It’s Halloween tomorrow and car buyer Goodbye Car has researched and created an EV-friendly horror movie road trip, for those looking to be spooked!
EV-friendly horror movie road trip
Location and film:
Culzean Castle, Ayrshire, Scotland –The Wicker Man
Tantallon Castle, Lothian, Scotland – Under The Skin
South Bay Beach, Scarborough, England – St Maud
Westminster Bridge, London, England – 28 Days Later
All Saints Church, Fulham, England – The Omen
Crickadarn Village, Wales – American Werewolf in London
Total length: 743 miles Estimated time taken: 14 hours 52 minutes EV Charge Stops: 6
Recommended EV charging stops
Miles Between
Charge Remaining
Address
Stop 1
142 miles
29%
Grantshouse Village Mansefield, TD11 3RN
Stop 2
118 miles
22%
Lidl, North Ormesby, TS3 8AL
Stop 3
112 miles
24%
Hatfields Pub & Restaurant, DN7 6JH
Stop 4
115 miles
23%
Harvester Grange Park, NN4 5EZ
Stop 5
112 miles
25%
M4 Services Reading (West), RG30 3UQ
Stop 6
111 miles
25%
Morrisons Abergavenny, NP7 5TR
Destination
26 miles
67%
Builth Wells LD2 3PJ
GoodBye Car’s comprehensive guide covers film locations for the likes of Harry Potter, James Bond and many more. They also cover the scenes that were filmed there, how many miles your trip will be, and where you can charge your EV along the way.
Local volunteers, housing associations and teams from the Council’s Housing, Parks and Greenspace, Waste and Cleansing departments came together for community clean ups in North Edinburgh and Wester Hailes over the last fortnight.
Together they collected over 125 bags of rubbish bags of rubbish, 13 van loads of waste and dumped items and seven skips during their big clean. Greenery was cut back, 200 bulbs were planted, and the Union Canal towpath near Wester Hailes was cleaned with the help of young people from St Augustine’s RC High School.
They were also joined by local police officers and supported by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
Many of the items collected had been illegally dumped by flytippers.
During the clean-up teams also removed dumped items in stairwells which could have been a fire risk and gave local residents advice on the best ways to dispose of their unwanted items.
The weeks of action follow the success of a similar event in Craigmillar earlier this year.
Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convenor Councillor Jane Meagher said: “So many community groups, organisations and local volunteers were involved in the Wester Hailes and North Edinburgh clean ups, and they’ve done a tremendous job. The before and after results are clear to see and I’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who took part.
“Council officers work hard all year round to keep common areas and green spaces clean and tidy but clean ups are a great way for communities and partners to come together to tackle issues with litter and flytipping.
“Wester Hailes and Pennywell are both areas that we have prioritised for capital investment over many years. It’s great to see so many new, modern affordable homes built alongside schools, health centres, shops, and green spaces that people can enjoy as part of our 20-minute neighbourhood strategy.
“These events are being coordinated by Places for People, Prospect Community Housing, and the Council’s housing operations team, supported by officers from waste and cleansing and parks and greenspace.
“We also thank our commercial partners Mitie, GasCall, Robertson Homes, ISS, Belac, ID Verde and Premier One for their important role in supporting these initiatives.”
Five easy steps for people to track down pensions on National Pension Tracing Day
Finding a lost or forgotten pension could be an unexpected bonus during this cost of living crisis, and Punter Southall Aspire, the firm behind National Pension Tracing Day, is urging people to find their pensions in five easy steps.
National Pension Tracing Day is on Sunday 30 October – the day the clocks go back. The campaign invites people to use that extra hour to join in a ‘Great Pension Treasure Hunt’ and search for their pensions. Experts estimate there could be 1.6 million lost pensions in the UK. That could equate to around 1 in 30 people finding a pension.
Last year, one person found three pensions worth a total of £55,000, another managed to retire seven years earlier than planned and another found two pensions, worth over £80,000.
Step 1 – Retrace career steps – People can start by heading down memory lane and making a list of places they’ve worked in the past and roughly how long they worked there. Looking through old CVs, payslips, P45s or P60s can help.
Step 2 – Check old papers – Search through paperwork and emails for old pension statements. Have a good hunt for a pension statement for each place worked. People should also think back to whether they ever had a separate personal pension and if they ever ‘contracted out’ of part of the State Pension[i]. It could mean they had a personal pension.
Step 3 – Sense check – Look through the paperwork to check if contact details are up to date for each pension pot. If they are not, get in touch with the provider or administrator to update them. At the same time ask for an up- to-date statement. It could offer a welcome surprise.
Step 4 – Mind the gap – If people spot any gaps in their pension history it’s time for some detective work. For jobs where they don’t have a pension statement, try to find contact details for the pension provider or administrator. They could contact the employer’s HR department directly or use the government’s Pension Tracing Service.
If old employers can’t be found, they may have changed their name or merged with another organisation. Try searching Companies House – it lists companies’ previous names with their current registered office address. Or, people that worked for a charity could search the Charities Register.
Employers may have used a personal pension (possibly called a ‘group personal pension’) or a group stakeholder plan as their workplace pension. Find the name of the pension provider, perhaps by contacting an old employer, speaking to ex-work colleagues or finding old paperwork.
Step 5 – Get in touch – Get in touch with the provider or administrator and check if they’ve got any record of a pension. People will need to prove who they are so will need their National Insurance number and possibly other details. It’s also worth asking them to check if they did have a pension with them but transferred it elsewhere.
Not everyone will find a pension, but for those that do the final part of the treasure hunt is:
find out how much is in the pot and ask for an up-to-date statement
give them up-to-date contact details so the provider can keep in touch in future
ask if they can be registered to access the pension information online
Celebrate! They have found lost treasure they had forgotten all about
Alan Morahan, Chief Commercial Officer, says, “Finding an old pension is like paying yourself money you didn’t know you had, so we urge everyone who thinks they might have lost or forgotten a pension to spend some time going through these steps. It’s very straightforward and could really change someone’s life as it has done for the people who followed the campaign last year.”
Johanna Nelson, Communications Director, Punter Southall Aspire, added, “There is nothing to lose and everything to gain by spending the extra hour searching for money. We encourage everyone to join the Great Pension Treasure Hunt.”
National Pension Tracing Day won the Pensions Age Thought Leadership Award and the UK Pensions Awards Educational and Thought Leadership Initiative of the Year.
Have a look at our Bonfire Week programme – clubs are back next week with a bang!
We will be running some bonfire activities, having some fire work safety fun and taking some S1+s to Ratho for Muirhouse Youth Development Group‘s Big Bonfire Event
Over 300,000 people across Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife & Falkirk tune into Forth 1 Boogie In The Morning remains the biggest breakfast show across the East
Forth 1, Edinburgh and the East of Scotland’s favourite radio station has seen its audience share grow to a nine year high with it now having a fantastic 18.6% share of all radio listening across Edinburgh, the Lothians, Fife & Falkirk.
315,000* people are tuning into Forth 1 every week.
Boogie In The Morning continues to dominate all breakfast radio listening across the East with a staggering 22.2% share.
Across Scotland, all of Bauer Media’s Hits & Greatest Hits stations have reason to celebrate as the total amount of listeners for the Hits Brands across Scotland has increased to an amazing 1,670,000** listeners every week, up 65,000 on the quarter.
The Greatest Hits Network across Scotland has its highest ever reach – 372,000!(the highest reach in 9 years since it became the Greatest Hits Network across Scotland).
Sister station Clyde 1 also achieved it best result in 18 years and over three quarters of a million people tune into Clyde 1 & 2 every week.
Victoria Easton-Riley, Content Director for Scotland, said: “We’re absolutely delighted with this set of record breaking RAJAR results for our stations. It’s a testament to the incredible work by all our stations and all our presenters and staff across the summer months.
“Forth on the Fringe and the Forth Awards are just two of the massive events our teams have put on for our listeners this year as well as covering the biggest music festivals in the country including TRSNMT, Rewind Festival, Party At The Palace and Belladrum.
“We also have so much to look forward to as well with The Night Afore Disco Party being hosted live by Forth 1 with special performances from Sophie Ellis Bextor and Altered Images.
“I think a special mention and thank you must also go to our incredible news teams across Scotland who covered the Queen’s passing at Balmoral with such sensitivity and professionalism.”
A plaque has been unveiled for a Scottish firefighter who died in the line of duty, on the 44th anniversary of his death.
On 29th October 1978 Firefighter Alexander (Sandy) Drummond of Inveraray Fire Station lost his life fighting a fire which badly damaged the Crinan Hotel in Argyll.
As well as serving as a firefighter Mr Drummond was a former town and county councillor and magistrate, being described as a “noted member of the community” in The Oban Times at the time of his death.
The unveiling ceremony was held on Saturday the 29th of October 2022 at Inverary Fire Station, where the plaque is now situated.
The plaque is a Red Plaque. The Red Plaque Scheme is a Fire Brigades Union initiative to commemorate firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty.
The ceremony included speeches from FBU senior officials and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service senior officers, with an FBU piper and SFRS Heritage group vehicles also in attendance.
FBU Regional Treasurer, Seona Hart, said: “Since 2017, the Red Plaque Scheme has created memorials for firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty, with each Red Plaque commemorating a moment in local history and offering a place of reflection for the community.
“Each Red Plaque is funded by the Firefighters 100 Lottery, a charitable initiative run by the Fire Brigades Union. Since the commencement of this scheme, Red Plaques remembering over fifty firefighters have been presented across the UK, with each plaque unveiled at a ceremony attended by serving firefighters, FBU representatives, community members, fire chiefs and the family, friends and former colleagues of fallen firefighters”
FBU general secretary Matt Wrack said: “It is vital we remember firefighters who lost their lives in the line of duty.
“Firefighters will always fight to make sure that happens. Every day firefighters go to work not knowing if they will come home or not. The tremendous bravery and sacrifice of those who lose their lives in the line of duty should always be commemorated and red plaques help make sure that that is the case.”
The Red Plaque scheme is one of a number of projects funded by the FBU’s Firefighter 100 lottery. The money raised by the lottery is supplemented by money from the FBU itself. The Firefighter 100 lottery can be entered by anyone who wishes to help by using www.firefighters100lottery.co.uk.
The Red Plaque scheme
The Red Plaque scheme was set up during the Fire Brigade Union’s centenary with the aim of establishing memorials to firefighters who have died in the line of duty.
The scheme involves engaging local FBU members, family members or members of the community to work with the union to place a unique plaque. Each plaque bears a similar inscription which honours the bravery and sacrifice of the firefighter whose name appears on the plaque.
Attractions slash children’s meals as cost-of-living crisis bites
Kids’ health “taking the hit” as popular visitor attractions struggle to bounce back post-pandemic with children’s menus scaled back or removed entirely
New healthy eating league table calls out venues who fail to offer child portions, vegetables and healthy snacks on days out
Finding good food for kids “is the real roller coaster” at UK attractions, with parents complaining of a lack of choice and kids being “maxed out” kids with junk food and sugary treats
Drayton Manor named the unhealthiest of 16 family attractions at bottom of the league table
Nine visitor attractions commit to serving veg with every kid’s meal in response to the Soil Association’s Out to Lunch campaign
Visitor attractions are “slicing, dicing and ditching” children’s menus as they battle with rising ingredient costs and staff shortages, a new Soil Association campaign has revealed.
The food and farming charity has ranked 16 of the UK’s leading attractions in a new league table after an army of “secret diner” parents helped to assess the quality of food on offer.
The investigation found children’s menus are suffering as venues and caterers face huge pressures following Covid-19 closures and ongoing staffing and supply chain disruption linked to Brexit and the Ukraine war.
Parents reported a lack of options with children’s menus removed entirely or smaller than before the pandemic. Children aren’t offered hot meals at almost half of venues and several only offered “nutritionally inadequate” packed lunches lacking fruit or veg.
A lack of kids’ meals and an abundance of sugary treats saw Drayton Manor take bottom place in the league table – while the Eden Project came top by serving balanced meals with local, fresh, sustainable ingredients.
Soil Association Head of Food Policy Rob Percival said: “It’s alarming that venues are slicing, dicing, or ditching child appropriate menus. It’s a tough environment for caterers, who are grappling with staff shortages and rising ingredients costs, but it’s disappointing that children’s health seems to be taking the hit.
“In a cost-of-living crisis, when every penny counts, parents should not be forced to buy large adult portions or waste money on nutritionally inadequate meals for their children.”
The investigation found having a range of children’s meals and healthy options were the top priorities for parents on a day out. More than half of parents surveyed chose one of these options as their number one priority, compared to just 1% who picked “treat” or “junk” food.1
But less than half of these leading attractions are serving veg with every kid’s meal – while adults are offered a much larger and diverse menu with more choices to eat healthily.
Percival added: “Everyone likes a treat, but our secret diner parents told us they want diverse and exciting children’s menus. They also want attractions to make it easy for their youngsters to enjoy a healthy meal on days out – some of these attractions simply must do better.
“It’s essential that venues take responsibility for how family days out shape expectations around ‘treat food’. They must stop promoting an unhealthy ideal which, parents tell us, tracks back home.
“Offering more veg and less fried or sugary food isn’t that difficult or expensive. In fact, there is little variation in meal prices between the top and bottom of the league table, and several high performing attractions have free entry.
“Finding good food for kids is the real roller coaster at UK attractions, but there are some great examples of caterers who do put children’s health first. The others must catch up.”
The investigation found that the higher quality meals at the top two attractions are also among the more affordable days out. Second place holder Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh doesn’t charge for entry and eating out at league table leader Eden Project costs just 24p more than dining with bottom-place Drayton Manor.
Becky Fenner, Eden’s Hospitality Manager, said: “We are delighted to have come top of the Out to Lunch league table. The Eden Project’s mission centres around building relationships between people and planet to demonstrate the power of working together for the benefit of all living things.
“Central to this is our food story. We explore ways to deliver Earth-friendly food at scale using a food system rather than a food product approach, finding ways of producing food in a regenerative system that is climate positive, increases biodiversity and enhances soil health. Healthy planet – healthy people.”
Kids targeted with junk
Parents raised concerns that junk food was being marketed directly to young children.
Secret diners at Drayton Manor reported tactical junk food placements across the site with doughnuts and sweets at checkouts and no healthy snacks available.
Secret diner Eve Thomas visited Drayton Manor with her two children, aged three and seven. She said: “I was surprised at how few healthy options were available. Thomas Land had two shops just for sweets and they were big cartons not novelty sized!
“Some rides also required you to walk through the shop after, where there were tubs of sweets and candy floss everywhere. With kids now learning about healthy eating at school, it would have been nice for Thomas and friends to be supporting these messages.
“Plus, in the restaurant they had doughnuts prominently at the counter, which hooked my two in. It was hard to buy fruit shoots, milk, or juice options – it was mostly fizzy drinks on offer.”
Legoland – the most expensive day out on the table – came in at position 13 after making little progress since it bottomed the previous league table in 2018.
The attraction has failed to meet its pledge from four years ago to serve veg with every kid’s meal, and fried food remains the dominant food on offer.
Maxed out with sugar
Soil Association experts were also disappointed to see high quantities of sugar at many venues, particularly those near the bottom of the table.
Percival added: “These family attractions need to lay off the sugar. A shocking 80% of desserts stated to be suitable for children across the attractions contain 19g of sugar or more, blowing a four-to-six-year-old child’s daily sugar allowance in one go.
“And what’s worse is the sugar content is rarely advertised so parents faced with ‘pester power’ from their kids can’t even make informed decisions.”
Whipsnade Zoo’s chocolate brownie, aimed at both adults and children, was the worst offender containing 73g of sugar. This is more than twice the recommended daily allowance for adults (30g) and nearly four times the limit for four- to six-year-olds (19g).
Drayton Manor secret diner Eve added: “By the drive home the kids even headed to the fruit boxes at the service station – they knew they had maxed out.”
The Soil Association is calling for attractions to:
Improve the food offering for children, including putting hot meals back on kids’ menus and making child-sized portions available.
Serve at least one portion of vegetable with every kid’s meal.
Support healthier choices by offering healthier snacks and reducing the availability and visibility of high sugar and ultra-processed snacks.
Switch to UK farm assured meat and higher welfare animal products, such as organic.
Make sure free drinking water is readily available around the attraction including in restaurants
Exhibitions & Displays National Museum of Scotland Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF Open 10:00–17:00 daily
LAST CHANCE Anatomy: A Matter of Death and Life Until 30 Oct 2022
Exhibition Gallery 1, Level 3 Ticketed, £0-£10 Explore the history of anatomical study, from artistic explorations by Leonardo da Vinci to the Burke and Hare murders. This exhibition looks at the social and medical history surrounding the practice of dissection. It will trace the relationship between anatomy, its teaching and cultural context and the bodies that were dissected. Looking at Edinburgh’s role as an international centre for medical study, the exhibition will offer insight into the links between science and crime in the early 19th century.
Supported by Baillie Gifford Investment Managers. .
OPENING SOON Bernat Klein: Design in Colour 5 Nov 2022 – 23 Apr 2023
Exhibition Gallery 2, Level 3 Free entry Marking the centenary of his birth, Bernat Klein: Design in Colour will celebrate the work of the influential émigré textile designer. Visitors will be able to explore Klein’s creative process and varied career, from providing couture fabrics for fashion designers to his influence on modernist architecture and interior design in the UK and Scandinavia.
Doctor Who Worlds of Wonder 9 Dec 2022 – 1 May 2023
Doctor Who Worlds of Wonder features eight zones filled with immersive, hands-on experiences.
Travel through the Time Vortex Corridor, discover Sonic Screwdrivers, teleportation technology and much more in a TARDIS Tech room, and get up close with some of the series’ weird and wonderful creatures in the Monster Vault.
Join us for the Scottish premiere of this ground-breaking exhibition. It’s bigger on the inside!
Inspiring Walter Scott Until 8 Jan 2023 Exhibition Gallery 4, Level 1 Free entry Following the 250th anniversary of Sir Walter Scott’s birth, experience his novels through objects that inspired him. In this small exhibition we show how Scott drew upon real historical objects for inspiration, placing objects alongside Scott’s words, and the stories in which they feature. While you view these fascinating objects, you can listen to an actor reading extracts from these tales.
In association with Walter Scott 250: Celebrating 250 Years of Scotland’s Greatest Storyteller and supporting Year of Stories 2022.
Japanese Contemporary Design Until 5 Mar 2023 Exhibition Gallery 3, Level 1 Free entry
From striking statement jewellery to prints and porcelain vases, this new free display considers how Japanese contemporary makers have combined innovative and traditional art, craft and design elements over the past five decades.
The star object is Hitomi Hosono’s A Large Pine Tree Pool, a sculptural porcelain bowl with complex hand-carving made and acquired in 2019.
Further highlights include Junko Mori’s intricate New Pinecone Silver Organism, and colourful body adornments by jeweller Suō Emiko’s adapted from metalworking and engraving techniques traditionally used in the making of Japanese sword fittings.
National Museum of Scotland Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF Open 10:00–17:00 daily
Relaxed Morning 6 Nov 2022 10:00 – 12:00 (quiet space open until 12:30)
Join us for our monthly Relaxed Morning for anyone who would appreciate a calmer visit to the museum.
This session is primarily for, but not limited to, families with autistic children; autistic young people and adults; adults living with dementia; adults and children with mental health problems; and any other visitors with sensory needs or who may prefer a more relaxed experience, plus their families, friends and carers.
Magic Carpet Minis Until 14 Dec 2022 Various times and dates £15 per child for block of 3
Magic Carpet Minis introduces you and your little one to some of the wonderful galleries, objects and themes in the museum in a fun and gentle way.
Taking place in different spaces around the museum, you will explore subjects such as the Natural World, Space, World Cultures and Scottish History through songs, stories, rhymes, actions, objects and sensory play.
Friday Friend Until 31 Dec 2022 14:00-16:00, selected Friday afternoons Free, pre-booking required
Our Friday Friends programme offers a welcoming space for visually impaired and D/deaf children and their families. The groups meet monthly and explore the themes of the museum through objects, music, art and activities.
MEMBERS ONLY In Conversation with the Director: Earth in Space 1 Dec 2022 18:00 –19:00 Auditorium (enter via Lothian Street) Free for Members, booking required
Join Director Dr Chris Breward, Senior Curator of Science Dr Tacye Philipson, and Senior Curator of Mineralogy Peter Davidson, as we discover how we’ve explored our place in the universe.
NEW Spotlight On: Bernat Klein 8 Dec 2022 14:00 – 15:00 Auditorium, Level 1 Age 14 + Free, booking required Inspired by our exhibition, Bernat Klein: Design in Colour, curator Lisa Mason discusses Bernat Klein’s legacy and how his design philosophy can influence personal style, colour psychology and wellbeing today.
National Museum of Rural Life Philipshill Road, East Kilbride, G76 9HR Open 10:00–17:00 daily
Bugs and Beasties Trail Until 28 Nov 2022 10:00 – 17:00 Free with museum admission and Annual Pass Pick up our new Bugs and Beasties Trail inside the museum, then see if you can spot the six eco-friendly cardboard bugs on your way up to the farm. You will discover fun facts about the bugs, but keep your eyes peeled for the slug, snail, slater, spider, beetle and worm!
National Museum of Flight East Fortune Airfield, East Lothian, EH39 5LF Open daily 10:00 – 16:00
LAST CHANCE Operation Sabotage 29 & 30 Oct 2022 Age 14+ event Ticketed
The year is 1942 and you are stationed at the RAF base at East Fortune.
There has been an act of sabotage and one of the aircraft is unknowingly carrying live ordnance with instructions to bomb the town. Solve a series of fiendish puzzles to call off the flight and save North Berwick!
Operation Sabotage is an escape room experience for 4-8 people that lasts up to an hour. Working together as a team, you must race against the clock in two Second World War-themed rooms to decipher the identity of the saboteur before it’s too late.
Behind the Scenes Tours Until 26 Oct 2022 11:00–12:00 & 14:00–15:00 Object Store Free with museum admission Booking required
National Museums Scotland has one of the most comprehensive collections of aircraft engines anywhere in the world, some of which are in the Object Store at the National Museum of Flight, not normally open to the public.
Join Aviation Curator Ian Brown for one of our regular guided tours of the museum’s Object Store. Explore some of the collections not normally on public view and discover the fascinating stories behind them.
For booking, opening times and location details, contact National Museums Scotland on 0300 123 6789
A selection of exhibition and event images are available to download here. For additional information and images visit media.nms.ac.uk or contact media@nms.ac.uk.
This week has seen the appointment of a new Prime Minister, but in terms of economic news it has been a far less tumultuous week than recent ones (writes EMMA CONGREVE, Deputy Director and Senior Knowledge Exchange Fellow at the Fraser of Allander Institute).
Both the UK and Scottish governments announced the postponement of planned budget events. The Scottish Government’s decision not to go ahead with its ‘Emergency Budget Review’ at this time was not surprising. However, there are questions around what budgetary changes will be made this financial year in response to inflation’s impact on public spending.
As highlighted in an article last week, that includes understanding the detail of employability cuts (announced back in September), and indeed the detail of where else the Scottish Government is eking out savings. We need better transparency over how these decisions have been made and the impact on people providing services and the people they support.
If/when the Emergency Budget Review goes ahead is unclear. It may well end up being rolled into the draft Scottish budget announcement for 2023/24, due on the 15th December.
The UK government’s decision to postpone its planned fiscal statement (now rebranded as the Autumn Statement) from the 31st October to the 17th November is justifiable given the prime ministerial change (and in light of the decisions of the incoming Chancellor Jeremy Hunt the previous week).
Delaying the fiscal statement should also mean that the outlook for borrowing costs should be slightly better than it would have been had the statement been published next week since it shifts the reference period for bond yields that the OBR will use in its forecasts.
The publication of the UK Autumn Statement on 17th November means there will be a window of four weeks between the UK Autumn Statement and the Scottish budget on 15th December.
Assuming the UK Autumn Statement is definitive about spending plans in 2023/24, this should provide adequate time for the Scottish government to prepare its 2023/24 by the 15th. There is little scope to push back the draft budget statement into January due to the timescales required to get the Budget Bill through the Scottish Parliament in time for the 2023/24 financial year.
With an expectation of further fiscal tightening by the UK government, the Scottish Government will be braced for more difficult decisions.
Until we see the UK Autumn Statement however, it remains very uncertain how the UK government will prioritise different tax and spending measures, and over what timescales, and hence the implications for the Scottish budget in 2023/24 and beyond.
As always, we will be looking for evidence-based rationales and transparency in how spend has been prioritised from both governments; a subject we will no doubt return to in the coming weeks.
More detail on the impact of the cost of living crisis
As we discussed last week, CPI inflation for September was estimated at 10.1%. This week, the ONS have published supplementary analysis on how rising prices are affecting adults across Great Britain.
9 in 10 people surveyed reported that their cost of living had increased compared to a year ago and the survey asked questions on the extent to which this had impacted their lives.
Around 45% of adults in both GB and Scotland reported finding energy bills somewhat or very difficult to pay and around 30% of GB and 25% of Scottish adults reported finding rent and mortgage payments difficult to afford.
Other breakdowns by protected characteristics showed different experiences. For example, 55% of disabled people, 69% of Black or Black British adults, 59% of Asian or Asian British adults and 60% of renters were finding it somewhat or very difficult to pay energy bills (compared to the population average of around 45%).
These differences are likely to be linked to socioeconomic status: around half of those with a personal income of less than £20,000 per year said they found it difficult to afford their energy bills which reduced to 23% for those with a personal income of more than £50,000.
This week, the ONS also published a ‘highly experimental’ (their words!) analysis of low-cost groceries. For half of the sampled items, the average lowest price goods increased at a faster rate than the official CPI inflation measure for food and non-alcoholic beverages over the past year.
The highest rising prices were for vegetable oil (65%); pasta (60%) and tea (46%). Bread and milk were among other items that rose by more than the CPI average.
The pressures are also of course affecting businesses. The latest Scottish Government analysis of the BICS survey found that 49.8% of businesses reported that the prices of materials, goods and services bought in September 2022 were higher than in August 2022. Around 60% of businesses reported absorbing these costs, and around 35% reported that at least some of the price increases were passed on to customers.
Going back to the previous survey of GB adults, the most significant behavioural changes reported were ‘spending less on non-essentials’ (62% of adults in GB and in Scotland) and ‘using less fuel such as gas and electricity in my home’ (52% of GB adults, 57% in Scotland). If the latter prevails into the colder season, there is of course a concern that this will have serious adverse impacts on health.
Upcoming webinar for your diary
On the subject of health impacts, the Fraser of Allander Institute, in collaboration with MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit at the University of Glasgow and the Health Foundation are holding a webinar on the 15th November (3 – 4.30pm) to discuss trends in health and the socioeconomic drivers of health in Scotland.
Our report on the trends in socioeconomic determinants of health over the past twenty years will be out in the coming weeks.
Click here to sign up to the webinar to hear all about it.
POLICE are appealing for information after a 16-year-old male youth was robbed on Burdiehouse Road last Saturday (22 October, 2022).
Around 12.10am, the victim was approached by three males who assaulted him and stole his jacket. The males left the scene in the direction of Frogston Road.
The three suspects are described as black males, aged 18-20 and were wearing black tracksuits.
Detective Sergeant Keith Taylor, of Gayfied CID, said: “This was a particularly distressing incident for the victim, who sustained a minor injury.
“If you were in the area around the time of the robbery, either before or after, and witnessed anything suspicious or recognise the description of the men, please get in touch.
“Similarly, if you have dash-cam footage that may help with our investigation then please contact us.
“Anyone who can help is asked to call 101, quoting incident number 0149 of 22 October, 2022, or make a call anonymously to the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
Have a look at our Bonfire Week programme – clubs are back next week with a bang! 
