Friday, November 02, 2018

The Edinburgh Divide

Inequality in Edinburgh is unlike any other city in Scotland. The clue is in the fact it’s the “capital” city. Capital in this context being another word for money. Nearly 45 per cent of the population hold a degree or professional qualification

In places like Dundee and Glasgow, social classes usually exist side by side, often just a corporation brick’s throw away from each other. In Edinburgh, it’s a little different. Areas of prosperity are fortified near the centre, while deprived communities tend to exist on the periphery. House prices in some places are enough to make your eyes water.  A quarter of all secondary school pupils attend fee-paying schools.

Yet social deprivation is higher than the national average, which is a bit odd considering the vast wealth so clearly on display. A quarter of all people in Auld Reekie live in poverty, including one in five children – 20,000 to be more specific. Food bank use is at record levels, with one food relief project handing out more than 9500 emergency food supplies this year. That’s an 18.5 per cent rise on last year and more than twice the number being handed out five years ago – when everyone believed food banks were a temporary thing.

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/rapper-loki-edinburghs-poor-locked-13513965

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