Scottish Women's Budget Group | SWBG blog

Whose priorities are considered when local governments allocate budgets?

Site administrator — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 14:46:00 +0000

One of the first things we discuss with the Economic Empowerment Group is that budgets reflect a government’s priorities. It was therefore interesting to hear those introducing local government budgets articulate this so clearly. Phrases such as “this budget sets out what matters to the people” and “our priorities are shared priorities with the people of...” were frequently used.

What does £7.6 million mean? Reflections on stage 1 and stage 2 of the 2026-27 Scottish Budget Bill

Site administrator — Mon, 09 Mar 2026 11:55:00 +0000

Our Economic Empowerment group met last week to consider Stage 1 and Stage 2 of the Scottish Budget bill, the final legislative step in the Scottish Government’s annual budget process.

How good was this year’s Strategic Integrated Impact Assessment? The Women’s Economic Empowerment Group share their views

Site administrator — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 12:36:00 +0000

At the latest meeting of our Women’s Economic Empowerment Project, we explored how the Scottish Government considered equalities within its budget-setting process, particularly in relation to its duties under the Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED).

Does the Draft Scottish Budget Meet Women’s Needs? The Women’s Economic Empowerment Group Discuss

Site administrator — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 12:33:00 +0000

The women’s economic empowerment group met after the Cabinet Secretary presented her budget to Parliament last week. The discussion focused on whether they felt their needs and the needs of women reflected in the budget decisions taken.

Reaction to the Scottish Budget 2026-27

Carmen Martinez — Tue, 13 Jan 2026 18:03:00 +0000

This blog will be updated over the coming days as we take time to go through the budget documentation.

Women’s Voices on Pre-Budget Scrutiny: Perspectives from the Women’s Economic Empowerment Group

Site administrator — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 11:52:00 +0000

In the run up to the introduction of the Scottish budget for 26-27, our Women’s Economic Empowerment group looked at the pre-budget scrutiny undertaken by two parliamentary committees: the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee and the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee.

Women’s Voices on the UK Budget: Reflections from Our Economic Empowerment Project

Site administrator — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 11:27:00 +0000

In this blog, our Training Lead, Heather Williams, shares the reflections of the women who are taking part in our second Economic Empowerment project.

Labour’s second budget, did the Chancellor get it right?

Carmen Martinez — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 17:49:00 +0000

Blog by Sara Cowan, Director, and Carmen Martinez, Policy and Engagement Lead

Don´t let the wind blow our mandala

Site administrator — Thu, 12 Jun 2025 11:19:00 +0100

In this powerful blog, Arantxa Garcia de Sola — a member of the project’s Steering Group — reflects on her experience contributing to the newly published report on Poverty and Inequality in Aberdeen.

Voices from the Front Line - researching social care workers' experiences in Scotland

Heather Williams — Thu, 15 May 2025 13:44:00 +0100

In this blog SWBG Training and Participation Lead, Heather Williams, reflects on our recently published research Voices from the Front Line: Social care workers in Scotland.

Beyond Scotland: what does childcare look like elsewhere?

Site administrator — Tue, 17 Dec 2024 17:06:00 +0000

Over the past year, the Scottish Women’s Budget Group has been exploring different aspects of Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) policy in Scotland: from affordability to flexibility (or lack thereof) of services, to the economic impact of investing in childcare (both in the short and long term). While these webinars have touched on some international examples of best practice, the last event of the series sought to address a question left untouched: what does childcare look like elsewhere? The webinar heard from speakers from Canada, France and Estonia.

Reflecting on the Scottish Draft Budget 2025-2026

Site administrator — Thu, 05 Dec 2024 16:45:00 +0000

While it’ll take some time to go through all the budget documentation, including equality impact assessments, and delve into the detail of the Equality and Fairer Scotland Statement, our first take on the budget is that it offers glimmers of hope for women who are feeling the crunch of years of rising prices. Yet more still needs to be done to invest in care and raise further revenue to support public services.

Responding to news of the delay of stage 2 of the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill

Site administrator — Thu, 14 Nov 2024 14:13:00 +0000

The delay announced by the Minister for Social Care may not come as a surprise to anyone. The process for developing the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill has lost sight of the vision shared by those who use care services and carers in the development of the Independent Review on Adult Social Care.

Edinburgh Integration Joint Board Grants Programme

Carmen Martinez — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 15:02:00 +0000

Heather Williams, Training Lead at the Scottish Women’s Budget Group, discusses the latest proposals made by Edinburgh Integration Joint Board on their Grants Programme

Reflections on the UK Budget

Carmen Martinez — Fri, 01 Nov 2024 10:29:00 +0000

Our Coordinator, Sara Cowan, shares her thoughts on the UK Autumn Statement

Reflecting on Challenge Poverty Week 2024

Carmen Martinez — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 08:59:00 +0100

Our Policy and Engagement Lead, Carmen Martinez, reflects on this year’s Challenge Poverty Week.

Is investing in childcare worth it? A summary

Carmen Martinez — Wed, 25 Sep 2024 13:50:00 +0100

The Scottish Women’s Budget Group (SWBG) is hosting a series of events focusing on the need and rationales for further investment in childcare. Our first two events examined issues of affordability and lack of flexibility in childcare provision in Scotland. The third webinar in this series, “Is investing in childcare worth it?”, delved into how investing in childcare is crucial to supporting the creation of a more inclusive and prosperous economy, as well as child development.

News! Fa'side Women and Girls Group Award Winning Work

Carmen Martinez — Wed, 19 Jun 2024 15:42:00 +0100

Fa'side Women and Girls Group has been recognised for its inter-generational approach to its cost-of-living project jointly delivered with Making Rights Real and The Scottish Women's Budget Group.

Women’s Work: The Juggling Act of Multiple Jobs

Carmen Martinez — Mon, 20 May 2024 09:10:00 +0100

Guest blog by Louise Lawson, Lecturer in Public Policy and Health Policy in the School of Social and Political Sciences, University of Glasgow

Recognising the needs of parents of multiples in the upcoming Programme for Government

Carmen Martinez — Thu, 16 May 2024 13:11:00 +0100

Joint blog by Carmen Martinez, SWBG's Coordinator, and Carole Erskine, Head of Policy & Campaigns at Pregnant then Screwed Scotland.