Month: December 2021

‘Serious failings’ at ethical standards body

“It is disturbing to see so many failings in an organisation, not least because it deals directly with concerns raised by members of the public”

Public trust in the body that investigates complaints about the behaviour of MSPs and councillors is now at risk because of serious failings in the way it is run.

The Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland (CESPLS) assesses complaints about the conduct of MSPs, local authority councillors and members of public bodies and then decides which to investigate.

Failings identified by the appointed auditor include:

  • an absence of openness and transparency
  • a breakdown in key relationships with stakeholders and within its own office
  • no effective scrutiny or challenge which might have flagged up issues earlier

The Commissioner’s Office has since accepted 22 recommendations made by the appointed auditor and has made progress in addressing issues raised.

Stephen Boyle, Auditor General for Scotland, said: “It is disturbing to see so many failings in an organisation, not least because it deals directly with concerns raised by members of the public.

“It is vital that progress underway continues and that the recommendations made by the auditor are implemented.

“The overarching risk is that there will be a loss of public trust in the ability of the Commissioner’s Office to properly investigate and consider complaints made against individuals in public life in Scotland.”

STATEMENT FROM THE ETHICAL STANDARDS COMMISSIONER

Audit Scotland today published a Section 22 report* regarding this office (as above). The report and further details can be found on Audit Scotland’s website: Report: The 2020/21 audit of the Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland.

The report has been made in relation to serious issues identified in the audit relating to 2020/21.

Ian Bruce was appointed as Acting Commissioner on 20 April 2021 and has instituted a series of remedies. These include:

  • the production of a revised strategic plan for the next three years, which now incorporates the values that were missing from the previous version and clear statements of intent about how the office will fulfil its statutory obligations in accordance with the expectations of the Parliament, public and stakeholders
  • a new biennial business plan covering all office functions and addressing each of the auditor’s recommendations
  • the reinstitution of Senior Management Team (SMT) meetings in accordance with previous good governance arrangements and re-eagement with our Advisory Audit Board, whose members are drawn from the independent members of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body’s AAB
  • the recruitment of three new Investigating Officers and a new Corporate Services Officer, to ensure all office functions are appropriately covered
  • meaningful re-engagement with the SPCB and on-going communications with the SPCB and the Parliament’s Standards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee to keep the Parliament updated on our situation and plans
  • meaningful and on-going engagement with all stakeholder organisations, including the Standards Commission for Scotland, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA), the Society of Local Authority Lawyers & Administrators in Scotland (SOLAR) and the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE)
  • ensuring that the directions issued by the Standards Commission are complied with.

Progress to rebuild the organisation and its relationships with stakeholders is well underway.

The Acting Commissioner Ian Bruce stated: “I am grateful for the auditors’ work on the review and have welcomed their recommendations, the majority of which are addressed in our strategic and business plans.

“I have been grateful, also, to the SPCB and the Standards Commission for Scotland for their support since my appointment and their recognition of the many changes that I have already made.

“I and the entire team are dedicated to working in accordance with our new plans and the new values that we have adopted as an organisation. It is incumbent on me and on all of the staff to earn the trust of the public and the many stakeholder organisations that rely on our effective operation as an office. We are absolutely committed to doing so.”

Edinburgh Leisure joins with Hey Girls to end period poverty

Edinburgh Leisure has joined forces with award winning Scottish community interest company and social enterprise, Hey Girls to provide free period products to customers.

A range of sustainable products including tampons (both digital and applicator types) and period pads are now available across all Edinburgh Leisure sites. The period products are in changing and toilet areas, as appropriate, for customers to help themselves as required.

Wendy Avinou, Leisure Manager and lead for this project said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with Hey Girls whose mission is to eradicate period poverty in the UK by providing quality period products in our venues to everyone who needs them.

“Edinburgh Leisure is a charity on a mission to help people lead healthier, happier, more active lives and anything we can do to eradicate people’s barriers to this, including period poverty, we are only too delighted to get involved with. Free period products can encourage participation in sport and support good health. 

“Our Active Communities programme harnesses the power of physical activity and sport to tackle inequalities and combat the effects of inactivity.  Each year we support around 10,000 people affected by health conditions, disabilities, inequalities, and poverty to get active – empowering them to improve and protect their health, wellbeing, and quality of life.”

According to the Joseph Rountree Foundation UK Poverty Report 2020/21, 14.5 million people in the UK are caught up in poverty, equating to more than one in five people. The fact that period poverty still affects people in the UK in 2021 shocks many people.

Plan International UK research found that period poverty affects 1 in 10 people across the UK. In Scotland, the number is thought to be closer to 1 in 4.

More research is needed to understand exactly what is happening, but period poverty is a real problem for many people.

Period products are a necessity, but they are expensive. Tight budgets can leave people forced to prioritise other purchases, leaving them without the right period products, without enough period products, or without any period products at all.

Campaigns to address period poverty have gained momentum, and UK governments are now stepping in to help solve the problem. Last year Scotland became the first country in the world to make period products free for all. 

The City of Edinburgh Council have been responsible for implementing the legislation within the capital on behalf of the Scottish Government and have enabled the partnership with Edinburgh Leisure.

Cllr Amy McNeese-Mechan, Culture and Communities Vice Convener for the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “We’re delighted that Edinburgh Leisure is one of the first of our partners to roll out free period products for all as this should be a basic right.

“We’re committed to achieving this goal as we showed last year when they were made available in community centres, libraries, schools and early years centres and we’re hoping to make them more widely available in a range of venues in 2022.

“We would urge everyone to look out for, and take part in, our public consultation for the Scottish Parliament bill on the roll out of the free period products next year.”

https://youtu.be/YDf1rnSK-dQ

Celia Hodson, CEO & Founder of Hey Girls, added: “Increasing access to period products is really important. Free products can improve concentration, encourage participation in sport and support good health.

“They prevent people having to make dehumanising choices – to wear the wrong product, or a worse quality product or to wear a product for longer than is hygienic or safe.

“At Hey Girls we believe that access to quality period products is a right, not a privilege. Being able to access free period products at the Edinburgh Leisure sites will allow people to conveniently pick up products they need with no questions asked. What’s more, all our period products are sustainable and chemical free; being made with materials including sustainable bamboo and organic cotton, for a planet and body-friendly period.”

Hey Girls was initially established in 2018 by Celia Hodson and her two daughters Kate and Bec as a kitchen table start up after experiencing period poverty themselves. The company has donated over 19 million products to people in the UK facing period poverty through its ‘buy one, donate one’ pledge.

With 21 employees, they’ve grown into a UK wide operation with dispatch teams in Musselburgh in East Lothian, Diss in Norfolk and Sydney in Australia. They are proud to be multi award winning and have celebrity supporters including Michael Sheen and Caitlin Moran.

For more information:   www.edinburghleisure.co.uk

A new deal for tenants: consultation launched

Plans to deliver a new deal for tenants, with stronger rights, greater protections against eviction and access to greener, higher-quality, more affordable housing, have been launched.

The proposals, which are now open to public consultation, aim to deliver a fairer rented sector that meets the needs of tenants and welcomes responsible landlords.

They include:

  • increasing penalties for illegal evictions and stronger enforcement
  • restricting evictions during winter
  • giving tenants greater flexibility to personalise their homes and keep pets
  • developing a national system of rent controls for the private rented sector
  • introducing a new Housing Standard to apply to all homes
  • establishing a private rented sector regulator to uphold these standards and ensure the system is fair for both landlords and tenants
  • setting minimum standards for energy efficiency, making homes cheaper to heat while contributing to Scotland’s climate change targets

The measures form part of the Housing to 2040 strategy, published in March this year, and take forward several commitments made in the co-operation agreement with the Scottish Green Party. The results of the consultation will feed into the final version of the strategy to be published next year, with elements of the proposals put to the Scottish Parliament in a Housing Bill in 2023.

Tenants’ Rights Minister Patrick Harvie said: “Now is the time to do more for people who rent their homes, whether they are renting privately, from the council or from a housing association. Delivering a new deal for tenants is central to our ambitions for a fairer Scotland, tackling child poverty and meeting climate change targets.

“Above all else it will significantly improve the lives of Scotland’s tenants, giving them more stability, more choice over where they live and how they decorate their homes, and the confidence that their home will be of a high quality. At the same time it will recognise the interests of good quality, responsible landlords.  

“We will be working in partnership with landlords, letting agents, tenants and others to deliver this strategy, and we want to gather the broadest range of views. I would encourage anyone with an interest to respond to our consultation.”

Alison Watson, Director of Shelter Scotland, said: “A warm, safe, and permanent home is a right not a privilege for everyone in Scotland. To make this a reality we need to ensure there is enough social housing for everyone who needs it, while strengthening the rights of tenants and empowering people to defend them.

“Shelter Scotland has long called for tenants’ rights and protections, in both the social and private sectors, to be strengthened to make sure no one can be denied their right to a home. Too many renters aren’t aware of their rights or don’t feel confident in enforcing them and that needs to change.

“This is an ambitious strategy, and it offers the chance to mend many aspects of a housing system that is currently failing thousands. We are excited to work with the Scottish Government to develop these ideas and build a better future for housing in Scotland.”

Sally Thomas, Chief Executive of the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA), said: “We welcome the Scottish Government’s ambition that all tenants should have access to secure, good quality, affordable homes. We are also pleased the government has acknowledged the unique role housing associations have in delivering these outcomes to people right across Scotland.   

“Fairness, quality and affordability are at the heart of the social housing sector, with our homes built to the highest standards, and tenants regularly engaged in important decisions.  

“This consultation provides an opportunity to inform and shape the detail behind these important principles, not least to provide a clearer definition of affordability. SFHA and our members look forward to working with Scottish Government over the coming months to do this.” 

The consultation closes on 15 April 2022.

Carry On Christmas

  • Cabinet meets to discuss Omicron crisis – but agrees to DO NOTHING until more data is available
  • Scotland will urge caution and encourage vaccination – but will NOT enforce tougher guidelines before Christmas

The UK Government met yesterday to discuss the gathering Omicron crisis – but decided to DO NOTHING following their two-hour meeting.

PM Boris Johnson said the situation will be monitored ‘hour by hour’.

91,743 Covid cases were reported across the UK yesterday – the second highest daily total on record – and this figure is expected to rise steeply over the coming days as Omicron becomes the dominant variant.

The UK public has already voted with it’s feet, with many choosing to stay away from busy venues. This has created a new crisis for the beleaguered hospitality industry …

Weekend hospitality sales plummet by 40%

New figures, from industry body UKHospitality, show December set to be a disaster for a sector which had much riding on this key period and hopes for a better 2022 already lie in tatters.

Over half (54%) of venues were down more than 40% in revenue last weekend, with one in five businesses reporting a crushing sales drop of more than 60%. On top of these bleak trading figures, 88% of operators say they feel negative about the potential of New Year’s Eve trading and four in five operators have already experienced cancellations for bookings in what was already set to be a quiet Q1 next year.

A separate survey, for the Tourism Alliance, showed that a third of pubs, bars and restaurants have no cash reserves and 10% of pubs and 14% of restaurants are therefore very likely to fail, with consequent job losses.

Without any form of Government support a further 40% are at risk of failure. Accommodation businesses are only slightly more resilient with 22% reporting no cash reserves – 47% with less than 2 months’ worth – with 26% at risk of failure in the next year without further support.

UKHospitality Chief Executive, Kate Nicholls, said: “Hospitality operators desperately want to keep their doors open and trade their way to recovery, particularly during the Christmas period, which is not only key for balance sheets but for the communities and people our businesses serve.

“However, these catastrophic figures clearly show that trading levels are now so low that without Government support many businesses will not survive into the New Year and jobs will be lost. Cancellations have annihilated cash reserves.

“The industry urgently needs grants for short-term business survival and an extension to business rates relief and the lower VAT rate to secure longer term survival and planning.

“It is also crucial that the Government lets the industry know as soon as possible if measures are to be imposed and what they might be, to allow for as much damage limitation as possible.”

Scottish Licensed Trade Association managing director Colin Wilkinson said: “Of course, we all want to do what we can to stop the spread of the virus and the licensed hospitality sector has gone to enormous effort and invested millions of pounds in mitigation measures and will continue to do so for as long as it can.

“The shutdown of the licensed hospitality industry, effectively by stealth, puts most businesses in an even worse scenario than last Christmas when there was some finance available via Government grants and the furlough scheme was in place.

 “Whilst the restrictions that we feared have not yet been imposed, there still remains a great deal of uncertainty for our industry which was beginning to recover, albeit slowly, and looking forward to reasonably good prospects during the key festive trading period.

“We have not been ordered to close our doors yet but many have no choice when so many bookings have been cancelled.

“Last week’s call from Public Health Scotland not to have festive parties – endorsed the next day by the First Minister – killed Christmas and, I fear, will kill some businesses who will not survive without financial support. Our industry desperately needs additional aid to save it – and it needs it now.

“Our industry desperately needs additional aid to save it – and needs it NOW.

“I cannot stress how serious the situation is – many of our members are in dire straits. There will be no happy Christmas for those who are worried about the future and face the prospect of making staff redundant or, worse, pulling down the shutters.

“It is not only operators who are affected by Government interventions – staff and those in the supply chain are also being dragged into the horrendous situation we are still in without any other restrictions looming on the horizon.”

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has already confirmed that no further restrictions will be introduced in Scotland before Christmas.

The Scottish Cabinet will meet this morning and any further changes to post-Christmas Covid restrictions will be announced to Parliament this afternoon.

Ye’ll huv hud yer Hogmanany, then?

White Christmas run cancelled

A STATEMENT from EDINBURGH PLAYHOUSE

We regret to inform you that we & the producers of White Christmas have had to make the very difficult decision to cancel all remaining dates of the musical.

If you’ve tickets to an affected performance your point of purchase will contact direct with refund details.

On behalf of the producers, company and crew of the show as well as the entire venue team, thank you for your patience and understanding during this difficult time – your continued support is much appreciated.

Festive mental health with NHS 24

As we look ahead to another festive season impacted by the COVID19 pandemic, NHS 24 are encouraging people to put mental health first.

Lots of people are feeling anxious and unsure of where to turn for a bit of support so here is advice from the team behind NHS inform and the 111 service:

Clear Your Head web site

It’s natural to not feel yourself at times, and for anyone feeling that way, the Clear Your Head web site has simple tips for anyone feeling down, as well as guides on what to do to support others. clearyourhead.scot

NHSinform.scot

Anyone in Scotland with a digital device and having problems with anger or stress, having trouble sleeping, or struggling to cope with challenging situations, can find support by answering a few simple questions through this guide, nhsinform.scot/get-help-with-your-mental-wellbeing

During the summer of 2021 hundreds of visitors to NHSinform were directed to seek immediate telephone help while thousands more went on to self-directed care online using SilverCloud, a website with courses to improve mental wellbeing based on cognitive behavioural therapy.

An extensive range of mental wellbeing resources is available at

www.nhsinform.scot/mental-wellbeing

NHSinform also has a number of resources for users of British Sign Language that cover mental health issues at www.nhsinform.scot/BSL

editorial@ardrossanherald.co.uk

Breathing Space on 0800 83 85 87

Answering almost 9,000 calls a month, the Breathing Space service continues to grow and evolve with the web chat service now offering online support.

Callers contact Breathing Space for a wide range of reasons, including relationship issues, stress, anxiety and suicidal thoughts. However, over the last year the service has seen an increase in issues such as bereavement, work and money worries, and loneliness.

Breathing Space’s trained advisors ensure that each call is treated with patience and respect, knowing that it can often be the first time that a caller has contacted the service or talked about a problem.

111

For those experiencing mental distress the 111 Mental Health Hub is available 24 hours a day, 7 days of the week by calling 111 and following the telephone prompts. Anyone may call. There is no upper or lower age limit.

The most common reasons for calling include thinking about suicide, anxieties, low mood, psychosis, and self-harm. Where necessary, clinical support is offered and callers may be referred to local support services, community mental health teams, or exceptionally, emergency services. This team can also help with medication issues.

ScottishPower donates £10,000 to LifeCare in lieu of Christmas Party

LifeCare Edinburgh grateful for boost to help support local older people through another difficult winter 

LifeCare Edinburgh has received £10,000 from ScottishPower in lieu of the energy company’s annual Christmas party.  This significant donation will help the charity deliver its safe and essential care to hundreds of local older people struggling to cope through another difficult winter.

Set-up in 1941, LifeCare Edinburgh has supported older people living across the city for over 80-years. The organisation supports around 1,000 individuals annually including those suffering with dementia, mobility issues, those experiencing isolation and loneliness, food poverty, mental health problems and offers dedicated support for carers.  Services include day centres, registered outreach, help at home, hot meal delivery, companionship and community engagement activities.  

LifeCare’s vital services have not stopped through the pandemic. The committed team has worked tirelessly to safely deliver essential care, practical help and companionship activities to ensure older people received the support they needed to stay physically and mentally well. 

The charity also launched several important new initiatives, such as their hugely successful meals on wheels service, specifically designed to help support the most isolated and vulnerable. 

Sue Freeth, Chief Executive at LifeCare, (above) said: “A huge thank you to everyone at ScottishPower for their generous support in lieu of their Christmas party.  LifeCare is an established and trusted charity that has delivered vital services for local older people for 80 years. 

“We deliver essential care and practical support to people who simply couldn’t survive without it.   Operating across the city, we enable older people to remain living independent full healthy lives and enjoy the ‘zest in life’ in their later years. 

“We are presently receiving unprecedented referrals and this wonderful donation of £10,000 will make a significant difference to the people we support.  We are very grateful to the ScottishPower team for choosing LifeCare.”

Sheila Duncan, ScottishPower HR Director, said: “Covid-19 continues to impact lives across the board with some groups in society experiencing greater challenges than most of us could imagine. Following the positive feedback from last year’s donations, we are delighted and extremely proud to be able to donate our festive budget again to 15 charities including LifeCare Edinburgh. 

“These donations will make a huge difference to these charities and help make a bigger impact in our communities. Thank you to all of the ScottishPower employees who voted and thanks to the Employee Networks who got actively involved this year”.

LifeCare Edinburgh is a registered charity and relies on the support of its funders.  The charity is currently experiencing unprecedented levels of referrals.

Visit https://www.lifecare-edinburgh.org.uk/ to make a donation to enable the charity to provide essential care this winter.

Maison Sport reports 200% growth in customer base

  • Huge boost for UK travel tech business indicates increasing consumer confidence 
  • Business announces plans to target Italian ski tourism market 

Ski instructor marketplace, Maison Sport has reported a 200 per cent rise in customers compared to previous seasons, raising confidence that ski tourism is set for a strong recovery despite recent covid developments. 

The Edinburgh-based company, founded by three ex-British ski team members which connects its customers directly with the best independent ski and snowboard instructors, has also announced plans to target the Italian market for the first time.  

Maison Sport says it is currently averaging £100k a week of new bookings, up from its pre-pandemic level of £30k a week at the same time in 2019. The company has also doubled the number of instructors on its books compared to the 2019/2020 season to 1300 and has reported a 30 per cent rise in customer spending for this time of year, all pointing to growing post-Covid confidence in the recovery of the European ski tourism market.  

This latest news follows Maison Sport’s successful fundraise in May where the company secured £1.25million in external investment from both individual investors and a crowdfunding campaign.     

Founded in 2016 by former ski champion brothers Nick and Olly Robinson and fellow ex-British Ski Team member Aaron Tipping, the company now boasts the third largest selection of instructors in comparison to any ski school in the world.  

Over the past year, Maison Sport grew its team to 20 people and also opened a new, larger head office in Edinburgh. With its innovative platform continuing to grow, overcoming the significant challenges facing the global travel industry, the company plans further expansion into Asia and South America over the course of 2022.  

Maison Sport has proven to be a game changer for independent ski and snowboard instructors who can significantly increase their earnings using the platform. The marketplace has surpassed 34,000 hours of lessons taught in 364 ski resorts across Europe.  

Founder and CEO, Nick Robinson said: “The significant growth in our customer numbers underline both the success in developing our business model and the rising consumer confidence in the resurgence of the ski tourism market.

“Even though the recent identification of the new Omicron variant may disrupt some travel plans people are obviously keen to get back on the slopes and our instructors are ready and waiting. 

“Despite the difficulties posed by Covid-19, this latest development follows a pivotal year for the business where we secured significant investment, grew our base of instructors, and entered new markets.     

“This progress continues with our expansion into Italy, where we’re already seeing impressive numbers of customers signing up to our platform. Italian customers, who’ve have typically had to book ski or snowboard lessons last minute, are now benefitting from our platform which allows them to source the best instructors and book them in advance of their ski holiday.”  

Energy boss slams Bulb’s ‘free energy’ scheme

Every UK household will have to pay extra on their energy bills in 2022 – just to pick up the tab for more than £130m of FREE energy given out by Britain’s biggest energy failure.

That’s according to Bill Bullen, Founder and CEO of Utilita Energy, who has slammed Bulb’s strategy of giving new customers a £50 free energy credit – and another £50 to friends who referred them – in a bid to drive growth.

He says that Bulb’s “irresponsible approach” to lure in customers from rival suppliers will slap £5 on every domestic energy bill next year – at an estimated total cost of £132m1.

Just days after Ofgem revealed its action plan for improved financial resilience in the sector – effectively a ‘stress test’ for incumbents and new entrants – Bill Bullen is calling for the regulator to review the use of ‘free energy’ referral schemes too. 

 “It is not the fault of Bulb’s customers, but the reality is everyone else will end up paying for Bulb’s irresponsible approach,” he says. 

Bulb has lost tens of millions of pounds since 2015 and is now being run by Government consultants to save it from collapse. Taxpayers are funding this to the tune of an estimated £2bn already. 

Mr Bullen believes the firm’s referral strategy is partly to blame and, worse still, says it encouraged behaviour at odds with the nation’s net zero ambitions.

“Telling customers that energy is free, cheap, or selling it ‘below cost’ is not only unsustainable and irresponsible, but by doing so it encourages consumers to be frivolous with energy. Right now, most homes in the UK waste around 20% of the energy they pay for. This cannot continue.

“To enable consumers to make the right choices for their pocket and the planet, I am calling for the industry regulator to require suppliers to show their value proposition, whereby each supplier presents what value it can offer to the consumer, as an energy partner. This would result in households using and paying less and would give the UK a chance of hitting its 2050 net zero target.”

Omicron: Boosting Protection

COVID-19 Vaccine Boosters are being prioritised over the flu vaccine to help protect as many people from coronavirus as quickly as possible.

If you are eligible for the flu vaccine, you may not receive it until the new year.

More information ➡️http://www.gov.scot/…/steps-to-accelerate-booster…