News / In brief for 9 September 2010
Tough times
HOUSING minister Alex Neil has warned Scotland’s housing associations that huge cuts in public spending are bound to impact on government investment in social housing.
He called for radical thinking and bold new ides to increase the supply of affordable homes, at the Scottish Federation for Housing Associations.
He praised those associations that have secured investment from wider sources such as the European Investment Bank and the National Housing Trust.
He called on all housing associations to join the national debate on Housing: Fresh Thinking, New Ideas, which can be visited at http://housingdiscussion.scotland.gov.uk
Popular cinema
KATHY Hubbard, who organised this year’s Shetland film festival Screenplay, said there had been a huge increase in audience numbers, up from 1,445 in 2009 to 2,070 this year.
“This bodes very well, not only for future film festival attendance but for movie going in Shetland in general,” she said.
With less than a year to go before the opening of Shetland’s new cinema and music venue at Lerwick’s North Ness, new research has highlighted a 10 per cent increase in the number of people going to the movies.
Shetland Arts director Gwilym Gibbons said that there was good reason to believe Shetland would experience a similar enthusiasm as the rest of the country, where 67 per cent of the population attend cinemas.
One off COPE grant
SOCIAL enterprise COPE is to receive a one off grant of £175,000 from Shetland Charitable Trust to fund a shortfall in the organisation’s budget for the current year.
The shortfall is a result of the withdrawal of £350,000 annual funding from the Shetland Development Trust, which is now donating its undistributed surplus to the charitable trust.
COPE provides working opportunities for people with learning difficulties by operating a number of companies, including Shetland Soap Company, a scrapstore and recycling facility, and catering business.
Its annual turnover of around £1.2 million includes around £600,000 grant funding from public bodies.
Shetland Islands Council has called for a firmer funding foundation for the organisation and also suggested stocking the local authority’s lavatories with COPE soap products, as NorthLink do.
Successful SLAP
SHETLAND Charitable Trust’s property arm has had another successful year according to papers presented on Wednesday.
Financial controller Jeff Goddard told trustees that SLAP made a profit of £2.7 million on assets worth around £18 million.
The company is currently financing the construction of a new headquarters for the council’s social work department at the former WAG site, at Lerwick’s North Ness.
Work on phase two of the re-development of Scatsta airport, which includes a new air traffic control tower and a refurbishment of the existing terminal building, will start soon Mr Goddard said.
The £4.5 million contract has been won by local construction firm DITT.
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