The 'go to' organisation for Local Government improvement in Scotland

New research from the IS has revealed the impact of COVID-19 on money and welfare rights advice services.

Local authorities are one of the main funders of money and welfare rights advice services in Scotland investing around £26 million in 2018-19. The social distancing measures required as a result of COVID-19 have had a major impact on the way services are provided.

Our report looks at what this has meant for both the providers and users of money and welfare rights advice services.

Download the report: Impact of COVID-19 on local authority funded money and welfare rights advice services

The annual National Instrumental Music Survey shares information about instrumental music services (IMS) across Scotland including tuition fees, concessionary rates, instrument hire and loan policies, pupil numbers, cost of services, instructor numbers and additional activities.

In 2020, services have been heavily disrupted by COVID-19 with lessons often delivered remotely to over 56,000 pupils across Scotland. There has also been an increase in concessions to tuition fees with over a third of pupils receiving some sort of discount, and all pupils in receipt of Free School Meals or in receipt of an equivalent state benefit entitled to free tuition.

Download the IMS Survey 2020

Download the summary data tables

As Scottish Government expresses its ambition to deliver 20 minute neighbourhoods, the IS (with the Scottish Health and Inequalities Impact Assessment Network and the Spatial Planning for Health and Wellbeing Collaborative Group) has published a report comparing application of policy to deliver a 20 minute neighbourhood approach to a more traditional spatial planning approach.

In this briefing, Irene Beautyman, our Planning for Place Programme Manager, summarises key issues, recommendations and research questions raised in that report.