Gordon Macdonald MSP – Page 2 – The NEN

MSP welcomes refreshed Baby Box to support Edinburgh families facing rising costs

41408 BABY BOXES ALREADY DELIVERED IN NHS LOTHIAN

Edinburgh Pentlands SNP MSP Gordon Macdonald, has welcomed the news that Scotland’s Baby Box – 41408 of which have already been delivered across NHS Lothian – is receiving a makeover for its fifth birthday.

The Scottish Government introduced the Baby Boxes scheme in 2017, entitling every newborn in Scotland to a box containing essential items intended to make sure that every child has the best possible start in life.

Based the latest figures for number of Baby Boxes given out by health boards, 235 622 boxes have been distributed to parents across Scotland since the start of the project.

MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Gordon Macdonald, said: “I am delighted that Scotland’s much cherished Baby Box is being given a makeover in time for its fifth anniversary. Already, 41408 baby boxes have been delivered across NHS Lothian by the SNP in government since 2017.

“With updated clothing designs, the refreshed baby box also now includes a baby toothbrush to promote oral health from the very beginning of a baby’s life.

“The arrival of a new baby is a wonderful moment for every family across the city but, as every new parent no doubt appreciates, the costs of welcoming a new addition to the family are significant – particularly when household budgets are under increasing pressure with the cost-of-living crisis.

“Regardless of the circumstances of new mums and dads, receiving a baby box as a celebration of their new arrivals – and the essential items needed for the first six months of their child’s life – really is a welcome gift.

“And the addition of a toothbrush in the baby box for the first time will hopefully encourage good dental health from the beginning and all the way through life.

“The baby box is one of many transformative actions the SNP is taking to make a real difference to children and families on low incomes – like the game changing Scottish Child payment, which will soon be £25 per week per child.

“While the SNP government continues to deliver bold policies in government for a fairer Scotland, with the limited powers at its disposal, it is only with the full powers of independence that we can properly build a better future that works for everyone.”

Pentlands MSP Gordon Macdonald backs calls for Chancellor to go

INDEPENDENCE THE ONLY ROUTE TO ESCAPE TORY CUTS FOR GOOD

SNP MSP Gordon Macdonald has backed calls for Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng to resign or be sacked following his shambolic handling of the UK’s finances.

It comes as the independent Office for Budget Responsibility confirmed they offered to provide a forecast to the Chancellor to go alongside his fiscal statement, but that it was not commissioned by the UK Government.

This was despite the OBR confirming it WAS able to produce an updated forecast that satisfied the legal requirements of the Charter for Budget Responsibility.

And the calls to quit have intensified after Prime Minister Liz Truss refused to rule out her Government slashing benefits and cutting £18billion from public services – which threatens Scotland’s budget and our NHS – to pay for Kwarteng’s staggering incompetence in mishandling the economy.

SNP MSP Gordon Macdonald said: “The fallout from the new Truss administration’s ‘mini-budget’ has been huge, taking a wrecking ball to the UK’s finances, endangering the pension funds of millions, causing banks to withdraw mortgages and leaving millions of families in Edinburgh deep distress.

“We now learn that despite the OBR publishing their forecast to the UK Government, the Treasury will delay the publication until November 23. This is simply unacceptable.

“It’s been a disastrous first few weeks of the Truss premiership but if the rhetoric from the Conservatives is to be believed, much worse is yet to come.

“Within days of taking office, we have once again seen the devastating consequences of Scotland being shackled to this outdated, corrupt Westminster system. Mortgages, pensions and savings of the people of Edinburgh are all being badly hit – and there is no plan to fix it.

“Instead of trying to dodge accountability or, as we now know, drinking champagne with hedge fund managers on the night of his budget, the Chancellor must do the honourable thing and resign or be sacked.

“And Truss’s plan to impose a new wave of Tory austerity cuts is utterly obscene. After 12 years of Tory mismanagement and Brexit damage, the UK already had the worst levels of poverty and inequality in north west Europe.

“The UK government should be reversing the damage it has caused, not doubling down on cuts and pushing more people into poverty.

“These actions underline the need for Scotland to become an independent country – so we can escape Westminster control and get rid of the Tories for good.”

MSP welcomes Scottish Government’s heating assistance payment

Edinburgh Pentlands MSP Gordon Macdonald has welcomed the planned introduction of the new Low Income Winter Heating Assistance benefit to help households both across the Edinburgh Pentlands constituency and the wider city pay their energy bills.

The support is being introduced by the SNP Scottish Government and will guarantee an annual payment of £50 to around 400,000 low income households from February 2023.

It replaces the UK government’s Cold Weather payments which were only triggered during a ‘cold spell’ of seven consecutive days below zero degrees, whilst the new payment from the Scottish Government will provide a reliable, stable guaranteed payment in winter, no matter the weather.

It will be the thirteenth social security payment introduced by the SNP Scottish Government and will be only available in Scotland.

Commenting, Gordon Macdonald said: “The SNP Scottish Government is providing a guaranteed payment of £50 to low-income households across Edinburgh to help pay their energy bills every winter, starting in February 2023.

“Once again the SNP Scottish Government is stepping up to support households within its limited budget, and despite the majority of powers lying with the Tories at Westminster.

“The Scottish Government’s annual £20m investment will mean households will get an automatic payment. The UK Cold Weather payments only reached 11,000 households in 2021/22.

“As the Scottish Government continues to step up and provide support to households across Scotland, it does so with one hand tied behind its back by the UK Tory government.

“That is why it is only with the full powers of independence can we start to build a fairer, more equal country.”

SNP announce record social security spending for Edinburgh

HOUSEHOLDS ACROSS EDINBURGH TO BE SUPPORTED BY £23 BILLION

As communities across Edinburgh recover from the pandemic and face a Tory made cost of living crisis, yesterday the SNP Government’s spending review outlined record social security spending to help households facing increasing pressures. The Scottish Government allocated around £23 billion for social security over the course of the parliament.

The focus on supporting households under increasing pressure reflects the SNP’s commitment to create a fairer Scotland by tackling child poverty, reducing inequalities and supporting financial wellbeing in Edinburgh, and builds on current efforts to help families and mitigate Westminster welfare cuts.

The Resource Spending Review outlined over £23 billion worth of payments, with a total of almost £1.8 billion for the ‘game changing’ Scottish Child Payment alone. By 2026-27 the budget for Social Security Assistance will have increased by £6.3 billion.

This is despite the Scottish Budget for this year being cut in real terms by 5.2 per cent by the Tory UK government and the SNP government already spending almost £770 million on cost of living support, including several measures for families in Edinburgh not available elsewhere in the UK, such as:

Doubling the ‘game changing’ Scottish Child Payment to £20 per child per week with plans to increase it to £25 and extend it to under 16s by the end of the year – reaching a possible 450,00 young people.
Investing £86m to mitigate the Tory Government bedroom tax and benefit cap and support 90,00 people in their tenancies
Uprating eight Scottish social security payments by 6 per cent
A brand new Low-Income Winter Heating benefit that guarantees a £50 annual payment to over 400,000 low income households in winter 22/23
The Carers Allowance Supplement which will support around 90,000 carers with an additional £450 a year
Providing everyone in primaries one to five and over 140,000 eligible children and young people access to a free school lunch
Making free bus travel available for nearly half of Scotland’s population through concessionary travel

Additionally, the Scottish Government is making investment in areas like energy efficiency to bring down costs and the spending review set out how the SNP will build on these over the coming years.

SNP MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Gordon MacDonald, said: ““I am very glad to see this record investment in social security by the SNP Government, putting such a strong focus on tackling child poverty and helping households both across the Edinburgh Pentlands constituency and the wider city who are facing severe pressures right now which seems likely to only increase for the next while.

“Many families across Edinburgh are already benefitting from support like the Scottish Child payment, a £150 council tax reduction, the Scottish Welfare Fund and Discretionary Housing Payments which mitigate Westminster’s cruel bedroom tax.

“These are policies that build on the SNP’s current efforts. They will make a real difference to people’s lives and build on long standing measures that we benefit from every day – such as free prescriptions, free university tuition, free personal care, and 1,140 hours of free early learning and childcare which will continue to be maintained.

“When times are tough, Governments have to make tough decisions and I’m grateful the SNP government continue to focus on what matters most to people but, it is acting with one hand tied behind its back as Westminster continues to inflict its cruel austerity agenda at a time when people need support the most.

“Once again, it is clear that only with the full powers of independence, that we can stop spending a fixed budget on protecting households against Tory cuts and start to properly build a fairer, more equal Scotland.”

MSP encourages Edinburgh families to complete Scotland’s Census

SNP MSP Gordon MacDonald is urging the people of Edinburgh to play their part in planning for future services across Edinburgh by completing the Scottish census.

Speaking ahead of the May 1 deadline for completing the census, Gordon MacDonald said: “The census is the official count of every person and household in the country, takes place every 10 years and it is in the interests of everyone in Edinburgh to complete it accurately and on time.

“The census benefits everyone because it helps the government and other service providers like local councils make important decisions about vital services such as education, healthcare and employment. Completing the census helps officials make better decisions about the things that matter to you.

“By setting aside just a few minutes to answer questions about yourself, your household, and the place where you live, you play a vital role in helping shape important community services across the city, from the building of new schools and hospitals to improving transport links and understanding health needs.

“So, it is hugely important to play your part to make sure everyone is heard, and everyone’s individual needs are accurately recorded.”

Every household in Scotland must complete Scotland’s Census. It’s a legal responsibility and householders are responsible for making sure they respond. Anyone who hasn’t completed the census by the 1st of May could face a fine.

For anyone who has yet to complete it, help and support is available on the website census.gov.scot or via a free helpline on 0800 030 8308.

Guidance is available for every question in English and 16 other languages on the website.

An interpretation service covering most languages can be accessed by calling 0800 030 8333.

You can also request copies of the guidance in Braille, large print or on audio CD or USB.

There are guidance videos in British Sign Language on the key pages of the website and a video relay service offered by contactscotland-bsl.org can be used by BSL users to access advice from the helpline.

Edinburgh children ‘excelling under the SNP Scottish Government’

SNP MSP Gordon MacDonald has welcomed figures which show children across Edinburgh are excelling under the SNP Scottish Government.

Schools across Edinburgh are benefitting from £7.2m of funding for the coming year to reduce the attainment gap in the area.

As a result 95.1% of young people in the area go on to positive destinations. The latest figures also show that 19,523 have went into a modern apprenticeship under the SNP Scottish Government.

In helping to close the attainment gap, there are currently 10,016 children receiving free school meals.

Commenting, Gordon MacDonald said: “Since the SNP formed a government in 2007, attainment and the number of pupils going on to positive destinations has improved across Edinburgh.

“This is down to the funding the SNP Scottish Government has provided to reduce the attainment gap and I am delighted that this will continue as £7.2m has been committed to reduce the gap even further for the coming year.

“The SNP Scottish Government is also ensuring that P1-3 children have the best start to their day by providing free school meals. This will also be extended to all primary schools within this parliamentary term.

“It is only the SNP who can be trusted to protect Scotland’s education system and on May 5 the people of Edinburgh have the chance to send a message to the Tories that we do not trust them with it.”

Edinburgh short-changed by almost £14.6 million on EU replacement funding

SNP MSP GORDON MACDONALD SLATES ‘MORE TORY BROKEN PROMISES‘

SNP MSP Gordon MacDonald has slated the Westminster Tory Government for failing the people of Edinburgh by short-changing them by the equivalent of £14.6 million through the so-called Shared Prosperity Fund.

Following Brexit, which the people of Edinburgh did not vote for, the UK Government promised to replace every penny of the money Scotland previously received from the European Union. For this year, it is estimated that would have been £183 million.

However, figures just published show that Scotland will receive only £32 million this year. That is £151 million short of the £183 million promised and works out at an estimated equivalent of £14.6 million for Edinburgh.

Gordon MacDonald MSP said: “Not only did the people of Edinburgh not vote for Tory Brexit, we are paying a very high price for this disastrous Tory obsession.

“EU funding has supported infrastructure projects and community initiatives across the country since the 1970s, with Scotland receiving and delivering more than £6 billion of EU Structural Funds.

“Being short-changed again by the Tories, this time to the equivalent of £14.6 million, really adds insult to injury for the people of Edinburgh.

“This demonstrates exactly why the Tories’ sick joke of ‘levelling up’ actually means our community losing out, with Edinburgh facing the estimated loss of £14.6 million had Scotland not been taken out of the EU against our will.

“Not only that, the Scottish Government previously made decisions about how best to spend the EU money based on local priorities. Now a UK Tory Government – which Scotland did not vote for and hasn’t done for a lifetime – is cutting Scotland’s elected Government out of the decision-making process.

“That is both a betrayal of democracy and a disgrace that money will be spent on Tory priorities which will fail to meet the needs of communities in Edinburgh.

“This is yet another shocking demonstration why the Tories cannot be trusted with Scotland’s future. Scotland deserves better than Partygate liar Boris Johnson’s litany of broken promises.

“By voting SNP in the local elections on May the people of Scotland will send a crystal clear message to Johnson’s Tories that they will never be trusted.”

MSP welcomes increase in support for families across Edinburgh

Pentlands SNP MSP Gordon MacDonald has welcomed the package of measures announced yesterday by the Scottish Government to provide immediate support and break the cycle of child poverty for people across Edinburgh.

Shona Robison, the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government, announced an increase of a further £5 to the ‘game-changing’ Scottish Child Payment – bringing the total payment to £25 per week per child at the end of the year, following the increase to £20 next week.

This move will see the SNP Government’s package of five family benefits for low income families, including the increased Scottish Child Payment, now totalling over £10,000 to low income families by the time a first child turns 6, and £9,700 for subsequent children.

It directly benefits 7,995 of children across Edinburgh already in receipt of the payment.

In contrast, families in England and Wales receive less than £1,800 for the first child and under £1,300 for subsequent children.

The SNP Cabinet Secretary also announced:

· an increase in employment services with the aim of supporting up to 12,000 parents into fair and sustainable work, backed by investment of up to £81 million in 2022-23

· investment of up to £15 million in a new fund to tackle the financial barriers parents face when they enter the labour market

· immediate steps to mitigate the Tories’ Benefit Cap, which is impacting many families already struggling to make ends meet, backed by up to £10m

It is estimated that, through these and current Scottish Government actions, 60,000 fewer children will be living in relative poverty in 2023/24 compared with 2017.

Gordon MacDonald said: “This package of measures to tackle child poverty is hugely welcome and the impact it will have on households across Edinburgh cannot be underestimated – increasing the Scottish Child Payment even further, to £25 per week per child, will make such a difference to families struggling to cope with the Tory cost of living crisis right now.

“This stands in stark contrast to the Tory Chancellor’s spring statement which utterly failed to provide any meaningful lifeline support for people across Edinburgh who are facing soaring energy bills and a cost of living crisis now – and that was a political choice.

“I am glad that families across Edinburgh have an SNP Scottish Government taking serious, life-changing action to protect them where it can within limited powers and a fixed budget. The significant parental employment package also announced will help people across Edinburgh into fair and sustainable work.

“Other political parties must now recognise the reality that whilst the SNP is doing what it can to put money in people’s pockets in Scotland and tackle poverty, Westminster is consistently undermining Scotland’s efforts through their damaging policy agenda.

“These actions from the Scottish Government make it crystal clear that Edinburgh and the people that live here, would be better off with independence and all the levers to tackle poverty and hardship.”

NHS Lothian’s record staffing levels

NHS Lothian has recorded record numbers of staff levels this year with 23,116 employed by the health board – a 15.1% increase over the past five years.

Scotland wide, more than 155,000 staff have been hired, with increases in whole-time equivalent (WTE) staff for ten consecutive years.

Across NHS Lothian there has been a 4.3% increase in the past year in staffing levels and a 15.1 % increase in the past five years.

Edinburgh Pentlands SNP MSP Gordon MacDonald said: “Our staff across NHS Lothian have shown incredible dedication and commitment to our health service in the past two years and beyond. We will never be able to thank them enough for their heroic efforts.

“Under the Scottish Government, staffing levels in the NHS have increased to record levels. The Scottish Government’s long-term investment in the workforce has accelerated since the outset of the pandemic and we are seeing that in reality, with a 15.1% increase over the past five years here in NHS Lothian.

“The SNP also continues to recognise the effort of our staff having offered them the best pay rise in the UK. They also continue to be the best paid health staff compared to their counterparts in the rest of the UK.”