Scottish Conservative Lothian MSP Miles Briggs has hit out against Finance Secretary Kate Forbes’ refusal to pass on £150 million in funding from the UK government for Covid-19 relief.
City of Edinburgh Council, like the other 32 local authorities in Scotland, have been told to use their reserves for dealing with Coronavirus.On 31 March 2019 Edinburgh had reserves of £243.1 million.
The UK Government announced another £1.6 billion in funding for local councils in England, but SNP Ministers are declining to hand the equivalent money on to cash strapped councils in Scotland.
The Scottish Conservatives have previously criticised cuts to council budgets before the outbreak of Covid-19 and the withholding of funds to council to fight Covid-19 is a continuation of this trend.
Councils across Scotland have increasingly had to use their reserves to make up the reduction in council funding in the SNP/ Green budget each year, which has depleted their reserves and led to warning from Audit Scotland that Councils are running on empty.
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said: “Edinburgh City Council has an important role to play in tackling Covid-19, but are being hindered by the refusal of SNP Ministers to pass on funding for Council that has been made available to Councils in England.
“Health and Social care services have been amongst the hardest hit by Coronavirus and they will continue to struggle if SNP Ministers to not provide them with proper funding.
“Councils are going to become increasingly important in the management of Covid-19 once lockdown is lifted and measures need to be put in place to limit social distancing and have adequate levels of PPE.
“To be effective they will need the funding to be able put these measures in place, funding which is currently being withheld by SNP Ministers.”
SCRAN Academy, People Know How and Dads Rock are among six Edinburgh projects to share in £247,582 funding from The National Lottery Community Fund announced today.
Scran Academy receives an award of £10,000 to deliver free hot meals to vulnerable people across the North of Edinburgh, working with local partners to ensure gaps in service are covered.
John Loughton, Founder and Chief Executive of Scran Academy, which is based at Fet Lor Youth Club on Crewe Road South, said: “COVID-19 has hit our communities rapidly and created serious implications for many of our most vulnerable people.
“Scran Academy and our partners have been able to repurpose and rapidly respond to help offer over 10,500 delivered ready meals to those elderly, frail, facing food poverty or socially isolated.
“The support from The National Lottery demonstrates a trust and understanding in us as grassroots providers to ensure no-one went hungry or alone from day one.
“In many ways agencies like ours have become not only the sole source of hot food and human contact, but like a fifth emergency service. Everyone deserves the dignity of a safe hot meal and safe human interaction; that’s we do, thousands of times every day across the city.”
There’s also £10,000 for Crewe Toll-based People Know How.
The charity will use the funding to help cover the cost of refurbishing and delivering over 200 computers to those in need of support during the coronavirus outbreak.
By refurbishing donated computers, delivering them to people’s doorsteps, and providing follow up phone support, People Know How aim to support members of the community to stay connected, find support or home-school their children.
Dads Rock will provide a wide range of online support to 1,000 families across the city over the next six months thanks to a National Lottery award of £9,950.
Thomas Lynch, Service Manager, Dad’s Rock, said: “Every year we work in deprived areas to help dads, children and families in need of support through free playgroups, mentoring of young dads and delivering antenatal and parenting workshops.
“Thanks to this funding we have been able to respond quickly to the impact of COVID-19 and support our beneficiaries at this difficult time. We are now providing online workshops to parents, including antenatal and Raising Children with Confidence.
“We are also supporting our Young Dads online and, on the telephone, providing music tuition online and providing support to all our families through videos and social media.
“Through these activities parents feel supported and have the tools they need to fully support their children, even in lockdown.”
Biggest award of all goes to Edinburgh Development Group (Scotland), based at Craigmillar’s Castlebrae Centre, who receive almost £198,000.
This group will use the funding over three years to develop two further care co-operatives, using learning from the model previously operated within the City of Edinburgh.
The new co-operatives will be centred around South Queensferry and will involve a community of interest (people with disabilities) and a workers co-operative which will provide a range of support.
The project will work directly with 45 people and involve at least ten volunteers.
Intercultural Youth Scotland (£10,000) and Love Learning Scotland (£10,000) were the other Edinburgh-based projects to receive funding.
Across the country 141 groups, from charities to smaller voluntary led community projects, are receiving funding raised by National Lottery players for a range of activities, many of which will help people to support each other through the COVID-19 crisis.
Projects funded include those that will deliver emergency care packages to vulnerable Scots, those providing online and telephone support to isolated people, as well as projects that will bring people together and give hope for the future once the lockdown is over.
Announcing today’s funding, The National Lottery Community Fund’s Scotland Director, Neil Ritch, said: “In these difficult and unprecedented times, it’s heartening to see the way Scottish communities are coming together to provide each other with support.
“These awards, made possible by National Lottery players, recognise the hugely valuable and important contribution that Scotland’s voluntary and community sector plays in boosting the health, wellbeing and morale of local people.
“Many of them have found innovative ways to keep their communities connected during the current crisis, whilst others will support people in the future when they can physically come back together to make great things happen in their community.”
Over the next six months the National Lottery Community Fund will focus its funding in Scotland on those projects that supporting organisations and communities to respond to the challenge of COVID-19.
Scotland will receive an additional £155 million in funding from the UK Government to help tackle coronavirus.
UK Government minister Douglas Ross said: “The UK Government is doing whatever it takes to help people across the UK during the coronavirus crisis.
“This extra £155 million follows additional funding from the UK Government for council workers who are at the forefront of local efforts in keeping people safe and keeping public services open for those that need them the most.
“The new money for Scotland is on top of the substantial coronavirus funding package that has already been announced, meaning that Scotland will receive a total cash boost of more than £3.4 billion to help tackle coronavirus.
“We know that the current measures will remain in place for a further three weeks and people are facing many challenges. I would like to thank everyone who is following the advice to stay at home, as we protect our NHS and save lives.”
Other UK Government support available to people in Scotland includes:
The UK military providing both the Scottish Government and the NHS with additional specialist skills and expertise
The UK-wide PPE strategy meaning our heroic front-line workers in Scotland have the protection they need to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.
The UK Government expanding testing capacity right across the UK with centres opened recently at Glasgow, Aberdeen and Edinburgh airports.
A £330 billion package of loans and guarantees to help UK businesses survive the economic fallout from coronavirus including:
● Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme enables any employer in the country to contact HMRC for a grant to cover 80 per cent of the salary of retained workers up to a total of £2,500 per month.
● Self-employment Income Support Scheme pays self-employed people, who have been adversely affected by Coronavirus, a taxable grant worth 80% of their average income over the last three years, up to £2,500 per month, for at least three months.
● deferring VAT and Income Tax payments so VAT-registered businesses can defer any payment due between 20th March 2020 and 30th June 2020 until a later date if they want and self-assessment tax bills due by 31st July 2020 can be deferred until 31st January 2021.
● A Statutory Sick Pay relief package will repay employers the current rate of SSP that they pay to current or former employees for periods of sickness due to coronavirus starting on or after 13th March 2020.
The Chancellor has announced additional funding of nearly £600 million to help public services in Scotland respond to the challenge of the coronavirus pandemic.
Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said: “We have been clear that we will do whatever it takes to help all corners of the UK through this crisis and this additional £600 million will go a long way in helping public services in Scotland respond to the huge challenge they are facing.
This comes on top of the substantial coronavirus funding package for Scotland already in place, meaning that Scotland will receive a total cash boost of £3.3 billion to help tackle Coronavirus.
“The coming weeks may be difficult, but we will do everything we can to save lives, protect jobs, support our public services, and back our businesses so they can thrive in the future.”
Business and individuals in Scotland will also benefit from UK-wide support measures. This includes a £330 billion package of loans and guarantees for businesses, access to the Job Retention Scheme and support for the self-employed.
The UK military is providing both the Scottish Government and the NHS with additional specialist skills and expertise and on Friday the Health Secretary announced the UK-wide PPE strategy meaning our heroic front-line workers in Scotland have the protection they need to tackle the coronavirus pandemic.
The UK Government also expanding testing capacity right across the UK with centres opened recently at Glasgow and Aberdeen airports.
This latest cash boost for Scotland is as a result of the Chancellor further increasing his Budget for the public services fund.
The Scottish Government has pledged £750,000 to support a group of veterans’ charities.
The Unforgotten Forces consortium, which is made up of 16 separate charities, will receive £250,000 each year for the next three years to help with their work.
The consortium, which is led by Poppyscotland and focuses on improving the health, wellbeing and quality of life for veterans aged 65 and older, was previously supported by the UK Government.
However, existing funding arrangements are due to cease at the end of June 2020.
Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans Graeme Dey has now agreed to provide the three year funding package to support the consortium.
In addition, he is writing to HM Treasury to request the UK Government makes a substantial contribution to the consortium to enable the continuation of its work.
Mr Dey said: “The work that these charities are doing for Scotland’s community of older veterans is having a remarkable and positive impact. As Minister for Veterans I have great admiration for them.
“In recognition of their efforts, the Scottish Government is providing £750,000 of funding so that they can continue to support our older veterans for a further three years.
“I am also calling on the UK Government to meet their responsibilities to veterans in Scotland by joining with us in providing further substantial funding to the Unforgotten Forces consortium.”
Poppyscotland Chief Executive Mark Bibbey said: “This new commitment from the Scottish Government will go a considerable way to ensuring our older veterans receive the support they desperately need in the years ahead and on behalf of the partner organisations I thank them for this generous award.
“Unforgotten Forces would not have come about without substantial funding from HM Treasury’s Aged Veteran Fund and it is our sincere hope that the ongoing discussions with the UK Government will result in the future of the consortium being secured.”
An additional £350 million will go to those most affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell announced yesterday.
The funding will be made available to councils, charities, businesses and community groups and designed to be flexible, cutting down on red tape to enable them to respond swiftly and according to local need for people impacted economically or through reduced contact with society, including anyone struggling to access food.
Ms Campbell said allowing a high level of flexibility was the best way to ensure they were most effective: “This pandemic will disrupt lives like never before and cause financial hardship and negatively impact on our wellbeing.
“Be assured, however, that protecting and supporting people during these unparalleled times is the absolute focus of this government.
“Our funding package will be focused on delivery, not bureaucracy or red tape. Local authorities, local businesses, community groups and the third sector know and understand the support needs of their communities the best. Where people and organisations have solutions or ideas, I want to hear them.”
“Unless we work with local partners the impact of our investment will not be felt by those that need it most. So my message today is – if we can help you to help the people of Scotland then we will.”
The emergency funding package will be allocated to existing funding streams through several new funds, with the £95 million package direct to local authorities made up of:
£50 million in Barnett consequentials from the UK Government’s hardship fund is being passed direct to local authorities to support their own local resilience, support and hardship plans.
£45 million will be added to the existing Scottish Welfare Fund which makes Community Grants and Crisis Grants available to those in immediate need. This more than doubles the current £35.5 million fund, which is administered by local authorities. They will be given more flexibility in how it is used to ensure they can fully support people in financial crisis, including workers in the ‘gig economy’.
In addition:
a £70 million Food Fund will help organisations in the public, private and voluntary sectors address issues of food insecurity, especially for older people, and families who may not be able to rely on free school meals
a £50 million Wellbeing Fund will help charities and others who require additional capacity to work with at-risk people who may be worst affected by the crisis, including homeless people and those experiencing fuel poverty
a £40 million Supporting Communities Fund will be used to support the rapidly growing and inspiring community efforts at a local level which will be vital to national resilience, including supporting people at risk because of age, isolation, carers, homeless people and asylum seekers and signposting people to sources of help such as applying for benefits
£50 million will go to meet an anticipated increase in applications for the existing Council Tax Reduction Scheme and Scottish social security benefits
£20 million will be allocated to a Third Sector Resilience Fund, to help ensure the health and continued viability of the third sector organisations affected by cash flow and other problems, which have a key role to play in our national response
£25 million will be kept in reserve to allow swift and flexible responses to rapidly changing circumstances
Not-for-profit lender DSL Business Finance had a record year in 2019, providing funding of £4.5 million to small and medium sized businesses and social enterprises in Scotland, up from £3.1m in 2018.
The Glasgow-headquartered alternative finance provider supports enterprise in Scotland by offering loans of up to £50,000* to organisations that would not generally be able to access traditional sources of funding.
DSL has increased its loan book dramatically in the last five years – in 2015 it provided total funding of £917,502. Its funding gives a major boost to the Scottish economy by supporting entrepreneurs, start-ups and growing businesses.
Between January and December 2019, DSL gave 207 loans to 173 enterprises and the average loan size was £21,616. This funding created 233 new jobs and maintained 1,012 existing positions.
DSL loans also led to further injections of funding, totalling £1.8m from the private sector and £318,150 from the public sector last year.
One business benefiting from DSL funding is the Nether Bow Café and Bistro on Edinburgh’s High Street, run by husband and wife team Levent and Filiz Celik who have more than 17 years of combined experience in the hospitality trade.
They had always wanted to run their own business and in April 2018 the opportunity arose to take over the coffee house they were working in and develop it as a café and bistro.
DSL provided the couple with a loan to refurbish the property, which included opening up the kitchen preparation area, increasing the customer cover space to 40 and other modernisation to allow the business to grow. The restaurant employs up to 11 people during the busy Edinburgh Festival season and has been proving popular with customers.
The hard work of DSL in supporting small and medium sized enterprises has also been recognised recently.
DSL and two businesses it funded have been shortlisted in the Responsible Finance Citi Foundation’s Microentrepreneurship Awards, an annual celebration of Britain’s microentrepreneurs who have accessed alternative business finance from a Responsible Finance member.
DSL is a finalist in the Resilient Award category, up against other responsible finance providers from across the UK.
Zero waste store The Refillery, set-up in the southside of Edinburgh last year by entrepreneur Kelly Wright with funding from DSL, has been named as one of three UK finalists for an Environmental Sustainability of the Year award.
Former school friends Zander Macgregor and Allan Nairn who launched Wester Spirit Co in 2018, Glasgow’s first rum distillery for over 300 years, with funding from DSL, have been shortlisted in the Young Entrepreneur of the Year category.
Stuart Yuill, DSL Business Finance executive director (above), said:“Despite economic uncertainty, primarily around Brexit, it’s rewarding that we are able to support more small and medium sized enterprises than ever before across Scotland.
“We are already building on the record year we had in 2019 to continue to fund organisations and entrepreneurs that would otherwise struggle to get started or grow. Our funding supports job creation and benefits the wider economy.
“I’m proud that our work, and the achievements of the organisations we fund, have been recognised by the Citi Foundation which celebrates entrepreneurship.”
The Culture, Tourism, Europe and External Affairs Committee has today published its report into Scotland’s funding of the arts and artists where it called for an urgent resetting of arts policy and funding. The Committee’s report is the first Scottish Parliament inquiry to consider the arts funding system as a whole.Continue reading Arts funding needs a greater focus on artists, says Holyrood Committee
