HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is reminding Self Assessment customers to check that they have the correct information in order to complete their tax return.
The deadline for 2020/21 tax returns is 31 October 2021 for those completed on paper forms and 31 January 2022 for online returns.
While the end of January is more than three months away, HMRC has already seen thousands of people filing their returns – more than 63,500 customers filed their tax return on 6 April, the first day of the tax year. Customers can file before the January deadline but still have until 31 January to pay.
Any customer who is new to Self Assessment must register via GOV.UK to receive their Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR). Self-employed individuals must also register for Class 2 National Insurance.
HMRC is encouraging customers to register early so that they can access guidance and be aware of what they need to do. This includes record keeping, knowing when the filing and payment deadlines are, and the potential for a first tax payment to include a payment on account.
This year, customers will also have to declare if they received any grants or payments from COVID-19 support schemes up to 5 April 2021 as these are taxable, including:
Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS)
Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS)
Other COVID-19 grants and support payments such as self-isolation payments, local authority grants and those for the Eat Out to Help Out scheme
HMRC recognises that some customers may be worrying about paying their tax bill. Customers can access support to help pay any tax owed, and may be able to set up their own affordable monthly payment plan online by using HMRC’s self-serve Time to Pay facility. Customers should contact HMRC for help if they have concerns about paying their bill.
HMRC’s Myrtle Lloyd, Director General for Customer Services, said: “We want to help people get their tax returns right by making sure they are prepared and have everything they need before they start their Self Assessment.
“If anyone is worried about paying their tax bill, support is available – search ‘time to pay’ on GOV.UK.”
The fastest way to complete a tax return is online via a customer’s Personal Tax Account. They will need their UTR to access their tax return, as well as details of their income or earnings and other financial records.
HMRC urges everyone to be alert if they are contacted out of the blue by someone asking for money or personal information. HMRC sees high numbers of fraudsters emailing, calling or texting people claiming to be from the department.
If in doubt, HMRC advises not to reply directly to anything suspicious, but to contact them straight away and to search GOV.UK for ‘HMRC scams’.
The latest Emergency Department performance figures for September 2021 published today by NHS England show the highest number of 12-hour stays on record, the highest number of four-hour stays on record, and the worst four-hour performance ever recorded.
The latest figures were published on the day the UK Government set out it’s Plan to improve access for NHS patients and support GPs.
The data show in September 2021 there were 1,392,542 attendances to Type 1 Emergency Departments in England.
Four-hour performance has deteriorated for the sixth consecutive month, once again reaching a record low. Just 64% of patients in Type 1 Emergency Departments were admitted, transferred or discharged within four-hours.
A record breaking 5,025 patients stayed in an Emergency Department for 12-hours or more from decision to admit to admission. This is an 80% increase on the previous month, August 2021, and it is the highest number of 12-hour stays since records began and is almost a third higher than the previous highest, recorded in January 2021. The number of 12-hour stays from time of arrival is not published but is likely to be significantly higher.
Dr Katherine Henderson, President of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine, said: “This data is bleak and is a stark warning of the crisis that we are heading towards this winter.
“Dangerous crowding has returned to Emergency Departments, exit block is preventing a flow of patients through the hospital, and there have been widespread reports of ambulances queuing outside hospitals facing long handover delays.
“For patients, this means long and potentially frustrating waiting times in the Emergency Department. For staff it is incredibly challenging, as they do all they can to continue to deliver care quickly amid rising attendances and pressures.
“At the same time the health service continues to manage covid as cases have been rising steeply, with the NHS now treating around 14 times as many patients as the same time last year.
“Trusts also continue to deliver elective care but there is a real threat that in the coming months this may once again have to be paused to manage pressures on urgent and emergency care and the rising number of covid cases.
“The winter presents a significant challenge for the health service; staff are increasingly worried about the NHS’ ability to cope. The Government need to recognise the potential crisis and support the health and care service as it tackles the challenges ahead.
“NHS England’s Urgent and Emergency Care Recovery 10 Point Action Plan is a blueprint on how to manage these pressures in the short and medium term. Trusts must do all they can to follow this guidance to mitigate pressures across the system and prevent further deterioration in performance.
“But the underlying cause of all of the problems facing the NHS is a decade of underfunding. The health service has for a long time struggled to meet the demand of the population. It is short on staff across the board; capacity has not risen in line with demand. Existing staff are exhausted, with many looking to leave after having to shoulder an ever-increasing workload.
“So far promises to increase the workforce have fallen short. The forthcoming spending review is an opportunity for the government to signal it’s intent to boost staffing with a long-term workforce plan and rescue the NHS in the long run.”
Meanwhile the NHS, working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care, has today published a blueprint for improving access to GP appointments for patients alongside supporting GPs and their teams in England.
Surgeries will be provided with additional funding to boost their capacity to increase the proportion of appointments delivered face to face, as part of a major drive to support general practice and level up performance, including additional efforts to tackle abuse against staff.
The measures, including a £250 million winter access fund from NHS England, will enable GP practices to improve availability so that patients who need care can get it, often on the same day if needed. The investment will fund locums and support from other health professionals such as physiotherapists and podiatrists, with a focus on increasing capacity to boost urgent same-day care. This is in addition to £270 million invested over the previous 11 months to expand capacity and support GPs.
Amanda Pritchard, chief executive of the NHS, said: “Improving access to high quality general practice is essential for our patients and for the rest of the NHS too.
“It is a personal priority and today NHS England is taking both urgent and longer term action to back GPs and their teams with additional investment and support.”
Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Sajid Javid said: “I am determined to ensure patients can see their GP in the way they want, no matter where they live. I also want to thank GPs and their teams for their enormous efforts in the most challenging times in living memory.
“Our new plan provides general practice teams with investment and targeted support. This will tackle underperformance, taking pressure off staff so they can spend more time with patients and increase the number of face-to-face appointments.
“Alongside this we are setting out more measures to tackle abuse and harassment so staff at GP surgeries who work so tirelessly to care for patients can do so without having to fear for their safety.”
The NHS England document makes clear that every GP practice must seek patients’ input and respect preferences for face to face care unless there are good clinical reasons to the contrary.
The extra investment will help to increase the number of appointments delivered, while local health systems will be free to determine how best to tackle particular challenges to access and provision of care in their own community, which could include putting in place additional resource for walk-in consultations.
Local plans will need to deliver these improvements in access, with practices that do not provide appropriate levels of face to face care not able to access the additional funding, and instead offered support to improve.
Under the plan, the NHS will also support upgrades to telephone systems, ensuring that more patients can quickly and easily speak to general practice staff, and help the public avoid long waits when contacting a surgery by phone.
The government will also reduce administrative burdens on GPs by reforming who can provide medical evidence and certificates such as FIT notes and DVLA checks – freeing up time for more appointments.
UKHSA will complete its review of infection prevention and control (IPC) guidance in general practice and set out practical steps on IPC measures in GP settings which could increase the number of patients that can be seen.
As part of this package, the NHS will increase its oversight of practices with the most acute issues in relation to access, and GP appointment data will be published at practice level by spring next year. This will enhance transparency and accountability, as monthly data is currently only published by clinical commissioning group.
In addition, patients will get the opportunity to rate their practice’s performance, via text message, based on their most recent experience of accessing support. This survey, which has been previously agreed with the profession, is being piloted in around 60 practices and will be rolled out next year.
Together with the government and Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, the NHS will also develop a zero-tolerance campaign on abuse of NHS staff, including GP teams.
General practice teams have delivered more than 300 million appointments over the last year as well as delivering the vast majority of Covid vaccinations, saving lives and protecting millions of people against the virus at speed.
Health Minister Maria Caulfield said: “As a nurse on the frontline during the pandemic I know how hard GPs and their teams have worked, while recognising how badly so many people want to see their GPs in person.
“This plan will give our dedicated general practices the support needed to increase capacity, boosting the number of appointments for patients to see and speak to their GP practice.
“I look forward to continuing to work with the sector to ensure patients can get the care they need.”
Patients will also be able to see different types of clinicians in general practice, who can best meet their needs and conditions, including pharmacists, paramedics, advanced nurse practitioners and nursing associates.
NHS England will also work with the government to consider how far and fast the role of pharmacists can be increased in the supply of medication, as part of relieving workload on GPs.
Government’s ‘rescue package’ for GPs is flawed and patient care will suffer as result, warns BMA
“It’s truly frightening that we have a government so ignorant to the needs of such a core part of the NHS”
Responding to the publication by the Department of Health and NHS England and NHS Improvement today, outlining their plans to improve access for NHS patients and support for GPs, BMA GP committee chair Dr Richard Vautrey said: “After weeks of promising an ‘emergency package’ to rescue general practice, we’re hugely dismayed that whilst additional funding has been promised, the package as a whole offers very little and shows a Government completely out of touch with the scale of the crisis on the ground.
“GPs and their teams will now be facing the worst winter for decades, and as a result, patients’ care will suffer. Appointments will be harder to book, waiting times will get longer, more of the profession could leave and GPs will struggle to cope.
“It is also disappointing to see that there is no end in sight to the preoccupation with face-to-face appointments; we need a more intelligent conversation about the variety of appointments and care that are available to patients to meet their needs.
“While in-person consultations are a key feature of general practice and absolutely necessary for some patients and certain conditions, the pandemic has proven that in many other cases, phone or video appointments are entirely appropriate and appreciated by patients, and a crude focus on percentages or targets is completely unhelpful.
“Throughout our discussions with ministers and NHS England in recent weeks, the BMA has been clear that without a concerted effort to reduce bureaucracy, admin and red tape in practices, patient access and care was at risk.
“Unfortunately, today’s offer merely tinkers around the edges, and will not reduce the unnecessary burden practices carry and therefore free up any more time for doctors to see more patients. We need an end to target-driven, payment-by-results, care and allow practices to look after patients in a way that is flexible and right for the person in front of them and the Government have missed an opportunity to tackle this.
“Reducing the administrative burden on GPs by reforming who can provide medical evidence and certificates such as Fit notes and DVLA checks, won’t happen for some time and is a mere drop in the ocean as what is needed is urgent action now to free up sufficient time for more appointments.
“While the additional £250m is welcome, it must be easy for practices to access rapidly and they must not be forced to have to produce reams of plans or try to meet unattainable targets to get it – which has often happened in the past.
“We had four simple asks – and only one appears to have been fully answered. Increased sentencing for assaulting healthcare workers is something we asked for, but meaningless if the same Government refuses to address the crisis fuelling such abuse. The Secretary of State has started to address a second, by talking more positively about general practice but he needs to do much more to publicly support the profession when we are under such pressure and facing a torrent of abuse on a daily basis.
“These proposals will only confirm the profession’s belief that ministers and NHS England fail to understand the dire state of general practice – or that they, not hardworking GPs, are to blame.
“It’s truly frightening that we have a government so ignorant to the needs of such a core part of the NHS. GPs want to improve the care we offer to our patients, but today’s offer will not enable us to do that as we had hoped.
“GPs across England will be truly horrified that this is being presented as a lifeline to general practice, when in reality it could sink the ship all together. There can be no doubt that this lack of action at such a critical time will force many GPs to hang up their stethoscopes and leave the profession for the last time.”
Scotmid Co-Operative’s Hamilton Place store reopened on Friday, 1st October after undergoing a major refurb to increase and enhance its customer offering.
The programme of work comprised a range of improvements designed to amplify the customer experience while shopping in store. They include a new entrance and rebrand, internal remodelling and layout to accommodate an extended range of fresh food products, wider aisles for easier navigation and state of the art refrigeration.
The most exciting change comes in the form of an even more extensive Food to Go offering, with a larger breakfast selection, freshly-made baguettes, pizza sandwiches, toasties and burritos. The store will also be the second Scotmid in Edinburgh to stock a rotating choice of delicious treats from The Kilted Donut – with flavours including Nutella Bomb and Brown Butter Biscoff.
Customers can also now enjoy selecting from Scotmid’s latest dine in ranges, including Meal for Tonight – meal kits including a hot food option and desserts and Big Night In – a beer, wine or spirits and a snack or pizza offer and Food Now – for those looking for something to eat as soon as they leave the store.
Kevin Plant, head of food retail at Scotmid, said: “Hamilton Place is a popular store with many locals and one which enjoys serving a number of regular customers on an almost daily basis.
“The refurbishment has introduced several enhancements to complement and build on the provision of our existing refill station, which has proved a hit. From the extended Food to Go range to the daily delivery of doughnuts from The Kilted Donut, we now have even more choice for customers when they shop with us.
“I want to say a huge thank you to the whole team who has worked tirelessly to get the store ready. A lot of effort has gone into refurbishing the store, so it is great to be welcoming old and new customers and to hear the positive things they have to say.”
Scotmid Hamilton Place is located on 56-60 Hamilton Place, Edinburgh, EH3 5AZ.
– Morrisons has cut the price of a range of toys until the end of October –
– Parents can save as much as £55 on some of this season’s must-have presents –
– Morrisons hopes the deals will help more customers get their hands on much-wanted gifts for Christmas –
Morrisons has launched a mega sale on toys in store, to help customers prepare for Christmas. The supermarket has cut up to 50% off products from popular household brands including Disney Princess, Lego, Peppa Pig and Mario Kart.
Morrisons customers will also be able to get their hands on a LOL Surprise Mega Remix Set – tipped to be one of this season’s hottest gifts – for just £75, 50% off the RRP and much cheaper than available elsewhere.
The majority of the deals, which also include a Peppa Pig Playhouse that has been reduced from £110 to £55 and Lego sets for £17.50, will be available until the 2nd November.
Unlike other supermarket toy sales, the deals will be available to all customers, without the need to sign up to any loyalty schemes.
With less than three months to go until the big day, Morrisons hopes that the deals will help customers who want to get presents sorted early.
David Catton, Toys Buyer at Morrisons, said: “At Morrisons, our shelves are fully stocked with Christmas gifts. We want to help customers bag a bargain and get the Christmas shopping sorted early so they can focus on spending quality time with friends and family during the festive season.”
Morrisons toy deals are available in selected Morrisons stores now while stocks last.
Lord Wallace meets teaching, research and professional services staff
Edinburgh Napier yesterday hosted a visit across a number of departments and teams by the Moderator of the Church of Scotland’s General Assembly.The Rt Hon Lord Wallace of Tankerness QC spent the morning at the Sighthill campus as part of a 10-day programme organised by the Presbytery of Edinburgh.
He was welcomed to the University by Professor Andrea Nolan, Principal & Vice Chancellor, and toured the purpose-built simulation and clinical skills centre where student nurses, midwives, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and social workers develop their skills in an authentic environment.
Lord Wallace met School of Health & Social Care students and the staff who run the centre, which includes practice areas ranging from community and critical care to general wards and birth environments.
He also met Professor Gary Hutchison, Dean of Applied Sciences, and the Sighthill-based School’s Dr Liz Aston, who is Director of the Scottish Institute for Policing Research, whose work helps police meet the challenges of the 21st century.
Lord Wallace also chatted to representatives of the University’s Chaplaincy Service, the Wellbeing and Inclusion team who work to make students feel safe, supported and healthy, and the Student Futures team who support their professional development and prepare them for the world of work.
Professor Andrea Nolan said: “It was an absolute pleasure and delight to host Lord and Lady Wallace.
“The visit gave them a flavour of what we do at Edinburgh Napier – they saw our modern teaching facilities and heard about the real world applications of our research, while also getting to meet the teams whose pastoral and support work underpins our progress as a university.
“I hope they found the visit interesting and informative.”
Lord Wallace, a QC and former MP and MSP, who went to university, trained as a lawyer and sat in the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, said he was grateful to the Presbytery for putting together a comprehensive programme which allowed him to engage with a range of people who reflect his interests.
The 10-day programme will see Lord Wallace carrying out a wide range of engagements visiting churches, hospitals, universities and Edinburgh prison.
Four charities based in Scotland have shared a £40,000 windfall as part of Ecclesiastical Insurance Group’s annual Movement for Good awards.
Cutting Edge Theatre Ltd, Peebles CAN, Towards Transition Stirling SCIO and Survivors of Human Trafficking in Scotland are four of 30 charities chosen by a panel of judges that will benefit from the money.
The fund will allow Cutting Edge Theatre Ltd, which aims to make a difference to those who are marginalised by using creativity, to kick-start its new project, Inspire Young Company – an initiative which will increase the confidence, self-esteem and communication of young people with a learning disability through theatre training and performance.
Survivors of Human Trafficking in Scotland will be using the donation to identify victims of human trafficking, to ensure they are recovered safely and enable them to get the specialist support they need.
Each of the £10,000 awards are designed to help charities make a real difference in their communities. Applications were assessed against four key areas; impact and effectiveness, sustainability, innovation, and care and compassion.
Mark Hews, Group CEO of Ecclesiastical, said: “At Ecclesiastical we believe business should be a force for good. Charitable causes need sustained support and a sense of financial stability.
“Through the second phase of our Movement for Good awards we are actively championing innovation, giving charities the backing they need to propel their plans forward and turn creative ideas into practical solutions that benefit society.
“We know that £10,000 can make a huge difference to the incredible work that charities do and we’re looking forward to seeing how this financial boost will change lives for the better.”
“Ecclesiastical, the fourth largest corporate donor in the UK, is a unique financial services group. We are owned by a charity which means all available profits can be given to the good causes that are so important to our customers. As a company whose purpose is to contribute to the greater good of society, charitable giving is at the heart of our business.”
Suzanne Lofthus, Artistic Director at Cutting Edge Theatre Ltd, said: “We believe that every person has potential and we work with those who often feel more marginalised to realise this.
“Nothing gives us greater pleasure than seeing someone discover their talents and abilities. Winning this donation will make a huge difference to the lives of 20 young learning disabled artists, giving them a taste of working professionally in the performing arts. It will open up opportunities for them to be artists in their own right, bringing a much needed and desired diversity to our industry.”
Elyse Kirkham, Senior Philanthropy Officer at Survivors of Human Trafficking in Scotland, said: “At Survivors of Human Trafficking in Scotland we work tirelessly to ensure the identification, safe recovery and long-term wellbeing of survivors of human trafficking in Scotland.
“We support survivors to rebuild their lives, minimising their risk of re-trafficking, strengthening their independence skills and ability to integrate into the community. We couldn’t do what we do without the support of funders like Ecclesiastical and their Movement for Good awards. Together we can make a difference!”
For the third year running, the awards, set up by specialist insurer Ecclesiastical, will see a total of £1million go to charities across the UK.
An amazing 210,000 people around the UK supported the Movement for Good awards during its first phase earlier this year, with over 13,000 charitable causes up and down the country receiving votes. The 500 winning charities were picked at random from those nominated and were awarded £1,000 each.
Phase two saw over 1,000 project submissions for the £10,000 awards. Following a review of all the applications, a panel of judges made their final selection of the 30 winning projects. The remaining money will be awarded at a later date.
Pubs, restaurants, woodlands and a church are to be brought into community ownership and use through new funding.
More than £1 million of the Scottish Land Fund is being awarded to eight local community groups to help them take ownership of the land and buildings that matter to them.
The funding was announced by Land Reform Minister Mairi McAllan on a visit to Newcastleton and District Community Trust, which purchased part of the Tarras Water and Holm Hill Estate with a grant of £850,000 from the Scottish Land Fund last year.
This is Community Land Week, which is profiling organisations that have taken ownership of land and buildings during the pandemic.
Minister for Environment and Land Reform Mairi McAllan said: “All across Scotland, communities are taking ownership of the land and buildings that matter to them with the support of the Scottish Land Fund.
“I know how hard people will have worked to develop their projects and to achieve this success, and I look forward to seeing the benefits for their communities. They follow in the footsteps of an ever-increasing number of communities who have taken ownership of vital local assets with support from the Scottish Land Fund.
“With another £1 million of funding being announced, community ownership in Scotland looks set to continue to go from strength to strength.”
A total of £1,112,787 has been awarded to the following projects:
Group
Total award
Local Authority Area
Project
Old Forge, Knoydart
£508,000
Highland
Pub/restaurant
Port Bannatyne
£150,190
Argyll and Bute
Pub/hub and community garden
Canna
£89,700
Highland
Affordable Housing
Easter Breich
£128,637
West Lothian
47 acres of woodland for amenity use
Carloway Estate Trust
£61,619
Western Isles
Doune Broch Visitor Centre and car park
Bigton Collective Ltd
£90,950
Shetland
Disused church for community hub
Balquhidder, Lochearnhead and Strathyre Community Trust
£11,840
Stirling
4.4 acres of parkland, mixed forest and car park for amenity use
Inchinnan Development Trust
£71,851
Renfrewshire
Teucheen woodland for restoration and community use
A new briefing highlights shocking inequalities faced by people in minority ethnic communities in Scotland, with unequal access to secure, well-paid work, affordable housing and social security contributing to significantly higher poverty rates for this group.
Its key findings include:
Almost half of children in minority ethnic communities in Scotland are growing up in poverty (48%). This is double the rate for all children (24%)
Workers from minority ethnic communities earn on average £2,300 less per year than white workers
These workers are more than twice as likely (11%) to be on insecure work contracts compared to white workers (5%)
30% of minority ethnic households rent their homes privately which is generally the most expensive type of housing, compared to 13% of white households
The analysis by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) shows two in five people in minority ethnic communities in Scotland live in poverty, which is twice the national average.
While poverty rates for white people have remained relatively stable over the last 20 years, for people in minority ethnic communities poverty has increased.
Shockingly, almost 1 in 2 children in minority ethnic communities grow up in poverty. In 2017 the Scottish Parliament unanimously agreed ambitious targets to reduce child poverty to under 18% by 2023/24, and to under 10% by 2030. In doing so they identified several ‘priority groups’ including minority ethnic families.
Worryingly, Scotland is not on track to meet these targets, and in this ‘priority group’ poverty levels have been steadily increasing.
The analysis paints a stark picture of the labour market for minority ethnic people in Scotland, one of comparatively low pay, high underemployment and high job insecurity compared to white people, as well as high in-work poverty. A worrying 3 in 10 minority ethnic people are in poverty despite at least one person in the family working, compared to 1 in 10 white people.
As well as a significant pay gap of £1.26 per hour compared to white workers, workers in minority ethnic communities are also more likely to be ‘underemployed’, which is not being able to work as many hours as desired, and to be employed on insecure contracts.
15% of minority ethnic workers were underemployed in 2019, compared to 9% of white workers. Insecure contracts such as zero hours, temporary and seasonal contracts are characterized by a lack of predictability as to when and how many hours will be worked and are a driver of in-work poverty.
These are more than twice as common among minority ethnic workers (11%) compared to white workers (5%).
The report also highlights that minority ethnic women are significantly more likely to be economically inactive (45% compared to population average of 22%) but a lack of data prevents detailed analysis of the drivers behind this.
Existing research suggests that caring responsibilities, a lack of suitable, affordable childcare, and discrimination based on ethnicity, gender and religion all play a part.
As well as these constraints on ability to earn, the report also finds that it costs more to be from a minority ethnic community in Scotland. You are more likely to live in unaffordable housing, and more likely to live in the private rented sector which is generally the most expensive tenure and one that has fewer rights and a higher chance of having to move compared to other tenures.
Only 4% of people from minority ethnic communities are homeowners in Scotland, with only 1% of this group enjoying the security of owning their home outright without a mortgage.
JRF is urging far greater urgency from the UK and Scottish Governments, along with employers and trade unions, to create a labour market that offers equal opportunities for minority ethnic workers and offers a route out of poverty.
A key frustration in compiling the report was the lack of data available for people from minority ethnic communities in Scotland, which lags behind what is available for the white population. It creates a deeply concerning inequality in Scotland’s ability to understand the high poverty rate for this group, let alone tackle it.
Chris Birt, Associate Director for Scotland at JRF said: “While it is wrong that any child in Scotland is growing up in poverty, it is appalling that children from minority ethnic communities are so much more likely to have their childhoods blighted by hardship than their white peers.
“The clock is ticking on our child poverty targets, and it is deeply concerning that things are actually getting worse, not better, for children in minority ethnic communities despite them being a priority group for the Scottish Government. But this is not just about meeting targets. It is about stamping out the appalling racial inequalities that are holding back children across our country.
“Higher poverty rates for people in these groups are frightening but they are not inevitable. Our analysis suggests that minority ethnic communities face barriers at every turn, from employment to housing to social security support. The UK and Scottish governments, and employers, must work with urgency to remove these barriers.
“If the Scottish Government wants to reduce racial inequalities in Scotland it must start collecting the appropriate data. Children in minority ethnic communities have been named a priority, but until we can accurately measure the problem, how much of a priority can they really be?”
Keep Scotland Beautiful celebrates sustainable and well managed parks across Scotland
Environmental charity, Keep Scotland Beautiful, has announced that 38 parks in Edinburgh have been presented with a Green Flag Award. The accolade acknowledges quality green open spaces across the country that help to boost our nation’s health and wellbeing.
The international Green Flag Award is administered in Scotland by Keep Scotland Beautiful and acts as a benchmark for recreational outdoor space. The award celebrates well maintained parks and greenspaces and supports the opportunities that they provide to enable exercise, improve mental wellbeing and provide safe areas for play – something that has been particularly important to everyone over the last 18 months. Over 2,000 parks across the world have achieved the award this year.
Amongst the 2021 award winners are spaces managed by local authorities, community groups and various other organisations including the NHS.
Amongst the 38 winning Edinburgh parks is the Royal Edinburgh Hospital run by NHS Lothian and Corstorphine Hill LNR Community Walled Garden run by Friends of Corstorphine Hill, whilst both Harrison Park and Braidburn Valley Park are celebrating their 15th consecutive year of achieving the Green Flag Award.
Barry Fisher, Chief Executive of Keep Scotland Beautiful, commented: “I would like to congratulate all of Scotland’s award-winning parks. Receiving this prestigious international benchmark recognises all the hard work that has gone into maintaining and managing these precious green open spaces.
“Every single one of these parks provides an invaluable service to the local communities that it serves – from creating a safe space to play, to think, to work out – and they helped to address many of the health and wellbeing challenges we faced as a country during lockdown.”
“Spending time in nature can be good for people’s health and wellbeing, and merely living in a greener neighbourhood can be good for health. The Green Flag Award recognises the valuable, and tangible contribution that these parks make towards the nation’s well-being.”
“These areas are very important to us in NHS Lothian as they enable both our staff and patients to connect with nature, which helps with mental and general wellbeing.
“This award was only possible with the support and contributions from the whole hospital community, so I would like to thank everyone involved for their ongoing hard work to support our natural areas. As the site evolves to meet future healthcare needs our greenspace management plan will ensue nature continues to be at the heart of the site.”
City of Edinburgh Council’s Culture and Communities Convener, Councillor Donald Wilson, said: We’re incredibly proud of our beautiful parks in Edinburgh and it’s wonderful that we’re once again the proud holders of more Green Flags than anywhere else in Scotland – more than half of the awards granted.
“Green Flags are given to those parks that give everyone access to a safe, clean and pleasant green space where they can relax, play and exercise and I’m delighted that so many of our parks have achieved this important and much sought-after recognition which is well deserved.
“Despite the challenging times we’re all still facing and with increased investment, the quality of Edinburgh’s parks continues to improve. I want to pay tribute to everyone, staff, friends of parks and volunteers, who work so hard all year round, and in all-weathers to keep our award-winning parks so beautiful.
“These public spaces have been a source of comfort, solace, fun and relaxation for residents over the difficult last 18 months and are essential to our wellbeing. There’s always more to discover, though, so I’d encourage everyone to get out and explore our parks this Autumn.”
Culture and Communities Vice Convener, Councillor Amy McNeese-Mechan, said: “This is fantastic news, parks have proved to be real havens in recent times and my thanks to our skilled and dedicated parks staff for their continued care and hard work.
“I also want to thank all our Friends of Parks groups for everything they do. The parks belong to the people of Edinburgh and we’re so grateful for the support from our citizens. Since we first started taking part in the Green Flag scheme in 2007, we’ve gone from just two flags to 38, which is more than half of all Green Flags given out in the whole country – this is a tremendous achievement and we’ll keep working hard to make sure our parks go from strength to strength.”
A detailed map of Scotland’s Green Flag sites can be found at:
