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Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations' Council 525 Ferry Road Edinburgh Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations’ Council 525 Ferry Road Edinburgh EH5 2FF Wednesday, 10 June 2020 Edinburgh: Ash Denham MSP; Ruth Davidson MSP; Ben Macpherson MSP; Gordon MacDonald MSP; Daniel Johnson MSP; Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP. Regional: Alison Johnstone MSP; Andy Wightman MSP; Sarah Boyack MSP; Neil Findlay MSP; Gordon Lindhurst MSP; Miles Briggs MSP; Jeremy Balfour MSP. Cc: Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister Aileen Campbell, Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government Jean Freeman, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Sport Ben Macpherson, Minister for Public Finance and Migration Kevin Stewart, Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning Paul Johnson, Director General for Education, Communities and Justice Dear Members of the Scottish Parliament, RE: FOOD FUND DEPLETION AND THE EFFECT UPON VULNERABLE CITIZENS • The Scottish Government investment through the Food Fund in Edinburgh is depleted following the provision of approximately 27,000 meals per week to many of our Capital’s most vulnerable people. This has been carried out by numerous small local organisations with coordination support through the Edinburgh Third Sector Interface. • Despite the best efforts of City of Edinburgh Council, we are currently not being made aware of any plans, from Scottish Government, to deliver a further investment into this fund – which will run out before Monday 15th June 2020 – leaving thousands of vulnerable people at significant risk. • The risks include the obvious health and social care challenges but perhaps more importantly, potentially forcing those who are at increased risk of serious illness or those who could potentially infect others to leave isolation to go to supermarkets, utilise public transport or attend food banks. Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations’ Council is a company limited by guarantee SC173582 and is a registered Scottish Charity SC009944 Chief Executive: Ella Simpson • The balance of the fund, to support free school meals and support vulnerable children and families has also been exhausted – which is also potentially extremely harmful to these community members. We are asking you to urgently contact your ministerial colleagues to seek commitment that this funding is continued, at the same level, until the end of August 2020. We need to see full transparency in the decision making and future plans of investment around how high risk and vulnerable individuals will be supported moving forward to be able to make an informed decision about the sustainability of our operation and partnerships. There are now approximately 30 organisations involved in the delivery of food to Edinburgh citizens for whom we have a very limited financial support: City of Edinburgh Council has made available an additional £36,000 for last week and £40,000 for the current week to bridge the gap before Scottish Government offer a decision on the next phase of funding. This week-by-week operating model offers no security to providers who are operating at risk and offers the very real possibility of the fund being forced to operate insolvent at a time when we are likely to need to respond to the demands of the incoming Test and Protect programme. We anticipate that we will require support, at a level at least comparable to the current level of investment, to continue to deliver the programme until the end of August, as well as develop and implement an appropriate exit strategy in partnership with City of Edinburgh Council. Background Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations’ Council (EVOC) and Volunteer Edinburgh are partners within the Edinburgh Third Sector Interface (TSI). We have been working alongside our colleagues at Edinburgh Community Health Forum (ECHF) throughout the development of a response to the Covid-19 pandemic. This has seen very close working with community groups, local organisations and City of Edinburgh Council to offer critical, humanitarian, food support to vulnerable people across the city to develop an effective, collaborative, response to the multiple challenges of the virus. The speed and scale of the response from organisations and local communities has been absolutely mind-blowing. This response, including that from volunteers and volunteer involving organisations, well ahead of that from statutory or government colleagues has ensured that thousands of people have been fed, provided with emotional and practical support, befriending, dog walking, shopping, delivery of medications, the list goes on. In March EVOC and Volunteer Edinburgh, in common with TSI colleagues across Scotland took on a key role to support our local organisations and communities by taking responsibility for the development of a coordinated infrastructure which could oversee and support investment, logistics, partnership development and referrals from City of Edinburgh Council via the Scottish Government Vulnerable Group phoneline – which was published in a leaflet sent to every household by Scottish Government in late March. This has been a very successful initiative, despite the challenges presented by the virus. Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations’ Council is a company limited by guarantee SC173582 and is a registered Scottish Charity SC009944 Chief Executive: Ella Simpson Through this programme, the community delivers approximately 27,000 meals per week to the most vulnerable people in the city, those who should not be attending supermarkets, who are higher risk of significant illness due to the infection, the carers and family members of households who have been asked to shield for their own protection. At the beginning of the incident, Edinburgh’s local organisations and community members carried out this work ahead of any investment being identified by Scottish Government and by so doing have potentially put their organisations at risk by making use of reserves. It will be more important than ever in the coming months that these organisations are able to continue to offer services that have already been jeopardised as a result of austerity and reductions to funding across the sector, as well as plan for the longer term. This work has clearly identified significant levels of food poverty which have either previously gone unaddressed or which have been generated as a result of the virus – e.g. through reductions to salary though the furlough scheme, through job losses or through delays to universal credit. The significant health and social inequality impacts of this cannot be underestimated. Given the urgent nature of the challenges faced by the community, we look forward to your urgent response. Yours Sincerely, Ella Simpson Chief Executive Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations’ Council For and on behalf of: Volunteer Edinburgh Edinburgh Community Health Forum Caring in Craigmillar Community One Stop Shop Crops in Pots Edinburgh Community Food Eric Liddell Centre Food for Good Coalition Handicabs Holy Trinity Church Wester Hailes L-O-V-E Gorgie Pilmeny Development Project Pilton Equalities Project SCORE Scotland Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations’ Council is a company limited by guarantee SC173582 and is a registered Scottish Charity SC009944 Chief Executive: Ella Simpson South Edinburgh Amenities Group SPACE at Broomhouse The Health Agency Viewpoint Housing Association Edinburgh Voluntary Organisations’ Council is a company limited by guarantee SC173582 and is a registered Scottish Charity SC009944 Chief Executive: Ella Simpson .
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