Keir Starmer’s remarks at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil:
Thank you, President Lula – you know, I’m a great admirer of Brazil. It’s not just the football, it’s also your culture and your commitment to working people.
More than just their right to be free from exploitation, but their right to be lifted up, to enjoy greater opportunities, and to enjoy life. We share that passion. It fuels our politics. And it is a great pleasure to be here with you.
This is my first G20. So I want to take the opportunity to say that under my leadership the UK will always be at the table, Listening, upholding our values, ready to work with you as a responsible global partner.
I want work together on the huge challenges before us, like conflict and climate change, because these forces work against everything we want to achieve.
They destroy economic growth, undermine security and opportunity, and generate migration at a level that we can’t sustain.
But if we can find solutions to these problems then there are also real opportunities here for growth and for investment, to cut the cost of living at home and improve the lives of those we are here to represent.
So I want to build the partnerships we need to support progress. And that includes in the fight against hunger and poverty. I want to thank President Lula for putting this on the agenda.
We look back on a lost decade in the fight against poverty due to Covid, climate change, and rising levels of conflict. It can’t go on.
We need renewed, resolute global leadership to tackle poverty and hunger.
President Lula’s Global Alliance will help us to meet that challenge. And I am pleased that the UK is playing its part.
We’re not just joining the Alliance, we’re joining its Board of Champions to help steer this work.
And we’re delivering practical support for communities to keep food on the table, helping to build climate resilience and protect harvests in countries across Africa and Asia.
We’re also launching a new partnership to combat child wasting with UNICEF, the World Food Programme and the WHO. And we are doubling our support for those displaced by the war in Sudan.
The suffering from that conflict is horrendous. And it highlights a crucial point: that famine is man made.
The greatest step in the fight against hunger today would come from resolving conflicts. And so we call again for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
For the hostages to be released. We are deeply concerned about the plight of Palestinian civilians, facing catastrophic hunger and starvation – particularly in northern Gaza.
In defending itself, Israel must act in compliance with international humanitarian law and do much more to protect civilians and aid workers.
The UK has provided £100 million of humanitarian aid but we also need to see a massive increase in the amount of aid reaching civilians in Gaza. UNRWA must be able to carry out its mandate, particularly at the onset of winter.
Finally, it is important in this room that we address Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine. Tomorrow marks the 1,000th day of their invasion of a peaceful, sovereign state.
And they have inflicted damage on the wider world, including on food and energy security.
So we call, again, for a just and durable peace, consistent with the UN Charter.
Requirements for voter identification brought in by the previous UK Government should be scrapped, Holyrood’s Minister for Parliamentary Business has said.
Jamie Hepburn has highlighted evidence from the Electoral Commission that the new requirements kept potential voters away from the ballot box at the recent UK Parliamentary election, and fears misunderstanding around the need for ID could have a similar impact in Scotland.
In a letter to Rushanara Ali MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government), he asked for the UK Government to consider scrapping voter ID requirements.
The UK Government will today embark on major reform to end years of neglect of the children’s social care support system – breaking the cycle of late intervention and helping keep families together wherever possible so every child has the opportunity to thrive.
A wide range of new reform measures will be set out in Parliament to deliver better outcomes and a more secure life for children across the country. The government will empower social workers, and all those that work with children, to take action against children’s placements providers that deliver subpar standards of care at sky-high costs to councils and focus the system on early intervention.
It comes as local government spending on looked after children has ballooned from £3.1 billion in 2009/10 to £7 billion in 2022/23, with social workers all too often burdened by heavy caseloads, struggling to deliver the help that children and families need before problems escalate.
Bridget Phillipson, Education Secretary, said: “Our care system has suffered from years of drift and neglect. It’s bankrupting councils, letting families down, and above all, leaving too many children feeling forgotten, powerless and invisible.
“We want to break down the barriers to opportunity and end the cycle of crisis through ambitious reforms to give vulnerable children the best life chances – because none of us thrive until all of us do.
“We will crack down on care providers making excessive profit, tackle unregistered and unsafe provision and ensure earlier intervention to keep families together and help children to thrive.”
One of the most entrenched challenges facing children and social workers is some private providers, that are siphoning off money that should be going towards vulnerable children, making excessive profits or running unregistered homes that don’t meet the right standards of care.
According to analysis by the Local Government Association, there are now over 1,500 children in placements each costing the equivalent of over £0.5 million every year, while the largest 15 private providers make an average of 23 per cent profit.
New rules will require key placements providers – those that provide homes for the most children – to share their finances with the government, allowing profiteering to be challenged. Increasing financial transparency will ensure the providers that have the biggest impact on the market don’t unexpectedly go under and leave children without a home.
There will also be a “backstop” law to put a limit on the profit providers can make, that the government will introduce if providers do not voluntarily put an end to profiteering.
Not-for-profit providers and those backed by social investment are being called on to come forward to set up homes to strengthen the system.
To protect quality and safety in children’s homes, Ofsted will also be given new powers to issue civil fines to providers, working more quickly to deter unscrupulous behaviour than with existing criminal powers.
More widely, the government is beginning the process of rebalancing the whole children’s social care system in favour of early intervention, giving every family the legal right to be involved in decisions made about children entering the care system.
Further plans for funding for children’s social care including investment in preventative services, are set to be laid out in the coming weeks in the upcoming Local Government Finance Settlement.
Cllr Arooj Shah, Chair of the Local Government Association’s Children and Young People Board, said: “It is positive to see the Government building on recent progress following the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care, and pursuing an approach rooted in what we know works for children and their families.
“We are particularly pleased to see an ongoing focus on early help and family networks, and a strong commitment to tackling profiteering and other problems in the market for children’s social care placements.
“Moving forward, progress will be limited by the significant funding and workforce challenges within children’s social care, councils and amongst partners more widely.
“It is vital that the Government uses the forthcoming Spending Review to ensure that all those working to keep children safe and to help them thrive have the resources they need to do that well.”
Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza said: “Every child deserves to grow up safe, happy, healthy and engaged in their communities and in their education. With this Bill we have an opportunity to repair how we treat childhood in this country.
“Children are paying the price of a broken social care system that allows profits over protection. They are enduring things no child should ever have to: living in isolation in illegal children’s homes, often at enormous cost, deprived of their liberty without due process, often surrounded by security guards instead of receiving love and care.
“Children in the social care system today are living week to week in limbo. They need action without delay, not plans or strategies, so I welcome the urgency with which this government is setting out plans to tackle some of the most entrenched challenges. There must be no limits on our ambition for these children and I will look forward to working closely with ministers to push for radical reform.”
Sir Martyn Oliver, Ofsted’s Chief Inspector said: “These new powers will allow Ofsted to do more to make sure all children’s homes are safe and nurturing places, and to combat illegal and poor-quality homes quickly and effectively.
“We welcome these reforms and stand ready to deliver the Government’s new asks as soon as possible.”
Sarah Cardell, CEO of the CMA, said: “We are pleased to see the government taking this next step towards reforming the children’s social care market, in line with our recommendations.
“Our market study found multiple concerns – including a shortage of appropriate places – which need to be tackled to ensure vulnerable children and young people are getting the homes they need. We will continue to work with the government to make sure the plan delivers longstanding improvements.”
Other key measures set to be announced today include:
New powers for Ofsted to investigate multiple homes being run by the same company, acting on the recommendations made in response to the vile abuse uncovered at the Hesley group of children’s homes.
Delivery of the manifesto commitment to introduce a consistent child identifier, making sure information can be shared between professionals so they can intervene before issues escalate.
The requirement for every council to have ‘multi-agency’ child safeguarding teams, involving children’s schools and teachers, stopping children from falling through the cracks.
The requirement for all local authorities to offer the Staying Close programme – a package of support which enables care leavers to find and keep accommodation, alongside access to practical and emotional help, up to the age of 21, ending the cliff-edge of support many experience at 18.
A new duty on parents where if their child is subject to a child protection enquiry, or on a child protection plan, they will need local authority consent to home educate that child.
The government will continue to work closely with the sector and local authorities as these changes are introduced to ensure the best possible outcomes for all children and young people, and their families.
A new Home Office unit to monitor performance of police forces will be announced by the Home Secretary this week
A dedicated government unit to improve performance across policing and make our streets safer will be announced by the Home Secretary this week.
In a speech at the annual conference hosted by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and Association for Police and Crime Commissioners on Tuesday, Yvette Cooper will outline the new unit as part of a roadmap for major reform that will create a new partnership between the Home Office and police.
To ensure communities can have confidence in their local police force, the unit will harness national data to monitor performance and direct improvements, building on the existing work of the College of Policing, policing inspectorate (HMICFRS), NPCC and Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs).
For the first time in over a decade, a dedicated Home Office unit will be introduced to directly monitor police performance, including in high-priority areas such as tackling violence against women and girls, knife crime and improving neighbourhood policing.
Officer time spent on the frontline will be monitored as part of the intelligence drive, drawing on local police data. Police response times will also be standardised and measured, a key issue for the public that is currently not consistently monitored and managed. Through the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, the government is committed to ensuring officers are spending more time being visible and accessible in our communities, and minimising administrative tasks.
The Home Office will use police-recorded data on child sexual abuse to help forces understand and tackle the hidden harms in their areas. This will support forces in identifying how they can do more to build victim confidence, draw offending out of the shadows and bring perpetrators to justice.
There will also be a focus on police standards, with data on misconduct, vetting and disciplinary procedures collected, monitored and acted on to ensure forces are rooting out those who are not fit to serve and help restore the public’s trust in their local officers.
With a more comprehensive picture of how policing is delivering for its communities, the Home Secretary will take a more hands-on approach to driving improvements, working with policing partners to ensure that the appropriate support, and where necessary, direct intervention is being identified and delivered.
The new performance unit will complement the current system, with PCCs taking on a renewed focus on strengthening local policing and preventing crime in their areas.
In her speech, the Home Secretary is expected to say: “This is a critical juncture for the future of policing. And if as a country we are to remain equipped to fight the fast-changing challenges of today and tomorrow, then we know policing must evolve.
“We have a huge opportunity ahead of us to reset the relationship between government and the police, to regain the trust and support of the people we all serve and to reinvigorate the best of British policing.
“Strong and consistent performance is critical to commanding public confidence. I truly believe that working together we can mobilise behind this mission – and deliver a fairer, safer country for all.”
The Home Secretary is expected to set out her vision for policing, and how this focus on data and performance is just part of an ambitious programme to bring the founding principles of policing by consent and preventing crime to the 21st Century.
The need for reform has the backing of police leaders, with the government committed to working with them to bring the change needed to reconnect policing with the communities they serve.
It builds on a government manifesto commitment to give the policing inspectorate (HMICFRS) greater powers to intervene in failing forces and on the important work that they, the College of Policing and PCCs are doing to boost standards and drive improvement.
The Scottish Government will be betraying households and families across Edinburgh if they go ahead with plans to water down rent controls and impose above inflation rent hikes, says Lorna Slater MSP the Scottish Green MSP for Lorna Slater MSP.
Earlier this year legislation was introduced by then Scottish Greens minister Patrick Harvie to finally bring rent controls to Scotland, which would help keep costs down for tenants.
The Scottish Government supported this legislation in March, but has since announced proposals that would lock-in above inflation increases and by up to 6%, even in rent control areas.
Scottish Government statistics show that between 2010 and 2023 average rents for a newly-let 2 bedroom flat in Lothian reached £1,192, an increase of 79%.
Lorna Slater, the Scottish Green MSP for Lothian said: “This would be a shameful betrayal of households and families in Edinburgh. It would lock-in above inflation rent hikes at a time when far too many are struggling to make ends meet.
“Everyone should have a warm, secure and affordable place to call home, but what the SNP is proposing flies in the face of that aspiration.
“If the SNP goes ahead with these disastrous plans they will be selling-out renters in communities like Edinburgh and entrenching a broken and unfair system.
“Homes should be for living in, not for profiteering. The SNP must not cave in to the landlord lobby and introduce legislation that would impose above inflation rent hikes.
“I hope the SNP will rethink their proposals and work with us to deliver a rent control system that truly transforms our broken housing market and gives tenants in Lothian the security, stability and peace of mind that everyone deserves.”
In the Budget, the Chancellor announced that Retail, Hospitality and Leisure (RHL) businesses would receive 40% rates relief in England next year, following a 75% relief in the current year (write Fraser of Allander Institute’s MAIRI SPOWAGE and JOAO SOUSA).
RHL businesses in Scotland have had no such relief since 2021-22, which (as you can imagine) has led to many businesses saying they are at a disadvantage to their counterparts South of the Border. Given this extension in relief in England, businesses in the RHL sector are likely to be calling on the Scottish Government to follow suit.
Such a decision by the Chancellor does generate Barnett consequentials for the Scottish Government, because the UK Government compensated English councils for the lost revenue. Business rates are devolved to all three devolved nations, and there is no obligation for any of the devolved governments to replicate measures in their jurisdiction.
Last year, we looked at the 75% relief announcement in England and tried to estimate how much it would cost to replicate. This analysis concluded that it was likely to cost considerably more in Scotland to replicate the relief than was provided through Barnett, because:
The business rates system is just differently structured in Scotland; but mainly;
RHL businesses make up a larger share of the property tax base in Scotland.
What about the 40% relief?
As we did last year, we have looked at the data available on the tax base for business rates to try to estimate how much it might cost to replicate the 40% relief in Scotland.
We must emphasise that this is not completely straightforward from the publicly available data. Whilst the Valuation Roll (which lists all properties and their rateable value) is a public document, the extent to which different properties attract reliefs is not on this database, so we have to make some assumptions about the extent to which properties may already be receiving reliefs. Obviously, for example, if a property is already receiving 100% relief (e.g. through the Small Business Bonus Scheme), then they cannot receive any more relief from the 40% measure, even if they are in RHL.
This is important because 100% relief for property is actually quite common: 48% of properties receive this.
Chart 1: Proportion of properties that receive 100% relief, selected property classes
Source: Scottish Government
The second challenge is that there is a cap on the amount of relief that an individual company can receive, which limits the amount of relief paid, but requires a property-by-property analysis (and some assumptions about multi-property companies) to understand the impact this has on the overall cost.
All of these assumptions mean our analysis will not be as accurate as a proper costing by the Scottish Fiscal Commission if the Scottish Government were to introduce this measure (given the additional data they have access to): and our attempt to account for multi-property enterprises is likely to be imperfect which might mean we are underestimating the impact of the cap (so slightly overestimating the cost of a new relief).
Having said all that (sorry for all the caveats), our analysis suggests that it will cost roughly £220m to replicate this relief in Scotland, compared to the £147m that was generated by the decision in England through Barnett.
[For those who are interested, you will note that this is not a linear reduction on our estimate for the 75% relief. This is because of the cap for each company again: companies are more likely to hit the cap with a higher level of relief so it is not as simple as it appears, unfortunately!]
Look out for more analysis
We will be producing Scotland’s Budget Report 2024 on 29 November, which will set the context for the Scottish Budget on 4 December. In the run-up, we will continue to publish blogs with new analysis to add to the discussion!
The multi-million-pound Falkirk and Grangemouth Growth Deal has been signed by UK and Scottish Governments as well as Falkirk Council as part of a package that will strengthen the local economy and create more than a thousand jobs over the next 10 years.
Up to 1660 jobs and £628m worth of economic benefits are expected to flow into the area as a result of the delivery of the Deal which was signed yesterday (Thursday 14 November).
The Growth Deal was signed at the newly restored Rosebank Distillery in Falkirk. Although not a recipient of Growth Deal funding, Rosebank exemplifies the type of regeneration and economic stimulus that the Deal aims to achieve.
The restoration of Rosebank is a model of high-quality, sensitive development that aligns with the Growth Deal’s vision for sustainable growth. As an internationally recognised brand, Rosebank is putting Falkirk on the global map, drawing attention and visitors from around the world.
The agreement means 11 projects can be taken forward that include the development of a Carbon Dioxide Utilisation Centre and a Bioeconomy Accelerator Pilot Plant in Grangemouth; a new Canal Centre and workshop at Loch 16 in Camelon; a Skills Transition Centre at Forth Valley College, Falkirk; and the transformation of unused land at three sites in Grangemouth to create development-ready investment opportunities.
The £80 million Growth Deal is jointly funded from the UK and Scottish Governments and is complemented by a further £10 million from the UK Government (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero) for future energy related projects in Grangemouth and £10 million allocated to the Greener Grangemouth programme from the Scottish Government. With Falkirk Council investing £45m and Scottish Canals investing £3.7m, the overall Growth Deal investment is £148.7m.
The Growth Deal was signed at the new Rosebank Distillery in Falkirk by the Rt Hon Ian Murray MP Secretary of State for Scotland and Kate Forbes, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic, and Councillor Cecil Meiklejohn, Leader of Falkirk Council.
Kate Forbes, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic said: “The Falkirk and Grangemouth region has a rich history with a strong industrial heritage, a proud community and significant tourist attractions.
“The Scottish Government’s £50 million investment will deliver projects to ensure the area continues to thrive, bringing jobs, active travel links, future skills training and new arts and cultural spaces.
“The Growth Deal will support the region to grasp the opportunities of the transition to net zero and remain at the forefront of innovation and manufacturing in Scotland, complemented by a community-led programme of projects in Grangemouth.”
Ian Murray, Secretary of State for Scotland, said: “The signing of this deal shows our commitment to the Falkirk and Grangemouth area as it delivers £50 million in UK Government funding. It is part of the £1.4 billion the UK Government is investing in Scottish growth projects over the next decade.
“Growth is a key mission for the UK Government and a top priority of the Scotland Office. Our funding, coupled with investment from the other partners, will drive renewal and generate more than 1,000 jobs and hundreds of millions of pounds of economic benefits for these communities.
“The area’s economic potential is huge and I look forward to seeing this and many other examples of partnership working deliver growth for Scotland.”
Councillor Cecil Meiklejohn, Leader of Falkirk Council said: “The Growth Deal is a turning point for our community, bringing jobs, investment, and sustainable development. We are proud to partner in this project, which will elevate Falkirk and Grangemouth as vibrant, connected, and forward-looking areas for residents, businesses, and visitors alike.
“It is one of a suite of programmes and major investment opportunities set for delivery in 2025. The Growth Deal Skills Transition Centre, Canal Centre and Falkirk Arts Centre will progress at pace in 2025, the Falkirk Tax Incremental Finance programme is already delivering results with projects such as the A9/Grandsable Road junction completed earlier this year, and the Forth Green Freeport now open for business and actively promoting investment opportunities in the area. It is an exciting time for the Falkirk Council area”
Growth Deal projects
The 11 projects that will be delivered as part of the Falkirk and Grangemouth Growth Deal, and complementary investments, are split under two themes – Creating Great Places and Innovative Industry.
Creating Great Places
The Falkirk Arts Centre – £6 million (£3m UKG/£3m SG) will be allocated to the construction of a new Arts Centre in Falkirk Town Centre.
Scotland’s Canal Centre – Led by Scottish Canals, the £7.7m project (£4m from the Deal) will revitalise a neglected area of the canal network, restoring three derelict warehouses and building a new operational hub.
Scotland’s Art Park – Working in partnership, Scottish Canals and Falkirk Council will use £3 million to create an Art Park trail along the Forth and Clyde Canal.
Falkirk Central Sustainable Transport Network– £21m will be invested in two interconnected projects – Rail Station and Interchange Hub and the Green Cycling and Pedestrian Network – to improve Falkirk’s public and active travel infrastructure.
Innovative Industry
Skills Transition Centre – Led by Forth Valley College, the £4m project will establish the STC, bringing together partners to develop the skills needed to support the transition to Net Zero.
Strategic Sites – Addressing a shortage of development-ready strategic investment sites, the project will use £10 million from the UK government to improve and prepare currently unused land at potentially three key sites.
Grangemouth Sustainable Manufacturing Campus(GSMC) includes two linked projects:
Carbon Dioxide Utilisation Centre – £10m (£9m UKG/£1m SG) will be invested to establish the CDU Centre that will capture CO2 to manufacture more sustainable products and aid the transition to net zero.
Bioeconomy Accelerator Pilot Plant – £10m (£9m UKG/£1m SG) will be invested to develop new sustainable processes using feedstocks such as food processing and whisky by-products.
Transport, Renewables and Career Exploration Hub– Investing £10m (£9m UKG/£1m SG) to create the Hub that will serve as a focal point for industry and education, enhancing local skills and advancing green growth ambitions.
Future Energy Related Projects – £10m will be invested to support the Grangemouth economy as it transitions.
Furthermore, the 10-year Greener Grangemouth Programme sits alongside the Deals’ main themes and aims to put community wellbeing at the heart of Grangemouth’s Just transition.
More than 329,000 children receive vital support from Scottish Child Payment
Social Security Scotland has published its Annual Report and Accounts, which shows that it made £1.9 billion in payments to people in Scotland from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024. The payments were made across 14 Scottish benefits, seven of which are not available anywhere else in the UK.
This includes £942 million for Adult Disability Payment which now supports more than 300,000 disabled people in Scotland. Social Security Scotland also paid £463 million to help families on low incomes with their living costs through five family payments, which includes Scottish Child Payment, which was benefitting more than 329,000 children and young people by the end of March 2024.
Winter Heating Payment was paid to 400,000 people by February this year to help towards the cost of heating homes and Carer Support Payment which offers help to people who do so much for others began a phased rollout in the Western Isles, Dundee City and Perth and Kinross last year and is now available across Scotland. Eligible people who get benefits include carers, disabled people and families, pensioners, young people starting jobs and people who need help paying for a funeral.
We’ve published our Annual Report and Accounts.
We paid £1.9 billion to people across Scotland from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024.
The payments were made across 14 Scottish benefits, seven of which are completely new forms of support not available anywhere else in the UK. pic.twitter.com/O2WtIvY6Nn
The results of the organisation’s annual Client Survey have also been published, showing that 90% of respondents who received a payment from Social Security Scotland say their overall experience was ‘very good’ or ‘good’.
Among those who responded to the survey, 85% said their experience with staff was also ‘very good’ or ‘good’, 89% said they were treated with kindness while 85% of people surveyed felt they were listened to.
95% of people with experience of Scottish Child Payment rated their overall experience as ‘very good’ or ‘good’.
In total, the combination of direct payments made by Social Security Scotland and those paid through Agency Agreements with the Department for Work and Pensions saw the Scottish Government invest over £5.2 billion in benefits across Scotland.
Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Shirley-Anne Somerville, said: “We are committed to tackling poverty and supporting people throughout Scotland. At a time when families are struggling with the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, we have been delivering 14 benefits, seven of which are only available in Scotland.
“Winter Heating Payment is a reliable annual payment to people on low incomes in Scotland, including pensioners receiving Pension Credit. We continue to offer vital support to families through our five family payments, including Scottish Child Payment which was helping to support more than 329,000 children and young people by the end of financial year 2023-24.”
“We are focused on ensuring people get the money they are entitled to and that we deliver these payments while treating people with dignity, fairness and respect.”
Our Chief Executive David Wallace spoke about a year of significant expansion at Social Security Scotland where the number of people we serve has grown.
Social Security Scotland Chief Executive, David Wallace, said:“While our service has continued to expand significantly, our clients remain at the heart of everything we do.
“We have focused on delivering new payments to people across Scotland including Carer Support Payment, while ensuring we give our clients an improved experience. This year, we have reduced call waiting and processing times and made it easier for people to submit supporting information for disability benefit applications.
“As the number of people we serve grows, I am delighted we have maintained high client satisfaction rates with our annual Client Survey showing 90% of people who received a payment from us saying their overall experience was ‘very good’ or ‘good’.”
Calls come as Holyrood Committee publishes report on public funding to voluntary organisations
Short-term funding cycles are creating financial instability and diverting time and resources away from charities’ delivery of services, according to a pre-Budget report by the Scottish Parliament’s Social Justice and Social Security Committee.
At the outset of the Committee’s inquiry the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations painted a stark picture of the challenges faced by charities in Scotland, identifying a 2.1% real terms decrease in Scottish Government funding in the previous budget, against a backdrop of increased inflation and high demand for services.
In recognition of the critical role charities play in supporting Scottish society, the Committee’s report calls on the Scottish Government to look at options to prioritise three-year-funding and include provisions for inflation-based adjustments.
During the inquiry, witnesses raised concerns about inconsistency, complexity and a lack of transparency in the application process for funding. In response, the Committee’s report recommends that the Government, and its partner grant awarding-bodies, streamline and standardise application processes and improve the transparency of the grant-making decision process.
The Committee also heard about the challenges some charities have faced because of delays to funding decisions and payments, issues the Committee wants the Scottish Government to resolve.
Bob Doris MSP, Deputy Convener of the Social Justice and Social Security Committee, said: “The Scottish Government has a commitment to provide fair funding for the essential work done by Scotland’s charity sector.
“We make it clear in our report that this commitment should be recognised in the upcoming budget, so that the sector’s vital work can be safeguarded. We call on the Government to prioritise strengthening its approach to multi-year funding and improving its processes.
“Whilst we acknowledge the Scottish Government’s ability to agree to multi-year funding when it does not know what funding it will receive from the UK Government for subsequent years, our committee has made practical suggestions to overcome these challenges.
“We believe that implementing the straightforward measures outlined in our report, including multi-year funding, could positively impact the effectiveness of a sector that does so much to help so many.”
Responding to the report, Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) Chief Executive Anna Fowlie said: “I welcome today’s report, and the committee’s recommendations. Throughout their inquiry, the Committee heard from witness after witness of how the practice and culture around public funding for voluntary organisations is broken.
“Too often and for too long voluntary organisations providing vital services to people and communities across Scotland contend with budget cuts, short-term funding cycles, late payment, incoherent decision-making, poor communication, inadequate grant management and more. That must end.
“The voluntary sector needs a funding landscape that is fair, flexible, sustainable, and accessible – as long-advocated by SCVO and recommended by the committee today.
“At a time when many voluntary organisations are facing extreme financial difficulties, these long-standing calls are more essential than ever.
“The prize is a sustainable sector, strong public services, and resilient communities – one the Scottish Government must grasp with both hands.”
With just two days to go until the Colinton/Fairmilehead by-election, the city council’s elections team has been urging residents in the area to cast their votes on Thursday 14 November.
Residents in Colinton, Fairmilehead, Bonaly, Dreghorn, Oxgangs and Swanston who are aged 16 or over and have registered to vote can participate in Thursday’s by-election. Together they will select a new councillor for the ward, which has a current electorate of 19,226.
Returning Officer for Edinburgh, Paul Lawrence said: “As the by-election approaches, I encourage residents of the Colinton/Fairmilehead ward to visit their local polling place and have their say in electing a councillor to represent the community on issues affecting the ward and the wider city.
“Our elections pages provide helpful information on how the Single Transferable Vote system works – you can rank candidates in order of preference, choosing as many or few as you’d like.
“If you’ve requested and received a postal ballot, be sure to return it as soon as possible to make sure your vote is counted.”
Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm on 14 November:
Charwood
Fairmilehead Parish Church Hall
St. Cuthbert’s Episcopal Church Hall
Oxgangs Neighbourhood Centre
Pentland Community Centre
Anyone living in the area who is aged 16 or over and has registered can vote in the by-election, and votes can be cast by post or by proxy if more convenient.
The electronic election count will take place on Friday 15 November starting at 9:30am.
