Day: September 23, 2021

Poverty Alliance events in October

With Challenge Poverty Week fast approaching we wanted to let you know about a couple of events the Poverty Alliance are organising during the week …

Challenge Poverty Lecture: Baroness Ruth Lister

5th October, 6.30pm

Across a distinguished career as a campaigner and academic Baroness Professor Ruth Lister has explored how we understand and conceive poverty, and how these understandings impact both the experience of poverty and our responses to it. Recurring themes in her work include the connection between poverty and human rights; the differential experiences of poverty; discourses of poverty, in particular the experience of ‘othering’.

For the Challenge Poverty Lecture 2021 Professor Lister will explore these themes and what they mean for addressing poverty in Scotland during and after the pandemic.

This year’s lecture will take place online. For more information and to register please click here

Rights in Recovery: Protecting Rights and Tackling Poverty After Covid

Poverty Alliance Annual Conference

8 October 2021, 9.45am-2pm

As we now look forward towards a period of recovery from the pandemic, this conference will consider how we can both tackle poverty and ensure that the human rights of those who have been most affected can be protected and extended. The discussions at the conference will be used to feed into the development of the Scottish Government’s Child Poverty Delivery Plan, as well as the informing the new Human Rights Bill.

Speakers include John Swinney MSP, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery Plans, Professor Olivier de Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights,  Judith Robertson, Chair of the Scottish Human Rights Commission, Bruce Adamson, Children and Young People’s Commissioner for Scotland, and Moira Tasker, CEO of Inclusion Scotland.

For full details and to register please click here

New roof for The Dome’s Rose Street Garden?

The owners of The Dome in Edinburgh have said they hope the planning committee approve plans for a new roof for their Rose Street Garden this week to ensure income for the famous venue and help them meet rising upkeep and maintenance costs.

Owners of The Dome say having the Rose Street Garden unable to trade due to do unpredictable weather conditions is putting a great strain on the business.  A roof would allow the Garden to be used in all weathers, maximising customers space following the Covid-19 pandemic and helping The Dome meet upkeep and maintenance costs that are increasing on an annual basis.

But Council planners have recommended that the Development Management Sub Committee reject the application, despite no objections from community councils or members of the public and 27 submissions supporting the move indicating they believed it would be a positive addition to the building. 

The Dome management are puzzled planners that Historic Scotland (HES), have recommended refusal when a similar application was granted in 1999 with no objection from HES.

Commenting on the report from the Planning Officers, The Dome management said: “The Dome is an iconic Edinburgh building and an attraction in its own right. 

“Our application for a retractable glass roof to the rear of the property is similar to one approved in 1999.  It means we can make better use of the space on Rose Street and adapt to the changing demands of our customers who more and more want safe outdoor space.

“Approving this roof will allow The Dome to continue as one of Edinburgh’s Premiere venues and tourist attractions.  We hope the planning committee would give consideration to the points we have made above.”

Ten million tests

More than 10 million COVID-19 PCR tests have now been carried out in Scotland over the past 19 months since testing got underway.

The tests, which include those processed at the three NHS regional hubs set up around Scotland, have now reached 10,017,000. They also include the four-nations network of Lighthouse laboratories, partner laboratories and testing sites.

More than one million tests have also been conducted by the Scottish Ambulance service at mobile testing units around the country.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “Reaching ten million tests is a major milestone and recognition of the hard work and dedication of our testing teams across the country.

“Testing has a vital role to play as restrictions are phased out and we learn to live with the virus.

“It may be tempting to think as vaccinations increase and cases drop, that testing will become less important. In fact, this will only make it more important to spot and prevent new outbreaks as cases emerge. We know from our experience  just how quickly one outbreak can lead to another.

“The ability to quickly identify new outbreaks and put appropriate measures in place will remain at the heart of our strategy to help break chains of transmission.”

All adults are encouraged to take a PCR test if they have any one of the three symptoms of coronavirus. These are a high temperature or fever, a new continuous cough, as well as any loss of, or change in sense of smell or taste.

People are also encouraged to take two rapid (lateral flow) tests a week, regardless of whether they have symptoms.

https://youtu.be/X0Kj8dD_X_M

Three regional hubs were established this year at Gartnavel hospital in Glasgow (West) operated by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde,  Foresterhill in Aberdeen (North) operated by NHS Grampian and Lauriston Place in Edinburgh (East), operated by NHS Lothian,  to increase capacity.

The 10,017,000 figure for tests comprises those processed through to midnight on  September 20.

A PCR test can be booked through NHS Inform:  NHS inform – Scottish health information you can trust | NHS inform