North Edinburgh News – Page 3140 – The NEN

Government to crack down on nuisance call companies

Companies making unwanted marketing calls to be hit with fines of up to £500,000

‘Have you been mis-sold PPP insurance?’

‘If you could replace any of the windows in your home …’

‘Have you heard about the government’s boiler replacement scheme’

‘Injured in an accident that wasn’t your fault?’

Consumers plagued by nuisance calls and texts will benefit from changes to the law which will make it easier for those firms responsible to be hit with fines of up to £500,000.

The law currently requires the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) to prove a company caused ‘substantial damage or substantial distress’ by their conduct before action can be taken. Following a six-week public consultation, the Government is now removing this legal threshold, giving the ICO the power to intervene in more cases. This change will come into effect from 6 April 2015.

The Government also confirmed it will look at introducing measures to hold board level executives responsible for nuisance calls and texts. This follows a report from the Which?-led taskforce last December, which called for a review of the rules in order to act as a stronger deterrent to rogue companies.

Digital Economy Minister Ed Vaizey said: “For far too long companies have bombarded people with unwanted marketing calls and texts, and escaped punishment because they did not cause enough harm.

“This change will make it easier for the Information Commissioner’s Office to take action against offenders and send a clear message to others that harassing consumers with nuisance calls or texts is just not on. We’re also going to look at whether the powers the ICO have to hold to account board level executives for such behaviour are sufficient or we need to do more.

The Government is committed to tackling the problem of nuisance calls. In July last year, the rules were changed to make it easier for Ofcom to share information with the ICO on companies breaking the law. This is already helping in the ICO’s efforts in taking more action. In addition, the Government is looking to introduce mandatory caller line identification (CLI) so that all marketing callers will have to display their telephone numbers.

Which? executive director, Richard Lloyd, who chaired the Nuisance Calls Task Force said: “We welcome the Government making good on its promise to change the law so it’s easier to prosecute nuisance callers.

“These calls are an everyday menace blighting the lives of millions so we want the regulator to send a clear message by using their new powers to full effect without delay.

“It’s also good news that the Government has listened to our call and is looking into how senior executives can be held to account if their company makes nuisance calls.

Justice and Civil Liberties Minister Simon Hughes said: “Being pestered by unwanted marketing calls and texts can bring real misery for the people on the receiving end. We have already increased the level of fine available to punish rogue companies. This new change in the law will make it easier from now on for the Information Commissioner to take quick and firm action against companies who give so much grief to so many people.”

Nuisance calls and texts remains a significant concern for consumers – in some cases they are not only annoying, but can also cause distress especially amongst vulnerable people in society. The latest data and research shows that:

Around four out of five people surveyed by consumer group Which? said they are regularly cold-called at home, with a third of them left feeling intimidated.
There were 15,642 complaints related to nuisance calls and texts made to the ICO in November 2014, of which solar panel accounted for 2,377, whilst for PPI the figure was 1,830.
In total there were over 175,000 complaints related to nuisance calls and texts made to the ICO for 2014.

Currently the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has powers to take enforcement action against companies who flout the existing rules on direct marketing. Since January 2012, the ICO has taken enforcement action against nine companies for nuisance calls and text messages, hitting them with fines totalling £815,000.

Separately, Ofcom has powers to deal with abandoned and silent calls by taking action against offenders that persistently misuse a network or service resulting in annoyance, inconvenience or anxiety. Since 2012, Ofcom has fined seven companies totalling £1,618,000 for abandoned and silent calls.

Edinburgh West MP Mike Crockart Mike is the founder and Co-Chair of the All Party Group on Nuisance Calls and he has worked closely with the regulators, consumer groups and the Government to ensure consumers are protected from nuisance calls and spam text messages.

He spearheaded the campaign to reform the laws, saying: “I am fed up of nuisance calls to my landline and mobile as well as unsolicited texts. People shouldn’t have to put up with this menace which puts many vulnerable and elderly people at risk of fraud just as much as if the crook or pushy salesman was turning up at their door.

“I am calling for the Information Commissioner’s powers to be strengthened to take in all forms of unsolicited contact and for there to be a single, simple point of contact for any individual wishing to protect their privacy from unwanted calls, texts, faxes and emails.”

The Lib-Dem MP urged members of the public to join a campaign to encourage the government to take action to curb the activities of the nuisance call companies. It seems those voices have been heard – and now we’ll have to wait to see (or hear) what effect the latest government action will have on the nuisance callers. Will the phones go quiet?

Now, who do I call about double glazing …

Blinded by the light?

Definitely not sweetness and light: new street lighting gets thumbs down from local residents

Some images of the new ‘eco lights’ in operation in Easter Drylaw – that’s them peeking out behind the ‘old’ street lamps!

Which do you think is the more effective?

The new lights don’t seem to be lighting up the lives of local residents. Comments so far include:

‘I’m a car owner. I don’t have a garage or a drive in so I have to park on the street. My car has been vandalised three times in the last year- if it wasn’t that I need my car to get to work I would have got eid of it ages ago. These new lights will make it even easier for the neds to run wild.”

‘They are not bright at all. It’s very scary coming home when it’s dark. There’s not much light – I think they should be brighter for everyones’ safety’

‘They are not bright enough’

‘It looks really nice but it’s also very scary and dangerous at night when walking home alone’

‘I am always careful about letting my children out after tea in the evening. That won’t be happening at all now, not until the clocks go forward. It’s a disgrace.”

‘These lights are nowhere near good enough – the streets are far too dark and pity help any kid who tries to cross a local road in the evening. It’s plain dangerous’.

‘I don’t like them. The streets look darker now unless you are standing directly under the lights. There are spots in which the light doesn’t hit. I think it’s a bad choice and I won’t be surprised if the crime rate increases.’

‘I don’t like the new lights and I think the council should go back to the ones we had. There have been a lot of break-ins in Drylaw and I think these lamps will just make things even easier for the criminals to get away’

‘I know the council is trying to save money but they are cutting the wrong things. They have got a duty to keep people safe. These lights are a bad idea.’

‘I don’t know if it’s just this part of the town or not, but I will bet my last penny that they won’t be putting up with this sort of crap in Corstorphine or Morningside. It’s a disgrace’

No doubt there will be more to follow …

Thanks a million, volunteers!

Alex Neil pledges cash to support volunteering ahead of The Gathering today

Over £1.1 million will be invested to train and recruit 3,000 volunteers from disadvantaged backgrounds, Social Justice Secretary Alex Neil has announced.

Speaking ahead of the annual third sector conference The Gathering today, Mr Neil outlined the Volunteering Support Fund will support new and existing volunteers at 110 projects in Scotland.

This investment is just one part of the third sector funding in the 2015-16 budget which will give communities more control over decision making, addressing inequality and discrimination and mitigating some of the worst effects of welfare reform.

Mr Neil said: “In these challenging times for the third sector over one million volunteers are playing an important role helping to address inequalities and poverty across Scotland.

“This funding boost will give some of the vulnerable people in our communities the opportunity to volunteer.

“Volunteering is a way to make new friends, learn new skills, boost self-confidence and get a sense of community spirit.”

The Gathering is the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations’ annual two-day event on February 25 and 26 and brings together more than 5,000 representatives from the sector across Scotland to the SECC in Glasgow.

At the conference, Mr Neil is expected to outline the third sector’s crucial role contributing to the Scottish Government’s Social Justice agenda. He said: “There are so many third sector projects carrying out tremendous work in their communities. That is why the Scottish Government is investing in the third sector to build capacity and make sure they get the support they deserve.

“On top of this, our new Third Sector Forum will bring together representatives to brainstorm ideas about the sector’s future, funding challenges and opportunities to engage with communities.

“We are determined to work with the third sector to remove the barriers which prevent people from reaching their full potential. The third sector is crucial to achieving social justice and its organisations are closing the gap in employment and health inequalities and addressing the significant problem of poverty in Scotland.

“I look forward to hearing directly from organisations how we can work together to create a fairer and socially just Scotland.”

The Volunteering Support Fund is being delivered on behalf of the Scottish Government by the Voluntary Action Fund.

Keith Wimbles, Chief Executive of the Voluntary Action Fund said: “The Voluntary Action Fund (VAF) is delighted to manage the Scottish Government Volunteering Support Fund again in 2015-16.

“As a grant maker VAF has over 30 years’ experience supporting quality volunteering opportunities in the third sector. We believe that it is essential that the value of volunteering is recognised and that investment is provided to support volunteer management.

“Volunteering is an important catalyst to developing social capital and unlocking resources in our communities. Through this new funding we will continue to demonstrate the often underrated impact that volunteering has on volunteers, organisations and wider society.”

John Downie, Director of Public Affairs, Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) said: “This is welcome news for the charities and communities right across Scotland who’ll benefit from the hugely valuable support of volunteers and for the people who’ll reap rewards from becoming more actively involved in their local area and doing their bit to make Scotland a better place for everyone to live.

“It’s great timing as thousands of people working and volunteering for charities come together at The Gathering to share their experiences and ideas about how to work together to build stronger communities in Scotland and support more people to help themselves and others.”

The Volunteering Support Fund will deliver £1.1 million support to third sector organisations in 2015/16. The fund is open to support third sector organisations in Scotland to create new volunteering projects; increase the diversity of their volunteers (especially those experiencing disadvantage); and improve opportunities, skills and personal development through volunteering.

Homeless? That could be you or me …

How does a person end up homeless? A recent survey carried out by the Salvation Army uncovered a gulf between the public’s perception and the reality.

The fact is that homelessness can affect ordinary people, of all ages and backgrounds, who would never have imagined this outcome for themselves and their families. Becoming homeless – which means someone not having a permanent place to stay – has a devastating impact on people’s lives.

This is why the Capital Coalition has agreed to protect funding for commissioned services aimed at helping those affected by homelessness. It included this proposal in its budget motion after listening to the responses to thousands of residents who took part in one of the widest consultations ever undertaken by the Council.

Ongoing Council work focuses on preventing people from becoming homeless in the first place. We believe that tackling the issues that can lead to it is much more successful than dealing with it once it becomes a serious problem.

Our homelessness strategy has seen incidences drop by 17% in five years, and two-thirds of Council house lets go to those who are homeless. Making sure that there are enough affordable homes is a challenge that we are meeting head on – the budget motion also proposes spending a further £55m of investment into building more.

We recently announced an innovative scheme to prevent homelessness with third sector organisation partners the Bethany Christian Trust, Edinburgh Cyrenian Trust, Foursquare and CHAI (Community Help and Advice Initiative).

The aim is to take a collaborative approach by rebalancing housing support services and by placing emphasis on prevention, through mentoring, befriending, group work and visits from housing support staff.

This approach will help resolve some of the crises that lead to homelessness and also deliver initial savings of £400,000, with potential further savings in the future.

Details include giving advice about budgeting and debt, benefits, housing options, links to employment and training, and help to avoid social isolation.

Not having a permanent roof over your head can lead to all sorts of health and social issues, and it’s our duty, as a local authority, to protect our citizens and to give children the best start in life. Tackling the problems of homelessness before it’s too far down the line is something that we are very much committed to.

Councillor Ricky Henderson,

Health, Social Care and Housing Convener, City of Edinburgh Council

Poverty Alliance seeks views on parental involvement in education

The progress being made by the Scottish Government in reducing the educational attainment gap will be explored by the Scottish Parliament’s Education and Culture Committee as it begins a year long piece of work on the issue.

Recent figures show a large difference between the average attainment of pupils in the most and least deprived areas. For example, 28% of children from poorer families perform well in numeracy, compared to 56% of those from advantaged backgrounds. Children from poorer families are also more likely to leave school early and without a qualification.

The Scottish Government has recently committed to ‘pick up the pace’ in closing the differences in attainment between children from the most and least disadvantaged backgrounds. The Committee will monitor progress and consider how successfully this commitment is being delivered by all bodies.

As part of this, the Poverty Alliance hopes to feed into Session 3 of the inquiry which looks at the involvement of parents. We have compiled a short survey which should take under ten minutes to complete. We would like as many parents as possible to take part. The survey can be found here. If you are a parent, we would love to hear your views.

Please feel free to forward onto anyone else you know who may be interested.

For more information, please email carla.mccormack@povertyalliance.org

Calling the local voluntary sector: complete the survey

Can you please take a couple of minutes to complete the survey linked below? Many thanks to those who have responded already …

The Forth and Inverleith Voluntary Sector Forum would like to carry out a short survey to ascertain what day and time best suits the majority for the Forth and Inverleith VSF meetings.

Can you please take a couple of minutes to complete? We want to ensure that we are having these meetings at a time most convenient for the majority.

Many thanks

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7WLVMS2

Rise in Minimum Wage is coming – but it’s not enough, say campaigners

‘The Low Pay Commission should do what it says on the tin – and fight for the low paid’ – GMB General Secretary Paul Kenny

The Low Pay Commission LPC) has recommended to the Government that the adult rate of the National Minimum Wage should rise by 3 per cent to £6.70 from October – but trade union leaders and anti-poverty campaigners argue the increase simply isn’t enough

The LPC’s aim is to advise on a rate that protects as many low-paid workers as possible without damaging jobs or the economy. The Commission says it has carefully weighed the risk of doing too little to raise the earnings of the lowest paid against the risk of recommending more than business and the economy can afford.

With inflation now forecast at 0.5 per cent, this recommendation would, if accepted by the Government:

be the largest real-terms increase in the NMW since 2007, taking its estimated real value three-quarters of the way back to its highest ever level.
increase the NMW to its highest value relative to other wages. Its bite – the value as a proportion of typical wages – is already at its peak. This would increase it further. Influential in our recommendation has been evidence of strong employment growth in low-paying sectors and firms of all sizes.
expand coverage of the number of jobs covered by the main rate of the minimum wage to an estimate of over 1.4 million (PDF, 1.87MB, 13 pages) . This compares with 900,000 at the start of the downturn in 2008, as the minimum wage has risen in relation to median earnings.

Commenting on the recommendation, David Norgrove, Chair of the LPC said: “Last year we were pleased to recommend the first real terms increase in the value of the minimum wage since the recession. We argued that the minimum wage had proved its worth over the course of the slowdown, increasing relative to earnings generally and protecting the low paid during the downturn in a way not seen before albeit, as with wages for all other workers, its real value fell.

“Sharp increases in the minimum wage would put jobs at risk – not least bearing in mind pressure on low-paying sectors and small firms. We do believe however that the continued recovery, and in particular the impressive growth in employment of the low paid, should this year allow a further increase in the real and relative value of the minimum wage.

“An increase of 3 per cent to £6.70 is a larger real terms increase than last year and, on the basis of the most recent Bank of England inflation forecast, should restore three-quarters of the fall in the real value of the NMW relative to its peak in 2007.

“We judge that the improved economic and labour market conditions mean once again that employers will be able to respond in a way that supports employment. However, our recommendation this year is predicated on a forecast which foresees lower costs for business in fuel and energy, a strong economic performance, significant recovery in earnings across the economy and rising productivity. If these expectations are not borne out over the year we will take this into account when considering next year’s recommendation”.

As well as its recommendation for the adult rate, the Low Pay Commission has also recommended:

an increase of 3.3 per cent to £5.30 in the Youth Development Rate, which applies to 18-20 year olds;
an increase of 2.2 per cent to £3.87 in the 16-17 Year Old Rate;
an increase of 2.6 per cent to £2.80 in the Apprentice Rate, which applies to all apprentices in year one of an apprenticeship, and 16-18 year old apprentices in any year of an apprenticeship;
an increase of 27 pence in the accommodation offset to £5.35. The offset is the one benefit-in-kind that can count towards the minimum wage. This is the maximum daily sum employers who provide accommodation can deduct towards those costs.

However some argue that the increase doesn’t go far enough. The GMB trade union has called on Vince Cable to revise the LPC’s proposal of £6.70 National Minimum Wage from October to make up ground lost during the recession. The GMB says the rate should be at least £6.99 per hour.

Paul Kenny, GMB General Secretary, said “This is a missed opportunity by the Low Pay Commission to uprate the national minimum wage to the real term rate that it was before the recession hit in 2007. Vince Cable should revise the proposal.

“With the economic recovery under way there is no justification for the national minimum wage not going back to where it was in real terms before the recession.

“The Low Pay Commission should have recommended a rate of at least £6.99 per hour from October 2015 to make up the ground lost since the rate was fixed at £5.65 from 1st October 2006 before the recession.

“The Low Pay Commission should do what it says on the tin – and fight for the low paid.

“There has to be a concerted effort to make work pay. If this was done, staff would not need their meagre wages to be topped up by taxpayers with family tax credits and housing benefits so as to make ends meet.

“GMB members tell us that in their experience at least £10 an hour and a full working week is needed to have a decent life free from benefits and tax credits. Less than £10 an hour means just existing not living. It means a life of isolation, unable to socialise. It means a life of constant anxiety over paying bills and of borrowing from friends, family and pay day loan sharks just to make ends meet.”

The Poverty Alliance is spearheading the campaign for a living wage in Scotland.

“The Scottish Living Wage Campaign believes that a job should help you out of poverty, not keep you there.

“The National Minimum Wage is not enough for individuals in Scotland to access the essentials of everyday life. £6.50 per hour will just never be enough to cover the day to day basics, nevermind to save some money or plan for emergencies.

“Hundreds of thousands of workers are being paid wages that basically equate to poverty pay. This is simply not right.”

Fancy scaling new heights for Macmillan?

Macmillan Cancer Support is appealing for brave volunteers to abseil from the Forth Rail Bridge on Sunday 7 June.

The cancer charity is one of the lead charities for the Forth Rail Bridge abseil, which is organised by the Rotary Club of South Queensferry. Participants will have the chance to abseil 165ft SAS style (i.e. freefall) from the Forth Rail Bridge onto the beach below.

Fundraising Manager for Edinburgh, Jayne Forbes, said “The Forth Rail Bridge challenge is a real adrenaline rush for the daring and the ultimate challenge for the rest of us! No previous experience is necessary and it’s suitable for everyone over the age of fourteen. All of the funds raised for Macmillan from the event will support our vital services for people affected by cancer. We help people in many ways, from specialist nurses and doctors, to help and advice for people who have financial worries as a result of their cancer diagnosis. So why not sign up today and help us ensure no one in Edinburgh faces cancer alone?”

The registration fee for the event is £25 and participants pledge to raise a further £125. To sign up, contact Macmillan on 0300 1000 200 or email fundraising@macmillan.org.uk

Warm welcome at The Pregnancy Cafe

Are you pregnant? Live locally? Come along to the

PREGNANCY CAFE

at The Haven, next to Craigroyston Primary School

Every Tuesday 10.0 – 11.30

Tea

Friendly company

Help and advice

Pregnancy information

Freebies

Baby stuff

Interested? Ask your midwife or call Jo 537 4230 Julie 332 9269 or just turn up!

Circle Scotland’s Haven Project, Craigroyston Primary School

Muirhouse Place West, EH4 4PX

Education Scotland: CLD survey now open

Working with Scotland’s communities is a national study to find out more about the diverse range of paid workers and volunteers that provide community learning and development (CLD) across Scotland.

The online survey aimed at the organisations that employ these workers and volunteers is now open until Friday 10 April.

We know that community learning and development approaches are used by workers and volunteers with a variety of job titles in a range of different organisations in the community, voluntary and public sectors.

We want to hear from as many of these organisations as possible to build a current national picture of how many workers and volunteers there are, what they do, and what their training and development issues are.

Please be aware that we’re only looking for one response on behalf of each organisation or service.

The findings from the survey will be used to inform national community learning and development policy and planning.

Working with Scotland’s communities is being carried out by Education Scotland on behalf of theScottish Government, in partnership with the following national partners – Youthlink Scotland;The Scottish Community Development Centre (SCDC); The Workers Educational Association(WEA); The CLD Standards Council for Scotland; and CLD Managers Scotland.

For more information and to access the survey, please go to the Working with Scotland’s communities page on the Education Scotland website.