Latest news with #ScottishBudget
Scotsman
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Creative Scotland review to be expanded
Creative Scotland is to face a review Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... An independent review of arts body Creative Scotland has been expanded by the Scottish Government. Leadership, performance and funding schemes will all form part of the remit of the independent review to be carried out in the wake of a controversy of the body's funding of a sexually explicit film project and a dispute with the Scottish Government over cuts and delays to its budget. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The full remit for the review has been agreed between culture secretary Angus Robertson and Angela Leitch, chair of the independent review of Creative Scotland and will also include the 'purpose and functions' of the organisation, as well as 'collaborations, relationships and partnerships'. The relationship between Creative Scotland and the Scottish Government was criticised by Holyrood's culture committee, which in October called for a "substantially improved relationship" between the two entities. Former council chief executive Ms Leitch recently replaced Dame Sue Bruce, who was given the job in January, but withdrew from the post at the start of last month. The original review pledged to 'examine Creative Scotland's remit and functions as a funding body, and how the overall impact of planned increases in levels of public funding can be maximised'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Culture secretary Angus Robertson. | Getty Images Culture secretary Angus Robertson said: 'With the 2025-26 Scottish Budget providing a record £34 million uplift for culture, including an additional £20 million for Creative Scotland's multi-year funding programme, this independent Review will examine Creative Scotland's operations and structure to maximise the impact of this increase, and ensure the evolving needs of Scotland's diverse cultural sector can be met. 'I'm grateful to everyone who took the time to share their experiences and perspective in our survey – your feedback, in addition to informing a wider programme of support for the culture sector, has also helped to shape the remit of the independent review alongside the review team's engagement to-date, and a wealth of historic evidence. 'The review team continue to collect evidence from culture and other organisations who interact with Creative Scotland, so I would strongly encourage anyone with an interest to take part in a roundtable near you this summer.' Ms Leitch said: 'I have already been struck by the wealth of evidence demonstrating the contribution the creative and culture sectors make to us as individuals, to our communities and to our economy. I look forward to engaging further and hearing from a wide range of stakeholders across the country to consider how Creative Scotland can support the sector's challenges and embrace opportunities.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Unveiling his first Programme for Government in September, First Minister John Swinney promised a review of Creative Scotland, which provides funding for artists and organisations across the cultural sector, would be carried out. He said the review was being carried out to 'ensure the appropriate approach is in place to meet the needs of the sector'. It comes in the wake of a controversy over Creative Scotland's decision to support the sexually explicit Rein project, although funding for this was later withdrawn. Creative Scotland in March last year pulled the plug on its support for the explicit sex film project after a row over a decision to provide almost £85,000 to the project's director, who wanted to film 'non-simulated' sex scenes. Meanwhile the Scottish Budget saw what Mr Robertson described as a 'record' increase of £34 million for culture funding, with this including an additional £20m for Creative Scotland, allowing it to provide multi-year funding for many artists and arts organisations across Scotland. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Creative Scotland said: "We welcome the publication of the remit of the review of Creative Scotland published today, the clarity that brings, and also the publication of the findings from the survey on broader support for culture in Scotland. We are actively engaging with the review and will continue to support it as it progresses.
The Herald Scotland
15-05-2025
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
The case for an accountable CalMac run by the people who depend on it
While I feel almost apologetic for contributing more column inches, there are two reasons for doing so. First, now that CalMac has been awarded a 10-year contract, there is a crucial crunch point which involves future governance. Unless radical change is achieved, believe me, the failings will recur. Alternatively, an exciting opportunity exists for fundamental, democratic change that would require a modicum of political courage and imagination – commodities for which the Scottish Government is not noted, so it needs to be encouraged. It is really simple. Instead of being on the receiving end of distant decision-making, the places that depend on CalMac should be central to their own destiny. On recent form, this would cost a great deal less. It would show respect for these communities and the knowledge they contain. It might even hint at a modicum of political remorse. Starting from scratch, nobody in their right mind would come up with what currently exists or any variation thereof. Nowhere else treats their islands with such distrust when it comes to the service on which every aspect of island life depends – communications with the mainland. The problem is that we are not starting from scratch. There is a deeply embedded prejudice that control must be maintained in Edinburgh. This currently manifests itself through the arrogance of Transport Scotland and quangos designed to exclude island empathy. It really is a form of internal Scottish colonialism. The second, related reason for continuing to focus on ferries is relevant to every corner of Scotland – the sheer cost of what exists. This week, a price tag of £35 million was placed against the latest delay to delivery of a second ferry being built at the Ferguson yard in Port Glasgow. Read more by Brian Wilson It's easy to bandy figures without translating them into alternative uses but even £35m could fund a lot of better ones, not just in the islands but in the NHS or in relieving poverty or in any other cause where SNP ministers are expert in pleading poverty beyond their control. In response to the latest tale of woe, the Deputy First Minister, Kate Forbes, wrote: 'The level of costs now forecast were not apparent at the time Parliament approved the Scottish Budget and exceed the total capital allocated to Ferguson Marine. We will need time to consider fully the knock-on budgetary consequences of the revised delivery plan'. Let's hope she shares these conclusions and we are told exactly which 'budgetary consequences' will ensue from yet another symptom of a saga which evolved entirely under the current governance regime. The £35m will take the cost of two modest ferries to around £450m. Add the cost of harbour works for vessels that will never use them, charter costs to provide cover, maintenance costs to keep the aged fleet afloat and so on. In pure cash terms, I am pretty sure we are talking about £1 billion. Yet not one politician has paid any price. Not one senior civil servant has been held accountable. Not one quango chief has been defrocked. On the contrary, they are appointed and re-appointed as if all was well in our maritime world. The whole shambles continues to operate as a mutual self-protection racket. The state of Ardrossan requite a mini-inquiry of its own (Image: Robert Perry) When it comes to consequences, Ardrossan is due a mention. Just consider this one case study. The Glen Sannox, which was intended to sail between Ardrossan and Brodick, was delivered seven years late. Yet nothing was done in these seven 'extra' years to ensure the vessel could berth at its intended port. Either Ardrossan was victim of a calculated policy (quite possible) or monumental neglect without regard for consequences (now being lived out). Yet which Scottish Government minister is available to explain why seven years elapsed without anything being done to pre-empt the situation that now exists? That one scenario deserves its own mini-inquiry. But let me return to governance. The central issue is about control. It is about the 'who-whom' relationship between Edinburgh and communities served by CalMac. At present, this is conducted through a tripartite arrangement with Transport Scotland as puppet-master, CMAL as procurement quango and CalMac as operator. It has been an unmitigated disaster. Responsibilities were split between CMAL and CalMac to promote competition. In theory, ferries and terminals were neutral infrastructure which could be used by whichever operator prevailed. It was complete baloney. There was never meaningful competition which has now been recognised by giving CalMac the 10-year contract. That leaves no rationale for continuing separation of procurement and operations which has contributed so much to the dysfunctionality of the whole set-up. Five years ago, the Scottish Government paid Ernst & Young to offer options for the future structure and called it Project Neptune. In reality, it was a desktop study of how other countries run their ferry networks. Needless to say, nowhere does it like Scotland and none of them has had anything like our problems. The most interesting comparator was British Columbia where there is an arms-length company – accountable to government within financial parameters but not controlled by it. That model could be adopted here with the quangos made redundant and the dead hand of Transport Scotland removed – which they will resist to the death. I offer that as the radical, sensible option – a ferry company at arms length from government with a board which includes representation from councils, communities and employees; people with lived experience of island conditions and with stakes in their future. Can I hear one rational argument against it? Brian Wilson is a former Labour Party politician. He was MP for Cunninghame North from 1987 until 2005 and served as a Minister of State from 1997 to 2003.
Edinburgh Reporter
14-05-2025
- Health
- Edinburgh Reporter
Red Alert for ME rally at parliament on Wednesday
Red Alert for ME: Belle and Sebastian's Stuart Murdoch will join campaigners at The Scottish Parliament on Wednesday calling for urgent action on pledged funding Campaigners living with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) fear vital, long-awaited funding could be lost because of delays in allocating money to deliver specialist support projects. The 2025-26 Scottish Budget included – for the first time – £4.5m to fund work across the country to support people with ME, Long Covid, and other similar conditions. But campaigning group #MEAction Scotland is concerned that decisions between the government and health boards over the way the funding will be spent is not moving fast enough – and that could mean nothing moves forward in the budget year, or worse still, the money goes unspent. #MEAction Scotland is to hold a rally outside the Scottish Parliament during ME Awareness Week to demand that funding pledged for people with the condition is spent urgently. One of the speakers will be Stuart Murdoch, lead singer of Scottish indie band Belle and Sebastian, who lives with ME himself and is a long-time advocate, publishing an autobiographical novel about his experience with the illness last year. Janet Sylvester, Trustee, #MEAction Scotland, said: 'We're raising a red alert and calling on the government to get plans in place so that funding can start going out to health boards and begin to make changes to the dire situation in Scotland. 'We welcomed the budget commitment but it won't mean anything if the money isn't actually spent. Now that the budget year has started, the clock is ticking. 'Our major concern is that it will take so long to allocate the funding that the health boards will not have time to spend it in this financial year, as has happened with past Long Covid funding.' The rally is taking place on 14th May during ME Awareness Week and is part of the Millions Missing movement – events organised by the ME community to draw attention to the millions of people around the world missing from society. #MEAction Scotland supporters have been contacting their MSPs and asking them to support the rally at Holyrood. ME is a complex, energy-limiting disease affecting multiple systems in the body, which affects approximately 58,000 Scots. However, there has been a frustrating lack of recognition and support to help those with the condition. The Scottish Government's first outline for ME services was published by the Chief Medical Officer in 2002, just three years after The Scottish Parliament was formed. Subsequent reports were published in 2010 and 2020, which reinforced previous recommendations and found that little progress, if any, had been made. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, numbers living with the condition have grown due to overlaps with Long Covid, and an increasing number of people with Long Covid are now also being diagnosed with ME. Karima Rahman, an #MEAction volunteer who lives with the condition, said: 'We've had 20 years of reports on ME which haven't led to change. Sadly, we saw previous funding for Long Covid services go mostly unspent by health boards – that can't happen again. 'Scotland has no ME medical specialists, despite there being more people ill with it than other conditions such as MS and Parkinson's. The government's warm words must turn into urgent action.' Protesters have asked MSPs from all parties to join them outside parliament this ME Awareness Week to listen to those affected and show their support for swift investment in services. Many people with ME will be too ill to join in person and will instead show their support online. Photos below show scenes from a similar rally in 2022. Like this: Like Related
The Herald Scotland
01-05-2025
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
In full: Swinney responds to Herald's child poverty campaign
Dear Catherine, Eradicating child poverty is a national mission, not just for the Government I lead, but for everyone in Scotland. I am grateful to The Herald for the focus you haver given child poverty through your reporting this week, as well as to the other signatories to your letter of 30 April 2025 for their tireless work in supporting and advocating for families. It is clear that too many children continue to live in poverty in Scotland, and that is why it is so important that everyone work together – across political divides, at every level of government and in every sector – to change that. Our policies are having to work harder than ever to make a difference, against a backdrop of a continuing cost of living crisis, rising energy costs and UK Government decision making. However, we know these policies are working with recently published statistics showing that the proportion of children living in relative poverty has reduced while the proportion in absolute poverty has also fallen, with the annual figure the lowest in 30 years. On average, households are estimated to be £2,600 a year better off in 2025-26 as a result of Scottish Government policies, with this value projected to grow an average of £3,700 a year by 2029-30. As you have highlighted, the Scottish Child Payment, uniquely available in Scotland and delivered by the Scottish Government, is providing lifeline support to families. This is something I am incredibly proud of. Despite exceptionally difficult financial circumstances, we have continued to expand and increase the Scottish Child Payment since it was launched in 2021 at £10 per week for eligible children under six. It is now £27.15 per week and available for all eligible children under sixteen years of age, with the families of over 330,000 children forecast to receive the payment in 2025-26. Read more'Committed to going further': Swinney responds to The Herald's child poverty campaign Does the Scottish Child Payment work and how much would the £40 increase cost? Progress 'welcome but Scottish Government not going far enough' on child poverty 'Devastating': Charity boss reveals essential items children in poverty are missing 'Matter of shame': Swinney opens up on the toll of tackling child poverty in Scotland And we have committed to going further, with the Scottish Budget committing £3 million to develop the systems needed to effectively scrap the impact of the two-child cap by April 2026. Our modelling estimates that 20,000 fewer children will be living in relative poverty 2026-27 as a result of this action, and I maintain my pledge that if the UK Government does the right thing and abolishes the two-child cap, the resources we have committed will continue to be used on measures to eradicate child poverty in Scotland. We are committed to doing all that we can with the 2025-26 Scottish Budget prioritising action to eradicate child poverty, not only through investment in social security, but much wider action including through investment in breakfast clubs, employability support and the delivery of the affordable homes families need. Our Programme for Government, which I will deliver to the Scottish Parliament on 6 May, will set out my plan for delivery in the final year of this Parliament. However, decisions taken by successive UK Governments are holding us back, and the Department for Work and Pensions' own figures show that their proposed welfare cuts will drive 50,000 more children into poverty. We will publish our third child poverty delivery plan by the end of March 2026, which will set out the actions the Government will take between 2026-2031 to meet the final targets in 2030. I urge the UK Government to match the ambition and investment of the Scottish Government and to work with us to help end child poverty. I am grateful to all of you for working with us to realise our shared ambition to create a Scotland when no child grows up in poverty. John Swinney.
Glasgow Times
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Return of Glasgow's Aye Write book postponed despite funding boost
Aye Write was expected to make a comeback in May for its 20th anniversary edition after landing a three-year funding deal from Creative Scotland. However it has now been postponed and it is not yet known when the festival - which was replaced by a small series of "pop-up events" in 2024 after a funding bid was controversially rejected by Creative Scotland - will be going ahead. No details for a 2025 festival have been announced, despite Aye Write and sister festival Wee Write, which features a dedicated programme for children and young people, being allocated £87,500 from the government arts agency for its next programme. Organisers have suggested the funding decision came too late to put on the festival in May, when it has been held in recent years. They are still looking at "the best time of year" to hold the festival after shelving plans to stage it this May. Creative Scotland was forced to delay decisions on hundreds of applications for three months after ministers insisted they would have to wait until the Scottish Budget was announced in December. Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has previously appeared at the Aye Write book festival in Glasgow. (Image: PA) Glasgow Life, the council-funded trust which has run the event since its inception, has been unable to confirm any dates for the festival or special events. Officials are still said to be looking for a suitable slot in the calendar to bring back Aye Write and avoid it clashing with other events in the city and book festivals elsewhere in Scotland. The delay for Aye Write's return has emerged ahead of the first programme announcement for this summer's Edinburgh International Book Festival in August. Andrew Marr has previously appeared at the Aye Write book festival in Glasgow. There is no mention of Aye Write on the official website for Glasgow 850 - the programme of events marking the 850th 'anniversary' of the city. It is understood the festival has not been allocated any funding by either the city council or council-funded trust Glasgow Life, which runs other festivals include Celtic Connections, the Merchant City Festival, the World Pipe Band Championships and the Glasgow Mela. Aye Write has been excluded from the official programme of events to mark the 850th 'anniversary' of the city. However a new council-funded music festival, Clyde Chorus, will be launched at the end of May as part of the official Glasgow 850 programme, with Nathan Evans, Nina Nesbitt, The Supernaturals and Scottish Opera already confirmed in the line-up. Aye Write became firmly established as one of Scotland's leading literary events after it was launched in 2005, with the event featuring more than 250 authors across 180 events at its peak. Leading Scottish authors who have appeared over in recent years have included Ian Rankin, Val McDermid, Chris Brookmyre, Jackie Kay, Liz Lochhead, Alexander McCall Smith, Darren McGarvey, Sally Magnusson, Louise Welsh and Sara Sheridan. Other special guests have included singer-songwriter Karine Polwart, musician Stuart Braithwaite, comics Frankie Boyle and Ruby Wax, and broadcasters Robert Peston, Andrew Marr and Archie Macpherson. However there was widespread dismay in the Scottish publishing industry last March when it emerged that the 2024 event would not be going ahead due to a £77,500 funding rejection from Creative Scotland. The then First Minister, Humza Yousaf, pledged that the Scottish Government would explore 'potential support' for the event, while his predecessor, Nicola Sturgeon expressed dismay at the demise of the festival. A number of pop-up events eventually went ahead under the Aye Write banner between April and August. Aye Write won a three-year funding deal from Creative Scotland at the end of January, after the government agency secured an additional £40m to fund festivals, venues and organisations over the next three years in the Scottish Budget announcement in December. Glasgow Life also secured three-year support for Celtic Connections, the Tramway arts centre, the visual art festival Glasgow International, the Merchant City Festival, the Glasgow Mela and a 'creative communities' programme. At the time, Glasgow Life said: 'This welcome funding will play a key role in progressing a thriving and sustainable cultural ecosystem in Glasgow at the heart of the city's ambitious culture strategy to 2030. 'Thank you to Creative Scotland for this support, and to everyone who makes the transformative impact of culture and creativity happen in Glasgow.' Arts organisations and events had initially expected to get news of their three-year funding applications to Creative Scotland in October, but were forced to postpone an announcement on the long-awaited programme until the government confirmed its overall culture budget in December. One publishing industry insider said: "There was an expectation that Aye Write would return in its previous form in May after it secured three-year funding. "It seems very strange that nothing at all has been announced about the festival given its previous scale and standing." A spokesperson for Glasgow Life said: 'Glasgow Life applied to Creative Scotland's multi-year fund to support the future of the Aye Write and Wee Write festivals, and we are grateful for this support. 'It reflects the importance of these literary festivals in fostering a love of books, reading, and storytelling in Glasgow and beyond and how valued they are to those who attend and perform at these events. 'Confirmation of funding was received at the end of January, which has impacted planning for this year's festival. 'With Aye Write traditionally taking place in May, this created a shorter timeframe to prepare the vibrant, high-quality programme our audiences expect. 'Glasgow Life remains committed to the Aye Write festival. We are excited to move forward with plans to develop and deliver a programme for the coming three years. 'We are looking at the best time of year to hold the festival, given the scheduling of other Scottish literary festivals and city events. We are working hard to finalise planning details and look forward to sharing more information soon.' A spokesperson for Creative Scotland said: "Aye Write is one of 251 organisations awarded multi-year-funding for the next three financial years. "The exact timing and nature of their programme during that time period is a matter for Aye Write to develop and to deliver, and we will discuss that with them as appropriate."
