The Scottish Government’s budget for 2024/25 has been set amidst a context of persistently high inflation, low growth and high interest rates amidst deep cuts to capital funding.
In its budget report published on Wednesday, Holyrood’s Finance and Public Administration Committee looks at the choices the Scottish Government has made, including on taxation.
Finance and Public Administration Committee Convener Kenneth Gibson said: “Significant pressure on Scotland’s public finances have presented difficult tax and spending decisions in the budget. Everybody recognises that.
“The Scottish Government priorities are based on delivering its three ‘missions’ of equality, opportunity and community. However, there was a great divergence in views from witnesses on what those priorities should be, with the focus understandably in areas where budgets will be reduced rather than increased.
“The committee is unclear how spending has been prioritised towards a fair, green and growing economy.
“Regarding taxation, there is uncertainty about the behavioural impact on taxpayers earning more than £75,000 per year and when there will be a fundamental review of the council tax.
“The Scottish Government needs to deliver long-term financial planning. At present it gives the impression that it’s procrastinating on important decision-making that would help the sustainability of Scotland’s public finances, albeit in the medium and longer-term.
“The Committee is also disappointed at continuing cuts to the capital budget by the UK Government which restricts the Scottish Government’s ability to invest in capital projects, achieving net zero and growing the economy.”
On public service reform Mr Gibson added: “The Scottish Government’s public service reform programme is critical to the sustainability of the Budget and ensuring effective delivery of public services.
“While the government has set out principles and objectives for its reform programme there are few other signs of progress. This is disappointing given the urgent need for reform.
“We need to see the government develop and deliver its reform programme at a quicker pace in the months and years to come.”
The report also says that the Scottish Government must explain why it has delayed:
First Minister chairs cross-party meeting on net zero
First Minister Humza Yousaf chaired a cross-party discussion on Scotland’s climate change ambitions at Holyrood yesterday.
Inviting party leaders to discuss how we can all address the climate crisis, the First Minister highlighted the Parliament’s shared goal of securing a future that is fair and just for all.
He urges all parties to lead and promote behaviour change from everyone in society.
Chris Stark, Chief Executive of the independent UK Climate Change Committee (CCC), presented information on where Scotland is in its journey to net zero.
Speaking ahead of yesterday’s meeting, the First Minister said: “Tackling the climate and nature crises is the collective fight of our lifetime, with implications for generations to come.
“The discussion will focus both on the challenges and opportunities we face in reaching net zero. We collectively made a commitment to deliver on net zero when Parliament backed the Act on a cross-party basis.
“There must be a recognition from across the political divide that we require bold action to tackle the scale of the climate crisis, and meet our ambitions on net zero.
“In addition to our Climate Change Plan, we are developing the first set of Just Transition Plans to set out how these changes impact different parts of society and how we can promote a fair path to a net zero and climate resilient Scotland.
“We will continue to implement net zero policies and deliver funding to where it is needed the most – with the highest impact.
“From today’s meeting, I am hopeful that we can continue to work together to implement net zero policies – thereby helping to create a better and more sustainable planet for us all.”
A record-breaking 11.5 million taxpayers submitted their Self Assessment tax returns for the 2022 to 2023 tax year by midnight on 31 January, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) reveals.
More than 12.1 million taxpayers were expected to file a tax return and pay any tax owed. Of those that met their obligations by the deadline, 778,068 beat the clock to complete it on 31 January, including:
· 61,549 customers who filed between 16:00 and 16:59 – the peak hour for filing
· 32,958 customers who filed between 23:00 and 23:59
HMRC is urging anyone who missed the deadline to submit their tax return now. There is an interactive tool on GOV.UK to help customers with their return. Late filing and late payment penalties are charged for failure to meet the deadline.
Myrtle Lloyd, HMRC’s Director General for Customer Services, said:“Thank you to the millions of Self Assessment customers and agents who met the deadline.
“Anyone who has yet to file and is concerned that they cannot pay in full may be able to spread the cost of what they owe with a payment plan. Search ‘pay your Self Assessment’ on GOV.UK to find out more.”
The Self Assessment payment deadline was also 31 January, and anyone with outstanding tax to pay should do so as soon as possible.
A full list of payment options can be found on GOV.UK. There is also a video on YouTube that explains a customer’s Self Assessment tax bill and the different ways to pay.
Customers can plan ahead for their 2023 to 2024 tax bill and set up a regular payment plan to help spread the cost. HMRC’s Budget Payment Plan enables those who are up to date with previous payments to make regular weekly or monthly contributions towards their next tax bill.
A Budget Payment Plan is different from payments on account, which are usually due by midnight on 31 January and 31 July.
Taxpayers who file or pay late but have a reasonable excuse can appeal penalties on GOV.UK. HMRC has published interactive guidance to explain the process and signpost them to the correct course of action.
People should be aware of the risk of falling victim to scams and should never share their HMRC login details with anyone, including a tax agent, if they have one. HMRC scams advice is available on GOV.UK.
LAST weekend Leith Theatre rolled out its red carpet for an for an unforgettable celebration of the latest cohort from the BFI Film Academy Edinburgh and South East Scotland Short Course.
Screen Education Edinburgh learners spent the past few months working collaboratively towards their Preparing to Work in the Film Industry NCFE Level 2 qualification, while working together to write, direct and edit their own short films.
The result? Three phenomenal short films; “To Janice,” “To Be a Woman is To Be in Conflict,” and “I’ve Waited”, which we had the privilege of screening on the big screen at Leith Theatre.
Huge congratulations to all the learners for their outstanding films, hard work, and the remarkable stories they’ve brought to life. Your creativity and passion have left us inspired and delighted to be part of your undoubtedly incredible filmmaking journeys.
NHS Education for Scotland and NHS England Education & Training back awareness raising work
The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) has launched a powerful UK-wide campaign to raise awareness and encourage zero tolerance of sexual misconduct in healthcare.
The ‘Let’s Remove It’ (#LetsRemoveIt) campaign has been activated in response to the alarming findings uncovered by the Working Party on Sexual Misconduct in Surgery (WPSMS) and the Surviving in Scrubs group, which highlighted the harassment and sexual abuse faced by many in surgery.
The campaign will be driven by a newly formed action committee within RCSEd, The Hunter Doig Group, named after two pioneering women in surgery and consisting of 30 female representatives dedicated to wiping out sexual misconduct and serving as mentors, advocates, and guardians of a new era of respect within the medical profession.
It comes as a report by the WPSMS highlighted how a staggering 89% women and 81% men have witnessed sexual misconduct in the surgical profession in the last five years.
The ‘Let’s Remove It’ campaign will include:
· An online hub of resources and signposting for support
· Hard-hitting posters and billboards around UK hospitals
· An updated Code of Conduct developed for members of RCSEd
· A series of webinars on dealing with sexual misconduct, women in surgery and related topics
Clare McNaught, Vice President of RCSEd, who is leading the campaign, said: “This behaviour simply must not happen and the culture that has allowed it to happen must be wiped out.
“Our campaign says ‘Let’s Remove It’ – we are all in this together and can unite to eliminate sexual misconduct in surgery.
“Sexual misconduct in any form is an assault on dignity and encompasses a range of unwanted actions that create an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment for survivors.
“This can include sexual comments or jokes, displaying sexualised pictures, inappropriate emails, texts or WhatsApp messages, unwelcome physical contact, enhanced career opportunities offered for sex, sexual assault, and rape.
“It’s also important to understand that although sexual misconduct is predominately experienced by female staff, it can affect any healthcare worker.”
RCSEd President, Professor Rowan Parks, said: “We’re acutely aware of our role as a College in supporting cultural change to ensure a safer, more inclusive workforce where respect is non-negotiable.
“By launching our ‘Let’s Remove It’ campaign, we say ‘No more’. No more turning a blind eye. No more accepting the unacceptable. This must be a watershed moment for our profession.”
NHS England Education and Training and NHS Education for Scotland (NES) are backing the campaign’s roll-out.
Sheona MacLeod, Director of Education and Training in NHS England, said: “We are working hard to improve the learning and working environment in the NHS and are very supportive of this campaign that aims to remove sexual misconduct from surgical teams.
“The NHS needs to welcome surgeons from all backgrounds and genders and harmful cultures must change.”
Professor Emma Watson, Executive Medical Director at NES, said: “We are very supportive of this important campaign that aims to remove sexual misconduct from surgery in Scotland.
“Education and training in our NHS are about more than technical skills – respectful, safe, inclusive conduct is just as crucial and a culture that does not support this must be wiped out.”
The campaign focussing on sexual misconduct builds on RCSEd’s ongoing work to eradicate bullying and undermining in surgery and highlight the destructive impact such unacceptable behaviours have on clinicians and patient care.
The NSPCC’s ‘Game Safe’ festival features a range of workshops and an in-person esports safeguarding conference which covers child protection within the gaming industry.
Professionals, parents and gamers are invited to attend sessions which educate individuals on how to keep children safe when gaming online.
Childline continues to be here for young people who are concerned about experiences on gaming platforms.
Staff from NSPCC Scotland will lead a workshop on keeping children safe while gaming as part of a new ‘Game Safe’ festival.
The children protection charity is inviting professional, parents and gamers to attend the festival, which aims to raise awareness and educate parents, carers and professionals on how to keep children safe while playing games online, as well as provide opportunities to fundraise for the charity.
The NSPCC’s ‘Game Safe’ festival features a range of workshops and an in-person esports safeguarding conference which covers child protection within the gaming industry.
Euan Graham (above), a Local Campaigns Officer in Scotland, will lead an online workshop on 7th February. More than 900 people have signed up so far.
The festival, taking place on the 5th – 11th February, is launched with several key partners. Vodafone has partnered with the festival and will feature across the week to promote the work they are doing with the NSPCC to ensure every child has a happy and safe online life. Also supporting is The British Esports Federation, who is advising on the esports activation.
The festival comes as a recent report by the NSPCC saw an 82% rise in online grooming crimes against children in the last 5 years. With 89% of children in the UK playing video games, the NSPCC is committed to ensuring that online protections extend to gaming platforms.
One of the key opportunities within the festival is the Safeguarding in Esports Conference, an in-person event being held at Confetti X in Nottingham on the 9th February. This gives esports industry professionals the opportunity to learn more from safeguarding experts about how to protect children who take part in esports competitions. There are also virtual tickets for those unable to attend in person.
The conference features a panel of experts who will share insight on the world of esports, including:
NSPCC’s CEO, Sir Peter Wanless
Wolves FC / Wolves Esports Head of Safeguarding, Lisa Carter
Child Protection in Sport Service Head, Michelle North
Sport England Head of Children, Alex Moore
Alongside the esports conference, there are a variety of online workshops for parents, carers and professionals working with children. These sessions will tackle the topic of keeping children safe when gaming online.
All events will be designed to equip people with the tools and confidence they need to protect young players, bring together key industry stakeholders to improve safeguarding practices across the sector and encourage everyone to fundraise for the charity.
Visitors will also be able to bid for exciting auction prizes. During the week, creators and streamers will be offering prizes during livestreaming, including state-of-the-art gaming furniture and equipment. Another prize is the opportunity for two winners to watch the senior Cymru men’s team train as they prepare for the Euro 24 play off, semi-final against Finland.
Tickets for all Game Safe Festival events can be found here.
Childline counsellors are listening to concerns from children who contact the free helpline, as well as hearing how young people play games online to relax, they are also hearing cases of abuse in the virtual world.
The most commonly mentioned gaming consoles in 2022/23 were Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo (including the Switch) and the top gaming sites discussed Minecraft, Roblox and Fortnite.
One boy aged 18 told Childline: “I’m contacting Childline today because of something I’ve seen online… I was invited to a Discord group chat room by someone on Reddit who I didn’t know and in this group chat they were sharing naked photos of underage children!
“I left the chat as soon as I realised what it was and reported it to Discord. But then I discover that Discord had banned MY account?! Now I’m scared I’m going to get in trouble for it even though I’ve not done anything wrong!”
One young person aged 13 told Childline:“During the break from school I was spending lots of time on Roblox. These two older guys were talking to and flirting with me, they complimented my selfies but then made me send sexy pictures to them. I feel so stupid for doing it.
“My parents helped me report it and everything, but I don’t want to go back to school now. I feel like everyone knows what I did.”
Euan Graham, Local Campaigns Officer at NSPCC Scotland, said: “Gaming and technology is a huge part of young people’s lives, so it is crucial parents and carers to better understand what their children enjoy about gaming so they can better support them to navigate these digital spaces safely.
“Gaming is an increasingly social activity, meaning it is more important than ever that parents and carers have the skills and resources to keep children safe while gaming.
“Parents and carers will finish the workshop with more confidence and knowledge and come away with practical skills to ensure they are well equipped to help keep their children safe.”
Lewie Procter, Associate Head of Gaming at the NSPCC, said: “The NSPCC is thrilled to announce the launch of Game Safe, our new gaming festival. A huge number of young people use gaming platforms, and so it is crucial that they are designed with child safety in mind.
“The NSPCC is dedicated to protecting children from abuse both online and in person. Our esports conference is a fantastic opportunity for professionals to learn more about the industry, and the role we all have in keeping young people safe.”
Nicki Lyons, Chief Corporate Affairs and Sustainability Officer at Vodafone UK,said: “As a partner of NSPCC, we are proud to be supporting the Game Safe Festival 2024 and bringing more people into the online safety conversation through the event.
“At Vodafone we have been committed to the online safety space for 14 years and have been working with the NSPCC since early 2023 to create new resources and support via the Vodafone UK Digital Parenting platform, helping equip parents and carers with the information and tools they need to help ensure children are safe and happy online.
“We’re proud to be launching a new online toolkit together in the coming weeks to further support families feeling confident about starting their online journey together.”
Any adults concerned about a child’s safety or wellbeing can contact the NSPCC Helpline at help@nspcc.org.uk or by calling 0808 800 5000.
Children can contact Childline on 0800 1111 or childline.org.uk.
Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by the Health Promotion and Education Team at Heart Research UK
At the beginning of 2024 you may have created a new healthy resolution for the year and now is the time to start thinking about how to maintain it. Creating a new habit or stopping an old one can be difficult, and with motivation at its lowest during the winter months, it can be easy for habits to slip.
A study found that on average it takes 66 days to make a habit become an automatic part of your routine.
Here are some tips to help you change your short-term habit into a long-term one:
Goal setting
When setting your goals, it can be beneficial to make SMART targets to help you maintain them.
Be Specific, do you want to increase the amount of walking or running you do, or do you want to eat more fruits and vegetables?
Make sure your goal is Measurable, track your progress and success.
Make it Attainable, this will help you to achieve your goal.
Keep it Relevant, make sure it helps you reach your longer-term health goals.
Ensure it’s Time-bound, set an end date to achieve your goal.
Track your progress
By tracking your progress, you can monitor your improvements, motivate yourself to go further and stay accountable for your actions.
It is also a good way to adjust or change your approach to your goal if needed, helping you to achieve it. It is easy to track your progress, you can record it in a journal or make a spreadsheet.
Support
Having the support of friends and family can help you to achieve your goals.
Having a strong support network will provide you with encouragement and guidance in your journey.
You could try and get them to set their own goals too and do it together.
MBE VR MP Tom Tugendhat Minister of Security visited the Cyber and Fraud Centre – Scotland in Edinburgh this week alongside centre partner Police Scotland, to discuss current and next steps to support Scotland’s businesses when it comes to combatting cyber fraud.
As cyber and fraud crime continues to raise major concerns throughout the country, the National Cyber Security Centre announced last week that they strongly urge UK businesses to strengthen their cyber security measures as much as possible.
The Triage Hub aims to bring cyber security partners, including Police Scotland, leading financial institutions and Cyber Fraud Centre – Scotland’s incident response team together to collaborate, share intelligence, disrupt large criminal gang activity, deliver support to victims and recover stolen funds.
Chief Superintendent Conrad Trickett, Police Scotland’s lead for its Policing in a Digital World Programme, said: “The visit by the UK’s Security Minister recognises the important role played by Police Scotland, the Cyber and Fraud Centre and other partners, including our national law enforcement colleagues, in tackling the increase in cybercrime and fraud across the country, not just Scotland.
“The nature of criminality continues to change, and we know criminals will take every opportunity to exploit our communities. Police Scotland is also changing and continues to work in partnership with organisations such as the Cyber and Fraud Centre to advise businesses and the wider community on how to prevent becoming a victim of cybercrime and investigate any reported crimes.
“The recent success of the Cyber and Fraud Triage Hub shows what can be done and underlines the collective commitment to keeping people and businesses safe in the digital world while continuing to disrupt the activities who commit crimes in this environment.”
A fourth person has been arrested and charged in connection with the death of a 38-year-old man in Granton.
Emergency services were called around 11.50pm on Sunday, 31 December, 2023, after a firearm was discharged in West Granton Road.
Two men, aged 38 and 39, were taken to hospital. The 38-year-old man, Marc Webley, was pronounced dead a short time later.
A 20-year-old man has now been arrested and charged in connection with the incident. He is due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court tomorrow -Friday, 2 February, 2024.
A 32-year-old man and 25-year-old woman have previously been arrested and charged in connection with the incident. Both appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday, 8 January, 2024.
A 33-year-old woman was also arrested and charged in connection with the incident. She was released pending further enquiries.
Bigger than ever before with a full month of incredible offers from the city centre’s best bars and restaurants throughout the month of March, Eat Out Edinburgh has announced its return for 2024.
From weekend brunch, to business lunch, to dinner and drinks, Eat Out Edinburgh is designed to bring friends, family, and colleagues together from across the Lothians for the chance to explore new cuisines and try special occasion restaurants for an accessible price while supporting the city’s vibrant hospitality sector.
With an incredible response from both diners and restaurants in 2023, this year’s campaign will be doubled to four weeks, allowing diners twice the time to take advantage of set menu deals and curated offers from venues throughout the capital’s dedicated Business Improvement District (BID).
Run by Essential Edinburgh, the campaign highlights both established city favourites and exciting newcomers on the food scene with a host of restaurants, cafés, and bars from Princes Street to George Street, to Charlotte Square and St James Quarter to take part. Over 40 venues are expected to take part this year, with many restaurants returning for another year after a successful 2023
Interested businesses within the BID are encouraged to sign up for the 2024 campaign as soon as possible, whether they participated in 2023 or would like to be a part of the 2024 campaign for the first time.
A full list of participating Edinburgh venues and offers will soon be available to browse on Eat Out Edinburgh’s website, with special tasting menus, events and exclusive offers for city centre workers to increase footfall throughout the campaign period.
Lothian Buses returns as a partner for 2024 with city centre offers open to Lothian Bus employees, and promotion for the event to be shown on bus screens across the city throughout the campaign.
Emily Campbell Johnston, Senior Manager of Marketing & Communications, Essential Edinburgh, said: “2023’s Eat Out Edinburgh event was a huge success, with a fantastic turn out filling tables throughout the city centre so well that we saw a great opportunity to make this year even bigger, and create a month-long celebration of the city’s growing food & drink scene.
“With some of Edinburgh’s most exciting new restaurants opening in the BID, we anticipate an even wider range of venues taking part this year, with menus and offers to suit any occasion – giving locals, city centre workers and visitors from further afield a reason to get out, have fun and support the industry.”
For more information, and to keep up to date with the campaign, visit:
Thank you to 
