Day: January 6, 2024

Volkswagen tops UK sales for third year running

  • 162,087 new Volkswagen cars registered in the UK in 2023
  • 8.52-per-cent market share makes Volkswagen the UK’s best-selling new-car brand
  • Brand preparing to enter additional market segments with new models in 2024

Volkswagen is the UK’s best-selling new-car brand for the third year running, as confirmed by figures released today by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT).

A total of 162,087 new Volkswagen passenger vehicles were registered in the UK in 2023 – over 30,000 more than in 2022. This equated to a leading market share of 8.52 per cent – an increase of 0.35 per cent compared with the previous year.

Volkswagen was again one of the most popular electric brands in the UK, with two of its ID. models among the top-10 best-selling EVs in 2023: the ID.3 with 10,295 registrations (sixth place) and the ID.4 with 8,495 registrations (ninth place).

Model highlights from 2023 that contributed to these impressive results included the revised all-electric ID.3, ID.4 and ID.5 models, as well as the refreshed flagship Touareg. Special- and limited-edition models were also introduced, including the Polo GTI Edition 25 and Golf Black Edition, while the expanded Volkswagen Live Tour continued to take the showroom experience to people’s living rooms, offering real-time online vehicle presentations with product experts.

The brand will bolster its EV offering in 2024 with the introduction of the ID.7 and ID.7 Tourer, while other highlights on the horizon include celebrations to mark the iconic Golf’s 50th anniversary, and the introduction of the new Tiguan and Passat.

Rod McLeod, Director of Volkswagen UK, said: “I am once again pleased that Volkswagen has secured top spot in the UK for new-car sales. This tremendous result speaks volumes for the quality and attractiveness of our cars, and for the fantastic work of our network partners, who continue to give customers outstanding service before, during and after delivering their new cars.

“This year we will continue to expand our award-winning ID. range of electric cars, and of course we have the 50th anniversary of the Golf as well as many more exciting new products to look forward to.”

Veganuary with Chopstix

ONE of the UK’s most popular Chinese takeaways has offered up a sweet new selection to celebrate Veganuary.

Chopstix Noodle Bar is bringing the ‘All Leaf, No Beef’ Teriyaki to its stores across the nation, hitting menus from Tuesday 9th January.

Mixing plant based ‘beef’ strips with peppers, onions and Chopstix’ secret recipe sweet Teriyaki sauce, the special topping gives Pan-Asian fanatics a way to stick to their vegan goals while still chowing down on authentic Chinese food.

Chopstix’s latest vegan offering follows a number of menu items that have been added over the years since the brand’s first vegan dish, the Green Thai Tofu Curry that was launched in 2019.

Rob Burns, Marketing Director for Chopstix said: “We wanted to bring something totally fresh for those that are trying out the vegan lifestyle this January, giving Pan-Asian food lovers a tasty & healthy option that is totally meat free.

“Whether you’re just starting on your vegan journey or you’ve been plant-based for years, the ‘All Leaf No Beef’ Teriyaki will definitely hit the spot.”

As with the rest of Chopstix vegan range, the dish’s plant-based protein, which is sourced from Europe by Miami Foods, is GMO, antibiotics, palm oil and cholesterol free, as well as being a high source of protein and fibre & low in saturated fats.

And hungry customers will be able to grab a plate from one of over 100 stores when the nationwide roll-out of the dish starts next week.

Loui Blake, CEO of Miami Foods, said: “We’re incredibly happy to partner with Chopstix this Veganuary. Their commitment to developing innovative & sustainable plant-based dishes means diners now have even more meat-free options.”

The noodle bar, first launched 20 years ago in the famous Camden Market before migrating to Oxford Street London, now has stores across almost every major town and city in the country.

Along with being available in stores across the UK, The noodle bar’s popular dishes are also available to order from most of the country’s top delivery platforms including UberEats, Deliveroo and Just Eat.

For more information please visit: www.chopstixnoodles.co.uk

Social Security Scotland improves the move from Child to Adult Disability Payment

SOCIAL Security Scotland has improved the way people who get Child Disability Payment move over to Adult Disability Payment.

When disability assistance was first introduced, if someone was eligible for Adult Disability Payment, it would be paid from the date their application was approved.

This meant the day they received Adult Disability Payment could be different from the day they’d previously received Child Disability Payment.

Clients told Social Security Scotland this could cause difficulty managing their finances. SSS have listened and Adult Disability Payment will now be paid on the same day as their Child Disability Payment previously was.

No matter when they’re approved for Adult Disability Payment, the client’s last Child Disability Payment will be the same amount that they’ve always received, at the time they expect to receive it. This will be followed four weeks later by their first, full Adult Disability Payment on their usual payment day. This means clients will know how much they are going to get and when they will get it.

The exception to this is if a decision is made on someone’s Adult Disability Payment application after their 19th birthday.

Applying for Adult Disability Payment

People don’t automatically move from Child Disability Payment to Adult Disability Payment. This is because someone who is eligible for one may not be eligible for the other, or they may not be eligible for the same amount of money even if they are eligible for both benefits.

People who get Child Disability Payment can apply for Adult Disability Payment from the age of 16. When a child or young person reaches age 16, they are legally responsible for their own benefits and can manage them themselves. If they are unable to do this, we can appoint someone to do it for them.

Child Disability Payment normally stops when the person reaches 18, so it’s important clients apply for Adult Disability Payment well before this time. If they don’t, their Child Disability Payment will stop.

If they apply for Adult Disability Payment before reaching age 18 and a decision has not been made before their birthday, then their Child Disability Payment can continue (until age 19).

We aim to contact people who get Child Disability Payment three times to encourage them to apply for the adult benefit.

The first time is five months before the person’s 16th birthday. We contact them twice more once they are 17. But clients don’t need to wait for a letter from us to make their Adult Disability Payment application.

There are special rules for clients who have a terminal illness. They receive the maximum Child Disability Payment award and can choose to stay on this benefit indefinitely. If they choose to move to Adult Disability Payment, we transfer them with no need for an application form and they will also get the maximum award.

A feast of employment opportunities at Edinburgh’s new Rio Brazilian Steakhouse

Rio Brazilian Steakhouse will soon be taking residence in Edinburgh’s iconic Assembly Rooms building, providing 60 employment opportunities in the capital. As the restaurant prepares to open its first Scottish venue, it is seeking enthusiastic candidates for all positions including roles for assistant manager, front of house, bartenders and a head chef.

An employment open house day will be held on 9th January, where hopeful applicants can visit the new location to speak with Rio Steakhouse co- founder Rodrigo Grassi and Fawira Lira, operations manager, in an informal interview setting. The team will be available for applicants to stop by throughout the day to answer questions about employment at Rio and share more information about the restaurant and opportunities available. 

Location: Rio Brazilian Steakhouse: The Assembly Rooms, 54 George St, EH2 2LR
Times: Tuesday 9th January, 9:30am – 6:30pm

More information on employment opportunities with Rio can be found at:

 https://harri.com/rio

Find out more at www.rio-steakhouse.co.uk

St Columba’s: Supporting Your Child In Grief session

Our next ‘Supporting your child in grief’ session takes place on Thursday 11th January at 11am.

The session offers an opportunity for you to join other parents and carers to talk, share feelings and connect with one another. You can simply say it how it is, seek advice and hopefully pick up some tips from each other.

Register for free today at http://bit.ly/3vtaTTC

Anchor shooting: Two to appear in court on Monday

Two people – a 32-year-old man and 25-year-old woman – have been arrested and charged in connection with the death of a 38-year-old man in Granton. They are due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday (8 January).

Emergency services were called around 11.50pm on Sunday, 31 December, 2023, after a firearm was discharged in West Granton Road, seriously injuring two men.

Both men, aged 38 and 39, were taken to hospital, where the 38-year-old man – named locally as Marc Webley – was pronounced dead a short time later. The other man remains in hospital in a serious but stable condition.

Enquiries are ongoing and a report will be sent to the Procurator Fiscal.

A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.

Jet2holidays reports record demand (up 150%) ahead of Sunshine Saturday with further boost expected

  • Jet2holidays CEO Steve Heapy: “The best rooms, best hotels and best destinations are booking fast, so book before they are gone!”

Jet2holidays have reported record levels of demand for holidays, with more customers than ever looking to book their well-deserved holidays into the diary during the period known traditionally as ‘peaks’ or the peak holiday booking period.

In the period between Boxing Day and today, the UK’s largest tour operator has seen bookings increase by approximately 150% compared to pre-Christmas, with both Summer 24 and late bookings for this winter proving to be popular.

Ten destinations enjoying popularity include the Canaries, Balearics, Mainland Spain, Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, Portugal, Italy, Malta and Bulgaria – as customers flock to book a much-needed holiday. On top of great value and customer service, a booking trend noted by Jet2holidays is of customers booking durations outside of the traditional 7-, 10- and 14-night stays.

There is strong demand from families with millions of Free Child Place Holidays still available during the school holidays, and All-Inclusive bookings have also been enjoying strong growth. These types of holidays have seen a surge since Jet2holidays was named a Which? Recommended Provider for both Family Holidays and All-Inclusive Holidays just before Christmas.

This demand follows Jet2holidays launchingan offer from Boxing Day giving customers £50 per person off all holidays. The UK’s largest tour operator also announced that customers with a MyJet2 account can access exclusive savings – with a whopping £60 off per person on all holidays. To book a place in the sunshine and enjoy an exclusive saving at the same time, customers can sign up for a MyJet2 account at https://www.jet2holidays.com/myjet2

The offer means that couples can save £100 if they book via the Jet2holidays website or contact centre (£120 off for MyJet2 members) and a family of four can enjoy £200 off a getaway (£240 off for MyJet2 members).

As well as reporting record levels of demand since Boxing Day, Jet2holidays is gearing up for a busy weekend, with ‘Sunshine Saturday’ expected to see a further surge in holiday bookings. The company has a bigger team than ever ready to assist customers from their dedicated UK call centre, as customers use the first weekend in the New Year to lock in their holidays. 

Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2.com and Jet2holidays, said: “This time of year has traditionally been the peak period for holiday bookings, and this is most definitely the case so far this year.

“We are seeing record levels of demand as customers jump at the chance to lock in their holidays, and we are expecting this demand for be even stronger over the coming weekend, both through our website and contact centre, as well as via independent travel agents.

“There is no doubt that our track record of providing industry-leading customer experience is fuelling this demand, with new and existing customers responding to our award-winning proposition.

“With the best rooms, best hotels and best destinations booking so fast, our message to customers is to book before they are gone.”

Visit www.jet2.com or www.jet2holidays.com

If you are an independent travel agent and are interested in learning more about how you could benefit from working in partnership with Jet2holidays, please visit the company’s dedicated trade site: trade.jet2holidays.com

45th Scottish Press Awards Open for Entries

Full recognition of multi-platform news publishing has been put at the heart of the highly coveted Scottish Press Awards as it returns for its 45th year with entry open now.

Replacing the newspaper and weekly newspaper of the year awards are the new Newsbrand of the year and Weekly Newsbrand of the year categories which will recognize excellence in news publishing across all formats under a title’s brand.

Overseen by Newsbrands Scotland (formerly the Scottish Newspaper Society), entry opened today (4 January 2024), with the awards ceremony taking place on Wednesday, May 29.

John McLellan, director at Newsbrands Scotland, said: “Great stories and big scoops will still very much be top of the judges’ agendas, but the modern news publishing is a sophisticated, multi-media operation which reaches huge audiences on mobile devices and the awards need to reflect the change in the way news is consumed.”

Celebrating excellence in journalism from across the country, this year’s scheme includes 27 categories, and features several long-standing award titles complemented by a range of new-look categories.

Among them is the Campaign of the Year category that welcomes the national, regional, and local campaigns that have made an impact within communities.

The Weekly Journalist of the Year will celebrate the best of news and feature writers from weekly titles, whilst the Regional Journalist of the Year invites entries from inspiring local and regional reporters.

This full list of categories for 2024 are: 

  • Arts and Entertainment Journalist of the Year
  • Best Coverage of a Live Event
  • Campaign of the Year
  • Columnist of the Year
  • Feature Writer of the Year
  • Financial/Business Journalist of the Year
  • Food and Drink Writer of the Year
  • Front Page of the Year
  • Journalism Team of the Year
  • Lifetime Achievement Award (not applicable for entry, chosen by the editors’ committee)
  • Nicola Barry Award
  • Photographer of the Year
  • Podcast of the Year
  • Political Journalist of the Year
  • Regional Journalist of the Year
  • Reporter of the Year
  • Scoop of the Year
  • Specialist Reporter of the Year
  • Sports Columnist of the Year
  • Sports Feature Writer of the Year
  • Sports News Writer of the Year
  • Young Journalist of the Year
  • Weekly Journalist of the Year
  • Weekly Newsbrand of the Year
  • Scottish Newsbrand of the Year
  • Journalist of the Year (not applicable for entry, chosen by the judges)

This year’s judging panel will be led by Richard Neville, former Head of News Brands at DC Thomson and current Director of Neville Robertson Communications.

John McLellan added: “2023 was a momentous year in so many ways, not least in Scottish politics, and I’m sure our finalists and winners will reflect the very best of the many brilliant stories which have kept the public informed throughout.”

The 45th Scottish Press Awards are sponsored by Royal Bank of Scotland, Diageo, VisitScotland, Edrington, Openreach, Glenmorangie, The Law Society of Scotland, Caledonian MacBrayne, Registers of Scotland, Muckle Media, Women in Journalism Scotland, BIG Partnership, Weber Shandwick, Event Consultants Scotland and Newsbrands Scotland

Last year’s event saw Press Association photographer, Jane Barlow,become the first ever photographer to win the coveted Journalist of the Year category as well as the Photographer of the Year category for her moving final public picture of the Queen days before her death.

Other big winners at the 44th annual awards included the Scottish Daily Mail, which won the Newspaper of the Year and Journalism Team of the Year categories for its coverage of the Queen’s death and overall consistency as a product. 

The awards ceremony and dinner will take place at the DoubleTree by Hilton Glasgow Central on 29 May 2024. For more information please visit: 

https://www.newsbrandsscotland.com/to-enter/

UK Government’s repeated refusal to call for an immediate ceasefire is shameful, says Yousaf

First Minister urges UK to hold the Government of Israel to account

First Minister Humza Yousaf has urged the UK Government to use its position as a trusted ally of the Government of Israel to demand an end to “indiscriminate attacks” that have seen thousands of children in Gaza killed. He has made it clear that those responsible for killing civilians must be held accountable.

Ten weeks since Israel’s invasion of Gaza the First Minister said the UK Government’s refusal to call for an immediate ceasefire is “shameful”.

The First Minister’s latest call comes as the United Nations has expressed concern up to 1.9 million internally displaced people are moving into smaller and smaller pockets in the Gaza Strip.

The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA) for Palestinian Refugees has warned that 40% of the population of Gaza is now at risk of famine due to “catastrophic hunger”, and the latest Integrated food security Phase Classification (IPC) brief shows Gaza is experiencing a food security emergency driven by ongoing hostilities.

Responding to the unfolding humanitarian crisis in the region, the First Minister said diplomatic approaches have so far failed to bring about any change and an immediate ceasefire was needed.

The First Minister said: “The time has come for the UK Government to speak out forcefully and make it clear that Israeli action has gone way beyond a legitimate response to the appalling Hamas attack of 7 October. 

“Hearing comments from an Israeli Government Minister urging displacement of Palestinians from Gaza is deeply disturbing and should be universally condemned. Gaza is Occupied Palestinian Territory and will be part of a future Palestinian state – Gazans should not be subject to forcible displacement or relocation from Gaza.

“The UK Government must make clear that Prime Minister Netanyahu, Israeli Ministers and military commanders will be held accountable for the killing of thousands of innocent civilians and the deaths of tens of thousands more from starvation and disease if Israel does not immediately cease indiscriminate attacks and allow aid to enter Gaza on the scale needed to avert a humanitarian disaster.

“Hamas leaders must also be held accountable for the appalling attacks against Israeli civilians on 7 October.

“Talk of a sustainable ceasefire from the UK Government has made no difference on the ground, as the situation has worsened for the people of Gaza.

“The UK Government must use its voice and influence to stop the killing – directly with the Israeli government, and indirectly with the US.”

£1,000 yearly tax cut for households from today

27 million people across the UK will benefit from a yearly tax cut worth hundreds of pounds from today, meaning a household with two average earners will save nearly £1,000 per year.

  • 27 million people to get tax cut from today as the main rate of employee National Insurance will be cut by two percentage points, from 12% to 10%.
  • Change in gear for government, cutting taxes for ‘hard working people’ so they have more money in their pocket.
  • Online tool launched to help workers estimate their savings.

The main rate of National Insurance has been cut by 2p from 12% to 10% today (Saturday 6 January 2024). This reduces National Insurance by more than 15%, saving £450 this year for the average salaried worker on £35,400.

Millions of people working different jobs across hundreds of industries will now be better off. An average full-time nurse will save £520, a typical junior doctor £750 and an average teacher £630.

In the past year, inflation has halved; the economy has recovered more quickly from the pandemic than first thought; and debt is on track to fall. With a renewed focus on the long-term decisions to strengthen the economy, the government is changing gear and cutting taxes for hard working people, giving them the opportunity to build a wealthier, more secure life for themselves and their families.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: ““We have made tough decisions on the economy, supporting people through global shocks such as the pandemic and Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. It is because of the tough decisions this government has taken that today we are able to cut taxes for 27 million people across the UK.

“Today’s tax cuts will directly reward hard working people, putting £450 back in the pocket of the average worker and helping them make ends meet.”

Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt said: ““With inflation halved, we’ve turned a corner and are cutting taxes – starting with today’s record cut to National Insurance worth nearly £1,000 for a household.

“From nurses and brickies, to cleaners and butchers, 27 million hard-working Brits will have a little more cash in their pockets.”

The cut means that for those on average salaries, personal taxes would be lower in the UK than every other G7 country, based on the most recent OECD data. The UK also has the most generous starting allowances for income tax and social security contributions in the G7.

To mark the tax cut, HMRC have launched an online tool to help people understand how much they could save in National Insurance this year. 

The tool will use salary information to give employees personalised estimates of how much they could save because of the government’s changes, and will be hosted on the government’s cost of living support website on GOV.UK.

The last major cut to the current personal tax system of today’s magnitude was when the National Insurance personal allowance increased from £9,880 to £12,570 in July 2022. This was the largest ever cut to a personal tax starting threshold, allowing working people to hold on to an extra £2,690 free from tax whilst taking 2.2 million people out of paying tax altogether.

Today’s tax cut combined with above-inflation increases to tax thresholds since 2010 means that the average earner will pay over £1,000 less in personal taxes than they otherwise would have done.

At the Autumn Statement the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced the biggest package of tax cuts to be implemented since the 1980s. In addition to today’s action, the Chancellor also announced a National Insurance cut for 2 million self-employed people, which will take effect on 6 April 2024 and is worth £350 for the average self-employed person on £28,200.

He also announced the biggest ever increase to the National Living Wage, effectively cut corporation tax by more than £55 billion as he made full expensing permanent to help businesses invest for less, froze alcohol duty for six months and extended cuts to business rates relief for the high street.

Today’s ‘historic’ National Insurance cut takes effect following the government stepping in to support households during the Covid-19 pandemic and throughout Putin’s barbaric war in Ukraine.

The government ‘took the decision to manage the public finances responsibly by not saddling future generations to help pay down debt’.