Edinburgh Budget Meeting Faces Protest Over Potential Service Cuts

Hey, guess what’s happening in Edinburgh? Protesters gathered as councillors discussed the budget. Cuts could hurt vulnerable people, they said. The meeting happened to decide the budget for next year.

Unison, Unite, and Safe Consumption Edinburgh showed up. Unison protested EIJB cuts. The EIJB funds health and social care charities.

Tracy Anne Miller explained the charities could close. Staff salaries and rent depend on EIJB money. Homeless and poor people rely on these charities.

NHS would face more pressure without them. People would lose vital services. Some charities already expect cuts, posting redundancy notices.

Safe Consumption Edinburgh wants safe drug consumption sites. They hope to address drug deaths. 333 people died in Edinburgh from 2020-2023. They want specific funding, but haven’t received it yet. They urge the council to act and save lives.

Councillors decide EIJB funding soon. The full council meeting happens on February 20th. Joseph Sullivan reported this for the Local Democracy Reporting Service.