An initiative which will support low income families to take part in community action and advise on improvements in local services is being funded as part of a wider programme to help develop new approaches to child poverty.
The project, led by Midlothian Sure Start in partnership with Midlothian Council, is one of nine successful applicants to the Child Poverty Practice Accelerator Fund – which was set up to explore promising approaches or redesign services to maximise their impact on child poverty.
A Cash First Fund, which aims to reduce the need for emergency food parcels and food banks, will also fund eight partnerships to provide help to low income families. Six of these will provide new sources of cash-first support.
This morning Social Justice Secretary @S_A_Somerville announced two new funds to deliver cash first support for people in need, and develop new approaches to tackling child poverty.
Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said yesterday: “These two funds exemplify the innovative approach the Scottish Government is taking to tackling poverty and delivering for the people of Scotland.
“The Midlothian partnership will give local families the opportunity to get involved in and influence local services. It will aim to identify improvements which will ensure help on offer is joined-up and people are supported in a dignified way to reduce stigma.
“Other projects will help to accelerate progress in tackling poverty, including by making it easier for people to access cash in a crisis and by connecting people with advice to prevent future hardship.
“We are investing £3 billion this financial year to tackle poverty and protect people from the cost of living crisis. We are taking all the action we can to support people within our limited powers and fixed budget.”
Cash First Fund: successful proposals
Area
Lead partner
Aberdeen
Aberdeen Voluntary Action (TSI)
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire Council
Edinburgh
Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership
Fife
Fife Council
Glasgow
Glasgow Centre for Population Health
North Lanarkshire
North Lanarkshire Council
Orkney
Voluntary Action Orkney (TSI)
West Dunbartonshire
West Dunbartonshire Council
Child Poverty Practice Accelerator Fund: successful proposals
Area
Project
Aberdeen City
Data driven identification of households experiencing child poverty to inform and direct intervention and support.
Argyll and Bute
Evaluating the usefulness of third-party datasets for identifying communities in need of financial support.
Edinburgh
Income Maximisation Outreach
Inverclyde
Parent Centred Early and Intensive Intervention – supporting parents with children and babies under 5 years
Midlothian
Midlothian Peer Research – A Case for Change through a Place Based Approach Building Skills and Influencing
Moray
Improved identification of families affected by disability and delivery of support to maximise income
North Ayrshire
North Ayrshire Single Shared Assessment (NASSA)
Perth & Kinross
Beyond Emergency Support to Sustainable Livelihoods – Capacity Building Programme for Local Communities
South Lanarkshire
Paths out of Poverty’ – empowering parent/carers of disabled children through innovative, holistic, strengths-based approach.
A Labour MSP for Lothian has rung alarm bells about the barriers to funding for small, community-based organisations.
Foysol Choudhury yesterday (17th January) hosted a roundtable at the Scottish Parliament for third-sector community organisations to discuss the current funding model, barriers to access for smaller organisations, and what lessons could be learnt.
The roundtable attendees and MSPs heard from Citadel Youth Centre, Edinburgh and Lothians Regional Equality Council (ELREC), EVOC, North Edinburgh Arts and The Larder.
Mr Choudhury is Chairperson of ELREC and will be well aware of the challenges faced by third sector organisations.
Following the roundtable, Foysol Choudhury praised the work of these third-sector organisations in working so closely with, and to benefit of, local communities. He said, however, that more could be done to support these vital organisations to be more included in the funding process:
“The third sector in Scotland is a vital contributor to both the economy and society as a whole.
“The recent Scottish Budget announcements have left many organisations in the third sector unable to be sure of secure funding for the year ahead, directly impacting on their ability to provide vital services to communities when they need it the most post-pandemic and during the cost-of-living crisis.
“It was made clear from today’s discussion that sustained, long-term and fair funding is needed for the sector.
“Some third sector organisations may be smaller, but they have a big impact and they must be consulted with and represented in the Scottish budget.
“This is especially true where they cater to minority communities and exclusion from the budget may increase inequalities for those communities.”
Mr Choudhury says that the conversation at the table today was positive and collaborative but that the organisations were also “crying out for more support and recognition of their vital work”.
Organisations at the roundtable raised how many smaller organisations were in competition with each other for grants and core funding, so the system should facilitate more collaboration.
Other groups also raised how smaller organisations are missing out on funding because they don’t meet criteria, or don’t have the experience and funds to hire fundraisers to make applications like many bigger organisations do.
Mr Choudhury says he will continue to build on this constructive conversation and represent small third-sector community organisations in the Scottish Parliament, pressing for more funding and consultation wherever possible.
Budgets are about spending priorities, and Labour trails both the SNP and the Conservatives at Holyrood. Elections to the Scottish Parliament will not take place until May 2026.
Of more immediate concern for voluntary sector organisations is the current budget process. The city council (a Labour-led coalition with Lib-Dems and Conservatives) is looking at further cuts as it sets it’s budget for 2024 – 25.
Councils blame the Scottish Government for funding cuts while Holyrood in turn blames the UK Government at Westminster. It’s a blame game that’s gone on for as long as I can remember, and while the politicians bicker, the poorest communities – and the charities and voluntary sector projects that support them – bear the brunt and feel the pain of service cuts.
That’s got to change – but sadly change, if it comes, will come too late for many – Ed.
Scotland’s councils are managing their money effectively, increasing reserves, with longer-term financial plans in place. Whilst no council was at immediate financial risk in 2022/23, there is no certainty this will continue, according to spending watchdog Accounts Commission’s latest financial report.
This makes an agreement between the Scottish Government and councils to secure a sustainable, longer-term funding arrangement to deliver local services all the more urgent.
Effective financial management within councils is crucial as budget gaps increase. Councils continue to rely on savings and reserves to balance budgets. Over half of councils used financial flexibilities in 2022/23. This helps with immediate budget pressures but defers costs to later years and fails to tackle underlying challenges to financial sustainability.
The Accounts Commission’s latest report assesses the financial position of Scotland’s councils during 2022/23 and the outlook for services beyond this.
While councils received more funding and income in cash terms in 2022/23, high inflation means this fell by nearly three per cent in real terms compared to the previous year.
A significant and increasing amount of funding continued to be either formally ringfenced or directed towards specific services and national policy objectives – reducing councils’ flexibility in using money to meet local needs.
Despite more core funding from the Scottish Government for 2023/24, there was a significant increase in councils’ total funding gap, due to pressures including increased demand for services, inflation and the cost-of-living.
Capital budgets were also significantly strained, risking knock-on impacts on the maintenance of key public buildings and infrastructure, for example schools, libraries and roads.
Councils recognise the risks ahead, but they need to innovate at pace and make difficult decisions about cuts to services to remain financially sustainable. Some councils have experienced opposition from within their communities when seeking to reduce services to balance budgets. This reinforces the need for frank consultation and engagement with communities when planning change.
Ronnie Hinds, Interim Chair of the Accounts Commission said: “There is intensifying pressures on council finances and services. Given the funding position for councils, there is increasing reliance on reserves and savings to deliver balanced budgets.
“This means councils are already making difficult decisions about future service delivery and the level of service they can afford. Having leadership and a workforce with the right skills will be crucial to deliver on this.
“Local government is the second largest area of Scottish Government spending, but despite rising demand for services, the proportion of funding to councils has reduced over the last decade.
“Urgent progress is needed to agree a funding framework between Scottish and Local Government. This will bring much-needed clarity and certainty of budgets for future years.”
The Accounts Commission’s Local Government in Scotland Financial bulletin for 2022/23 published today (Tuesday) reinforces COSLA’s warnings over the perilous state of Council finances over the last few years.
Commenting, COSLA’s Resources Spokesperson Councillor Katie Hagmann said: “The Accounts Commission’s Local Government in Scotland Financial bulletin for 2022/23, published today, reinforces what we have been saying about council finances and the really difficult and challenging decisions Councils have had to take in recent years.
“It is vitally important that these concerns, which have been consistently raised by COSLA, are now being backed up by hard facts and evidence presented by the Accounts Commission.
“There is widespread agreement from COSLA on the Accounts Commission’s key messages on the scale and financial challenge facing Scotland’s Councils, as well as the most pressing issues facing councils now.
“Some of these key messages, whilst extremely stark, come as no great surprise to those of us in Local Government:
In 2022/23 total revenue funding from all sources fell by £619 million (2.8 per cent) in real terms to £21.3 billion compared to 2021/22.
An increasing proportion of funding is ring-fenced or provided with the expectation it will be spent on specific services.
There is pressure on capital budgets, and this presents risks to the viability of local government capital programmes, many of which impact on key services (e.g., the construction and maintenance of schools, libraries, roads).
Councils are increasingly having to rely on savings and reserves as well as making increasingly difficult decisions to reduce or stop services to help balance budgets.
“Today’s Accounts Commission Bulletin is a true reflection of where we are now. Our reality right now is extremely challenging – years of real-terms cuts to council budgets have been coupled with increasing additional policy commitments and increased ring-fencing. With so much funding still directed, the ability to take local decisions on most of our Budget is almost impossible.
Councillor Hagmann concluded: “The picture painted by the Accounts Commission illustrates why COSLA is lobbying hard on the detrimental impact to communities of the Draft Scottish Government Budget, currently going through the Parliamentary process.
“The trends highlighted by the Bulletin are why Scotland’s Council Leaders are so disappointed and furthermore highlights the need to progress the ambitions of our joint Scottish Government and Local Government Verity House agreement. We must seek a solution to these long-term issues in order to protect the essential front-line service of our communities.
“COSLA’s President, Vice President and Political Group Leaders, from all parties have written to the Deputy First Minister requesting that a meaningful negotiation takes place, to protect those who rely on essential services, support our local economies and continue to progress our net zero national ambitions.”
Local MSP slams ‘drastic and nonsensical cut in funding’
Funding award grants for voluntary sector organisations is invariably difficult – for cash-strapped councils there is never enough money available to meet ever-growing demands.
There are winners and losers, but the latest round of funding decisions has caused particular anguish for Leith’s Citadel Youth Centre, who have learned that their annual award will by slashed by a swingeing £125,000.
Citadel’s Willy Barr (above) explained: “The city council’s Education, Children and Families meeting that took place on Monday 18th December to recommend grant awards to third sector organisations across the city.
“In the lead up to their meeting the Committee had not published a table of grant awards as they normally do, instead they contacted us on the Monday afternoon to inform us we had been recommended for a “partial award” of 50% of what we applied for, equating to £50,000 per year. We had applied for the maximum capped amount of £100k to fund our work with children and young people.
“This news has come as a huge disappointment, as although we expected a cut from our current annual grant of £175,000 per year, this reduction of £125,000 has been way more than we anticipated and will now seriously impact on the services and supports we offer to the local community, many of whom are already impacted by poverty and related issues affecting their mental health and well-being.”
In an appeal for their support, Willie Barr raised his concerns over the scale of the cut with local MSP Ben Macpherson, MP Deidre Brock and Leith councillors, making them aware of the size of the disinvestment in the Citadel, and the potential implications this could have on local services for local children, young people and their families.
As well as contacting Citadel’s local Leith politicians Willy will also be pressing Council Leader Cammy Day – who was himself once a youth participation worker in North Edinburgh – to rethink the scale of the cut, which is due to come into effect from 1st April.
Organisations were invited to apply for a grant of £10k minimum and £100k maximum per year to one of three funding strands – Learning Outcomes, Health and Wellbeing and Youth Work.
Both NHS Lothian and Police Scotland also contributed funding to the awards.
Eighty nine applications were assessed with total bids totalling £16.7m over three years for an available budget of £10m.
This was carried out by trained assessors before going to a moderation panel consisting of the Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations Council (EVOC), Lothian Association of Youth Clubs (LAYC) and an independent chair.
Sixty eight organisations had their bids approved either in full or partially with the new grants programme running from 1 April 2024 through to 31 March 2027.
Councillor Joan Griffiths, Convener for the Education, Children and Families Committee, said when the awards were announced: “The Connected Communities Edinburgh grants programme aims to support vulnerable and disadvantaged young people and their families right across Edinburgh.
“The three different funding strands mean we can direct resources to deliver outcomes that best support those most impacted by poverty.
“This new programme is a really good example of partnership working at its best. We listened to third sector and voluntary organisations about their first-hand knowledge of what the need was in our communities and where funding should be directed.
“Getting to today’s decision has involved a lengthy and really robust assessment process and I want to thank everyone who has contributed. We will of course continue to monitor the progress of the funding over the coming three years to ensure the outcomes promised for our communities are being delivered.”
‘A really good example of partnership working at it’s best? Willie has pointed out concerns over the funding process:
Lack of Transparency:
“In the first instance, the whole process of applying for our grant has been suffered from a lack of transparency and has had a feeling of secrecy about it.
“There has been no consultation with us or the wider sector, similar to what has happened in previous years. Instead, there has been a short briefing opportunity for organisations to attend, facilitated by L.A.Y.C. and E.V.O.C. who have both been paid £120,000 and £100,000 respectively from the grant fund. (No application from them required!)
“Although this is public funds, there is still a refusal to share information about who has been awarded a grant and how much they are recommended to receive. This veil of secrecy surrounding this committee’s business doesn’t feel like an open democratic process.
“If you check the practice of other committees, such as the 5th December Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Committee, which published a full list of agencies recommended (and not) for No One Left Behind funding prior to the meeting (pp106-107)
“By the Committee’s own admission, there has been no impact assessment carried out on their decisions relating to these grant proposals.
Apparently, any impact assessment process will take place once organisations are told the level of their award which seems a bit late to me. What is really lacking is asking for an impact assessment specifically focusing on the implications of withdrawing financial support from organisations in a sudden manner.
“There may be ways the city council could support organisations in a way to avoid drastic service cuts, or even closure, by a graded reduction in funds.
(note that this goes against one of the central recommendations from the Lessons Learned from previous third-party grant processes that “An Equalities and Rights Impact Assessment should be completed prior to the report going to Committee so that Members are able to make decisions that take account of that information and recommendations for action.” (3.26)
Willie concluded: “Our normal activity for everyone at the Citadel at the start of any new year is around planning and positive thoughts about what opportunities lie ahead, but to be honest, I anticipate this decision will have a huge impact on current morale.”
Urging a rethink, local MSP Ben Macpherson appealed to funders ‘to reconsider this drastic and nonsensical sudden cut in funding, which will negatively affect a well-known respected and impactful organisation’.
Leith MP Deidre Brock said: ““I’m very concerned by this news. A funding cut of this size will have profound effects on the ability of the Citadel Youth Centre to continue to provide anything like the level of amazing services and support to vulnerable individuals and families in Leith they provide now.
“I find it shocking there has been no dialogue with any of the organisations involved, no impact assessment of the consequences of this cut in funding and by the wholesale lack of transparency throughout the grant process.
“This will, I greatly fear, have long term impacts and consequences wider than the organisations involved, impacting communities already reeling from Westminster Tory cuts.”
The Spirit of Leithers Facebook page also commented: “We try not to do current affairs too much on the Spirit of Leithers page, but come on CEC – the Citadel Youth Centre has been a Leith institution for decades.
“It is a shocking blow for Leith and many individuals and groups in the community. This project has supported so many Leithers over decades by delivering a superb service and saving the Council significant funding as a result of its preventative and direct work.
“I hope we will hear much more about the thinking behind this and a change of heart from City of Edinburgh Council.”
£50,000 FOR NEW COMMUNITY GROWING PROJECT IN WESTER HAILES
A forest on Islay is set to pass into community ownership, following a grant from the Scottish Land Fund.
Islay Development Initiative has received £619,122 with which to buy Sgiba Forest near Port Charlotte, which it plans to develop into a community woodland with a pathway network, community events and learning space.
The grant is one of 11 totalling £2,381,927 that has been given to communities across the country in the latest round of awards by the Scottish Land Fund.
The Scottish Land Fund reopened to applications in April 2021. The programme is funded by the Scottish Government and delivered in partnership by the National Lottery Community Fund and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, both of which have extensive experience of helping communities to acquire and develop their assets for over a decade.
Mairi Gougeon, Cabinet Secretary, Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands, said: “The Scottish Land Fund is a valuable tool, allowing local groups to develop projects that will provide lasting benefits to their communities, in both urban and rural areas.
“It is especially welcome to see projects that will positively impact not just people but local wildlife and biodiversity too. This aligns with our wider goal to ensure that communities can reap the benefits during our transition to a green future for Scotland.
“I’d like to congratulate all of the successful groups. It is their expertise and limitless passion that are the real drivers of change in our communities across the nation.”
Thomasina Glover, CEO, Islay Development Initiative, said: “Islay Development Initiative is delighted that we have been successful in our Stage 2 application to the Scottish Land Fund to purchase Sgiba Forest on behalf of the Islay Community.
“As Islay is part of the Carbon Neutral Islands project, this forest will not only be a great asset in helping us achieve our Net Zero ambitions, but also address several other community issues such as rural depopulation and peatland restoration. IDI is looking forward to delivering significant community benefit in developing this project.”
Cara Gillespie, Scottish Land Fund Committee Chair said: “This current round of funding demonstrates the importance of the Scottish Land Fund in helping both urban and rural areas to achieve their goals.
“SLF grants will enable these groups to unlock other funding and take positive actions to help their communities to thrive.”
And Sandra Holmes, head of community assets at HIE, said: “The groups receiving funding have all identified opportunities to help their local area to thrive. The projects are all great examples of people taking control of local resources for the long-term benefit of their communities.
“Ownership will give them greater control over important assets that will reap rewards for people now and for generations to come. We wish every successful organisation the very best in their new ventures.”
Other groups receiving funding are:
Harris Development Ltd
Award – £147,790
Harris Development Limited will purchase land in Tarbert, Harris in order to build modular accommodation units to alleviate a shortage of housing for key workers.
North Yell Development Council
Award – £142,600
North Yell Development Council (NYDC) will acquire the shop at Cullivoe, North Yell, Shetland. NYDC will take over the running of the shop, securing employment, an important
amenity and gathering space for the community.
Strathdearn Community Development
Award – £356,934
Strathdearn Community Developments (SCD) will purchase a woodland in Tomatin, Inverness. SCD will create a more biodiverse and sustainable woodland environment that will be used by the community for recreation and wellbeing.
The Crafthub
Award – £286,788
The Crafthub will purchase Trumland Church (known locally as The Space) on Rousay in Orkney. The group currently use the asset for pop-up events. The Crafthub will use The Space to create a community café and craft shop, offering workshops and community events.
Friends of The Broadway Prestwick
Award-£328,060
Friends of the Broadway Prestwick will purchase the former Broadway Cinema in Prestwick, South Ayrshire. The cinema will be redeveloped into an accessible, modern cinema with community space.
Portree and Braes Community Trust
Award – £53,655
Portree and Braes Community Trust will acquire amenity land known as the King George
V playing fields in Portree, Skye. This will benefit the community by enabling the improvement of land, and changing facilities resulting in increased use for sports clubs and activities
St Ernan’s by the Loch SCIO
Award – £86,446
St Ernan’s by the Loch SCIO will acquire the St Ernan’s Church building, Fionnphort and restore it in order to make it modern, versatile and accessible for local people. Thus, enabling quiet contemplation, small gatherings, ceremonies, exhibitions, a place of cultural learning with focus on Gaelic language as well as health and wellbeing activities.
Wester Hailes Growing Communities
Award – £50,675
Wester Hailes Growing Communities will purchase land in Wester Hailes, Edinburgh. Purchase of the site will pave the way for the construction of a new community centre, providing a multi-purpose space to come together through events, learning, families and food.
Gargunnock Community Shop Ltd
Award – £154,759
Gargunnock Community Shop Ltd will acquire the vacant shop building in the heart of Gargunnock village, Stirlingshire. The shop will be renovated and will reopen as a community shop, supporting local business and enabling crucial local services such as prescription deliveries to recommence.
Shapinsay Development Trust
Award – £155,098
Shapinsay Development Trust will acquire a mid-terraced house in Shapinsay, Orkney, which it will renovate then offer the property for affordable rent.
The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC),an alliance of leading providers of specialist care and education to vulnerable children and young people, has raised concerns over an increase in the number of pupils identified with additional support needs (ASN), amounting to over a third of the pupil population.
Set against a backdrop of budgetary cuts and an ongoing lack of support, it has called for increased resourcing to address this growing need, which is also having an impact on surging levels of classroom disruption and violence.
The SCSC has also voiced concerns over a declining number of those with complex needs receiving a co-ordinated support plan (CSP), the only education plans that are legal documents. This is despite a Scottish Government promise that there would be no decline in the numbers of those receiving them.
The figures were released yesterday (12th December) in the Scottish Government’s annual census of pupils and teachers in publicly funded schools.1
These show that the number of pupils with ASN, such as autism, dyslexia and mental health problems in 2023 has reached a record high of 259,036. This represents 36.7% of the pupil population, rising from 131,593 in 2013. 2 This represents almost a doubling (96.8%) in numbers over the past decade.
An increase in demand is however set against a background of spending cuts and a lack of specialist ASN teachers, support staff and the resources needed to support these children and young people.
This is exacerbated by the damaging ongoing impacts of Covid-19 lockdowns and the cost-of-living crisis, which have had a disruptive impact on many of those with ASN, who disproportionately come from the poorest backgrounds. There has also been an increase in those experiencing mental health problems.
The SCSC has also raised concerns over a decline in the number of those receiving a CSP. These are statutory education plans prepared by local authorities to identify and ensure the provision of services for children and young people with complex or multiple ASN.
The only education plans that are legally enforceable documents, CSPs require services such as education, health and social work to work together to give a child or young person the support they need. This provides some guarantees of entitlement to additional resources and legal redress, placing statutory duties on local authorities to review and ensure the provisions contained within it are being met.
Despite a Scottish Government promise that there would be no reduction in the proportion of pupils receiving them since their introduction in 2004, there has been a significant fall in the number of pupils with a CSP. Declining from 3,279 in 2013 3 to 1,318 in 2023 4, this amounts to a drop of 59.8%. and is a reduction from 2.5% to 0.5% of those with ASN.
The coalition has called for an expansion in access to CSPs, with the Scottish Government, local authorities, health and other relevant agencies collaborating more effectively to ensure that those requiring such a legal plan receive one.
This needs to be supported by the necessary resourcing, and increased awareness and understanding of CSPs by families or carers and professionals.
A spokesperson for the SCSC commented: “While more children and young people are being identified as having ASN, this is against the increasingly challenging backdrop of a lack of specialist teachers, support staff and the resources needed to support them.
“This is having an impact in terms of surging levels of school violence we are witnessing. Increased support is critical, especially post the Covid-19 pandemic and the damaging impact this has had on many of our children and young people, exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis, all of which is hitting the poorest hardest.
“We are also concerned that despite an increase in the numbers of those with ASN we are experiencing a decline in the use of CSPs, which are legally enforceable and designed to support those with the most complex needs.
“The Scottish Government, local authorities, health and other agencies need to work in collaboration with the private and third sectors to provide the necessary resourcing and support to address the needs of children and young people with ASN. They must also work together to ensure that those who are entitled to a CSP receive one.
“With those with ASN drawn disproportionately from poorer neighbourhoods, if we are to genuinely close the educational attainment gap, they must get the care and support they need when they need it.”
The report follows pre-budget scrutiny of the Scottish Government culture portfolio spend ahead of the Scottish Budget for 2024-25, which is expected to be announced to Parliament in December.
Last year, the Committee found that the existing budgetary challenges facing the culture sector had become “much more acute”, contributed to by a “perfect storm” of long-term budget pressures, reduced income generation, and increased operating costs.
Twelve months on from that initial warning, the Committee have concluded that “this ‘perfect storm’ has not abated, with external and public funding pressures maintaining, and the culture sector remaining under significant financial strain and the risks to its future becoming more severe.”
At the same time, the Committee recognised that the Scottish Government continues to face a “challenging fiscal environment”.
A key finding by the Committee was that there was an “urgent need” for the Scottish Government to restore the confidence of the culture sector as it continues to face significant budgetary pressures.
It therefore noted the recent commitment by the First Minister in response, to increase the Scottish Government’s investment in arts and culture by £100 million over the next five years. The Committee is now awaiting the detail of this funding commitment, with further information expected to be provided in the upcoming budget.
The Committee also found that both the initial cut to Creative Scotland’s grant-in-aid for 2023-24 in the draft Budget and, after it had been reversed, the reinstatement of that cut in the Autumn Budget Revision had “damaged an already fragile confidence” within the culture sector.
While it acknowledged that the organisations receiving regular funding from Creative Scotland would not receive a budget reduction during 2023-24 as a result of this cut, with some of Creative Scotland’s National Lottery reserves having been allocated to offset it, it sought further clarity on the extent to which the use of these reserves will have impacted the level of funding available to manage the transition to Creative Scotland’s new Multi-Year Funding Programme.
The report also considered what progress the Scottish Government had made in the last 12 months on taking forward innovative funding solutions in response to the challenges facing the culture sector, including government commitments on multi-year funding and cross-portfolio funding models.
The Committee highlighted that “very limited progress” had been made and called for “much greater urgency and a clear pathway to make tangible progress” on implementing these funding models.
Commenting on the report, Committee Convener Clare Adamson said:“The First Minister’s recent commitment to increase the Scottish Government’s investment in arts and culture by £100 million over the next five years comes as the Committee has been hearing from stakeholders across the culture sector of the significant financial challenges it continues to face.
“We heard that the ‘perfect storm’ facing the operating environment of the sector has not abated over the last 12 months, with external and public funding pressures maintaining; and that there has been very limited progress made on implementing innovative funding solutions to support the sector.
“Given this context, there was an urgent need for the Scottish Government to restore the confidence of Scotland’s culture sector.
“We look forward to receiving further details of the First Minister’s commitment to provide additional funding for arts and culture.”
Police Scotland has provided an update on urgent action to maintain effective policing within the funding available to the organisation.
Hard choices are being taken to deliver effective policing within the funding available and action is being taken to achieve savings, with areas which encounter the greatest demand, and which carry the greatest risk in keeping people safe, being prioritised for resources.
Deputy Chief Constable Designate Fiona Taylor QPM provided an overview of work to prioritise resources, to keep people safe and protect the vulnerable during a meeting of the Scottish Police Authority Board in Glasgow yesterday (Thursday, 28 September).
DCC Taylor said: “As we have consistently highlighted over a period of months, hard choices are being taken to deliver effective policing within the funding available and action is being taken to achieve savings, co-ordinated through the Policing Our Communities programme.
“As I outlined during last month’s Board meeting, we have paused all police support staff recruitment, except for some business-critical areas such as our contact centres and custody suites. We are also reviewing our senior officer command structures and support services.
“The police estate is also an area where efficiencies and improvements to buildings in the wrong place or in poor condition can deliver savings and further, necessary cost reduction is planned in relation to police buildings.
“We shared our outline proposals to accelerate disposal of a further 30 police buildings with the Scottish Police Resources Committee last week and we are now developing detailed plans for that work.
“We understand and we are sensitive to community concerns around closing police buildings, but it is important to underline that, as we consolidate our estate, we now have over 60 co-locations with partners, providing more sustainable, more modern, and safer workspaces for our people.
DCC Taylor added: “Of necessity, as part of our commitment to delivering a balanced budget we are closely assessing the officer recruitment profile for the remainder of 2023-24.”
DCC Taylor underlined that Police Scotland would continue to communicate the decisions being taken to maintain effective policing within the funding available.
Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority, provided a joint submission to the Scottish Parliament’s Criminal Justice Committee as part of the pre-budget scrutiny process. This submission contains some estimates of police officer and staff numbers should future budgets be flat cash.
Police Scotland returns more than £200m to the public purse every year compared to legacy arrangements.
The Scottish Government’s budget for 2023-24 confirmed an £80m core funding uplift for policing, with £37m required to fund the ongoing cost of the 2022-23 pay award, leaving £43m to fund unavoidable pay and other inflationary costs for the current financial year.
Watch and listen to DCC Taylor’s update here from 31 mins and 20 seconds.
The Lammermuir Festival 2023 came to a close this week while urgently working to secure its future.
Nicola Benedetti and Sir James MacMillan add their support for Lammermuir Festival.
Open Letter to Creative Scotland signed by 362 musicians, composers, educationalists, politicians, participants, supporters, audience members and local businesses.
The Lammermuir Festival closed its 14th festival earlier this week, one of its most successful yet. The programme was met with great acclaim cited by some music critics as the best programme presented.
Audiences flocked with over 80% of tickets sold, over 30% of which were to new customers. Initial analysis indicates that a little over half of those audiences were local with the remaining travelling to East Lothian to enjoy one of the UK’s best loved classical music events.
This successful edition was set against the backdrop of the festival finding out just days before it opened that Creative Scotland was not supporting its 14th festival, having invested in the event for thirteen years.
Losing the cultural funder’s support this year leaves the festival in an urgent financial position, working hard to find a secure future.
Many of Scotland’s leading musicians have lent their support to the festival’s campaign, most recently Nicola Benedetti and Sir James MacMillan.
Nicola Benedetti said: “Being able to share the best, world-class music making with audiences not residing in our cities but in rural areas is a really important part of our nation’s cultural fabric.
“An aspect we must support and nurture. The Lammermuir Festival has done this brilliantly over the last 14 festivals creating acclaimed events that also enable young artists to develop in the industry, and engage young people in the region to give them deep and extraordinary experiences.
“It would be tragic for Scotland’s music scene if this festival wasn’t supported to continue this work which benefits so many.”
An Open Letter to Creative Scotland has been signed by 362 musicians, composers, education workers, participants, supporters, audience members and local businesses including Steven Obsorne, Andrea Baker, Sean Shibe, Stuart MacRae, Dinis Sousa, Ryan Corbett, Sue Baxendale, Craig Hoy MSP, Douglas Alexander, Martin Brabbins, Sian Edwards, Ruth Ellis, Monica Wilkinson and Alfonso Leal del Ojo.
James Waters, Chief Executive and Joint Artistic Director of the Lammermuir Festival said: “The support and affection for Lammermuir Festival that we have seen pouring in from musicians, education providers, local businesses, supporters and audiences across Scotland and beyond has been incredible.
“We have never been more proud of the festival and what it brings to so many and we will continue to do everything we can to secure its future.”
Letter from supporters of Lammermuir Festival
To Iain Munro, Chief Executive of Creative Scotland and its Chair, Robert Wilson,
We the undersigned appeal to you to save what one audience member has described as a ‘precious jewel of originality and joy’.
According to the panels judging Open Fund applications at Creative Scotland, Lammermuir Festival does not sufficiently align to your priorities.
This is despite having the full support of the Music Officers at Creative Scotland who approved its application and strongly recommended funding without conditions.
This is one of the most acclaimed classical music festivals in the UK, recipient of an RPS award, the highest accolade in its field, and giving work to 350 musicians a year, many of them Scottish. It has a proven record of achievement, appeals to ever-growing audiences and supports performers at all stages in their careers.
It is also a festival which returns £750,000 in economic benefits for East Lothian, on top of its social and cultural benefits, bringing visitors to a region which is underserved for arts, offering audiences international quality music performances and participation opportunities.
If the festival were to not exist, neither would its work with McOpera which engaged 1,700 children, young people and adults as participants and audience through their outreach strand over the last two years. This proved a formative part of so many young musicians’ lives in East Lothian.
This strand of the festival’s work reached out to multiple and diverse local community groups, nurturing children and young people from across 31 different schools, supporting the growth of an Instrumental Music Service and creative organisations (such as Dunbar Voices), bringing to the region international conductors and Scottish creatives, composers, singers and instrumentalists.
It has also regularly provided career placements to students from Edinburgh College, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh and Edinburgh Napier Universities, National Youth Orchestra of Scotland and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.
This decision by Creative Scotland flies in the face of the expressions of support for culture in Scotland, and in particular for festivals, that the First Minister Humza Yousaf, Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy Neil Gray, and Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture Angus Robertson have made in recent days.
The Open Fund process appears to have no strategic overview of provision, and no clear artistic, quality or geographic priorities.
Your process places huge pressure on organisations. Lammermuir Festival was invited to make multiple applications for the same activity with funding decisions taking their nerves to the wire – in this case Creative Scotland passed their verdict on a third application just 16 days before the festival started.
The system needs to change. As it stands it places Scotland’s cultural ecology on a downward trajectory.
Without Creative Scotland’s support the Lammermuir Festival’s future is under threat. Your decision not to fund the 2023 festival, destabilises the organisation and undermines the festival’s ability to plan for or run a festival in 2024 and beyond. In order to secure the future of this festival beyond 2023, urgent support is needed.
As musicians, educators, audience members, supporters, participants, businesses in East Lothian, and community leaders we are utterly appalled at your decision and urgently appeal to Creative Scotland to reverse it in order to save this cultural gem.
This festival cannot be allowed to disappear.
362 signatures which can be viewed on the Lammermuir Festival website:
With Falls Awareness Week taking place from 18-22 September 2023, Steady Steps, a community-based falls prevention programme which supports local people in Edinburgh to improve their strength and balance and maintain their independence through physical activity, is celebrating its 5,000th referral.
Delivered by the Active Communities team at Edinburgh Leisure and supported by the Edinburgh Integration Joint Board (EIJB), Steady Steps is a 16-week physical activity referral programme which has been going since 2014 and supports participants to reduce their risk of falling. It has recently received additional funding from the EIJB.
Physical activity can contribute to a reduction in the number of falls, fractures, hospital admissions and bed days because of a fall. This reduces the cost to NHS Lothian, and offers vulnerable, older adults an opportunity to engage in physical and social activities, sustaining and improving confidence and ability to live independently.
Edinburgh Leisure delivers 32 Steady Steps classes each week in Edinburgh Leisure and community venues across the city. Participants attend weekly physical activity sessions, which last 1.5 hours each week and are followed by a coffee and chat.
Participants are also encouraged to complete home based exercises twice a week for the duration of the 16-week programme. As a result of participating in these balance exercise sessions, participants have said that they are more able to complete tasks in and out of the house more easily (e.g., housework and doing the shopping), that they felt more confident, and they had an improved social life.
Amy Fastier, Health Development Officer (Falls Prevention) said: “Continued funding from the EIJB will mean that we can continue delivering this important service creating a positive impact on the health, and crucially the confidence, of our participants. Research shows falls are preventable and do not have to be an inevitable part of aging.
However, once a fall does happen, the chances of another fall are dramatically increased. Sadly, this can really knock the confidence out of some adults, deterring them from going out and socialising. The methods used by Steady Steps are known to reduce falls by up to 35%, as well as having a hugely positive effect on the overall physical, mental, and social wellbeing of participants.”
Retired primary school depute headteacher, Katherine Bates, has experienced the project as both a participant and a volunteer, training as a volunteer after completing the 16-week programme in 2017.
Initially referred by her physiotherapist because of several falls, as well as having osteoporosis and other musculoskeletal issues, she found the programme helped to improve her strength and balance and particularly liked that the exercises in class were designed to be incorporated into daily life.
On completion of the course, and with the encouragement of her instructor, Michael, she completed the volunteer training and now volunteers at a Steady Steps class at Gracemount Leisure Centre.
Katherine’s role involves setting up the room, welcoming people into the class, and carrying out assessments so that Michael can focus on delivering the class without distractions. As Katherine explains: “Some people need a bit of extra support, and I can help them without disrupting the class or drawing attention to them.
“Volunteering has been such a positive experience for me and it’s helped that I have experienced Steady Steps as a participant as well. It’s helped me to understand the challenges participants face and what it’s like to go through the programme.
“Some participants live very rich lives, others have lost their confidence and have become socially isolated because of their falling. It’s wonderful to see them out, enjoying themselves, and making social connections as well as improving their balance and mobility.”
For more information about Steady Steps please contact Edinburgh Leisure’s Active Communities team – active@edinburghleisure.co.uk or 0131 458 2260.
Steady Steps Case Study
Katherine Bates – Volunteer and former participant
Edinburgh Leisure’s Steady Steps project is a falls prevention programme for older adults in Edinburgh. Retired Primary School Depute Headteacher Katherine Bates, 63, has experienced the project as both a participant and a volunteer, having decided to train as a volunteer after completing the 16-week programme in 2017.
Katherine was initially referred to the Steady Steps class at the Royal Commonwealth Pool by her physiotherapist. While she was young compared to most Steady Steps participants and still active, walking 7 miles a day, she has osteoporosis and other musculoskeletal issues and has had several falls. She found the programme helped her improve her strength and balance and particularly liked that the exercises in class were designed to be incorporated into daily life.
As she came to the end of her 16-week programme, she expressed an interest in continuing as a volunteer. With the encouragement of her Instructor, Michael, she undertook volunteer training and now volunteers at the Friday lunch time class at Gracemount Leisure Centre.
Katherine’s role involves setting up the room, welcoming people into the class and carrying out their assessments so that Michael can focus on delivering the class without distractions. Some people need a bit of extra support and she can help them without disrupting the class or drawing attention to them.
She says that while some participants lead very rich lives, others have lost their confidence and have become socially isolated as a result of their fear of falling. It’s wonderful to see them out, enjoying themselves and making social connections as well as improving their balance and mobility.
She says that being a Steady Steps volunteer has been a very positive experience and that she is always made to feel welcome and appreciated by Michael and the staff at Gracemount Leisure Centre. She enjoyed attending Edinburgh Leisure’s volunteer celebration event at the Botanic Gardens last year and is looking forward to attending a similar event again this year!
Katherine admits that she found PE challenging at school and had never even considered attending any fitness classes. Participating in Steady Steps gave her the confidence to join a couple of weekly fitness classes. As one of these takes place at Gracemount Leisure Centre immediately before the Steady Steps session she helps with, it makes it easier for her to keep up the habit of attending it.
Katherine has found it interesting experiencing Steady Steps from both sides. She feels that her understanding of the challenges participants face and her first-hand experience of what it’s like to go through the programme make it easier for her and the people she helps to relate to one another.
