City Council responds to Government consultation
The City of Edinburgh Council has published its response to the Scottish Government consultation on the regulation of short-term lets in Scotland. The consultation closes on MONDAY.
Continue reading Time’s running out to have your say on short-term lets
An additional £9 million of funding will be provided to local authorities to prevent homelessness and help people into more permanent accommodation. The investment will increase the local authority funding being provided for Rapid Rehousing from £15 million to £24 million over three years.
This will help transform services so people facing homelessness can either immediately, or as quickly as possible, be placed into permanent, stable accommodation with the support they need.
The money is part of the Scottish Government’s £50 million Ending Homelessness Together fund.
Announcing the funding following a visit to an Aberdeenshire shared accommodation service, Housing Minister Kevin Stewart said: “Temporary accommodation provides an important safety net in a crisis, but we know it is not the solution.
“The evidence shows what most people need is a settled place to stay where they can rebuild their lives. Where additional support is required, it will be most effective when people are living in a stable home, in mainstream housing.
“This additional funding will help reduce time spent in temporary accommodation and get people experiencing homelessness into appropriate and sustainable housing as quickly as possible.”
Chair of Aberdeenshire Council’s Communities Committee, Cllr Anne Stirling said: “We are pleased to see some additional funding coming forward to help us tackle homelessness.
“We are committed to ensuring the right mix of housing options across Aberdeenshire and to reducing poverty and inequality across our communities. Our shared accommodation model helps us to ensure there are temporary affordable housing options for those who need it most.”
COSLA Vice President Graham Houston said: “Tackling Homelessness is a key issue for Councils across Scotland.
“We welcome the extra resource to help local authorities begin to move towards Rapid Rehousing. We will continue to work in partnership with Scottish Government to ensure Councils have the resources needed.”
A programme of improvement measures has been put in place to ensure patient safety at the new Royal Hospital for Children and Young People (RHCYP) – but Conservative politicians are calling for a parliamentary inquiry to get to the bottom of what has gone wrong with the beleaguered project.
There is speculation that new checks could now delay the opening of the new hospital until March or April next year. Continue reading Tories call for inquiry over New Sick Kids ‘scandal’
Applying a charge of at least 20p to 25p on every disposable cup is one of the recommendations put forward by an expert panel to encourage more use of reusable alternatives. Continue reading Proposal to tackle the throwaway culture
Views are being sought on new national priorities for policing in Scotland.
The priorities set the long-term overarching framework for Police Scotland and the Scottish Police Authority. They are being updated to reflect significant developments and progress in operational delivery, emerging threats and the changing needs of communities. The priorities also focus on anticipated future demands of the service. Continue reading Have your say on future police direction
New figures showing there were almost 1200 drug-related deaths in Scotland last year have been described as shocking by Public Health Minister Joe FitzPatrick.
The National Records of Scotland statistics reveal there were 1,187 drug-related deaths registered in Scotland in 2018, the largest number ever recorded. Continue reading “Shocking”: Statistics show highest ever level of Scottish drug deaths
People facing homelessness will have better access to support with new legislation coming into effect later this year. Continue reading Homelessness consultation backs stronger protection
Scotland’s Deposit Return scheme will give industry, business and individuals the opportunity to drive sustainable economic growth while reducing their impact on the environment. according to a new report.
The wide-ranging social and economic benefits of the proposed scheme were published yesterday. Continue reading Deposit Return Scheme will drive a circular economy
Children and young people across Scotland will benefit from funding of £1.7 million to support health boards deliver new standards for weight management services. Continue reading More funding for diet and healthy weight services
The Scottish Government has proposed a Citizens’ Assembly of Scotland, but what IS a citizens’ assembly?
The University of Edinburgh and Electoral Reform Society Scotland have organised a panel discussion on Monday (July 8th) from 6pm – 8pm with speakers including:
The event has been incredibly popular, and is oversubscribed so we will be live streaming it at https://livestream.com/DemocracyTV/ers-citizens-assembly
We are collecting suggestions for questions for the panel. You can submit your questions here https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/M9WZCLN
Bookmark the link now and add the event to your calendar – don’t forget to tweet along with the stream with the hashtag #ShapingScotland
Phil Connor,
Campaigns Officer,
ERS Scotland
