The Edinburgh Minute ⏰ Weekend edition 25 - 27 April 2025
Hundreds of uni staff leaving, council overpays by £1.8m, Critical Mass in Polwarth + brat hyperpop rave night in your weekend guide
☀️ Good morning Edinburgh. Today’s edition has your usual news links, followed by the community noticeboard, then it’s the weekend events guide for paying subscribers. Thanks as always to everyone who’s contributed to this week’s newsletters! I can’t do it without you all.
☀️ Warmer temperatures are likely continue all weekend. It’ll get as high as 22C next week. The full Met Office forecast is here.
🎓 Around 350 staff at the University of Edinburgh have accepted voluntary redundancy as part of a cost-saving effort. - Andrew Learmonth had the exclusive in The Herald.
⮑ In a statement Principal and Vice Chancellor Sir Peter Mathieson said: “The university’s voluntary severance scheme has concluded and around 350 staff will take voluntary severance, which will deliver year-on-year savings of approximately £18 million.”
⮑ Earlier this year Mathieson warned that ‘nothing is off the table’ in an ongoing financial crisis for the uni. - Ida Middlemiss Frost, The Student.
⮑ But last month nearly 1,000 academics signed an open letter saying they were ‘skeptical’. - Minute edition 616.
⮑ The university also faces the possibility of strike action with workers currently being balloted by both the University and Colleges Union and Unison – the latter of which is due to close today, reports STV News. - I’ll aim to get you an update on that ballot for Monday’s newsletter.
🚨 Some overnight news sent in by a subscriber: Only 18% of staff at the University of Edinburgh have confidence in senior leadership, according to the institution's latest staff survey. Even fewer (17%) agreed that when changes have been made at the uni, they've been for the better - while only 24% thought that senior leadership would respond to the survey with ‘meaningful change’. Writing to all staff, Mathieson conceded: “Our results in these areas fall well below the norms across other universities, and I want that to change.”
💰 Overpayments to local council staff total £1.78 million. Some of the council’s reasons for the overpayments are listed below, from a new report which you can read online here ahead of Tuesday’s council finance meeting.
⮑ Council staff who were overpaid will be asked to pay it back, with repayment plans offered. The council says: “The revised Pay Policy reflects the feedback from key stakeholders and aims to balance colleagues’ welfare, having a fair and transparent approach, whilst remaining mindful that the Council has a fiscal duty to reclaim funds owed. This has been agreed collectively by Trade Union bodies.”
⮑ A total of 1,459 staff members had been overpaid in the past five years – 579 of them being current staff, while 880 had already left the council. - More coverage from Joe Sullivan, Local Democracy Reporter, in Edinburgh Live.
🏨 Plans for a Leith railway viaduct to be transformed into a hotel and cafe have been rejected by the council. - Kris Gourlay, Edinburgh Live.
🏢 British Transport Police could be moving into the City of Edinburgh Council’s Waverley Court HQ under plans set to be voted on by councillors next week. The council stands to earn £185,000 per year from the lease. - Joseph Sullivan, Local Democracy Reporter, in The Edinburgh Reporter.
📸 Having made her name for herself photographing Edinburgh’s grand Victorian pools, Soo Burnell’s latest exhibition ‘At the Onsen, In Search of Stillness’ captures Japan’s bathhouses. It opens next week at Saorsa Gallery in Stockbridge from 3 to 11 May. - Gaby Souter previews it and interviews the photographer in The Scotsman.
📺 The cast of River City gathered at Holyrood yesterday for a debate in the Scottish Parliament about saving the TV programme. - Andrew Quinn, Daily Record.
🏰 The outer walls of Edinburgh Castle will be used to advertise a new Universal Orlando theme park next month. - Alexander Smail, Daily Record.
🖼️ An 88-year-old man from Cramond who rediscovered a passion for painting later in life will put on an exhibition at his nursing home. “I have never considered myself an artist", says Martin Birkhans. - More from Gabriel McKay, The Herald.
🚲 The monthly ‘friendly protest for safer cycling’ Critical Mass will head to Polwarth on Saturday.
⮑ There’s a Spokes public meeting on Wednesday next week, featuring a Q&A with council transport leader Stephen Jenkinson. - Details here.
📌 Edinburgh Minute Community Noticeboard
📌 TONIGHT “CROFT FUNDRAISING QUIZ - Gather your teammates (teams of 3-5 folk) and head down to the Leith Community Croft on Fri April 25th (7pm for 7:30pm start) for a night of quizzing to support Earth in Common! Catherine will be hosting a fun, engaging quiz that tests your knowledge of food, nature, the environment, as well as a range of other topics, a picture and music round, general knowledge as well as some fun puzzles to try out. There will be alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks and snacks to purchase on the night.” - Thanks to Earth in Common for sharing this.
📌 “A Talk and a Meet and Greet with former Spice Girl and Author Geri Halliwell-Horner.” - Thanks to Sarah for sharing this. - Hosted by Topping & Co at Ps and Gs Church on York Place. Tickets here.
📌 “Edinburgh Urban Sketchers is a local group who are part of a world wide organisation of people who meet weekly to sketch their location. The group has been going for 10 years and as part of the celebration are launching a book of Edinburgh sketches at the Eric Liddell Centre, 15 Morningside Rd, Edinburgh EH10 4DP 2.00-4:0 pm Saturday, 26th April, with any A profits from the sale of the book being donated the St Columba's Hospice. An accompanying exhibition will run there for 4 weeks.” - Thanks to the group for sharing this.
📌 “🌍 ⭕️ This Saturday ~ Mothers* Rebellion is a global peaceful family friendly protest *inc. all carers & allies 🌱 Children, mums, dads, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and pets all welcome- anyone who cares about protecting what we love from climate breakdown. 📍We'll form a circle on the grass beside Holyrood car park on Queens Drive from 12:30-14:30 Saturday 26th April.” - Thanks to Naomi for sharing this.
📌 “Everyone is invited to the LifeCare Spring Fair this Saturday 26th April, 1030-1330. Come along to our fully accessible community hub on Cheyne Street in Stockbridge to enjoy a wander around our stalls, indulge in some delicious home baking, pick up some new plants or raffle tickets and help support our charity! Teas, coffees and morning rolls will be available from our cafe. We can't wait to welcome you!” - Thanks as always to Claire from LifeCare for sharing.
📌 SATURDAY: “Wild Rose Forest Therapy (Rosie) will be guiding a Forest Bathing Walk at Vogrie Country Park on Saturday 26th of April 10:30-1pm. This carefully crafted experience gives you a chance to soothe, restore and connect deeply to nature. Learn creative nature connection invitations, share with others and taste mindfully with a tea ceremony... "It was a great experience, both relaxing and energising, I wish I'd gone sooner!"” - Thanks to Rosie for sharing this.
📌 “The 4th Pomegranates Festival of international traditional dance (25 - 30 April) gets underway today at the Scottish Storytelling Centre and various venues across Edinburgh. The Festival celebrates Scottish traditional dance alongside other traditional dances practised by migrant communities across Scotland and includes a Hungarian, Polish and Scottish Ceilidh on Saturday night, a packed programme of trad dance short films, new work choreographed for International Dance Day by hip hop MC Jonzi D, workshops, exhibitions, and talks.” - Thanks to Pomegranates Festival for sharing this.
📌 “Edinburgh folk band Dowally release their brand new album of original songs today, and it’s a collaboration with phenomenally talented French drummer, Philippe Boudot. You are warmly invited to join them at their Edinburgh launch at the Scottish Storytelling Centre on 04th May as part of this year’s Tradfest programme. Get tickets while they’re hot - this is music to move you, in every way!” - Thanks to Rachel, fiddle player from Dowally, for sharing this.
📌 “Edinburgh Food Social is currently undertaking a food census to better serve the Greater Craigmillar community and understand local people’s needs. We’re asking people who live in Craigmillar and Niddrie to please take a few minutes to fill out this straightforward census. Responses are anonymous, and all information will be treated as confidential.” - Thanks to Edinburgh Food Social for sharing this.
🛝 There’s plenty in this week’s edition of Gayle’s Guide to family-friendly things to do in Edinburgh, including: Sakura at Lauriston Castle, Polwarth Preloved Sale, Rowing Boat Launch Day and more.