Keep the Lifeline: Holyrood votes to oppose Universal Credit cut

Yesterday, Lothian MSP, and Scottish Greens Co-leader, Lorna Slater joined the overwhelming majority of MSPs in voting to oppose the cruel Tory £20 cut to universal credit that is being inflicted by Westminster.

The cut will impact tens of thousands of families in Lothian, cutting their income by £1,040 per year.

Lothian MSP and Scottish Greens Co-leader Lorna Slater said: “The Tories have shown their true colours. This is one of the biggest social security cuts ever seen in this country and could plunge tens of thousands of families in Lothian into despair.

“It is particularly unwelcome at a time when so many people are still struggling with the impact of the pandemic.

“£20 a week may not be a lot to the Prime Minister and his colleagues, but for far too many families it is crucial to their budgeting and their wellbeing. For many people across this city, it could be the difference between a warm home and a cold one this winter

“Many people claiming universal credit are in fact in work. The so-called uplift was not an act of generosity, but an admission of failure – an admission that the system had been so damaged by cuts that it was no longer able to provide adequate support for people needing help with their incomes for reasons beyond their control.

“The cut is symbolic of a UK government that knows the price of some things but the value of nothing. It shows why Scotland needs the powers to chart a different path that prioritises human need and builds a fairer, greener recovery for all.”

Holyrood Social Security Minister, Edinburgh Northern & Leith MSP Ben Macpherson, closed yesterday’s debate:

#KeepTheLifeline

Tackling coronavirus in Scotland: £25 million to improve ventilation

Business premises will be able to access a £25 million package to improve ventilation and reduce the risk of coronavirus (COVID-19) transmission.

Grants will target a wide range of high risk settings where people come into close proximity, including restaurants, bars and gyms, with support available to help companies undertake work such as the installation of carbon dioxide monitors and altering windows and vents.

An expert advice group, chaired by Professor Tim Sharpe from the University of Strathclyde, unanimously recommended that businesses should be supported to improve ventilation. The Group was established in August to advise how enhanced ventilation can help reduce transmission of the virus.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “As we step away from other mitigations, improved ventilation will play a significant role in reducing transmission indoors, support the sustained opening of society and contribute to our wider Covid recovery.

“Many of the businesses we are targeting have been closed for long periods and it is right that they are helped to undertake this work. We are allocating up to £25 million to assist small and medium-sized enterprises and expect to begin making payments in November.

“The package will initially target higher risk sectors where people spend significant amounts of time in close proximity to each other, such as hospitality and leisure, and will make indoor settings safer, especially through the winter months.”

Further details of the grants, including eligibility and timing, will be published on findbusinesssupport.gov.scot in due course.

Rare Birds Books opens its first female-centric bookstore – and welcomes more than 1,500 visitors over first weekend

Best-selling book club has launched to unprecedented success in the heart of Stockbridge

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Home of female fiction, Rare Birds Books has launched Scotland’s first female-centric bookshop, right in the heart of Edinburgh’s Stockbridge.

In a bold move that saw the globally beloved book club show resilience and innovation in a time of retail uncertainty, founder Rachel Wood welcomed over 1,500 visitors into the shop over the first trading weekend.

Opened on 6th August, at 13 Raeburn Place in Stockbridge, Rare Birds Books saw over 2,000 customers during its first month, selling around 3,000 books – proof that the nation’s love of reading has not abated following the end of lockdown.

In an even further show of local solidarity, Edinburgh shoppers came out in force, with one of the shop’s top four best-sellers over the last month being Luckenbooth, a haunting novel by Scotland-born Jenni Fagen.

A story set in Edinburgh, it is joined by Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia and The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett, which were both past Rare Birds Book Club picks, as well as Things Remembered and Things Forgotten by Kyoko Nakajima. 

Besides the books that customers from around the UK have flocked to purchase, the store has also had to re-stock its now iconic tote bag and a number of the newly launched scented candles, which are made to be paired with whatever genre you are reading. ‘True Crime’ scent and ‘Writer’s Block’ have both flown off the shelves and are looking to be Christmas must-haves this year.

Book club founder and shop owner, Rachel Wood, said: “The store was always supposed to be the physical representation of our beloved book club, and we are thrilled our rare birds have already shown so much support in these initial days of launch.

“So far online and in-store sales are neck and neck, so we like to think that our neighbours are enjoying visiting us in person, whilst the rest of our fans around the world continue to join us virtually month on month as we discuss our club picks.

“Now that we are allowed to start hosting events, we will be welcoming in readers from all over for shopping evenings, author events and in-person book club sessions – it’s going to be amazing!”

Set to have its best Christmas yet, the book club you can’t read without, just got better! For more information visit:

https://rarebirdsbookclub.com/

‘Immensely honoured’ Alexander McCall Smith receives Edinburgh Award

Internationally-acclaimed Edinburgh author Alexander McCall Smith CBE was presented with the prestigious Edinburgh Award 2020 in a ceremony at the City Chambers last night [Tues 28 September].

The coveted annual award honours an outstanding individual who has made a positive impact on the city and gained national and international recognition for Edinburgh.

Surrounded by family, friends and invited guests, Mr McCall Smith received an engraved Loving Cup from Lord Provost Frank Ross and was was reunited with a set of his handprints preserved in stone in the City Chambers quadrangle.

The Edinburgh Award, first presented to fellow city author Ian Rankin in 2007, celebrates Mr McCall Smith’s bestselling writing, legal career and academic work.

Emeritus Professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh, Mr McCall Smith became a hugely successful novelist through his The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, The Sunday Philosophy Club and 44 Scotland Street book series, the latter of which is set in the heart of Edinburgh’s New Town.

He is now one of the world’s best-loved writers for both adults and children and his books are published in 47 languages.

Mr McCall Smith is the 14th person to receive the award, succeeding Ann Budge (2019) and fellow writers Ian Rankin OBE (2007) and JK Rowling OBE (2008), as well as fellow academics Professor Peter Higgs (2011) and Sir Timothy O’Shea (2017).

Edinburgh’s Lord Provost Frank Ross said: “It’s an honour and a pleasure to present one of the Capital’s most prestigious accolades, the Edinburgh Award, to Alexander McCall Smith.

“His bestselling novels continue to draw positive, worldwide attention to the city and I’m delighted that fans of his work can now enjoy seeing his handprints immortalised in stone on our very own Edinburgh Award ‘walk of fame’.

Alexander McCall Smith said: “I am immensely honoured by this award and by the kindness of the city in conferring it on me.

“I have spent my entire adult life in this city and would not wish to live elsewhere. It is a wonderful city in every respect and I am so proud to be one of its citizens.”

As part of the Edinburgh Award ceremony, Alan Spence, the Edinburgh Makar, read a specially commissioned work celebrating Alexander McCall Smith.

Enforcement of Scotland’s vaccine certification scheme delayed

Higher risk venues covered by the Coronavirus vaccine certification scheme will have two-and-a-half weeks to test and adapt the new scheme in their own premises before the measures are legally enforced.

The scheme will come into effect as planned on Friday October 1st in Scotland meaning people will have to show proof of their status to  enter some venues and events – but legal enforcement will not come into effect until Monday 18 October.

People attending a range of  late night venues and larger  indoor and outdoor live events, such as music festivals or large sporting events, will be required to show staff their Covid status. This will be done via the Covid Status App on their mobile device or using the paper certificate.

However Scotland’s Night Time Industries Association has launched a legal challenge.

Members of the NTIA have instructed legal counsel to serve a writ on Scottish Government challenging the Covid regulations being put in place to mandate Covid Passports. The NTIA are waiting to hear from the court with regard to hearing date in the coming days.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: “This is a very limited scheme and we hope this will allow businesses to remain open and prevent any further restrictions as we head into autumn and winter.

“The two-and-a-half weeks – effectively a grace period – before legal enforcement applies will allow businesses to test, adapt and build confidence in their own practical arrangements to comply with the scheme.

“We know from expert public health analysis that we must do all we can to stem the rise in cases and reduce the pressure on the NHS.

“Vaccine certificates have a role to play as part of a wider package of measures. They add a further layer of protection in certain higher risk settings.

“I also want to ensure that as many people get vaccinated as possible and particularly to increase uptake in the younger age cohort, so anything that helps to incentivise that is helpful.

“Scotland is not unique in introducing such an approach. Certification schemes are in place across Europe, including Ireland and France, and the Welsh Government is also planning similar measures.”

People in Scotland are now being encouraged to download the NHS Scotland Covid Status App from Thursday September 30th, ahead of the vaccine certification scheme going live the following day. People can also use a paper certificate or the downloadable PDF available via NHS inform.     

The Scottish Government today published further guidance for businesses and venues on the scheme which will assist them in making the necessary preparations for the scheme coming into force.

There are currently no plans to introduce certification for the wider hospitality industry but this will be kept under review over the autumn and winter months.

Exemptions to the scheme include under 18s, participants in vaccine trials, as well as people who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons and people working or performing in the venues.

Officials are currently working across the UK to help ensure people vaccinated outside Scotland can still enter the venues affected with proof of their vaccine status.

The Scottish Licensed Trade Association (SLTA) has welcomed yesterday’s announcement by the First Minister that Scotland’s new vaccine passport system will not be enforced until more than two weeks after it is introduced.

Customers going to nightclubs and several other larger event settings will need proof that they have had two doses of a Covid vaccine from 5am on Friday.

Colin Wilkinson, managing director of the SLTA, said: “This is of course welcome news but it would have been better if we didn’t have Covid passports at all. We remain opposed to the scheme – it is a most unwelcome development for the licensed trade and as we have previously stated, it has happened without any meaningful consultation with the industry.

“However, they are being introduced so we implore the Scottish Government to ensure that the technology utilised is robust, reliable and easy to use for customers and the people tasked with policing the scheme.”

Responding to the Scottish Government’s pledge to provide £25 million to help smaller Scottish businesses improve their ventilation systems, Mr Wilkinson said: “This is excellent news as it will help licensed premises improve their ventilation and ensure the safety of customers and staff.”

The NHS Scotland Covid Status App will be available for download from NHS Inform: 

https://www.nhsinform.scot/

St James Quarter gives a sneak peek into life ‘Behind the Quarter’

As the buzz of the official opening of St James Quarter continues, St James Quarter has provided a rare insight into life behind the scenes, showcasing some of the brands’ located at The Quarter and an update on their story so far.  

Episode 3 of the ‘Behind the Quarter’ series features exclusive interviews with some of the brands that are a first for Scotland, including Pull & Bear, Stradivarius and & Other Stories. Viewers can also enjoy watching snippets of shoppers and colleagues enjoying Edinburgh’s newest retail district.

The video reflects on what guests can now enjoy at the 1.7 million sq ft development which, once fully complete, will feature a shopping galleria with 80 different retailers, an enticing mix of restaurants, Scotland’s first W Edinburgh hotel, a boutique Everyman Cinema, a Roomzzz Aparthotel, residential apartments and parking for 1,600 cars.  

Nick Peel, Managing Director at St James Quarter opens the video sharing details on life at The Quarter so far before moving onto some of the first guests to enter the galleria and their initial impressions and reactions to the brand-new shopping district.

Representatives from LEGO, Rituals, Krispy Kreme, Superdrug, Bonnie & Wild, The Kooples, Lane7 and Tortilla are also interviewed in the video sharing exclusive details of what they have been up to since opening their doors and what customers can expect over the coming months.

The full video can be streamed here.

To download this teaser content, click here.

Queen’s leads consortium to better understand link between healthy living and dementia

Can a healthy lifestyle combat undernutrition and dementia?

 The PROMED-COG (PROtein enriched MEDiterranean diet to combat undernutrition and promote healthy neuroCOGnitive ageing) Consortium brings together unique expertise to better understand how the balance between diet and physical activity could reverse undernutrition during ageing and, ultimately, prevent dementia. 

The research led by Queen’s University Belfast will provide new and critical insight into the role of undernutrition in cognitive health. It will explore how diet and exercise can work to combat undernutrition and the effect of factors – such as age, gender, and genetics -on the risk of dementia in older age. 

One in ten adults aged 60 years+ are undernourished, which means that they have low levels of proteins, calories, vitamins, and minerals caused by reduced food intake or because the body does not process food properly.

Undernutrition has a negative impact on the health of older people as it leads to weight loss and increases the risk of dementia in later life.  

PROMED-COG project co-ordinator, Dr Claire McEvoy from the Centre for Public Health at Queen’s University Belfast, said: “Weight loss increases the risk of dementia by up to 40% but occurs a decade or more before the symptoms of memory loss become apparent.

“This gives us an opportunity to intervene early with preventative strategies to counteract undernutrition and, potentially, the onset of cognitive impairment.” 

Dementia is a major health priority. It already affects around seven million people in Europe, a figure set to double by 2030, with socioeconomic costs rising to over €250 billion. 

While factors, such as age and genetics, influence the onset of dementia and cannot be changed, some lifestyle changes could make a difference. PROMED-COG will use existing datasets in Italy to study the links between undernutrition, cognitive decline, and dementia.

The project will also test the effect of adopting a diet and exercise intervention over six months on undernutrition and cognition in older adults living in Northern Ireland. This will inform the recommendations developed to slow down cognitive decline and prevent dementia in older European citizens.  

Dr McEvoy added: “Dementia is a huge problem affecting our ageing population. There is a significant lack of research in this area and this new grant will bring together a range of European experts to develop evidence-based recommendations for the prevention of undernutrition and cognitive impairment during ageing. 

“This will not only prolong the period of life spent in good health but will also reduce the societal and economic burden of dementia.” 

The European Horizon 2020 Joint Programming Initiative “A Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life”, and ERA-NET Cofund ERA-HDHL (GA N° 696295) has awarded a grant of over 680,000 euros to the PROMED-COG consortium. Led by Queen’s University Belfast, the Consortium includes The National Research Council Italy, The University of Padova, University College Dublin, Wageningen University, and The Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg. 

Crime: Justice Secretary hails ‘very positive trends’

Crimes in four key areas down in the past year

Recorded crime remains at one of the lowest levels in nearly 50 years, according to the latest annual statistics.

Official figures show that the total number of crimes recorded by Police Scotland in the past year was 246,511 – one of the lowest levels of recorded crime since 1974.

Overall, that figure is down by five crimes from the previous year. However, taking into account the 20,976 crimes recorded under Coronavirus related legislation, compared to just 107 towards the end of 2019-20, other crime categories have collectively decreased by 8% in the past year.

Between 2019-20 and 2020-21 recorded crime fell in four key areas:

  • non-sexual crimes of violence decreased by 4%, from 9,316 to 8,972. This includes the recording of 1,641 crimes under the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018 in 2020-21, the second year this legislation has been in place
  • sexual crimes decreased by 2% from 13,364 to 13,131
  • crimes of dishonesty decreased by 19%, from 111,409 to 89,731, the lowest level since 1971
  • fire-raising and vandalism decreased by 10% from 47,731 to 42,964. The recording of these crimes is at the lowest level seen since 1975

The National Statistics Recorded Crime in Scotland 2020-21 bulletin – which includes a new chapter on cyber-crime – estimated that 14,130 cyber-crimes were recorded by the police in Scotland in 2020-21, almost double the 2019-20 figure.

Part of this increase may be due to the significant impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, including behavioural changes such as increased online shopping.

Justice Secretary Keith Brown said: “By all main measures crime, including violent crime, is now considerably lower than it was a decade ago, with fewer victims. These statistics show how crime in areas like vandalism and dishonesty – the sorts of crime that affects peoples’ everyday lives – has fallen, with levels not seen since the 1970s.

“There is still work to be done as the figures on cybercrime show – which is why we have this year published a prevention, awareness and enforcement strategy to make Scotland an inhospitable place for scammers.

“And while COVID-19 has no doubt had an impact on the figures, recorded crime was on a downward trend beforehand and through the measures we recently announced out in our Programme for Government – we will continue to make Scotland a safe place to live.

“It sets out how we intend to transform the way in which justice services are delivered, moving away from the use of custody for those who don’t pose a risk of serious harm, while protecting the police resource budget in real terms for the entirety of the Parliament.

“Overall, these very positive trends are testimony not just to the hard work of Police Scotland but to the vital support the Scottish Government has put in place to enable officers to do their jobs effectively.”

Read the full statistical release.

Consumers divided over electric vehicle revolution, Which? reveals

Older consumers, those on low incomes and rural households will need more support to switch to electric vehicles due to concerns about affordability, range and the UK’s charging infrastructure, new Which? research has found.

Electric car ownership has soared in the last few years and, with the government’s ban on the sale of new diesel and petrol vehicles looming, motorists are being encouraged to consider switching. However, Which? found there are stark contrasts between different groups of consumers and how they view the transition to electric vehicles.

The mass adoption of electric vehicles is a critical aspect of the government’s net-zero strategy and will benefit consumers who want to lead more sustainable lives, while also potentially reducing their motoring costs.

A new Which? survey found that while two in five people (44%) are comfortable switching to electric vehicles, almost half (49%) are not. The consumer champion found seven in 10 (71%) 18-24-year-olds are comfortable switching to electric vehicles and around half (56%) of those aged between 18 and 39 said they intended to buy one in the future.

However, only a quarter of those aged 65 and above are comfortable switching (26%) or intend to buy an electric vehicle (23%). More than half (52%) of respondents aged 65 and above do not intend to buy an electric vehicle in the future.

Urban dwellers are also more comfortable transitioning to electric vehicles than rural residents, with almost half (47%) of those living in urban areas open to switching and two-fifths (42%) planning to buy one. However, only a third of those living in rural areas felt comfortable switching (34%) or intend to buy an electric vehicle (36%).

Electric cars are currently more expensive to buy compared to petrol or diesel vehicles – a possible contributing factor to lower enthusiasm levels for switching among lower-income households.

The consumer champion found just a third of households (32%) on lower incomes (£21,000 and below) intend to make their next car an electric vehicle and two-fifths (41%) said they have no intention of buying one. This compares to more than half (57%) in more affluent households (more than £48,000) saying they would buy an electric car in the future and only a fifth (21%) saying they had no intention of buying one.

While the upfront cost of an electric car is one reason many people are reluctant to switch, the most common is related to perceptions about inferior performance. Two in five (44%) said concerns about battery range put them off switching to an electric vehicle, while a third (34%) cited the upfront cost.

The UK’s charging infrastructure is also a concern for motorists, with a third (33%) stating they are put off buying an electric car as they are worried about accessing charge points away from home or on long journeys.

In a market study published earlier this year, the Competition and Markets Authority suggested there needs to be a tenfold increase in the number of charge points across the UK by 2030 and that more needs to be done to address the “postcode lottery” of finding a charge point.

The UK government and Ofgem, the energy regulator, have pledged to invest millions of pounds to expand Britain’s public charging network. While Which? supports this move, it also believes the current infrastructure is difficult to navigate, disjointed and must be overhauled to ensure motorists have easy and convenient access to the charge points they need, wherever they live in the UK.

Sue Davies, Which? Head of Consumer Rights and Food Policy, said: “The mass adoption of electric vehicles is a key element of the government’s net-zero strategy, but while some consumers are ready to switch, our research shows older consumers and those from lower-income or rural households are less inclined to embrace the electric car revolution.

“It is vital that action is taken to address significant barriers including concerns about battery range, cost and the UK’s charging infrastructure that could deter motorists from switching to electric vehicles. Consumers also need more support to ensure they can make the decision to buy an electric car.”