Police are appealing to the public to help identify a man whose body was discovered in the River Tay at Aberfeldy last Saturday, 17 August, 2024.
The man’s body was discovered by a member of the public near to Wades Bridge around 9.40am. He is described as white and likely in his late 50’s or older, around 6ft 4ins in height and of medium build with sandy blonde and grey wavy hair. When he was found he was wearing black underwear.
His death is not believed to be suspicious.
Detective Inspector Simon Murray said: “Unfortunately, despite significant enquiries, we have not yet been able to establish who the man is. We want to establish his identity as soon as possible to inform his family of his death.
“There were no personal belongings near to where he was found, and no-one has reported anyone matching his description missing to police.
“We are continuing to carry out enquiries to help us identify where he may have entered the water. We would ask any local residents if this description resembles anyone they know lives locally? For any wider public who have been in the Aberfeldy area over the past couple of weeks, does this resemble anyone they may have seen in the area?
“Has anyone seen personal items either washed up on the shore or discarded near the water? Have you have seen a car parked in either a car park or a layby in the area that has been there for a few days? Abandoned tents or anything out else of the ordinary?
“He may have been on holiday or visiting the Aberfeldy area, so if you have any information or if you have not heard from a friend or family member and this is unusual, please contact us. Anyone with any information that may be relevant is urged to contact 101 quoting incident number 1094 of 17 August.”
Now in its fifth year, the Growing Future Assets Investment Competition challenges 13-18-year-old schoolgirls in Scotland to become investment whiz kids by identifying and pitching a company with great investment potential.
Teenage girls in Scotland can register for the competition now and are in with a chance to win prizes of up to £1000 for their school and up to £200 in vouchers per student.
Until recently, there were more men named Dave working as UK fund managers than women in total. Today, only 12% of UK fund managers are women. Future Asset aims to close the gender gap in this sector, empowering teenage girls across the country by teaching them the skills they need to consider a career in investment management.
Scotland is the 2nd largest financial hub in the UK after London, yet a poll commissioned by Scottish Financial Enterprise found that almost 60% of 16-24-year-olds were unlikely to consider a career in financial services, while just under a quarter (23%) of people in Scotland do not believe financial services represents an attractive or secure career for young people.
Another study reveals that many women lack confidence around investing, with one quarter stating that they don’t know what to invest in, and 19% saying they don’t know how to invest.
However, there is clear evidence the sector would benefit from eliminating gender disparity. Analysis by Fidelity Investments found that on average women’s holding outperformed men’s annually by 0.40 percentage points.
Spaces in the competition are in high demand both in and outside the central belt. 110 teams competed last year from 30 out of 32 council areas of Scotland. Since inception in 2020, over 1800 students across the country have taken part.
Successful applicants will take part in a “Dragons’ Den” style competition over 10 weeks, which allows them to experience the role of an investment manager.
Competing teams each work with a professional “Competition Coach” – volunteer investment professionals from leading firms such as Martin Currie, Baillie Gifford and Stewart Investors who coach teams online and in person – to learn how to pitch a company with great investment potential.
Jen Mair, Chair of Future Asset and CEO of Martin Currie Investment Management, said: “Careers in finance can be rewarding, creative and lucrative, and we remain committed to eliminating gender disparity in this sector so that anyone can consider working in investment.
“In the last half-decade, it has been inspiring and encouraging to see girls from every corner of the country take advantage of the competition and the resources we have to offer, and we look forward to seeing them enjoy successful careers in the industry It’s clear that diversifying the financial workforce brings many benefits for all, and while there is still much work to be done,
“I believe the future of the investment sector looks very bright.”
Registration for the competition closes on 6 September 2024.
Competition Kick Off workshops take place in August and September in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee and Inverness, and the competition deadline is on Friday 29 November 2024, with winners announced on Friday 07 March.
Aldi Scotland’s much-loved Supermarket Sweep challenge has been all over Scotland this year, and after being chosen to take part in the gameshow inspired activity, a lucky local winner has raised £809.18 for a foodbank of their choosing, while picking up £404.59 in Aldi favourites for herself.
The lucky sweeper, Laura Robertson, was selected from thousands of applicants as part of a competition at this year’s Royal Highland Show. She selected Aldi’s Chesser store to take part in the five-minute trolley dash on Tuesday 13 August.
As well as taking home a trolley full of goodies, Laurasuccessfully found the hidden inflatable in store, meaning Aldi Scotland doubled the total value of her haul and donated the lump sum to her nominated charity, The Salvation Army.
Aldi Supermarket Sweep winner, Laura Robertson said:“The Supermarket Sweep was a brilliant experience. I had so much fun running around the store with my husband and Aldi staff cheering me on.
“It’s a lot harder than I thought it would be, and the time goes by so quickly, but it’s an experience I’ll remember forever. I’m so glad I was able to raise so much money for my local foodbank, as it will help so many people in need.”
Elizabeth Young, Community Programme Coordinator, The Salvation Army, said:“I would like to say a massive thank you to Aldi for the substantial donation to our foodbank.
“Life is very tough for lots of the people visiting our foodbank, and this donation will go a long way to help us provide food parcels and spread a little love and kindness through this generosity.”
Graham Nicolson, Regional Managing Director, Aldi Scotland, said: “We know that the Aldi Supermarket Sweep is a firm favourite with shoppers across the country, so we were delighted to bring it back for another year.
“Congratulations to Laura who managed to raise an incredible £809.18 for The Salvation Army and snap up a whole load of Aldi treats for herself.”
In a ground-breaking first for Scotland, laboratory specimens have been flown from one NHS board to another – by drone.
This step forward by the Project CAELUS initiative, led by AGS Airports in partnership with NHS Scotland, took place during a three-week flight trial between NHS Lothian and NHS Borders.
Live flying took place between the Edinburgh BioQuarter next to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and Borders General Hospital in Melrose.
Invited guests were involved in a special event on Wednesday (21st August) showcasing the live flight trial with presentations around the work conducted by Project CAELUS.
Currently, laboratory samples which inform urgent clinical decision-making are transported by road and can take up to five hours between NHS Borders and NHS Lothian due to due to needing to make multiple pick-ups.
Innovation activity being conducted by Project CAELUS could see this delivery take 35 minutes, enhancing the transport provision, particularly for rural areas.
Project CALEUS is working with 16 consortium partners to deliver what will be the first national drone network that can transport essential medicines, bloods and other medical supplies throughout Scotland including to remote communities.
Fiona Smith, Project Director for Project CAELUS said: “Our consortium has been working extremely hard to get to this stage and we are delighted we have been able to test this important use case for the NHS.
“Transporting laboratory specimens by drone could speed up the clinical decision making allowing for same day diagnosis and treatment.
“It is also one of the first times in the UK that there has been a demonstration of beyond the visual line of sight medical drone operations transiting between controlled and uncontrolled airspace.
“This is an important milestone for our project and we now look forward to testing more potential use cases by drone across Scotland in the coming months.”
Hazel Dempsey is the CAELUS NHS Scotland programme lead: “Our aim, from an NHS perspective, is to explore opportunities where drone technology could benefit patients and NHS services in urban, remote, rural and island landscapes.
“The NHS is reliant on van logistics that have provided valuable service for decades, however these can take time, travelling hundreds of road miles each day. In some parts of Scotland, patients who live in remote and rural locations are dependent on ferry or airline availability.
“This project will enable the NHS to consider if drone technology is viable and able to contribute to improving the health and wellbeing of our population. This project will position the United Kingdom and NHS Scotland as a leader in healthcare and aviation industries.”
CAELUS (Care & Equity – Healthcare Logistics UAS Scotland), is part funded by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Future Flight Challenge.
It brings together 16 partners including the University of Strathclyde, Skyports Drone Services, NATS and NHS Scotland.
In the latest live flight trials, tests were also carried out on how NHS staff in future would engage with the drone both physically and digitally.
Dr Tracey Gillies, Medical Director and Executive Lead for Innovation, NHS Lothian said, “Across NHS Lothian, we are continually exploring ways to innovate and enhance our patient experience.
“Lothian and the surrounding areas are very diverse, from city to country and coastal living. Drones could play an important role in helping to transport samples for testing or speed up the delivery of critical medical supplies.
“These exciting trial flights have been a collaborative effort between our clinical leads, South East Innovation Hub and partner organisations and I look forward to seeing further developments with this project.”
Laura Jones, Director of Quality & Improvement at NHS Borders said: “We are proud to be involved in Project Caelus, exploring how drone technology could provide an additional logistics service to enhance access to essential medical supplies particularly in rural parts of Scotland like the Scottish Borders.
“Our involvement in this project is part of our commitment to providing high quality person-centred care by modernising services so that they are fit for the future using the technologies that are available to us going forward.”
Since January 2020, the CAELUS consortium has designed drone landing stations for NHS sites across Scotland and developed a virtual model (digital twin) of the proposed delivery network which connects hospitals, pathology laboratories, distribution centres and GP surgeries across Scotland.
In October 2023, in a hugely successful trial, flying took place between Glasgow Airport and NHS Golden Jubilee in Clydebank. This initiative was showcasing the integration of drones with modern airspace.
Live flight trials were operated by CAELUS consortium member Skyports Drone Services. The UK-based operator is an experienced provider of drone delivery, survey and monitoring services. The company has a long history of operating medical drone deliveries, including the first drone deliveries with the NHS.
The Scottish Ambulance Service also carried out a simulation study in August to better understand the feasibility of delivering an Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) via drone technology.
Paul Gowens, Associate Director, Research and Innovation with the Scottish Ambulance Service, said: “We are delighted to be a key partner in Project CAELUS.
“Our recent study carried out in Edinburgh was a great success as we learned more about the feasibility of delivering an Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) via drone technology. We look forward to working alongside AGS and our partners on Project CAELUS on future milestones.”
Richard Ellis, NATS New Airspace Users Director, said: “This is a major step forward for the project and its fantastic to see many of the operational concepts we’ve helped developed be put into use.
“We are now a step closer to realising a truly integrated airspace where drones fly safely and seamlessly alongside conventional aircraft.”
The University of Strathclyde’s principal investigator for the project, Dr Marco Fossati, said: “The latest live flight trials mark an important milestone in the journey to developing a national medical transport drone network.”
Mike McNicholas, managing director for Infrastructure at AtkinsRéalis said: “It is a fantastic step forward for the project to make its first drone delivery and to see the ground infrastructure in use as part of the test flight.
AtkinsRéalis has been working closely with the AGS Airports-led consortium on the development of large, portable landing pads that can be folded up and stored when not in use, or moved to another location to receive another drone landing.
“Using a combination of digital twin technology and live test flights, Project CAELUS is able to trial various prototypes, taking learnings from each iteration to hone designs and land on something that can demonstrate the viability, scalability and efficiency of a drone network for medical deliveries across Scotland.”
Anne-Lisa Scaillierez, partner at The Drone Office: “Public feedback from our engagement activities has shown overwhelming support for using drones in medical logistics across Scotland.
“We’re thrilled by the significant progress achieved as part of Project CAELUS.”
David Hiller, Associate Director of Arup, said: “Arup has been enormously privileged to contribute to such a pivotal study, helping to better understand the human impacts of noise in relation to health and wellbeing.
“The study facilitated by CAELUS is one of the first of its kind and will support broader innovation globally. Cross-sector collaboration is both exciting and crucial as the capabilities of advanced air mobility technology evolve.”
Connected Places Catapult’s Ecosystem Director for Air Mobility & Airports, Andrew Chadwick said: “It is tremendous to see drones being used as part of Project CAELUS to transport essential medical supplies from one site to another, particularly as this is the first time a drone flight has operated in Scotland between two different NHS health boards.
“Connected Places Catapult has been working with NHS Scotland to develop the business and economic cases for these types of services alongside consortium members, and we look forward to exploring future opportunities for drone operations.”
People across Scotland are being asked to have their say on a minimum charge for single-use cups to promote responsible consumption and cut waste.
The Scottish Government is consulting on the possible introduction of a 25p charge to all single-use drinks cups when a drink is bought, regardless of material. Exemptions would apply for specific locations and uses, such as in schools. Free drinks in hospital or care settings would not be included in the scope of the charge.
There are already similar charging schemes for cups established in Europe – with the Netherlands introducing a guideline charge of 25 cents on plastic, single-use cups in 2023. Legislation allowing the introduction of environmental levies on single- disposable cups in the Republic of Ireland was also passed in 2022 – although it has yet to come into force.
Under consultation proposals, retailers would be able to retain reasonable implementation costs from the charge – mirroring the approach taken for single-use carrier bags. It also seeks views whether the net proceeds from a charge should be kept by businesses and used for good causes or collected by local or national government.
An estimated 388 million single-use cups were used in Scotland in 2021-22 creating 5,400 tonnes of waste.
The use of single-use plastic carrier bags fell by 80% in the first year in Scotland, following the introduction of a 5p charge in 2014. The charge is widely believed to be a success with the Marine Conservation society annual litter survey reporting an 80% drop in plastic bags found on UK beaches since its implementation.
Acting Net Zero Secretary Gillian Martin said: “The success of the single-use carrier bag charge shows how an environmental charge can be an effective tool to change people’s behaviour and encourage responsible consumption.
“While many businesses already have offers in place to encourage the use of reusable drinks cups, hundreds of millions of single-use cups are still being discarded, creating 5,400 tonnes of waste every year. Many of these cups end up littering our roadsides, town centres, beaches and parks.
“Introducing a national charge could provide consistency for consumers, provide a level playing field for retail and businesses and help to drive forward sustainable behaviours. Our proposed approach is similar to the charge for single-use carrier bags and will be familiar to both suppliers and the public. We hope this means that it will minimise any administrative burden on businesses and make it easy for individuals and organisations to adopt.
“I urge everyone to have their say so we ,can choose the most sustainable option for both people and businesses while helping to tackle litter, reduce waste and cut emissions.”
Calum Duncan, Head of Policy and Advocacy at the Marine Conservation Society, said: “Our volunteers have consistently recorded single-use disposable cups on over half of UK beaches surveyed. We need to see charges on these kinds of items to reduce litter in our seas and prevent it from damaging our precious marine life.
“We know that policies like this work, with our data recently showing an 80% reduction in the average number of plastic carrier bags washing up on beaches since charges on them were introduced.
“We look forward to a similar decline in disposable cups once a charge is introduced, and need further measures from governments to move towards a society where refillable and reusable options are the norm.
Statement by Ambassador James Kariuki, UK Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, at yesterday’s UN Security Council meeting on Gaza:
Gaza has become the deadliest place in the world to be a child. Women and children continue to bear the brunt of this brutal conflict that since October 7 has killed over 40,000 people. Children account for nearly a third of identified casualties. We call on Israel to take all possible steps to avoid civilian casualties.
Over 100 innocent hostages remain captured by Hamas in Gaza. Time is running out for them as they remain in captivity subject to unimaginable horror. We call again for their immediate and unconditional release.
President, we’ve heard today that Gaza is on the brink of a devastating polio outbreak. Another deadly threat to a people already facing a multitude of deadly threats: ongoing bombardment, risk of famine and dire sanitary conditions. Meanwhile regional tensions remain high – any attack by Iran would have devastating consequences.
Urgent action is needed, on three fronts:
First, we need an immediate ceasefire. All sides need to focus on the negotiations led by the US, Egypt, and Qatar.
These talks offer a vital opportunity to secure an immediate ceasefire that ends the conflict, gets the hostages out, allows urgent access to aid and de-escalates regional tensions.
We also urge Iran, Lebanese Hezbollah and other Iranian-aligned militia groups to stand down the ongoing threats of military escalation against Israel. All parties need to exercise restraint, as my Prime Minister has made clear in recent weeks.
Second, Gaza stands on the precipice of a polio outbreak with over 640,000 children under the age of 10 in need of vaccinations.
We call on the parties to continue cooperating with the World Health Organisation, UNICEF, and partners to facilitate vaccine rollouts.
Israel needs to allow safe and unhindered aid access into and across Gaza and to put in place an effective deconfliction mechanism to ensure aid and vaccines can be delivered and administered safely.
Israel’s ramping up of new evacuation orders is causing chaos in Gaza. The humanitarian zone, now just covering 11% of Gaza, is chronically overcrowded with people desperately seeking shelter. It is not safe and it is still receiving fire.
British NGO, UK Med, reports that just last night their residential compound in a humanitarian zone was damaged by Israeli shelling.
Humanitarian actors are being forced to evacuate their offices and abandon warehouses full of aid. If this does not stop, a polio vaccine rollout may become impossible. All parties must comply with their obligations under International Humanitarian Law.
Third, President, settler violence in the West Bank is inexcusable. The violence in the Palestinian village of Jit last week was abhorrent. We call on Israel to take action against these extremists. The UK has sanctioned eight individuals and two entities related to settler violence.
We condemn the continued expansion of settlements in the West Bank – it is a clear violation of international law.
Finally, President, my Foreign Secretary and French Foreign Minister Sejourne visited Israel and the OPTs last week.
They conveyed three key messages: that the current ceasefire talks were the only way to avert a full regional crisis; that the humanitarian situation was catastrophic and we needed to see immediate improvements; and that there had to be accountability for the appalling settler violence in the West Bank.
I hope that we can all unite around these three messages today.
PLANS for a Visitor Levy in Edinburgh took another significant step forward yesterday (22 August), as councillors agreed key details of the draft scheme.
It is anticipated that the levy will generate tens of millions of pounds a year to reinvest in the city’s infrastructure and sustainable tourism from summer 2026.
A formal 12-week public consultation seeking further input from residents, visitors and businesses, will commence in the coming weeks. This will inform the final scheme, which will be agreed in January 2025, allowing the 18-month implementation period to begin.
Edinburgh will become the first place in the UK to launch such a city-wide levy, which will drastically help the Council manage the demands of increased tourism while ensuring sustainable investment in the visitor economy, public services, city maintenance, affordable housing and preserving the Capital’s cultural heritage.
Edinburgh Council backed the Lib Dem proposal to split Transient Visitor Levy income, after a fixed Housing investment, between: 55% city operations 35% culture and 10% destination management.
Key highlights of the draft visitor levy scheme include:
Flat 5% charge per night: Visitors staying in accommodation will be required to pay a small, fixed fee per night of 5% of the accommodation cost, capped at seven consecutive nights.
Wide range of accommodation: The levy will apply to paid accommodation including hotels, short-term lets, hostels and bed and breakfasts, but will exclude stays in campsites.
Funding allocation: The levy is expected to raise £45-50 million a year by 2028/29. Revenue generated will be reinvested directly into initiatives that benefit residents and enhance visitor experiences, such as a ‘Well Kept City Fund’, affordable housing, city infrastructure, destination marketing and support for major events and festivals.
Shaped with industry input: The draft scheme has been shaped by many years of engagement with local businesses, residents, and tourism stakeholders including hoteliers.
Expected to launch 2026: When the draft scheme is finalised, early in the new year, the Council will begin working with partners to implement the Visitor Levy and make it live by Summer 2026.
The decision is a victory for Edinburgh housing campaigners and trade unionists:
Council Leader, Cammy Day, said: “We can’t take Edinburgh’s incredible cultural offering and reputation as a fantastic place to visit for granted, and a visitor levy presents an innovative way of sustaining the sector and the city.
“It will significantly increase our ability to invest in the visitor experience and the tourism pressures we face, from keeping the city clean to responding to our housing emergency, so that everyone can continue to enjoy all that the city has to offer. By better supporting these services we can secure Edinburgh’s future as a top global destination.
“These proposals have been shaped by the views of residents, visitors and industry. We’re committed to making sure this is the best levy for Edinburgh and will begin our formal consultation as soon as the Scottish Government allow.
“This is a once in generation opportunity for Edinburgh and I look forward to the many benefits a visitor levy will bring, allowing us to reinvest tens of millions of pounds in sustaining and improving the things that make our city so special – for our visitors and residents who live here all year round.”
Neil Ellis, Chairman of the Edinburgh Hotels Association, said: “Edinburgh Hotels Association welcomes the introduction of the visitor levy for its intended use of improving the experience of all visitors, local, national or international, through additional spending.
“This is a fantastic opportunity to further enhance Edinburgh’s reputation on the world stage as a must-visit destination.”
Christina Sinclair, Director of Edinburgh World Heritage, said:“The visitor levy brings an opportunity to generate crucial funds to invest in our historic city, ensuring its heritage remains authentic and that the UNESCO-designated Old and New Towns of Edinburgh World Heritage Site are protected, enhanced and promoted for future generations.
Charlie Cumming, Chief Executive of the Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust, said: “ELGT are in support of the funds raised from the proposed visitor levy to provide additional resource to make improvements to the city’s public spaces. It will be encouraging to see much needed funding for the upkeep of our much-valued greenspaces that provide many benefits to residents and visitors.
“The funding will also provide an opportunity to develop sustainable improvements to help mitigate against climate change and biodiversity loss.”
Roddy Smith, Chief Executive of Essential Edinburgh, said:“We welcome the next phase of the consultation by the City of Edinburgh Council.
“The key principle for the implementation of the visitor levy remains, that the money collected and then distributed should be additional to existing Council resources and not replacement funds and be used to finance projects that primarily support the tourism sector.
“We welcome the three potential funding pots which if used appropriately will have a significant impact on how our city looks, and how we can support our crucial heritage and arts/event sectors.
“Importantly, it will also invest in dedicated marketing and promotion, to ensure our successful tourism sector continues to grow sustainably. With an effective public and private partnership driving this work, we are excited that real progress can be made.
“Edinburgh must not take our tourism sector for granted, and if the finance generated through the levy goes towards supporting our tourism sector, then the city will see economic benefits for our business both directly and in the supply chain, employment growth and much needed large infrastructure projects being delivered. This will materially benefit all the residents in the city.
“Essential Edinburgh will continue our engagement with our members, the industry and Council to move forward towards the finalisation of the scheme.’
Every 3 months we review and set a level for how much an energy supplier can charge for each unit of energy and daily standing charge, under the price cap.
From 1 October to 31 December the price for energy for a typical household who use electricity and gas and pay by Direct Debit will go up to £149 per year. This is an increase of 10% and adds around £12 per month to an average bill.
The new cap is 6% (£117) cheaper compared to the same period last year (£1,834).
You are covered by the energy price cap if you pay for your electricity and gas by either:
standard credit (payment made when you get your electricity and gas bill)
Direct Debit
prepayment meter
Economy 7 (E7) meter
The actual amount you pay will depend on how much energy your household uses, where you live and the type of meter you have.
Energy price cap rates 1 October to 31 December
Electricity rates
If you are on a standard variable tariff (default tariff) and pay for your electricity by Direct Debit, you will pay on average 24.50 pence per kilowatt hour (kWh). The daily standing charge is 60.99 pence per day. This is based on the average across England, Scotland and Wales and includes VAT.
Gas rates
If you are on a standard variable tariff (default tariff) and pay for your gas by Direct Debit, you will pay on average 6.24 pence per kilowatt hour (kWh). The daily standard charge is 31.66 pence per day. This is based on the average across England, Scotland and Wales and includes VAT.
Costs included in the energy price cap
The level of the energy price cap is made up of different costs, for example the wholesale cost of gas and electricity, costs to supply energy on the network and VAT. These costs are split within the energy price cap between the unit rate and the standing charge.
Last year we started a review of standing charges. Our call for input had feedback from more than 30,000 customers, consumer groups, charities and others.
Today we have published an options paper on our ways to reduce standing charges for households, called ‘domestic standing charges’. Standing charges are set by your energy supplier and are also included in the energy price cap. Your supplier will charge you this cost each day, even if you do not use any energy on that day. The charge covers the cost to maintain the energy supply network, take meter readings, and support government social and environmental schemes, like the Warm Home Discount scheme.
The options in the paper could reduce the standing charge by between £20 and £100 per year by transferring parts of these fixed supplier costs to the unit rate (the price paid for every unit of energy used).
We know that if these changes are made it could affect people who cannot safely reduce the amount of energy they use. This could be because of their dependence on life-saving medical equipment or living in a low standard of housing with poor insulation.
We are asking energy suppliers to offer energy tariffs that have no or low standing charges as well as their current tariffs. This will mean that energy efficient households will be able to choose a tariff that rewards them for using less energy. It will also mean that other energy customers can also choose from more tariffs that meet their needs.
You could pay less for your energy by changing your energy tariff. Find out if you can change your tariff and how to switch energy supplier.
The options paper also sets out long-term considerations relating to the assignment of network costs, as a part of a broader review of how electricity and gas system costs are recovered from users.
We would like to hear your views on standing charges. The discussion closes on 20 September 2024. Read our standing charges options paper and feedback your views using our online form.
Support for people with a prepayment meter
We have also extended our initial 12-month allowance to cover increased debt costs associated with additional support credit which we expect to be in place for at least another 6 months. Additional support credit is often issued to people at risk of being cut off from their energy supply because they cannot afford to top up their meter. This decision means that the most vulnerable consumers will continue to be supported and have an energy supply this winter.
Next energy price cap review
We review and set a level on how much an energy supplier can charge for each unit of energy including the standing charge every 3 months. The levels for the period 1 January to 31 March 2025 will be published by 25 November 2024.
Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director at Age UK said:“Means-testing Winter Fuel Payment (WFP) when fuel prices are rising by 10% spells disaster for pensioners on low and modest incomes or living in vulnerable circumstances due to ill health.
“It means an estimated 2 million older people in all, will face an even steeper mountain to climb in paying their energy bills and staying warm and well when the weather chills. With pensioners also losing the cost-of-living payments they’ve received over the last two years we simply cannot see how some of them will cope.
“This latest bad news about the Energy Price Cap rising quite significantly makes it even more obvious that means testing WFP with virtually no notice & with no protections to safeguard vulnerable groups was the wrong policy choice and one that is potentially hazardous for some older people.”
“There’s scarcely any time to tackle the long-term under-claiming of Pension Credit – for more than a decade a third of pensioners who are entitled to it have consistently missed out. And the million or so older people whose small incomes take them just above the line to claim are horribly exposed – no take-up campaign can help them.”
“Means-testing WFP in these circumstances this winter is reckless and wrong. The Government must think again.”
Age UK urges any older person living on a low income or struggling with their bills to contact Age UK’s free Advice line on 0800 169 65 65 without delay to check they’re receiving all the financial support available to them.
Alternatively, people can visit www.ageuk.org.uk/money or contact their local Age UK for further information and advice.
National Energy Action has responded: Just now, @Ofgem announced that #EnergyBills will rise 9% from October. NEA Chief Executive @adam_scorer says, ‘There is still time for @Ofgem and UK government to act for those at greatest risk, but without support.’
Major refurbishment of vast site shows large plots and modernised homes
THE FIRST visuals revealing the future of 78 former army homes on Edinburgh’s outskirts have been released, giving interested buyers a taste of what to expect.
Created using a combination of photographic and overlayed computer-generated imagery, the visuals give an indication of how the homes and public space at Craigiehall Meadows will look on completion.
Once a community of military families serving the British Army’s Scottish Headquarters at Craigiehall, each of the 78 homes will be completely refurbished and brought up to modern standards.
The images also demonstrate the development’s large, mature plots, as well as the abundance of greenery across the tree-lined site.
Tzana Webster, Head of Estate Agency with Ralph Sayer, which is managing the sales and marketing for the site has revealed very high early interest in the development.
She said: “My first impression on seeing the CGIs was – wow. These are going to become exceptional homes with large front and back gardens, which is rare across Edinburgh – especially compared to new build developments on the market.
“This will be a perfect base for those who want the outdoors life but within easy reach of the city and it’s great to show those interested, whether buyers or people with a connection to the location, what is coming down the line.
“Interest has been high, including from people who used to live here while it served families from the armed forces. This is an amazing location, and a lot of people have a connection with it.”
Craigiehall Meadows is set in an expansive, tree-lined location linking the River Almond with the 800-acre Dalmeny Estate. It is next to Edinburgh’s prime neighbourhoods of Barnton, Cramond and Cammo.
The homes on offer will include a mix of detached, and semi-detached properties all with modern finishes and amenities.
The history of Craigiehall dates to the 17th century when it existed as a country house and estate before it was requisitioned by the Armed Forces in 1939.
It became the Scottish Army HQ in 1951 and operated as the Craigiehall camp from 1955, housing notable regiments until the base was announced for closure in 2011 as part of the Defence Basing Review.
Mature planting and adjacence to farmland give the location a rural feel, however, there is outstanding connectivity to the city, motorway network and Edinburgh Airport.
Enabling works are now underway, with homes becoming available to the market during the refurbishment process.
