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Glasgow Times
a day ago
- Business
- Glasgow Times
Plans to promote sustainable travel in Glasgow given funding
This cash injection will be used to improve active travel infrastructure and make public spaces safer and more accessible for pedestrians. It will also support initiatives that encourage walking, wheeling, and cycling, especially for school commutes, and provide upgrades to bus stops and employer schemes to create cycle-friendly workplaces. It will also support initiatives that encourage walking, wheeling, and cycling (Image: Supplied) The fund draws from four Scottish Government-backed schemes through Transport Scotland - the Active Travel Infrastructure Fund (ATIF), the People and Place Programme (PPP), Local Authority Direct Award (LADA), and SPT's Capital Grant Fund. Councillor Angus Millar, city convener for transport, said: "These funding awards are really great news for active travel in Glasgow. Read more: Plans for one of UK's biggest green AI data centres in Ravenscraig revealed Man dies after police rush to Glasgow property amid incident "We want to create a roads network that encourages walking, wheeling and cycling across the city and it's great to see our vision being backed by the Scottish Government in this way. "Some of these funding streams focus on construction-ready projects and I am delighted that the efforts we have made to develop designs for potential new infrastructure are being recognised. "The funding will also enable us to invest further in organisations and activities that give people the knowledge, skills and confidence to use our growing infrastructure network, supporting them to walk, wheel and cycle more often. "Major infrastructure projects such as Connecting Woodside, the East City Way and Dumbreck Road Active Travel Link will all make vital connections to other routes that make it easier to move around the city by bike. "We know that as more and more safe, segregated routes begin to knit together across Glasgow, people will be more minded to choose active travel instead of having to depend on the car for local journeys." Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Transport, said: 'I'm pleased that this £10.6 million award from the Scottish Government to Glasgow City Council will help realise their ambitions for better walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure, alongside projects which encourage more active travel. "Through this investment we will make it easier for more people to choose sustainable transport. 'To support the continued ambitions of our local authorities – and to keep making walking, wheeling and cycling easier for shorter everyday journeys – in 2025-26 the Scottish Government will invest over £188 million in active and sustainable transport.'
The Herald Scotland
3 days ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
'Incompetent' ScotGov 'failings' on affordable homes pledge laid bare
The Scottish Government-backed Affordable Housing Supply Programme was officially launched in March 2022 with a fanfare fronted by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon which stated that of 110,000 homes promised by 2032, 77,700 would be for social rent - aimed at low income families. But since then, official data shows there have been 28,537 affordable homes delivered - 5000 short of what was needed to be on target to deliver on the pledge. Having fallen behind, to fulfil on its promise by 2032, the Scottish Government would have to deliver at a rate of 1005-a-month from now on, but that is two-and-a-half times the 396 affordable homes-a-month that actually were approved for public funding in 2024/25. To meet its pledge over the building of social homes for rent, the Scottish Government would have had had to oversee the delivery of 23,692 homes, but currently ministers are around 2,800 short of what was needed to be on target. The afforeable homes pledge (Image: NQ) To meet the promise of 77,000 homes for social rent by 2032, ministers would have to deliver at a rate of around 690-per-month from now on. But it can be revealed that in 2024/25 an average of just 347 affordable homes for social rent were being approved per month for funding - the lowest level for a decade. The Scottish Tenants Organisation said that the delivery of affordable homes has been shown to be "woefully short" and said that it shows the "sheer scale of this catastrophe in the social rented sector being overseen by this incompetent Scottish Government" and said there needs to be an emergency housing action plan. They said: "The Scottish Government is clearly failing the people of Scotland with declining approvals, starts and completions in the affordable housing supply programme and at this rate will fail to meet their own housing targets. This is completely unacceptable." Housing rights group Living Rent said that despite declaring a housing emergency a year ago, it has "completely failed to show any leadership on solving the crisis of affordable housing". Read more: "Declaring the emergency should have pushed the government to take concerted action but instead we have seen empty statements and not enough funding," they said. The Herald revealed in 2023 how professional standards body CIH had raised concerns over cuts to the budget and warned progress on homelessness is at risk without a funding commitment over rapid rehousing in permanent homes rather than in temporary accommodation. In the wake of the Scottish Government making a symbolic housing emergency declaration in mid-May, last year the key housing professionals group had said that while it is a start, it was not enough as the affordable homes budget, a key part of the Scottish Government bid to end the crisis lost more than £300m over the previous two years alone. John Swinney (Image: NQ) But in December, John Swinney reversed a near £200m annual cut to the provision of affordable homes although campaigners said it still fell short of what is needed to end the housing and homelessness crisis. The Herald's seven-point charter for change to help end Scotland's housing emergency, launched last July, was credited by some for sparking the change of heart. It included a call to cut the number of children living in temporary accommodation and a significant increase in the building of affordable homes. New official analysis further shows that the number of all new housebuilding starts continued to drop in 2024/25 after and is at its lowest since 2012/13 with 15,053 begun in the last financial year. Some 13 of Scotland's 32 councils declared housing emergencies since Argyll and Bute Council became the first in June 2023. It comes as the number of small and medium size (SME) home builders has fallen to its lowest level in 20 years. Red tape and rising costs are highlighted as key issues, with nearly 9 in 10 survey respondents saying government policies are making it harder for them to build, according to sector body Homes for Scotland. Sean Clerkin, campaign co-ordinator of the STO said: "Affordable housing has to become the number one priority for the Scottish Government which means that they have to spend hundreds of millions of pounds more to build tens of thousands of new affordable homes to provide warm and secure homes for all so as to greatly reduce social housing waiting lists and eradicate homelessness in Scotland." Aditi Jehangir, chairman of Living Rent, added: "Every voice on the issue is in agreement. Scotland needs more social housing. This government needs to take proper action now. Gordon MacRae, Shelter Scotland's assistant director for communications & advocacy, said the decline in the number of social homes being delivered was the "inevitable, and entirely foreseeable, consequence of repeated changes to the housing budget and lack of urgent action from the Scottish Government". Gordon MacRae (Image: Sarah Beveridge) He said: "If ministers fail to deliver the 110,000 new affordable homes by 2032, they will turn their backs on the thousands of people in Scotland who are being harmed by temporary accommodation while waiting for their forever home. 'Homelessness is rising across the country, and this is the opportunity for our new cabinet secretary for housing to lead in tackling the housing emergency and do things differently. We need homes for people experiencing homelessness and to get those 10,360 children out of temporary accommodation. This must start with sustained investment for more social homes.' Earlier this month the First Minister urged the UK Government to take more action and spend more money to address Scotland's housing crisis. Two weeks ago the First Minister was subsequently challenged to finally fix Scotland's housing emergency after the UK Government announced a multi-billion pound investment to build more affordable homes. The Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed that £39 billion will be spent over the next 10 years in England to boost the supply of properties available for social and mid-market rent. The Chancellor announced the Scottish Government will receive £52 bn in total over the next three years, which means an additional £9bn for Holyrood by 2029. That came as it was announced Mairi McAllan would serve as the new Cabinet Secretary for Housing after receiving constant criticism in slumps in new build properties at a time of rising homelessness. The housing secretary said: 'Having a safe, warm and affordable place to call home is critical to a life of dignity and opportunity. The Scottish Government has a strong record in supporting the delivery of affordable homes but demand is high and we must step up our efforts." She said the affordable homes delivery analysis demonstrated "the challenge we face, but it will be my top priority to ensure everyone in Scotland, and in particular our children, have the opportunity to thrive and I am focussed on delivering that real change". She added: 'These challenges, which are not unique to Scotland, are made harder to tackle due to an incredibly difficult financial settlement from the UK Government. However, we have consistently invested and have delivered more than 139,000 affordable homes from 2007 to March 2025. 99,000 of these have been made available for social rent. That's 47% more per head of population than England and 73% more than Wales as of March 2024. 'I will re-double efforts now by investing £768m this financial year in affordable housing and give tenants stronger protection against damp and mould through Awaab's Law. We'll also invest a further £2m this year to help councils unlock barriers and to target empty homes."
Press and Journal
09-05-2025
- Health
- Press and Journal
Why is cutting back on meat so hard? I helped Aberdeen scientists find out
The first time I tried to go vegetarian, it didn't end well. It was some time ago, and I was dating a woman who was vegetarian herself. As per the rules of love, that meant I was vegetarian too – by proxy, perhaps, but just as committed. Unfortunately, the relationship lasted only slightly longer than the vegetarianism – and indeed may have been cut short by my inability to say no to a bacon buttie. So when Aberdeen's The Rowett Institute – one of the world's leading food research centres – asked if I'd like to take part in a study looking at why people can't stick to vegetarian diets, I jumped at the chance. After my failed flirtation with vegetarianism, this felt like an opportunity to redeem myself – not just in the name of love, but for something bigger – science. The planet, too. As someone who knows that eating meat is bad for the environment but can conveniently forget when cheeseburgers are on the menu, the study felt like a chance to change my habits for the better. The Rowett study, called LESS: Meat (Lived Experience of Sustainability in Scotland), is part of a Scottish Government-backed effort to understand why people don't always stick with sustainable choices, even when they believe in them. With Scotland aiming for a 20% cut in meat consumption by 2030, researchers wanted to explore what gets in the way and what might help us change. 'You might get to the end of the trial and think, 'I never want to do that again,'' Dr David McBey, one of the lead researchers, told me before I started. 'Or you might find that some of the habits stick. We're interested in both.' This wasn't a public health lecture disguised as research. It was, in his words, about the 'lived experience of trying to do the right thing' – of navigating meat reduction in the real world, where cultural habits, convenience, cravings and the occasional bacon buttie all still exist. And crucially, unlike some other trials run by the Rowett Institute, this one didn't provide food. There were no meat-free meal kits, no delivery boxes of pre-approved lentil lasagne. Instead, I had to make all the swaps myself – three days a week, for eight weeks. The idea was to see what that feels like in everyday life. Each week, I logged into an online portal to tick off which days I'd gone meat-free, answer questions about why I'd chosen them and record what I'd eaten. I also completed weekly food recalls and longer surveys at the start and end of the trial. It was all straightforward, and as Dave pointed out, designed to be 'light touch' – just enough to gather insight without overwhelming participants. The tone, too, was supportive. 'We're not judging,' Dave reminded me when explaining the daily compliance tracker. 'We're just interested.' As Dave explained, meat still holds a 'special place' in many people's lives. 'It's not just about taste or nutrition. There's culture and emotion tied up in it – and that's what makes this topic so complex.' His own background – with a PhD in sociology and years working in environmental modelling – helped shape the study's focus on real-world behaviour. 'I eat meat myself,' he said. 'So I know how hard it can be.' Starting the study, I immediately ran into trouble. My first week coincided with a holiday I'd booked to Germany – the land of meat! Fortunately, the friends I stayed with were long-time veggies so were able to expertly guide me. Breakfast was fresh bread with hummus, cheeses and a lot of fake meat slices that were not as bad I expected them to be. For dinner one night, we went to a doner kebab place called Mr Lecker, which translates as Mr Delicious. Here, we had Mr Lecker's locally famous Big Makali hummus wrap. I was delighted to discover that it was, indeed, delicious. I was off to a great start, and things got even easier when I returned to Aberdeen and took control of my shopping list and kitchen again. I dusted off a few old vegetarian recipes. This might say something about me, but a lot of the recipes were tailored to appeal to meat eaters – full of chunky vegetables and savoury sauces. Over the eight-week study I learned a few more that dampened the meat thirsts. Some swaps were easy. Chickpea curry. Macaroni cheese. Mushroom stroganoff. Some swaps I thought would work didn't. Back in the day, I would use Quorn mince, but now found I liked it less than I remembered. Instead, I opted for pulses – black-eyed and butter beans made for a hearty stew when cooked with coriander, chopped tomatoes and a bit of chili pesto. It wasn't all plain sailing. I normally cook an evening meal and leave enough left over for lunch in the office the next day. But because the study called for three meat-free days a week, I couldn't do this if I allocated no-meat days on, for example, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. It was something I would grumble about to Dave during our catch-ups, and in the food questionnaires I diligently filled in. In fact, this was the hardest thing about doing the study – the hassle of switching between codes. It did dawn on me that I could sidestep the trouble by going totally vegetarian, but I wasn't ready to do that. By the end of the eight weeks, I hadn't become a vegetarian. But I was eating less meat – and, crucially, doing it without much resistance. I'd found a few go-to meals I genuinely enjoyed and had conversations with friends about food choices I wouldn't have brought up before. I'd started to see meat as a treat rather than the default. The trick is to keep that going. And this time to do it for myself, rather than someone else. Check out The Rowett Institute's volunteer page to find out how you can take part in ne of its food studies.
Scotsman
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
The last remaining marionette puppeteers in Scotland benefiting from funding U-turn
Vision Mechanics among 45 artists and companies awarded grant in latest round of awards 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... Scotland's last remaining marionette puppeteers behind the country's largest puppet are among a group of art organisations set to benefit from a near-£850,000 Creative Scotland fund saved from the axe. Vision Mechanics, which is currently touring a performance of a puppet show about a woman in her 80s living in a care home and five years ago created Scotland's biggest puppet to raise awareness of the climate crisis, is one of the 45 Scottish artists and companies awarded a grant in the latest round of National Lottery and Scottish Government-backed Open Fund awards, announced by Creative Scotland. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Open Fund was initially scrapped amid Creative Scotland funding concerns last year, but was later reprised after First Minister John Swinney's Programme for Government said resources would be made "available" to ensure it could continue - as he ordered a review of the arts body. A total of £847,994 is to be distributed to artists and organisations across Scotland. Other projects supported by the fun include the Too Happy Artist Moving Image Commission returns for its second year, offering an exceptional opportunity for an early-career video artist based in Scotland. The programme enables the creation of a new single-screen moving image work, which will premiere at the Glasgow Short Film Festival in March 2026. Scotland's largest puppet, a sea goddess called Storm, reaches out a hand of friendship at the Celtic Connections festival in 2020 (Picture: Jane Barlow/PA) Meanwhile, Variations Scotland continues its long-standing commitment to supporting amateur musicians through its annual chamber music course in Ullapool, supported by the fund. Taking place each July, the course brings together over 50 participants to work with tutors from the Edinburgh Quartet, professional woodwind players, and students from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad In Paxton, in the Scottish Borders, a 10 day classical music festival will receive a grant, as will a new 2D collage and 3D sculptural costume work titled The Transformative Power of Costume, from artist Jessica Worrall.
