Tourism businesses in the Scottish Borders and Midlothian are embarking on a new marketing campaign designed to revolutionise the area’s visitor economy. Continue reading Scotland Starts Here! New tourism drive launched for the Scottish Borders and Midlothian
Applications will be taken in advance for Scottish Child Payment to help with expected high demand.
An estimated 170,000 children will be eligible for the new £10 weekly Scottish Child Payment when it goes live later this year.
To help manage demand, families will be invited to apply in advance of the benefit being introduced in the autumn. Parents will be able to apply by post, phone and online.
Applications will be assessed for eligibility in the autumn with the first payments made by Christmas.
In an additional move to assist families, Best Start Grant payments, Best Start Foods and the new Scottish Child Payment will all be available through a single application – making it more straightforward for people to access the money they are entitled to.
Social Security Secretary Shirley Anne Somerville said: “The Scottish Child Payment has rightly been described as game-changing in terms of the potential to reduce child poverty.
“That is why we are doing everything we can to introduce this as early as possible, whilst ensuring we do so in a way that is safe and secure and protects implementation plans for the other social security benefits.
“When we launched the Best Start Grant payments we experienced significant demand with 14,000 applications in the week that we opened the School Age Payment. With 170,000 children from approximately 140,000 households expected to qualify for Scottish Child Payment, eligibility is on a unprecedented scale and, as this is a recurring payment, it also brings additional complexity.
“We are gearing up to process applications carefully, accurately and efficiently. We are building capacity across our processes, systems, premises and people. And with the roll-out plan, we are asking families to help us by getting their applications in early so that we can process and start making payments as quickly as possible once this new benefit has been introduced.”
Police Scotland has released images of two men they wish to speak with in connection to an ongoing investigation into a serious assault in the city centre.
The incident took place around 2.20am on Tuesday, 15 October, 2019, in St Andrew Square. A 23-year-old man was assaulted outside a restaurant on the square, close to the junction with George Street and was taken to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary where he was treated for a serious facial injury.
Officers believe the men pictured may have information to assist their investigation and anyone who recognises them is urged to come forward.
The male in images one and two is described as white, aged between 18-22, of slim build with short brown hair. He is seen in the images to be wearing a black coloured polo shirt with a design on the collar, and is believed to have been wearing knee-length dark coloured shorts and white trainers.
The male in image three is also described as aged between 18-22, of slim build with short dark hair. He is seen wearing a black t-shirt with white writing to the chest and is believed to have been wearing black jeans and white trainers.
Detective Constable Tom Kerr of Gayfield CID said: “The victim was subjected to an unprovoked attack which left him with a serious facial injury that required surgical treatment in hospital.
“I would urge anyone with information as to the identity of the men pictured to contact Police Scotland via 101, quoting incident number 0260 of 15th October 2019. Alternatively please contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, where anonymity can be maintained.”
A ground-breaking clinical drug trial for Motor Neurone Disease (MND) has been launched thanks to a £1.5 million investment from the charity MND Scotland. Continue reading Ground-breaking MND drug trial launched
Amid media reports that security costs for UN Climate Change Conference (COP 26) in Glasgow could cost “several hundred million pounds”, GMB Scotland Secretary Gary Smith said: “The prospect of hundreds of millions of pounds of public money spent on policing costs alone will sicken frontline council staff and struggling local communities.
“The world’s political elite will swoop in and out of Glasgow later in the year but the city’s many challenges will remain the day after the circus leave town.
“What exactly are we hoping to showcase by hosting this summit?
“The Glasgow waste crisis is getting worse – you only need to look at the latest footage of the conditions facing cleansing workers on a daily basis.
“Our home carers are working alone on foot at night to provide basic home care help for some of our most vulnerable citizens.
“The council needs to find an additional £250 million to settle residual equal pay claims for tens of thousands of council staff past and present.
“It also needs to replace its discriminatory WPBR with a new job evaluation system lifts up the pay and conditions of chronically low-paid staff.
“Our priorities are all wrong. The best thing government could do for Glasgow is to ditch hosting the COP and instead invest the money in dealing with the state of the city.”
Up to 200 world leaders are expected to attend the 2020 UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 26) from 9 – 19 November. The event is being hosted by the UK Government, but exactly who will foot the massive security bill is still to be agreed.
Rest assured, though, that whether it’s Westminster, Holyrood or both sharing the burden – one way or another, you and I will ultimately pick up the tab!
Gordon Macdonald MSP joined campaigners to call for support to ensure every person with arthritis who can work has the support they need. Continue reading MSP calls for better support to keep people with arthritis in work
Following action by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS), Whirlpool is recalling and replacing an estimated 500,000 Indesit and Hotpoint washing machines. Continue reading Whirlpool issues washing machine recall
Heather Kiteley will become the Chief Executive of the Port of Leith Housing Association (PoLHA) Group when Keith Anderson retires in May. Continue reading Port of Leith Housing Association names new Chief Executive
NHS Lothian has ‘welcomed’ the publication of Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s Royal Hospital for Sick Children (RHSC) and Department of Clinical Neurosciences (DCN) inspection report.
Continue reading NHS Lothian praises staff as health watchdog publishes inspection report
Local projects North Edinburgh Arts and The Yard (Scotland Yard Adventure Centre) are among the organisations sharing in over £5 million of National Lottery funding today. Continue reading Lottery Community Fund boost for local projects
