The NHS in Edinburgh and the Lothians is set to benefit from a share of a £50 million Scotland-wide investment to help deliver swift treatment and diagnostics. Scotland already invests more per head of population than anywhere else in the UK. Tory-led England and Labour-led Wales continue to lag behind Scotland, including on A&E waiting times where Scotland has had the lowest waiting times for over 3 years. This extra funding is part of a package of measures to help reduce waiting times – and which will also see two independent diagnostic leads appointed to improve co-ordination across the country on specialist tests. Commenting, SNP MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Gordon Macdonald, said: “The
Local MSP Gordon MacDonald has called on Tory Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson to reverse his predecessor’s proposals to close Redford Cavalry and Infantry Barracks by 2022. Former Tory Defence Secretary Michael Fallon proposed eight military sites in Scotland as part of the Ministry of Defence’s drastic 20% cuts to Scotland’s defence estate, including Redford barracks, whilst committing to spend £205 billion renewing Trident. A 2016 National Audit Office report found that the MoD’s proposed closures would not guarantee financial savings, concluding that the Ministry of Defence had increased costs over the long-term and risked the UK’s military capability by engaging in poorly planned cost
Photo: Gordon Macdonald at mobile bank, Currie Library. A recent question by Gordon Macdonald MSP, on Wednesday 16 May, into banking provision by RBS has revealed that the Scottish Government believes the proposals to have “serious implications for disabled people”. The Cabinet Secretary for Communities, Social Security and Equalities confirmed that she has raised the matter with the Equalities and Human Rights Commission to consider whether these implications breach the Equalities Act 2010, to ensure equality of access for people with disabilities. Responding to questions raised by Gordon Macdonald, the Scottish Government minister, Angela Constance went on to say that the apparent inaccess
New figures show that the Scottish Government’s business rate relief scheme saved 8,291 businesses in Edinburgh a total of £638 million between 2009-10 and 2016-17. Across Scotland, this scheme has saved taxpayers around £4.5 billion between 2009-10 and 2015-16 by reducing their rates liability and taking many firms out of business rates altogether. And across the Scottish Capital, the latest figures show that 8,291 local firms benefitted from this flagship Scottish Government policy in 2016. This figure does not, however, include premises that qualified for the new 100% reliefs introduced, including Day Nursery Relief and the Business Growth Accelerator. Commenting, Edinburgh Pentlands MSP,
Gordon Macdonald MSP has joined MS Society Scotland in their campaign to “Kiss Goodbye to MS”. The campaign is encouraging people to give up their guilty pleasure this May to raise money for research into MS – with the MS Society driving research into more, and better, treatments. With MS affecting more than 11,000 people in Scotland, causing problems with how we walk, move, see, think and feel, MS Society Scotland recently held an event in The Scottish Parliament to raise awareness of the important role research plays in the lives of people affected by MS. MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands has pledged his support for MS Society Scotland’s “Kiss Goodbye to MS campaign”. Commenting SNP MSP for Edin
Gordon Macdonald, MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, is encouraging local residents to share their views on the current civic square, located at the front of Westside Plaza, as part of Wester Hailes Community Trust’s Making Places: Westside Plaza project. Community drop in sessions, funded by the Scottish Government’s Making Places initiative, will be held at Clovenstone Community Centre and WHALE Arts Centre, is supporting and encouraging everyone to actively contribute to the development of this community space. The sessions will allow local people to meet with the Wester Hailes Community Trust, partners in local organisations and the City of Edinburgh Council to voice their views on the civic
