Day: May 26, 2020

University AI technology delivers in troubled times

Foodel app is free for local businesses and charities to use

AN Edinburgh Napier lecturer has created a simple app to help local businesses and charities organise home deliveries during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Dr Neil Urquhart, from the School of Computing, based Foodel on a simple program originally designed to teach students about practical uses of artificial intelligence.

The user creates a file of deliveries which is dropped into the app.  The app divides the deliveries into rounds, and arranges each round in an efficient order. It also produces maps and schedules.

The app has been used by the Leaf & Bean Café in Edinburgh’s Morningside, and Neil is also working with other businesses and charities in a bid to make the technology as user-friendly as possible.

He said: “The routing is driven by artificial intelligence and is based on research carried out here at the School of Computing.

“The app is free to download from www.foodel.info for any organisation to make use of free of charge, and is one of a number of Edinburgh Napier initiatives designed to support our communities through these troubled times.”

Foodel takes its input in a simple spreadsheet and produces GPX and KML files which may be uploaded to maps and GPS devices.

Written in Java, it can be run on Windows as well as Mac OS. It uses Open Streetmap data and GraphHopper for routing, with the rounds organised using a state of the art Evolutionary Algorithm.

Neil said: “It is designed to be easy to use, but I am happy to be contacted at n.urquhart@napier.ac.uk if support is needed.  It is also free to use during the current public health crisis – all I ask is that I get some feedback.”

MCR Pathways to provide 300 disadvantaged young Scots with internet access

MENTORING charity, MCR Pathways, is helping to provide a digital lifeline to the country’s most disadvantaged young people living in homes without computers and internet access.

It is feared these young people are being left behind adding to a growing crisis in the attainment gap. MCR will especially focus on school leavers to support them individually through this unprecedented period of uncertainty and anxiety.

Since lockdown in the UK, the award-winning mentoring charity has connected over 1,300 young people with their staff and mentors via video calls, live chat and emails.

As one young person, Chloe, said of her mentor: “You need someone to remind you that you can do it, that you’re going somewhere and that the only thing that will get you there is not giving up.

“That’s what a mentor does. Being isolated in lockdown, it’s even more important to know that the work you’re doing is for something, that someone believes in your future and just that someone actually cares.”

Now, helped with funding from the Scottish Government and JP Morgan, MCR will provide internet accessand computers for up to 300 young people who live in households without access to the vital support network of the school and their mentors.

Working in partnership with local authorities and schools, MCR will extend its comprehensive virtual mentoring programme further across the country.

Cabinet Secretary for Communities, Aileen Campbell, said: “MCR Pathways provides crucial support for children and young people across Scotland so it’s fitting that we are able to provide this funding during Mental Health Awareness Week to allow them to continue to provide this support digitally during the current pandemic.

“We need to continue to support all of our children’s health and wellbeing, but even more so disadvantaged children, who often rely on school life for a safe, nurturing and supportive environment. This additional funding will enable more children and young people and their families to maintain the vital mentoring relationships that have been developed through the programme.”

Iain MacRitchie, founder of MCR Pathways, said: “Since the start of the lockdown, our team has worked tirelessly to maintain the crucial relationships between volunteer mentors and our young people.

“Sadly, lockdown has highlighted deep-rooted inequalities with some young people being unable to access the internet and do any school work from home. With schools to remain closed until after the summer, we needed to act now to prevent young people from feeling isolated and disconnected.

“We are delighted to have secured funding from the Scottish Government and JP Morgan to enable us to provide internet access and equipment for at least 300 young people. The strong relationships between our school staff and young people have enabled us to quickly identify those most in need, and to reconnect them with their mentors.

“This now marks the longest time young people have been absent from school and we have yet to quantify the impact on all sections of society. One-to-one support and the dedication of our committed teachers is desperately needed to limit the serious and significant challenges faced by our disadvantaged young people during lockdown. We simply cannot allow the attainment gap to widen even further.

“Our commitment to helping every care-experienced and disadvantaged young person in Scotland secure equal education and life chances, is stronger than ever. The impact of the virus on our young people is huge and every inequality is exacerbated, but it has also made us even more determined to do whatever it takes for each and every one of them.”

Hang Ho, head of Global Philanthropy, J.P. Morgan, said: “It’s more important than ever to support these young people. In the current environment, the internet is crucial for accessing learning and essential school resources.

“Ensuring young people stay connected to their mentors and continue to benefit from that relationship has never been more critical.”

The programme has received praise from mentors and young people for the range of virtual meeting options it has introduced to facilitate ongoing relationships.

MCR mentor Bernadine Blair recently had her first video call with her mentee whom she normally meets weekly at Bannerman High School, Glasgow. She said: “It was so good to catch up with my mentee.

“To me, it was like catching up with a friend that you haven’t seen for a while and was lovely! We discussed anything and everything.

“I think it is really important to continue face-to-face conversations during these strange and difficult times as there is more pressure on individuals, not only physically with social distancing, but mentally.”

Bernadine’s mentee was equally pleased at the opportunity to meet online: “Meeting by video chat was the best experience I could have had with my mentor, it was great chatting to someone from outside my family.”

At the core of the MCR programme are mentoring sessions between a young person and their mentor who is fully trained to listen and encourage a young person.

Building caring and trusting relationships is at the heart of the recent Care Review Recommendations and MCR mentoring is a highly effective way for this to be implemented.

Return to work toolkit to help employers create a safer workplace

With backing from several national organisations, Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM) has launched a Return to Work after the Covid-19 Lockdown toolkit designed to help employers and occupational health professionals get the nation back to work, safely.

Dr Will Ponsonby, President of SOM, said: “The directions and advice from the UK Government, the Health and Safety Executive, and Public Health England are necessary but not sufficient to support return to work. Our toolkit will help employers manage risk alongside their legal obligations, which will ensure workers feel confident to go back to work safely.”

The toolkit, free to download from the SOM website, is supported by the following organisations, the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS), the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), Business in the Community (BITC), and MIND, the mental health charity. The Bevan Commission supported a pre-launch of the toolkit on 13th May.

Peter Cheese, CEO CIPD, said: “We have to plan ahead for what is likely to be a staged return to work over what could be prolonged periods. Employers need to be clear about the principles of how we do this well.

“Central to those principles should be how we take care of our people, as many people will be concerned and anxious about being in workplaces or travelling to workplaces. The toolkit from SOM will help employers put into place systems that will allay those fears.”

Amanda Mackenzie, CEO BITC, said: “We want people coming back to work motivated to build back better. Companies must realise that COVID is not a great leveller.

“Some groups require more support than others. As responsible businesses, we must step up and meet this new challenge with our eyes open, which this toolkit will help people do.”

SOM understands that for most businesses, helping workers return safely and productively will be a considerable challenge. Its advice is for businesses to plan for any return, and any plans should have the agreement of managers, human resource professionals, the workers themselves and the unions that represent them.

The complexity of any return to work plan will reflect the size of the organisation and the SOM toolkit includes step-by-step advice on how to do this. It also includes advice for occupational health professionals advising businesses.

The toolkit is available to download from www.som.org.uk

Couples jilted at altar by wedding venues cancelling big day – and pocketing their cash

Wedding venues are potentially breaking the law by exploiting unfair terms and conditions to avoid refunding couples for cancellations due to coronavirus, a new Which? investigation reveals.

Many frustrated couples have contacted Which? as they are struggling to get refunds, often worth tens of thousands of pounds, from venues for weddings cancelled or postponed due to the coronavirus crisis, in line with the government’s March 23 ban on large gatherings for weddings.

Of the 25 couples Which? has spoken to, 20 said their wedding venue refused to offer a refund or made the process for obtaining a refund difficult. A similar proportion said they had not been offered like-for-like dates or offered a refund if the price for the postponed date was cheaper. 17 couples said their venue has charged a fee to rebook or cancel their wedding and 15 couples said their venue has introduced new terms and conditions.

The consumer champion is reporting 12 wedding venues and organisers to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). It analysed the contracts of eight venues that had potentially unfair terms and conditions and heard from a further four couples whose venues were potentially breaching the regulator’s guidance on refunds and cancellations, which was issued last month after the CMA announced it was investigating this sector.

The CMA also outlined its expectations for businesses, in most cases, to refund customers if they cancel or cannot receive a service due to Government public health measures, including any non-refundable deposits or advance payments. It expects businesses to waive any admin fees for processing refunds too.

Which? received most complaints about the Bijou Weddings group, a family-run wedding venue chain. Some of the couples that had booked with Bijou said the venue told them just before the government announced a ban on weddings that not only had their weddings been cancelled, but that they were liable to pay a cancellation fee of 80 per cent of the total cost of their weddings.

In May, a number of Bijou customers reported new contract terms had appeared on the website, stating that couples could postpone if their original date was not possible due to the coronavirus pandemic, but with no reference to a refund. This would be in breach of the CMA’s guidance that states rebooking should not be offered instead of refunds.

Bijou told Which? the new contract uploaded to the site was a blank template and appeared due to an IT error. Which? has seen the new terms that appeared on the site after some couples were able to take a screenshot of the contract before it was removed.

By law, new terms and conditions must be fair and can be unenforceable if they give too much power to the business providing the service. Which? analysed the new and pre-existing terms and conditions from a number of wedding venues, including Bijou, and found some that could be seen as unfair and unenforceable as they significantly reduce customers’ rights.

Which? has also heard from Bijou customers who said the venue suggested they claim with their insurer to avoid refunding customers for cancelled weddings.

Claudia had booked her wedding at Bijou’s Botleys Mansion venue. When the venue cancelled and asked for an 80% cancellation fee, it suggested she claimed the money back from her insurer and used the money to rebook. Most insurers have refused to pay out for cancellations, so Claudia risked being left out of pocket and with no idea if or when she would be able to get her money back.

Most wedding insurers had stopped selling new policies by mid-March following a surge in demand. However, those with existing policies have found themselves caught between venues that refuse to pay out and insurers with unclear policies or “exclusion clauses” which mean they do not have to pay out either.

Another couple, Marcus and Georgina, said they had endured a “torturous” experience with the company. They were disappointed when Bijou’s Botleys Mansion refused to refund the price difference after their weekend wedding in June was postponed to a weekday. The venue insisted the CMA’s guidance would not entitle them to reimbursement if a like-for-like replacement is not available.

Emily and Louie, who had paid over £20,000 for their wedding at Bijou’s Cain Manor, said they “could not express the stress and heartbreak” caused by the venue who have not offered a like-for-like new date and refused to refund the difference.

Which? believes these complaints are just the tip of the iceberg and there could be an industry-wide issue when it comes to refunds and cancellations.

As well as two Bijou Weddings venues, Which? has shared information with the CMA on 10 other wedding venues who have potentially unfair terms and conditions or have potentially breached the regulator’s guidance, including Tournerbury Woods Estate in Hampshire.

The Hampshire-based venue claimed one couple would forfeit their fee if they wanted to rebook their cancelled May wedding for the same time next year. The couple has now been offered a refund, but only after weeks of trying to arrive at a solution.

Adam French, Which? Consumer Rights Expert, said: “We believe there may be a serious, industry-wide issue with wedding venues ducking their legal responsibilities on refunds and cancellations by using potentially unfair terms and conditions.

“While many wedding venues may have been financially impacted by the coronavirus crisis, couples who are likely to be devastated at having to cancel their big day should not be forced to bear the cost.

“The CMA is currently investigating this sector and must be ready to take firm action against venues found to be breaching consumer law so customers have some prospect of getting their money back.”

Bijou Group said: “We have been doing everything we can to navigate these very challenging times with as little disruption as possible to our couples and their big days, which we have been working on planning with them for up to two years, incurring significant costs along the way.

“The huge majority are very appreciative and understanding but there is unfortunately a very small minority (around eight or nine) who are not entirely satisfied and have taken to press, social media, review sites, solicitors and so on in an attempt to get what they want. We are considering every case, at length, individually to understand what we can do to help but must also be consistent and fair.

“Without cancellation charges like these, the industry would not be able to offer to consumers what it does at the prices that it does. The cancellation charges protect the venues, and there is wedding insurance to protect the couple.

“We did not cancel any weddings voluntarily – it was imposed on us – and this is exactly the situation for which wedding insurance exists.”

It told Which? Thursday-Sunday postponement dates were one of many options offered to couples.

Tournerbury Woods Estate said: “We have used our best endeavours to try and accommodate each of the couples’ varying needs and requirements to help with postponing their big day, to a day next year when we all hope the Covid 19 crisis will be over.

“Fortunately, we have managed to find a fairly swift and workable solution for the majority of the couples that have had to postpone their weddings.”

Crisis in Care Homes: People’s Assembly Scotland meeting tonight

Our “public” meeting focusing on the crisis in Care Homes is tonight – Tuesday 26th May at 7pm.

All are welcome to attend by using this link …

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 837 6700 9007

Password: 395182

“Social Care was in crisis before this pandemic arrived and made the situation many times worse and as you have seen in Care Homes exposed the failings in the sector.”

What do we want after the crisis?

Please share amongst your contacts and through your networks to ensure a good attendance.

Speakers include:

  • Deborah Clarke, Head of Community for UNISON Scotland.
  • Care worker Sandra Trotter

Phil McGarry (Chairperson) & Keith Stoddart (Secretary) 

Peoples Assembly Scotland

Cycle thefts: youth charged

Officers from Leith Police Station have charged a 15 year old boy in relation to the theft of pedal cycles.

Community Officers and Team 2 Response Officers recently recovered 5 bikes and have reunited 4 of them with their owners. Enquiries are still ongoing to identify the owner of one of the bikes.

Sergeant Elaine McArthur-Kerr from Leith Police Station said: “The coronavirus pandemic is changing the way we travel. The UK Government is actively encouraging everyone to use pedal bikes more and the City of Edinburgh Council are creating safe and accessible spaces for walking and cycling.

“Recent press reports indicate that bike sales have increased in the city and unfortunately it would appear that certain individuals or groups of people have decided to take advantage of this by stealing them while left locked and unattended.

“Our enquiries have resulted in a 15 year old boy being identified and charged in connection with recent thefts of bikes in the city and enquiries continue to identify others who may be involved.

“We are also keen to trace the owner of the Voodoo pedal cycle seen in the image on this post (above). If this is your bike please call 101 quoting incident 3746 of 20/05/2020.

If you have any information regarding the theft of pedal bikes I urge you to call police on 101, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111”.

Cummings row: Johnson tries to move on

The UK Government is desperately trying to draw a line under the Dominic Cummings furore this morning with a united message of ‘time to move on’, perhaps a message devised by the PM’s key special adviser himself.

Public anger is unlikely to dissipate following Mr Cummings unprecedented ‘je ne regrette rien’ press conference from the gardens of 10 Downing Street yesterday, however, and Cummings fate will now depend on Tory backbenchers, whose email inboxes will be overflowing with messages from constituents this morning.

While the cabinet has clearly adopted a united front to support Dominic Cummings, pressure from back bench MPs may yet see him removed from his post – particularly if new revelations are unearthed.

In ‘time to move on’ mode, Prime Minister Boris Johnson yesterday outlined plans to reopen shops in England.

Thousands of high street shops, department stores and shopping centres across England are set to reopen next month once they are COVID-19 secure and can show customers will be kept safe, the Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed.

The Prime Minister set out:

  • Outdoor markets and car showrooms in England will be able to reopen from 1 June, as soon as they are able to meet the COVID-19 secure guidelines to protect shoppers and workers. As with garden centres, the risk of transmission of the virus is lower in these outdoor and more open spaces. Car showrooms often have significant outdoor space and it is generally easier to apply social distancing.
  • All other non-essential retail including shops selling clothes, shoes, toys, furniture, books, and electronics, plus tailors, auction houses, photography studios, and indoor markets, will be expected to be able to reopen from 15 June if the Government’s five tests are met and they follow the COVID-19 secure guidelines, giving them three weeks to prepare.

Shops like supermarkets and pharmacies have been trading responsibly throughout the pandemic. Building on this and in line with the Government’s roadmap, reopening non-essential retail is the next step towards restoring people’s livelihoods, restarting the UK’s economy, and ensuring vital public services like the NHS continue to be funded.

Businesses will only be able to open from these dates once they have completed a risk assessment, in consultation with trade union representatives or workers, and are confident they are managing the risks. They must have taken the necessary steps to become COVID-19 secure in line with the current Health and Safety legislation.

The UK government is taking action to help English businesses re-open and protect their staff and customers, including:

Publishing updated COVID-secure guidelines for people who work in or run shops, branches, and stores, after consultation with businesses, union leaders, Public Health England and the Health and Safety Executive.

Working with local authorities to continue to carry out spot checks and follow up on concerns by members of the public.

The updated guidance takes into account the best practice demonstrated by the many retailers which have been allowed to remain open and have applied social distancing measures in store.

Measures that shops should consider include placing a poster in their windows to demonstrate awareness of the guidance and commitment to safety measures, storing returned items for 72 hours before putting them back out on the shop floor, placing protective coverings on large items touched by the public such as beds or sofas, and frequent cleaning of objects and surfaces that are touched regularly, including self-checkouts, trolleys, coffee machines and betting terminals, for example.

The vast majority of businesses will want to do everything possible to protect their staff and customers, but tough powers are in place to enforce action if they don’t, including fines and jail sentences of up to two years.

As per the roadmap, hairdressers, nail bars and beauty salons, and the hospitality sector, remain closed, because the risk of transmission in these environments is higher where long periods of person to person contact is required.

SCOTLAND, Wales and Northern Ireland will all announce their own plans. First Minister will outline more details of Scotland’s routemap to looen lockdown on Thursday.

Yesterday’s usual coronavirus daily press briefing was delayed while Dominic Cummings made his statement and was grilled by the nation’s press, but Prime Minister later led the press conference himself:

Good evening and welcome to the Number Ten Coronavirus Press Conference

Before I turn to this evening’s announcements, I want to update you on the latest data

  • 3,532,634 tests for coronavirus have now been carried out in the UK, including 73,726 tests carried out yesterday;
  • 261,184 people have tested positive, that’s an increase of 1,625 cases since yesterday;
  • 8,834 people are in hospital with COVID-19 in the UK, down (12%) from 10,092 this time last week;

And sadly, of those who tested positive for coronavirus, across all settings, 36,914 have now died. That’s an increase of 121 fatalities since yesterday. This new figure includes deaths in all settings not just in hospitals.

And once again my deepest condolences go out to all those who have lost their loved ones before their time. We must not, and will not, forget them.

Two weeks ago, I set out our road map for the next phase of our fight against Covid 19

It is a cautious plan, informed by the evidence about what is safe, and conditional upon our continued progress against the virus.

And we are making progress. Thanks to this country’s collective efforts, the key indicators are heading in the right direction. The daily number of deaths is down, the number of new cases is down, our survey evidence suggests the infection rate is falling, and the R has not risen above one.

So just over 2 weeks ago, we moved to step 1 of our plan, encouraging those who are unable to work from home to go back to work, with new guidelines setting out how workplaces can be made COVID-secure.

At the same time, we allowed people to spend more time outdoors and to meet one member of another household outside, provided they remain 2 metres apart.

I also said we would be able to move to step 2 of our plan no earlier than Monday 1 June – a week today.

We will set out our formal assessment of the 5 tests that we set for adjusting the lockdown later this week, as part of the 3 weekly-review we are legally required to undertake by Thursday.

But because of the progress we are making, I can, with confidence, put the British people on notice of the changes we intend to introduce as we move into step 2.

And I think it is important to give that notice, so that people have sufficient time to adjust and get ready before those changes come into effect.

Yesterday I set out our intention to begin reopening nurseries and particular years in primary schools, reception, year 1, year 6, from 1 June, followed by some contact for those secondary school pupils with exams next year from 15 June. Some contact for years 10 and 12 from 15 June with their teachers.

This announcement has given schools, teachers and parents clarity about our intentions, enabling them to prepare in earnest. The Department for Education is now engaging with teaching unions, councils and school leaders to help schools get ready.

Today, I want to give the retail sector notice of our intentions to reopen shops, so they too can get ready.

So I can announce that it is our intention to allow outdoor markets to reopen from June 1, subject to all premises being made COVID-secure, as well as car showrooms, which often have significant outdoor space and where it is generally easier to apply social distancing.

We know that the transmission of the virus is lower outdoors and that it is easier to follow Covid Secure guidelines in open spaces. That means we can also allow outdoor markets to reopen in a safe way that does not risk causing a second wave of the virus.

Then, from 15 June, we intend to allow all other non-essential retail, ranging from department stores to small, independent shops, to reopen. Again, this change will be contingent upon progress against the 5 tests and will only be permitted for those retail premises which are COVID-secure.

Today we are publishing new guidance for the retail sector detailing the measures they should take to meet the necessary social distancing and hygiene standards. Shops now have the time to implement this guidance before they reopen. This will ensure there can be no doubt about what steps they should take.

While the vast majority of businesses will want to do everything possible to protect their staff and customers, I should add that we will, of course, have the powers we need to enforce compliance where that is required.

I want people to be confident they can shop safely, provided they follow the social distancing rules for all premises.

The food retail sector has already responded fantastically well, enabling supermarkets to be kept open in a safe way – and we will learn lessons from that experience as we allow other retail to open.

These are careful but deliberate steps on the road to rebuilding our country.

And we can only take these steps thanks to what we have so far achieved together.

We will only be successful if we all remember the basics – so wash your hands, keep social distance, and isolate if you have symptoms – and get a test.

I will now hand over to Yvonne Doyle, Medical Director of Public Health England, to take us through today’s slides.

BREAKING NEWS: Scottish Office minister Douglas Ross MP has resigned this morning over the Cummings affair.