Legislation will protect people claiming benefits against inflation
Payments to people in receipt of benefits will be protected from inflation after the Scottish Parliament passed the Social Security (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill yesterday.
The new Act places a legal obligation on Scottish Ministers to annually increase all benefits delivered under the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2018 in line with inflation. This action will help to protect the real terms value of payments such as the Best Start Grants and winter heating payments as prices rise in the economy.
The legislation will also enhance the rights of Social Security Scotland clients in a number of ways:
A right to late re-determinations and appeals in exceptional circumstances
The right to withdraw a request for redetermination
The right to challenge a decision that someone is liable in a situation where an overpayment has been made
It will also continue to enhance the design of the system, maximising choice for those who use it while delivering good value for money.
Legislation passed by @ScotParl will ensure all Scottish Benefits are up-rated annually in line with inflation.
The Social Security (Amendment) Act will also provide @SocSecScot clients with additional rights and improve the efficiency of the system.
Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “This legislation will protect people in receipt of benefits at a time when many are feeling additional pressures due to the cost of living crisis.
“It is part of our commitment to continually improve the Scottish social security system in ways which put the needs of those who require assistance first.
“The law will help make the social security system more efficient and effective, contributing to our mission to tackle poverty and protect people from harm.
“The measures it contains advance equality and non-discrimination and ensure the system is efficient and delivers value for money.”
Social Security Scotland highlights Funeral Support Payment
Social Security Scotland is helping to combat funeral poverty by raising awareness about Funeral Support Payment during National Grief Awareness Week (2 – 8 Dec).
It is providing funeral directors, faith groups and registrars with access to a range of downloadable resources about the payment. The resources include posters, leaflets, social media posts and video content.
Funeral Support Payment is available to people in Scotland who need help towards the cost of a funeral and get Universal Credit or other qualifying benefits. It can be used towards funeral costs for a baby, a child or an adult. This includes stillborn babies.
Legislation is also coming into effect on 2 December which will improve the way the benefit is delivered and provide further support to people who are struggling to pay funeral costs. The changes are based on feedback from past recipients and stakeholders, including the funeral industry, charities and bereavement support groups.
Shirley-Anne Somerville, Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, said:“We are all familiar with terms like child poverty and fuel poverty but funeral poverty is affecting more and more people. The average cost of a funeral in the UK is now £4,000, well beyond the means of many families.
“It is hugely important for us to mark the passing of our loved ones. Sadly, people experiencing the immediate shock and grief of a significant death often make arrangements for funerals with little understanding of the financial implications and with limited resources to pay big bills.
“Since Funeral Support Payment was launched in 2019, the Scottish Government has provided over £54.2 million in support to more than 28,000 bereaved people to help pay for funeral costs when they need it most.”
Gordon Black, Director with Alex Black Funeral Care Glasgow, said:“Funeral Support Payment is definitely important. Some 70% of our funerals are covered by Funeral Support Payment. We work in a lot of deprived areas and the payment is a real help to the people we serve.
“We have Funeral Support Payment leaflets and posters in all our offices and arrangement rooms and we mention it if a family says to us they are going to struggle with paying for the funeral.”
National Grief Awareness Week takes place from 2 December to 8 December. It provides a dedicated period for individuals, organizations, and communities to come together to acknowledge and address the various aspects of grief.
The payment isn’t a loan and doesn’t need to be paid back although Social Security Scotland will recover the payment from the estate of the person who died if they leave any financial assets.
The payment can cover burial and cremation costs. There is also a flat rate for any other expenses. This is £1,257.75 for most applications or £153.50 if the person who died had a funeral plan in place. It can also cover other costs such as travel expenses, documents and medical expenses.
People may be eligible for Funeral Support Payment if they meet all of the criteria below:
they live in Scotland
they or their partner are getting certain benefits or tax credits*
the person who died lived in the UK
the funeral is being held in the UK or in some circumstances in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland
they are applying after the person has died, until 6 months after the date of their funeral
they or their partner are responsible for the funeral costs
it is reasonable for them or their partner to accept responsibility for the funeral costs.
* Universal Credit (UC), Income Support, Income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, Income related Employment and Support Allowance, Pension Credit, Housing Benefit, Child Tax Credit (CTC) and disability or severe disability element of Working Tax Credit.
People can find out more and apply online at mygov.scot/funeralsupport. People can also apply in person, over the phone or ask for a paper application form by post by calling us free on 0800 182 2222.
Before applying for Funeral Support Payment, people should register the death or stillbirth and give their funeral director (if they have one) consent to speak with Social Security Scotland about their application. This will minimise the time taken to process the application.
French state-owned energy company EDF has announced it will keep four ageing nuclear power stations in Britain open for longer than planned.
EDF said two stations currently due to close in March 2026 — Hartlepool and Heysham 1 — will now remain online until March 2027, while Heysham 2 and Torness – scheduled to close in March 2028 – will now stay open until March 2030.
Responding to EDF’s announcement that they plan to extend the life of Torness nuclear power station Sam Richards, CEO of pro-growth campaign group Britain Remade, said:“The news that EDF is moving ahead with extending the life of Torness nuclear power station is hugely welcome news.
“If the government and industry is to deliver a clean energy grid by 2030 it is essential that we keep as much nuclear capacity as possible on the grid. If we fail to do this the result will be the burning of more natural gas and more emissions released into the atmosphere.
“EDF’s intentions are now clear. Ministers and the Office for Nuclear Regulation now need to urgently back their plans to extend the life of existing reactors where it is safe to do so. We have done it before, and we can do it again.
“With this announcement ministers must not take their eyes off the ball and continue to push for the rapid development of Small Modular Reactors to run alongside their bigger cousins.
“They must also increase grid capacity and slash the time it takes for clean energy projects to get connected to the grid. Extending our existing reactors is a big step, but it’s not job done.”
‘INVEST IN SCOTLAND: INVEST IN SCOTLAND’s WORKERS‘
The Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) has called on the Finance Secretary to “invest in Scotland” as the Scottish Government unveil their Budget for 2025/26 today.
Ahead of the Budget, the STUC has called upon Shona Robison to deliver a “budget for communities” by scrapping the council tax, increasing pay for social care workers, improving public transport and keeping the promise to Scotland’s school pupils on free school meals.
Evidence cited by the STUC shows local authorities in Scotland are facing a £780 million funding black hole due to successive council tax freezes. The union body are further calling for the Small Business Bonus Scheme to be scrapped with the Scottish Government making business support conditional on organisations adhering to Fair Work practices.
Despite Scottish Government commissioned research showing no evidence the policy delivers positive economic outcomes, more than £3 billion has been squandered on the scheme since it was introduced in 2008.
The call comes after the STUC lobby of the Scottish Parliament last week whereby STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer implored government ministers to “keep their promises” following the UK Chancellor’s statement and the almost £5 billion of extra resource spend allocated to the Scottish Government.
Commenting, STUC General Secretary Roz Foyer said: “Within this budget, the Scottish Government can choose to invest in Scotland. For too long, our public services have struggled under the weight of austerity, compounded by ill-judged decisions from the Scottish Government on council tax freezes and a refusal to properly use the revenue raising powers of the Parliament.
“There is no doubt the Finance Secretary is facing tough choices as a result of 14 years of Tory austerity. However, with almost £5 billion of extra resource funding being allocated to the Scottish Government, her budget could signal a clear break from the past.
“We can build a sustainable nation where public services are well resourced and public sector workers are paid fairly. We are committed to this vision and would ask the Scottish Government to join us on that journey.
“This can be a budget for the future. The Scottish Government can begin a process to scrap the council tax and replace with it a proportionate property tax to give councils a fighting chance of fair funding. They can make their commitment to end child poverty a reality by ensuring every pupil gets a free school meal and low paid social care workers, mostly women, get the pay increase they deserve.
“They can deliver on a Just Transition for Scotland’s energy workforce whilst ensuring a more sustainable, greener future for workers through better, more affordable public transport.
“These decisions rest with the Finance Secretary. We know there is a strain on government finances but that is no excuse for poor choices. Workers are desperate for investment in their futures, their public services and their communities.
“The Finance Secretary can deliver that and more within her budget and the trade union movement will be watching on with interest.”
The Royal College of Emergency Medicine has joined calls for the Scottish government to address ‘delayed hospital discharges’ in the upcoming budget announcement.
Delayed discharges are when people are considered medically fit enough to leave hospital but are unable to, often because the required social care support is not available.
This issue means that the whole system for admitting people grinds to a halt and people can end up stranded in A&Es often waiting hours and even days for a ward bed to become available.
The latest data release comes as the Auditor General of Scotland published a damning report into the state of the Scottish health system which concluded that the Scottish Government has no clear plan to reform the country’s NHS, or to address pressures on the service.
Auditors found:
commitments to reducing waiting lists and times have not been met
the number of people remaining in hospital because their discharge has been delayed is the highest on record
and NHS initiatives to improve productivity and patient outcomes have yet to have an impact and lack clear progress reporting.
The issue of delayed discharges has also been highlighted by the Royal College of Physicians Edinburgh (RCPE) which has written an open letter to the First Minister calling on him to address this ‘urgent issue’ in his Government’s budget which will be unveiled tomorrow (4 December 2024).
Dr Fiona Hunter, The Royal College of Emergency Medicine’s Vice Chair for Scotland said yesterday: “Delayed discharges are a key reason that patients get stuck in Emergency Departments, often on trolleys in corridors – often experiencing extreme waits which are dangerous.
“So we join, and fully support, the calls from RCPE, and the Auditor General to address this issue. It must be prioritised as a matter of urgency.
“Today’s data is another timely reminder of scale of the issue. Just think about what it shows. More than 2,000 people every single day stranded in in hospital when they are well enough to go home.
“People – through no fault of their own, lying in beds which could be used for other patients who need to be admitted – who themselves are probably on a trolley in the Emergency Department, waiting for that bed to become available.
“We have to be able to move patients through our hospitals and out again when they are well enough. To do that takes a functioning and resourced social care system working alongside a functioning and resourced health system. They are inextricable.
Dr. Hunter concluded:“Tomorrow’s budget is an opportunity for the Government to #ResuscitateEmergencyCare, ahead of the depths of winter which is shaping up to be a gruelling several months ahead, for both patients and staff alike. They must take it.”
Poet and author Dr Peter Mackay has been appointed as Scotland’s next Makar
First Minister John Swinney has announced Scotland’s next Makar will be Dr Peter Mackay.
The role of Makar involves taking a leadership role in promoting poetry nationally, as well as producing work relating to significant national events.
Dr Mackay was appointed by the First Minister on the recommendation of an expert panel representing Scotland’s literary sector. He has chosen to serve for a three-year term.
He is the fifth person to hold the role since it was established by the Scottish Parliament in 2004, following in the footsteps of Kathleen Jamie, Jackie Kay, Liz Lochhead, and Edwin Morgan.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1863735148082282697
First Minister John Swinney said:“I am very pleased that Scotland’s new Makar is Gaelic-speaking poet, Peter Mackay.
“Peter published his first collection Gu Leor/Galore in 2015. Since then, he has attracted a wide audience, and many accolades, through his originality, playfulness and willingness to take risks with language.
“With his keen understanding of how different languages interact with one another, Peter is well equipped to help forge strong connections between different linguistic communities across both Scotland and the rest of the world.
“I have no doubt that his passion and dynamism will allow him to excel at helping to promote both poetry and our wider cultural heritage.”
Dr Peter Mackay said:“It is an honour and a pleasure to be appointed as Scotland’s new Makar. I’m very grateful to the panel for their faith in me, and to the First Minister for his support, and especially his enthusiasm about a Gaelic poet taking on the role.
“I have grown up reading the work of and learning from the previous holders of this post and it is a privilege to follow in their footsteps. I hope to do justice to their example: their warmth and support for other writers, their gifts for laughter and the right phrase, their advocacy for poetry as being central to Scottish life, as a medium that can tell truths slant, be a shape-shifter, and help us see and come to terms with the world anew.
“I love that Scotland has a ‘Makar’, not a poet laureate: the act of ‘making’ is central to the role, and that the title is in Scots adds a particular distinctive grounding.
“Part of my task, as I see it, is to encourage people to make things in all the different languages of Scotland, the dozens of languages spoken in this country: to see what kinds of conversations, games, debates can be sparked between them. I can’t wait.”
POLICE are appealing for information following the serious assault of a teenager in Edinburgh last night .
Around 8pm on Monday, 2 December, 2024, a 14-year-old boy sustained serious injuries when he was assaulted by a group of youths at Slateford Green.
The group of youths involved seven males and three females, aged in their mid to late teens.
The boy was taken to the Royal Hospital for Children and Young People, where he remains in a stable condition.
Detective Sergeant Kimberly Tennant said: “This incident saw a teenager sustain serious injuries in an unprovoked attack and it is vital we trace all the individuals responsible.
“Extensive enquiries are ongoing and I am appealing for anyone with any information which may assist us to get in touch.
“We believe one of the suspects involved in the attack has also been injured, and has made his way to Westfield Road, Edinburgh, following the incident. We are appealing to anyone who may have seen this injured male in the Westfield Road area to get in touch with us.
“I would also ask anyone who was in the area at the time and may have dashcam or private CCTV footage to contact us.”
Anyone with any information is asked to contact Police Scotland via 101 quoting incident 2315 of 2 December, 2024.
The Eric Liddell Community launches ‘Belonging at Christmas’ Appeal to help support its dementia care and community hub, with The Big Give doubling all donations (up to £4000) made in the first week.
The Eric Liddell Community, an Edinburgh-based care charity, has today launched its Christmas Appeal for 2024, ‘Belonging at Christmas’. This year’s appeal will help support the charity’s year-round dementia care services and community hub, providing a lifeline to many who rely on its support to combat loneliness and isolation.
The festive period can be particularly difficult for those experiencing loneliness. The Eric Liddell Community provides a safe and welcoming space where individuals can find connections and companionship. The charity is calling on the public’s generosity to help its continued efforts to create meaningful connections and essential support for those in need.
From Tuesday, December 3rd, to Tuesday December 10th, donations to the ‘Belonging at Christmas’ appeal through BigGive.org will be matched by The Big Give (up to £4000). This partnership offers an incredible opportunity to make a real difference for the many individuals who depend on The Eric Liddell Community’s support.
Anna Beauchamp, Fundraising Relationships Officer at The Eric Liddell Community, highlighted the importance of the Christmas Appeal:“As we seek the support of the local community during the festive period, we feel it is important to highlight the people whose lives we have positively impacted throughout 2024.
“The Eric Liddell Community has welcomed over 6,000 people through its doors monthly, providing over 2,500 hours of companionship and 300 support classes for those suffering from isolation.
“With your support, we look to grow these numbers even further in 2025 and beyond, providing a warm, safe community for those that need it most.”
Over the next 25 years the number of people in Edinburgh living with dementia is set to double, touching more lives with loneliness and isolation. It can take up to 12 months to receive a diagnosis from the NHS leaving a staggering number of people waiting to receive specialised support.
This not only affects those on their dementia journey, but their family and loved ones too. The Eric Liddell Community seeks to end this critical gap and provides vital care and support to those affected by this wait time.
John MacMillan, CEO of The Eric Liddell Community, added:“Eric Liddell lived his life prioritising and caring for others. As a charity, The Eric Liddell Community works hard to live up to his legacy, putting the local community first in everything that we do.
“The festive season is often the loneliest time of the year for many, and as we continue supporting our service users throughout the holidays, we appeal to your generosity to help sustain these vital services for Edinburgh’s community.”
To donate to The Eric Liddell Community’s ‘Belonging at Christmas’ Appeal please visit Belonging at Christmas between the 3rd to 10th of December.
After the 10th of December, to contribute directly to the appeal, please visit The Eric Liddell Community website at ericliddell.org.
Young Enterprise Scotland will continue to deliver enterprise and financial education with significantly reduced team
Young Enterprise Scotland, the national charity that has delivered enterprise education to schools and colleges for over 30 years, has confirmed it has made 17 members of staff redundant after failing to secure Scottish Government funding in October.
The national charity will now operate on a significantly reduced staff team of no more than a dozen people after being denied funding from the Scottish Government’s new Entrepreneurial Education Fund.
YE Scotland’s funding has historically come from a combination of a core continuity grant from the Scottish Government, an ongoing pipeline of support from Trusts and Foundations and, to a lesser extent, support from the private sector.
In July this year, YE Scotland was advised the grant process would now cease with immediate effect, replaced with a competitive process which subsequently opened in August. The new fund awarded seven organisations with a share of £829,346, with YE Scotland being unsuccessful in this round of funding.
The charity was granted emergency funding of £285,000 which covered its existing costs for this financial year, allowing YE Scotland to avoid closure.
Young Enterprise Scotland CEO Emma Soanes said: “It is a huge relief that we have been able to avoid a complete closure of Young Enterprise Scotland and we are grateful to the Scottish Government for providing us with emergency funding which prevented our worst case scenario becoming reality.
“Sadly however, this will provide little consolation to the 17 valued members of our team who have lost their jobs just weeks before Christmas.
“Losing our major income source has been an enormously unsettling and upsetting time for everyone involved, and while we try to remain positive there is no doubt there will be challenging times ahead as we refocus and prioritise what programmes we deliver within schools and colleges on such a reduced staff model.”
Last year, YE Scotland supported over 18,000 school and college students through its enterprise programmes, including its flagship Company Programme, which many entrepreneurs credit with setting them on a successful business career.
In the past three years, more than 1,000 students have gained a YE Scotland enterprise qualification (SCQF Level 6) to prepare them for further education, work and life.
Emma Soanesadded: “We will definitely be engaging our own entrepreneurial mindsets in the coming weeks and months as we reposition ourselves within the education ecosystem and continue with our commitment to deliver financial and enterprise education from primary one and early years, right through to S6”.
The National Museum of Rural Life has released a group of rare festive photographs from the Scottish Life Archive. The five historic photographs will be available to download for free for the first time, as a set of Christmas cards.
The photographs, each over 100 years old, include record-breaking snowy scenes, an eccentric Father Christmas from Fife and a family portrait by one of Scotland’s earliest woman photographers.
The Christmas cards are free to download from nms.ac.uk/ScottishLifeArchive, just in time for the festive season. Each one offers a unique glimpse of Scottish Christmases past.
Lady Henrietta Gilmour took up photography after the birth of her seventh and last child. She became a pioneer of the medium, capturing over a thousand images of Scottish country life, including a tender portrait of her children sledging in the grounds of Montrave House, Fife, in 1900.
Also from Fife, Mr Henry Watson posed as a characterful Father Christmas in Burntisland in 1909, wearing a fake beard and long, fur- trimmed coat decorated with dolls and toy animals. Two snowy scenes capture the extreme winter of 1895, when Braemar in Aberdeenshire captured the lowest ever recorded temperature in the UK at minus 27.2°C.
The Scottish Life Archive was established in 1959 as a way of preserving and documenting material culture and histories relating to rural life in Scotland. In later years it expanded to include evidence of not only country life, but maritime, urban and industrial life.
It contains a large collection of photographic negatives, slides and prints. It can be viewed by the public upon appointment.
Dr Ailsa Hutton, Curator of Modern and Rural History at National Museums Scotland, said: “The Scottish Life Archive offers remarkable insight into all aspects of Scottish life, with 300 years of documentary and illustrative material.
“I am thrilled to have an opportunity to shine a light on this rich resource, and Scotland’s fascinating rural history, through these magical festive photographs. Whether it’s a quirky Santa Claus or a record-breaking snowy winter, I hope people enjoy sharing a little bit of Scottish rural history this Christmas.”
The National Museum of Rural Life in East Kilbride consists of a museum, historic farmhouse and working farm, telling the story of the land, people and ways of working that have shaped Scotland’s rural history.
On display in the museum is Scotland’s largest collection of tractors, combine harvesters and farming machinery, while the farm is home to Ayrshire, Aberdeen Angus and Highland cattle, Tamworth pigs, sheep, hens and Clydesdale horses.
Lanarkshire’s Reid family lived in the Georgian farmhouse for ten generations, and rooms are as they would have been in the 1950s.
