t include the additional costs to departments).
We’ll be going into the detail of some of these issues in the run up to the Budget, so there will be plenty for you all to chew over as we wait… and wait… for the Budget.
UK Economy Returns to growth in August
Data released this morning showed that the UK economy posted its first monthly GDP increase since May 2024. ONS reported this morning that monthly real GDP grew 0.2% in August 2024. There were no revisions made to the “no growth” months of June and July. While monthly numbers were in line with consensus forecasts, they show an economy that has slowed down from the beginning of 2024.
The good news is that growth in August came from all key sectors- with services rising by 0.1%, and production and construction rising by 0.5% and 0.4% respectively. Crucially- August was also the first time all three sectors positively contributed to growth since March 2024.
A more granular breakdown of service sector growth indicates that the biggest positive contribution came from the professional, scientific, and technical activities subsector- where monthly change in output was +1.6% from the previous month. Despite overall growth in services sector- seven subsectors saw decline in economic activity- with arts, entertainment, and recreation falling 2.5% over July 2024.
The production sector grew by 0.5% in August after hefty decline of 0.7% in July. Despite a rebound in August, the production output is essentially flat since the end of May 2024. The biggest contributor to production sector came from 1.1% rise in manufacturing activity- driven by transport equipment manufacturing However, mining and quarrying output declined 4.0% over July 2024- continuing their downward trend since end of December 2023.
What is the impact of cuts in spending?
When the Scottish Government presented their Fiscal Statement to parliament in early September, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance said that impact assessments had been done to understand the impact that the announced cuts could have on different groups.
These assessments were not published at the time, but finally were published last week. We welcome the publication of these, and although there are lots of criticisms that could be made of the assessments, it is good to see this transparency. One area of weakness is assuming that if funding was maintained at previous levels, there will be minimal impact, which assumes that previous levels was the correct level… so why was the budget being increased in the first place?
One of the main things to note though is the lack of analysis of cumulative impact on groups. A number of “minimal impacts” could still add up to something significant if they are affecting the same group.
Final report of the parliamentary Inquiry into the disability employment gap published
In 2016, the Scottish Government published A Fairer Scotland for Disabled People, which outlined how the government intended to shape policy – especially labour market policy – for disabled people living in Scotland.
One of the key goals this report outlined was reducing the gap in the employment rate between disabled and non-disabled adults. In 2016, 80.4% of non-disabled working aged adults were employed in Scotland, compared to 42.8% of disabled working aged adults, making for an employment gap of 37.5 percentage points. The government’s goal was to cut this gap in half by 2038.
In 2023, the Economy and Fair Work Committee in Scottish Parliament launched an inquiry into how this policy goal was going. In fact, in 2023, it seemed like it was going quite well.
The gap was down to 30.3 percentage points, which was actually ahead of schedule: if progress were linear, the disability employment gap would drop by about 0.85 percentage points each year, meaning that it would be 31.5 percentage points in 2023.
Two of our economists at the FAI, Allison Catalano and Christy McFadyen, contributed to this inquiry through a fellowship with the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe). Their work, which we published back in January, found that the majority of the change in disability employment is due to a rise in disability prevalence, rather than any specific policy.
Their report also highlighted some significant data issues: people with different types of disability have vastly different capacities for employment, vastly different support needs within employment, and vastly different rates of employment. Yet, in Scottish data and policymaking, disabled people are often treated as a singular entity, meaning that it is not possible to understand where policy interventions might be most effective.
The final inquiry publication highlights our work and a variety of other issues which will need to be addressed in order to improve work access for disabled people, all of which can be found here. They have produced 44 recommendations to improve employment prospects for disabled people.
