Edinburgh locals encouraged to join the conversation on land reform
THE SECOND instalment of a popular free online webinar series has returned to coach people across Scotland on how to make the most of opportunities with the land and buildings around them.
After the first instalment was a major success, the 45-minute, informal lunchtime sessions will explore topics such as what Common Good land is and how it is managed. Other topics including rural housing and vacant and derelict land will also be covered.
The series will run fortnightly on Wednesdays from 18 January to 29 March and will share knowledge with attendees on how they can get involved in local land use decision-making to make a positive change.
Emma Cooper, Head of Land Rights and Responsibilities at the Scottish Land Commission, said: “The positive feedback from the first series of sessions highlighted how eager people across Scotland are to learn about and engage in discussions about the land around them and the role they can play in it.
“It’s crucial that we provide individuals with the tools and knowledge around land rights and responsibilities to ensure they know how to make a positive difference.
“As we look to do that, our ‘Land @ Lunch’ series aims to share ideas, allow people to join in on discussions, stimulate action and signpost people to useful tools and support a range of land reform topics.”
The Scottish Land Commission’s webinars aim to offer people the knowledge and tools to understand how Scottish land is used and manged and allow participants to engage in conversation relating to topical issues at the heart of Scotland’s land. The webinars are free, open to everyone, and informal, so participants are invited to take part whether they are at home or at work.
The Scottish Land Commission’s Land Right and Responsibilities Protocols set out practical advice on how land owners, land managers, and communities can work together to make better and fairer decisions about land use.
The Scottish Land Commission provides advice and recommendations for law and policy as well as leadership for change in culture and practice, working to create a Scotland where everybody can benefit from the ownership and use of the nation’s land and buildings.
To find out more information about the Land @ Lunch webinar series and to book your place, visit: landcommission.gov.scot/events.
To find out more about information about the Scottish Land Commission, visit: landcommission.gov.scot.
The founder of Fair Fuel UK has called for a new consumer price regulatory body to ensure fairness for motorists at the petrol pumps.
Howard Cox says his Pump Watch initiative has “huge backing” and that he will be sending a letter to Jeremy Hunt signed by 25 MPs.
Speaking to GB News, transport campaigner Mr Cox said: “I’ve been saying for the last four or five years that we’ve been ripped off in the fuel supply chain. “There’s definitely opportunistic profiteering going on. It’s further up the fuel supply chain where it’s happening.
“It’s not the independent retailers, as most of them are actually tied to very, very strict contracts with wholesalers. It’s the wholesalers and oil refineries and the big oil companies. I’m afraid they are basically fleecing every driver.
On whether supermarkets were “missing a trick” by not reducing their prices at the pumps, he continued: “Yes, they are. Around 50% of fuel dispensed comes through supermarkets. Yet for some reason we are not seeing any reductions, and I think it must be because they’re not making so much profit on their other core areas of their business.
We used to see supermarkets give you something off per litre if you put say 50 quids worth of shopping through their outlets, but that sort of a deal seems to have disappeared.
“Now you’re seeing how independent retailers are actually cheaper than supermarkets at the moment. And it’s even worse because supermarkets buy direct from the refinery. They don’t buy through the wholesalers. So they’re making huge profits on drivers.”
Issuing a direct plea to the Government he added: “We’re still the highest taxed drivers in the world. That’s why we’re calling for a body called Pump Watch. There’ll be a letter going to Jeremy Hunt signed by 25 MPs asking for a body to actually get some transparency and fairness at the pumps.
“And the other thing we’re calling on is for the Chancellor and for Rishi Sunak to come clean and say there’s no planned increase in fuel duty in March. Because at the moment, they’re just playing these ‘will they, won’t they’ games. They seem to be enjoying upsetting drivers and upsetting businesses that need to plan for the next three to four months.”
Minister urges those eligible to apply for support with the cost of living
Scottish households have saved more than £3 billion in council tax since the Council Tax Reduction (CTR) scheme was introduced almost ten years ago.
The latest figures published by the Scottish Government show 456,790 recipients received CTR in October 2022, meaning around one-in-five households were benefiting from the scheme.
People on low incomes are eligible for CTR if they live in Scotland – there is no equivalent benefit in England where most councils require each household to contribute a minimum amount of council tax, irrespective of ability to do so.
People who receive CTR save on average £750 a year and become eligible for up to 35% off their water and waste charges.
Public Finance Minister Tom Arthur said: “The Council Tax Reduction scheme celebrates its tenth anniversary in April 2023 and these latest figures show the scale of support it has provided to people in Scotland over the last decade.
“The cost of living crisis is disproportionately affecting poorer households and now, more than ever, it is important everyone is aware of the help that is available.
“Some people are also eligible for other council tax discounts or sometimes full exemptions, including students, people with disabilities and carers amongst others.
“I urge people to check their eligibility for council tax reduction and other financial support by visiting our online resources or by contacting their local council.”
People can check whether they are eligible for Council Tax Reduction through mygov.scot or by contacting their local council. Details of other help available including extra financial support or for things like food, heating and electricity can be found on the Scottish Government’s cost of living crisis support website.
FESTIVE ARRANGEMENTS: Clinics will be closed from 24th to 27th December and again from 31st December to 3rd January. Please check individual clinics for additional information before arranging your visit.
Area
Site
Days
Drop-in times
East Lothian
Edington Cottage Hospital
Monday to Friday
Closed from 24th December to 8th January
8.30am – 4.30pm (Closed 10am to 10.30am and again from 12.30pm to 1.30pm)
East Lothian
Haddington Corn Exchange
Monday to Sunday
8.30am – 4.30pm(Closed 12pm – 1pm)
East Lothian
Musselburgh Primary Care Centre
Monday to Friday Closed from 24th December to 8th January
8.05am – 4.50pm (Closed 10am to 10.20am and again from 12.30pm to 1.15pm)
Edinburgh
Fort Kinnaird (SAS Bus – next to Currys)
Monday 19th – Friday 23rd December
9.30am – 4pm
Edinburgh
The Gyle
Monday to Sunday
9.30am – 6.30pm
Edinburgh
Ocean Terminal
Monday to Sunday
9am – 6.30pm
Edinburgh
Waverley Mall
Monday to Sunday
10am – 5.30pm
Midlothian
Gorebridge Leisure Centre
Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays
Closed Thursday 22nd December onwards, reopens Wednesday 4th January
The EIS is calling upon the Scottish Government to reverse its decision to delay roll-out of free school meals to all children in Primaries 6 and 7.
The commitment was originally due to be delivered by last August, but a previous decision by the Scottish Government delayed the roll-out. This year’s Scottish Budget, published recently, revealed that the universal roll-out of free school meals for P6 and P7 will now be delayed by a further two years, until 2024.
Commenting, EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley said, “Delaying the roll-out of free school meals to all primary school children was a shameful decision, which runs contrary to the Scottish Government’s stated commitment to tackling child poverty.
“This is now the second time that the roll-out of this hugely important policy has been delayed, with serious consequences for thousands of children and families across Scotland. It is also extremely disappointing how this change in policy came to light – not announced in Parliament, but obscured within the detail of the budget document itself.
“In a country where more than 1 child in 4 lives in poverty, and with the cost-of-living crisis pushing ever more families into financial difficulty, it is more important than ever that universal free school meals should be a priority.”
Ms Bradley added, “Although a watered-down, means-tested policy is being implemented for P6 and P7, this will miss many young people who will just fail to qualify for a free meal, placing great strain on families already struggling with the soaring cost of living.
“Means-testing of entitlement also does nothing to reduce the stigma families and young people often feel in claiming a free meal, which leads to many young people declining to take a free meal in order to avoid unwanted scrutiny from others or being isolated from friends if they do go to the school canteen for their meal when their friends not entitled to free meals go elsewhere to eat.
“Universal free meals remain the best way to ensure that all young people have access to a healthy and nutritious meal at school, without any stigma being attached. The Scottish Government claims that practical barriers to universal roll-out are the problem. The EIS view is that young people should not be hungry, stigmatised or left out whilst adults dither over dining chairs, tables and cutlery.
“Direct cash payments to cover the cost of food at school could be made as was done during the pandemic when schools were closed.”
The EIS has long called for the roll-out of universal free school meals for all young people. In addition to completing the roll-out to all primary pupils, the EIS believes that all secondary school pupils should also receive free school meals.
General Secretary Andrea Bradley is a long-standing member of the STUC Women’s Committee, which has also been active in the campaign for free school meals to combat the impact of poverty.
BBC secured the Top 6 most watched programmes on Christmas Day, and 7 out of the Top 10 as audiences turned to the BBC across the day for an outstanding range of programmes across drama, comedy and entertainment.
BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing was the most popular show on Christmas Day with 5.4 million viewers (excluding The King’s Christmas broadcast).
BBC secured the top six most watched programmes, and seven out of the top ten as audiences turned to the BBC across the day for an outstanding range of programmes across drama, comedy and entertainment.
BBC One was the biggest channel of the day and grew its share year on year, commanding over a quarter of all broadcast viewing overall. BBC One was also bigger than the whole SVOD market combined on Christmas Day on TV.
Charlotte Moore, BBC’s Chief Content Officer says: “Winning the Christmas Day ratings caps off an incredible centenary year of world class content on the BBC.
“In a time of so much competition and choice, the BBC continues to be the UK’s entertainment destination on Christmas Day.”
1
The King’s Christmas Broadcast
BBC One
8.1
2
Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special
BBC One
5.4
3
Michael McIntyre’s Christmas Wheel
BBC One
4.8
4
Call the Midwife
BBC One
4.5
5
Aladdin
BBC One
4.4
6
Ghosts Christmas Special
BBC One
3.9
7
Doc Martin
ITV
3.3
8
EastEnders
BBC One
3.2
9
Coronation Street
ITV
2.8
10
Ant and Dec
ITV
2.7
BBC iPlayer was up 30% YOY in terms of streamed hours, with The King and EastEnders from Christmas Day and The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse from Christmas Eve the top titles.
‘Sticking our heads in the sand – or using the NHS as a political football to exchange snappy soundbites – will not cut it anymore‘
The number one “quick fix” priority for Scotland’s NHS as we move into 2023 must be the retention of our invaluable healthcare professionals, the chair of BMA Scotland said today (Wednesday, Dec 28th).
Dr Iain Kennedy said any plan for further recruitment, investment in the systems and aspirations of improvement will “fall flat on its face” unless there is a laser like focus on keeping the experienced staff our NHS already has.
Dr Kennedy, who was speaking as he delivered his annual festive message for doctors, added that the need for an open discussion on the NHS is now greater than ever.
His renewed call for a national conversation on the future of the health service comes as BMA Scotland shares more than 100 testimonies from doctors about what working in the NHS is like at the moment and their concerns for what the future holds.
Comments included:
“There have been a number of critical incidents in the last six months involving unsafe staffing levels. The acuity of the workload has increased. Patients are generally getting sicker and more complex, but we have less resources or time to care for them. It’s hard to keep them safe. I wouldn’t want to be an inpatient at the moment, and hope everyone in my family remains well for the foreseeable.”
“It feels unsafe – because it is. It’s not safe for patients, and it’s not safe for staff either. I have gone from being a passionate committed GP to being a shadow of my former working self. I want to leave the profession and I am devastated by this.”
“Things are very bad. Chemotherapy can only be delivered four weeks after seeing a consultant because of a chemotherapy nurse shortage. Radiotherapy preparation scans can only be done two weeks after seeing a consultant because of lack of radiotherapy staff/physicists – and it’s another two or more weeks before radiotherapy can actually be delivered.”
Dr Kennedy said: “The NHS is haemorrhaging crucial staff – staff who we urgently need now more than ever before – and the government must step up to stop it. They can talk as much as they want about recruitment of staff, of investment in the system or of plans for improvement, but every single one will fall flat on its face unless there is a laser like focus on keeping the staff we have.
“That is why the retention of healthcare professionals – keeping them in the service – needs to be the number one priority in terms of the quick fixes to help us just make it through this winter with the NHS in Scotland somehow intact.
“I desperately want to be optimistic and forward looking, to set out some hope for the future – for the medical profession that I am so proud to be a part of, and the Scottish health service that I am equally proud to work in.
“But it’s not easy to find that indication of a brighter future – especially after reading the, frankly, harrowing comments from some of my NHS colleagues about what they are experiencing day in, day out. No one working in the health service would give me any credibility if I gave an upbeat description of the way our NHS will, or can, get better and how the working conditions of those caring for the people of Scotland will miraculously improve.
“All the statistics tell us that it’s a desperate state of affairs. Things are as bad, or worse, than they have ever been. Winter is a meaningless term now – this entire year has been winter.
“But looking beyond the statistics, looking at the people behind the statistics, the picture being painted is even more grim and concerning. The experiences my colleagues have shared speak louder than anything I could say, and anything any official stats could imply.
“We face crises across workload, workforce, working conditions, pay and pensions – all of these are hitting efforts to retain doctors, which we are already short of across both primary and secondary care. Hospitals have too many vacancies – indeed the current vacancy rate for consultants alone is 14.32% – and GP practices are falling over, with the Scottish Government not even close to being on target to deliver their promised 800 additional GPs by 2027.
“In the face of everything else pay and pensions are – incredibly – fairly quick fix issues. The government can make a decision to improve pay for NHS workers. And the UK Government can finally once and for all sort out the pension taxation issues that penalise senior doctors across primary and secondary care and force them to cut hours or face massive and unexpected bills.
“These two things will make a difference in staff retention – junior doctors will feel more valued and be more likely to stay in the NHS instead of looking to move abroad where they will be paid more and have a better work life balance.
“Senior doctors will be less likely to reduce their hours and more likely to work waiting list initiatives if they know they won’t receive a huge tax bill for doing so. We are beyond crisis point now – urgent action is needed to save our NHS and that simply must focus on investing in the workforce.
“Looking beyond that, of course we need to finally get a proper long-term workforce plan in place. But even more fundamentally we need, as a whole society, to grasp the nettle, face up to hard truths that have been brushed under the carpet for too long, and have a proper grown up, depoliticised national conversation about the future of the NHS in Scotland.
“Sticking our heads in the sand – or using the NHS as a political football to exchange snappy soundbites – will not cut it anymore.
“It’s clear we need to reflect on what we ask of our NHS and the levels of funding we, as a country, are prepared to provide to meet those asks, and to ensure the health service stays true to its founding principles and remains free at the point of delivery. The current approach of pushing insufficient resources harder and harder, then blaming staff when standards fall has failed and is failing patients every single day. I know doctors across Scotland are suffering moral injury as a result.
“Let’s stop putting healthcare workers in the impossible and insidious position of having to constantly be apologising and being the bearer of bad news.
“We need politicians on all sides to be brave and act – by bringing us together and finally actually properly talking about a plan for a future NHS we can all confidently get behind. And a better NHS will be better not just for Scotland’s doctors, but for the many people who rely on it for care.”
Police are appealing for the assistance of the public to trace Faith Marley, 15, who is missing from the Leith area.
Faith was last seen around noon yesterday, Tuesday, 27 December 2022, in Bangor Road.
She is described as 5 ft 7 in height, of medium to heavy build, with blue eyes, shoulder-length blonde hair and was wearing a green khaki puffer jacket, grey scoop neck jumper, black leggings and black and white high-top shoes.
She left in possession of a black leather shoulder bag, a mobile phone and some cash.
Inspector Grant McCulloch, Police Scotland, said: “We have been liaising with bus and taxi companies, as well as colleagues in British Transport Police, in case Faith has travelled outwith the Leith area or, indeed, the city.
“I am keen to hear from anyone who may know where she is, or who she has been in touch with recently.
“Both we and her family just want her home and so, if you have any information that will help us find her, please call police via 101, quoting reference number 1362 of Tuesday, 27 December 2022.
“We’d also ask Faith herself to return home or speak to police. Everyone just wants to make sure she is safe and well.”
A kidney cancer drug has been accepted for use within NHS Scotland and across the UK thanks to an international study, with NHS Lothian and Edinburgh University leading the UK part of the trial.
The treatment, pembrolizumab, is an antibody delivered intravenously as an immunotherapy to reduce the chances of a relapse after kidney cancer surgery.
Thanks to the research, the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) has advised that the drug will now be made available to treat eligible adults with renal cell carcinoma (RCC).
In Scotland, about 1000 patients are diagnosed with RCC each year, and the incidence of the disease has been increasing over time.
Surgery carries the hope of cure if disease is caught early, but about a quarter to half of patients who undergo a nephrectomy (whole or partial kidney removal) have disease recurrence at different sites within three to five years of this.
RCC is generally resistant to chemotherapy and radiation therapy so, until now, there have been no additional treatments that reduce this risk of relapse.
The study showed that, for patients with a raised risk of relapse, pembrolizumab reduced the risk of kidney cancer coming back by a about a third and there are early indications that this is leading to patients living longer.
This has led to the SMC recommending the drug for NHS use and the first non-trial patients are now receiving this new treatment in Edinburgh.
Dr Stefan Symeonides, Senior Lecturer at the University of Edinburgh and Oncology Consultant at the Edinburgh Cancer Centre, said: “Research continues to explore which people might benefit most from this treatment, as pembrolizumab is not always effective or suitable for every patient.
“However, this represents a significant breakthrough in the treatment of kidney cancer as confirmed by UK approvals from the SMC in Scotland and NICE in England and Wales, as well as its incorporation in treatment guidelines from the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO).
“Approval of pembrolizumab is welcome news to many RCC patients, who otherwise had no treatment options available to them to prevent or reduce the risk of relapse of the cancer following nephrectomy.”
A Holyrood Committee has reported it’s dissatisfaction with the lack of information about proposals that could see children’s health and social care services integrated into the proposed National Care Service.
The cross-party Education, Children and Young People Committee have been scrutinising the Scottish Government’s proposals – but they have concluded that it is not possible to form a clear view as to whether children’s services should be included under any future National Care Service.
The Committee expressed concern that much of the detail of any future transfer of children’s services to the National Care Service would be delegated to Ministers, preventing the Parliament from carrying our thorough scrutiny of any changes. Furthermore, the Committee was told that research designed to help inform a decision about whether or not to include children’s health and social care services in the service, will not be ready until September 2023.
The Committee also notes the lack of information regarding the financial implications of bringing children’s services under a National Care Service. Its report urges the Scottish Government to model the cost of different scenarios where children’s services are included and excluded from a National Care Service.
Looking at children and young people’s care more broadly, witnesses told the Committee that existing services need to improve, expressing concern about an implementation gap between policy and the reality of delivering those services.
While some stakeholders spoke positively about the approaches taken in their areas, a range of other issues were identified, including challenges accessing services, poor communication and gatekeeping.
Martin Crewe, Director of Barnardo’s Scotland, told the Committee, “…there is frustration that we have all the right aspirations and good intentions but what happens is not always what was intended.”
In addition, the report calls on the Government to clarify its plans for letting young people design services at the very earliest stages of work to create a National Care Service. With a large number of children and young people receiving health and social care support, Members of the Committee agreed that it would be helpful to know how the Government plans to meaningfully engage with them.
Sue Webber, Convener of the Education, Children and Young People Committee said:“We would like to thank everyone who took the time to share their thoughts with us as we scrutinised this Bill.
“The feedback we had has told us that there is not currently enough information about the Bill’s impact on children’s health and social care services for us to form a view about whether this is the right approach for children and young people.
“However, we did hear significant concerns about the way in which these services are operating at present. Therefore, our report asks the Scottish Government to ensure that work on this Bill does not delay the improvements that are needed to children’s services now. Children and young people need to be at the very heart of those discussions.”
