Officers are appealing for information after a teenage girl was assaulted in Davidson’s Mains Park this morning.
Around 8am on Friday, 30 April, the 14-year-old was walking to school on a footpath through the park when she was assaulted by a male suspect. She was not injured and ran off, on the path through the wooded area, towards Barnton Park Avenue.
The male suspect is described as white, around 6ft tall, aged late 30s to early 40s. He is described as being clean shaven with short brown hair. He was wearing a long-sleeved black hooded top, a yellow high visibility vest and black combat style trousers.
Inspector Keith Forrester, of Corstorphine Police Station, said: ” Thankfully the victim was not injured, however understandably this was an upsetting incident for her.
“It happened near to a local school just before the start of the school day and so there may have been numerous people in the area at that time. I am therefore appealing to anyone who was in the Davidson’s Mains Park area this morning, and saw a man matching this description, to get in touch.
“If you were driving past the park at the time and have a dashcam, I would ask you to check back to see if you have captured footage of the suspect.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 101, quoting reference number 1081 of 30 April, 2021
Regulation of the construction industry is essential for a safer and more productive future, election hopefuls from Scotland’s main political parties told a special digital hustings hosted by the Construction Industry Coronavirus (CICV) Forum.
The importance of skills and training in the industry also won unanimous cross-party agreement from panellists during the exclusive event held online this week.
Support for reform of procurement practices and a review of VAT on domestic repairs were other positive talking points – supporting the Forum’s own manifesto suggestions for ways to improve the industry.
The hustings, held via webinar on Tuesday 27 April, featured five candidates currently facing election to the Scottish Parliament:
Carole Ford, Scottish Liberal Democrats
Monica Lennon, Scottish Labour
Laura Moodie, Scottish Greens
Alexander Stewart, Scottish Conservative and Unionist
Kevin Stewart, SNP.
Answering questions from senior Forum representatives and members of a selected audience, all panellists agreed that regulation was essential for the future of the construction industry.
Kevin Stewart said: “It should be the aim of all of us to drive up standards and safety and build trust in people doing day to day work. Why is a security guard a regulated professional when a plumber is not?
“We need to have real debate about the regulatory issues, and a consensus about moving forward on regulation. The Grenfell Inquiry highlights the need to have occupations regulated to keep people safe and give public confidence in construction work.”
Ms Ford agreed, saying: “Professional regulation’s primary purpose is to protect the public, maintain high standards and protect qualifications and standards in the sector.
“The cowboys are doing no favours to those who are properly qualified, so we are totally committed to all measures which would support consumers and protect standards and professional qualifications, and totally in support of having a well-regulated, well respected construction industry which has the confidence of the public.”
Also in favour of regulation was Ms Lennon, who said: “It is important that qualified tradespeople are recognised for their experience and their competence, meaning the public will have confidence in who is coming into their homes or workplace.
“It makes sense to give people confidence in their work and that they will work safely and have pride in what they do, so we fully support measures to improve regulation and improve public safety.”
Training and apprenticeships ‘vitally important’
The importance of skills, training and apprenticeships in the sector was another topic on which all panellists were in full agreement.
Alexander Stewart said: “Economic growth is the cornerstone for this recovery, and construction plays a vital role in that. Skills and training apprenticeships are vitally important and we fundamentally believe that there should be more funding put into it.
“We want to bring people back and get more new people into the industry and ensure that women have more opportunity to become more involved. We also want economic growth, which will only come about through investment in training and support mechanisms.”
Ms Lennon concurred: “Jobs are at the top and at the heart of our manifesto and our vision for the next five years is a roadmap to recovery that focuses on skills – up-skilling, re-skilling and how we can support local government to take on apprentices and use a talented workforce in Scotland to retro-fit homes to tackle fuel poverty and create new jobs in construction and manufacturing.”
Procurement ‘a bugbear that needs resolved’
Questions on procurement reform had been raised by several Forum members ahead of the husting – and again, all five panellists were firm in their convictions that change is needed.
Ms Moodie said: “We believe public procurement could be a real growth boost for small, local businesses that are socially and environmentally responsible and we are committed to reforming procurement requirements that could fulfil that.
“We want to make sure Scottish businesses capture more of the supply chain opportunities, especially from the rise in the growing renewable industry and I believe there is a lot of room for improvement in terms of accessibility and use of online procurement tools.
“We would also like to see more support for small businesses so they can compete on a level playing field with bigger companies in terms of bidding for the work.”
Ms Lennon added: “Procurement is quite simply a bugbear that needs resolved and there are huge opportunities around local engagement and low carbon innovation. SMEs are the lifeblood of our economy and we will reorientate procurement to make sure it works for businesses in Scotland.”
Ms Moodie said it was a “burden on businesses” when they were trying to expand and develop, while Ms Lennon said any changes would unlock plenty of opportunities.
Ms Ford agreed, adding: “The current VAT system is regressive and holding back demand for vital energy efficiency improvements and retrofits.”
Kevin Stewart was also in agreement, adding that VAT was not a devolved matter but that he wanted it reduced or abolished for refurbishment repairs and regeneration projects.
Panellists also responded to one audience member’s point that a recent survey revealed that 52 per cent of homes are not wind and watertight, with £3.8bn spent annually on their repair and maintenance.
Ms Ford replied that in the west of Scotland the factoring issue in tenements needs looked at as well as that of owners’ responsibilities, saying: “The Edinburgh solution has its own problems, but owners and the responsibilities of multi-occupancy properties needs reviewed.”
Kevin Stewart spoke of “educating people” about the importance of properties being wind and watertight and the need to be ambitious in helping more, while namesake Alexander added: “Homes need to be fit for purpose and there is a need to invest in the sector.”
Praise for ‘collective expertise’
Finally, there was one more thing all the panellists agreed upon – the excellent work of the CICV Forum.
The unique collective was formed in early March 2020 in response to the urgent COVID-19 threat and now comprises 29 leading construction trade and professional associations.
Alexander Stewart said: “It’s so important that the Forum is at the table as you have boots on the ground and work closely together to get the plans put into place. All the ideas in the CICV Forum manifesto are very good and we would support you in achieving them.”
Ms Ford agreed, saying: “The level of detail in CICV Forum documents is only possible because of your collective expertise. Working together has generated documentation that is a lot better than if carried out by one organisation.”
Kevin Stewart added: “The Forum has been at forefront of promoting working safely and long may it stay at the table with government. In particular I would like to pay tribute to the construction character Campbell who has been used to promote messaging through your clever use of social media.”
Forum actions include lobbying the Scottish Government to influence policy and push for positive action, as well as providing expert advice on important sector issues including commercial, employment, planning, skills, and health and safety.
Hustings ‘a resounding success’
The hustings format was the brainchild of Gordon Nelson, Scotland Director of the Federation of Master Builders, a key member of the Forum.
He said: “From the feedback we have received from the sector, it was clear that the hustings event was a resounding success and generated a wealth of constructive and thought-provoking answers from our panellists.
“It proved also that construction is very much at the heart of Scotland’s recovery, and that all parties are committed to rebuilding together and investing in a safer and fully skilled industry that will benefit the whole nation.”
Bank of Scotland’s Business Barometer for April 2021 shows:
Scottish business confidence rose 11 points to 9% in April, the first net-positive reading since February 2020
But firms are still expecting to reduce staffing levels over the coming months
Overall UK business confidence at highest level since September 2018 as lockdown restrictions lift in England and firms in Scotland and Wales begin to reopen
Business confidence in Scotland rose 11 points during April to 9%, the first positive reading since February 2020, according to the latest Business Barometer from Bank of Scotland Commercial Banking.
Companies in Scotland reported higher confidence in their own business prospects month-on-month, up 10 points at 5%. When taken alongside their optimism in the economy, up 11 points to 13%, this gives a headline confidence reading of 9%.
The Business Barometer questions 1,200 businesses monthly and provides early signals about UK economic trends both regionally and nationwide.
When it comes to jobs, a net balance of 9% of firms expect to reduce staff levels in the next year, down from 20% last month.
Overall UK business confidence surged 14 points in April to 29%, the highest reading since September 2018. The result follows the reopening of outdoor hospitality venues and non-essential retail and personal services providers in England and comes ahead of further restrictions easing in Wales and Scotland. Firms’ confidence in their own business prospects rose by 14 points to 26% and their optimism in the economy increased by 15 points to 32%.
Most UK regions and nations reported a month-on-month increase in confidence during April, with firms in the South West (up 22 points to 30%), London (up 20 points to 32%), the East Midlands (up 20 points to 40%) and Yorkshire and the Humber (up 20 points to 32%) reporting the largest surges.
No nation or region reported a fall in confidence, and nowhere had a net-negative confidence reading for the first time since July 2019.
Fraser Sime, regional director for Scotland at Bank of Scotland Commercial Banking, said:“With hospitality and retail reopening this month, firms are feeling more optimistic as they begin to welcome people back to shop, eat and enjoy what Scotland has to offer.
“While some businesses are still planning to reduce staffing levels this year, it’s encouraging to see the number of companies planning job cuts has decreased month-on-month, a trend we hope to see continue. As lockdown restrictions ease over the coming weeks, we will continue to stand by Scottish businesses as they look to their recovery.”
Confidence increased in all sectors, with manufacturing and retail confidence levels at three-year highs. Manufacturing stood out as the most positive sector (40%), likely reflecting strong global demand and notwithstanding ongoing supply chain issues. Retail confidence jumped to 39%, while construction confidence also increased to 28%. Services confidence rose to 25%, which was also the highest it has been since 2018.
Paul Gordon, Managing Director for SME and Mid Corporates, Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said:“It’s very encouraging to report a continued improvement in sentiment for the UK’s regions and nations, particularly the Northern English regions that are leading the upward trend.
“In the sectors, the story is broadly positive – especially manufacturing and retail, which stood out and reported confidence levels at three-year highs. The retail sector, specifically, experienced some much-needed relief this month with the easing of lockdown restrictions.
“We hope that pent-up consumer demand will drive growth as the economy reopens further.”
Hann-Ju Ho, Senior Economist, Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said:“A third consecutive monthly rise in business confidence alongside the highest level of confidence for two-and-a-half years tells us a positive story about the UK’s continued economic recovery and leaves us optimistic about the road ahead.
“While uncertainties remain regarding the evolution of the pandemic, this month’s improvement in sentiment reflects a further easing of COVID-19 restrictions, while progress in vaccine deployment is raising hopes that the negative impact of the health crisis will continue to fall in the months ahead as the economy reopens.”
Disadvantaged young people across Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife and Falkirk have received a financial boost with the launch of a new partnership between Radio Forth’s Cash for Kids and Charles River Laboratories.
The pharma company has presented the charity with a donation of £10,000 and pledged to raise more vital funds in the future. The donation will go directly towards the next grant round of funding, supporting community groups and families – many of whom are facing a financial emergency in the pandemic.
As part of the partnership, colleagues at Charles River Laboratories have signed up to take part in the Virtual Kiltwalk as well as Cash for Kids’ own Virtual Tour de Forth event. They’ll also provide a team of volunteers for the next Mission Christmas campaign in December.
Edinburgh-based Director at Charles River Laboratories, Morag Myers, said:“After such a challenging year for fundraising, we are hopeful that this initial donation of £10,000 will go a long way to help families in our local community and have a positive impact on the lives of children and young people.
“At Charles River, our purpose is clear, and our passion is strong: together, we create healthier lives. One of our key values is Care and one of the ways that we demonstrate this is by supporting the communities where we work and live. By Supporting Cash For Kids we are looking forward to doing just that.”
Charity Manager at Radio Forth’s Cash for Kids, Victoria Hendry, added:“2020 was a hugely challenging year for our charity, with events and numerous fundraisers cancelled, but it was thanks to the efforts of our individual and corporate supporters that we were able to re-open grant funding towards the end of the year.
“We’ve already supported more than 7,000 children in 2021, with over £110,000 in financial support so far.
“We’re incredibly grateful to the Scottish team at Charles River Laboratories for their generous donation and commitment to go even further for us in the future. The pandemic has proved to us that every single penny we raise can make a difference. Their donation will change lives for the better and help Cash for Kids reach and help even more young people right across the region.”
The Disasters Emergency Committee has extended its Coronavirus Appeal to include India as an additional country that will receive urgent life-saving humanitarian assistance to help the most vulnerable communities as they face an overwhelming coronavirus surge.
DEC member charities, together with their local teams and partners, are playing a critical role in supporting the country’s health services, assisting efforts to slow the spread of the virus, and providing further help to the most vulnerable households.
DEC Chief Executive Saleh Saeed said: “We have all seen the devastating images from India showing hospitals overrun and oxygen supplies falling short of demand, with thousands of people unable to receive potentially life-saving treatment. Several cities have imposed lockdowns and curfews, which will have a knock-on effect for people’s livelihoods, with the poorest and most marginalised communities hit hardest.
“DEC member charities have a long history of working with these communities and are supporting overwhelmed health services by providing medical supplies, treatment facilities and logistics assistance. With the generous support of the UK public, we can do even more to help the most vulnerable communities as they face a life-or-death situation.”
The countries in which DEC charities are responding to Covid-19 through donations to the DEC Coronavirus Appeal will be expanded to include India. The appeal, which was launched in July 2020, has been helping the poorest communities in a number of countries including Yemen, Syria and South Sudan tackle the coronavirus pandemic.
DEC charities will be supporting India’s health system by:
providing PPE, disinfection kits, medical supplies and ambulances
setting up isolation facilities, including provision of beds and latrines
setting up temporary Covid hospitals and Covid care centres
providing logistical support to quarantine or isolation centres
providing ventilators and oxygen concentrators to the Indian government
running helplines to tackle misinformation by providing up-to-date information on the availability of hospital beds, oxygen cylinders and Covid vaccines.
They will also scale up preventive measures to slow the spread of Covid-19 amongst the most vulnerable communities including:
setting up handwashing stations and distributing soap, sanitiser and masks
distributing hygiene kits (consisting of washable masks, sanitiser, gloves, face shields, soap)
supporting vaccination drives and public health messaging on the importance of good hygiene
disinfecting public places
training community health volunteers in how to, for example, promote quarantine centres and screen people for Covid symptoms.
DEC charities will also provide additional support to the poorest and most vulnerable households by:
ensuring families get enough food to prevent malnutrition, particularly amongst children, by distributing food and care packs to people in isolation; providing cash, vouchers and dry rations; providing livelihoods training and cash for work
providing mental health support as well as community counselling services
delivering community outreach to older people e.g. transportation for Covid testing or treatment, and assistance with vaccination costs
supporting Ministries of Education to ensure safe school operations as well as support to children, families and teachers to continue education if schools are closed
strengthening water and sanitation systems.
To make a donation to the DEC Coronavirus Appeal visit www.dec.org.uk, call the 24-hour hotline on 0370 60 60 900, or send a cheque to DEC Coronavirus Appeal, PO Box 999, London EC3A 3AA.
To donate £10 text SUPPORT to 70150. Texts cost £10 and the whole £10 goes to the DEC CORONAVIRUS APPEAL. You must be 16 or over and please ask the bill payer’s permission. For full terms and conditions and more information go to www.dec.org.uk.
Donations will help provide the following: £30 could provide six families with enough soap for a month; £50 could provide essential hygiene kits to two families; £100 could provide PPE for one frontline health worker for four months.
Stay up to date with developments on Twitter: www.twitter.com/decappeal or on Facebook via www.facebook.com/DisastersEmergencyCommittee
Some passengers arriving in the UK are having to extend their quarantine or pay for additional Covid tests as private labs are failing to deliver results on time, Which? has found, raising concerns about the capacity of the UK’s travel testing system weeks before international travel is set to re-open.
Currently, anyone arriving in the UK (unless exempt) must quarantine for a mandatory 10 days and take a PCR test on day two and day eight of their quarantine. These tests typically cost between £160 and £200, but can cost over £500. Travellers must receive negative results for both tests to leave quarantine after day 10.
However, social media and review sites have been flooded with complaints about test result delays, with a Facebook group for people suffering problems with the system amassing around 1,500 members, and Which? has also heard from travellers who did not receive their test results within 10 days.
Without test results, travellers face having to pay hundreds of pounds for additional tests or stay in quarantine for longer than they need to, potentially causing problems for those who cannot work from home.
The consumer champion also understands that at present, only four private test providers out of more than 500 on the government’s list of providers have been accredited – Nationwide Pathology, Source Bioscience, Oncologica and Eurofins Forensic Services. Of those four, only Nationwide Pathology and Oncologica offer day two and day eight test kits, raising concerns about oversight of the test providers.
With mass travel set to resume next month, Which? is concerned that the travel test system – which is already struggling to handle demand when international travel is restricted – is at risk of being overwhelmed, and potentially collapsing when restrictions are lifted.
Erkal Taskin, who returned from Turkey after visiting his ill father in early April, told Which? that he didn’t receive his day two test kit from Anglia, a government-listed test provider, until he had been in the UK for a week.
Only after he contacted Anglia through Twitter and Which? responded to his tweets did it promise him a refund. It finally gave him his day two result 15 days after he had arrived in the country, and he still has not received his day eight result.
Anglia apologised for the problems, and described the case as “an extreme outlier even in terms of the small number of cases where our client has had some processing or fulfilment issues.”
Erkal added: “I wasn’t sure when I could leave my house and there was no one to ask. I ended up waiting for so long before I could go back to work, which was a huge problem.”
Another person complained on Trustpilot about a different provider, claiming that after they didn’t receive results for their day two test, they paid for a ‘Day Five Test to Release Kit’ – which would have allowed them to end their quarantine early on receipt of a negative result – but said “now on day nine, [we] still have no results, so [it was a] waste of £110 plus £175.”
While some providers have blamed delays with Royal Mail deliveries, Royal Mail told Which? there have been no reported delays in its network related to use of the company’s priority post boxes for managing travellers’ test results.
Oncologica, one of the largest laboratories that has partnered with many government-listed test providers, apologised on its website for delays and said there has been an “unprecedented increase in Covid testing enquiries and kit orders received since government travel rules were introduced”.
Nationwide Pathology also apologised on its site for “large scale disruption to the delivery of both kits and samples”.
Despite travellers failing to receive their Covid test results on time, many have not been offered refunds. Both Oncologia and Nationwide Pathology said they did not guarantee test results within 10 days, with the latter claiming guidance from the Department of Health and Social Care means that it doesn’t have to provide refunds “where there’s no issue with the testing service”.
Under the proposed traffic light system, arrivals from ‘green’ countries must take day two tests, and those from ‘amber’ and ‘red’ countries must take day two and day eight tests, which will mean hundreds of thousands more people rely on the testing system.
Which? is urging the government to urgently address the problems currently affecting the PCR testing market with regard to availability of information, accreditation, pricing and accessibility of tests, as well as the poor quality of service by some providers. It must also ensure there are effective consumer protections in place for travellers in the event of any problems with testing, ahead of reopening travel after 17 May.
Rory Boland, Which? Travel Editor, said: “The UK’s travel testing system can’t cope with demand, even when relatively small numbers of people are travelling. It’s clear the system could buckle under the pressure when mass international travel restarts and hundreds of thousands more people are reliant on it.
“Travellers shouldn’t have to shop around for something as crucial as a test provider – they simply need a service that is accessible, reliable, and delivered on time. It is critical that the Government addresses issues with testing ahead of restarting international travel, and ensure that travellers are not left to the mercy of poor quality providers or unreliable services when trying to do the right thing in following government requirements to travel safely.”
Oncologicatold Which? it can process up to 40,000 Covid-19 tests a day and that it hadn’t yet reached capacity. A spokesperson said: “Postal service quality is outside our control; however, we make customers aware of the possibility of shipment delays arising from postal deliveries.
“This can relate to sample returns indicating they have been returned “delivered” in the Royal Mail tracked postal system, whereas in fact samples may not yet have been delivered to Oncologica and only have arrived at a Royal Mail depot, which can take up to 24 hours to deliver onto us. In the vast majority of cases, our customers experience no delays and our kits and results are supplied in a timely manner.”
It said that it couldn’t comment on claims by third party test providers that they’d received its results late.
Nationwide Pathology said: “We recognise the significant frustrations that UK International Arrivals are currently facing and we all are working extremely hard to make the process as user friendly as possible.
“We also recognise the significant costs involved for families which is why we have consistently, since the start of this process in March 2021, been one of the least expensive providers on the DHSC list.
“Nationwide Pathology is committed to providing the best service possible. We have performed over 80,000 Day 2 and Day 8 covid tests since the end of March 2021. The vast majority of our clients have no issue and are very happy with the service they receive. Our complaints KPI is 0.29%.
“Unfortunately, even though we use Royal Mail, who are a gold standard logistics provider, they have experienced some delays in getting samples to us. We understand how important results are to customers, but we are simply unable to test a sample that we do not have.”
A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “There are no reported delays in our network related to people using Royal Mail’s priority post boxes to manage their test results. In fact we continue to receive praise for the high quality of the service we provide to the nation. Every day we service hundreds of thousands of test kits on behalf of the NHS both speedily and efficiently.
“For overseas travellers, the management of test kits, samples and results is carried out through several private companies. In some instances, some of these companies may use a Royal Mail tracked returns service to deliver test results.
“In such cases, we deliver mail items in line with the service specification agreed with the sending companies. Every item of mail is important to us. We are committed to delivering the highest levels of service for all our customers.
“We have lots of capacity in our network to continue to deliver these mail items to a high level of service even if there is an increase in demand.”
The Department of Health and Social Care said: “We are carefully monitoring issues raised by the public, raising every complaint with private test providers. We also monitor all providers’ performance, including their delivery and test turnaround times.
“We will take rapid action against any company that is providing an inadequate service. In the first instance, they will receive a warning and are given five days to demonstrate they have addressed concerns, and if not, they are removed from the gov.uk list.”
A spokesperson for Anglia DNA Services said: “We unreservedly apologise for any receipt, delivery, and/or processing issues in this case, one of a very small minority of such issues over the last weeks in which we have successfully fulfilled over 10,000 ‘2 and 8’ day tests for our customers.
“The individual you reference is being fully refunded as is our policy, with our apologies again.”
UK Charity, the Naked Truth Project, have launched new dates for a series of workshops for parents and carers to better understand pornography in a digital age, enabling them to talk to their children and young people about the subject.
Constable Simon Bailey, National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) lead on child protection, has highlighted the need for resources such as ‘The PG Workshops’, following his recognition of porn consumption as a leading factor in the growing cases of sexual violence and abuse amongst teens.
The PG Workshops will be live-streamed online sessions and come following the launch of the ‘Everyone’s Invited’ website, which provides an anonymous forum for children and youth to share experiences of aggressive, or abusive sexual behaviours.
Chief Constable Bailey has previously warned of the links between young people’s access to and consumption of pornography and the kind of sexually aggressive/abusive behaviour highlighted in many of the 15,000+ accounts documented on the website.
Chief Constable Simon Bailey says, “There is a real issue in children’s perception of healthy relationships, healthy sexual relationships, what is permissible and what is acceptable. Unfortunately, I think the ready and easy access to pornography is a driver to that.”
The Chief Constable acknowledges that organisations like Naked Truth Project are doing important work to combat the damaging impacts of porn and urges parents and schools to engage with the issue.
Ch. Constable Bailey continued: “Parents have a responsibility to ensure that children, both sons and daughters, recognise and understand what good values are, what respect and trust and honesty are, and how to treat people.
“The difficult conversations around inevitably viewing pornography need to be had, explaining that it is not a relationship, and schools should be reinforcing this point as well. This is why the kind of schools work and parent workshops that Naked Truth offer can be such a useful resource to this end.”
The workshops delivered hope to provide insight on the pressures young people are facing, and practical tips for parents guiding them through those pressures.
Ian Henderson, Founder and CEO of the Naked Truth Project says: “We believe there is a growing need amongst parents, carers and teachers to talk about and tackle the issue of pornography, especially in light of recent revelations about the scale of sexual violence amongst young people, yet many feel overwhelmed and under-resourced to engage in this conversation.
“We hope our workshops will be an effective way of teaching parents and carers how to talk to their young people about the dangers of pornography, as well as offer some practical tips in setting up parental controls and safety features on devices.”
The swell of the stories shared on ‘Everyone’s Invited’, have highlighted recent government research, such as the Equalities Office Report, which acknowledges the links between teenage porn consumption and toxic relationships, harassment in schools and abusive behaviour.
Other national leaders, such as Baroness Benjamin, are also calling for the education of both pupils and parents around the damaging impact of porn on healthy relationships.
Ian Henderson continues: “As an organisation, whilst we recognise that porn use won’t lead to sexual harassment or violence for all individuals, and is certainly not the only contributing factor, it’s vital that we begin to recognise the part that it does play and call it out.
“Given that porn often contains high levels of blatant verbal and physical abuse, as well as the sexualisation of coercion, harassment and outright lack of consent, we must consider the impact this is having on us, and the importance it places on educating our young people well.”
The Naked Truth Project have already delivered these workshops to over 4,000 parents and carers, as well as presenting specialised school lessons which have seen 20,000 students participate.
For more information, or to book a place on the workshops, please visit:
The Work and Pensions Committee Chair Stephen Timms has written to Minister for Disabled People Justin Tomlinson asking what action the Government is taking to address delays to Workplace Capability Assessments (WCA).
The letter raises concerns about the ‘exceptionally long waits for assessments’ some people applying for Employment Support Allowance (ESA) and Universal Credit have been experiencing since the start of the coronavirus pandemic and the suspension of face-to-face assessments more than a year ago.
This affects people who DWP has decided cannot have their claims assessed on paper or by telephone.
Previous correspondence from the Minister failed to answer the Committee’s specific questions on the number of people affected, waiting times and the reasons behind the lack of progress on conducting remote assessments for these claimants.
Rt Hon Stephen Timms, Chair of the Work and Pensions Committee, said: “DWP has left some disabled people in an impossible situation: they can’t have a face-to-face assessment, while they are also told a decision on their claim can’t be made over the phone.
“Instead, they’ve simply been left in limbo, forced to get by on less money than they are entitled to, in some cases for more than a year—at a time when we know living costs have been higher than ever for disabled people. So far, the Minister hasn’t even told us how many people have been affected.
“We all know that DWP has been under enormous pressure this year. But there has been a disappointing lack of urgency in addressing this problem. It’s high time the Government fixed this.”
Edinburgh College’s Board of Management has appointed a new non-executive member to support it in leading the strategic direction of the College. As is required this appointment was confirmed following approval by Scottish Ministers (or the Scottish Government).
The new member, Janyce Holmes, has an extensive background as a director in the commercial sector and is a fellow of CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants).
Janyce is a former Director of Marketing Operations at Diageo, and is experienced in matters of planning, strategy and commercial development. Between commercial director roles, Janyce has also worked as a visiting lecturer in tertiary education institutions.
The Interim Chair of Edinburgh College’s Board of Management Ann Landels said: “On behalf of the Board, I would like to welcome Janyce to Edinburgh College. Janyce has a strong financial management background and a broad range of experience in the commercial sector.
“Janyce’s recent experience as a non-executive director and her background in the tertiary education sector will serve the College and the Board well as we aim to continue maximising experiences and opportunities for all of our students.”
Edinburgh College Principal Audrey Cumberford said: “I am pleased to welcome Janyce to the Board of Management at a time when our College is learning from the experience of educating during a global pandemic and is working to provide opportunities for more students, for more people in our communities, for local businesses and their employees.
“Janyce’s wealth of experience in both the commercial and education sectors will be a welcome addition to the range of knowledge and expertise already at the Board’s disposal. I look forward to working with her.”
Hopes are high that as lockdown eases over the next few months, popular tourist destinations will see the return of much needed visitors to boost local economies.
With the early May Bank Holiday approaching, local authorities across the UK are ready to offer a warm welcome to visitors. But warnings have been made about a repeat of scenes from last year that saw a minority of motorists parking irresponsibly, causing chaos and frustration for residents and businesses in and around these visitor destinations.
These communities are now preparing for another year of managing the increased demand placed on staycation hotspots, including providing additional parking facilities in anticipation of the higher number of motorists.
As holiday makers, day trippers and shoppers make a return during the summer season, the parking sector, both public and private, believe everyone needs to play their part, by only parking where it is legally permitted, helping ensure that streets and communities are kept safe, free from congestion, and can be enjoyed by all.
Government is also being urged to increase the options and sanctions available to local authorities to tackle the worst offenders. These measures could see an increase in the top level of penalties as evidence from last summer shows that the current rates are not an effective deterrent to antisocial and selfish parking.
Caron Fassetta, Director of Communications and Membership at the British Parking Association said: “‘What we saw last year was unprecedented. And there is good reason to anticipate that some people will once again ignore the rules, causing obstruction, and endangering the lives of other road users, especially pedestrians.
“Safety is our top priority. If we all do what’s right, residents as well as visitors can enjoy the holiday season. In short, we’re asking motorists to ‘Be Kind – Park with others in mind‘.”
Richard Walker, Parking Partnership Group Manager at North Essex Parking Partnership expressed concern the situation could worsen if stronger action is not taken: “The real impact of so many people thinking antisocial behaviour and poor parking is acceptable is that it increases congestion, contributing to additional pollution and rising frustration from people living in these areas.
“Simply put – lives are at risk, as journey times for emergency vehicles get longer, disabled and visually impaired people, and parents with pushchairs are forced into the path of moving vehicles, and overcrowded destinations make it impossible for everyone to socially distance.”
The BPA’s Selfish Parker campaign encourages people to respect others and think before they park. Parking restrictions exist for a reason and ‘It’s not ok to park, where it’s not ok to park’.
The BPA has some top tips for those planning to visit tourist hot spots:
Plan your visit – search the location for parking facilities and if possible, book parking in advance.
Find alternatives – to the most popular parking locations by parking further away from your final destination, this could save you time too.
Park responsibly – only park where it is permitted, respect the people living in the community you are visiting and be kind.
Don’t obstruct – pavements, private driveways, or impede access for emergency vehicles.
Don’t litter – take it home with you or find a rubbish bin.
Don’t be idle – turn your engine off when in stationary traffic or when you are parked.
