Day: September 5, 2020

People’s Energy offer help to displaced Robin Hood Energy customers

The founders of People’s Energy, a community interest energy company set up with the aim of eradicating fuel poverty, have expressed their sadness at the decision of Nottingham City Council to sell Robin Hood Energy to British Gas.

The news comes following a strategic review of the council owned energy firm, which was originally launched as a competitor to the Big Six. With similar aims to People’s Energy, Robin Hood was the first not-for-profit energy company in the UK, however it has been blighted by financial problems and a critical report from external auditors Grant Thornton showed it put tens of millions of taxpayer funds at risk.

The Robin Hood Energy website says it was set up ‘to help give people a cheaper, more helpful alternative to the Big Six’. The failed firm has now been sold to the highest bidder, meaning that well-meaning households who had chosen Robin Hood Energy for its doing-good mission, will now be automatically switched to British Gas, which despite many years of huge profits to shareholders, last year made a £1.1 billion loss.

The team behind People’s Energy believe it would be much better for the people of Nottingham, and other customers across the country, to have been transferred to an ethical energy company more in line with the initial vision for Robin Hood Energy.

People’s Energy was set up to provide an alternative to the Big Six and has pledged to return 75% of its profits to its customers in the coming years.

Launched in 2017 following a successful crowdfunding campaign, People’s Energy is growing fast, with 180,000 customers in just three years. The organisation’s mission is to eradicate fuel poverty, which it aims to do through charitable projects and partnerships with local authorities, amongst other activities. People’s Energy has no external shareholders to report to and has customer and staff representation on its advisory board.

People’s Energy has now set up a free helpline for any Robin Hood Energy customers who would like to discuss their options for switching. Concerned customers can call 0131 3701819 free of charge over the next ten days.

Karin Sode, co-founder of People’s Energy said: “We were saddened to hear that Robin Hood Energy has been sold to one of the very companies it was set up to disrupt and our thoughts are with the 250 Robin Hood employees who have been made redundant during this process.

“As this, and other failed not-for-profit energy companies, has shown, running energy companies should be left to the experts and we believe a better model is for councils to work with strategic partners to offer lower cost energy to their residents. Partnering with an existing energy firm and negotiating a competitive rate is win-win for everyone and avoids councils being burdened with huge financial risk when things go wrong.

“A great example of this is the new tariff we’ve just introduced with East Lothian Council. We are offering all East Lothian residents a deal significantly below our already competitive rates and would like to do more of this across the country.

“Our aim, as the UK’s first community interest energy company, is putting people before profits and right now we feel compelled to help the hundreds of thousands of Robin Hood Energy customers faced with a transfer to an energy company they don’t want.

“We welcome any former Robin Hood Energy customers who would like to be supplied by an ethical, customer-owned company that doesn’t report to external shareholders. We’d love to hear from anyone interested via our dedicated helpline.”

People’s Energy has a specialist team set up to support Local Authorities and housing associations across the UK who are interested in a very low risk alternative to offering residents competitive energy pricing.

They can be contacted here: www.peoplesenergy.co.uk/robin-hood

Capital bids to become smartest city

Edinburgh’s vision to become one of the world’s smartest capital cities has received a major boost thanks to an agreement between the City of Edinburgh Council and CGI. 

Building on the five-year relationship the Council has established with the global ICT services provider, Councillors have agreed that the contract with CGI is to be extended until 2029 (running from 2023).

Providing stability for the Council’s ICT services, the extension will save a further £12m and help the Council look further ahead to the future. It will see CGI working with the Council on further digital transformation of services and continuing to be the Council’s primary ICT provider for the next nine years.

It also comes as Edinburgh is listed as Smart City of Year in the Digital 100 shortlist following recent work by the Council, CGI and other providers to enhance connectivity and embrace new technologies. 

Depute Council Leader Cammy Day is the City of Edinburgh Council’s Smart Cities lead. He said: “Becoming a smart city will make Edinburgh a more sustainable and fair city so I’m pleased we’ve secured CGI’s long-term support to help us with our vision.

“We’re already well on our way to transforming the way we deliver many Council services, making them much more efficient and easy to use for residents. We want to develop this further and under the contract we’re looking at making digital learning services a lot more accessible and inclusive for all our pupils and residents.

“The work we’ll do with CGI will also support our plans for lowering carbon emissions and lowering costs by using smart technology.  We realised savings of £45m when our partnership began in 2015, with an additional £11m in 2018 and this extension will save the Council a further £12m at a time when our finances are under pressure.”

Adam McVey, Council Leader, added: “Thanks to the work we’ve already achieved with CGI to use technology in much smarter ways, we’ve been able to respond quickly to the challenges of the pandemic and remote working, making sure our services can still be accessed by residents.

“Building on this will be crucial as we adapt to life beyond Covid and we want to create the most connected, efficient and sustainable Capital we can. The contract extension will allow us to make substantial savings without compromising on our ambitious goals for the City or on the progress we’re making improving core and lifeline services for our residents. I’m looking forward to seeing Edinburgh evolve into a genuinely Smart City and our partnership with CGI will sit at the heart of that work.”

The ambitious plans which the contract extension will help push forward will include:

  • Responding to the needs of a post-Covid Capital city by driving forward digital transformation
  • Bridging the digital divide between Edinburgh’s most and least affluent areas, providing schools with the most advanced networks and kit
  • A smart city operations centre to deliver transformative digital services using the likes of AI, the ‘Internet of Things’ and Advanced Analytics
  • ‘Smart city’ systems such as intelligent traffic signals, smart streetlights that can control their own luminosity, street bins that can signal when they’re full and smart sensors in Council homes to predict, manage and prevent damage to properties such as damp
  • Increasing digital security to protect the Council’s network and data
  • Reducing the Council’s carbon footprint by reducing paper and print, reducing waste, and reusing or recycling equipment
  • Enhancing options for remote working for Council employees
  • Taking advantage of global trends such as moving to cloud-based services to reduce costs.

Tara McGeehan, CGI President for the UK and Australia, said: “This extension of our strategic partnership is excellent news. Edinburgh is a vibrant and diverse Capital city that is home to more than 518,000 citizens and is growing at twice the national Scottish average.

“This volume of people brings huge challenges, but also huge opportunities – especially when it comes to developing a modern, digital infrastructure that meets the demands of 21st century living.

“CGI, as the primary provider of transformational ICT services to the City of Edinburgh Council, has already helped modernise end-to-end digital services for both citizens and Council employees. Our hard work together has helped make the process of living and working in Edinburgh more transparent, more collaborative and more dynamic, delivering significant benefits to the city.

“This contract extension will now help us work with the Council so it can become one of the world’s ‘smartest’ capital cities. By using the latest digital technology, we aim to grow our relationship with the Council, and in turn help the Council grow its relationship with its citizens so they live and work in a dynamic, digitally-advanced Smart City.”

National Care Service? Review of adult social care

Expert panel will report by January 2021

An independent review is to consider the idea of a national care service.

The review, a Programme for Government commitment, will aim to ensure Scotland provides consistently excellent support for people who use these services, as well as their carers and their families.

It will be chaired by Derek Feeley, former director general of Health and Social Care in the Scottish Government, and will report by January 2021.

Adult social care comprises a wide array of services and non-clinical support in a range of settings, involving care homes, care at home, day services, and community support for people with a range of needs.

Social care supports more than 200,000 people across Scotland – those with disabilities, older people, people with mental health problems and those with drug and alcohol problems.

The review will take into account the experiences of those supported by, and who work, in social care, as well as looking at funding, governance, administration and delivery.

The review will consider the needs, rights and preferences of people who use services, their families, and their carers.

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “This will be a wide ranging review of all aspects of a service which supports and involves so many people across Scotland. I am looking forward to recommendations that help ensure high standards of service and support into the future.

“This independent review will examine how adult social care can be most effectively reformed to deliver a national approach to care and support services – and this will include consideration of a national care service.

“It will also build upon our existing commitments to improving provision – long standing issues in adult social care have been thrown into sharp relief during the pandemic, and they demand our attention.

“We owe it to those who use and work in adult social care services to acknowledge these challenges, to learn from them, and to consider carefully how we can most effective plan for the future.”

The chair of the review Derek Feeley, a former director general of Health and Social Care in the Scottish Government, is also a former Chief Executive of NHS Scotland and former Chief Executive and President of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement.

Derek Feeley said: “I am grateful to the Health Secretary for the invitation to chair this independent review and to the advisory panel for agreeing to bring their considerable expertise to our work to recommend improvements to adult social care in Scotland.

“I look forward to views of everyone involved in our social care system and, in particular, to hearing from service users about what it will take for us to better meet their needs, rights and preferences.

“We have a broad remit that touches on every part of the social care landscape; from the experience of those using and working in the system to how it should be funded and regulated. We will look at every option and opportunity to bring about the improvements that I know everyone working in the system aspires to achieve.”

The panel of experts for the review includes: Malcolm Chisholm, former Scottish Minister for Health and Community Care, Anna Dixon, chief executive of the Centre for Better Ageing, Caroline Gardner, Auditor General 2012-2020, Councillor Stuart Currie, Ian Welsh, chief executive of the Health and Social Care Alliance and Göran Henriks, Chief Executive of Learning and Innovation in Jönköping, Sweden.

The possible remit and structure of a potential national care service has not yet been set out. It could cover a range of organisational, funding and delivery options, which will be for the independent review to consider.

The review will also consider previous and ongoing work, including:

  • the programme for social care reform currently being taken forward by the Scottish Government and COSLA
  • progress with integration of health and social care in Scotland, including the outcomes of the recent review undertaken by the Scottish Government and COSLA
  • work undertaken by the Care Inspectorate to consider opportunities for improving adult social care provision
  • work undertaken by wider partners including the third sector to understand people’s experience of care and support improvement
  • scrutiny by Audit Scotland of social care and progress with integrating health and social care
  • scrutiny by the Health and Sport Committee of the Scottish Parliament of reform of social care to date and progress with integrating health and social care

September’s new reg plate heralds opportunity for in-car infotainment familiarisation

  • IAM RoadSmart calls for Government and vehicle manufacturers to enforce greater education and familiarisation of new in-car technology from car dealers
  • 1st September marks the arrival of the new 70 registration plate and new car owners should familiarise themselves with the infotainment system before they take delivery of their new vehicle
  • New car technology can help increase road safety but must be used correctly

Government and vehicle manufacturers should enforce greater education and familiarisation of new in-car technology before drivers leave the forecourts or take delivery of their new vehicle, claims IAM RoadSmart, the UK’s largest independent road-safety charity.

Its urgent call coincides with the arrival of the new 70 registration plate on 1st September which could give car dealers a welcome boost in sales as motorists search for the latest models with the new number plate.

And while most new in-car systems, including infotainment and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems – commonly known as ADAS – are designed to increase road safety, they need to be used correctly, reminds IAM RoadSmart.

Data from research commissioned by the road safety charity earlier this year revealed that Apple CarPlay and Android Auto significantly affect reaction times and increase stopping distances.

Disturbingly, the research shows that these systems can impair reaction times behind the wheel more than alcohol and cannabis use.

In fact, stopping distances, lane control and response to external stimuli were all negatively affected by the use of Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

Furthermore, the reaction times of drivers tested was significantly slower at motorway speeds than someone who had used cannabis and five times worse than someone driving at the legal limit of alcohol consumption.

Neil Greig, IAM RoadSmart’s Director of Policy and Research, said: “Now is the perfect opportunity to highlight the importance of correctly using the latest in-car technology with the arrival of the new registration plate on 1st September.

“Swiping a screen is replacing the turn of a button or dial so it is vital that car dealers educate motorists on how to correctly use these new systems, so that they are a safety benefit and not a potentially dangerous distraction.”

Other findings from the IAM RoadSmart commissioned research found that using in-car touch screens resulted in reaction times that were even worse than texting while driving.

Neil said: “Driver distraction is estimated to be a factor in around a third of all road collisions in Europe each year.

“As the amount of in-car infotainment and ADAS features continues to increase, we believe car dealers have a responsibility to correctly educate their customers and ensure they are familiar with all the high-tech systems in their shiny new purchase before they leave the forecourt. It is also imperative that the Government and the vehicle manufacturers enforce and support this.

“We’re calling on industry and Government to openly test and approve such systems and develop consistent standards that genuinely help minimise driver distraction.

“Whether you’re buying a new car now or already own a vehicle with technology that is new to you, it is vital that you use it safely. Anything that distracts a driver’s eye or mind from the road is bad news for road safety.”

To find out more about the study commissioned earlier this year click here.

The majority of Scots don’t have a will, poll reveals

Almost 58% of people in Scotland do not have a will, a new survey has revealed.

A poll carried out by will-writing campaign Will Aid found that nationally 56% of the population did not have paperwork protecting their loved ones in the event of their death.

But the statistics demonstrated that in Scotland the problem was even greater.

Peter de Vena Franks, campaign director for Will Aid, said: “It can be very difficult for some people to have conversations about death and dying but with this comes a sense of peace because you are making important decisions that can protect your loved ones when you die.

“The last year has shown us how fragile life can be and the survey has revealed just how much of an impact the coronavirus pandemic has had on the mindset of people. We have all had to learn lessons about how to protect ourselves better – with handwashing, mask-wearing and social distancing. A will is just an extension to this.

The study showed that coronavirus had prompted more than 55% of Britons to confront the inevitability of death and think about ways to protect their loved ones after they are gone by either writing a will or reviewing their existing will.

Fifteen per cent of those interviewed said they had written a will or made changes to their will this year as a result of the pandemic. A further 35% said they were actively looking to get a will drawn up this year or make changes to their existing paperwork as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak.

Mr de Vena Franks said: “Will Aid provides the perfect opportunity for people to get their paperwork in order. Not only does it bring peace of mind, it also directly helps to fund the life-saving work of nine of the UK’s best-loved charities.”

Will Aid runs for the month of November. Solicitors volunteer their time to charity to write wills for members of the public. Instead of paying the usual fee for the will, the recipient is asked to make a voluntary donation to Will Aid.

The suggested voluntary donation for a basic Will Aid will is £100 for a single will and £180 for a pair of mirror wills.

Will Aid raises money for nine of the UK’s best-loved charities: ActionAid, British Red Cross, Christian Aid, NSPCC, Save The Children, Sightsavers, Age UK, SCIAF (Scotland) and Trocaire (Northern Ireland).

Mr de Vena Franks said: “There are still so many people in the UK who do not have a will and this does need to be addressed. After all, a will is the best way for a person to make an active choice about inheritance and estates, not to mention make decisions on the guardianship of underage children.”

According to the research, 56% of adults don’t have a will in the UK. More than half of all parents with children under the age of 18 also have no will which means, in the event of their death, a court would make decisions on the guardianship of their children.

Of those interviewed, twice as many people would make a will as a result of a health scare than they would as a result of having a child.

Those who wish to book an appointment with a solicitor to make a will in November can do so from September onwards via our website or by calling us on 0300 0309 558.

Will Aid solicitors will be following the most up-to-date government health advice to ensure that face-to-face meetings remain safe. Many firms will be able to write wills at a distance via a phone or online consultations. Some firms will only be offering their services remotely. Participating firms can be contacted directly for more information.

For more information www.willaid.co.uk.

Updated guidance for colleges and universities

Revised guidance for colleges, universities and student accommodation providers reflecting the latest public health advice has been published.

It builds on previous guidance and uses the most up-to-date evidence to support universities, colleges and accommodation providers plan for a safe return to campus in the new academic year. It includes:

  • a continuation of blended learning, with significantly reduced frequency and numbers of staff and students on campus compared to pre-COVID levels
  • a requirement to keep face-to-face teaching to small groups, generally less than 30 and supported by other infection prevention control measures. Group numbers of up to 50 students may be considered in some circumstances, but only where supported by a risk assessment
  • advice that face coverings should be worn in any area on campus where physical distancing cannot be guaranteed, on dedicated college and university transport and in student accommodation indoor communal areas such as toilets, common rooms and laundry rooms
  • a requirement for colleges and universities to give clear information on regulations and guidance to students arriving from outside Scotland, and to take steps to ensure international students and staff who need to quarantine comply with the law, including using appropriate disciplinary procedures

The start of the student year will be fundamentally different this year with significant change to the delivery of education and a need to dramatically curtail the socialising many would associate with this period. It is vital, for the protection of public health, that institutions ensure that the guidance is complied with.

Universities Scotland, Colleges Scotland, National Union of Students (NUS), trades unions and public health professionals were consulted on the guidance.

Further and Higher Education Minister Richard Lochhead said: “Colleges and universities have been working extremely hard to ensure the safest possible environment for students and staff returning.

“Studying in Scotland is special no matter where you come from and, while this is an exciting time of year for new and returning students, it is not a resumption of normal life on campus.

“Remote learning will significantly reduce the number of people on campus at any one time, while everyone on campus or in student accommodation must follow the rules around quarantine, self-isolation, physical distancing and using face coverings.

“This guidance strengthens some of these issues and institutions must make students and staff aware of Scottish law and public health advice to keep themselves and others safe. For those people who need to quarantine on arrival, or self-isolate with COVID-19 symptoms, institutions will have a range of practical support in place.

“While we will keep the guidance under review, we believe this strikes the right balance of allowing young people to get on with their lives in a manner that is as safe as it can be for students, staff and society. I have no doubt that students will want to act responsibly and will follow the rules that we are asking them to observe.”

Professor Gerry McCormac, Convener of Universities Scotland, said: “Universities are looking forward to welcoming students back for the start of a new academic year.

“We have been working for months to plan a safe return that will support high quality learning and offer a rounded student experience while ensuring the safety of our students, staff and the wider community. It’s important that students have the opportunity to continue their studies; they’ve been through a lot and will benefit in many ways from a safe return to study.”

Shona Struthers, Chief Executive of Colleges Scotland, said: “The safety of our students and staff is the overarching priority, and this collaboration between the college and university sectors, NUS Scotland and the Scottish Government is an important element in helping everyone in the tertiary education system return to campuses with confidence in the measures which have been put in place.

“As well as following the latest advice from the Scottish Government and Public Health Scotland, colleges will continue to engage with student associations, staff, and trade unions to do everything possible to make the approach of blended online and onsite learning for students a success throughout this new academic year.

“Although the practical implications of COVID-19 certainly present challenges to the sector, colleges and their staff have shown remarkable resilience and flexibility in continuing to successfully deliver learning throughout the pandemic.”

Professor Marion Bain, Interim Deputy Chief Medical Officer, said: “University and college life in the midst of Covid19 will feel very different.  While learning will continue and students will enjoy spending time with friends, this must be done in a safe way. 

“It is vital that students and staff are aware of what they need to do and that they follow all the requirements.  These measures are essential in ensuring safety for students, staff and for all those around them.”

Coronavirus (COVID-19): Guidance for universities, colleges and student accommodation providers

Information on what you can and cannot do under Scotland’s route map

Information and advice on COVID-19 is available on Student Information Scotland