Grant opportunity for upto £5000 for Edinburgh based SE/charities
Applications close Friday 2nd May at 5pm and notifications of grant awards will go out on Monday 7th July 2025.
More Info : https://onecitytrust.com/grant-funding-programme/…
Celebrities including Rosie Jones, Sir Stephen Fry and Stanley Tucci have united to express their outrage at the social security cuts announced on Wednesday, saying that they risk pushing even more disabled people to food banks.
The UK government, who were elected on manifesto pledges to end the need for emergency food parcels and to make sure Universal Credit tackles poverty, has published proposals that will make it harder for disabled people to get the payments that help them cover additional costs that they face such as purchasing specialist equipment or travel to healthcare services.
Comedian Rosie Jones, who has cerebral palsy, spoke out about the potential impact of these cuts, saying: “Disabled people are scared of what the future holds if there’s cuts to disability payments, as they are already not enough to cover life’s essentials. Disabled people are far more likely to need to use a food bank and further cuts will only deepen the hardship they are facing.”
Polling done this week by Trussell, an anti-poverty charity which supports a community of 1,400 food banks, indicated that 60% of Brits think the UK government is ‘doing badly’ on reducing the number of people experiencing poverty across the UK.
Actor Brian Cox, who experienced poverty as a child, urged the Government to rethink the plans when he said: “The fact that so many people are having to turn to food banks is a stain on this country.
“This government vowed to tackle the need for emergency food parcels in the UK, yet this decision risks even more people having to seek support. It makes no sense and will have a lasting impact on the lives of so many people already finding it difficult to afford life’s essentials.”
Trussell has already expressed concern that the cuts will have a significant impact on people who are already facing hunger and hardship with 75% of people referred to one of their food banks living in a household where someone is disabled.
Recent research by Trussell indicated that three quarters (77%) of people getting Universal Credit and health or disability payments are already having to go without essentials. Four in 10 (43%) are already missing meals to try and keep up with other essential costs. A fifth (19%) have had to turn to a food bank in just the last month.
Calling for a reversal of the proposals, Sir Stephen Fry said: “Cuts should be for people who can best afford them, not for disabled people, who are amongst the most vulnerable and overlooked of all our population.
“The social security system should be rooted in justice and compassion, fairness and need. It’s not too late to rethink this.”
The celebrities are not alone in thinking that government support should be enough to ensure that no one needs a food bank to survive. Trussell’s data shows that 83% of Brits think the Government is responsible for ensuring disabled people’s essential needs are met.
Two of Trussell’s Ambassadors reflected this, adding their voices to the call for change by saying:
Actor Stanley Tucci has encouraged people to speak out about the risk of the cuts, saying: “It breaks my heart to know so many people in a country as wealthy and developed as UK are experiencing hunger.
“Through my work with Trussell, I know that the reality of these cuts will be parents in disabled families having to skip meals so that they can feed their children. Things don’t have to be this way. We must shout as loud as we can to let the UK government know this plan is wrong.”
If you want to share your thoughts on the proposed cuts, you can email your MP via the Trussell website at https://action.trussell.org.uk/disability-cuts.
We’re delighted to open Ticket Pre-Sale for Ordinary Members for Heroin screenings in April – make sure to secure your free tickets before 17 March
Join us for the first screening in over 40 years of Heroin, a ground-breaking three-part documentary filmed by Peter Carr in North Edinburgh in 1983. Originally broadcast on UK prime-time TV, these films provide an unflinching look at the realities of poverty, crime, and drug use, told by the community itself.
Each screening will be followed by a discussion with key voices, including Irvine Welsh, Dr. Roy Robertson, and Peter Carr himself.
Wed 23 April – Heroin 1 + Conversation with Irvine Welsh & Zoë Black
Thu 24 April – Heroin 2 + Conversation with Dr. Roy Robertson & Victoria Burn
Fri 25 April – Heroin 3 + Conversation with Peter Carr & Sarah Drummond
6.30pm – 8.30pm each night
Where: North Edinburgh Arts, MacMillan Hub, 12c MacMillan Square, EH4 4AB
TICKET PRE-SALE FOR ORDINARY MEMBERS
If you live in the local community (areas of Muirhouse, Pilton, Granton and Drylaw), consider becoming a NEA Ordinary Member before 17 March to access the pre-sale and secure your FREE place!
Membership fee is £3 for three years and offers a range of benefits
Join now: northedinburgharts.co.uk/get-involved/become-a-member
Find out more & book tickets at: https://northedinburgharts.co.uk/…/heroin-uncut-the…/ (General bookings open 18 March)
Trussell has published new research that demonstrates the inadequacy of social security for disabled people across the UK.
The research, conducted by YouGov on behalf of Trussell, reveals that almost one in five (19%) people receiving Universal Credit and disability benefits have used a food bank in the last month, while a shocking 77% have gone without essentials in the last six months.
Just over four in ten (43%) people claiming Universal Credit and disability benefits have skipped meals to keep up with other essential costs in the last three months, while more than a third (37%) said they had not been able to keep their home warm enough this winter.
Meanwhile, a quarter (25%) of people in receipt of Universal Credit and disability benefits have had to choose between paying for heating/food, or getting a bed/bedding in the last three months.
“I’m terrified the government will stop or cut disability benefits and if they do, I can’t bear to think of the outcome,” said one person in their survey response.
Another person said: “It’s just going to get worse, my health will get worse. I won’t be able to renew my car insurance in March, or get an MOT this year. I think I’ll soon fall behind with gas and electric bills. If the government switch to a voucher scheme for disability payments, I’ll probably starve!”
A quarter (25%) of people claiming Universal Credit and disability benefits have been unable to afford pain relief or other over the counter medication in the last three months. Four in ten (37%) participants were behind on bills, with 28% behind on gas or electricity in particular.
Just over half (52%) of people claiming Universal Credit were pessimistic about their own financial situation over the next year. Additionally, 58% said the UK government is doing badly at improving living standards for people in their situation.
Trussell is an anti-poverty charity and community of 1,400 food banks across the UK. Disabled people are overrepresented at food banks, as 75% of people referred to a food bank in the Trussell community said that they or a member of their household are disabled.
To fulfil its long-term ambitions, Trussell says the UK government must take serious action to reduce hunger and hardship by investing in social security. Focusing on short term cuts will just push more people deeper into poverty and to hunger and hardship, and this will harm us all.
Trussell has joined together with hundreds of communities, food banks and charities including the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, in calling on the UK government to create an Essentials Guarantee in Universal Credit, which means the basic rate at least cover’s life’s essentials and that support can never be pulled below that level.
The majority of participants in the new survey agree, with 83% saying they would support an Essentials Guarantee.
Sumi Rabindrakumar, head of policy and research at Trussell, said: “Trussell’s heartbreaking new findings show that Universal Credit and disability benefits are failing to cover the cost of living, with 77% of people receiving them having gone without the essentials in the last six months.
“Not only that, but one in five people have had to use a food bank. This should not be the case in one of the richest countries in the world.
“We agree with the UK government that disability benefits urgently need reform. But balancing the books cannot come at the expense of people already having to survive on incredibly low incomes, and people with physical and mental ill health conditions.
“Our data shows that disabled people are far more likely to need support from a food bank, which likely reflects that life costs more for disabled people, with additional costs like therapies, treatments, specialist kit to help with day-to-day activities and paid care to think about on top of food, bills and toiletries.
“Welfare and disability benefit cuts risk pushing even more people to the doors of food banks. Many disabled people are terrified of the prospect of cuts to disability benefits, which are already not enough to live on.
“If the UK government is committed to its promise to end the need for emergency food, it must address underlying barriers to work and flaws in our social security system. It must also commit to creating an Essentials Guarantee which would ensure everyone can at the very least afford the essentials we all need, such as food, bills and toiletries- not whip away lifelines from people who need them most.”
Changes in family spending – which Westminster’s Climate Change Committee (CCC) forecast will ultimately save the average household £1,080 a year in 2050 – will be the key to the next phase in Britain’s decarbonisation drive, but policy must ensure these gains are shared with poorer families, the Resolution Foundation said this week.
The CCC’s Seventh Carbon Budget shows that households cannot continue spending in the same way, with close to half of emissions reductions needed by 2040 made by changes to spending on surface transport (27 per cent), home upgrades (14 per cent), and flying (5 per cent).
The scenarios set out show that these changes should benefit families in the form of net savings in every year from 2026. The Foundation calculates that by 2050, the poorest fifth of households could see the share of their spending that goes on energy bills and driving cut by 6 percentage points.
But while the net zero transition will bring savings overall, there are also costs to switching to new technologies, particularly heat pumps, which the CCC estimate will still cost three times more a year than a gas boiler in 2050. And without government support, high upfront costs risk locking lower-income families out of the future savings that net zero will bring.
The Foundation notes that the poorest fifth of households currently have only 9 per cent of electric vehicles, while over the past decade heat pumps were more than twice as likely to be installed in the richest neighbourhoods than the poorest ones.
A successful net zero transition must ensure the costs and benefits are spread fairly. The CCC analysis suggests that a household without a car in the lowest-income quintile would save nothing, while a richer car owning household would see average benefits of £1,400 a year.
The Government should therefore look at ways of smoothing the transition by helping poorer families with the additional costs of heat pump installation and by designing fair alternatives to taxes like Fuel Duty.
Zachary Leather, Economist at the Resolution Foundation, said: “The CCC’s report highlights how the next phase of Britain’s decarbonisation drive will directly affect families’ day-to-day lives.
“While politicians fret and argue about the cost of net zero, today’s report shows that there are long-term benefits for consumers and the environment.
“But the high upfront costs of net zero technologies like EVs and heat pumps risk locking lower-income households out of the savings that they bring in the long run.
“A successful transition will require Government to get serious about supporting lower-income households in accessing heat pumps and EVs.”
As the UK faces a period of profound change, with conflicts overseas undermining security and prosperity at home, the Prime Minister has today (Tuesday 25 February) set out that his commitment to increase spending on defence to 2.5% of GDP from April 2027.
He has also set an ambition to spend 3% of GDP on defence in the next parliament, as economic and fiscal conditions allow, in order to keep the British people safe and secure for generations to come.
As set out in the Plan for Change, national security is the first duty of the government. In recent years, the world has been reshaped by global instability, including Russian aggression in Ukraine, increasing threats from malign actors, rapid technological change, and the accelerating impacts of climate change.
The Prime Minister yesterday set out how the UK will be stepping up to meet this generational challenge with a generational response.
The announcement comes the day after the third anniversary of Russia’s barbaric illegal war in Ukraine and shows that the UK will step up and meet this pivotal moment of global instability head-on, with a commitment that will see the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War.
The Prime Minister knows that the working people of Britain have paid the cost of malign actors abroad, whether through increased energy bills, or threats to British interests and values. He is committed to making the country safer, more secure, and increasingly resilient against these interconnected threats.
Today’s announcement demonstrates the UK’s global leadership in this space. In calls with foreign leaders over the weekend, the Prime Minister reiterated the UK’s commitment to securing a just and enduring peace in Ukraine and the need for Europe to step up for the good of collective European security.
The investment in defence will protect UK citizens from threats at home but will also create a secure and stable environment in which businesses can thrive, supporting the Government’s number one mission to deliver economic growth.
The increased spending will sustain our globally competitive industry, supporting highly skilled jobs and apprenticeships across the whole of the UK. In 2023-24, defence spending by the UK Government supported over 430,000 jobs across the UK, the equivalent to one in every 60.
68% of defence spending goes to businesses outside London and the South East, bolstering regional economies from Scotland to the North West.
Through the upcoming Defence Industrial Strategy, this substantial investment will drive R&D and innovation across the UK, including developing technologies such as AI, quantum and space capabilities.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “It is my first duty as Prime Minister to keep our country safe. In an ever more dangerous world, increasing the resilience of our country so we can protect the British people, resist future shocks and bolster British interests, is vital.
“In my Plan for Change, I pledged to improve the lives of people in every corner of the UK, by growing the economy. By spending more on defence, we will deliver the stability that underpins economic growth, and will unlock prosperity through new jobs, skills and opportunity across the country.
“As we enter this new era for national security, Britain will once again lead the way.”
In addition to our plan to reach 2.5%, the Prime Minister also announced that the definition of defence spending will be updated to recognise what our security and intelligence agencies do to boost our security, as well as our military. This change means that the UK will now spend 2.6% of GDP on defence in 2027.
This shift recognises that the activities of our intelligence increasingly overlap and complement that of our Armed Forces, emphasising the need for total deterrence against the modern hybrid threats we face, from cyber-attacks to sabotage.
The increase in defence spending will be funded by reducing Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) from 0.5% to 0.3% of GNI and reinvesting it into defence.
This difficult choice reflects the evolving nature of the threat and the strategic shift required to meet it whilst maintaining economic stability, a core foundation of the Plan for Change. Meeting the fiscal rules is non-negotiable, and the government will take the tough but necessary decisions to ensure they are met.
The UK remains fully committed to making the world a safer and more prosperous place. In the current geopolitical environment, the Prime Minister is clear that the best way to do that is by deterring and preventing conflict and targeting our aid more effectively.
For example, we have delivered an increase of £113m in humanitarian funding for people in Sudan and those who have fled to neighbouring countries, which will help to reduce migration flows to the UK and help address one of the major humanitarian crises of our era.
The government remains committed to reverting spending on overseas aid to 0.7% of Gross National Income, when the fiscal conditions allow.
This comes alongside an ongoing review into ODA spend which will ensure that every pound of development assistance is spent in the most impactful way.
This increase in defence investment will help us build a modern and resilient Armed Forces. It will accelerate the adoption of cutting-edge capabilities that are vital to retain a decisive edge as threats rapidly evolve. Targeted investment will reverse the hollowing out of recent decades and rebuild stockpiles, munitions, and enablers depleted after a period focused on international terrorism and global crises.
This modernisation will be supported through improved productivity, efficiency, and financial discipline across defence.
The Prime Minister has also committed to publishing a single new national security strategy, bringing together all reviews into one document and reflecting the decisions on resource set out today. This will be published following the Spring Statement next month and ahead of the NATO Summit in June.
The new commitment on spending comes ahead of Prime Minister’s visit to Washington DC this week, where he will tell President Trump that he wants to see the UK-USA bilateral relationship strengthened and deepened even further, to secure the prosperity and security of both nations for decades to come.
The government has already significantly increased investment in its national security capabilities, increasing spending on defence by nearly £3 billion in this year alone at the Budget. In addition to growing the defence budget, spending on the Single Intelligence Account was increased by around £340 million between 2023-24 and 2025-26, ensuring that our world-leading intelligence agencies maintain their cutting-edge capabilities.
Street Child strongly opposes the UK Government’s decision to fund increased defence spending at the expense of international aid, warning that the move will have devastating consequences for the world’s most vulnerable children.
“Street Child are horrified that we’re effectively making the world’s very poorest people foot the ENTIRE increase in UK defence spending,” said Tom Dannatt, CEO & Founder of Street Child.
True global security is built on education, self-sufficiency, opportunity, and stability—not through slashing life-changing development aid.
The UK has long played a leadership role in education and development, driving progress and fostering stability alongside global partners.
By stepping back now, rather than stepping up, the government is not only threatening hard-won gains but also retreating from its shared responsibility – weakening vital partnerships and diminishing the impact of past investments.
Right now, 251 million children worldwide are being denied their right to education, including 72 million out of school due to crises such as armed conflict and displacement.
Without urgent action, these children face futures marked by poverty, exploitation, and instability—fuelling the very crises the UK seeks to prevent.
“Investing in international education isn’t charity; it’s a strategic necessity,” continued Tom Dannatt. “A more educated world is a safer, more prosperous world for everyone — including the UK.”
We know that as governments around the world take a step back, the role of the private sector, philanthropists, and other donors becomes even more critical.
Their sustained investment is needed now more than ever to ensure children are safe, in school, and learning. The cost of inaction will be far greater—for the world’s most vulnerable and for global stability.
Cancer death rates are around 80% higher for people living in the most deprived areas of Scotland compared to the least deprived, a new report from Cancer Research UK reveals.
The report, titled Cancer in the UK 2025: Socioeconomic Deprivation, found that there are around 4,300 extra cancer deaths in Scotland each year linked to socioeconomic inequality. This equates to 12 additional deaths each day – around a quarter of all deaths from cancer.
Almost half of these additional deaths are caused by lung cancer, where the death rate for the most deprived areas is almost three and a half times that of the least deprived areas of Scotland.
More than a tenth of all cancer diagnoses in Scotland are linked to deprivation. Many of these cases are caused by preventable risk factors such as smoking.
Smoking is the biggest cause of cancer in Scotland, and rates in the most deprived parts of the country are more than four times those in the least deprived.
In publishing the report, Cancer Research UK is calling for urgent action to tackle these stark inequalities.
One vital opportunity to do so is the upcoming vote in Scotland for new legislation which will see an increase in the age of sale of tobacco.
If MSPs vote for the new Tobacco and Vapes Bill, it would become illegal to sell tobacco to anyone born after 1st January 2009.
This vote will pave the way for the Bill to become law in Scotland, as well as the rest of the UK.
Dr Sorcha Hume, Cancer Research UK’s public affairs manager in Scotland, said: “Where you live shouldn’t increase your risk of dying from this devastating disease. These figures are shocking and unacceptable and crucially many of these cancer deaths are avoidable.
“With almost half of the additional deaths being caused by lung cancer, it’s clear that action on smoking is needed urgently.
“Smoking remains the leading cause of lung cancer, a disease that is often diagnosed late when treatment options are more limited.
“One of the ways we can prevent lung cancer is to deter people from ever taking up smoking in the first place.
“If MSPs vote in support of the age of sale legislation in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, it could be one of the most impactful public health interventions in living memory, helping people to live longer, better lives, no matter where they live in Scotland.”
Introducing a lung cancer screening programme in Scotland would also help address these inequalities.
The UK National Screening Committee has recommended that all UK nations move towards implementing a national lung cancer screening programme to target those considered to be of high risk of developing lung cancer – people aged between 55 and 74 who either smoke or used to smoke.
A targeted lung screening programme is being introduced in England, but no such commitment has been made by the Scottish Government.
If lung screening were to be introduced, around 400 extra cases each year in Scotland could be diagnosed at an early stage (stages 1 and 2) rather than a late stage (stages 3 and 4).
Dr Hume added: “Lung screening matters because it means more people can be diagnosed at an earlier stage, when treatment is more likely to be successful.
“Research has consistently shown that lung screening is effective at reducing deaths from cancer so it’s essential a Scotland-wide programme is introduced here as soon as possible.”
Reacting to the 2023 Scottish House Condition Survey results, Debbie Horne, Scotland Policy and Public Affairs Manager at Independent Age said:
“The latest statistics released today show that 317,000 older households (37%) were in fuel poverty in Scotland in 2023, with 1 in 4 older households (25%) living in extreme fuel poverty. This is extremely concerning and shows a step change will be required to meet Scotland’s fuel poverty targets.
“As well as this, almost half (49%) of people in later life live in homes with an EPC rating of band D or below. Cold homes are hazardous to health, especially for older people. Every day, our helpline hears from people in later life who are wearing a coat indoors, washing less and skipping meals. In a socially just and wealthy nation no older person should be in fuel poverty.
“While it is welcome that the Scottish Government is working with energy companies to encourage them to put in place social tariffs for financially vulnerable customers, there is more that can be done.
“We’re calling on the Scottish Government to urgently create a strategy to tackle pensioner poverty. With 317,000 older households in fuel poverty, this can’t come soon enough. Today’s figures underscore the need for strategic action to lower bills by improving energy efficiency support and making sure the energy social security older people can access is sufficient.”
Fuel poverty targets were introduced in Scotland through the Fuel Poverty (Targets, Definition and Strategy) (Scotland) Act 2019.
Interim targets for 2030 state:
a) no more than 15% of households in Scotland are in fuel poverty,
(b)no more than 5% of households in Scotland are in extreme fuel poverty.
Scottish House Condition Survey: 2023 Key Findings – gov.scot
If you are anxious about debt or struggling to keep on top of bills, you are definitely not alone! Rising costs in energy, groceries and fuel has resulted in lots of people struggling to cope.
Granton Information Centre is here to help you with free, confidential, and impartial advice. If you would like to make an appointment with one of our advisers, please get in touch on 0131 551 2459 or 0131 552 0458 or email appointments@gic.org.uk
Thousands of families will be helped as part of the Scottish Government’s plans to remove the two child benefit cap, First Minister John Swinney has said as he repeated calls for the UK Government to end the policy immediately.
The First Minister made clear that if the UK Government was to scrap the policy, the investment the Scottish Government intends to allocate to its mitigation would be used on other measures to tackle eradicate child poverty.
At an event in Stirling hosted by The Robertson Trust, Mr Swinney addressed representatives from community and third sector organisations across Scotland and set out his vision for a country in which no child lives in poverty.
The First Minister said: “The eradication of child poverty is my government’s number one priority, and I want it also to become our nation’s number one goal.
“The cornerstone of our approach is investment in more dignified and generous social security support.
“It includes the resources we need to build the systems that will allow us to effectively remove the two child cap for families in Scotland.
“I can offer two guarantees today. Firstly, if we are able to safely get the systems up and running in this coming year, the first payments will be made in this coming year – helping to lift thousands more children out of poverty.
“And secondly, if the UK government does the right thing and abolishes the two-child cap across the UK, the resources we have committed to this policy will continue to be used on measures to eradicate child poverty in Scotland.”
CPAG, the Child Poverty Action Group, estimates that mitigating the two-child limit in Scotland could lift around 15,000 children out of poverty:
https://cpag.org.uk/sites/default/files/2024-12/Cost_of_a_Child_Scotland_2024.pdf
The Scottish Fiscal Commission has also published estimates of the number of children in Scotland impacted by the two-child limit this year, and who would benefit from mitigation were it to commence in 2026-27 (39,000 in 2025-26, rising to 42,000 in 2026-27.
Mitigating the two-child limit and the Scottish Budget | Scottish Fiscal Commission.
