Despite a vote on Friday, questions remain long-term. 

Charities across Edinburgh have been given a stay of execution after a city committee voted to reject proposals to cut to this year’s health and social care budget. 

At a meeting on Friday in the capital’s City Chambers, councillors voted down a plan to end this year’s funding to 64 organisations across the city - many of whom are charities and community groups. 

The Edinburgh Integration Joint Board (EIJB) is said to be facing a financial crisis, with the future of its programme of funding to groups across the city in jeopardy. 

The proposals for this year would have saved £750,000, but a further attempt to save £4.5million from March onwards has been sent back to the area’s health board for further consideration, meaning charities are not yet out of the woods. 

Councillors called for further cash to be provided to cover the above shortfall following the UK’s Government’s uplift in funding to Scotland in last week’s budget. 

A protest was held outside the chambers as the meeting went on, with voices from across the third sector underlining the important of the funding to both organisations and ordinary people across the capital. 

Katharina Kasper, chair of the joint board, told Edinburgh Live: “The EIJB has listened to voices across Edinburgh and has voted not to proceed with in-year savings to third sector grants at this time.

"We have also agreed that the long-term under-funding of the EIJB cannot continue."We have committed to working with third sector partners and our partners in the City of Edinburgh Council and NHS Lothian to find a way forward which supports charities across the city.

"The EIJB's budget deficit which was inherited from its partners in 2016 remains, with £60m savings required this year and £50m next year. The EIJB has a legal duty to protect core services such as care homes and drug death prevention services. If a solution cannot be found we will have to come back with a recovery plan to make these savings.”