The team at Coulters Property have looked into the housing landscape for first-time buyers to discover how much you would need to be able to afford a 10% deposit around the country, how much this is as a percentage of average annual income, and how this has changed over the last 20 years.
You can clearly see that in Scotland, house prices have risen by 205.40% but earnings have only risen by 77.37%. The deposit as % of earnings has increased by 21.20%.
How Has Housing Affordability Changed in the UK?
In 1999, the average house price in the UK was just £77,961. Fast forward twenty years and that figure has almost trebled, to £230,735.
At the same time, the average income has also increased, but only from £17,803 a year to £30,353, an increase of 70%.
In 1999, a 10% deposit would have worked out at about 43.8% of your annual salary, these days, that figure has risen by about three quarters to 76%.
As lockdown starts to lift, Scottish Water and a leading tea maker have teamed up to encourage the nation to make time for a perfect cuppa with family and friends.
Edinburgh-based independent whole leaf tea company eteaket has created a new blend designed to be enhanced by the qualities of the country’s soft tap water.
The company has joined the wave in supporting Scottish Water’s Your Water Your Life campaign, to celebrate our natural resource by reconnecting over a cuppa.
The collaboration has launched #CuppaTeaWithMe encouraging the country’s tea-drinkers to think about the person they’d most like to share a cuppa with as lockdown restrictions ease, share and tag them through social media. Although a virtual chat and a cuppa at the moment, hopefully we will reunite with wider friends and family in the near future.
People in Scotland drink more tea than elsewhere in the UK, which has increased to and average five cups per day from three during lockdown.*. Having a cuppa is synonymous with taking a breather, stepping back from the day and having a mindful moment of calm.
The unique loose-leaf tea has been inspired by combining our nation’s water with ancient traditional ingredients which can maximise the benefits of a soothing brew.
eteaket’s blend – named “Keep the Heid” – is a new take on a traditional black tea with Assam and Darjeeling carefully blended with floral heather and delicate Scottish meadowsweet to create a rich flavour which comes alive in the softness of Scotland’s tap water.
Brian Lironi, Director of Corporate Affairs at Scottish Water, said: “Whenever there is a crisis or the need to take comfort, you always think of making a cup of tea.
“Throughout the lockdown our priority has been to keep our customers water supplies running and to ensure they have water at their taps to use throughout the day.
“I’m sure there have been millions of cups of tea made over the time we have been in lockdown – so we’re glad to have played our part in that. We always encourage customers to only boil the water they need – it saves on energy which saves their pockets and of course saves Scotland’s precious natural resource.”
“But now we are starting to see restrictions lift, it seems the perfect time to look to connect with people we have missed seeing and to encourage everyone to embrace a #CuppaTeaWithMe. And what better way to do that than with a tea that has been blended to perfectly complement Scotland’s renowned tap water.”
“And of course, anyone can still support #CuppaTeaWithMe with whatever is their favourite cuppa choice – and be sure of a great brew – thanks as always to our great tasting water.”
Erica Moore, Founder and MD of Edinburgh-based eteaket, said they chose heather flowers and meadowsweet as both herbs are traditionally native to Scotland and don’t overpower the black tea.
She said: “I think it’s important to have a blend that is not too far removed from a ‘normal’ breakfast tea but with a nod to Scotland.
“The softness of Scottish water draws out the balance of subtle flavours in this exceptional blend of Assam and Darjeeling, sprinkled with heather and delicate meadowsweet.
“Heather flowers are reportedly traditionally brewed in an attempt to cleanse toxins from organs and relieve inflammatory pains and meadowsweet was held sacred by Celtic druids and is also reported to possibly have pain relieving properties – although obviously we can’t guarantee this tea will have health benefits.
“We are really pleased that at least 50% of the meadowsweet in this blend comes from a stunning tea garden in Scotland called Windy Hollow.
“We’re really excited at what we have created and love the idea that tea can play a big part in making us feel better as the lockdown restrictions lift.
“At eteaket we’ve always recognised the benefits of tea – and the routine of making tea – to help with our mental health.”
Scotland’s world-famous soft tap water has less than 60mg of calcium per litre and is widely regarded as better for brewing tea than hard water. Scotland water in particular has less calcium and a lower mineral content which makes for a more refined cup of tea, and allows the more subtle and delicate flavours in a blend to come through.
Aromatics also tend to dissolve more easily in soft water, largely because there is less limescale. This allows the delicate Darjeeling notes to shine through, without being overpowered by the deeper Assam taste – further layered by the subtle, floral heather balancing with the almond flavour of meadowsweet.
Fiona McCreadie and Amy McCreadie, Scottish Water tea tasters
The blend has had an exclusive first tea tasting with a group of 12 of Scottish Water’s ‘Tea Tasters’, who have all given the blend a thumbs up.
The ‘Keep the Heid’ Limited Edition tea will be available to buy online at www.eteaket.co.uk/shop/keep-the-heid/ from 01 July 2020, at £7.95 for 100g.
Scottish Water’s Your Water Your Life campaign aims to encourage people to top up from the tap to benefit the planet, their health and their pocket. To celebrate our precious, natural resource.
Last year, the ‘Your Water Your Life’ campaign hit a significant milestone as they celebrated Scottish tap water becoming the first in the world to gain international approval for keeping teeth healthy.
Clear, fresh drinking water is known to help boost concentration levels with Scottish Water delivering more than one billion litres of water a day to customers.
NHS Choices recommend drinking six to eight glasses of water per day while people often mistake hunger for being thirsty, which means drinking water can help weight loss. Tea is often heralded as another healthy way to stay hydrated.
Police have released CCTV images of two men they wish to trace in connection with an incident on King’s Stables Road at around 1.25am on Tuesday, 10 March.
It is believed the men pictured may be able to assist the investigation and the men themselves or anyone who recognises them is asked to come forward.
The first man is described as white, aged 20-30, wearing a green/grey hooded top with a blue body warmer, dark trousers and light coloured trainers.
The second man is described white, aged 20-30, wearing all dark clothing with a hood up and dark trainers with a white sole.
Detective Constable William Doughty, of Gayfield CID, said: “We are appealing for anyone who can help us identify these men to get in touch with us.
“Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101 quoting incident number 0248 of 10 March or make an anonymous report through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
More people could die as a result of hunger linked to COVID-19 than could die from the disease, Oxfam warns in a new report published today.
The report, The Hunger Virus, reveals how an estimated 122 million more people could be pushed to the brink of starvation this year as a result of the social and economic fallout from the pandemic including through mass unemployment, disruption to food production and supplies, and declining aid.
This equates to as many as 12,000 people dying every day while the global mortality rate for COVID-19 reached a peak of 10,000 deaths per day in April 2020.
Eight of the largest food and beverage companies in the world have paid out over $18 billion to their shareholders since the start of 2020 – more than 10 times the funding required for food and agriculture assistance to the most vulnerable communities in the UN COVID-19 humanitarian appeal.
Danny Sriskandarajah, Chief Executive of Oxfam GB, said: “The knock-on impacts of COVID-19 are far more widespread than the virus itself, pushing millions of the world’s poorest people deeper into hunger and poverty.
“It is vital governments contain the spread of this deadly disease, but they must also prevent it killing as many – if not more – people from hunger.
“Governments can save lives now by funding the UN COVID-19 appeal and supporting the call for a global ceasefire to end conflict in order to tackle the pandemic. The UK could make a real difference by championing debt cancellation at the G20 finance ministers meeting next week to pay for social protection measures such as cash grants to help people survive.
“For many people COVID-19 comes as a crisis on top of a crisis. To break the cycle of hunger, governments must build fairer and more sustainable food systems that ensure small-scale producers and workers earn a living wage.”
The report reveals the world’s ten worst hunger ‘hotspots’, including Afghanistan, Syria and South Sudan where the food crisis is most severe and getting worse as a result of the pandemic. It also highlights emerging epicentres of hunger – middle income countries such as India, South Africa, and Brazil – where millions of people who were barely managing have been tipped over the edge by the pandemic.
For example:
Yemen: Remittances dropped by 80 percent – or $253 million – in the first four months of 2020 as a result of mass job losses across the Gulf. Borders and supply route closures have led to food shortages and food price spikes in a country that imports 90 percent of its food.
Afghanistan: Border closures have hit food supplies and the economic downturn in neighbouring Iran has caused a drop in remittances. The number of people on the brink of famine has risen sharply from 2.5 million in September 2019 to 3.5 million in May 2020.
India: Travel restrictions left farmers without vital migrant labour at the peak of the harvest season, forcing many to leave their crops in the field to rot. Traders have also been unable to reach tribal communities during the peak harvest season for forest products, depriving up to 100 million people of their main source of income.
Women, and women-headed households, are more likely to go hungry despite the crucial role they play as food producers and workers.
They make up a large proportion of already vulnerable groups, such as informal workers, that have been hit hard by the economic fallout of the pandemic and have also borne the brunt of a dramatic increase in unpaid care work as a result of school closures and family illness.
Kadidia Diallo, a female milk producer in Burkina Faso, said: “COVID-19 is causing us a lot of harm. Giving my children something to eat in the morning has become difficult.
“We are totally dependent on the sale of milk, and with the closure of the market we can’t sell the milk anymore. If we don’t sell milk, we don’t eat.”
Since the pandemic began, Oxfam has helped 4.5 million of the world’s most vulnerable people with food aid and clean water, working together with over 344 partners across 62 countries. The international agency aims to reach a total of 14 million people by raising a further $113m.
ELREC promotes a culture of zero tolerance of inequality, hate and all kinds of discrimination, both in society and in schools.
As an equality organization we do a lot of work in schools through our True Colours Project, challenging stereotypes and prejudices young people may have.
However, it is not just young people but staff and teachers in schools needing training and awareness too. Ignorance is not bliss when it affects people in a negative way, especially when young people go through their school lives suffering poor mental health and later carrying the scars into adulthood.
Many children are aware of the racist behaviour of adults and some practice this racism in school. Unfortunately, when teachers and other staff are also the perpetrators, it either goes unreported or if it is reported, then most likely the school ignores it and so the cycle continues.
The history and the harm that are associated with racism must be taught properly, like any other mainstream subject, in our schools. The curriculum must reflect this change in our educational objectives. If there are no consequences to racist behaviour, then it will continue in our schools. Consequences should be outlined clearly for children, teachers, governing bodies and local authorities.
Promoting mutual respect and understanding of diversity is key to countering all forms of intolerances and discrimination. Community organisations can only do so much, the education department must take serious action as they have duty of care to protect these young people during school hours.
As an equality organisation we are happy to help schools achieve this and some of our recommendations are:
• policymakers, teachers and families must all work together to promote equality and non-discrimination both in schools and at home
• policymakers must create, enforce and fund policies to eliminate discrimination.
• teachers must be trained to work with children from all backgrounds; and pupils’ parents should be included in their school’s decisions to promote equality and non-discrimination in education
• Governments must provide the appropriate financial resources for schools to be able to promote equality and non-discrimination and regularly monitor the situation
By working together, we can create an equal, safer and more tolerant society for the future generations.
Foysol Choudhury MBE
Chairman, Edinburgh and Lothian Regional Equality Council
The Heart of Newhaven Community has been working on using the Community Asset Transfer system to purchase the Victoria Primary School building after its pupils move to new premises.
The group has a vision of making the school building the centre of the community for everyone.
To achieve that, they need as much support as possible from the local community.
Heart of Newhaven are currently looking for volunteers to help deliver leaflets house to house. Could you take some for your area? If so, please go to the website and register your interest.
Visit their website and subscribe to the Newsletter to read more about what is planned and how you can get involved: heartofnewhaven.co.uk
The government needs to ensure that their response to dealing with COVID-19 and future crises takes into account the significant threat of hateful extremism and the dangerous narratives spread by conspiracy theories.
The Commission for Countering Extremism (CCE) has published a report today, looking at the way in which extremists have sought to exploit the current pandemic. Through the use of conspiracy theories and fake news, the Commission has found that hateful extremists have used divisive, xenophobic and racist narratives to sow division and undermine the social fabric of our country.
The CCE warns that investing in counter extremism work and urgently publishing a new strategy is critical as extremists will seek to capitalise on the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19 to cause further long-term instability, fear and division in Britain.
Lead Commissioner Sara Khan says: “The pandemic has not discouraged extremists from propagating their hateful ideologies. On the contrary they have, as is always the case in a crisis, fully exploited the lockdown to promote dangerous conspiracy theories and disinformation, most notably online.
“They seek to mainstream extremist narratives in society, for the sole purpose of inciting hatred, violence, public disorder and a breakdown in community cohesion. We have already seen how extremists discussed the 5G conspiracy theory on fringe social media platforms such as Telegram. In April 50 5G masts were targeted for arson and vandalism in the UK.
“In this report we’ve drawn attention to a variety of conspiracy theories that have been spread by groups from the Far Right to the Far Left and Islamists. The impact of extremist propaganda and disinformation to our democracy cannot be overstated.
“These conspiracy theories are harmful, dangerous and are used by extremists to cause division and breed hate. This is why I have called on policy makers to develop a system to classify dangerous conspiracy theories based on the harm they cause. This will help practitioners and social media platforms better challenge harmful conspiracy theories before they escalate.
“The government also have to work closely with local authorities to understand and develop a strategy to deal with local extremist trends. For example, by understanding and countering anti-vaccine conspiracy theories, the government will be better placed to ensure there is sufficient uptake of any future vaccinations.
“We need to be on the front foot to counter the activity of hateful extremists who seek to divide and undermine everything our country stands for; and we must begin work on it now.”
Along with highlighting harmful conspiracy theories, the report shows how extremists were spreading disinformation and fake news about minority groups which has been used by sympathisers to incite hatred and violence.
One study shows that during the pandemic, over 90% of social media posts containing misinformation were not taken down by social media companies, when flagged by volunteers. Another study found hundreds of thousands of Far Right posts around COVID-19 and millions of engagements with known disinformation sites.
In addition to classifying dangerous conspiracy theories, the Commission have also made the following recommendations:
a commitment to ensure hateful extremism falls within the remit of the new online harms regulator and that existing laws on inciting hatred are enforced online
a call for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to drive forward a COVID-19 cohesion strategy to help bring different communities together to prevent extremist narratives from having significant reach and influence
a new counter-extremism strategy must include an assessment of how extremism manifests locally, the harm it causes, the scale of support for extremist narratives and how best to pre-empt extremist activity – this should also include assessing who is most susceptible to extremist narratives, in order to deliver vital interventions to engage and support these people
for the government to work closely with local authorities to understand and develop bespoke support and interventions to pre-empt and deal with extremist activity
for the government to develop plans to work with researchers and practitioners to build a better understanding of ‘what works’ in relation to counter extremism online and offline
This is the first in a series of publications from the Commission looking at extremism in the context of the current pandemic.
Chancellor’s statement welcomed by Scottish Secretarybut Scottish Government saysthepackage is a huge opportunity missed.
The Chancellor yesterday set out the next steps in the UK Government’s strategy to secure Scotland’s economic recovery from coronavirus – announcing a “Plan for Jobs” to level up, spread opportunity and unite the UK.
Rishi Sunak outlined how he would focus on protecting, supporting and creating jobs as the UK enters the next phase in its recovery following the outbreak.
Delivering his Summer Economic Update, he said: “Our plan has a clear goal: to protect, support and create jobs. It will give businesses the confidence to retain and hire. To create jobs in every part of our country. To give young people a better start. To give people everywhere the opportunity of a fresh start.”
As part of a series of landmark measures the Chancellor announced that the government will:
support jobs with the Job Retention Bonus to help businesses keep furloughed workers. UK Employers will receive a one-off bonus of £1,000 for each furloughed employee who is still employed as of 31 January 2021.
expand Worksearch Support including a Flexible Support Fund and a £2 billion Kickstart scheme to subsidise jobs for young people
create jobs in the construction and housing sectors through funding to decarbonise public sector buildings, a demonstrator project to decarbonise social housing and funding to support research and development for Direct Air Capture (as announced by the PM on 30 June)
protect jobs with VAT cuts for hospitality and tourism, as well as a Eat Out to Help Out discount scheme.
The Summer Economic Update confirms an additional £800 million of Covid-19 funding for the Scottish Government through the Barnett formula.
The UK Government is now providing £4.6 billion through the Barnett formula to help the Scottish Government support individuals, businesses and public services through Covid-19.
Rishi Sunak said the plan for jobs was the second phase of a three-phase plan to secure the UK’s economic recovery from coronavirus.
The first phase, beginning in March, focused on protection with a £160 billion package of support – one of the largest and most comprehensive economic responses in the world. In Scotland this package has so far protected more than 620,000 jobs, helped thousands of businesses and paid £425 million to 146,000 self-employed people.
The Chancellor outlined that following the second phase focusing on jobs, there would come a third phase focusing on rebuilding, with a Budget and Spending Review in the autumn.
Speaking about the impact for Scotland, Chancellor Rishi Sunak said: “Since this crisis started, our wide-ranging package of support for Scotland has protected more than 620,000 jobs, thousands of businesses and paid £425 million to self-employed people.
“Today I’ve set out our plan to protect, create and support jobs across Scotland – to level up opportunity, safely reopen our economy and strengthen the Union.
“With a massive funding boost for Jobcentre Plus, doubling the number of work coaches, more people will now benefit from personalised and tailored job support. We’re investing £800m through the Barnett formula, giving Scotland the funds to create green news jobs. And we’re protecting the thousands of existing jobs in the hospitality sector with a cut to VAT and the Eat Out to Help Out scheme.”
Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said: “The measures announced by the Chancellor to support the country’s post-coronavirus economic recovery delivers for all parts of the UK.
“The UK Government’s ambitious plan for jobs, with its strong emphasis on our young people, is great news for young Scots.
“The VAT cut for tourism and hospitality will be a huge boost for Scotland. It is now absolutely essential that Scotland’s world-class tourism and hospitality industry can properly open for business.
“The stamp duty cut gives a helping hand to the housing market and building trades in England. I urge the devolved administration to use their powers to do the same in Scotland.
“And, thanks to UK Government spending decisions in the rest of the UK, Holyrood will get a £800 million cash boost, bringing their total additional coronavirus support funding to £4.6 billion.”
“The Chancellor has set out a fantastic package of support. The devolved administration now need to play its part and show they are serious about Scotland’s economic recovery.”
Responding the UK Chancellor’s Summer Statement, Scottish Finance Secretary Kate Forbes said: “We called for an £80bn stimulus package to build a strong, green and inclusive economic recovery and while there are elements in this announcement to be welcomed, in particular the measures on VAT for tourism and hospitality, overall this
“It falls well short of delivering what is needed to boost the economy and protect jobs.
“There is no new capital spend, no extension to the furlough scheme for hard-hit sectors and no further support for households in financial difficulty. A half price meal out does not help those struggling to put food on the table.
“Many of the initiatives are short-lived and do not provide long term certainty for business or households. Instead they will simply push the problems back to the end of the year when we will also have to deal with the end of the transition period with the EU.
“Despite announcing new funding measures worth up to £30bn today, most of it bypasses devolution and does not provide the Scottish Government with the funding we need to enable us to tailor an economic response that meets Scotland’s needs.
“Like all governments, we are facing huge spending pressures but we do not have the tools that others have to meet them. Along with the Governments of Wales and Northern Ireland, we set out a reasonable, proportionate set of new financial powers that would enable the Scottish Government to respond effectively.
“Regrettably, the UK Government has turned a deaf ear to those needs.”
Andrew McRae, Federation of Small Business’s (FSBx) Scotland policy chair said: “Good news has been in short supply for nearly four months. We needed action to help protect jobs and stimulate local economies across Scotland and that is exactly what the Chancellor has set out to do.
“However, it should be noted that there are many small businesses that were not supported by the Chancellor’s package – with company directors once again overlooked. Given these businesses have had little to no support in over 100 days, FSB is hoping that support can be provided in the near future.”
On the “kickstart” jobs scheme, Andrew said: “The jobs scheme will hopefully prevent a lost generation of young people, but for it to work in local economies, it must focus on the small employers who employ around one million people in Scotland. We can’t have a situation where local businesses are behind a queue of big corporates because of a target-driven approach.”
On the temporary VAT cut for hospitality and tourism sectors, he added: “Reducing VAT in sectors hit especially hard by the pandemic is an astute move. It will make everyday activities like grabbing a coffee and cake more affordable for budget conscious consumers – while making the country a more attractive destination for tourists home and abroad.”
On the discount to encourage people to eat out, Andrew said: “Scotland is fortunate to have an array of fantastic food offerings in restaurants, cafes and pubs across the country. We need to encourage more people to get back out into the community and spending money, so any moves to do this are welcome.”
The Poverty Alliance has also responded to the Chancellor’s Summer Statement. Peter Kelly, Director of the Poverty Alliance, said:“Young workers have been hard hit by Covid-19 job disruption, so the Chancellor’s announcement of a kickstart jobs scheme is welcome.
“But as the pandemic has highlighted, for too long people have been locked into poverty by low pay and insecure work.So these jobs should pay at least the real Living Wage and should have been accompanied by measures to tackle the precarious work that too many young people have to rely on.
“Part-time jobs that pay only the minimum wage cannot be a long-term solution to the problems in our labour market.
“Our recovery should be based on principles of fair work; that means redesigning jobs not reinforcing current problems.
“With the confirmation that the Job Retention Scheme is to end in October, the statement was an opportunity to fix our social security system before an expected surge in applications in autumn.
“Increasing the numbers of Work Coaches is welcome, but if we want our economic recovery to be a recovery for all, we need a social security system that loosens – not tightens – the grip of poverty on people’s lives. That means ending the benefit cap, making advance Universal Credit payments non-repayable, and ensuring that benefits actually meet people’s needs. “There is still time to make these changes before October and we urge the government to make them.
“The announcement of vouchers to support the hospitality sector falls short of expectations. At a time when more people than ever before are relying on emergency help from food banks, it is action to put cash in people’s pockets that is required, not the offer of a £10 discount on eating out.“
Passengers arriving in Scotland from 57 overseas destinations that have similar or lower levels of coronavirus (COVID-19) infection than Scotland will no longer need to quarantine. Travellers from the 14 UK overseas territories will also be exempt.
This public health measure will be lifted on Friday (10 July) for those arriving from countries and territories where the risk of importing COVID-19 is sufficiently low – with 26 European nations among them, including Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Italy and Malta.
Passengers arriving from these countries will still be required to complete the online passenger locator form prior to travel and to supply contact details, travel details and the address of the final destination where they will be staying. Travellers arriving into Scotland via an English port or airport, or direct to the country, will still need to quarantine if they have been in a country which is not on the exemption list.
A further review will be conducted on the 20 July.
Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “Having carefully considered the public health impact of proposed exemptions we will lift the quarantine requirements from a limited number of countries where the risk of importing COVID-19 is sufficiently low.
“These exemptions will take effect on Friday, at the same time as those being introduced for travel into England and Wales.
“As we have lowered the level of the virus in Scotland, we must manage the risk of more cases coming into the country, particularly from areas where infections are more prevalent than here. That makes decisions about lifting quarantine requirements particularly difficult.
“Anyone travelling should follow public health advice at all times including wearing face coverings, avoiding crowded places, washing hands and surfaces, staying two metres apart and self-isolating if you get symptoms and immediately registering for a test.”
Passengers arriving in Scotland will no longer need to quarantine provided they have not been in a non-exempted country in the previous 14 days.
Public health rules for international travel are an important part of Scotland’s wider response to the COVID-19 pandemic – to limit the introduction of new chains of transmission of the virus as the country’s own infection rates are/have been falling.
The measures were initially introduced across the UK and applied to travellers arriving from all countries outwith the Common Travel Area (CTA)
Exempting additional countries, including Spain and Serbia, will be considered at three weekly review points with the next review being 20 July.
Data received from the UK Government indicates that the prevalence of the virus in Spain is 0.33% which means 330 people per 100,000 have the virus. In Scotland that figure is 28 people per 100,000.
Those travelling abroad should check in advance if there are any requirements to quarantine on arrival at their destination.
The list of overseas destinations where the self-isolation requirements for those arriving in Scotland will be lifted on Friday are:
Andorra; Antigua and Barbuda; Aruba; Australia; Austria; The Bahamas; Barbados; Belgium; Bonaire, Saint Eustatius and Saba; Croatia; Curaçao; Cyprus; Czech Republic; Denmark; Dominica; Faroe Islands; Fiji; Finland; France; French Polynesia; Germany; Greece; Greenland; Grenada; Guadeloupe; Hong Kong; Hungary ; Iceland; Italy; Jamaica; Japan; Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg; Macau; Malta; Mauritius; Monaco; The Netherlands ; New Caledonia; New Zealand; Norway; Poland ; Réunion; San Marino ;Seychelles; St Barthélemy; St Kitts & Nevis; St Lucia; St Pierre and Miquelon; South Korea; Switzerland; Taiwan; Trinidad & Tobago; Turkey; Vatican City State and Vietnam.
The fourteen UK overseas territories also on the list of exemptions are: Akrotiri and Dhekelia; Anguilla; Bermuda; British Antarctic Territory; British Indian Ocean Territory; British Virgin Islands; Cayman Islands; Falkland Islands; Gibraltar; Montserrat; Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands; Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha; South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Ireland is already exempt as part of the Common Travel Area, as are the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.
Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel, said:“Retaining quarantine restrictions on these countries could lead to Scottish holidaymakers being left out of pocket.
“Those who have already booked package holidays from an English airport may not be able to claim a refund because the holiday will now go ahead.
“It’s important that those affected get an opportunity to rebook at a later date and don’t have to pay the price for England and Scotland having different quarantine lists.”
An award of £770k announced today to North Edinburgh Childcare means they will be able to transform and expand their existing premises allowing them to increase the services they already provide and support even more families across the city.
Welcoming the award, Theresa Allison, General Manager, North Edinburgh Childcare, said: “We are absolutely delighted at this award which will go towards a new build and renovations of our existing building which will enable us to create an additional 84 full-time equivalent childcare places.
“Once built this has the potential to support approximately another 200 parents/carers to lift themselves out of poverty. We are so excited about the new build and refurbishment but even more excited that, for the first time ever, we will be able to offer a number of places to people aspiring to get into work or training. This is all possible thanks to people who play The National Lottery.”
Another capital organisation celebrating this morning is Leith’s Multi Cultural Family Base (MCFB), who receive £233,000 to deliver support services to vunerable children and families from primarily minority ethnic communities.
A spokesperson for MCFB said: We are thrilled to receive continued funding from the The National Lottery Community Fund Scotland to continue supporting children from minority ethnic communities in Edinburgh with the important transition from home and nursery to school via our 4-2-7 project.
“As well as supporting children one to one and, when possible, within school settings, this will include our continued work supporting parents by providing them a space to meet once a week to build confidence, make friendships and share experiences.
“We look forward to continuing to work with schools and families both virtually and, when we can, face to face at our offices and within schools.”
There’s also £8750 for Blackhall Playgroup, who will use their award to prepare for the easing of lockdown, putting measures in place to enable the return of some children and also provide resources to those who cannot.
And Granton Parish Church will be cooking with gas – the church on Boswall Parkway receives £10,000 for a new kitchen in the church hall, supporting numerous community groups who use the popular local facility.
Announcing today’s funding to 311 projects across Scotland, The National Lottery Community Fund’s Scotland Chair, Kate Still, said: “These awards, made possible by National Lottery players, recognise the incredible work happening across Scotland to create stronger, more connected communities.
“I am delighted that some of this funding will be used to transform existing buildings into vibrant community hubs that will carry on the strong community spirit that has been so evident in recent times.
“National Lottery players can be proud to know that money they raise by buying tickets is continuing to make such a difference.”
National Lottery players raise £30 million every week for good causes in the UK. The National Lottery Community Fund in Scotland is currently focusing its funding on those projects that supporting organisations and communities to respond to the challenge of COVID-19.
