Marriage Allowance: Find out if you could be better off in just 30 seconds

Couples who are married or in a civil partnership are being urged by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to spend just 30 seconds to see if they can claim Marriage Allowance and boost their finances by up to £252 a year.

By using HMRC’s online Marriage Allowance calculator during Talk Money Week, couples can find out instantly if they are eligible. Couples who may be unaware that they could claim include those where one partner is working and the other has income less than their personal allowance of £12,570, including those who: 

  • have retired
  • have given up work to care for children or elderly relatives
  • are unable to work because of long term health conditions
  • have a part time job
  • have a low paid job

It is quick and easy to claim Marriage Allowance for free via GOV.UK. Applying directly on GOV.UK means couples will receive 100% of the tax relief due.

Angela MacDonald, HMRC’s Deputy Chief Executive and Second Permanent Secretary, said:  “The Marriage Allowance calculator helps couples to find out in seconds how much they stand to benefit. Check today and claim right away. It’s a quick and easy process that’s worth up to £252 a year.

“Search ‘Marriage Allowance’ on GOV.UK for more information.”

With around 68 per cent of people in their sixties married or in Civil Partnerships, many people in this age group may not realise they can claim Marriage Allowance if they have retired and their partner is still working.

UK Men’s Sheds, a charity which brings together retired men to meet at community workshops, is flagging this with their members.

Charlie Bethel, Chief Officer, UK Men’s Sheds, said: “If you have retired and your partner is still working, you may not realise that you could apply for Marriage Allowance.

“As a charity that brings retired men together, we are urging our members throughout the UK to invest the 30 seconds of time it takes to find out if they can claim.”

Marriage Allowance saves couples money by allowing the lower or non-earner to reduce the amount of tax their partner pays. Most people have a Personal Allowance, normally £12,570 – the amount of income they do not have to pay tax on. Marriage Allowance lets the lower earner transfer £1,260 of their Personal Allowance to their husband, wife or civil partner.

This can reduce their tax by up to £252 annually. If eligible, couples can also backdate their claim for the previous four tax years and receive a lump-sum payment worth more than £1,000.

To benefit from the tax relief in Scotland, one partner must have income less than £12,570 and the higher earning partner’s income must be between £12,571 and £43,662.

https://youtu.be/FEXgvuPdIEg

HMRC has produced a YouTube video to explain who is eligible and how to apply.

Changeworks energy advice at PCHP

FRIDAY 10th NOVEMBER from 9am – 11am

at PILTON COMMUNITY HEALTH PROJECT

This Friday, 10th of November, between 9:00 and 11:00 am, come to Pilton Community Health Project for much needed #energyadvice.

Changeworks will be here providing expert advice on how to #savemoney this winter while staying warm and cosy.

Police appeal for information following violence on Bonfire Night

Police Scotland is appealing for information following unprecedented levels of violence directed at officers and other emergency service workers from Bonfire Night disorder.

On Sunday, 5 November, 2023, there were several serious disturbances that required a response from specially trained public order officers.

In Edinburgh officers received reports of a large group of youths and adults gathering in the Hay Avenue area in Niddrie around 4.40pm. Around 50 youths were throwing fireworks at vehicles and buildings.

When officers arrived they came under attack from youths throwing fireworks, petrol bombs and other projectiles. Four officers sustained minor injuries but did not require hospital treatment.

There is a continued police presence in the Niddrie area and enquiries are ongoing to trace those responsible.

For disorder in Edinburgh there is a Major Incident Public Portal (MIPP) that allows members of the public to send information directly to the police that can be accessed here.

Around 9.05pm officers were called to a report of around 20 youths fighting and throwing fireworks at one another within in the Quarrywood Avenue area of Barmulloch in Glasgow.

Four people, including a police officer, were taken to Glasgow Royal Infirmary for treatment.

Enquiries are ongoing to trace those responsible. There is a continued police presence in the area and anyone with any concerns can approach these officers.

We have also set up a Major Incident Public Portal (MIPP) for Glasgow that allows members of the public to send information directly to the police that can be accessed here.

Assistant Chief Constable Tim Mairs, Gold Commander for Operation Moonbeam said: “Last night we experienced significant disorder, in particular in the Niddrie area of Edinburgh, and in the Quarrywood Avenue area of Glasgow.

“Our priority during the disorder was to protect our communities and our emergency workers, and now we are looking to carry on our police work and use the evidence we gathered to carry out the necessary arrests.

“The level of disorder we faced was unacceptable and looking at the evidence we have already gathered, we don’t believe this incident was spontaneous. Although many of those involved were youths, there were undoubtedly adults involved in orchestrating that behaviour.

“We took a robust stance and I am proud of the courage, discipline and professionalism that officers showed in the face of the violence last night.

“A number of our officers sustained minor physical injuries, however we are also aware of the mental impact that dealing with such significant levels of violence/disorder can have and will continue to support all officers affected.  Nobody deserves to be injured in this way for doing their job. An emergency worker is also someone’s son, daughter, husband or wife.

“If anyone has any information that can help us in our investigation then please contact 101, or send it in via the respective portal link.”

In addition, anyone with any information that can assist officers is asked to contact Police Scotland via 101 or make a call to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Stars support Heart Research UK anonymous charity art auction

Famous artists such as Sarah Graham and Ralph Steadman are joined by comedian Joe Lycett in making one-of-a-kind masterpieces for an anonymous charity fundraiser.

Heart Research UK’s anonymous heART project sees hundreds of anonymous artworks go under eBay’s virtual hammer and has so far raised over £250,000 for pioneering research. 

This year’s project is the sixth annual one and takes place between the 3rd – 12th November.

How is it anonymous? Though the list of artists will be available to all bidders, the artist of each individual piece will be kept anonymous until the auction is over. 

Sarah Graham, famous for her paintings of Chupa Chups and known from the show ‘Britain’s Best Young Artist’, works with many different charities and has supported the anonymous heART project for several years.

She said: “I wanted to create my first proper oil painting for the project this year, as I’ve supported it for the last few years now and always done little sketch pieces.

“I hope that by investing more creatively it attracts even more bidders! Heart Research UK helps save lives, anything I can do to support them I will.”

Joining her is world-famous cartoonist Ralph Steadman, most known for his work with Hunter S. Thompson creating the cover art for Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

Ralph said: “It is always a pleasure to contribute to this fundraising event. I am so pleased that people appreciate and bid on the mess that I make and want to take home my blots and splats.

“Please keep supporting this fantastic cause that can really make a difference to so many people, now and in the future.”

An art piece by comedian and eye-catching painter Joe Lycett is also available to bid on.

He said: “It’s always an honour to be part of the anonymous heART project, an ingenious way of supporting essential heart research whilst making and celebrating weird art. They’re doing the work of angels.”

Kate Bratt-Farrar, Chief Executive at Heart Research UK, said: “The anonymous heART project remains one of our most important fundraisers each year. As always, we’re incredibly grateful to the artists for donating their time and effort, and to everyone else who’s bidding on these amazing pieces.

“As a charity, we rely heavily on donations from the public. Every five minutes, someone dies from heart diseases in the UK, so your help is needed more than ever. We won’t stop until there are no more deaths from heart diseases.”

This year’s auction is now live on eBay (3rd – 12th of November) and you can bid on your favourite piece here: https://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/heartresearchuk_shop

New graduate Lewis is flying high after student life in the fast lane

Formula Student leader Lewis Kaye is already putting his software engineering degree to use

A new Edinburgh Napier University graduate, who led his student colleagues to Silverstone success with a driverless car, has landed his dream job working on jet aircraft radar.

Lewis Kaye used the skills from his BEng (Hons) Software Engineering course to found the Formula Student Team Napier Driverless Team in the summer of last year – who were tasked with designing the system behind an autonomous racing vehicle.

Just a year later, they finished fourth in an event dubbed the world’s biggest student engineering competition at the home of the British Grand Prix.

The 23-year-old from Oldmeldrum in Aberdeenshire collected his degree at the Usher Hall last week, having started work at Leonardo’s Edinburgh base working on the Eurofighter Typhoon.

Lewis said: “I didn’t know what I wanted to do when I left school. I went to an Edinburgh Napier open day and eventually picked software engineering. I’ve certainly never regretted it since!

“The Formula Student team didn’t exist at all until a couple of years ago. I just happened to bump into Lucas, who was behind it, at a university social event.

“Because of my degree, it was the perfect opportunity to start a driverless team. Thankfully, a lot of people were interested in joining.

“Formula Student was probably vital to landing the job. It really came to light when I did my interview. I did a presentation of my work with the team, and I think that hit well.”

Lewis’s driverless team of around 15 ENU students were the only group from around 20 teams in this year’s IMechE Formula Student competition to complete the 10 lap Endurance Event without hitting a cone. They finished one point away from 3rd place overall.

Lewis added: “To get that result in our first ever year competing is unheard of in the FS-AI competition, and I think really demonstrates our achievement and what we can do when we put our minds to it.

“What makes me proudest is seeing the idea grow into a talented and welcoming team that will be here to stand for years to come, and that future students can get involved with such a fantastic project alongside their main degree. I have made some unforgettable friendships along the way.

“It’s one of those things, you keep your head down and keep working, and later you take a step back and say ‘yeah, this is pretty cool!”

As for the future, Lewis concluded: “I’d love to get involved in space one day. I just want to keep improving.”

Latest private healthcare inspection reports published

Healthcare Improvement Scotland, the national healthcare improvement body and regulator of private healthcare services for Scotland, has published the latest inspection reports for private healthcare services.

In Scotland, private hospitals and private clinics provided by doctors, nurses, dental care professionals or midwifes are required to be registered with our organisation. We currently have over 500 private healthcare services across Scotland that are registered or completing registration.

It is only by choosing a private healthcare service registered with Healthcare Improvement Scotland that patients can be assured that the services they use meet the high standards of quality expected of registered services.

Our organisation published the inspection reports for a total of six private clinics and hospitals across Scotland.

The focus of the inspection to the Spire Hospital, Murrayfield, was on the safe delivery of the service’s provision of systemic anti-cancer therapy (SACT).

We used the Healthcare Improvement Scotland SACT Governance Framework as the basis for the inspection.

The inspection reports can be seen below:

Glasgow:

Grampian:

Ayrshire:

Lothian:

Western Isles:

As the healthcare improvement body for Scotland, Healthcare Improvement Scotland is also the regulator for private healthcare services, including private hospitals, hospices, private psychiatric hospitals and clinics, which provide a wide range of services from cosmetic procedures to wholly private dentistry, health screening, travel clinics and others.

Inspections of services are carried out to ensure that the providers comply with standards and regulations.  

Lynsey Cleland, Director of Quality Assurance at Healthcare Improvement Scotland, comments: “It is vital that the people of Scotland who opt to use private healthcare services receive the best quality and standard of care, which is why these clinics must be registered with us and must submit to regular inspection.

“The majority of the private clinics we regulate provide cosmetic interventions. It is crucial that we provide assurances for the public that these procedures are carried out in safe and regulated environments.

“Registered clinics are required to demonstrate that they take the safety of their clients seriously, that they operate to the highest standards and are committed to continually improving the service they provide for clients.

“People should always check that a clinic is registered with Healthcare Improvement Scotland before undertaking treatments.”

You can find out more about the regulation of private clinics in Scotland by listening to our podcast episode: 

https://healthcareimprovement.podbean.com/e/private-healthcare-regulation-patient-safety-and-the-future/

Gender pay gap lowest on record

Difference in wages narrower in Scotland than UK as a whole

Fair Work Secretary Neil Gray has welcomed figures showing the gender pay gap in Scotland has fallen to a record low.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings shows the gender pay gap in Scotland fell from 3% in 2022 to 1.7% in 2023 – the lowest since the series began in 1997. 

At the same time, the gap increased from 7.6% to 7.7% in the UK as a whole.

The ONS survey also shows full-time women’s weekly pay in Scotland rose 10.6% over the year – the largest annual increase of the 12 countries and regions of the UK.

Wages for full-time employees rose higher in Scotland with median weekly pay increasing 9.7% over the year to hit £702.80 in 2023.  The UK-wide figure was up 6.2% to £681.70.

The ONS survey was published ahead of Living Wage Week, which highlights its benefits to businesses, employees and the economy. In Scotland in 2022, 91% of over-18s were paid at least the real Living Wage – the highest rate of the four nations in the UK.

The Scottish Government is committed to continuing to improve women’s access to the workforce, including a series of actions to support women in entrepreneurship and expanded access to funded childcare for low-income families.

Fair Work Secretary Neil Gray said: “This survey shows Scotland continues to have a lower gender pay gap than the UK as a whole, which is welcome, but there is still a lot of work to be done.

“While employment law is reserved to the UK Government, the Scottish Government is committed to improving workers’ rights and conditions through our Fair Work approach, and encourage all employers to take action to tackle gender pay gaps in Scotland.

“Our National Strategy for Economic Transformation sets out a programme of action for a fairer and more equal society, including for employers to pay at least the real Living Wage and address pay and employment gaps – vital in tackling the cost of living crisis and in-work poverty, issues that can have a disproportionate effect on women.  

“It is only with the powers of an independent nation that we can use all the levers other governments have to tackle poverty and inequalities.”

Reminder for bereaved parents to check eligibility for financial support

Bereaved parents who lost their partner between 9 April 2001 and 8 February 2023 may be eligible for a backdated government payment even if they no longer have dependent children.

The Government extended eligibility for Bereavement Support Payment (BSP) and Widowed Parent’s Allowance (WPA) to cohabiting parents with dependent children in February. These benefits were previously only available to bereaved parents who were married or in a civil partnership. 

The payments are designed to help with the financial impact of losing a partner and can be backdated to 30 August 2018. Anyone who had dependent children when they lost their cohabiting partner should check GOV.UK for more information.  

DWP Minister Viscount Younger of Leckie said:  “This change will help provide many more bereaved families with children access to the financial support they need through a profoundly difficult time.

“I would urge anyone who thinks they may be eligible to claim as soon as possible so that they can ensure that they benefit from these backdated payments.”

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) opened a 12-month window for cohabiting parents to backdate their claims. Parents whose partner died before 9 February 2023 have until the end of 8 February 2024 to do so. After this, it will not be possible to claim WPA and they will not get their full entitlement to backdated BSP. 

Parents will be eligible for different benefits depending on the date their partner died. If they died before 6 April 2017, they would need to claim WPA. If they died on or after 6 April 2017, they would need to claim BSP, which has replaced WPA. 

Payments can only be backdated to 30 August 2018, even if a partner died before this date.  

Alison Penny MBE, Director of the Childhood Bereavement Network said: “Time is ticking on for the thousands of families that could be eligible for a back-dated payment but haven’t yet claimed. It’s crucial that we find them so they can make a decision about putting in a claim before the window closes and they miss out.  

“We’re urging friends, families and support organisations to spread the word. Even if someone was bereaved a long time ago, it’s worth exploring whether they are eligible for a back payment.”

BSP claims can be made online, over the phone or through a paper application form. WPA claims are only processed by paper forms. These can be downloaded from the GOV.UK website or requested via the Bereavement Service helpline: 0800 151 2012.  

Information on BSP, including eligibility criteria, can be found at www.gov.uk/bereavement-support-payment whilst details and eligibility criteria for WPA can be found at www.gov.uk/widowed-parents-allowance  

Further bereavement help and support can also be found at: www.gov.uk/after-a-death/bereavement-help-and-support  

Hip operation waiting list triples in six Scottish NHS boards

  • New Reform Scotland research on orthopaedic waiting lists and times
  • BMA Chair says workforce “running on empty”
  • Reform Scotland announces major debate on improvements needed to NHS ahead of 2048 centenary

Reform Scotland today releases research that reveals sharply rising waiting lists and times for orthopaedic procedures in Scotland’s hospitals. Freedom of Information requests to health boards obtained comparable figures on waiting lists and times in orthopaedics, and the specific data for hip operations.

The paper also marks the launch of a major Reform Scotland research programme that will explore the changes required if the struggling NHS is to reach its 2048 centenary in better health.

Dr Iain Kennedy, chair of BMA Scotland, said: “It is a system bursting at the seams, with a workforce running on empty – there are not enough of us to give our patients the time and care they need and deserve.

“The time for platitudes has long passed – we need action, and we need it now.”

The full paper – NHS 2048: Future-proofing Scotland’s health and social care – can be read here. It reveals that:

  • 11 health boards have seen at least a doubling in the wait time for a hip operation from point of decision. This includes an increase from 163 days to 386 in Greater Glasgow & Clyde, and an increase from 114 days to 360 in Lothian.
  • The waiting list for a hip operation has more than tripled since 2019 in Ayrshire & Arran, Dumfries & Galloway, Fife, Grampian, Lothian and Tayside
  • Well over 10,000 people are on the waiting list for a hip operation, up from just over 3,000 in 2019.

While the increase in waiting times is deeply worrying, waiting times data only covers the point from when a decision to treat was made. As a result, patients will in reality be waiting far longer. There is further data on orthopaedic operations in general, showing around 45,000 on a waiting list.

Reform Scotland, a non-partisan think tank, is calling for an open, constructive and mature conversation about improving the NHS in time for its centenary, and has been joined in that call by Dr Iain Kennedy.

Dr Iain Kennedy said: “The figures in this report from Reform Scotland are shocking, yet not surprising. BMA Scotland has been warning for some time that the NHS in Scotland simply cannot deliver what is expected of it under its current limitation.

“It is a system bursting at the seams, with a workforce running on empty – there are not enough of us to give our patients the time and care they need and deserve.

“The time for platitudes has long passed – we need action, and we need it now. We are in a year-round crisis with our NHS and workforce planning is abysmal.

“The Scottish Government must move forward with their commitment to have a cross-party national conversation on the future of our health service – an open and honest discussion that also involves the profession and the public.

“Enough is enough, we cannot continue on this path if we want to futureproof our NHS for generations to come.”

Jacqui McMillan, a consultant surgeon in the West of Scotland, said: “Reform Scotland’s report is a stark warning of how bad things have become.

“As an orthopaedic surgeon I am working as hard as ever, and yet my waiting list seems to be growing longer. Seeing my patients in pain and knowing how long they are likely going to have to wait for their operation breaks my heart.

“Having to tell patients they could be waiting for more than a year for an operation they need in order to get through a day without pain is really difficult.”

Chris Deerin, Director of Reform Scotland, said: “We need a mature, constructive debate to identify and build consensus around specific measures that will help our health and care services in both the short and long term.

“The electorate can cope with this discussion. They know that the health service is ill – they live with the consequences every day. Are the politicians up to it, though? Can they set aside petty party differences and work together to save this vital public service?

“If we are to maintain a taxpayer-funded, free-at-the-point-of-need system up to the NHS’s centenary in 2048, reform is required in order to make the best use of the resources we have.

“Reform Scotland will provide a platform for that discussion to take place.”

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