Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, has said that the development of Edinburgh City Bypass must be a priority in the Scottish Government new national infrastructure investment plan, due to be published this month.
This week at the Scottish Parliament the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said that the Scottish Government would “set out the framework for £32 billion of infrastructure investment over the next five years.”
In May 2018, Miles Briggs MSP held a Members debate in the Scottish Parliament where the then Transport secretary Humza Yousaf that the Edinburgh City Bypass was a priority for the Scottish Government (link).
In June 2018 the now Transport Secretary Michael Matheson declined to give a timetable for when Edinburgh City Bypass would be developed to address overcapacity issues.
Two years since the promise of a review into the strategic importance of the A720 Edinburgh City Bypass and there has still been no progress made.
Edinburgh City’s bypass over congestion is an issue that Miles has campaigned on since his election in 2016.
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said:“Lothian residents and businesses are increasingly concerned that SNP Ministers are not demonstrating the urgency required to avoid the bypass becoming gridlocked in future as usage will continue to grow and grow.
“Overcapacity issues on the bypass must be a national transport priority for this government and they must bring forward detailed new plans to improve this key trunk road.
“SNP Ministers have been delaying the development of this much needed infrastructure for residents and commuters in Edinburgh and the Lothians.
“The development of Edinburgh City Bypass must be part of the new national infrastructure investment plan.”
Patients with chronic eye conditions will be now be able to be assessed by community optometrists as part of a new plan supported by £3 million in funding.
Due to changes in hospital services because of COVID-19 – including health, safety and physical distancing measures – there has been limited capacity to see all patients with chronic and sight-threatening conditions.
Under the new plan, the skills of community optometrists will be utilised to support hospital eye services, ensuring more patients can be seen for their appointments.
Community optometrists are qualified to undertake this care – and the new initiative will help patients as well as supporting the existing optometry workforce.
The Programme for Government contains a commitment to accelerate the reform of NHS eye care services.
This includes funding to support an additional 50 optometrists to train as independent prescribing optometrists, who can safely treat more patients within the community.
Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “As we steadily re-mobilise, we are implementing new ways of working to enable our highly skilled workforce across the whole NHS to deliver care in a safe and timely manner.
“I’m pleased that as we continue to see positive results in dealing with the virus, hospital patients with eye conditions will now be able to be reviewed by community optometrists.
“Community optometrists have worked very hard during the pandemic to embrace new ways of working, and these clinicians will now also play a key role in this initiative.
“This plan utilises the capacity within community optometry – their expertise, staffing and readily equipped practices can support the NHS both during the COVID-19 pandemic recovery, and beyond.”
Director of Royal National Institute of Blind Scotland James Adams said: “We welcome any move that ensures people receive timely eye-care examinations and treatment. It remains as crucial as ever that eye problems are diagnosed as quickly as possible so that people don’t lose sight unnecessarily.
“As with all our health sector staff, optometrists have worked incredibly hard to maintain their vital service in very challenging conditions. RNIB Scotland has worked closely with them to assure the public that it is safe, and important, to attend appointments.”
SNP MSP Gordon MacDonald has welcomed a new £60million Youth Guarantee announced in the Programme for Government, which guarantees everyone in Edinburgh aged 16-24, a job, a place in education or a place in training.
The new partnership between the Scottish Government and Scotland’s employers is backed by £60 million of government investment, which will be broken down as follows:
£30 million through local authorities to help local partnerships to deliver employability support for young people
£10 million to create additional opportunities in colleges
£10 million additional funding for Developing the Young Workforce, the Scottish Government’s internationally recognised Youth Employment Strategy
£10 million to support pathways to apprenticeships
This autumn, the Scottish Government will also launch the National Transition Training Fund, which is backed by initial funding of £25 million and will help up to 10,000 people of all ages retrain for jobs in growth sectors.
SNP MSP for Edinburgh Pentlands, Gordon MacDonald,said: “Governments have rightly taken unprecedented steps to protect workers and businesses through this pandemic, but it’s vital that young people are not left behind.
“This SNP government is absolutely determined that youth unemployment will not become the legacy of the Coronavirus pandemic.
“The new £60 million Youth Guarantee, announced in the First Minister’s Programme for Government, will guarantee every young person inEdinburgh aged 16-24 a job, a place in training, or a place in education.
“This is backed by additional funding for employers to recruit and retain apprentices, and the new Job Start Payment to help with the costs associated with starting a new job.
“I urge all employers who are able, to work with the Scottish Government to create more opportunities that recognise the valuable contribution our young people have to make in growing our economy.
“These steps to support for those most adversely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic are most welcome, and the SNP will continue to work to ensure every young person in our capital is given the opportunity to succeed”
The North Edinburgh and East Edinburgh Save Our Services campaigns are calling an online meeting on Thursday 10th September at 6.30pm. The meeting will discuss how to mobilise opposition to the latest round of cuts in jobs and services.
It is time to end the cycle of cuts to vital local services in our city. Austerity, outsourcing and privatisation has been pushed down from Westminster via Holyrood and implemented by the City Council for too long. But we need a powerful campaign if we are to be successful.
Since 2012/13, Edinburgh City Council budget cuts have amounted to £320 million. Prior to Covid19 the estimate was that there would be further cuts of £87.3 million by 2023.
These cuts have had a terrible effect on essential services. The most vulnerable, who have also been hit by cuts in social security benefits, have suffered most. Edinburgh has the lowest expenditure per capita on local services in Scotland.
The City Council’s press releases fail to reflect the reality of life for many of Edinburgh’s citizens. Wrapped in the language of ‘savings’, ‘inclusion’, ‘progress’, ‘just recovery’ and ‘sustainability’, they accept that there is no alternative to an ideology that supports a relentless increase in inequality.
Covid19 has added to an already bleak picture with increases in unemployment, child poverty and mental distress. The pandemic has shone a harsh light on the gaps in local services and underlined the importance of key workers and health, social care, housing and education.
Edinburgh Council argues that falling revenues and increased costs as a result of Covid19 now mean that further cuts are required. The Edinburgh Integration Joint Board, through which the Council and the NHS administer integrated health and social care, has already agreed cuts of £8 million.
We understand that proposals for cuts will go the Finance Committee on 24th September and be considered at the full Council meeting on 15th October.
These cuts affect individuals, groups and organisations across the city. They will further erode essential services and add to the numbers of unemployed.
The annual cuts in jobs and services that have taken place over the last decade have not gone unopposed. On occasion we’ve been able to deflect specific measures. But each year the screw has tightened.
It is not true that there is no money to fund these services. The Westminster government is choosing to direct it to the big corporations. For example, eleven billion pounds have gone to the private sector for a track and trace system in England that doesn’t work. £600m was handed to Tesco in rate relief (that went straight to their shareholders) while the company is enjoying a sales bonanza.
This meeting can be a first step in building a mass campaign for social justice, push back the cuts and fight for public services.
If our elected politicians wish to truly represent us, then they should join the campaign. If not, they should step aside. Let’s save and rebuild services, save jobs and fight for social justice and an environmentally sustainable future.
Production of some of Britain’s favourite biscuits will be halted over the next month as workers at Burton’s Biscuits Co in Edinburgh launch strike action over a “derisory” pay offer.
GMB members at the Sighthill manufacturing plant, voted by an overwhelming majority of 91 per cent for industrial action after management refused to increase a 1.6 per cent offer for the next year.
An indefinite work to rule and overtime ban will start on Tuesday 8 September from 14.00 hours before a series of twenty-four hour strikes throughout September. Action will take place on the following dates:
06.00 hours on Wednesday 9 September to 05.59 hours on Thursday 10 September.
06.00 hours on Wednesday 16 September to 05.59 hours on Thursday 17 September.
06.00 hours on Wednesday 23 September to 05.59 hours on Thursday 24 September.
The biscuit manufacturer, which produces staple household brands like Jammie Dodgers and Wagon Wheels, is owned by the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan which hold net assets worth a staggering $204.7 billion.
GMB Scotland Organiser Benny Rankin said: “Burton’s stubborn stance on this year’s pay offer is an insult to staff that have worked throughout the lockdown at management’s insistence.
“In March staff were told they were part of the key worker response and despite serious health and safety concerns over working practices, our members did what needed to be done for this business.
“Burton’s derisory pay offer hold’s a mirror up to this management – they clearly do not value the contribution of their staff and have no interest in recognising and rewarding them properly.
“And after previous concerns over management’s ability to adhere to the COVID guidelines on workplace safety, Burton’s are taking the biscuit again over their workers’ pay and conditions.
“Their refusal to meaningfully engage with a workforce that deserve so much better means we have been left with little choice but to strike for a decent pay offer.”
Writing down goals, talking to friends and family and getting enough sleep are all ways Brits can help themselves keep to their fitness goals.
The team from Trimtone, the natural clinically-proven appetite suppressant have offered eight tips to help keep Brits on track to achieve their fitness goals
Being realistic and focussing on smaller goals will make the harder long-term goals seem more achievable.
Gaining support from friends and family will also help keep accountability, as well as having people there to celebrate the successes.
A spokesperson for Trimtone said: “Achieving goals is difficult, and it’s very easy to give up after a few weeks or reward yourself and slip into bad habits again.
“Having a great support system and reminding yourself why you’re doing it will help keep you on track.”
These are Trimtone’s tips to help reach your fitness goals:
1. Write it down
Keep a regular checklist of everything you want to do, and everything you complete at the end of the day. This could be the exercises you want to do, or the foods you eat on a day. If your goal is “I want to run a marathon” write it down, then plan how you’re going to get there.
2. Keep it fresh
If you do the same thing every day it’s going to get boring, and that’s when you’re likely to slip back into your old habits. If you don’t like the exercises you’ve been doing, try something else. If you don’t like running, why not try Zumba or a HIIT class – there are so many different ways to exercise, try as many as you can until you find one you love.
3. Set small goals
Small goals, perhaps weekly or monthly, help everything seem more manageable meaning you’ll be able to keep your motivation up. It will give you a reason to celebrate the small victories and help you realise you’re one step closer to your bigger goal.
4. Eat real foods
Whatever your goal, make sure the food you eat is fresh, whole and includes minimally processed ingredients. Never starve yourself either as restrictive eating slows down your metabolism and deprivation only leads to cravings and future binges.
5. Reward yourself
Celebrate your successes by treating yourself to something you enjoy, but it’s important to celebrate in moderation. Everyone needs a “cheat meal” or two, but make sure it stays to just one meal, instead of a slippery slope back to old habits. You could always treat yourself to some new clothes, or an evening catching up with a friend.
6. Talk about it
If you talk about your goals to friends and family, it means that there’s other people to both support you – and hold you to account. Why not find a friend who also wants to reach the same goal as you, and do it together?
7. Be realistic
Unfortunately, thing don’t happen overnight and being realistic with your goals mean that they’re easier to achieve. If you set unrealistic goals, you’re more likely to lose motivation and give up halfway through. Changing lifetime habits isn’t easy, so start off slowly and makes small, gradual changes.
8. Get your beauty sleep
Sleep is restorative, meaning it’s important your body gets plenty of it to recover from the day and set you up for a new one. Shut off your phone about an hour before you hit the hay, experiment with relaxing essentials oils, or try out a few soothing yoga poses to ease you into bed.
With the re-opening of schools, many children are facing two significant challenges. Firstly, the need to adapt to a new physical and social environment, to ensure their complete safety and protection against the continued threat of Coronavirus. Secondly many children have been out of full-time education for months, and now need to play catch up as they enter the next academic year.
However, some educational focused organisations have not put their pupils through the challenge of playing catch up; ensuring safe, continued and full-time education for their children throughout the last few months.
Once such organisation is the charity World Villages for Children. Their focus is on educating the world’s poorest children; ensuring they have the necessary skills to get out of, and remain out of poverty.
With education being the only means for thousands of the charity’s children to permanently escape their lives of poverty; it was absolutely crucial that the schools remained capable of continuing to educate the children and keep them safe.
During the last few months, the charity has achieved a remarkable feat by ensuring that over 20,000 of its children in over 13 schools have continued to have a full-time education in a 100% safe environment.
Not a single child or staff member during this time has been affected by Covid nor taken ill and this is completely down to the environment that has been created within the schools. As a result, all the children from the ages of11-18 have been able to carry on with their full-time studies and recreational activities safely.
Measures that World Villages for Children havesupported at the Sisters of Mary schools include:
The use of efficient technology and proficient co-ordination to ensure that all 20,000 children have continued their lessons via conference call with their teachers
Utilising the skills of the most senior students as ‘student teachers’ to not only boost their skills but also keep the younger year groups on track with the curriculum
Running exams as usual with the help of exam texts set by the teachers remotely and marked by them remotely
The few teachers who have come back into the schools (mainly in the Philippines) have been temperature checked daily to check the state of their health
Regular temperature testing of children within the school
Family grouping of the children at school and comprehensive mask use over the last five months so children have had a chance to get used to the process
If you are interested to find out more, the Head of the U.K. World Villages for Children, Nicola Lawson is able to discuss with you:
Why it is crucial that the charity keeps its schools open – as this is the children’s only means of getting themselves educated and out of poverty
How they have continued to run all 13 schools with zero risk during this crisis
How they will continue to ensure the children’s education is not disrupted moving forwards (should we have another significant global outbreak)
How they have minimised disruption to the children’s social and physical interactions
How the pupils themselves have rallied together within the schools to make hundreds of face masks for their community members at large
Almost 1.4 million meals were claimed throughout August in Edinburgh, at an average of £6.90 a meal, under the Eat Out to Help Out UK government scheme to get people back to restaurants.
The scheme gave 50% off meals, up to £10 per person through August on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
A total of £9,630,000 was claimed for across 465 registered restaurants in the capital.
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, has hailed the success of the Eat Out to Help Out scheme getting customers back into restuarants.
The figures also don’t yet highlight the figures from the last day of the scheme on Monday 31 August, meaning the final total will be higher.
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said:“I am delighted that the Eat Out to Help Out scheme has been such a huge success in Edinburgh and that it has given restaurants a much needed boost after lockdown.
“The restaurant and hospitality sector is central to Edinburgh’s economy and the scheme will have helped many restaurants survive, as well as saving jobs.
“Almost £10 million in claimed discounts show just how big a success this scheme has been.”
The UK Government is investing £7.2 million in twenty research projects across the UK, including the universities of Edinburgh and Strathclyde, to help provide developing countries with sustainable solutions to respond to Covid-19 and future pandemics.
One of these projects, led by the University of Edinburgh’s Dr Thomas Molony, will receive £367,000 to investigate the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on elections in Africa.
Working in partnership with colleagues in the Central African Republic, Ghana and Tanzania, the study will find ways to protect the electorate from Covid-19 transmission.
The project team – comprising of country specialists, leading public health researchers, and election experts – plan to investigate multiple stages of each election, tracking patterns of turnout and using surveys (with gender-balanced samples) to investigate attitudes towards voting so that any emergent gender inequality is highlighted.
The University of Strathclyde project, led by Dr Pratima Sambajee, will receive £199,579 in funding to look at how Covid-19 has impacted workers’ rights in Mauritius and how improvements can be made.
The hardest hit are workers in tourism and hospitality, textile factories and the informal economy. Examples include reduced compensation, withholding of workers’ annual leave and exemption from negotiations with workers’ organisations (unions) by employers prior to reduction of the workforce.
UK Government Minster for Scotland, Iain Stewart said: “These remarkable projects will play a critical role in helping to address the issue of Covid-19 transmission at elections in the developing world and help ensure workers’ rights are protected.
“Adapting to the risks of Covid-19 has been especially hard for the world’s most vulnerable communities.
“It’s great news that Scottish researchers are helping the international community respond to the pandemic and making an impact tackling Covid-19 globally.”
UK Business Secretary Alok Sharma said: “Defeating coronavirus is a truly global endeavour, which is why we’re backing Britain’s scientists and researchers to work with their international counterparts to find tech solutions to treat and combat this virus around the world.
“By backing these pioneering research projects in Scotland, we are equipping some of the most vulnerable communities with the resources they need to tackle pandemics now and in the future.”
Dr Thomas Molony, Director, Centre of African Studies at Edinburgh University said: Elections give people the opportunity to shape the future of their societies. Such decisions are crucial in the context of Covid-19, which has drastically affected lives around the globe.
“A number of elections are still due to take place this year in Africa, and there are a further 18 elections are scheduled for 2021.
“By working to reduce the risks of Covid-19 transmission during elections, we’re contributing towards one of the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): to ensure healthy lives and promote the wellbeing for all at all ages.
“We are also interested in democracy. The Covid-19 pandemic has the potential for democratic back-sliding, where the quality and legitimacy of elections are undermined – either unintentionally because of safety measures, or intentionally where incumbents seek to instrumentalise the virus through authoritarian measures designed to benefit themselves.”
Other projects receiving UK Government funding include delivering mass vaccination capacity in Bangladesh, protective equipment for refugees in Jordan and remote healthcare access for patients in Nigeria.
The £7.2 million UK government funding will be managed by UK aid programmes, the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) and the Newton Fund.
The funding follows the launch of the government’s ambitious R&D Roadmap in July, which committed to boosting international collaboration in research and development and establishing global scientific partnerships that will create health, social and economic benefits across the world.
Armchair travellers can enjoy a new film that tells the story of a global rarity – an ecosystem in recovery
The Government of South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands (GSGSSI) is excited to announce the launch of its new film ‘South Georgia – A Visitor’s Guide’, narrated by Sir David Attenborough.
The film has two key messages; firstly, it encourages visitors to respect and protect the island so their visit can be truly sustainable, but there is another message which is relevant to us all; proof that nature can recover, if we give it the chance.
The film tells the story of how with careful management, ambitious habitat restoration projects, dedication and the passing of time, an ecosystem was saved from disaster. Past human activities on South Georgia harmed the environment through sealing, industrial whaling and unregulated fishing.
The introduction of rats, reindeers and invasive plants upset the delicate ecological balance on land, pushing some species to the brink of extinction. Today, through hard work and commitment, South Georgia is a global rarity; an ecosystem in recovery.
Fur seals now number around 5 million, that’s 95% of the global population. 400,000 nesting pairs of king penguins and their chicks jostle for space with nearly half a million southern elephant seals; South Georgia is home to the greatest concentration of seabirds and marine mammals on the planet.
Professor Dame Jane Francis DCMG, Director of the British Antarctic Survey said: “South Georgia is a real gem in the Southern Ocean. The breath-taking scenery and stunning wildlife will fill you with awe and make you wonder at the incredible beauty of the island in its natural state. South Georgia shows us how much better our planet can be if we learn to live in balance with nature.”
Sir David Attenborough introduced the world to this remarkable place almost thirty years ago in the ground-breaking BBC series Life in the Freezer. His association with the island has continued over the years with subsequent wildlife documentaries including Blue Planetand Frozen Planet.
Passionate about the ongoing need to protect the ecology of South Georgia, Sir David has generously lent his voice and provided the narration for this new visitor film, in which he says “I’d like to invite you to… share the wonderful story of how an ecosystem can be saved from disaster. Let [South Georgia] it be your inspiration to seek out nature, and play your part in protecting and restoring our planet, whenever and however you can.”
Threats to South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands remain, but they are largely global environmental issues which need to be addressed on a global scale.
Climate change is a shocking reality in South Georgia with glaciers retreating rapidly, whilst albatross numbers are declining as they remain vulnerable to unregulated fishing activities when foraging on the high seas far from our protected waters. Sadly, marine plastics are now reaching even the most remote places on earth.
His Excellency Nigel Phillips CBE, Commissioner for South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands, said: “It is a privilege to be Commissioner and custodian of one of the most remarkable places on earth.
“This film beautifully encompasses the outcomes of tireless work of many people over the decades that Sir David Attenborough has been visiting. It is only as a result of their endeavours that this film can tell such a moving story of an ecosystem in recovery. It will inspire, it may even take your breath away.
“With an understanding of how small actions can have big repercussion, we aim to inspire visitors to live in a more environmentally sensitive way, that sustains our planet, and does not destroy it.
“I extend my thanks to all those who have worked on this project, not least Sir David Attenborough, and the UK government for their funding support.”
Prior to landing on South Georgia, visitors will watch the film to better understand why it is important to follow the environmental protection guidelines set out by the GSGSSI.
Gina Greer, Executive Director of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) said: “As a non-profit association dedicated to advocating safe and environmentally responsible travel to Antarctica and the sub-Antarctic islands, IAATO is thrilled by the release of ‘South Georgia – A Visitor’s Guide.
“This beautifully shot short film perfectly encapsulates the years of partnership working between GSGSSI and IAATO Members to facilitate responsible travel, create ambassadors for this unique region and encourage environmentally sensitive behaviour by all those fortunate enough to visit the island.
“IAATO is proud to have played a part in bringing ‘South Georgia – A Visitor’s Guide’ to fruition and we look forward to sharing it with future visitors.”
‘South Georgia – a Visitor’s Guide’ was produced by Silverback Films Ltd, using specially shot new footage, as well as footage donated by the BBC Archive and private individuals, Danny Georgeson, Ramon Benedet & David Sugden.
GSGSSI wishes to thank all who volunteered their passion, commitment and love of South Georgia to make the film possible, with special thanks to the crew and passengers of Hanseatic Nature, Bremen and Pharos SG.
