EIJB meets today
The EIJB is set to decide on the cuts it may make to its budget on Tuesday.
The board has already set out which of the many third sector projects that it supports it will continue to support and which ones will receive no funding or a cut in funding.
Deputations at the meeting include verbal submissions from CAPS Independent Advocacy, UNITE Edinburgh Not for Profit, and Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust on behalf of Thrive Lot 4. The Ripple Project has submitted a deputation in writing which you can read in full below. The group underlines what they call a “fundamental flaw in the Contracts and SLAs report which they set out in their letter.
Loading…
Lothians MSP Foysol Choudhury said that if approved, the “savings” could result in:
- More than 4,000 people losing community mental health support
- £2.2 million of Thrive Edinburgh contracts cancelled
- 82% of Collective Advocacy at CAPS disappearing by November
- Closure of services such as Pilton Community Health Project, Bipolar Edinburgh, and Dance Base
Mr Choudhury said: “I recognise that the Board faces huge financial pressures. These are difficult decisions that no one wishes to make. However, the reality is that the EIJB has been forced into this impossible position because of chronic underfunding from the SNP Government.
“These cuts are not just about numbers on a balance sheet. They represent real people losing vital support, families, communities, and some of Edinburgh’s most vulnerable being left without the services they rely upon.
“I urge the Board to carefully consider the human impact, not just the balance sheet; and to pause these cuts. Edinburgh deserves sustainable funding, not short-term measures that will cause long-term harm. Services must remain available to users while new approaches are explored.”
Subscribe to our monthly newspaper
Our September paper is going to press today and we would love to add you to our distribution list so that a print copy is delivered straight to your front door.
Subscribe here if you can and click on the image below to read our current issue.
Trams North-South – consultation is now live
At long last the consultation on the two options for the northern part of the tram extension (as well as the rest of the route from the city centre to the south) is live for everyone to have their say.
There are two options in the north of the city after the Transport Convener allowed a second option to be added to the preferred route of the Roseburn Path at a committee meeting when asked to do so by the Liberal Democrat group
We set out the options for the northern part of the route in our article here…
All the detail of the project (and there is a lot of it…) is here.
South Bridge
Fair Trade gathering
Campaigners, businesses, and community leaders from across the world will gather in Edinburgh this weekend for the International Fair Trade Towns Conference 2025, bringing together delegates from more than 25 countries to share ideas, inspire action, and strengthen the global Fair Trade movement.
The event, themed “Your Town, Our World: Fair Trade Communities & Local Action to Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals”, will take place from 29 – 31 August at the University of Edinburgh’s Kings Buildings Campus and marks the first time Scotland has hosted the conference.
Scotland renewed its Fair Trade Nation status earlier this year, which recognises its commitment to ethical consumption, support for producers in the Global South, and community-led campaigning to create a fairer economy. Hosting the conference is seen as both a celebration of this progress and a rallying call for renewed action.
Delegates from Fair Trade Towns across the world will come together to share ideas and discuss how their activities further the SDGs.
Louise Davies, Chief Executive of Scottish Fair Trade, said: “At a time when global solidarity is wavering in so many places, this conference is a powerful reminder that people and communities still care deeply about justice, fairness, and our shared future. Welcoming campaigners from around the world to Scotland is an opportunity to share ideas, learn from each other’s successes, and return home with fresh energy to tackle the challenges ahead. It’s a moment of hope, and we need that more than ever.”
The programme will include keynote speeches, hackathons, a reception at Edinburgh City Chambers and visits to Fair Trade businesses in Scotland, showcasing how local action can drive international change.
The programme for the event is below
Loading…
Celebrating Siân Davey – The Garden
On Friday 29 August, from 6–9pm there is a free event at Stills on Cockburn Street on Friday evening featuring EHFM Edinburgh’s community radio station, broadcasting live in Leith from their studio in the Ground Floor café.
Stills said: “We’re celebrating the end of the festival season with the help of Edinburgh’s community radio station EHFM. Join us in the gallery surrounded by images of Siân’s wildflower haven for a night of dancing and drinks and say goodbye to our Edinburgh Art Festival 2025 exhibition with a bang!”
- DJ’s include: Saint Sunday, Disc Jocelyne, Al Gu and Daiz.y
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
Like this:
Like Loading…
Related