Month: June 2020

Young workers face highest risk of unemployment

  • UK is on the brink of a surge in youth unemployment, warns TUC
  • Government must introduce a job guarantee scheme to prevent the misery of long-term unemployment

New analysis published today by the TUC shows that young workers (aged 25 and under) face the highest risk of unemployment due to the coronavirus crisis.

The analysis compares unemployment risk related to the coronavirus crisis across industrial sectors. And it looks at the age profile of workers in sectors with highest risk.

Sectors at highest risk

Workers in all sectors of the economy face unemployment risks due to the coronavirus crisis and the recession that is expected to follow.

However, two sectors are at much higher risk of losing jobs compared to others: ‘accommodation and food’ and ‘arts, entertainment and recreation’.

Our analysis uses three measures to assess risk: (1) the rate of furloughed workers, (2) the proportion of businesses that have paused or cancelled trading, and (3) the proportion of businesses with turnover falling more than 50%.

These two sectors not only rate the highest for all three measures, they are also in a league of their own, with rates far exceeding the construction sector in third place.

Sector Workforce furloughed Businesses pausing trading Businesses with turnover falling more than 50%
Accommodation and food 83% 74% 62%
Arts, entertainment and recreation 73% 75% 63%
Construction industries 41% 19% 40%
Average for all industries 28% 18% 26%

NB – this table shows selected data from the analysis. For a full table covering all sectors, see the research note.

Young workers

The analysis suggests that, without urgent action, the UK may be on the brink of a surge in youth unemployment.

  • Of 4,352,000 UK workers aged 25 and under, 890,000 work in either accommodation and food, or arts, entertainment and recreation.
  • It means that 20% of workers aged 25 and under work in these two sectors, compared to 6% for workers older than 25.
  • Workers aged 25 and under are therefore three times more likely to work in one of the two sectors where jobs are at greatest risk.

Women workers aged 2 5 and under face the greatest risk of all. They are six times more likely than male workers over 25 to work in the highest risk sector, accommodation and food.

In addition to lay-offs, recessions make it harder for young people seeking to enter the labour market for the first time, as employers hire less. This part explains why youth unemployment tends to be much higher than for other workers following a recession.

UK job vacancies have already fallen 25% compared to this time last year. And the sector with the biggest fall is accommodation and food (42%).

Job guarantee scheme

Research shows that prolonged unemployment when young has negative impacts on later working life. This includes a greater likelihood of further periods of unemployment and work with lower pay.

The TUC is calling for a job guarantee scheme to stop those without work becoming long-term unemployed, with early access to the scheme for young workers.

It would resemble the future jobs fund, which was part of the national recovery plan following the recession in 2008 caused by the private banking crisis. A government evaluation found that, two years after starting the programme, participants were 27% more likely to be in unsubsidised work.

Key features of the TUC’s proposed jobs guarantee scheme:

  • Supports additional jobs that would not otherwise be created by employers
  • Enables work that benefits the UK, such as helping to decarbonise the economy
  • Offers secure contracts of at least six months
  • Pays at least the real living wage
  • Gives training opportunities to help people move into longer-term work
  • Provides guaranteed access to trade union representation

Alongside the job guarantee scheme, the TUC says that government must work with businesses and unions to protect as many jobs as possible. This should include extending the job retention scheme for employers who cannot easily adapt to social distancing.

And ministers should form a national recovery council alongside unions and employers, to design and deliver a recovery plan that protects and creates decent jobs.

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “We know it’s a tough road ahead. But the more people there are in work, the faster we can work our way out of recession.

“Our national recovery plan must be centred on jobs – both protecting those we have and creating more.  We need more good jobs in social care, in the green tech that our future depends on, in UK start-ups and in a revitalised manufacturing sector.

“Some industries may need help for longer through the job retention scheme so they can retain staff while they adapt to new safety standards.

“And for those who lose their jobs, the government must set up a job guarantee scheme. Young people in particular can’t be left to the misery of long-term unemployment. And it’s the best value option for the treasury.

“Making sure everyone has a decent job on a fair wage is how to recover faster and build back better.”

First Minister: making life-saving progress

Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at a media briefing in St Andrew’s House yesterday (Thursday 11 June):

Introduction

Good afternoon, I will start with the usual update on some of the key statistics in relation to Covid-19.

As at 9 o’clock this morning, there have been 15,682 positive cases confirmed through our NHS labs – that’s an increase of 17 from yesterday.

A total of 909 patients are in hospital with confirmed or suspected Covid-19. That represents a total decrease of 78 since yesterday, including a decrease of 10 in the number of confirmed cases.

A total of 21 people last night were in intensive care with confirmed or suspected Covid 19. That is an increase of 3 since yesterday – but all of the increase I should say is in suspected cases.

I am also able to confirm today that since 5 March, a total of 3,858 patients who had tested positive and needed hospital treatment for the virus have been able to leave hospital – and I wish all of them well.

And in the past 24 hours, 5 deaths were registered of patients confirmed through a test as having the virus  – the total number of deaths in Scotland, under that measurement, is now therefore 2,439.

As always, it’s important to stress that the figures I have just read out are not just statistics. They all represent individuals who right now are being mourned by their families and friends. So – again – I want to send my deepest condolences to everyone who has lost a loved one to this illness.

I also want to express my thanks – as always – to our health and care workers for the extraordinary work that they continue to do in very difficult and testing circumstances.

R Number

Now I want to highlight three issues today – firstly I will cover our latest report, which has just been published, on the “R” number”; I will update on some developments in the construction industry; and talk about support that we are making available for students over the summer.

I’ll then also close by reflecting on the importance of our Test and Protect system, which was launched two weeks ago, and our wider public health guidance.

Let me start though with today’s report on the “R” number.

As you will recall, the R number shows the rate at which this virus is reproducing. So in summary if R is above 1, every person with the virus will infect more than 1 other person, and the virus will then spread exponentially. If R though is below 1, the number of people with the virus will fall.

We estimate that the R number in Scotland, as of last Friday – 5 June – was between 0.6 and 0.8. That is a lower estimate than for two weeks ago, when we calculated that the number was likely to be between 0.7 and 0.9. So, under that estimate, we expect that the virus will continue to decline.

In addition, we estimate that last Friday, 4,500 people in Scotland had the virus and were infectious. Our previous estimate, for 29 May, had been that 11,500 people were likely to be infectious.

Now that, of course, sounds like a very big decline, so it’s worth me stressing, that we don’t actually think the number of infectious people has more than halved in just one week. What has been happening is that we have been reassessing our estimates for previous weeks, based on the latest figures available to us. So, in short, it is likely that the 11,500 was an overestimate, not that the number has halved in a single week.

However, notwithstanding that, these latest estimates reflect the encouraging data that we have seen in the last couple of weeks, and there is no doubt looking at all of this data, that we are making very real progress in combatting and suppressing the virus in Scotland.

However as always, it is important that I inject a note of caution. Firstly, the estimates I have reported to you today, of course don’t yet take account of the phase 1 changes that we made to begin the easing out of lockdown, and we need to continue to monitor any impact from that carefully.

Secondly, the number of people who we estimate will be infectious is certainly smaller than it was, but it is also still large enough to make the virus take off rapidly again if the R number was to go much above 1. So for these reasons we need to celebrate the progress but continue to be careful and cautious.

Next week, in fact a week today, we will have a further review of the lockdown restrictions.

I am currently very hopeful that at that point we will be able to lift some further restrictions. We may not be able to do everything in phase 2,  but I hope that we can do certainly, at least, some of that. Of course it is also possible that some of these changes will be phased over a three week period, but I’m hopeful that we will be able to take some further important steps forward when we report on the review next week.

But it is important again to stress that we must do that cautiously and proportionately. And I will also make the point I frequently make, but it is not just an obvious point, it is a very important point, we will be in a better position to lift more restrictions if all of us continue to stick with the current guidelines and further suppress the virus to lower levels than it is even now.

Construction sector

Now one area where we judge we can make some further progress now, is in the construction industry. I can confirm today that the sector will be able to move to the next step of its restart plan – which is something that was always envisaged as part of phase 1 of our route map. So it is not a change to phase 1.

Earlier steps have allowed for health and safety planning, followed by preparatory work at construction sites.

And moving to the next step of the industry plan will now allow workers to return to construction sites gradually, while using measures such as physical distancing and hand hygiene to ensure that they can do so safely.

I am very grateful to the sector and trade unions for the very responsible approach that they have taken during an incredibly difficult time.

It’s important to be very clear though, that we still have a long way to go before construction will be working at full capacity, but there is no doubt this is a significant step in allowing an important industry to return safely to work.

I can also confirm today that we are extending our Help to Buy scheme – which was due to come to an end next March – we are extending that to March 2022.

Under that scheme, the Government provides up to 15% of the cost of buying a new-build home, and recovers its share of the funding when the property is sold, or when the share is bought out.

In recent years, this scheme has helped 17,000 people – more than ¾ of them aged 35 or under – to buy new-build homes. It has also, of course, been a valuable support for house builders. At present, of course, the pandemic means that the scheme is not being used.

So by confirming that it is being extended, I hope we can ensure that more people – who may otherwise have missed out on this scheme – are able to move into new homes in the future, and also that we are to provide a bit more confidence for the construction sector.

Student support

The third issue I want to talk about is support for students.

We know that many students rely on income from seasonal or part-time jobs – especially over the summer months – and that the economic impact of Covid will therefore cause them particular difficulties.

And that can be especially important for higher education students, who, unlike further education students, can’t usually claim benefits over the summer.

We have already provided additional support for students, and we have also suspended debt recovery action by the Student Awards Agency. And today, we are bringing forward more than £11 million of further support.

This funding will be administered by colleges and universities to help higher education students who most need it. And it is a further way in which we are trying to support students, at a time when many of them are still facing potential hardship.

Test and Protect

Now the final issue I want to cover today relates to my earlier discussion of the R number, and how we hope next week to announce some further changes to lockdown restrictions.

As we do that – as we gradually, and I emphasise gradually, return to meeting more people, and living a bit more freely, which all of us are of course keen to do – our test and protect system will become ever more important in helping us all to live a less restricted life, while still being able to suppress the virus.

Now yesterday, we published the first data from the system, which started two weeks ago today.

And that data shows, that in the period up to 7 June, 681 people who reported symptoms had tested positive for Covid. As of yesterday, contact tracing had been completed for 481 of those, and was in progress for a further 50.

Amongst those 531 cases, a total of 741 contacts had been traced – that’s just under 1½ people per case. And of course people’s contacts right now will be lower than normal because of the lockdown restrictions that are in place.

Now there’s two points that I think that are important for me to note about this data – and it is very initial data.

The first is that the number of people who have tested positive is higher than is suggested by our daily figures – the ones I report on new cases here each day.

That is because our daily figures do not yet cover tests from labs run by the UK Government – such as those for regional test centres and mobile units – although we will be able to include that information very soon.

In addition, the current figures slightly overstate the number of cases where no tracing has been carried out so far. One reason for that is that some historic cases – from the time when the system was being piloted – still feature in the data. If that historic data is removed, the proportion of completed cases increases from 71% to 86%.

We will publish more detailed data on test and protect in the weeks ahead because it is important not just that government understands how well it is working but you the public can see that too. But I want to be very clear that our preliminary indications are that test and protect is already working well. And of course we will identify areas for improvement as and when they arise and as the system becomes ever more established.

Fundamentally though, I want to stress to everyone watching just how important test and protect is and how important is it going to continue to be in the weeks and potentially the months that lie ahead.

I guess it essentially represents for all of us a kind of social bargain.

If you have symptoms, or – and in some ways actually this is the much more difficult bit, if you have been in contact with someone who has symptoms, even if you don’t have symptoms yourself – we will ask you to isolate completely.

We will support you in doing that, if you need that support – but it is still a very tough thing to ask people to do.

However, and this is the social bargain bit, if all of us agree to do that when necessary, it means that all of us together collectively will be able to continue to emerge from lockdown while keeping the virus under control.

At any one time, some of us will have to self-isolate for a period, so that together, all of us can start to lead a less restricted life.

So please, if you have symptoms of Covid-19 – remember that’s a new continuous cough, or a fever, or a loss of or change in your sense of taste or smell – please do not wait for a few hours or a day or two to see if you feel better. Start self-isolating immediately that you experience these symptoms, and ask for a test immediately.

To remind you, you can do that by going to the NHS inform website, or by phoning NHS 24 on 0800 028 2816 – that’s 0800 028 2816. If we all do that, when we experience symptoms and if any of us are contacted to say we have been in close contact with someone who has the virus, and we agree to self-isolate, then all of us are going to help enable the whole country to get out of lockdown, not just a bit more quickly, but more safely as well.

Conclusion

The final point I’d like to make before we move on to questions is that your best way of reducing, the best way of all of us to reduce our chance of being a close contact with somebody with the virus – and of being asked to self-isolate as a result – is by continuing to stick to our key public health guidance. And of course, that is also our best way of avoiding and getting and transmitting the virus.

So just to remind everybody what that guidance is, you should still be staying home most of the time right now, and you should still be meeting fewer people than you normally would. If your life feels like it is getting back to normal right now, please ask yourself why that is – because it shouldn’t yet be feeling as if it is getting back to normal.

When you do meet people from another household, you absolutely must stay outdoors, do not go indoors, and you must stay 2 metres apart from members of the other household.

Please, do not meet up with more than one other household at a time, don’t meet more than one in the course of any single day – and please keep to a maximum, I stress a maximum, of 8 people in any group.

Wash your hands often, make sure you’re doing it thoroughly. If you are out of your home take hand sanitiser with you.

Wear a face covering if you are in an enclose space, where physical distancing may be more difficult, for example in a shop or on public transport. Again I want to stress that. We know that one of us wearing a face covering helps reduce the risk of us transmitting the virus to somebody else. And somebody else wearing a face covering reduces the risk of them transmitting the virus to us.

It’s another way in which we can all act to protect each other.

Avoid touching hard surfaces – and any you do touch make sure you are cleaning them thoroughly.

And as I have already covered today, if you have symptoms of Covid-19 – ask for a test immediately, and please follow the advice on self-isolation.

Above all else, all of us right now should remember that in every single individual decision we take, we are potentially affecting the health and the wellbeing of others, and indeed the wellbeing of the whole country.

So if all of us continue to do the right thing, if all of us continue to stick to these rules, then we will continue to see the progress that I have been reporting in recent days, and we will be able to come out of lockdown, hopefully even more quickly, but much more importantly than that, we will be able to do that sustainably, because we will come out of lockdown and continue to suppress this virus, which is our overall aim.

So thank you for everything you have been doing. Please keep doing it, so that together we can continue to make this life saving progress.

Summer support for students

Earlier financial help for those facing hardship

Students facing hardship this summer due to COVID-19 can now receive financial support within a package of new measures.

The Scottish Government has brought forward early access to £11.4 million of discretionary funds – support for higher education students in financial difficulty – to be administered by colleges and universities.

Unlike continuing higher education students, most former further education students can receive benefits if they are unemployed. Colleges will now have flexibility to offer discretionary funds to bridge the timing gap between bursary payments ending in June and Universal Credit payments starting.

Scottish students studying in Europe as part of EU Portability or historically arranged schemes will be able to access a £100,000 emergency fund administered by the Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS).

SAAS has also suspended all new debt recovery actions in respect to grants and bursaries until September for students whose circumstances have changed and may have to return overpayments. Students are encouraged to contact SAAS to discuss what help is available.

Minister for Further, Higher Education and Science Richard Lochhead said: “Given the economic impact of COVID-19, many continuing students who rely on seasonal and part-time jobs in the summer could find it difficult to cover their basic housing or cost of living costs.

“No student should face financial hardship as a result – so these new measures will support students until the start of the next academic year when bursary, grant and loan payments will begin again.

 “We are now bringing forward £11.4 million in support for higher education students in financial difficulty that was not due to be available until the new academic year. This builds on our £5 million support plan for FE and HE students announced in April.

“The UK Government package announced on 4 May for higher education providers and students was disappointing, and fell short of recognising the full scale of the challenge.”

SNP MSP Gordon MacDonald has welcomed the Scottish Government’s announcement of extra financial help for students facing financial hardship over the summer months.  

MSP Gordon MacDonald said: “Many students across Edinburgh will have expected to find paid work over the summer to cover their rent or save for the following term – but are now, through no fault of their own, unable to do so.  

“This Scottish Government support will be welcome news for those students who rely on part-time jobs over the summer months, who could find it difficult to cover their living costs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“No student should face financial hardship as a result of this crisis – and these new measures will support students until the start of the next academic year when bursary, grant and loan payments will begin again.”

Setback for North Edinburgh Arts

North Edinburgh Arts’ plans for McMillan Square in Pennywell received a setback yesterday when city ouncillors rejected their proposals for a community-led hub at the heart of the regeneration area.

North Edinburgh Arts plans had strong community support and Muirhouse Salvesen Community Council submitted a letter of support to the council’s Policy and Sustainability Committee.

Community council chairman Roy Douglas said: “Muirhouse Salvesen Community Council has not been consulted on this and the council have not consulted the community on their plans for at least a year, if not longer.

“The NEA proposal for the last phase of McMillan Square has had extensive consultation and their proposal has wide community support. We therefore support NEA’s community asset transfer bid and their exciting plans for the regeneration of McMillan Square.

“This will ensure visibility for North Edinburgh Arts and the Library, a good building which will attract people to visit McMillan Square.”

Despite community support – and the support of local politicians – councillors failed to back North Edinburgh Arts development bid for consideration under the Scottish Government Regeneration Capital Grant scheme.

While it’s undoubtedly a setback, North Edinburgh Arts will come back and resubmit amended proposals. Board chairperson Lesley Hinds issued the following statement last night:

“Today we learned The City of Edinburgh Council Policy and Sustainablity Committee decided, at this time, not to submit the North Edinburgh Arts development bid for  consideration under the Scottish Government Regeneration Capital Grant scheme.

“North Edinburgh Arts is, of course, disappointed with this outcome. However with the positive support from Councillors and officers at the committee, NEA will continue to work in partnership with the Council and community to deliver a Community Hub, as the final phase for the regeneration of McMiillan Square in Muirhouse.

“North Edinburgh Arts is at stage 2 of both a Community Asset Transfer bid, and related Scottish Land Fund bid to transfer North Edinburgh Arts fully into community ownership, and to enable the organisation to lead on the development of a creative and community hub; much needed by the local community pre-Covid, arguably more in the period to follow, post pandemic.

“NEA has wide support with 96% of local residents consulted fully supporting the plans, alongside cross-party support from local, Scottish and UK elected representatives following briefings early this year, tabling our vision and full business case.

“The Busines Case, architect sketch, and development timetable will be presented again to officers and Councillors over the coming weeks, with NEA working to ensure the next report considered by the Council achieves a positive outcome, for NEA, for McMillan Square, and for our local community.”

Local Greenpeace group’s concern over supertrawlers

Edinburgh Greenpeace Local Group has calculated that supertrawlers spent a total of 2606 hours, equivalent to108 days, fishing in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) off the coast of Scotland in 2019.

The Wyville Thomson Ridge, off the far north coast of Scotland, was the worst affected MPA, with supertrawlers fishing there for 2093 hours, followed by Geikie Slide and Hebridean Slope, in the Hebrides, at 270 hours. 

A Greenpeace investigation shows that in total, supertrawlers spent 2963 hours, the equivalent of 123 days, fishing in MPAs off the UK as a whole [1]. 

Supertrawlers are destructive floating fish factories that can catch and process hundreds of tonnes of fish every day, and are not compatible with healthy oceans. 

Jonathan Moore from Edinburgh Greenpeace Local Group, said: ‘I’m horrified to discover that the protected areas off the coast of Scotland are being exploited by industrial fishing giants, and that this is happening legally. For the UK government to be taken seriously as a leader in marine protection, it must ban supertrawler operations in the UK’s Marine Protected Areas. Current negotiations with the EU on fishing rights provide the perfect chance to do this. Please support our call to end industrial fishing in MPAs, by signing our petition [2]’ 

Banning supertrawlers from fishing in MPAs would be a first step towards designating a network of Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs), as recommended in the Highly Protected Marine Areas review. The government must now ensure that the recommendations of the review become a reality, and grow in ambition to ensure that at least 30% of the UK’s waters, and 30% of the world’s oceans, are fully protected by 2030, a scientifically agreed target backed by the UK government.

Jon added: “Edinburgh Greenpeace Group has been campaigning for several years to protect our oceans. As a coastal city, we know how important our oceans are for food, tourism and tackling climate change.

“In January, we held a photo exhibition to showcase the beauty of our oceans, and we’ve also dressed up as penguins to call for an Antarctic Ocean Sanctuary, and celebrated 

World Oceans Day with a blue wave. On Wednesday, 17th June, following on from World Oceans Day on 8th June, join us online to watch a documentary ‘Four Corners’, about the Australian campaign to ban supertrawlers.’

Social Distancing and Sight Loss

Guide Dogs Scotland calls for public to ‘keep two meters distance but don’t disappear’ – to help those trying to social distance without sight 

  • Just 22% of the public ‘completely comfortable’ offering to help someone with sight loss while social distancing is in place.

As lockdown starts to ease and Scotland anticipates fewer restrictions around travel and socialising, the charity Guide Dogs Scotland reports that lockdown being lifted doesn’t mean greater freedom for everyone.  

Guide Dogs Scotland has highlighted a new set of challenges for people with sight loss to overcome – with social distancing measures limiting independence and increasing isolation.

Guide dog owner Jonathan Attenborough (above) from Perth explains: “Social distancing is the most challenging aspect for me in the whole Covid-19 situation. Not being able to socially distance is a major challenge to my independence and keeping myself safe. 

“I’m less confident getting out and about than I was. Now that lockdown is lifting, other people are trying to get their life back to what it was, but it’s a whole new world for people with sight loss. It’s a lot for us to adjust to and it would really help if people have an awareness of how they can play their part.” 

Research conducted by the charity in the first week of June found that just 22% of the UK general public would feel ‘completely comfortable’ offering to help someone with sight loss while social distancing measure were in place.

Reasons for a lack of comfort amongst this group included not knowing how to help from two meters away (50%) and being concerned about making physical contact (37%). 

These concerns are valid – the support people with sight loss have previously relied on, such as sighted guiding which can involve taking someone’s elbow, is not compatible with social distancing. This has left people with sight loss concerned about accessing essential services such as supermarkets and public transport. 

The research also found that although 78% of GB adults understood that those with sight loss would face additional challenges while social distancing, 65% hadn’t considered this prior to taking the survey.  

https://youtu.be/Nb0HTtBo0UU

To help combat the increasing isolation felt by those with sight loss during lockdown, Guide Dogs is launching a campaign called ‘Be There’, which gives guidance to encourage the public to feel confident in their ability to offer support whilst maintaining social distancing: 

1 – Keep your distance, but don’t disappear – People with sight loss may find it challenging to social distance, so if you see someone with a guide dog or a long cane then you can help them by making sure you keep 2m away, but that doesn’t mean you can’t also offer your help.  

East Dunbartonshire guide dog owner Deborah Roberston said when other people have said hello or offered support, it’s been helpful to her and guide dog Rye.

 “I do feel more vulnerable going out with it being so much quieter around me, it can be disorientating and I am less confident getting out and about than I was,” said Deborah. “I’m a confident person but I feel more vulnerable out now – when I do hear footsteps I get worried that the person might be coming too close to me, or I might be going too near them. 

“People in the neighbourhood who know me, know it’s okay if they let me know they are there and that they’re stepping out of the way.” 

2 – Say hello and offer your help – Simply by letting someone with sight loss know you are nearby; you are giving them the opportunity to ask for any help if they need it. People often feel unsure about their ability to help someone with sight loss, but their request could be a simple as finding out where a shopping queue starts, or if there is a safer place to cross a road. 

West-Lothian guide dog owner Monica McGill said social distancing measures is making the prospect of shopping a daunting one for her and guide dog Sadie. 

“The thought of going out shopping is very challenging,” said Monica. “I’m told that every shop has put visual signs on the floor – I would have a very hard job following that and where I am in the shop in terms of finding specific things. 

“If staff were on hand to provide verbal assistance, and feel confident in speaking to someone with sight loss, it would be a great help.” 

3 – Describe the scene – We’ve all had to adapt to unusual sights during lockdown – people standing apart in long lines outside of supermarkets for example. But those with sight loss haven’t always witnessed this to the same extent, which can be isolating and confusing.

By describing what you can see to someone with sight loss, you can help them to understand the environment and navigate accordingly. 

Guide dog owner Jonathan Attenborough explains: “I don’t always know there is a queue because my dog Sammy takes me to the door of the shop, not the end of the queue. Shops have introduced visual indicators and one-way systems and if you can’t see they’re a major challenge.” 

As part of a separate survey, people with sight loss had previously told Guide Dogs that concerns about travelling once lockdown restrictions begin to be lifted included their ability to social distance whilst using transport (84%) and access to support whilst using transport (61%). 

Guide Dogs Regional Head of Operation for Scotland, Wendy Rankin said: “Lockdown being lifted isn’t the start of greater freedoms for everyone. In the past couple of months, we have consistently heard that people with sight loss are concerned about social distancing – even the most confident are lacking confidence in the new environment.

They are concerned that people will avoid them and be less willing to help and have told us that not knowing what the new environment looks like is making even doing normal routes a stressful experience. 

“In addition to informing the general public how they can help, we’re also asking the Scottish government, transport operators and business leaders to work with us and the wider sight loss community to ensure that the communities we’re creating in the “new normal” are inclusive communities for everyone, including people with sight loss.” 

For support or further information, please visit www.guidedogs.org.uk.

£50 million to improve attainment in Scotland’s poorest communities

Pupils living in Scotland’s most deprived communities will benefit from targeted funding from the Attainment Scotland Fund to help close the poverty-related attainment gap.

Nine local councils with the highest concentrations of deprivation in Scotland, known as “Challenge Authorities” – Edinburgh is not among them – will share £43 million of investment from the Attainment Scotland Fund.

In addition, a further £7 million will be shared from the Schools’ Programme between 73 additional schools with the highest concentration of pupils from areas of deprivation.

Edinburgh’s share of the Attainment Fund Scotland grant is £845,595.

The £50 million is in addition to the £250 million Pupil Equity Funding package announced in May for the next two years and an investment of £9 million to provide 25,000 laptops to assist pupils learning at home.

To help mitigate the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, schools and local authorities will have flexibility to redirect some of this Challenge Authority and Schools’ Programme funding from existing plans to best support the most vulnerable and disadvantaged families, with a continued focus on equity in education.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “Closing the poverty-related attainment gap remains the defining mission of this Government and the challenges presented by the current pandemic mean that efforts to deliver equity in education are more important than ever.

“This funding will allow local authorities and schools to provide targeted help for some of our most disadvantaged pupils.

“I have given local authorities additional flexibility in how this funding is deployed in light of the unprecedented circumstances we find ourselves in. This will allow schools and councils to swiftly adjust plans and to work together to identify opportunities to undertake collaborative approaches in response to the current crisis.

“It is important that Headteachers continue to be directly involved in any decision made about the deployment of Schools’ Programme funding and Pupil Equity Funding.

“This work will be supported by our £9 million investment in 25,000 laptops and tablets to assist pupils learning at home.” 

Additional information on flexibility in the use of this funding for local authorities was communicated on 15 May and can be found on gov.scot.

Put your old bike to good use with Brake the Cycle

We want your broken, old or unwanted bikes for our Brake the Cycle scheme!

Usually the Brake the Cycle Scheme is a recycling project which takes old and unwanted bikes that are then repaired or serviced by offenders on Community Payback Orders. The bikes are then given away for free to community organisations, youth groups and schools.

At the moment supervisors from the team have been repairing then delivering bikes to people who can use them during the lockdown. So far the team have been able to help NHS and Council workers avoid using public transport to get to work, and donated bikes to vulnerable adults and children across the city, giving them a chance to go out exercise and help as well as improving their mental health.

If you have a bike you would like to donate please email the team and someone will collect your old bike for free.

By donating your unwanted or broken bike, you can help to reduce waste (and maybe make some room in your garden shed!).

You’ll also be helping others who could be in need during the lock down as well as  promoting healthier lifestyles and environmentally-friendly travel in Edinburgh.

First Test and Protect data published

Breaking the chain of virus transmission

The first set of data from week one of the coronavirus (COVID-19) Test and Protect system has been published.

The data, which will be published weekly, shows:

  • the number of positive index cases from 28 May to 7 June
  • the number of index cases where contact tracing has been completed
  • the number of contact traces

Since Test and Protect was launched, 681 cases have tested positive with 741 contacts traced.

The level of data published will continue to improve once the data is robust and validated.

Cabinet Secretary for Health Jeane Freeman said: “Since 28 May, contact tracers across the country have followed up each new positive test to ensure those who may have come into contact with the virus take steps to isolate. By doing so, we can break the chains of transmission while slowly changing lockdown measures.

“The average number of people traced for each positive case reflects that we are still in phase 1 of lifting lockdown restrictions and people should not be mixing with large numbers of people outside of their own household.

“I would encourage anyone who has symptoms of COVID-19 to come forward as early as possible and get a test immediately to help us supress the spread of the virus.

“Contact tracing is one part of our work to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. Physical distancing and good hand and cough hygiene continues to play a vital role in helping to minimise the spread of infection.”

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Test and Protect was rolled out across Scotland on 28 May 2020.

The Test and Protect data is published on Public Health Scotland’s website.