Congratulations to Muirhouse filmmaker Garry Fraser on winning a BAFTA Scotland New Talent Factual category for his autobiographical film ‘Everybody’s Child’ last night.
The acclaimed documentary – filmed mainly in Muirhouse and Pennywell – tells the story of Gary’s childhood and his later battles with heroin addiction. Remarkably ‘Everybody’s Child’ was a first documentary for Garry, who studied film making at Telford College.
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Should Scotland be an independent country?
Scotland’s referendum will be held on 18 September next year, First Minister Alex Salmond announced in the Scottish Parliament today. The date is contained in the Scottish Independence Referendum Bill, introduced to the Parliament and published today, which also confirms that voters will be asked the question: Should Scotland be an independent country?.
The legislation provides that the referendum will be:
Mr Salmond said: “On 18th September 2014 people across Scotland will vote to determine their country’s future. It will be a historic day, and one on which this ancient nation decides its place in the world. People will be able to choose if they want a Scotland that is independent and able to make her own decisions – with a Scottish Parliament that is responsible for making the most of Scotland’s rich resources to benefit its communities and safeguard the welfare of our most vulnerable citizens and accountable for how we engage other nations around the world.
“Devolution has shown how we can use Holyrood’s powers to improve lives in the policy areas where we are already effectively independent. Scotland has made great strides since our national Parliament was reconvened in 1999 after almost 300 years. We are a more confident country, secure in the knowledge that when we take decisions for ourselves we can help make this a better place to live for all our citizens.
“Landmark policies introduced since devolution have made Scotland a safer, healthier and fairer country. Throughout the Parliament’s history, we have used our powers for progressive purposes – such as free personal care, pioneering homelessness legislation, an end to tuition fees, and protecting the National Health Service.
“But we can and must do more – and only the powers of an independent Parliament with control of the economy, of international representation and of security will allow us to make the most of our huge national potential. Scotland now faces two futures: continuing with an outdated political entity that ill-serves the interests of the people of Scotland – a system that will continue to give us governments we didn’t vote for. Or independence, where Scotland will get a Parliament that is both fully empowered and fully accountable to those whose lives are affected by its actions.
“With full economic levers and access to our huge natural resources, we can not only defend the progress made with devolution but we can become a fairer, more prosperous society. And one where a new, 21st Century relationship is forged between the nations of these islands and with the wider community of nations. 18 September 2014 can be a date which becomes etched in our nation’s story as the day Scotland took a decisive step forward to a better, fairer future.”
Opposition parties who support the Union – including Labour, Conservatives and the Lib Dems – argue Scotland is better off as part of the wider UK. Scottish Labour Johann Lamont responded to news of the referendum date by accusing the government of ‘putting Scotland on pause’.
She said: “If the hand of history is on the First Minister’s shoulder I wish it would give him a shove and he’d get on with it. This is the man who got into power by playing down his belief in independence. And there will be many people who voted SNP but don’t believe in independence who will breathe a sigh of relief, like me, that the date when we can finish this constitutional debate once and for all and get on with dealing with the real issues and priorities of Scotland is now in sight. Until then Scotland remains on pause.
“What I do not understand is that why if leaving the United Kingdom is the key to Scotland’s prosperity, why he wants Scotland to languish for another year and a half before we get the chance to vote on it. The truth behind the delay is not that he is holding to a promise made to the electorate in a tv debate. The truth is Alex Salmond knows if he held the referendum now he wouldn’t just lose it he would be routed. All the self-aggrandizement of today isn’t just a sign of the First Minister’s usual pomposity. Making an occasion out of a delayed announcements, is an attempt to con the people into believing that we have moved a step towards independence when we haven’t.
“The truth is, I believe, we have moved a step down the road of cementing Scotland’s place in the United Kingdom. If today is the day when the debate starts in earnest then it should also be the day when the First Minister breaks the habit of a lifetime and starts answering questions. What controls would the Bank of England, by then a foreign bank, have over the policies of the government of a separate Scotland? What would the deal be if Scotland became a new member of the European Union?
“Alex Salmond has avoided giving detailed answers to these questions and many more in the years past, in the months ahead the people of Scotland will hold him to account. He plans to hold the referendum in the autumn of next year and to publish his white paper in the autumn of this. Why the delay? If we are to have the transparent debate the First Minister says he wants, why does he not publish his full independence plans now. If he wants a proper debate then he must disclose that white paper today. If not the whole country will be asking: What’s the plan, Alex?”
Who do you believe? Whatever your current opinion, both sides of the argument now have eighteen long months to persuade and convince voters.
And they say a week is a long time in politics … !
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We’ve made a wee film of Stockbridge Market setting up ( its 82 seconds long and quite funny) so do have a look and feel free to pass it on – we’re aiming for viral … !
Stockbridge Market – YouTube
Beth
Stockbridge Market
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Drylaw Parish Church is holding a Trash and Treasure Sale in aid of the MS Society this Saturday from 11am – 1-pm – get in early to bag a bargain! Books, bric a brac and lots more; refreshments also served.
Incidentally last month’s Scots Afternoon at Drylaw Church was a huge success and raised over £150 for charity.
Drylaw Telford Community Council members will have plenty to discuss at next week’s regular monthly meeting. The possible introduction of new priority parking regulations in Maidencraig and Telford, the 21st Century Homes planning application for the vacant site off Ferry Road, the community council’s website and The Thomas Tierney Award recipient for 2013 – carried over from last month – are all on the agenda for discussion. There may also be time to discuss this year’s community council elections and there’s likely to be an update on the De Vere planning application for Helix House at Crewe Toll.
The meeting wll be held on Wednesday 27 March at 7pm in Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre, and, as always, members of the public are most welcome to attend. Hope to see you there!
Selex ES, a Finmeccanica Company, will celebrate 25 years of collaboration with the Edinburgh International Science Festival (EISF) next month – and the Crewe Toll-based company will once again provide stimulating activities to inspire young people to pursue careers in science, engineering and technology.
On April 3, John Innes, Head of Business Innovation for Selex ES, will be participating in a panel discussion at EISF which will explore potential applications of bioengineering in a range of settings from the medical to the industrial and scientific.
Selex ES will also be offering children the chance to build their own robot in a workshop, then race their creation round an obstacle course at their Rampaging Chariots Display at the City Arts Centre. This year the theme of the children’s robot design competition will chime with that of the panel discussion, as children will be asked to look at the biological sensors present in the animal kingdom and then apply these sensors to the design of their robots to improve their capability.
Alastair Morrison, SVP, Radar and Advanced Targeting said: “Selex ES is delighted to support the Science Festival and generate an interest in engineering through our Rampaging Chariots competition.”
Dr Simon Gage, Director of the Edinburgh International Science Festival, said “Selex ES have been an invaluable supporter of the Science Festival for all 25 years of our existence and their involvement this year spans both the family and the adult programme, offering intellectual stimulation and challenges for all ages.”
The Scottish SPCA is appealing for information after a hamster was found loose on a Leith street during the recent blizzards. The animal welfare charity was contacted on Monday evening (18 March) after a member of the public spotted the little rodent on Spey Street, just off Pilrig Street. Now named Poppy, the female Syrian hamster is being cared for at SSPCA’s Edinburgh and Lothians Animal Rescue and Rehoming Centre.
Animal Rescue Officer Duncan Robertson said, “Poppy is around a year old and in good condition. It’s very lucky she was found by someone who helped her as there was a severe blizzard on Monday evening and it was bitterly cold. Poppy was found in Leith, which is a built up area with lots of flats nearby. Hamsters are fast creatures and can wriggle through small spaces so there is a chance she has escaped from home.
“However, we are keeping an open mind at this stage and can’t rule out the possibility she may have been abandoned by her owner. Poppy could have easily come to harm so we’re really glad she’s now safe. We’re keen to hear from anyone who recognises Poppy and, in the meantime, we’ll ensure she receives the care she needs. “If no-one comes forward, we’ll be looking to find Poppy a loving new home.”
Anyone with information is being asked to contact the SSPCA Animal Helpline on 03000 999 999.
A collection of concerned local groups and tenants organisations have organised a public meeting to discuss a community response to the imminent introduction of the controversial ‘bedroom tax’.
The meeting takes place tonight (Tuesday) at 7pm in Craigroyston Community High School on Pennywell Road. Speakers from Govan Law Centre and Granton Information Centre.
All welcome.
The Scottish Government issued advice to landlords on the ‘Bedroom Tax’ yesterday:
Landlords should consider all possible options and use all reasonable means to prevent evictions of housing tenants struggling to pay rent due to the bedroom tax, Housing Minister Margaret Burgess said yesterday.
The Scottish Government has called for the UK Government’s under occupancy measures, that will cut housing benefit for those deemed to have a spare room, to be scrapped.
However, the policy remains set to come into force in April, and the Scottish Government has already made extra funding available to help provide advice and support for those who will lose out.
The Minister has now also written to landlords across Scotland to encourage them to consider the example of Dundee City Council, which is protecting tenants who genuinely cannot make up the shortfall in rent caused by the bedroom tax, which comes into force in April.
The Council has committed that, where the Director of Housing is satisfied that affected tenants are doing all that can be reasonably expected to in order to avoid falling into arrears, they will use all legitimate means to collect rent due, except eviction.
The letter also makes landlords aware that in certain circumstances it may be possible to reclassify rooms so they are not considered bedrooms. For example, this may help tenants who use an extra room to store equipment related to a disability and therefore do not use that room as a bedroom.
Mrs Burgess’ letter also:
Mrs Burgess said:
“I have made the Scottish Government’s opposition to the bedroom tax absolutely clear. Indeed, I put the case for it to be scrapped in the strongest terms to Lord Freud when we met in London.
“Sadly there appears to be indifference to this argument at Westminster, despite strong opposition from across Scotland.
“This will undoubtedly be leaving tenants, some of whom could lose a quarter of their housing benefit in April, seriously worried.
“That is why we have made an extra £2.5 million available to social landlords to ensure people affected by housing benefits changes have the advice and support they need. That is on top of the £5.4 million we have already provided to advice services to help those affected by benefit reforms.
“I have now written to landlords to encourage them to look sympathetically on tenants affected. We already have strong safeguards in place to ensure eviction is an absolute last resort. While we do not want to see tenants run up debts they cannot pay, it is important, in what will be challenging times, that extra consideration is given to people who are having housing benefit taken away.
“Dundee City Council has taken innovative action on this, clarifying that, where tenants are doing all that can be reasonably expected in order to avoid falling into arrears, they will use all legitimate means to collect rent due, except eviction. I know other councils are also working towards a similar position and I hope landlords across Scotland can follow this example.
“There are also circumstances where a bedroom’s classification may be changed and tenants not penalised. Again, I would encourage landlords to consider this possibility and work with their local authority if at all possible.
“But we simply cannot mitigate all the negative impacts of welfare reform or the bedroom tax.
“This illustrates that rather than simply trying to cushion the blows in Scotland, we need the powers of independence to cut them off at source. It would be far better to control benefits and welfare so unfair policies like the bedroom tax are not even considered, let alone implemented.”
Text from the letter includes:
“The bedroom tax also takes no account of circumstances in Scotland. Of the estimated 105,000 households in Scotland which will be affected by the penalty, around 78,000 would need to move to one bedroom accommodation in order to avoid the penalty. Last year there were also 23,000 homeless applications which would require one bedroom accommodation under DWP’s criteria. However there are only around 20,000 social lets of one bedroom properties each year.”
On DHPs:
“The Department for Work and Pension’s answer to this is in Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs). However, this is inadequate in Scotland. By DWP’s own analysis, London and Scotland will have the same number of people affected by the bedroom tax. However, London is set to receive £56m in DHPs while Scotland will receive £10m. This is just 6.5% of the total DHP allocation for next year despite having 16% of the total number of people due to be affected by the bedroom tax in Great Britain.”
On reclassification of bedrooms:
“I would also like to make you aware of flexibility that exists to classify bedrooms in your properties for the purpose of housing benefit. A process of reclassification is available, on a variety of grounds, for properties where circumstances change. For example, where a tenant requires an extra room to store equipment if he or she is disabled and therefore cannot use that room as a bedroom. The process is one that DWP leave up to the consideration of landlords and Local Authorities and involves landlords contacting their local authority Housing Benefit section to inform them of the change of classification.”
On tenants and landlords:
“We all agree that evictions are seen as a last resort. While we absolutely do not want to see tenants run up debts they cannot pay, or see landlords left out of pocket, this will be a very difficult time, when those who lose out will benefit from extra support and understanding. We have already provided additional protection for tenants through Pre Action Requirements.
“You may wish to be aware of the policy adopted by Dundee City Council which I believe provides a useful template to protect tenants who genuinely cannot make up the shortfall in rent caused by the bedroom tax. The Council has committed that, where the Director of Housing is satisfied that affected tenants are doing all that can be reasonably expected to in order to avoid falling into arrears, they will use all legitimate means to collect rent due, except eviction. I would encourage you to consider this as a mechanism to protect the most vulnerable of your tenants.”
Scotland is lagging behind the UK as a whole in the number of shoppers being attracted to retail outlets, according to a new report. Scottish Retail Consortium says that February’s total retail footfall was down 2.5% in Scotland compared to last year, while the UK as a whole managed an average increase of 0.8% over the same period.
Only North England and Yorkshire (down 2.7%) fared worse than Scotland in the survey, and Scottish Retail Consortium director Fiona Moriarty believes that the disappointing Scottish figures reflect low levels of consumer confidence and lower levels of sales growth.
“Although February’s sales figures showed some encouraging signs of improvement, we are reminded that the economic and trading environment remains fragile,” she said. “Scottish retailers will be hoping that the arrival of spring and seasonal lifts from Mother’s Day and Easter help to elevate this underwhelming figure into more positive territory in the coming months.”
The report confirms the tough conditions faced by retailers across the country. Recent research by PwC and the Local Data Company revealed that the number of stores closed by retail chains soared over the past twelve months, with major chains shutting an average of twenty shops a day last year. That figure increased in the last three months of 2012 as a spate of big household names went into administration.
The face of the High Street is changing – shops selling products like CDs and computer games, cards and clothes are closing, often being replaced by payday loan providers, pawnbrokers and pound stores. The PwC survey found a reduction of nearly 1,800 shops over 2012, a ten-fold increase on the year before – and more High Street chains fell into insolvency last year than ever before.
Latest figures estimate that as many as one in ten shops in Scotland is currently lying empty; just one more statistic for the Chancellor to consider as he puts the finishing touches to tomorrow’s Budget statement.
A 50-year-old woman has died after a fire in a flat in Leith yesterday morning (17 March).
Firefighters were called to a fire in a top floor property on Albion Road just after 7.30am. Two firefighters in breathing apparatus and using a high-pressure hose reel entered the flat to tackle the blaze.
They discovered a woman inside. She was removed from the premises by crews and treated by ambulance personnel at the scene, but was pronounced dead a short time later.
The fire was extinguished shortly before 8am.
Eight fire appliances and a total of 26 firefighters were involved at the incident. They remained on scene for a number of hours ensuring hot spots were extinguished, cutting away damage and venting smoke from the property. A fire investigation into the cause of the blaze was also instigated.
A spokeswoman for Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service said: “Although firefighters were on the scene very quickly the female occupant of the property was pronounced dead a short time after being rescued from the flat. Initial investigations suggest there were no working smoke alarms in the property and that the alarm was raised by a neighbour who smelled smoke in the common stair.
“It is always very tragic to record a fatality at the scene of a fire. Sadly smoke can overcome people in minutes. Although a full investigation into the circumstances of this incident is still ongoing we would like to take the opportunity to remind people to ensure that they have adequate smoke detection in their homes. A working smoke alarm can give vital early warning if fire does break out in your home.
“If you would like more information about fire safety or would like to arrange a free home fire safety visit and fitting of free smoke detectors as required you can contact us on 0800 169 0320.”
