Councils will receive a share of an additional £40m this year to increase the supply of social and affordable homes.
The funding, which was confirmed in April and has boosted the affordable housing supply programme budget to nearly £600m this year, will mostly be distributed to the five council areas with sustained temporary accommodation pressures: Edinburgh, Fife, Glasgow, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian.
The money will be used to purchase properties to help reduce the number of families in temporary accommodation or, where appropriate, to bring long term voids back into use.
The remaining 27 local authorities will receive a share of the remaining funding. A further £40m will be allocated to councils next year.
Housing Minister Paul McLennan said: “The delivery of affordable homes is the foundation of family life and is fundamental to how we achieve our priorities of eradicating child poverty and growing the economy.
“The key to tackling homelessness and reducing the time spent by families in temporary accommodation is to deliver more affordable homes.
“We have already supported councils to purchase almost 1,500 properties in 2023-24 for use as affordable homes. However, we must do more and, by committing £40m this year, we are accelerating that work.
“This money will help councils provide a warm, safe place that families can call home again.”
MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Gordon Macdonald has welcomed the SNP Scottish Government announcement of £40 million for councils across Scotland, including almost £15 million for Edinburgh, to boost the supply of affordable homes.
First Minister John Swinney outlined in the Programme for Government that £600 million would be committed to affordable housing in the current financial year and allocating this £40 million will allow for the purchase of properties to reduce temporary accommodation and bring vacant buildings back into use.
Across Scotland councils have been supported to purchase almost 1,500 properties in 2023-24 for use as affordable homes and the allocation of this £40 million will accelerate that work to ensure that families across Edinburgh have a safe and warm place to call home.
Commenting, Gordon Macdonald said: “Tackling the housing emergency is one of the major issues across the city and one of the key ways we can solve it is by bringing empty and vacant buildings back into use.
“This £40m fund, introduced by the SNP Government as part of the £600m affordable housing budget, will ensure that we can build on the 1,500 properties that were brought into use for affordable housing in the past year and the almost £15m allocated to Edinburgh will have a significant impact in tackling the housing crisis across the city.
“Every family in Edinburgh deserves to have a safe and warm place that they can call home and with the SNP in government that is exactly what they will get.”
Local authorities will receive the following share of funding:
In response to the House of Commons voting in favour of cutting the Winter Fuel Payment, Independent Age Chief Executive Joanna Elson, CBE said: “People in later life living in financial hardship will be rightly concerned that, despite mounting public pressure about the impact on older people on the lowest incomes, the UK Government will continue with its plans to means test the Winter Fuel Payment from this year. It’s clear that making this decision now means many people in later life struggling in poverty will be forced to make dangerous cutbacks.
“The Chancellor still has time to reassess. Even with today’s vote, the UK Government can show it is listening to the concerns of older people in poverty, and delay this policy change until more older people start receiving Pension Credit.
“Boosting take-up is complex and will take time, the latest take-up figures show that up to 1.2 million older people could be missing out on this financial entitlement. They will already be living on a low income as they are eligible for Pension Credit, but now they will have even less money to live on this winter.
“We are also concerned about the large group of older people that just miss out on Pension Credit. Many of them are in financial hardship and do not have enough money to live well, but will still have their income cut at an already challenging time of year with energy prices on the rise.
“In the short term we hope the UK Government listens to the evidence being shared, and doesn’t means-test the Winter Fuel Payment now.
“Long-term there must be financial security for all of us as we age.
“We urge the UK Government to lead a review where all major parties come together and agree on what an adequate income in older age is, then ensure that everybody receives it so that no one lives in poverty in later life.”
Caroline Abrahams CBE, Charity Director at Age UK said: “We’re deeply disappointed, but not surprised, that the vote to brutally means-test Winter Fuel Payment was passed today.
“As soon as the Government announced it was instructing its MPs to support it this was the inevitable result, but we would like to thank all those in every party who voted against the policy or abstained.
“There’s been a lot of discussion about the Government’s decision, but at heart Age UK’s critique of their policy is really simple: we just don’t think it’s fair to remove the payment from the 2.5 million pensioners on low incomes who badly need it, and to do it so quickly this winter, at the same time as energy bills are rising by 10%.
“It is crystal clear that there is insufficient time to make any serious impact on the miserably low take-up of Pension Credit before the cold sets in this autumn, and the Government has brought forward no effective measures to support all those whose tiny occupational pensions take them just above the line to claim.
“It’s true they have agreed to extend the Household Support Fund until April and they deserve some credit for that, but the HSF is an all-age fund that you have to apply for, so we know it will only help a small proportion of all the pensioners who will be in need as a result of their policy change.
“The Government has also tried to suggest that the increase in State Pension for older people next year as a result of the Triple Lock means there’s no need to worry about how they will cope now, but that won’t help anyone this winter and most pensioners will not benefit to the extent being suggested – either because they are on the old State Pension which attracts less of an increase, or because they don’t qualify for a full State Pension in the first place.
“The reality is that driving through this policy as the Government is doing will make millions of poor pensioners poorer still and we are baffled as to why some Ministers are asserting that this is the right thing to do.
“We and many others are certain that it is not, and that’s why we will continue to stand with the pensioners who can’t afford to lose their payment and campaign for them to be given more Government support.
“Meanwhile, winter is coming and we fear it will be a deeply challenging one for millions of older people who have previously relied on their Winter Fuel Payment to help pay their energy bills and who have no obvious alternative source of funds on which to draw.
“As a charity we will do everything we can to help them, but with so many in need and no extra support on offer from the Government at the moment it’s looking like an incredibly uphill task.”
ALL Scottish Labour MPs voted with the government, butRebecca Long Bailey was one of more than fifty Labour MPs who refused to vote in favour of the cut. She explained why:
Former Labour Party leader and now independent MP Jeremy Corbyn also voted against the withdrwal of the payment. He said: “I voted against cuts to winter fuel payments. Politics is about choices, and the government has chosen to push pensioners into poverty.
What’s next for means testing? The NHS?
“I will always defend the principle of universalism. That is how we build a fairer society for all.”
TORY MSP MILES BRIGGS SUPPORTS SCOTTISH DISABILITY CHARITY’S CAMPAIGN TO PROTECT DISABLED PEOPLE FROM FUNDING CUTS
Miles Briggs is offering his full support to Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus (SBH) Scotland’s ‘Give us a chance’ campaign. The charity’s campaign comes as the Scottish Government announced £500m of cuts to public services and warned of further “difficult decisions” ahead in next year’s Scottish Budget.
Miles met with SBH Scotland CEO Lawrence Cowan, Chair Dr Margo Whiteford CBE and Amjid Majeed, who has spina bifida and receives support from SBH Scotland, to learn more about the charity’s campaign.
The ‘Give us a chance’ campaign calls on people to sign a letter to the First Minister, demanding that he protect disabled people from future cuts. The campaign also calls on the Scottish Government to release funding to protect the work of disability charities and to make the needs of disabled people across Scotland a priority.
SBH Scotland, which supports people with spina bifida and hydrocephalus across Scotland, is facing a 22% cut to support from Scottish Government this year – a total cut of 42% since 2018.
Half of all people in poverty live in a household where at least one member is disabled. Scottish Government figures show that disabled people are over twice as likely to experience loneliness compared to non-disabled people. They are also less likely to meet socially than non-disabled people.
Miles Briggs, MSP for Lothian, said:“I give my full support to SBH Scotland’s ‘Give us a chance’ campaign.
“The needs of disabled people in Scotland should be a priority for the Scottish Government and it is crucial that they protect disabled people from future cuts.
“It is important that the vital services that the most vulnerable in our society rely on are protected at all costs.
“I call on the First Minister John Swinney and Cabinet Secretary Shona Robison to properly invest in services to enable disabled people to thrive and lead full lives.”
Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus (SBH) Scotland CEO, Lawrence Cowan said: “The Scottish Government’s talk of further ‘difficult decisions’ ahead is incredibly concerning.
“We did not receive a commitment this week to protect people with disabilities from budget cuts. We will be seeking that commitment as we head into the Budget.
“People we work with say that they already have to constantly fight for basic support.
“If those services are worn away even further, we will see greater inequality and more injustices experienced by disabled people. We cannot let that happen.
“We also urgently need clarity on the future of funding for charities like ours. We’re facing a 22% cut in Scottish Government funding this year – a total cut of 42% since 2018. If that money doesn’t come through, we won’t be able to reach people who desperately need help right now.
“We are delighted to have the support of Miles Briggs as we ask the Scottish Government, on behalf of families across the country, to ‘give us a chance’.
“Give disabled kids a chance to fulfil their potential and follow their dreams and give our disabled adults a chance to live life to the full.”
Amjid Majeed said:“It is a sad day when we have to campaign to make sure those who need the most help are given the care and support they desperately need!
“SBH Scotland is a lifeline for so many people living with spina bifida and hydrocephalus.
“I personally can feel very lonely and isolated and rely on the groups provided by the charity as a chance to socialise, going out and meeting with the good friends I’ve made there.
“Charities can’t survive without funding, and I’d be devastated to think that the services SBH Scotland provides could be reduced or taken away because of these cuts.”
We are urging you to make sure that disabled people are protected from future cuts.
We and our loved ones are more reliant on good quality public services to live. Many of these services are already feeling the strain and further cuts could be devastating.
Half of all households living in poverty have at least one member with a disability. Disabled people are over twice as likely to experience loneliness compared to non-disabled people.
Charities like SBH Scotland give us a place to belong, to meet people who are going through the same things and for kids with spina bifida and hydrocephalus to have fun and just be kids. They are facing a 22% cut in funding from your government this year unless further funds are confirmed. We need the work of this charity more than ever.
We cannot let these inequalities become further entrenched. Please, protect disabled people from cuts and release funding for vital charities like SBH Scotland.
We all have so much to give our society and our economy. Give us a chance. With your support we can be unstoppable.
REEVES VOWS TO MAKE EVERY PART OF BRITAIN BETTER OFF
Chancellor Rachel Reeves secures a planned £8 billion investment from Amazon Web Services which is estimated to support around 14,000 jobs per year across the UK.
The Chancellor will welcome the announcement as part of the Government’s mission to boost growth, unlock investment and make every part of Britain better off.
Rachel Reeves will say the Government’s mission to ‘fix the foundations of our economy has only just begun.’
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has today [11 September] confirmed an £8 billion investment from Amazon Web Services which is estimated to support thousands of jobs across the UK.
The Chancellor secured the planned five-year investment last week at a meeting with Amazon Web Services.
The investment is estimated to support around 14,000 jobs per year at local businesses, including those across the company’s data centre supply chain such as construction, facility maintenance, engineering and telecommunications, as well as well as other jobs within the broader local economy.
AWS estimates that these investments in the UK will contribute £14 billion to the UK’s total Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from 2024 to 2028.
Rachel Reeves will welcome the announcement as part of the government’s long-term mission to boost growth, unlock investment and make every part of Britain better off.
Speaking from a University Technical College in Silverstone today, which works with Amazon Web Services to introduce students to the skills required to enter the digital infrastructure industry, the Chancellor will warn that ‘change cannot happen overnight’ and ‘two quarters of positive economic growth will not make up for fourteen years of stagnation under the previous government.’
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves said: “I am under no illusion to the scale of the challenge facing our economy and I will be honest with the British people that change will not happen overnight.
“Two quarters of positive economic growth does not make up for fourteen years of stagnation under the previous government.
“However, this £8 billion investment marks the start of the economic revival and shows Britain is a place to do business. I am determined to go further so we can deliver on our mandate to create jobs, unlock investment and make every part of Britain better off.
“The hard work to fix the foundations of our economy has only just begun.”
Amazon Web Services Vice Presidentand Managing Director, Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA), Tanuja Randery said:“The next few years could be among the most pivotal for the UK’s digital and economic future, as organisations of all sizes across the country increasingly embrace technologies like cloud computing and AI to help them accelerate innovation, increase productivity, and compete on the global stage.
“AWS is proud to announce our plans to invest £8 billion in digital and AI infrastructure over the next five years to help meet the growing needs of our customers and partners, and support the transformation of the UK’s digital economy.”
AWS do not release the exact location of their data centres for security reasons, but these centres are servicing London and the West and so are located in areas that facilitate this.
The government is also actively engaged in conversations with the company about investments in other parts of the UK.
Today’s investment announcement comes ahead of this year’s UK International Investment Summit on 14 October, where the UK will bring together the world’s most important companies and investors, demonstrating how the UK’s offer is the best in the world, with political and economic stability, a strategic government partnering with businesses, a proper trade strategy, and policies designed to enable growth.
A new report by the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee has found that implementation of the Social Care (Self-directed Support) (Scotland) Act 2013 has been hampered by a range of factors.
The legislation was introduced to ensure that care and support is arranged, managed, and delivered in a way that supports choice and control for individuals. Although the Committee has heard that Self-Directed Support (SDS) has been implemented well and is transformational for individuals in some areas, the report highlights a number of challenges that have meant the legislation is not always implemented in a fair and equitable way across the country.
The Committee say that restrictions on available providers, how services are commissioned and procured, and the financial systems and models of care currently in place mean that, in many parts of the country, SDS has not been delivered in the way intended by the legislation.
The post-legislative scrutiny report concludes that a lack of knowledge and understanding of the principles of the Act among key staff is also limiting effective implementation of SDS. The Committee says social workers face a number of constraints which prevent them from taking a relationship-based approach to their work in a way that would enable them to fully implement the principles of SDS.
Other issues highlighted by the Committee include inconsistent application of eligibility criteria by Health and Social Care Partnerships. The Committee concludes that, in many instances, the way current eligibility criteria are applied contradicts the aims and principles of SDS.
While the Committee heard examples of good practice from certain local authority areas, which are offering those in receipt of care more choice using a range of different collaborative initiatives, they say there have been challenges in applying this good practice across the country.
The Committee also concludes that there is an urgent need to establish a process of national oversight and clear lines of accountability across all levels of decision-making to ensure a significantly improved approach to monitoring and evaluation of SDS.
On the report’s publication, Clare Haughey MSP, Convener of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, said:“While it’s clear from our evidence that stakeholders strongly support this legislation, its implementation has not been consistent across the country.
“During our scrutiny, the Committee has heard that there is a lack of national consistency in relation to information, advice and support to ensure fair and equitable access to social care through SDS.
“We also have concerns over recruitment and retention of the social care and social work workforce, the continued impact of Covid-19 and wider funding constraints across the social care system that are affecting proper implementation of the Act.
“Our conclusion is that the current underlying system of social care delivery based on individual assessment, eligibility and transactional care contracts is incompatible with the principles of SDS.
“The Social Care (Self-directed Support) Act was introduced ten years ago with the intention of empowering individuals to have greater choice and control over the care they receive. However, in too many cases, the principles of SDS are not being observed, meaning individuals are not receiving the care they want or deserve.
“We are calling on the Scottish Government, Local Authorities and Health and Social Care Partnerships to ensure proper implementation of the legislation through greater national consistency, by improving local authority practice and processes, addressing issues around commissioning and tendering, and significantly improving processes for ongoing monitoring and evaluation of the policy.
“We would like to thank all of those who contributed to our post-legislative scrutiny of SDS.”
John Swinney presented his first programme for government to parliament on Wednesday. John Swinney came to power as First Minister in May, but due to the UK General election, this was his first opportunity to set out his government’s programme (write MAIRI SPOWAGE and EMMA CONGREVE).
The Programme for Government has four key themes: eradicating child poverty, economic prosperity, improving public services and protecting the planet. So far, so familiar – and not a huge departure in the substance from the three priorities presented in the 2023-24 Programme for Government by his predecessor.
The speech, of course, focused on the upside and how each strand of what was set out will be mutually reinforcing. One thing we often comment on when looking at these high-level speeches is that some of these things might occasionally conflict with each other. So, what is good for business might not be good for tackling child poverty, and vice versa.
However, the FM made clear that child poverty is ‘first and foremost in these priorities’. This sounds like a clear signal that where there are trade-offs, child poverty concerns will win over. Some may disagree with putting that first above all else, but for those of us trying to understand why certain decisions are being made, it’s not unhelpful for the government to be setting out a clear steer.
We’ll be looking at what that means in practice when it comes to Budget allocations; to implement much of what he talked about – for example, a roll-out of the type of whole family support that has been piloted so far – will require new money.
Also, following on from the Finance Secretary’s grim statement on Tuesday, no amount of prioritisation can totally overcome fiscal constraints.
Despite the fact that more targeted (rather than universal) measures are probably sensible for targeting child poverty, the non-delivery of the pledge to roll-out free school meals to all children in primary 6 and 7 is likely to sit uneasily with the FM. More tough decisions in this mould are likely to need to be made.
Elsewhere in the Programme for Government, there are some interesting specifics in relation to the economy, particularly on planning. The government has committed the establishing Scotland’s first “Planning Hub”, the establishment of Masterplan consent areas, and a planning apprenticeship programme. Whilst this sounds like pretty dry stuff, one of the most common frustrations raised by businesses is about the planning system, so this is likely to be welcomed.
Other things were notable by their absence. The Human Rights Bill and the Learning Disability, Autism and Neorodivergence Bill were not on the list of Bills for this 2024-25 session.
Given the 2025-26 session will be cut short by an election, they aren’t likely to be passed this parliament. This has come as a shock to many given previous assurances and the substantial resources that civil servants and stakeholders alike have put into the pre-legislative process to get these ready.
We’re yet to hear a convincing explanation for why they’ve been delayed.
The fiscal statement casts a long shadow
The statement on Wednesday was hugely overshadowed by the fiscal statement on Tuesday. Overall, as well as setting out fiscal “black holes” it felt like Tuesday’s statement sucked up most of the political energy around in the week, leaving Wednesday to feel like a bit of a low energy anti-climax.
We are still not sure after the statement exactly what the Finance Secretary sees as the gap in the budget. Given she has set out £500m of “direct savings” plus the use of £460m of use of Scotwind money, we assume it is roughly £1 billion. £800m of this has been tied to “pay pressure”, and the rest (we assume £100-200m?) has been described as “in demand-led activities like legal aid, police and fire pensions and the costs of accommodation for Ukrainian displaced people” plus COVID-related health measures.
After a bit more detective work, we’ve documented the “£500m of direct savings” in the table below, along with where we still have questions:
Published description
What we’ve worked out
Savings
£65m
Pre-announced decisions: peak fare train fairs to return, no free bus travel for asylum seekers plus agreement with local government to draw on existing programmes to fund pay deals
According to Transport Scotland, the cost of the full year subsidy for the peak fares pilot was approximately £40m[i]. In theory then, not having it running for the last 6 months saves £20m, although it is unclear to us if this was budgeted for to begin with given the pilot was only expected to last for 6 months of the year.The BBC reports £2m had been set aside for free bus travel for asylum seekers[ii]BBC reports that Councils have been asked to redirect £5m of this year’s nature restoration fund to help fund pay deals[iii]. In addition, £10m has been redirected from the Connecting Scotland’s digital devices programme (free iPADs and laptops for people who were digitally excluded), £2m from the fund to expand free school meals to p6 and 7 pupils who receive the Scottish Child Payment (although they say it will still be delivered) and £26m from the Flood Risk Management Programme, on the basis that “councils do not need it in this year”.ivThese total £65m.
£188.4
New additional measures announced on 3rd September
Full table of figures are laid out in the Annex of the letter to the Finance Committee.As there are no figures to help put these reductions into context (i.e. in relation to the size of the original budget allocations) it makes it hard to judge whether these are likely to have a large or small impact.
£60m
Savings anticipated through emergency spending controls, in addition to savings set out as part of the £188.4 million.
They are linked to recruitment freezes, and reductions in costs of travel and marketing, as per the letter to Cabinet reported in the mediav. We have no information on how the number has been calculated.
£160m
The cost of universality in the Winter Fuel Payment.
The money for an equivalent to the UKG universal WFP was added to the Block Grant adjustment for 2024-25. The recent UKG decision to remove universality means that this money will need to be returned to UKG through the fiscal framework reconciliation process.SG could spend this money in 2024/25, but would then need to find savings in subsequent years to cover the reconciliation.We understand a decision on whether it will be spent this year is yet to be made.
Total savings
£473.5m
Up to £500 million saving measures
We understand from officials that the “up to £500m” is a rounding up of the total.
The fact that we are having to piece this together, including from media reports, is obviously not ideal. We don’t think it would have been too much to ask to have all this detail laid out, along with the evidence of impact that was cited in the letter to the Fiance and Public Affairs Committee.
We hope more information is released into the public domain in the coming weeks alongside the Autumn Budget Revision so help clear things up, as far as possible…
A look ahead to the budget
We now know the Scottish Budget will be on the 4th of December. The other important day to understand what the budget may look like for the rest of this financial year and the next will be the UK Budget on 30th October.
We should at that point have much more clarity about the financial envelope which the Scottish Government is working with for 2025-26.
There are also likely to be significant changes to departmental allocations for the current financial year (2024-25). Rachel Reeves said in her fiscal statement as Chancellor in July that she expected some of these in-year issues to be soaked up by departmental budgets.
The extent to which this will actually be achieved will also impact the monies coming to the Scottish Government. Therefore we may be most of the way through 2024-25 before we actually understand how much of the Scotwind revenue is required to balance the budget in 2024-25. It may mean that this is not the last fiscal statement we have about the current financial year.
Given all these in-year movements we would like to call, yet again (like SPICe have done in their blog), for the Government to provide in the Budget next year’s plans alongside the current position for 2024-25.
The convention (for some reason) would be to present the budget plans for 2025-26 compared to the plans that were set out for 2024-25 in December 2023. The in-year movements we have seen over the last three years make a nonsense of this convention (which reduces transparency and hampers parliamentary scrutiny).
This may be a bit of a niche point but it would make analysis of these statements much easier. Here’s hoping that this is finally the year this change is made.
Labour MP for Edinburgh South West, Dr Scott Arthur, has a golden opportunity to introduce a crucial new law to tackle the climate and ecological emergency – the Climate and Nature Bill – following his success in the Private Members’ Bill ballot at Westminster.
Local residentNaomi Schoglerwelcomed Dr Scott Arthur MP’s success in the 2024 Private Members’ Bill ballot:“We’re delighted that Dr Scott Arthur, our local Labour MP – someone who’s spent their life working on climate and nature solutions – can now make his Climate and Nature Bill a reality.
“Given that Dr Arthur has spent his working life focussing on the use of nature-based solutions to mitigate climate-induced flooding—now that he’s won the ‘MP’s lottery’—we’re absolutely delighted that Scott will become the hero we need. The person who will ensure that the UK Government has a serious, science-led plan—to get to the root causes of the climate-nature crisis—via the CAN Bill.
“Scott’s leadership of the CAN Bill campaign fills me, and many, many other local voters, with hope. At last, we will have a law that means we end fossil fuel production and all the damage that comes with it. That we end the pollution of our waterways, rivers and seas. That we restore our damaged countryside and protect our wildlife. That we bring about a truly just transition to a fairer, greener, future.
“It’s not often that a backbench MP like Scott gets to change the law of the country. Now, Dr Scott Arthur can do just that: he can change history. Thank goodness Scott topped the Private Members’ Bill ballot.”
Thursday’s ballot, which 458 MPs entered, saw 20 MPs’ names drawn, enabling them to introduce their own bills in the House of Commons.
Private members’ bills are public bills brought forward by MPs who are not Government Ministers. A ballot takes place at the start of every parliamentary session to determine who will be able to do so.
20 MPs’ names were chosen at random from the ballot, with Edinburgh South West’s Labour MP—Dr Scott Arthur—drawn in the sixth position.
This means the bill Dr Arthur introduces has one of the strongest chances of making progress in Parliament. Thirteen Fridays in each parliamentary session allocated to debating these bills, and Scott Arthur’s bill—as his name was drawn in the top seven of the ballot—is guaranteed a full day’s debate.
The Climate and Nature Bill, if passed, would require the Government to deliver a joined-up strategy to tackle the intertwined climate and ecological emergency.
This means integrating existing, siloed climate and biodiversity plans—and aligning the Government’s targets with the UK’s international commitments to (1) limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, and (2) halt and reverse nature loss by 2030. Neither of these essential targets are currently locked in UK law.
Keir Starmer is the first British Prime Minister to visit Ireland in 5 years
Prime Minister to continue the charge to boost the UK’s economic growth, his key mission for government, by resetting our relationship with another key international partner
Visit marks a new era of co-operation and friendship between Britain and Ireland
Prime Minister Keir Starmer will travel to Dublin today to meet the Taoiseach, Simon Harris, in his first official visit to Ireland.
Continuing his ‘drive to reset the UK’s relationships with its key international partners and deliver for hard-working British people’, he will welcome a new era in the British-Irish relationship and highlight the opportunity it presents to drive forward economic growth.
Ireland is one of the UK’s top trading partners and the trading relationship is worth 100 billion euros a year – supporting thousands of jobs for British and Irish people.
Boosting growth is the Prime Minister’s key mission of government, and the visit is another example of his personal commitment to drive up the UK’s standing in the world in order to attract investment to the UK and create more jobs for British people.
The Prime Minister and the Taoiseach will also meet Irish business leaders from companies including Accenture, Keelings and Primark today, to encourage enhanced bilateral trade and investment in pursuit of growth.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “The UK and Ireland share the strongest of ties – through our close geography, shared culture and the friendships of our people.
“Our relationship has never reached its full potential, but I want to change that. We have a clear opportunity to go further and faster to make sure our partnership is fully delivering on behalf of the British and Irish people – driving growth and prosperity in both our countries.
“The Taoiseach and I are in lockstep about our future, and we look forward to deepening our collaboration further.”
The Taoiseach was the first international leader hosted by the Prime Minister in the UK following the July election – demonstrating the Prime Minister’s personal commitment to a strong UK-Ireland relationship.
Today’s visit comes after the Prime Minister’s visit to Berlin and Paris last week to continue the UK’s reset with its key European partners.
The leaders will attend the Republic of Ireland vs England Nations’ League football match on Saturday evening.
Hilary O’Meara, Country Managing Director of Accenture in Ireland said: “Accenture is delighted to be invited, alongside other business leaders in Ireland, to join UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Taoiseach, Simon Harris to discuss mutual business opportunity across our two countries.
“It is encouraging to see the Prime Minister travel to Ireland so early in his premiership to join us for what promises to a great sporting occasion.”
‘We’re not a nice-to-have sector. We’re an essential sector‘
It all feels a bit grim (writes SCVO Chief Exec ANNA FOWLIE).
A few weeks ago, the Chancellor revealed a “black hole” in public finances across the UK and announced the end to the universal winter fuel allowance. This week the Cabinet Secretary for Finance announced significant cuts to programmes this year to enable the Scottish Government to fund public sector pay deals.
On Wednesday, John Swinney took to the lectern in the Scottish Parliament to present his first Programme for Government, having watched them being delivered from different seats across the Scottish Parliament in the previous 24 years.
I’m sure that was a novel experience for him, but I’m left with a sense of déjà vu.
There is no doubt that parts of our public sector need reform. It’s been more than 13 years since the Christie Commission said that reform must empower individuals, integrate service provision, prioritise expenditure on prevention and increase shared services. But have we seen significant shifts, or have the deckchairs just been rearranged and repainted while pointing towards little ‘pilots’ as evidence of progress?
The voluntary sector is often closest to the most vulnerable people in our society and best placed to support them, including helping them to navigate the baffling complexity of some public services.
Hundreds of organisations are rooted in communities, supporting families to help address the First Minister’s top priority of tackling child poverty. Indeed, the sector will be key to achieving all four of the First Minister’s priorities.
However, with resources increasingly being pulled into the public sector, much of the voluntary sector is resigned to getting scraps from the table.
With years of static funding, an inability to keep pace with public sector pay and constant inability to plan because of a lack of Fair Funding, it does feel like we’ve reached a crisis point.
There is no doubt Government sometimes needs to make difficult choices, but they’re avoiding the hard ones. If we are to turn the rhetoric on addressing poverty and public service reform into reality, we can’t expect current systems and structures to deliver the radical change we need, and we can’t imagine that the public sector can do it all alone.
Public sector staff deserve to be paid fairly, but the voluntary sector deserves to be treated fairly. We deserve more than warm words.
We need to channel the limited resources we have to the experts. People are the experts in their own lives – and most know what they need.
Those at the front-line know how best to support them, but we need to challenge the practice that the public sector is prioritised without truly thinking about how ‘public services’ are best delivered, and by whom.
We’re not a nice-to-have sector. We’re an essential sector.
Independent Advisers will be able to launch investigations into alleged breaches of the Ministerial Code under new powers being given to them by the First Minister.
Currently, investigations can only begin following a referral from the First Minister. Now, the Scottish Ministerial Code will be strengthened to enable independent advisers to investigate potential breaches whenever they feel it is warranted.
In a further reform, where a breach is established, advisers will be able to provide advice to the First Minister on appropriate sanctions.
The independent advisers will also be given a role in scrutinizing Ministers’ declarations of interests so they can offer advice on avoiding actual or perceived conflicts of interest.
First Minister John Swinney said: “The people of Scotland rightly expect Ministers, including myself, to be held to the highest standards.
“The 2023 Ministerial Code already set an extremely high bar in terms of standards in public life and these updates to the Scottish Ministerial Code, which are, collectively, the most significant since independent advisers were introduced in 2008, will further increase transparency and scrutiny.
“These changes, and others which will be confirmed when the new Code is published, will ensure we keep the public trust and continue to deliver for the people of Scotland.”
