Day: April 1, 2024

Gardyloo!

The Real Mary King’s Close offers new immersive holiday to live like a 17th century local

Live like a local in 17th century Edinburgh with a stay that sees technology taken away, a visit from the Plague Doctor, and a bucket for a toilet

History lovers now have the chance to live like a 17th century Edinburgh local with a new week-long experience staying in the underground streets of The Real Mary King’s Close that are frozen in time.

You would have to be a ‘fool’ to stay on this immersive experience, as guests see their phones taken from them on arrival, as well as having to use a bucket as toilet, and avoid waste being thrown on them from other guests as they shout ‘Gardyloo!’

The new immersive experience from The Real Mary King’s Close is all about offering an authentic experience as visitors learn what it is like to be a former resident of the close. Edinburgh experienced the worst outbreak of the plague due to the crowded living conditions and over the week-long experience guests can expect visits from the Plague Doctor in their terrifying outfit designed to protect them, including a long cloak and beak-like mask.

As well as visits from the Plague Doctor, guests will live in cramped conditions sharing a bucket for a toilet, however there is no room service in this experience as guests will have to throw their waste out with a shout of ‘Gardyloo!’ so other guests know what is about to wash the streets.

Paul Nixon, General Manager at The Real Mary King’s Close, said: “As one of the UK’s top-rated experiences on TripAdvisor we are always looking for new ways for guests to immerse themselves in 17th century Edinburgh. What better way to learn what it was like to live on these streets nearly 400 years ago than to actually live on these streets?

“That is why we are set to offer a new week-long experience where guests can stay on the Close and learn what it was really like to live here day-to-day, from having no phones to using a bucket as a toilet, this is set to be an experience like no other, you’d be a fool to miss it!”

More information on the immersive stays will be available on Monday 1st April until 12:00, on : https://www.realmarykingsclose.com/

Dulux announce new Scratch & Sniff paint range

This Easter, Dulux is sweetening up the paint game by introducing a Scratch & Sniff paint collection inspired by food and drink favourites.

With salivating shades such as Chocolate Sprinkles, Hazelnut Truffle, Cookie Dough, and Caramel Cream, it only takes two hours for the paint to dry and the scent to appear.

With Dulux’s revolutionary ‘Scratch & Sniff’ collection, you can experience these delectable scents before even cracking open a paint can by picking up one of the paint cards to help decide whether you’d like your home to smell sweet like honey or like Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. So, whether you’re redecorating your kitchen, bedroom, or even your bathroom, now every room can be a sensory spectacle.

Marianne Shillingford, Creative Director at Dulux, explains: “It was a no-brainer with so many of our colours being inspired by popular foods and flavours – probably down to us choosing colour names in the lead up to lunch!

“Our goal is to push the boundaries and create products that not only beautify homes but also enhance the overall sensory experience. With our ‘Scratch & Sniff’ collection, we’re bringing a whole new level of indulgence to interior design. It’s like giving your walls a delicious makeover, some may think it’s too good to be true!”

So, this Easter, why not treat yourself to a little sensory indulgence? Transform your home with Dulux sweet-scented paints and fill every room with the irresistible smells of the chocolate occasion. 

Followers of the Dulux Instagram, TikTok and X channels will be the first to see Scratch & Sniff collection in action, launching on 1st April 2024.

For more colour and decorating information, visit the Dulux Website.

New Hate Crime laws come into force

Greater protection for victims and communities?

New measures to tackle the harm caused by hatred and prejudice come into force today (1 April 2024). The Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act will ‘provide greater protection for victims and communities’.

It introduces new offences for threatening or abusive behaviour which is intended to stir up hatred based on prejudice towards characteristics including age, disability, religion, sexual orientation, transgender identity and variations in sex characteristics. These extra provisions will add to the long-standing stirring up racial hatred offences, which have been in place UK-wide since 1986.

The new laws were developed following Lord Bracadale’s Independent Review of Hate Crime Legislation which concluded that new specific offences relating to stirring up hatred were needed. The legislation, which was passed by a majority of MSPs in the Scottish Parliament in 2021, was also subject to extensive consultation and engagement throughout, including with communities affected by hate crime.

Minister for Victims and Community Safety Siobhian Brown said: “Nobody in our society should live in fear and we are committed to building safer communities that live free from hatred and prejudice.

“We know that the impact on those on the receiving end of physical, verbal or online attacks can be traumatic and life-changing. This legislation is an essential element of our wider approach to tackling that harm.

“Protections for freedom of expression are built into the legislation passed by Parliament and these new offences have a higher threshold for criminality than the long-standing offence of stirring up racial hatred, which has been in place since 1986.”

The Scottish Conservatives oppose the legislation: “Unfortunately, this is not an April Fool. Today, Humza Yousaf’s dangerous Hate Crime Act has come into force. This SNP law will have a chilling effect on free speech.

“We were the only party to oppose it every step of the way.”

The Scottish Government’s Hate Crime Strategy and Delivery Plan sets out Ministers’ strategic priorities for tackling hate crime in Scotland.

TUC: It’s time to apply the lessons of the minimum wage

Sunday 1st April marked the 25th anniversary of the UK getting a minimum wage (writes TUC General Secretary PAUL NOWAK).

Nowadays when we think of the national minimum wage (NMW), we think of what is roundly accepted as one of the great policy successes of our time. But we shouldn’t kid ourselves that there was unanimity about the need to raise wages.  

Britain was full of employers and employers’ organisations predicting the minimum wage would cause mass unemployment and economic ruin.

The CBI warned a NMW “could result in rising prices, business closures and unemployment”. That it would “undermine flexibility and was a poor way to tackle poverty”. They wanted all new employees to be exempted from the minimum wage for the first six months! 1

They were wrong!

The minimum wage started off at £3.60. With no loss of jobs, and no economic meltdown. And in recent years, it’s gone up substantially. And it’s done so with no negative impact on jobs.

History proved all those doomsday warnings emphatically wrong. And I think there are lessons there for all of us. So here’s three: 

First: the NMW was a bold policy and we need to be equally bold for its future. 

The TUC is clear, we now need to set the bar higher. That means ministers should set a bolder Low Pay Commission remit:

  • A target of 75 per cent of median pay. 
  • Getting us faster towards a £15 an hour minimum wage for all. 
  • Raising the pay of millions 
  • Making the minimum wage a real Living Wage. 

Second: sometimes we have to face down those whose instinctive reaction is to say no to measures that improve the lives of working people.  

This is vital if we are going to deliver a much-needed new deal for working people in this country. 

  • 1 in 9 workers are in insecure work. 
  • Record numbers of young people on zero hours contracts. 
  • Seventy per cent of the kids who live in poverty have working parents. 

The New Deal is the right thing to do. Not just morally, but economically. It will establish a level playing field. Stop decent employers from being undercut by the cowboys. And make sure that everyone has a secure job they can build a life on. 

Just like the minimum wage, good employers have nothing to fear from the New Deal. But that hasn’t stopped some employers organisations’ warning of an economic apocalypse if Labour’s New Deal was made law.  And the arguments are exactly the same as they were 25 years ago. It will cost jobs. Put employers out of business. Reduce flexibility. 

The then British Hospitality Association said back in 1997 that the NMW would destroy 32,000 jobs in the industry2 . Spoiler alert: it didn’t!

They were wrong then, and they are wrong now. That’s why Labour should resist the out of touch, out of date siren voices from the 90s. Now is the time to forge a new political consensus on tackling the scourge of insecure work and deliver the New Deal in full. 

Third and final lesson. 

The NMW has succeeded because it has been underpinned by what might be unfashionably called social dialogue.  Employers, unions, supported by independent academics, working with government to deliver a minimum wage. We could do with more of that approach today.

Our so-called flexible labour market has failed far too many people. It’s led to massive rewards at the top and stagnant wages for everyone else. Unleashed epic insecurity and in-work poverty. And actively undermined our productivity. 

So it’s time for a new approach. 

Time to apply the lessons of the minimum wage. Time for the New Deal for workers that Britain needs. 

Councils to use new powers to double Council Tax on second homes

New powers enabling councils to charge up to double the full rate of council tax on second homes come into force this week.

Councils will be able to increase the tax from today (Monday 1 April 2024) and 29 of Scotland’s 32 local authorities, including City of Edinburgh, have confirmed that second homeowners will have to pay the higher charge in their areas.

The changes aim to help increase housing availability by encouraging more homes to be used for living in. They have come into force following joint work with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) and a public consultation held in 2023.

Local Government Empowerment Minister Joe FitzPatrick said: “We know there are housing pressures in parts of Scotland because of the prevalence of second homes. These new powers give flexibility to local councils, allowing them to charge the higher council tax rate on second homes if they wish and making sure they can prioritise homes for living in.

“The majority of people who responded to the public consultation last year supported these changes, which bring second homes into line with council tax policy on long-term empty homes.

“The changes demonstrate the value of the Verity House Agreement between the Scottish Government and COSLA in putting policies in place that can better meet the needs of local communities across Scotland. They also deliver important parts of the Scottish Government’s ‘Housing to 2040’ strategy and Bute House Agreement with the Scottish Green Party.”

Councillor Katie Hagmann, COSLA’s Resources spokesperson, said: “I am pleased that this important legislation is coming into force this week. COSLA welcomes the ability for councils to take the decision to increase the premium on second homes in their areas where appropriate.

“It supports the long-standing COSLA position that councillors who are closest to their communities should be empowered to take the decisions about what best works in their local communities, demonstrating the value of the Verity House Agreement.”

Second Homes and Long Term Empty Policies and Discounts 2024-25