Following a workforce meeting in George Square yesterday (Monday 8 November), Glasgow City Council cleansing workers demanded a fresh strike ballot against their employer over low pay.
It means a second wave of strikes could hit cleansing services in Scotland’s biggest city in the run-up to Christmas. Eight days of strike action conclude this evening at 23.59 hours.
Calls from the workforce come after talks this weekend between GMB and Glasgow City Council Leader Susan Aitken, which secured commitments from the council to:
review the value of pay for all workers on the lowest grades (Grades 1,2 & 3 – an estimated 10,000 workers currently earning less than £20,000 a year) as part of the process to remove its discriminatory pay and grading system; and
pursue investment for cleansing infrastructure and resources to tackle the city’s waste crisis, alongside a range of new employee development and well-being measures to address management mistreatment of staff.
However, the council refused workers’ demands for a one-off “Glasgow Payment” for all workers on Grades 1, 2 and 3 as a means of addressing the cost-of-living crisis being faced now by many council workers in Scotland’s biggest city.
GMB Scotland Senior Organiser Keir Greenaway said: “It’s taken a strike to get Glasgow’s leadership in the room and acknowledge the council’s chronic low pay problems, the waste crisis in our communities, and the toxic management culture in the cleansing department.
“It is important to understand that strikes don’t happen by accident. They are a consequence of workers’ feeling undervalued, disrespected, and ignored for too long, and it’s clear that a few days of talks and the initial outcomes from this aren’t enough to remedy the impact of a decade of cuts.
“Our members in cleansing, like so many of their colleagues in other services like home care, school support, parks and gardens, and Glasgow Life, are the backbone of the city’s workforce but they are struggling on wages that simply do not make ends meet.
“It’s why our members have demanded a fresh ballot, which could mean a second wave of strikes in the run up to Christmas. They want more to be done to properly value key workers and to tackle the significant service and workforce challenges facing their city.
“That’s something the council, COSLA and ultimately the Scottish Government should reflect on today because it’s very clear this anger isn’t going away until these problems are confronted.”
Green jobs and more investment to create clean energy are what’s needed to deliver Net Zero for Scotland by 2045. That’s the message Scottish secondary school pupils have given to energy industry leaders at an official COP26 event – hosted by ScottishPower Renewables – in the climate conference’s Green Zone at Glasgow Science Centre.
‘Let’s Talk Energy’ saw 80 young people from 10 secondary schools, including Edinburgh Academy, come together to create their own Net Zero Energy Policy for Scotland – setting out the changes the country needs to make to achieve the Scottish Government’s target of Net Zero by 2045.
Their top three priorities were:
· Supporting skills development, including training options for young people in the renewables industry, to deliver green jobs and a positive long-term future
· Investment to increase the amount of clean, green energy available from the likes of wind and solar power and battery storage
· Improving processes to make renewable energy available faster than ever before and making it easier to switch to a low-carbon lifestyle.
Making it simpler to switch to greener forms of transport – whether electric vehicles you can charge at home or electrifying trains and buses – and providing funding to help communities make the transition to Net Zero also scored highly.
Lindsay McQuade, CEO of ScottishPower Renewables, said:“Young people’s voices are being heard loud and clear at COP26 and it was inspiring and encouraging to hear their views on what we have to do now if we’re going to achieve Net Zero by 2045.
“They recognise fully that we need do more, and do it faster, if we’re going to address the climate emergency and they got straight to the point.
“As they set out, Scotland has enormous potential, but we will only achieve Net Zero with the right investment, skills development and processes in place. They have a bold vision for a cleaner and greener country, and it’s a vision that can become a reality if we all take climate action now.”
ScottishPower is the UK’s only integrated energy company and generates 100% green electricity from offshore and onshore wind.
It is developing an energy model that will help the UK reach world-leading climate change targets and is investing £10billion in the UK over five years – £6 million every working day – to double its renewable generation capacity and drive forward decarbonisation to support net zero emissions.
It is also a Principal Partner for COP26 and leads on the youth theme for the climate change conference.
Kate Turner, ScottishPower Renewables’ Director of Policy & Regulation, added: “We’re very proud to support young people from across the country in making their voices heard at this crucial climate change conference, and see such considered and thoughtful feedback.
“This is a great opportunity for the youth of today to influence the policies of tomorrow and play a vital role in shaping the legacy of COP26. I have no doubt their efforts can help ensure we all enjoy a cleaner, greener and better future, quicker – and we will do all we can to make that happen.”
‘Let’s Talk Energy’ is part of a long-term educational partnership between ScottishPower Renewables and Glasgow Science Centre.
The two organisations developed the joint COP26 programme to help children and young people engage with the United Nations Climate Change Conference. It was specially selected by the UK Cabinet Office to take place in the Green Zone.
Glasgow Science Centre helped the young people aged 11-14 research renewable energy policy ahead of the event through home and classroom learning. The pupils explored how renewable technologies such as onshore wind, offshore wind, solar power and green hydrogen could be used to achieve Net Zero.
Schools taking part in the event were: Earlston High School, Edinburgh Academy, Govan High, Hutchesons’ Grammar, Mearns Castle, Renfrew High, Strathaven Academy, St Aloysius, Turnbull High School and Woodfarm.
As part of its COP26 education programme, ScottishPower Renewables is also working with Glasgow Science Centre on a Renewables Challenge for 124 primary schools across Scotland. The four-week education programme will help P5-P7 pupils from learn about COP26, renewable energy, green jobs and going carbon neutral.
New poll finds disabled workers have been “hit hardest” in the wallet by Covid-19 and have faced financial hardship, increased debt and have been forced to use food banks
Accompanying new TUC analysis finds non-disabled workers are now paid 16.5 per cent more a year than non-disabled workers
And disability charity Leonard Cheshire highlights discrimination against disabled workers, with 1 in 5 employers less likely to employ disabled people
Two in five (40 per cent) disabled workers have been pushed into financial hardship over the last year, according to new TUC polling published today (Tuesday).
The polling – carried out for the union body by BritainThinks – shows how disabled workers’ living standards have been “hit hardest” by Covid-19.
And leading disability charity Leonard Cheshire is today adding its voice to TUC’s, publishing new research which shows the continuing stigma against disabled workers, and calling for action to break down barriers to employment for disabled people.
Financial hardship
Two in five (40 per cent) disabled workers told the TUC that they’ve faced financial difficulty during the pandemic compared to around one in four (27 per cent) non-disabled workers.
They said that they had experienced:
Increasing debt: More than one in six (16 per cent) of disabled workers said their level of debt have increased compared to around one in 10 (11 per cent) non-disabled workers.
Cutting back on spending: Around three in 10 (28 per cent) disabled workers had been forced to cut back on spending, compared to around two in 10 (18 per cent) non-disabled workers.
Using food banks: Disabled workers (six per cent) were twice as likely to have had to visit a food bank than non-disabled workers (three per cent).
Disabled workers (22 per cent) were also twice as likely to say they were concerned about losing their jobs than non-disabled workers (11 per cent).
‘Disability pay gap day’
The poll findings are published alongside new TUC analysis which shows that non-disabled employees earn on average £1.90 an hour (16.5 per cent) more than disabled employees – or £3,458 more a year (based on a 35-hour week).
That means disabled workers effectively stop getting paid today, and work for free for the last 52 days of the year. The TUC has branded today ‘disability pay gap day’.
And disabled women face an even bigger pay gap. Non-disabled men are paid on average 32 per cent (£3.50 an hour, or around £6,370 a year) more than disabled women.
The £3,458 pay gap is the equivalent of:
More than a year (13 months) of the average household expenditure on food and non-alcoholic drinks (£63.70 per week) or
Nearly a year (10 months) of the average expenditure on housing, fuel and power (£83.00 per week) or
Nearly a year (10 months) of what the average household spends on transport (£81.60 per week).
Leonard Cheshire research
Leading global disability charity Leonard Cheshire is releasing new research today which reveals that disabled workers say they have been left behind by the Covid-19 recovery.
The Leonard Cheshire study finds that the vast majority (89 per cent) of disabled young people aged 18-24 years old said that their work had been affected by the pandemic, and that one in five employers (19 per cent) would be less likely to employ a disabled person than a non-disabled person.
The TUC and Leonard Cheshire are urging the government to act now to close the disability employment and pay gap and ensure disabled people gain and retain quality employment.
TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Disabled workers have been hit hardest by Covid-19. Many have been pushed into financial hardship and left without a safety net.
“With a cost-of-living crisis looming we need urgent action from ministers.
“As we saw with the last financial crisis disabled people are all too often first in line for redundancy, and those who keep hold of their jobs face a yawning pay gap.
“Disabled people deserve much better. We need mandatory disability pay gap reporting to shine a light on poor workplace practices that fuel inequality at work.
“Without this, millions of disabled workers will be consigned to years of lower pay and in-work poverty.”
Director of Policy at Leonard Cheshire Gemma Hope said: “Disabled people have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic and employment support is vital to ensure they’re not further left behind.
“Our research also suggests stubborn levels of stigma amongst employers and that young disabled people remain adrift in the current job market.
“We call on government to increase efforts to support disabled job seekers and recruiters to continue working with us in recognising the depth of talent available.”
Government action needed
The TUC is calling on the government to deliver:
Mandatory disability pay gap reporting for all employers with more than 50 employees. This should be accompanied by a duty on bosses to produce targeted action plans identifying the steps they will take to address any gaps identified.
Enforcement of reasonable adjustments: The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) should get specific funding to enforce disabled workers’ rights to reasonable adjustments.
A stronger legal framework for adjustments: The EHRC must update their statutory code of practice to include more examples of reasonable adjustments, to help disabled workers get the adjustments they need quickly and effectively. This will help lawyers, advisers, union reps and human resources departments apply the law and understand its technical detail.
Around 24,000 HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) customers with a Post Office card account have just three weeks left to update the department with new payment details before the 30 November deadline, or risk having payments paused.
From 1 December 2021, HMRC will stop making tax credits, Child Benefit and Guardian’s Allowance payments to Post Office card accounts. HMRC is urging account holders to contact them to update their bank account details to continue receiving payments without disruption.
Customers can choose to receive their benefits and credits payments to a bank, building society or credit union account. If they already have an alternative account, they can contact HMRC now to update their details.
Child Benefit and Guardian’s Allowance customers can use their Personal Tax Account to provide revised account details, change their bank account details via GOV.UK or by contacting the Child Benefit helpline on 0300 200 3100.
Tax credits customers can change their bank account details by contacting the tax credits helpline on 0345 300 3900. If customers cannot open a bank account, they should contact HMRC.
Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said: “Time is running out for customers who have been using a Post Office card account to get payments from us. They need to give us their new account details now to avoid their payments being suspended.
“They can update their details online or by calling us, and they need to be very careful to avoid handing over personal details to fraudsters contacting them claiming to be from HMRC.”
If a customer misses the 30 November deadline, their payments will be paused until the customer notifies HMRC of their new account details.
HMRC has been contacting customers recently to urge them to take action.
HMRC urges everyone to be alert if they are contacted out of the blue by someone asking for money or personal information. Customers should always type in the full online address www.gov.uk/hmrc to access the correct HMRC contact 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 double BRIT and Grammy winners will be supported by BBC Radio 1 DJ, and Scotland’s answer to Annie Mac, Arielle Free, who will be returning to Edinburgh’s Hogmanay after ringing in the bells in 2019. Party goers can prepare themselves for more bangers than the midnight fireworks, making it the best place to welcome the new year!
Garden Access Tickets for Party at the Bells are now sold out, a limited number of Premium Garden Access Tickets for Party at the Bells went on sale today (Tuesday 9 November) at 10am.
Party at the Bells: Street Access tickets will allow revellers to view Basement Jaxx’s DJ set through a series of screens as they are beamed onto the street from the Ross Bandstand. Party goers will also enjoy interactive street theatre entertainment from Close-Act Street Theatre, who will be joined by Scottish based PyroCeltica with more acts to be announced soon.
The world-renowned midnight firework display will also return with a bang, accompanied by a special soundtrack from Basement Jaxx themselves.
Underbelly Co-Directors, Charlie Wood and Ed Bartlam, said: ‘Basement Jaxx are world class DJs and we’re bringing them to Edinburgh for the biggest night of the year!
“Nothing brings people together like live music and, after a year like no other, we can’t wait to see them on stage in Edinburgh, helping us to see 2021 out in style.’
Basement Jaxx duo, Felix Burton and Simon Ratcliffe said: “Edinburgh’s Hogmanay is an iconic event known to artists around the world.
“The crowds in Edinburgh are always full of atmosphere and we know it will be a special night heading into 2022.”
Cllr Cammy Day, Depute Leader of the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “Edinburgh is THE place to be to celebrate Hogmanay and it’s great to have the return of live events including music from Basement Jaxx to herald 2022.
“The past year has been very challenging right across the globe and for us, Edinburgh’s Hogmanay is such a fantastic way to close 2021 and bring a shared sense of renewed hope and optimism for the year ahead.”
In a showcase of some of the best of Scottish music, Edinburgh’s Hogmanay festival will also see Greyfriars Kirk play host to imaginative contemporary folk act, Breabach, on 29 December whilst local singer-songwriter, Dougie Maclean OBE and three x BRIT Award winner, Eddi Reader OBE take to the stage on 30 and 31 December respectively.
Working closely with the City of Edinburgh Council and Scottish Government, Underbelly is meticulously planning Edinburgh’s Hogmanay in the context of Covid-19 and is dedicated to creating a safe and fun environment for the 2021 celebrations. Ticket holders for the Party at the Bells and the Torchlight Procession, who are aged 18 and over, will need to show a Covid-19 passport to enter the events.
Science and Innovation Day at COP26 will see the announcement of new initiatives backed by global coalitions of nations, businesses and scientists. These will support the implementation of the goals announced during the World Leaders Summit and other country commitments announced during the first week of the conference.
Government Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance will underline the critical role of science and innovation in enabling every country to access the tools it needs to immediately reduce emissions in line with Paris temperature targets, and to adapt to the effects of climate change that we are already seeing.
These initiatives include:
new commitments to accelerate innovation and low carbon transitions in industry and cities
new global Adaptation Research Alliance to increase the resilience of vulnerable communities on the frontline of climate change
independent experts to track progress against the Breakthrough Agenda announced by world leaders on 2 November, advising on action and collaboration
global scientific research community to produce annual climate risk assessment to ensure the dangers are fully understood by world leaders
Mission Innovation, a coalition of 23 governments (covering 95% of global public investment in clean technology, research and development) will announce 4 new ‘innovation missions’ in which countries will work together to accelerate the development of clean technologies for cities, industry, carbon dioxide removal, and the production of renewable fuels, chemicals, and materials.
Mission Innovation’s ‘innovation missions’ now cover sectors responsible for more than 50% of global emissions.
The Adaptation Research Alliance (ARA) – a global first – launches today. This network of over 90 organisations across 30 economies will see governments, research institutions and communities collaborate to increase the resilience of vulnerable communities on the frontline of climate change.
A new landmark programme putting the ARA’s work into practice is the Climate Adaptation and Resilience research programme (CLARE), jointly funded by the UK and Canada.
Today the UK announces a further £48 million towards CLARE, bringing the total UK aid funding to £100 million, alongside £10 million from Canada to support the development of actionable solutions in communities most vulnerable to climate change and extreme weather events. £40 million of the UK’s contribution will be focused on Africa, and in total the programme is set to benefit at least 5 million people around the world.
To support implementation of the Breakthrough Agenda announced by World Leaders on 2 November, a new ‘Global Checkpoint Process’ will seek to sustain and strengthen international cooperation in each of the emitting sectors.
Independent experts led by the International Energy Agency (IEA), together with the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the UN High Level Climate Action Champions will produce an annual report to track progress and advise on action. Informed by this advice, countries will discuss how they can work together to make faster progress.
A group of leading international scientific organisations will make a new commitment to improve the way we assess and communicate climate risk to inform the decisions of world leaders.
The coalition, including, amongst others, the World Meteorological Organisation and the World Climate Research Programme, will work to ensure that research and reports for policymakers set out clearly for world leaders the full scale of the dangers we will face if global temperature increase is not held below 1.5 degrees.
Other announcements on Science and Innovation Day include:
Under the Industrial Deep Decarbonisation Initiative (IDDI) the UK, India, Germany, Canada and UAE will work together to create new markets for low carbon steel and concrete. The IDDI launched today a campaign where member governments, including the UK, commit to the disclosure of embodied carbon of major public construction by no later than 2025, they also pledged to achieve net zero in major public construction steel and concrete by 2050, and to work towards an emission reduction for 2030 to be announced next year.
Building on the success of the Futures We Want collaboration, the UK COP26 Presidency, in partnership with Italy, is establishing a new global partnership to leverage the power of science and innovation to address key challenges blocking the path to a climate-resilient, net-zero future.
This new partnership will bring together countries from across the world to pool scientific expertise and develop new ways to bring citizen voices into policy making, by running a series of region-led projects to tackle specific net-zero challenges.
47 countries (including Malawi, Spain, Morocco and the US) have committed to building health systems which are able to withstand the impacts of climate change and which are low carbon and sustainable. These include 42 countries, representing over a third of global health care emissions, which have committed to develop a sustainable, low-carbon health system. 12 of these 42 countries have set a deadline of 2050 or earlier, by which their health system will reach Net Zero.
Patrick Vallance UK Chief Scientific Adviser said: “The facts are clear: we must limit warming to 1.5C. Thanks to science, that is feasible – the technologies are already available.
Investment in research and development will deliver new clean technologies, while policies to create markets will ensure they are deployed. At the same time, science will help us adapt to the impacts of climate change we’re already seeing around the world and transform our economies.
“Through research and innovation, we will adjust essential systems and ensure continued safety, security and prosperity.”
Patrick Child, Chair of Mission Innovation and Deputy Director-General for Research and Innovation at European Commission said: “Clean energy solutions must be cost-effective at scale and available everywhere if we are going to reach net zero.
“We must invest in innovation now to scale up these vital technologies and avoid a climate disaster. International collaboration sits at the heart of this, and Mission Innovation provides a vital platform for world governments to drive action and investment in the technologies which will save our planet.
Jesse De Maria Kinney, Head of Secretariat for Adaptation Research Alliance (ARA) said: “Climate adaptation requires evidence-based solutions that are tailored to local contexts.
“The formal launch of the ARA highlights a growing global movement supporting this approach among funders, researchers, policymakers and communities and our collective commitment to driving a paradigm shift in the adaptation community where solutions are co-produced, action oriented and lead to positive changes in people’s lives.
Anne-Marie Trevelyan, COP26 Champion on Adaptation and Resilience said: “Action-focused research is crucial to effective, inclusive and sustainable climate adaptation, particularly to protect the most vulnerable communities from the impacts of climate change.
“We will ensure women’s voices shape these conversations, and women’s leadership and expertise are championed to deliver gender-sensitive adaptation solutions. Both the Adaptation Research Alliance and the UK’s support for the Climate Adaptation and Resilience research programme will improve the effectiveness of adaptation, putting people at the heart of climate research to build the resilience of those living on the frontline of the climate crisis.”
Science Minister George Freeman, Science Minister said: “Real change to combat climate change cannot happen without new scientific ideas, innovation and research, and it is clear that no country or company acting in isolation can deliver the change that is needed at the pace that is needed.
“As an innovation nation, we want to lead the global effort to have every country, organisation and business contribute to this agenda by encouraging new ideas and products. That is why, for example, we have launched new commitments to enhance international innovation cooperation and ensure we meet our climate goals.
“The scale of the challenge we face is daunting, but there is room for optimism, and I look forward to working together to unleash a new wave of innovation to build a cleaner, better, and more prosperous world.”
The third Diwali in the series of Diwalis started by the Scotland Chapter of Hindu Forum Britain was celebrated in the UK Government Hub in Edinburgh on 1st November 2021 (writes Ms RICHA SINHA).
The first Diwali was celebrated by the Hindu Forum Britain in the Scottish Parliament in 2019 and the second one was a Virtual Diwali Hosted Online due to Covid-19.
With a view to supporting COP26, , which started on the same day on 1st Nov 2021, HFB Scotland Chapter celebrated Eco-Diwali, highlighting through Diwali event, the salience that Hindu ethos places on respecting and protecting the environment.
The Eco-Diwali was celebrated at Queen Elizabeth house, sponsored by Ministers of the Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland.
As the UK secretary of state for Scotland was busy with Cop26 conference the event was hosted by Hon Lord Offord of Garvel, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State.
The event was attended by numerous faith Leaders and Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture Mr Angus Robertson and MSPs including Alex Cole-Hamilton and Pam Gosal.
The programme commenced with the Ceremonial Eco Lamp Lighting ceremony by the Guests
Mr Puneet Dwivedi, Vice president HFB with the help of his Team of Volunteers organized the most colourful celebrations and with sacred chants, traditional Indian dances, followed by speeches by dignitaries.
There were slide shows highlight community works by the temples in Scotland, spotlighting the environmental action being undertaken by the Hindu temples and organisations.
Puneet Dwivedi welcomed guests byhighlighting the contribution of Scottish Hindu Community during COVID crisis be it amazing frontline workers like doctors and nurses to the temples who opened the kitchen to feed the vulnerable and support the key workers.
He explained how Hindu philosophy consists of eco-friendly principles and practices and has been passed down through generations.
Puneet also highlighted small and sustainable steps taken by Hindu community to protect mother earth e.g. HFB officially launched its Hindu Environmental Task Force (HETF) on 18th September to raise awareness and to support its member organisations to become increasingly more environmental; ISKCON Scotland launched the Cow care project, where Cows and Bulls will be cared for till their natural death.
This project serve as an example of sustainable agriculture by working with bulls, and most temples in Scotland signed the Environmental Charter.
Lord Offord gave the beautiful message of hope with the vaccine of light driving away the disease of darkness.
He was happy to greet his colleagues from Holyrood and pledged towards one common goal which was betterment of people of every political stride and every religion.
He had visited Mumbai recently and recollected his time when tattoo met Bollywood with dancers mixing up and thanked Hindu Forum Britain for bringing the event to Queen Elizabeth House and wished them well in future endeavours.
Cabinet Secretary Mr Angus Robertson started by passing his best wishes from Nicola sturgeon and mentioned how he attended every single Diwali Reception when in Westminster.
He added that the Hindu traditions have deep reverence to the natural world and reminds us our actions have consequences. He Congratulated Hindu Forum Britain’s Hindu environmental task forces and said that the government was indebted for the work done by the Hindu community who have so many in the vital front line services.
Sister Jayanti From BrahmaKumari made reference to Goddess of wealth Lakshmi, and said the word comes from ‘Lakshan’ which means virtues and reminded us of the wealth of virtues.
As much as we clean home we should clean our Inner beings and environment of pollution so wealth of virtues can come to our lives to create a better world. She ended her speech with ‘Om Shanti’ which means lets there be world peace.
Lord Wallace, moderator of the Church of Scotland spoke of the Vigil that took place in George Square and common hope and congratulated all faith organisations to come together to spread the message of hope.
Maulana Imam Syed Razazvi thanked HFB president Mrs Trupti Patel and Hindu community and reiterated that we are friends and we can always rely on each other.
The program was interspersed by elegant and graceful Indian classical Dance performances by Theiya Arts, where the performers (Ms Himadri Madan, Ms Nandini Manjunath, Ms Karen Watts & Ms Tharanga Wickramsinghe) presented an Indian and Sri Lankan classical forms dedicated to mother earth and our environment: this dance form has evolved from the natural world around us, as a way to embody nature and our environment and incorporate it into our being and storytelling.
HFB president Ms Trupti Patel, sent video message as she couldn’t attend the event. In her video message she highlighted the connection between celtic people and vedic people and how Scottish Hindu Community can work together by taking steps to preserve our environment.
Mr Mithilesh Vaddiparthi, who holds a guinness world records in singing sung the beautiful devotional song “Vaishnav Jan To..” and ended his singing with traditional rendition and the foot tapping “Jai ho “
MSP Alex-Cole Hamilton, who has become quite the favourite of the Hindu Diaspora in Edinburgh, with his past heartfelt speeches lured the audience with his Indian greeting of ‘Namaste’ ‘Om Shanti ‘ and Jai Shri Ram. He highlighted that Diwali is also time to triumph of light over ignorance over climate change.
Pam Gosal in her speech mentioned how the first 2 Indian Scottish Ministers joining the Scottish Parliament and the First Hindu Minister in Sandesh Gulhane has added to the Diversity in Parliament.
Finally HFB Scotland Chapter Diwali brochures were launched by the Minsiters, Cabinet Secreteary, MSP & Armed forces officials
The vote of Thanks was given by Richa Sinha who spoke about what it means for her to be a Scottish Hindu and thanked the leadership in creating an atmosphere where she could take pride in her Scottish Hindu Identity and contribute to the diversity of this great nation.
Hindu Forum Britain are proud to carry out the 3rd consecutive Diwali Celebration and hope the tradition will continue in the years to come and bring the Diverse Scottish Hindu community together with all faiths working together for the betterment of the nation.
This Diwali reception by Hindus in Scotland hosted by HFB Scotland is the only event that encompasses and invites members and peers from all political parties to share the colourful and wondrous Diwali celebration with Hindu community leaders, religious leaders and leading figures from businesses across Britain.
The spirit of hope, friendship, religious tolerance peace and harmony that Deepavali embodies is really quite profound and resonates with people of all faiths.
COP President Alok Sharma will announce how £165 million of UK funding will progress gender equality while tackling climate change
Two new programmes to boost women’s climate leadership and support those most vulnerable to climate change.
Ministers and representatives from private sector and civil society from across the world will meet at Gender Day at COP26 to announce new commitments which address the links between climate action and gender equality.
At its COP26 Gender Day today (Tuesday 9 November), the UK will announce £165 million to tackle climate change while addressing the inequalities that make women and girls more vulnerable to climate change and empowering them to take climate action.
Around the world, the UN has found that women are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change than men, in part because they constitute a large majority of the world’s poor and often depend on small-scale farming for a livelihood, which is particularly vulnerable to climate change. Women and children can comprise 80% of those displaced by climate-related disaster. But addressing gender inequality has also been proven to advance efforts to tackle climate change.
£165 million in UK funding will drive forward these aims:
up to £45 million to help empower local communities and grassroots women’s groups in Asia and the Pacific to challenge gender inequalities and adapt to the impacts of climate change.
£120 million to build resilience, prevent pollution, protect biodiversity, strengthen renewable energy and better manage waste, while also supporting women’s leadership, access to finance, education and skills in Bangladesh.
The chair of the flagship Gender Day event, UK International Champion on Adaptation and Resilience for the COP26 Presidency, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, said: “It is women, girls and those who are already most marginalised, that will be most severely impacted by climate change. But they also have a critical role to play to address the climate crisis.
“The UK is committed to addressing this dual challenge head on, committing new funding to empower communities and women’s groups to take locally-led adaptation action, to build local, national and global resilience. I urge more countries to make commitments to implement the UNFCCC Gender Action Plan and deliver the goals of the Feminist Action for Climate Justice.”
Through its COP26 Presidency, the UK has been urging countries around the world to put gender equality at the heart of climate action, and will today convene ministers and other actors to discuss new action to tackle gender and climate change. A number of countries and stakeholders will also announce bold new gender and climate commitments today.
The UK will jointly launch a toolkit on gender-smart climate finance. Co-led by CDC, the UK’s Development Finance Institution, the toolkit will improve understanding on the opportunities of gender-sensitive climate investment by providing guidance to the finance community on how to deliver climate outcomes while promoting gender equality and women’s economic opportunities.
Fatou Jeng, Founder, Clean Earth Gambia and Co-Lead YOUNGO Women and Gender working group, said: “Gender inequality creates additional burdens and barriers for women and girls during times of conflict and climate-related crisis which increases their risks of hunger, food insecurity and violence. But women play fundamental roles in local food systems and are carers and activists, which make them uniquely placed to drive longer term climate resilience.
“Women should be involved in the policy making, project planning and implementation of climate adaptation projects, and gender equality should be a key portion in climate financing. If gender equality is not taken as a serious issue in our climate decision-making, climate financing and climate adaptation processes, it will undermine opportunities for women in vulnerable communities to drive effective climate change adaptation and mitigation approaches that meet their needs.”
COP26 President Alok Sharma and Anne-Marie Trevelyan will host the UK’s Presidency Gender Day event accompanied by Little Amal, the 3.5 metre puppet travelling 8,000km in support of refugees, and Brianna Fruean, a Samoan Climate Change activist.
The First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, will speak along with youth advocate Fatou Jeng, UN Women Deputy Executive Director Asa Regner and Indigenous activist Tarcila Rivera Zea, for a discussion on how to enable gender equality through climate actions. The Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, will also address the event.
Minister for Europe and the Americas, Wendy Morton, will also announce the UK’s new commitment to develop a FCDO girls’ education and climate policy to help secure concerted global action on climate change in the education sector, to prevent climate change disrupting girls’ education and empowering girls to take climate action.
This follows COP26 Youth and Public Empowerment Day last week, where the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Girls’ Education Helen Grant announced support for girls’ education in the face of climate change. This includes an £85,000 research grant to support the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre. The Centre will produce better information on the education needs of refugee children to enable a more effective international response.
More than 2 million consultations with NHS Pharmacy First
An innovative NHS community pharmacy service has helped see patients quickly and relieve pressure on A&E units and GP surgeries by sparing the NHS 200,000 avoidable appointments for the treatment of urinary tract and skin infections in the last year.
The NHS Pharmacy First network of more than 1,200 community pharmacies are the first port of call for minor ailments and common clinical conditions. The NHS Pharmacy First Scotland service has carried out over 2 million consultations since the launch of the service in July 2020.
The service provides free access to a consultation with an appropriately qualified member of the pharmacy team who provides advice on self-care, referral to another part of the NHS if they feel it is necessary and, if appropriate, will provide treatment.
The community pharmacist can also treat certain conditions such as urinary tract infections, shingles and impetigo without the need for a prescription or to see a doctor. This is part of a co-ordinated series of measures to improve patient care and help reduce demand on A&E.
Pharmacists in the network have taken more than 200,000 appointments in the last year which would otherwise have gone to GP surgeries or hospital A&E departments.
Since its launch at the height of the pandemic, only 4% of patients needed to be referred on to another healthcare professional, such as a GP or hospital unit. The majority were handled by the pharmacy team, advice on self-care or with treatment.
Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “Community pharmacists are playing a fantastic role in ensuring that millions of people have their minor ailment needs addressed quickly, without needing to go to a GP or hospital. They are a prime example of getting the right care in the right place at the right time.
“This is particularly helpful as our NHS faces one of the most difficult winters in its history, with the NHS Pharmacy First service helping to relieve some of the current pressures faced by emergency departments. As community pharmacy staff continue to give care and advice during the busy winter period, please continue to be kind and patient.
“The Scottish Government introduced the NHS Pharmacy First service, backed by £10 million of investment. As part of the NHS Recovery Plan we will look to expand the range of common clinical conditions that can be treated by community pharmacists, avoiding unnecessary GP and out of hours appointments.
“We have also committed to establishing a community pharmacy hospital discharge and medicines reconciliation service to help speed up the process for people being discharged from hospital. New digital solutions such as ePrescribing and eDispensing will make prescribing paperless and free up capacity for healthcare professionals to see more patients, while making it easier for the public to access their medicines quickly and safely.”
NHS Pharmacy First Scotland launched on 29 July 2020, and is designed to encourage everyone to visit their community pharmacy as the first port of call for all minor illnesses and specific common clinical conditions.
Peter Vardy, has become the first Scottish automotive dealership group to enter a partnership with electric vehicle specialist, Zoom EV, to provide customers with a bundle of services and benefits that simplifies their switch to electric vehicles (EV).
Peter Vardy Group, established in 2006, is a family-run business with 15 dealerships at sites across Scotland, which include 8 dedicated used car supermarkets trading under the Peter Vardy CARZ brand.
Customers who buy a plug-in hybrid or fully electric car from a CARZ store, will gain access to a suite of discounts as part of Peter Vardy’s EV Benefits Bundle, as well as support from Zoom EV’s expert team.
Benefits include discounted access to industry leading public charging networks, smart home charging units, EV home energy tariffs and accident management services.
Ed Carpenter, Director of Electric Vehicles at Peter Vardysaid: “We are delighted to partner with Zoom EV to further progress our ambition of becoming Scotland’s go-to dealer group for purchasing new and pre-owned electric vehicles.
“We understand that transitioning from a conventional car to an EV can be a daunting experience for some motorists and our teams are often faced with questions around charging an electric car.
“With Zoom EV’s support, the Peter Vardy EV Benefits Bundle will mitigate these concerns, providing our customers with bespoke services to make their EV ownership experience enjoyable and hassle-free.
“As the climate crisis continues to become more apparent, we are proud to be encouraging EV use in the UK and excited to be on this electric journey with Zoom EV.”
Greg Fairbotham, CEO at Zoom EV, said: “We know from our work in the auto-dealer sector that supporting the transition process is critical in customers’ decisions to go electric.
“We are committed to making the switch as easy as possible by ensuring easy access to the essential services needed to own an electric vehicle, whilst also saving customers money. Our concierge-style service gives customers reassurance and a helping hand as they transition to electric.
“Peter Vardy is proactively driving the adoption of electric vehicles across Scotland, and the EV Benefits Bundle is a fantastic way to encourage drivers to make the decision to go electric. We are excited to be working with them.”
For more information contact Peter Vardy Group on 0333 456 0505 or Zoom EV at membersupport@zoom-ev.com.
