Call for project cuts rethink

EDINBURGH North and Leith MSP Malcolm Chisholm today warned Capital projects helping people into work are under threat from a £2.3 million Scottish Government funding cut.

Speaking ahead of today's debate on the Government's Budget, he said latest figures showed employment in Edinburgh was down by 5.9 per cent last year and half of the rising unemployment was among the 18-24 group.

He said cuts threatened the future of schemes like Community Employability in West Pilton and Port of Leith Housing Association's TOIL project.

He said: "Edinburgh has the highest unemployment among school-leavers of anywhere in Scotland. Moreover, in the Cities report out this week it was shown that Edinburgh is the seventh worst out of 63 UK cities for inequality and yet it is the most disadvantaged parts of the city which will suffer from the massive cut to employability services.

"The Government must think again about this cut."