Having not received a response to his letter sent at the beginning of May, Gordon Macdonald MSP is calling for the UK Government to be honest about their intent behind the closure of Redford Barrack and the selling of the site. The Edinburgh Pentlands MSP has been campaigning against the closure of Redford Cavalry and Infantry Barracks since 2011, which he says will have “extensive consequences for Edinburgh.” The Barracks currently accommodate 240 serving personnel and 80 civilians, whilst also providing accommodation and rehearsal space for the Edinburgh Military Tattoo. The SNP MSP is now calling into question the justifications that the MoD has given for the proposed closure, challenging
Freedom of Information figures supplied by the Department for Work and Pensions have shown that Edinburgh has lost out on £4.1M because of Tory cuts to disability benefit. The information – requested by investigative news outlet The Ferret – shows the number of people who have lost out on social security benefits following the change from Disability Living Allowance to Personal Independence Payments. The Tory welfare cuts – taking a total of £56 million away from communities across Scotland – have hit the poorest people hardest, leaving vulnerable and disabled people across Edinburgh without enough money to live on. Commenting SNP MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Gordon Macdonald, said, “It is a
