42 organisations across Scotland will benefit from £4 million funding to deliver projects that will help children, young people and families in the care system.
Administered by the Corra Foundation, the second round of The Promise Partnership Fund will be split across third sector and public organisations that prioritise work to:
build supportive workforces that can provide the unique support for young people and families in the care system to thrive
create school structures that provide support, opportunities and a sense of belonging
enhance youth justice and rights to reduce and prevent the criminalisation of children and young people with care experience
The announcement marks the beginning of Care Experienced Week, when people come together to advocate for change and encourage the transformation required to Keep The Promise.
Minister for Keeping the Promise Natalie Don said: “The Promise Partnership Fund is crucial in supporting organisations to make the changes needed to enrich the lives of children and young people in or on the edges of care.
“Care Experienced Week starts today and is a key opportunity for Scotland to come together to celebrate and show our love for children and young people who have experienced care.
“I am determined we keep driving forward the transformational change that is required to Keep The Promise and make Scotland the best place in the world to grow up, where all children are loved, safe, respected and realise their full potential.”
In 2022 the Scottish Government appointed Corra to administer £12 million through the Promise Partnership Fund from December 2022 until March 2025.
The 42 successful organisations are:
Aberdeenshire Council Virtual Headteacher
Adoption UK
Angus Carers Association
Association for Fostering, Kinship and Adoption Scotland
Bright Light Relationship Counselling
Children 1st
Children and Families Service, Dundee City Council
Children and Young People’s Centre for Justice
Children in Scotland Ltd
Circle
City of Edinburgh Council – Childrens Partnership
City of Edinburgh Council – Parent Panel
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar
Community Law Advice Network
Cyrenians
Families Outside Limited
Fife Council
Fostering People Scotland
Highland Child Protection Committee
Home-Start UK
includem
Kirkcaldy YMCA
Moray Council
Napier University Development Trust (Hub for Success)
North Lanarkshire Council
Project Esperanza
Renfrewshire Council
Salvesen Mindroom Centre
Scotland Yard Adventure Centre (known as The Yard)
Scottish Attachment in Action
South Ayrshire Council
South Lanarkshire Council
Staf
Stirling Community Enterprise
Stirling Council
The Fostering Network
The Princes Trust
The Why Not? Trust
West Dunbartonshire Health and Social Care Partnership
Rainfall and river levels ease as Scotland continues to recover from Storm Babet
Alerts and Warnings as at 12:00 – check floodline.sepa.org.uk/floodupdates for latest situation
5 regional Flood Alerts
2 localised Flood Warnings
Rivers levels across the North and North East of Scotland remain high but will continue to improve across Sunday, with no rain forecast for the next two days.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) have begun to remove regional Flood Alerts and localised Flood Warnings – though these will remain in the areas most impacted by Storm Babet as work to assist communities continues. All Severe Flood Warnings were removed late Saturday afternoon.
People are urged to stay safe and stay out of flood waters, which remain in many areas across the region, to avoid putting more pressure on recovery efforts.
Vincent Fitzsimons, SEPA’s Flood Duty Manager, said: ““The last week has been very challenging for people in Scottish communities, who have experienced another severe weather event.
“While the weather is an improving picture today, and rivers will continue to fall throughout the day, it’s important to remember that there are still hazards caused by flood waters and it’s important not to put yourself at risk.
“SEPA are removing the majority of local Flood Warnings but regional Flood Alerts remain in force in areas like Tayside and Aberdeenshire. This reflects not only the dangers which still exist from standing flood water, and fast flowing river water, but also that there are important recovery activities underway.
“Continue to follow the advice of the emergency services. Remember that not only is flood water likely to be dirty, hazards can be hidden – so please don’t walk or drive into it. We also urge people to keep away from any riverbank and manmade waterside infrastructures which may have been affected by the severe impacts experienced.
“SEPA’s flooding staff monitor weather forecasts, river levels and flood forecasting models 24/7 throughout the year and will collate the data, feeding this back into our models so that we can continue to provide our partner agencies with the best information available to us.
“This week’s events have shown the importance of early forecasts and warnings for communities and early engagement with partners so they can target support on the ground to those communities that need it most.
“SEPA and the Met Office worked together to advise on the risk of flooding from several days in advance of this event. While early information won’t stop it flooding, it does mean you have time to take action to prepare, so if you haven’t already signed up to Floodline to receive free Flood Alerts and Warnings directly to your phone, do it now – don’t wait until the next flood event to take action.”
SEPA continues to work with the Met Office to monitor the situation 24/7. As well as live information at Flood Updates, people can check the three-day Scottish Flood Forecast to see what conditions are expected.
The Scottish Government’s Resilience Room (SGoRR) met last night to discuss the exceptional levels of rain in parts of Scotland this weekend. The meeting was chaired by the Justice Secretary Angela Constance.
Resilience Partners include: Regional Resilience Partnerships for the three regions of Scotland; the Met Office; Scottish Water; Scottish Gas Networks; SSEN; and Scottish Power Energy Networks.
The Met Office Red Warning that was in place in parts of Scotland has now been lifted. Amber and yellow warnings are still in force throughout the coming hours with some impacts possible.
Parts of Scotland are still in the midst of dealing with severe flooding impacts and some rivers remain at hazardous levels. There are still Flood Alerts and Warnings in force so people are asked to remain vigilant.
Justice Secretary Angela Constance said: “Storm Babet’s exceptional level of rain has severely impacted parts of Scotland. Tragically, the storm has led to lives being lost and I send my sincere condolences to the families affected.
“While the Red warning has now passed, rain does continue to fall and I urge people in areas with amber and yellow weather warnings to continue to follow advice from emergency services and local authorities.
“Our priority remains to keep the public safe and I want to thank all those who have worked tirelessly, in very challenging conditions, to respond to this exceptional weather event.
“The storm has caused significant damage and while flooding is still occurring, it is not expected to be as serious as over the last 24 hours. The impact, however, will be felt in communities for some time to come.
“While many local authorities are still responding to the immediate impacts of the storm, thoughts are now turning to recovery. Over the coming days and weeks, we will stay in close contact with local authorities to support the people and businesses affected.”
Assistant Chief Constable of Police Scotland Stuart Houston said: “We are seeing an improving weather picture, but conditions remain extremely challenging, particularly in the worst affected areas in Tayside.
“A number of roads remain closed due to flooding, while driving conditions on others are extremely hazardous due to surface water.
“I would urge drivers to follow travel advice, prepare for potential disruption and allow extra time for journeys. People should consider if travel in the worst affected areas is essential or if journeys can be delayed until conditions improve further.
“It is also vital that people stay away from flooded areas as these remain highly dangerous due to the extreme conditions of the last few days.”
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) issues regional flood alerts and local flood warnings for Scotland. View the latest updates on their website.
Significant storm impacts to continue this weekend
The Scottish Government’s Resilience Room (SGoRR) met last night as more exceptional levels of rain were expected to hit parts of the country this weekend, causing further disruption and challenging conditions.
The meeting was chaired by the First Minister after a further high level Red Warning was issued by the Met Office for parts of Angus and Aberdeenshire from 00:01 to 23:59 Saturday.
People are urged not to travel and to stay at home in the affected areas, unless advised to relocate to a rest centre, with ‘exceptional’ levels of rain likely to result in significant disruption and danger to life.
Amber warnings for rain will be in place for Easter Ross, Caithness and Sutherland on Saturday. In these Amber areas it is being advised people should avoid travel unless absolutely necessary.
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has reported that record water levels have now been recorded at a number of its gaugeing stations, and that five Severe Flood Warnings are currently in place, as well as 11 regional Flood Alerts, and 16 local Flood Warning.
First Minister Humza Yousaf said: “Storm Babet has now, tragically, claimed lives, and my deepest condolences go out to the families of those who have lost loved ones in tragic circumstances.
“I want to pay tribute to everyone across the multi-agency response to Storm Babet who continue to operate, often in incredibly difficult conditions to keep the people of Scotland safe.
“Unfortunately, it is clear we have not seen the last of this storm. Around half the average monthly rainfall for October is expected to fall through tonight and tomorrow in areas that have already been severely affected by exceptional levels of rainfall.
“It was always expected that the impacts of the storm would continue even once the most severe aspects of the storm itself had subsided, but a new Red Weather alert makes the ongoing severity of this situation clear. My very clear message to those covered by the Red Warning remains: please stay at home and do not travel, unless advised to relocate to a rest centre.
“A number of Amber and Yellow Weather Warnings meanwhile remain in place throughout many parts of the rest of the country. I urge everyone, however difficult this might feel over the weekend – particularly sports fans – to keep following the latest advice in order to keep you, and your families, safe.”
Assistant Chief Constable of Police Scotland Stuart Houston said: “We are dealing with exceptional weather conditions which have been extremely challenging for all involved.
“With the red warning being extended until midnight Saturday, this remains a dangerous situation which poses a threat to life.
“We are working hard with a range of multi-agency partners to support communities and those who need our help. Communities in Tayside are dealing with some of the most difficult conditions they have faced, with a number of road closures in place due to hazardous conditions and evacuations continuing of those affected by flooding.
“I would like to thank the public for their co-operation and for sticking to the travel advice in place to keep people safe and would again urge people to continue to follow the advice and listen to media broadcast, including radio, for updates. Follow your local authority for the latest updates in your area as well as police, the Met Office website and Traffic Scotland.
“Our advice is to avoid any form of travel in areas covered by the red weather warning – we are dealing with significant flooding issues, which pose a threat to life.”
Pascal Lardet, SEPA Flood Duty Manager, said: “These are very difficult days for communities in Scotland who are experiencing flooding, in some cases for the second time in a month. There is more rain to come, and SEPA staff are working around the clock to provide vital information to partners and the public.
“We started issuing Regional Flood Alerts on Tuesday to provide early awareness and help people prepare, and these are being updated as required. We continue to monitor river levels and issue localised Flood Warnings as required.
“However, it is important to stress that not all areas that could be affected have Flood Warning schemes, so please do take a Flood Alert in your area as advance notice that you could be affected.”
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) issues regional flood alerts and local flood warnings for Scotland. View the latest updates on their website.
Storm response plan agreed ahead of full impact of Storm Babet
Woman dies after being swept into river in Angus
The Scottish Government’s Resilience Room (SGoRR) met last night, as the highest level Red Weather Warning was expanded to further areas of Scotland.
With impacts from Storm Babet already being felt but expected to increase in severity in the coming day (Friday), resilience partners updated the actions already underway to protect public safety and mitigate the severe disruption that is anticipated.
The meeting was chaired by the Deputy First Minister with Cabinet attendance including the First Minister.
The Met Office Red Warning, which is valid between Thursday evening (1800) and Friday afternoon (1200), has been expanded to cover Angus, South Aberdeenshire, Perth and Kinross and Dundee.
People in these areas are urged not to travel and to stay at home, with ‘exceptional’ levels of rain likely to result in significant disruption and danger to life.
Amber warnings for rain and wind remain in place for many other parts of the country and people in these areas are advised to avoid travel unless absolutely necessary.
Localised power outages have been experienced in coastal areas of eastern Scotland and across the north of Scotland with ongoing impact expected in Aberdeenshire and Angus in line with the Amber Warning for wind. Most affected households have already been reconnected and operational resource levels remain good.
People are asked to plan ahead and expect significant disruption to transport. Road operating companies have been clearing roads. Rail and bus services have been suspended in affected areas. Passengers are asked to check with transport operators to get the latest information on services.
SEPA has issued local flood warnings and encouraged people to follow alerts.
In limited parts of Angus, evacuation plans are being drawn up to protect the public from extreme flood risks. In the exceptional circumstances in which these apply, members of the public will be contacted directly by resilience partners. A major incident has also been declared for Perth and Kinross, Dundee City and Angus local authority areas.
Tourism partners have also been alerted to ensure that visitors to Scotland are provided with travel and safety guidance.
Deputy First Minister Shona Robison said last night: “Storm Babet is still in its early stages and the worst impacts are yet to come. Protecting the public is our immediate priority and we are coordinating a national effort to ensure that people are safe.
“The Red Warning has been expanded to cover further parts of Scotland and we expect weather conditions to deteriorate seriously overnight. Our message is clear – if you live in the areas covered by the Red Warning, please stay at home and do not travel, unless advised to relocate to a rest centre.
“With weather warnings in place for much of the country, I would urge everyone to be vigilant and to exercise extreme caution. No matter where you live, please make sure you stay up to date with conditions affecting your area. If you need to travel in a yellow warning area then make sure you can travel safely and that roads and services are not impacted.
“We are working with partners across the country, including emergency services, the voluntary sector and energy companies, to make sure that we mitigate disruption as much as possible. However, we are clear that there will be considerable disruption and we expect to launch a major clean-up operation as we move into the weekend.”
Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Houston said: “Emergency services, local authorities and a range of resilience partnerships are working extremely hard to prepare and respond during what is an extremely challenging event.
“Police officers are helping local authorities evacuate a large number of properties in the Tayside area which is seeing some of the most significant impacts of the storm.
“I would urge people to continue to follow advice and listen to media broadcast, including radio, for updates.
“Follow your local authority for the latest updates in your area as well as police, the Met Office website and Traffic Scotland. I’d encourage everyone to share this information with people who don’t have access to the internet.
“Police travel advice is to avoid any form of travel in areas covered by the red weather warning.
“Driving conditions are extremely dangerous and floodwater could cause a danger to life. Plan ahead and don’t travel into areas affected by the Red weather warning.”
Pascal Lardet, SEPA Flood Duty Manager, said: “There is exceptional rainfall forecast for parts of Scotland over the next 24 hours, and this will lead to significant flooding from both surface water and rivers.
“Regional Flood Alerts were issued over the last two days to provide early awareness, and localised Flood Warnings started to be issued this morning. More will be issued across the day, so I do encourage people to check our Flood Updates for all the latest information. You can also follow @SEPAFlood on X.
“However, it is important to stress that not all areas that could be affected have Flood Warning schemes, so please do take a Flood Alert in your area as advance notice that you could be affected.
“Follow the advice of the emergency services and take action now to protect yourself and your property. Hazards can be hidden, so please don’t walk or drive into flood water.
“Remember that not only is flood water likely to be dirty, 30 cm of fast flowing water can move an average family sized car, and just 15 cm of fast flowing water could be enough to knock you off your feet.”
First Minister announces support for disabled children’s charity
A charity that provides support to disabled children and young people, and their families, is set to receive up to £2 million of future funding.
First Minister Humza Yousaf made the commitment during a visit to The Yard’s head office in Edinburgh where he met children and their families who benefit from the charity and saw the adventure play facilities offered by the centre.
Subject to the outcome of the Scottish Budget process, the Scottish Government will look to provide extra funding to The Yard over the next three financial years.
The First Minister said: “I am absolutely committed to improving outcomes for disabled children and their families across Scotland. Visiting The Yard has given me a chance to see their outstanding work first-hand, and hear more about the support being provided by the charity.
“I was extremely impressed with the flexible and creative ways in which The Yard are offering services and support to disabled young people and their families, many of whom I know are facing additional and significant challenges.
“I sincerely hope that this vital funding will enable The Yard to grow their services and offer support to more families of young disabled children across Scotland – and I look forward to continuing to engage with The Yard in all of their family support centres in Edinburgh, Fife and Dundee.”
Chief Executive of The Yard Celine Sinclair said: “We are absolutely thrilled that First Minister has committed to working with us to grow our services in Scotland.
“This announcement is transformational for disabled children and their families, and we look forward to working with our partners to ensure that our children get the support they need to get the best start in life and thrive.”
Inverleith councillor Vicky Nicholson has welcomed the announcement. She said: “I am hugely proud @theyardscotland is in Inverleith Ward.
“In my professional career, I knew The Yard well and visited recently with @DeidreBrock(above).
“Just thrilled this exceptional organisation’s future is secure thanks to @scotgov and at a time when families need support more than ever.”
Lothian Conservative MSP Miles Briggs has welcomed the announcement: “I am delighted that the Yard is set to receive £2 million of funding over the next three years, which will make a huge difference to the lives of disabled children, young people and their families across the East of Scotland.
“This funding will allow the specialist team at the Yard to reach even more children and young people, changing their lives for the better.
“The Campaign for Fairer Funding has been a successful in raising awareness of the exceptional work the Yard does and securing funding to expand their services.
“I am pleased that the cross party campaign has succeeded in getting the Scottish Government to deliver this funding for disabled Children and Young People in the East of Scotland.”
Priority actions to deepen and strengthen co-operation between the Scottish Government and business have been unveiled.
A new implementation plan details how recommendations from the New Deal for Business Group will be taken forward over the next 18 months to improve policy preparation and delivery and build a wellbeing economy.
Actions include a forum to oversee the impact of regulations on industry and a full review of how government policy is developed to ensure businesses are consulted at all stages – particularly when new regulation is a potential outcome. Work will also start immediately on helping more parents and carers to get back into work.
Other measures include:
keeping Non-Domestic Rates reforms under review to ensure they support businesses and communities
developing new ways to assess the impact of regulations on business
ensuring the right business voices are involved in policy development
seeking views on health and work, flexible working and just transition plans from across the business sector
outlining and measuring how business contributes to a wellbeing economy
assessing the type of support businesses are seeking to help government better understand their needs
Wellbeing Economy Secretary Neil Gray said: “The New Deal for Business presents a new and exciting long-term commitment to partnership, to create the conditions where business feels empowered to invest, to innovate and to provide good jobs.
“By ensuring an open and honest dialogue between business and government we can provide certainty and consistency for business across Scotland, from small high street firms to the largest multinational companies.
“I am grateful for the commitment shown by business to the New Deal and to group members for developing the recommendations which are now agreed actions. Only by working together can we turn the dial on business-government relations and deliver a wellbeing economy, creating the best possible place for business, people and planet.”
Dr Poonam Malik, Head of Investments at the University of Strathclyde, who co-chairs the group with Mr Gray, said: “Listening actively to business and working in meaningful partnership on common goals will reap rewards and grow our economy ambitiously for the benefit of all of Scotland.
“Having government and business in sync with each other, to deliver growth for our nation with a culture of collaboration – being open and inclusive, with innovative and creative thinking – will overcome the main challenges and break down barriers to high productivity, bringing investment and creating high-quality jobs.
“I thank Group members for all their hard work and commitment to get to this point, and for their continued support to keep up the momentum and remain motivated to see this Plan deliver with action.”
The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) have begun issuing localised Flood Warnings as Storm Babet approaches.
Rain is already moving across the country, with flooding impacts expected to start this afternoon and into the early evening. The heaviest and most prolonged rainfall is expected over Aberdeen City, Dundee & Angus, Tayside, Aberdeenshire and Caithness & Sutherland, where some exceptional levels are forecast over the next 24 hours.
Extensive river and surface water flooding is expected, with widespread impacts to transport and infrastructure. There is a risk of more significant community scale property flooding – and there will be danger to life.
Other parts of Scotland are also at risk of flooding as rivers respond and drainage systems become overwhelmed. The risk of river flooding is exacerbated by the fact that many catchments are already saturated following recent heavy rainfall events. There is also concern that surface water flooding may be made worse by debris blocking drainage and culverts as a result of the high winds.
An additional band of rain is forecast to impact the east of the country on Saturday, which will prolong the event and keep rivers high. It is important people keep up to date by following weather information from the Met Office and flooding advice from SEPA.
Expert staff in SEPA’s flooding team are working round the clock to check forecasts and models, update Flood Alerts, issue Food Warnings and ensure that partners and responder agencies have the latest information.
Pascal Lardet, SEPA Flood Duty Manager, said: “There is exceptional rainfall forecast for parts of Scotland over the next 24 hours, and this will lead to significant flooding from both surface water and rivers.
“Regional Flood Alerts were issued over the last two days to provide early awareness, and localised Flood Warnings started to be issued this morning. More will be issued across the day, so I do encourage people to check our Flood Updates for all the latest information. You can also follow @SEPAFlood on X. However, it is important to stress that not all areas that could be affected have Flood Warning schemes, so please do take a Flood Alert in your area as advance notice that you could be affected.
“Follow the advice of the emergency services and take action now to protect yourself and your property. Hazards can be hidden, so please don’t walk or drive into flood water. Remember that not only is flood water likely to be dirty, 30 cm of fast flowing water can move an average family sized car, and just 15 cm of fast flowing water could be enough to knock you off your feet.”
SEPA continue to work with the Met Office to monitor the situation 24/7. As well as live information at Flood Updates, people can check the three-day Scottish Flood Forecast to see what conditions are expected further ahead.
Deputy First Minister Shona Robison chaired a meeting of the Scottish Government’s Resilience Room (SGoRR) last night after the highest level Red Weather Warning was issued for the North East of Scotland.
Attended by resilience partners, Transport Scotland, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and emergency services, the meeting set out the significant action being taken to protect the public and mitigate the severe disruption expected over the next few days.
This includes multi-agency resilience arrangements being stood up across the country to co-ordinate the on-the-ground response and support anyone affected by flooding and severe weather.
The Red Warning has been issued by the Met Office for parts of Angus and South Aberdeenshire, valid between Thursday evening (6pm) and Friday afternoon (12pm).
People are urged to not to travel and to stay at home in the affected areas with ‘exceptional’ levels of rain likely to result in significant disruption and danger to life.
There is a further Amber Warning for rain covering parts of Stirling, Perthshire, Aviemore, Moray, Angus, Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City from Thursday morning (0600) until Friday evening (1800). In these Amber areas it is being advised people should avoid travel unless absolutely necessary.
In addition, an Amber Warning for wind was issued this morning for eastern Angus and eastern Aberdeenshire, valid between 1000 and 1800 on Thursday.
Ms Robison said: “Red Warnings are rarely issued by the Met Office and this reflects how serious the impacts will be from the exceptional weather we can expect – particularly in the North East of Scotland in the next two days.
“The strong message is that if you are in the parts of Angus and South Aberdeenshire affected – please stay at home and do not travel.
“Other parts of Scotland are also at risk of flooding as rivers respond and drainage systems become overwhelmed. The risk is exacerbated by the fact that many catchments are already saturated following last week’s heavy rainfall and flooding.
“No one should take the risks for granted and I would urge everyone in the country to prepare where necessary, heed the travel warnings issued by Police Scotland and take extreme care around fast-flowing water.
“Regional resilience partnerships have been activated and the Scottish Government is working very closely with them and with all partner agencies to ensure that all possible preparations are made and that everyone has full and immediate access to the most up-to-date information.
“I am grateful for the efforts of partners and volunteers in making preparations to help the public stay safe.
“Anyone seeking live updates should follow these partner organisations on social media, and can also consult the Ready Scotland website for general advice on how to prepare for, respond to, and recover from severe weather emergencies.”
Assistant Chief Constable Stuart Houston said: “Our advice is to avoid any form of travel in those areas covered by the red weather warning.
“Driving conditions are expected to be extremely dangerous with disruption and significant delays during this period.
“In those areas covered by amber warnings for rain and wind, we would urge drivers, particularly those of high-sided vehicles, to consider if their journeys are essential or if they could be delayed until conditions improve.
“Don’t ignore road closure signs – they are for your safety.”
Pascal Lardet, SEPA Flood Duty Manager, said: “Scotland has already experienced a significant flood event this month, which communities are still recovering from, and some of the rainfall totals forecast for this week are higher than experienced over that weekend – albeit in some different areas.
“We’re expecting extensive river and surface water flooding in affected areas, with widespread impacts to transport and infrastructure. There is a risk of more significant community scale property flooding – and there will be danger to life.
“Regional Flood Alerts have already been issued, and localised Flood Warnings will be issued over the next few days as rivers respond. However, it is important to note that not all areas that could be affected have Flood Warning schemes, so please do take a Flood Alert in your area as advance notice that you could be affected.
“Take action now to protect yourself and your property. Hazards can be hidden, so please don’t walk or drive into flood water. Remember that not only is flood water likely to be dirty, 30 cm of fast flowing water can move an average family sized car, and just 15 cm of fast flowing water could be enough to knock you off your feet.”
Dave Thompson, Director of Claims at Tesco Bank, comments: “Parts of the UK and Ireland will be bracing for flooding with Storm Babet expected to bring heavy rain.
“For those who live in areas with an immediate risk of flooding, it is essential households prepare as much as possible for downpours. For example, ensure electrics and electrical appliances are disconnected and gas and water supplies are switched off.
“If your property is flooded, do not switch any of your electrical supplies back on until the flooding is over and they have been checked by a professional.
“Floodwater can also ruin more important and valuable items in your home, so make sure documents such as passports or more cherished items are sealed in plastic wallets and moved upstairs or to a safe place in your property. Then you can think about moving furniture and soft furnishings to a safer place.
“Water can also carry your furniture about your home and cause even more damage, so for heavier items it’s worth thinking about weighing down or securing all the pieces that are too heavy for you to move.
“Having an emergency flood survival kit could also help keep you and your family safe and warm should a flood occur. In your kit, you may want to include first aid equipment, bottled water, food, a torch (in case you lose power), an emergency contacts sheet, prescribed medication, blankets, clothing, insurance documents and money. If you have infants or elderly people in your household, you should also pack any special items they may need.”
Education Secretary announces plans as part of wider reform
Plans for a new national centre to ensure excellence in teaching across Scotland have been announced by Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth.
The Centre of Teaching Excellence will support research and innovation in teaching practice for all children and young people, with the aim of making Scotland a world-leader in teaching practice.
The centre will be developed in partnership with teachers and professional associations as part of ongoing work to reform Scotland’s education system.
Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth said: “Excellent learning and teaching must be the foundation of all that we do in Scottish education.
“I want to ensure that all of our hard-working teachers are supported and empowered in our classrooms.
“That is why, as part of the education reform agenda, we will establish a new Centre of Teaching Excellence, making Scotland a world-leader in new approaches to learning and teaching.
“Co-designed with our teachers and professional associations, the Centre of Teaching Excellence will put Scotland at the forefront of innovative research in teaching practice.
“We will use the centre to work together with Local Authorities in our shared, national mission to close the attainment gap and deliver truly excellent learning and teaching to all of our children.”
Next steps for the creation of the Centre of Teaching Excellence will be announced in due course, after engagement with teachers and professional associations.
The documents, which include a Model Scheme for the Establishment of Community Councils and Good Practice Guidance for how Community Councils should operate, were launched last week. Local Authorities can use this set of documents as the basis for their local versions which set out how community councils will run in their area.
Community councillors and local authority Community Council Liaison Officers (CCLOs) were involved in reviewing the existing Model Scheme and guidance document at a series of meetings in 2021 and 2022. These documents needed to be updated to take into account technological changes in the way Community Councils are meeting, conducting their finances and engaging with their communities.
There is some useful good practice guidance included, containing the latest information on topics such as planning, community empowerment and GDPR.
We felt that it is important that the key documents are available in accessible formats and that these should be available at a national level, to ensure that everyone within our communities can access and use the documents. The Good Practice Guidance for Community Councils, the Code of Conduct and the Standing Orders are now available in a range of formats.
There’s a video with BSL and captions, large print versions of the documents, text only versions that are suitable for braille conversion, and Easy Read.
The Easy Read versions contain all of the information but break it down into small chunks, with explanations of some of the terms that are used.
This helps make the information more accessible for people with learning disabilities, people who have memory problems, people who speak English as their second language and anyone who finds reading difficult.
It can also be useful for people who are anxious or stressed and struggling to take in information because of that or those who have to take in information in a hurry.
All of the documents are also available in Gaelic, and other language translations can be requested.
STUC: ‘Today’s announcement will only make situation worse’
COSLA: ‘We were unaware of it in advance‘
Council tax rates will be frozen in the next financial year to support people struggling with the effects of high inflation, the First Minister has announced.
The freeze will benefit every Council Tax-payer in Scotland at a time when rising prices are putting significant strain on household finances. The Scottish Government will fully fund the freeze to ensure councils can maintain their services.
First Minister Humza Yousaf said: “Today’s announcement will bring much needed financial relief to those households who are struggling in the face of rising prices. Council tax is already lower in Scotland than elsewhere in the UK, and some 2.5 million households will now benefit from this freeze.
“Of course, the public sector across the UK is facing budget pressures as a result of UK Government austerity, and we know councils are facing financial challenges themselves. That’s why the Scottish Government will be fully funding this freeze to ensure they can continue providing the services on which we all rely. This is on top of the real-terms increase to local government revenue funding this financial year.
“The Scottish Government remains wholly committed to the Verity House Agreement, and as part of that are continuing work with COSLA on a new fiscal framework for local authorities.
“We are also working on longer term reforms to the council tax system, which are being considered by the working group on local government funding that we are chairing jointly with COSLA.”
A COSLA Spokesperson said: “We have just heard the announcement made at the SNP Conference in relation to freezing council tax. We were unaware of it in advance.
“This has longer term implications for all councils right across the country, at a time when we know there are acute financial pressures, and where we are jointly looking at all local revenue raising options.
“We will need to consider the implications for COSLA and Local Government with our members when we get more of the detail.
“This will also need to be examined against the principles of the recently signed Verity House Agreement.”
COSLA arranged an emergency meeting of their Executive, who issued the following statement:
There is absolutely no agreement to freeze Council Tax next year COSLA’s Presidential Team said today (Wednesday 18th October).
“The announcement of a council tax freeze as we said yesterday was made completely without reference to Local Government and there is no agreement to freeze council Tax next year, the decision to freeze council tax is one which can only be made by Councils.
“Our Cross-Party Group Leaders held an emergency meeting first thing this morning on the back of the announcement and there is real anger at the way this has been handled and what it puts at risk.
“On the back of this our Political Group Leaders also asked us to seek an urgent meeting with the First Minister.
“We deplore the way the announcement was made and its substance, both of which fly in the face of the Verity House Agreement which we all recently signed.
“It has been shown that previous council tax freezes have been regressive, having no impact for the poorest in society and eroding the council tax base, compounding councils’ ongoing underfunding.
“We will explore the implications arising and what the Scottish Government might propose when we meet with the Deputy First Minister later today – but we are clear that local taxation and particularly Council Tax should be left for democratically elected councils to determine.”
THE STUC responded swiftly to the First Minister’s announcement of a council tax freeze:
https://twitter.com/i/status/1714597373681279306
THE Scottish Greens, the SNP’s partners in government, have also expressed concerns. Scottish Greens finance spokesperson Ross Greer MSP said: “We are concerned about the effect this freeze could have on already-strained frontline public services if it is not properly funded.
“Our local councils and people who rely on services like social care, schools and early years centres must not lose out as a result of this announcement.
“Green MSPs will now work with our government colleagues in the SNP to work through the details, ensure that their decision is sustainably financed and that the most vulnerable people in our communities do not see the services they rely on being underfunded as a result.
“The First Minister is right to want to support those who are struggling the most through the cost of living crisis, but the way to do that is to completely replace the deeply unfair Council Tax with a more progressive system.
“As we have repeatedly highlighted, council tax is a ludicrously broken system. It hasn’t been accurate since before I was born, with most people now paying the wrong rate as a result of those 1991 valuations.
“The Scottish Greens have ensured that Scotland’s income tax system is the fairest in the UK, raising a billion pounds more every year for essential services like the NHS and our schools by asking those earning the most to pay a bit more.
“That is the progressive approach we will take once again as we work with SNP colleagues to agree the national budget for 2024-25.”
Jonathan Carr-West, Chief Executive, LGIU Scotland, said: “LGIU Scotland is deeply concerned by yesterday’s announcement from the First Minister to freeze council tax.
”The lack of consultation with local government demonstrates a failure of the principles of trust and respect that should be the foundation of the working relationship between the Scottish Government and local authorities and which are at the heart of the Verity House Agreement.
“Our research shows how important it is that local government is empowered to make decisions regarding its financing. International comparisons clearly show the detrimental impact that undermining the financial independence of local authorities has on the financial sustainability of the sector and the delivery of essential local services.
“Freezing council tax should be a decision for councils, not for central government. Even where those freezes are funded by grants, the loss of growth in the council tax base undermines the council’s finances for years to come. Many councils in England are still recovering from this nearly a decade on.
“Everyone aspires to a sustainable, stable future for local government finances but this can only be achieved by giving councils control, not by imposing decisions upon them.
“Scotland had seemed to be making good progress in this regard with the Verity House Agreement and commitments to empowering local government. So it’s disappointing to see this backward step.”
