This Earth Day, one month until the nation’s favourite broadcaster and environmentalist Sir David Attenborough celebrates his 96th birthday, Thankbox has launched an opportunity for all to wish the icon a very special happy birthday to be shared with the legend himself.
Launched in May 2020, Thankbox is an online group card that solves the issues related to card and cash collections for special occasions as well as supporting eco-friendly efforts in reducing the use of paper. With the option to include photos, GIFs, videos and a collection point, Thankbox is revolutionising the generic card for something more memorable.
The public Thankbox for Sir David Attenborough will coincide with a fundraiser for Fauna & Flora International – a conservation charity that he has been a member of for 60+ years and Vice President for 40+ years.
Founded in 1903, FFI is regarded as the world’s oldest international wildlife conservation organisation and focuses on protecting biodiversity.
The digital birthday card will allow people anywhere in the world to leave a message wishing Sir David a Happy Birthday and make a donation to FFI.
With over 40,000 species in danger, the initiative aims to raise £10,000 for the conservation charity.
Furthermore, Thankbox is committed to increasing positive environmental impact by planting a tree for every 10 Thankboxes sold. To date, it has planted 3,231 trees, offsetting emissions equal to 11,400 car trips between New York and LA.
Individuals can contribute to the birthday card on Thankbox.com until the 8th of May.
Jonny Wright, Senior Director, Communications & Fundraising at Fauna & Flora International said: “We are thrilled to be supported by Thankbox through this unique and innovative campaign celebrating our vice-president, Sir David Attenborough.
“We would like to thank everyone at Thankbox – and to all who sign the online card – for their generosity. Their donations will contribute to our work with local communities around the world to protect and restore nature.”
Shortage of housing stock continues to support prices
Scotland’s monthly rate of 1.5% is highest since August
Private annual rental growth is at highest rate since records began, encouraging buy-to-let investment
Average Scottish House price in February 2022 is £218,702, a monthly increase of 1.5% & annual increase of 8.2%
Heat Map
Table 1. Average House Prices in Scotland for the period February 2021 – February 2022
Scott Jack, Regional Development Director at Walker Fraser Steele, comments:“Scotland continues to see record average house price growth with the average price paid for a house in February this year reaching £218,702 – a price £16,600 higher than at the same time last year. It continues the trend from January and, on a monthly basis, this means prices in February rose by 1.5% – the highest increase in a month since August last year.
“As a piece of context, in February this year, all the regions in England and Wales established new record average house price levels, but it is fair to say that the Scottish property market has robustly withstood one of the most seismic events in living memory in the past couple of years.
“The reasons for this strong performance remain constant across the UK. We are still seeing the results of people choosing to change the way in which they work and where they choose to do this. While inflation and interest rates are rising (albeit it at different paces), we still enjoy relatively low borrowing costs. The supply of desirable property remains constrained so there is a lot of competition for the most desirable property.
“It seems that the pandemic’s impact on our ability to spend, which includes disposable income for socialising and holidays, has meant people have saved for more fundamental things such as a house purchase. Also, the rise in house prices during the period means that existing homeowners have benefitted from an increase in the equity in their homes meaning they can move up the ladder.”
Commentary: John Tindale, Acadata Senior Housing Analyst
The February housing market
The average price paid for a house in Scotland in February 2022 was £218,702, which sets a record price for the country – this is the seventh occasion that this has happened in the last twelve months.
This price is some £16,600 higher than that seen in February 2021, indicating that prices have risen by 8.2% on an annual basis. This rate is also some 1.1% up on the 7.1% recorded in December 2021, with both January and February of 2022 having witnessed an increase in house prices.
On a monthly basis, prices in February 2022 rose by 1.5%, or around £3,200. This is the highest increase in a month since August 2021.
Figure 1. The average house price in Scotland over the period February 2020 to February 2022 with trendline
Scotland is not alone in seeing house prices continuing to rise. In February 2022, all nine GOR regions in England and Wales established new record average house price levels, although only Wales had an annual growth rate higher than that of Scotland, at 8.9%.
So what is causing this ongoing upward movement in prices, particularly at a time when many commentators had been expecting to see a slowing in the growth rate, as increased cost of living pressures begin to bear down on consumers?
As we reported last month, in general terms we are still living with the effects of the pandemic, and the “lifestyle” changes this has brought about – in particular the “Work from Home” edict has encouraged many to move to larger premises with outdoor facilities – the so-called “Race for Space”.
There is still high demand for such homes, but supply is limited, so there continues to be strong competition for the properties that do come onto the market, with resultant price increases.
Additionally, the ONS advises that private rental prices in Scotland have grown by 2.6% in the 12 months to February 2022, which is the highest annual growth rate for Scotland since records began in 2012.
If this figure looks low, we should point out that the ONS private rental index not only measures the change in newly advertised rental prices, but also reflects price changes for all existing private rental properties.
This increase in rental growth rates is encouraging some investors to consider purchasing buy-to-let properties, adding to the already buoyant demand for homes that currently exists.
Transactions analysis
Monthly transaction counts
Figure 2 below shows the monthly transaction count for purchases during the period January 2015 to February 2022, based on RoS (Registers of Scotland) figures for the Date of Entry. (February 2022 figures are based on RoS Application dates.)
The graph shows that of the eight years on display, all – bar 2020 and 2022 – have February as being the month with the lowest transaction count of the year.
This in part is a knock-on effect from the Christmas holidays, when estate agents are often closed from Christmas Eve to the New Year – with the Date of Entry on completion of the sale often taking five to six weeks from the date at which the property was first put on the market.
In part, it is also due to the reduced daylight hours at the turn of the year, which restricts would-be buyers from visiting prospective properties.
If we remove the pandemic-related years 2020 – 2022 from our calculations, then the average number of sales in February for the seven years 2013 – 2019 amounts to 5,340 transactions, compared to August, which has the maximum number of sales of any month at an average 9,368 transactions – a 75% increase on February.
Our monthly statistics also show that there is a seasonal variation in the prices being paid across the year, with February typically seeing a 2.5% reduction in the average price paid, and the highest prices typically being achieved in September/October when prices are some 2.0% higher than average.
Allowing for the five-to-six weeks’ time span from putting a home up for sale to the Date of Entry, this will mean that generally the lowest prices are accepted for a property in December / January, and the highest prices are often achieved in August / September. In our house price calculations, we adjust the data to take these known seasonal variations into account.
Figure 2. The number of sales per month recorded by RoS based on entry date (RoS applications date for February 2022), for the period 2015 – 2022. (Source: Registers of Scotland.)
Scotland transactions of £750k or higher
Table 2. The number of transactions by month in Scotland greater than or equal to £750k, January 2015 – February 2022
Table 2 shows the number of transactions per month in Scotland which are equal to or greater than £750k. The threshold of £750k has been selected as it is the breakpoint at which the highest rate of LBTT becomes payable.
Table 2 shows that there were 39 sales in excess of £750k during February 2022, and we anticipate that this number will increase as further sales for the month are processed by the Registers of Scotland. However, as discussed earlier, February typically has the lowest number of property sales in the year, so there should not be too much concern about the relatively low number of high-value sales that occurred in the month.
The seven authorities with the largest number of the 119 high-value sales that have been recorded to date in 2022 are: Edinburgh (59); Glasgow City (11); Fife (8); East Lothian (5); East Dunbartonshire (4); East Renfrewshire (4); and finally Perth and Kinross (4).
The 59 high-value sales in Edinburgh amount to 4.6% of the total 1,292 sales that have been recorded in the capital in 2022 to date. This compares to a figure of 1.1% to the end of February – which the 119 high-value sales represent – when compared to Scotland’s total number of 11,041 transactions recorded by the Registrar.
The high-value ratios for the remainder of the seven authorities listed above are – East Lothian 2.6%; East Dunbartonshire 2.4%; East Renfrewshire 2.1%; Perth and Kinross 1.3%; Fife 1.1%; and finally, Glasgow City 0.9%.
Local Authority Analysis
Table 3. Average House Prices in Scotland, by local authority area, comparing February 2021, January 2022 and February 2022
Table 3 above shows the average house price and percentage change (over the last month and year) by Local Authority Area for February 2021, as well as for January and February 2022, calculated on a seasonal- and mix-adjusted basis.
The ranking in Table 3 is based on the local authority area’s average house price for February 2022. Local Authority areas shaded in blue experienced record average house prices in February 2022.
Annual change
The average house price in Scotland has increased by some £16,600 – or 8.2% – over the last twelve months, to the end of February. This is a £1,300 increase over the revised £15,300 growth in prices seen to the end of January 2022, and represents approximately half of the annual average gross pay of those working in Scotland in 2020/2021.
In February 2022, 30 of the 32 local authority areas in Scotland saw their average prices rise over the previous twelve months. The two areas with price falls compared to one year earlier were Clackmannanshire and Aberdeen City.
In Clackmannanshire all property types, excepting terraces, saw a fall in their average values, but the authority has the lowest number of property sales per month of all the Local Authorities on the mainland, which tends to produce volatile movements in the average price, especially when measured in percentage terms.
In Aberdeen City, it is the average price of terraces and flats that have seen a fall over the last twelve months. However, in Aberdeen, there is a strong correlation between house prices and the price of crude oil, and as suggested last month, we anticipate that property values will begin to increase relatively soon, following the recent dramatic rise in oil prices.
The area with the highest annual increase in average house prices in February 2022 was the Orkney Islands, where values have risen by 28.6% over the year: however, like Clackmannanshire this statistic is based on a low volume of sales (13 transactions in the Orkney Islands in February 2022).
On the mainland, the highest rise in prices occurred in Inverclyde, up by 16.5% over the year, this statistic having been assisted by the February purchase of the second-highest priced home in Inverclyde of the last twelve months.
The property concerned is a five-bedroom detached home in Kilmacolm, located approximately 15 miles to the west of Glasgow, which sold for £1.45 million.
Monthly change
In February 2022, Scotland’s average house price in the month rose by some £3,200, or 1.5%, which is the highest increase of the last six months. The average price of a home in Scotland now stands at £218,702, which sets a new record level for the nation for the seventh time in the last twelve months.
In February 2022, 21 Local Authority areas in Scotland experienced rising prices in the month, the same number as one month earlier.
The largest increase in average prices in February, of 9.3%, occurred in East Renfrewshire. The price of all property types, except for flats, increased in East Renfrewshire in February, with the highest increase occurring in detached properties, up from an average £425k in January to an average £495k one month later.
These dramatic changes in price are frequently seen in February, due to the low overall level of sales in the month. In this instance, the average price for East Renfrewshire has been elevated by the purchase of the area’s most expensive detached property of the last twelve months for £1.95 million.
The property, which is located in Giffnock, is some 6 miles to the south of Glasgow centre and is less than half a mile from Whitecraigs railway station, with a direct service into Glasgow Central station, having a journey time of approximately 20 minutes. Giffnock is frequently referred to as being amongst the most affluent areas in Scotland.
Peak Prices
Each month, in Table 3 above, we highlight in light blue the local authority areas which have reached a new record in their average house prices. In February there are 18 such authorities, three more than in January. We can also add that Scotland itself has set a record average price in February 2022 – the second of the year.
Heat Map
The heat map below shows the rate of house price growth for the 12 months ending February 2022. As reported above, all but two of the 32 local authority areas in Scotland are reporting an increase in their house values over the last year. The two areas with negative growth are Clackmannanshire and Aberdeen City, where prices over the year have fallen by -2.8% and -0.9% respectively. The highest increase over the twelve months to February 2022 was in the Orkney Islands at 28.6%, followed by Inverclyde at 16.5%.
Comparisons with Scotland
Figure 3. Scotland house prices, compared with England and Wales, Wales, North East and North West for the period January 2005-February 2022
Figure 4. A comparison of the annual change in house prices in Scotland, England and Wales, Wales, North East and North West for the period January 2005–February 2022
Scotland’s Seven Cities
Figure 5. Average house prices for Scotland’s seven cities from December 2020–February 2022
Figure 6. Average house prices for Scotland’s seven cities February 2022
Five Scottish charities to receive a share of £50k fund to help people facing homelessness, financial crisis or social exclusion
Local housebuilder Barratt Developments Scotland, which includes Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes, has donated £10,000 to help homeless people in Edinburgh.
The UK charity is an innovative social enterprise, which is committed to ending homelessness through food, employment and housing. In Edinburgh it has coffee shops on Rose Street and Shandwick Place, along with the Social Bite Village – a supported community providing accommodation and assistance for up to 20 people affected by homelessness.
Josh Littlejohn MBE, co-founder of Social Bite, says Barratt’s donation will go towards supporting those who are affected by homelessness, experiencing high financial risk, or in crisis and in need of support.
Josh Littlejohnsaid: “On behalf of Social Bite and the people we support, I’d like to thank Barratt Developments Scotland. We know that ending homelessness requires everyone to play their part, and we are incredibly grateful for this generous donation.
“This support will enable us to continue to develop innovative programmes of food provision, supported employment and housing; to bring about systemic change, and empower people who have been homeless to transform their own lives.”
Churches Action for the Homeless (CATH) in Perth, The Highland Homeless Trust in Inverness, Aberdeen Cyrenians in Aberdeen and Community Veterans Support in Glasgow are among the other charities to benefit from a share of Barratt Development’s bumper £50,000 fund.
Alison Condie, managing director of Barratt Developments East Scotland, said: “As a homebuilder, we work in communities across the country to increase the availability of quality homes.
“Addressing homelessness is a cause that’s very close to our hearts but, sadly, the pandemic has exacerbated many of the social and financial issues and put many more people at risk.
“We are pleased to be able to provide some financial support to these organisations at a time when they need it most, and hope that our donations will help those who are vulnerable or facing hardship across the country.”
For more information on Barratt Developments Scotland, which includes Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes, visit https://www.barratthomes.co.uk/
SNP MSP Gordon MacDonald is urging the people of Edinburgh to play their part in planning for future services across Edinburgh by completing the Scottish census.
Speaking ahead of the May 1 deadline for completing the census, Gordon MacDonald said: “The census is the official count of every person and household in the country, takes place every 10 years and it is in the interests of everyone in Edinburgh to complete it accurately and on time.
“The census benefits everyone because it helps the government and other service providers like local councils make important decisions about vital services such as education, healthcare and employment. Completing the census helps officials make better decisions about the things that matter to you.
“By setting aside just a few minutes to answer questions about yourself, your household, and the place where you live, you play a vital role in helping shape important community services across the city, from the building of new schools and hospitals to improving transport links and understanding health needs.
“So, it is hugely important to play your part to make sure everyone is heard, and everyone’s individual needs are accurately recorded.”
Every household in Scotland must complete Scotland’s Census. It’s a legal responsibility and householders are responsible for making sure they respond. Anyone who hasn’t completed the census by the 1st of May could face a fine.
For anyone who has yet to complete it, help and support is available on the website census.gov.scot or via a free helpline on 0800 030 8308.
Guidance is available for every question in English and 16 other languages on the website.
An interpretation service covering most languages can be accessed by calling 0800 030 8333.
You can also request copies of the guidance in Braille, large print or on audio CD or USB.
There are guidance videos in British Sign Language on the key pages of the website and a video relay service offered by contactscotland-bsl.org can be used by BSL users to access advice from the helpline.
THE RMT union is preparing to ballot members over what could be the biggest rail strike in British history.
RMT senior assistant general secretary Eddie Dempsey said it is preparing to ballot members over pay freezes and safety standards.
Eddie Dempseytold GB News: “This dispute’s been a long time in the making. We’ve been through the pandemic period where our members made lots of changes to their working practices and worked right through a pandemic to keep the country moving and many of our members have had pay freezes.
“Now some of them are in the third year of a pay freeze. We’ve changed how we work, we’ve made lots of sacrifices to help the railways going and we’ve been working with the industry in the rail industry recovery group, putting forward ideas on how to help the industry recover.
“But that’s turned into a forum where we’re told now the intention is to strip £2 billion out of the rail industry to make that money come out through stripping out jobs and attacking terms and conditions and keeping wages low.”
Mr Dempsey made his comments during On The Money with Liam Halligan on GB News yesterday. He said the cuts, which have been proposed because of fewer passenger numbers due to people working at home, threaten to put safety at risk.
He added: “We’ve put forward lots of ideas on how they can save money.
“We’ve told them many ways they could make efficiency savings, but they’re intent on making those efficiency savings in removing safety critical jobs, in slashing maintenance standards and safety schedules, and in keeping wages down and tearing up terms and conditions for railway workers.
Mr Dempsey said that money could be saved by cutting pay for executives. “We’ve pointed out that director pay is out of control with Network Rail
“Seven of the highest paid civil servants in the country are Network Rail employees.
“If you strip their money back, just to what the Prime Minister’s being paid, you’d save nearly £6 million a year.
“They’ve got eight non-executive directors, they spent nearly three quarters of a million pounds for those people to attend eight meetings over one year during a pandemic.”
PM will meet Narendra Modi in New Delhi today for high-level talks on defence, diplomacy and trade
UK will work with India to boost security in the Indo-Pacific, including new fighter jet technology, helicopters and collaboration in the undersea battlespace
PM will also discuss new cooperation on clean and renewable energy
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will reiterate the vital importance of the UK-India partnership for global peace and security, as he visits New Delhi today [Friday].
He is expected to discuss next-generation defence and security collaboration across the five domains – land, sea, air, space and cyber – in meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as our nations face complex new threats.
This includes support for new Indian-designed and built fighter jets, offering the best of British know-how on building battle-winning aircraft. The UK will also seek to support India’s requirements for new technology to identify and respond to threats in the Indian Ocean.
To support greater defence and security collaboration with India over the coming decade, the UK will issue an Open General Export Licence (OGEL) to India, reducing bureaucracy and shortening delivery times for defence procurement. This is our first OGEL in the Indo-Pacific region.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: “The world faces growing threats from autocratic states which seek to undermine democracy, choke off free and fair trade and trample on sovereignty.
“The UK’s partnership with India is a beacon in these stormy seas. Our collaboration on the issues that matter to both our countries, from climate change to energy 2security and defence, is of vital importance as we look to the future.
“I look forward to discussing these issues with Prime Minister Modi in New Delhi today and working together to deliver a more secure and prosperous future for both our peoples.”
The Prime Minister will also discuss new cooperation on clean and renewable energy in his meetings in New Delhi today, aimed at supporting India’s energy transition away from imported oil and increasing its resilience through secure and sustainable energy, and addressing climate change in both the UK and India.
The UK and India are launching a virtual Hydrogen Science and Innovation hub to accelerate affordable green hydrogen, as well as new funding for the Green Grids Initiative announced at COP26, and collaboration on joint work on the electrification of public transport across India.
As well as boosting our domestic energy and economic resilience, the UK and India are collaborating as a force for good globally. The governments are committing up to £75 million to roll out adaptable clean tech innovations from India to the wider Indo-Pacific and Africa, and working together on international development and girls education.
Mr Johnson’s foreign adventures are doubtless a welcome distraction but they have done nothing to reduce the pressure on him to resign following his lies to Parliament over the Partygate scandal.
The Prime Minister is now to be investigated by a Westminster committee over claims he misled Parliament about parties in Downing Street during lockdown.
MPs yesterday approved the Privileges Committee instigating an inquiry as soon as police have finished their investigation into the gatherings.
Johnson’s government had tried to delay the vote, but were forced into making a U-turn following opposition from its own Tory MPs.
And with the full details of the Sue Gray report still to come, Boris Johnson’s political future is very much still in the balance.
Following the theft of a motorcycle from the North West of Edinburgh, which was reported on Monday (18 April), police were made aware of a linked incident in the West Pilton area later that day involving a group of youths.
This resulted in a 13-year-old boy being identified and charged in connection with attempted robbery and possession of a blade.
Enquiries are ongoing into the theft of the motorbike.
Public to be consulted on laws to criminalise misogynistic conduct
Plans for future legislation are part of the Scottish Government’s official response to the independent working group on misogyny.
A new Bill to tackle misogyny is being considered by Scottish Ministers as part of these proposals.
Chaired by Baroness Kennedy QC, the group’s report recommended a number of new offences to criminalise specific forms of misogynistic conduct – including stirring up hatred against women and public sexual harassment of women.
The Scottish Government has accepted the recommendations are pivotal in challenging misogyny and will develop draft legislative provisions for public consultation.
The timing of a final Bill will be considered as part of the Scottish Government’s future legislative programme.
Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Veterans Keith Brown said: “The independent report rightly recognises the need to address misogyny and makes a compelling case for creating new laws to tackle this unacceptable conduct.
“The Scottish Government response outlines how we intend to make progress on the blueprint for legislation contained within the report by bringing forward a Bill to the Scottish Parliament.
“With such a substantial and significant report it will take time to work through the recommendations in discussion with key partners, but we are confident the resulting legislation will help send a clear message that male attitudes which emanate from prejudice and misogyny have no place in a modern and equal Scotland.”
The risk of wildfires across many parts of Scotland over the next few days has been declared as ‘extreme’.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has issued a warning that fires could ignite and spread easily with warm temperatures and strong winds forecast.
The warning applies from tomorrow, Friday 22 April and lasts until Monday 25 April.
• North, Central and West Scotland EXTREME Friday 22nd – Sunday 24th April
• West Scotland EXTREME Monday 25th April
Group Commander Keith Langley, who is one of SFRS’ Wildfire Tactical Advisors, is urging the public to take the utmost care in the countryside. He said: “The key issues over the next few days are sunshine, warm air temperatures, low humidity and moderate to strong winds.
“Dead grass, leaves, twigs and heather on the ground will dry quite quickly in these conditions and when ignited can burn very fast with extreme fire intensity.
“Please exercise caution outdoors to avoid fires breaking out and think twice before using anything involving a naked flame.”
Wildfire danger assessments are made on behalf of the Scottish Wildfire Forum. They are done on a broad area basis.
Tesco Mobile launch calculator to help customers save money on mobile phone contracts
With the cost of living surge the worst crisis Brits have faced in 30 years, phone contracts are among one of the many inflated costs that families will face from 1 April.
The big networks will be hitting millions of customers with hikes of up to 11.7%at the worst possible time.
To help customers save money and plan their finances, Tesco Mobile has launched a new calculator which allows consumers to find out just how much they could save over the length of their contract.
All consumers need to provide is the length of their contract, their network provider, and their monthly cost – the calculator will do the rest!
A spokesperson from Tesco Mobile commented: “This year, mid-contract mobile price hikes are at their highest ever and they couldn’t come at a worse time. We know that phones are a lifeline which is why the price our customers pay when they sign up, is the price they pay for the duration of their contract.
“What’s helpful about our money saving calculator, is that families can find out exactly how much other networks are taking out of their pockets, making it easier for them to plan their finances for the future.”
