“Jeane Freeman should acknowledge the link between our GP crisis and the increased pressure on A&E services.” – Miles Briggs MSP
Following the recent announcement that A&E waiting targets have not been met for a year, there has been growing pressure on SNP Ministers to take action. Continue reading NHS Lothian has longest A&E waiting times
Continue reading Scottish Government to extend Consessionary Travel Scheme
New figures show that 296,520 low income households have been helped to pay for essential items such as food and heating through emergency grant funding since 2013. Continue reading Nearly 300,000 Scottish households helped by emergency funding
Mums in Scotland are to be given more support to help them continue breastfeeding for longer through a £2 million investment. Continue reading £2 million boost to encourage breastfeeding for longer
Projects around the country supporting local action to address poverty and social exclusion are to share £4 million of funding. Among them are North-Edinburgh based North Edinburgh Arts, Muirhouse Youth Development Group (MYDG) and Leith’s Saheliya. Continue reading £4 million Social Economy Growth funding for community projects
Working together, Community Development Alliance Scotland, The Scottish Community Development Centre and the Poverty Alliance invite you to discuss the next phase of the Local Governance Review and share your ideas about how local democracy could change.
Join us for the morning, chat to us over lunch and learn how you can help others have their voice and make a difference.
The Scottish Government has launched the next phase of its Local Governance Review, inviting people to join a conversation called ‘Democracy Matters’.
The campaign asks five key questions about how decisions should be made at a more local level. It asks whether communities, of place or identity, should have more control of decisions and what those might be. It also asks how this should look and what new or existing decision-making processes could be used.
The Local Governance Review was launched earlier in the year aims to find out what changes are needed to encourage a more local, participatory and inclusive democracy in Scotland.
A short animation summaries the review and the five questions being asked:
“In modern Scotland power must work in a way that involves and benefits everyone. To get this right, we will review how responsibilities and resources can be shared across national and local government in a way that delivers the greatest benefit to Scotland’s different places. However, the starting point must be with our citizens and the power and potential within our communities themselves.”
The review encourages people to hold conversations in their communities to discuss Democracy Matters and includes a community engagement fund where groups can apply for £100 – £300 to help make conversations happen. They have also published guidance about how the discussion might work and how it could be facilitated.
The review of local governance was set out in the Scottish Government’s 2017-18 programme for government and will be part of the forthcoming Local Democracy Bill
You can download the report and view more information on the Scottish Government website here.
Register for the event here >>
“Tourism is the heartbeat of the Scottish economy”
Visits and spending by overseas tourists in Scotland rose to its highest level on record in 2017. The ONS Travel Trends 2017 statistics showed the number of overseas tourists visiting Scotland rose by 16.9% to 3.2 million, while expenditure increased by 23% to £2.3 billion.
The record figures were driven by European visitors who made 1.9 million visits to Scotland, a 17% increase from 2016, with spending rising by 36% to £1.1 billion. Across the UK as a whole the number of European visitors increased by 1% and spending fell by 1%.
A range of factors made Scotland an attractive place to visit in 2017 including events associated with the Year of History, Heritage and Archaeology, the Outlander effect and VisitScotland digital activity.
Tourism Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: “These figures show 2017 was a record year for overseas tourists visiting and spending money in Scotland, which is great news for the industry and our economy.
“Tourism is one of our most important industries, employing 207,000 people, creating jobs, supporting the local economy and building on our strong international reputation.
“As we get closer to the UK’s departure from the EU, we will continue to do all we can to ensure people from across the EU and elsewhere are welcome to work in our tourism sector and visit our beautiful, vibrant country.”
Malcolm Roughead, VisitScotland Chief Executive, said: “Today’s figures herald a remarkable period for Scottish tourism, with overseas visits in 2017 reaching a record high.
“These outstanding results show that Scotland can compete on a global stage. Using our unrivalled beauty, rich history, pioneering partnerships and innovative thinking we are communicating with visitors from every corner of the world.
“Groundbreaking apps, creative digital campaigns and inspirational content means we can reach visitors and potential visitors at every step of their journey, informing the visitors of today and inspiring the visitors of tomorrow.
“Tourism is the heartbeat of the Scottish economy, causing a ripple effect which touches every industry and community, creating employment and economic growth. Buoyed by the success of today’s figures we look forward to continue working with our partnerships across every aspect of the tourism industry to make sure Scotland is at the top of everyone’s list to live and work, invest, study and visit.”
The figures are available to view and are the highest for overseas tourists since the survey began in 1961/62.
Fewer people sought hospital treatment for the toxic effects of so-called legal highs following temporary restrictions, a study based at an Edinburgh hospital suggests. The research has been welcomed by Scottish Conservatives health spokesman Miles Briggs MSP, who said figures are ‘very encouraging’. Continue reading Curbs on legal highs cut need for hospital care, study suggests
People being impacted by three separate conflicts are to be assisted by emergency aid from the Scottish Government. A total of £300,000 from the Humanitarian Emergency Fund (HEF) has been made available to help alleviate suffering in Syria, Yemen and South Sudan / northern Uganda, with up to £100,000 allocated to each of the three crises. Continue reading From Scotland with love: support for aid projects in war-torn countries
A report published today by the British Lung Foundation highlights a sharp decline in stop smoking aids being prescribed by GPs and pharmacists across Scotland, just weeks after the Scottish Government announced new plans to create a “smoke-free” generation in Scotland by 2034. Continue reading New analysis reveals cuts in smoking cessation aids in NHS Scotland
