More businesses to be categorised as small businesses, meaning less red tape
Move will potentially exempt tens of thousands of the UK’s growing businesses from relevant future regulations, saving them thousands of pounds
Start of a sweeping package of reforms to cut red tape for business and stimulate growth
Thousands of the UK’s fastest-growing businesses will be released from reporting requirements and other regulations in the future, as part of plans aimed at boosting productivity and supercharging growth, Prime Minister Liz Truss announced yesterday.
Currently, small businesses are presumed to be exempt from certain regulations. However, many medium sized businesses – those with between 50 and 249 employees – still report that they are spending over 22 staff days per month on average dealing with regulation, and over half of all businesses consider regulation to be a burden to their operation [source].
The Prime Minister has announced plans to widen these exemptions to businesses with fewer than 500 employees for future and reviewed regulations, meaning an additional 40,000 businesses will be freed from future bureaucracy and the accompanying paperwork that is expensive and burdensome for all but the largest firms.
The exemption will be applied in a proportionate way to ensure workers’ rights and other standards will be protected, while at the same time reducing the burden for growing businesses.
Regulatory exemptions are often granted for SMEs, which the EU defines at below 250 employees. However, we are free to take our own approach and exempt more businesses to those with under 500 employees. We will also be able to apply this to retained EU law currently under review, which we would not have been able to do without our exit from the EU.
The changed threshold will apply from today (Monday 3 October) to all new regulations under development as well as those under current and future review, including retained EU laws. The Government will also look at plans to consult in the future on potentially extending the threshold to businesses with 1000 employees, once the impact on the current extension is known.
This is the first step in a package of reforms to ensure UK business regulation works for the UK economy. The reforms will harness the freedoms the UK has since leaving the EU to remove bureaucratic and burdensome regulations on businesses, while streamlining and making it easier for them to comply with existing rules, ultimately saving them valuable time and money.
An Abertay University student has been named Young Software Engineer of the Year at the 33rd annual ceremony from Scotland’s tech trade body ScotlandIS.
Daniel Gearie took first place at the awards ceremony, held as part of the ScotSoft2022 conference, in Edinburgh last week for developing software that can physically locate the position of a drone operator using a variety of tools and techniques.
While drones are being used to transform many industries, they can be problematic in the wrong hands,– with airport disruptions providing a recent example. Locating drone operators, rather than the drones themselves, can provide longer-term solutions to these issues.
When reviewing submissions, the judges were particularly impressed by the way Daniel identified gaps in the effectiveness of current market-leading technology to track drone pilot locations, with his prototype recognised for being expandable in its use and potentially more secure than other systems.
While Daniel took top spot, the awards recognised a further three students for their outstanding work.
Lilli Freischem, of University of Edinburgh, was named runner up for producing a new software tool that can identify essential genes – ones that are critical to the survival of an organism – in a wide range of life forms.
The detection of essential genes is a grand challenge in personalised medicine, the discovery of new drug targets in cancer, and in the identification of genetic markers for the diagnosis of disease. Lilli’s software is able to communicate seamlessly with tools that are already widely adopted, and end users can use its improved predictive power with little additional training or technical expertise.
Robert Gordon University graduate, Raufs Dunamalijevs, was also a runner up for his work to implement two new penalty estimation algorithms in quadratic unconstrainted binary optimisations, improving the accuracy of combinatorial optimisation problems, which forms an important and complex part of computer science and AI.
Finally, Callum Inglis, Computer Science graduate from the University of Strathclyde, was awarded the Leidos Best Engineering Prize at the ceremony.
He won the award for developing a low-cost, off-grid sensor monitoring system, capable of remote sensing in areas without any existing infrastructure.
While the system is built to be applicable to many industries, Callum’s demonstration of his system focussed on indoor and outdoor air quality data collection, which could ultimately be used to support and inform public health decisions.
The longstanding Young Software Engineer of the Year Awards are held annually by ScotlandIS, to champion budding talent in the Scottish technology industry and highlight the innovation and ideas coming from Scotland’s university students.
To enter, universities submit the best final year software engineering project from among their undergraduate computing science and software engineering courses for the awards.
Karen Meechan, CEO at ScotlandIS, said:“This year, we are celebrating ideas that display an impressive combination of innovation, creativity, and scalability. Each idea brings a potential real term impact to its related sector, making a genuine contribution.
“For decades we have recognised some of the best minds coming from our universities, demonstrating the strength and breadth of tech talent being developed within Scotland.
“In a sector that shows consistent demand for skilled talent, it’s important that, as an industry, we take time to recognise the individuals who truly embody the definition of talent.”
Unlimited monthly winter golf for just £27.50 per month
Wrap up warm, fill up your thermos and grab your clubs. Winter golf at the largest club in town returns on 1st October. And with the unpredictable Scottish weather, you won’t have to rely on one course.
For die hard golf fans who want to keep in the swing of it, even during the winter months, Edinburgh Leisure’s golf membership can be bought online for just £27.50 per month. With minimal use of winter greens and no mats, it’s the ideal opportunity to keep your golf on par until the summer returns.
Winter membership prices stretch from 1st October 2022 to 31st March 2023 and allow access to Edinburgh Leisure’s six golf courses. Edinburgh Leisure’s 18-hole courses include Braid Hills, Carrick Knowe, Craigentinny, and Silverknowes. If you’re after a shorter then you can play our 9-hole courses at Portobello and the Wee Braids.
Payable monthly by direct debit, different membership options are available including access to all the courses, seven days a week; and a five-day membership, costing £22.50, with access to all courses Monday to Friday.
The membership also gives 20% off other Edinburgh Leisure activities including the gym, swimming, racquet sports and climbing, at the various Edinburgh Leisure venues across the city.
New poll finds almost a fifth of parents surveyed are not confident they could spot the signs if their child was suffering abuse at a sports club
The week-long campaign kicks-off today (Monday, October 3) to help parents understand their role in keeping children safe and who they can turn to for help and support
The Scottish Football Association (FA), Netball Scotland and Strathclyde Sirens and children’s charity Children 1st are backing the NSPCC’s ‘Keeping Your Child Safe in Sport Week’ campaign which empowers parents to raise concerns about safeguarding in sport.
Sir Bradley Wiggins CBE and former professional footballer Paul Stewart are also supporting the NSPCC’s campaign.
The NSPCC launch this sports safety campaign, backed by Scottish sporting bodies and Children1st, as new poll reveals almost a fifth of parents (15%) surveyed in Scotland are not confident they could spot the signs if their child was suffering sexual, physical or emotional abuse at their local sports club.
Furthermore, new data has revealed the number of contacts to the NSPCC Helpline from adults from across the UK with safeguarding questions or concerns about children in a sports setting has almost doubled in the last five years.
The campaign, backed by the Scottish Football Association (SFA), Netball Scotland and the Strathclyde Sirens, as well as abuse survivors Sir Bradley Wiggins and Paul Stewart, runs until Sunday, October 9. It offers advice and information to empower parents to play a key role in helping to keep their children safe in sport.
The campaign aims to provide parents and carers with the right knowledge and resources so they can make confident informed decisions when raising concerns with their child’s sport club. Advice tools and supporting information are available from the NSPCC and its Child Protection in Sport Unit (CPSU). Children 1st also provides a helpful guide for parents on finding a safe sports club for their child.
Ross McGowan, Wellbeing and Protection Co-ordinator at the Scottish FA, said: “We are pleased to support this campaign which aims to keep children safe from all forms of abuse in sport settings.
“We will work with our clubs and members to promote the campaign toolkit and encourage as many parents and carers as possible to understand the important role they play in the bigger safeguarding picture of sport.
“We hope that by promoting this campaign, more parents will ask those important questions around safeguarding when their child takes part in sports in Scotland, helping us to ensure our clubs are offering a safe, fun, and engaging environment.”
Claire Nelson, CEO of Netball Scotland and Strathclyde Sirens, said: “We are proud to once again be supporting NSPCC Scotland’s Keeping Your Child Safe in Sport Week. It’s vital that children get the opportunity to take part in sport safely and this campaign will equip parents with the knowledge they need to feel confident that their child is safe in a sport’s setting.
“As children begin to get out and about again after the pandemic, many parents and children will be feeling anxious about joining clubs and activities for the first time or resuming them. This campaign provides all the resources, tools and information parents need to empower families to get back to doing what they love – in a safe environment.”
Paul Stewart, a former Premiership and International footballer who played for Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool, was sexually abused by a football coach as a child and now works to promote safety in sport, including advising the Scottish FA on safeguarding children in football.
He said: “It is absolutely vital that safeguarding is a top priority in children’s sport. And the importance of campaigns such as the NSPCC’s Keeping Your Child Safe in Sport Week, which raises awareness of the issue and empowers parents to play their part, cannot be understated.
“Strong safeguarding policies in sport clubs and good parental awareness of them make it much harder for abusers to target children in these environments. That is why it is so important that parents and carers know how to access safeguarding information for their child’s club, are able to identify signs of abuse and have the confidence to speak out about any issues.
“Every child should be able to enjoy sport without the risk of abuse.”
A free dedicated NSPCC helpline commissioned by British Cycling has been set up in response to a number of individuals speaking out about non-recent abuse, including former professional cyclist Sir Bradley Wiggins CBE, who revealed earlier this year he had been groomed by a former coach.
Sir Bradley said: “I back the NSPCC’s Keeping Your Child Safe in Sport Week campaign which strives to prevent abuse of any kind happening to children in sport. We must make sport safe for children, and make it easier for parents, and indeed all people in sport, to recognise and understand how they themselves can support a safer sports environment.”
As well as social media support from sporting clubs and figures across the country, virtual webinars for parents to promote safeguarding in youth sport will run throughout the week, including by the Premier League and another by The Young Gamers and Gamblers Education Trust (YGAM).
Michelle North, Director of the NSPCC’s Child Protection in Sport Unit, said: “For many of us, it was playing at our local grassroots sports clubs as children where we first encountered a deep lifelong love and passion for sport.
“Every child and young person deserves to enjoy sport in an environment that is safe from abuse and harm and where they can play within a culture that advocates for their care and wellbeing.
“Parents and carers play a key role in keeping children safe in sport. This is why during the NSPCC’s Keeping Your Child Safe in Sport Week campaign, we want to empower parents and carers with the knowledge, information and confidence needed to uphold child safeguarding.”
For the latest news from the NSPCC’s Child Protection in Sport Unit, please follow @theCPSU on Twitter.
To support the NSPCC’s Keeping Your Child Safe in Sport Week on social media, follow the campaign using #SafeInSport
For more information about the campaign and to gain access to the supporting resources please visit: www.nspcc.org.uk/safeinsport
More than 500 people with a passion for community health and social care will have the chance to make history at the first ever annual National Care Service Forum in Perth.
Attendees will be given the chance to shape the future of the National Care Service in a ground breaking opportunity for social care users, families, carers and staff to share their thoughts about the National Care Service and contribute to its design.
The National Care Service is being created following an Independent Review of Adult Social Care Services in 2021, which recommended reforming social care in Scotland and strengthening national accountability for social care support.
It will be the most significant development in health and social care since the establishment of the NHS. The Forum is part of a commitment to work with the real experts – those with lived experience of working or receiving health and social care services – to ensure we can develop an organisation that is fit for purpose, and that takes into account growing demand.
Minister for Social Care Kevin Stewart said: “From the day I took up the role as Minister for Health and Social Care I have been clear that the loudest voice on the future should come from those with living experience.
“Today’s event marks a monumental step towards a National Care Service, bringing together hundreds of people who are passionate about community health and social care, about continuing to make things better, and about developing an NCS that will be serve the people of Scotland for generations to come.
“Those attending will play their part in ensuring the voices of those who use or deliver community health and social care are heard. We must never lose sight of the fact that we’re undertaking this work for people and families and hundreds of workers. Those who are gathering today will write their names into Scotland’s history books by shaping the biggest shake-up of health services since the NHS.
“This is the biggest reform of public services since the formation of the National Health Service. A change of this scale will take time if we are to get it right. The sooner we start, the sooner we will be able to deliver better support for everyone.”
There’s still time to take part in the Forum online. Participants can join via the link
There are other ways people can get involved. The Lived Experience Experts Panel was recently launched to allow adults in Scotland to take part in the National Care Service co-design process. Applications remain open.
Voices of people with dementia, their families and carers to shape new strategy
People with dementia and their carers will be at the forefront of improving the help and support they receive as a ‘National Conversation’ is launched on the condition.
This will be the first step towards a new dementia strategy. People living with dementia, their families and carers will be given the opportunity to spell out what is important to them, what needs to change, and how to build on the first dementia strategy in 2010.
This National Conversation will include a series of online and in-person discussions to make it as easy as possible to contribute. The responses will feed into a new strategy – driven by the National Dementia Lived Experience Panel – which will provide tangible ways to improve the lives of those living with the condition.
This builds on existing work on dementia. Last year the Scottish Government provided an additional £3.5 million over two years to strengthen the support given people with dementia and their families after a diagnosis. This funding is on top of an estimated £2.2 billion spent on dementia by local delivery partners annually.
Minister for Social Care Kevin Stewart said: “Scotland has a track record in supporting people living with dementia, as shown by our world leading commitment to provide immediate support in the first year after people receive a dementia diagnosis.
“If we are to improve that record further, we need to put people and carers at the vanguard of our policy work – helping us develop a new story together that improves the understanding of dementia and allows more people to live well with it.”
Responses will be open until Monday 5 December. The Scottish Government will work with the Lived Experience Panel to develop responses into a fully-formed, outcomes-focused Strategy. This will be published by April 2023.
A UK-based consortium has been awarded £2.2 million funding to prepare a space debris mission in Low Earth Orbit (LEO).
The UK Space Agency has provided the multi-million pound backing to a mission led by innovative start-up, ClearSpace, to retrieve two derelict satellites at an altitude of 700km.
Known as Clearing the LEO Environment with Active Removal (CLEAR), the mission will be a crucial landmark in positioning the UK as an emerging world leader in space sustainability.
The consortium also includes the backing of strategic space communications specialists, AstroAgency, to provide messaging and awareness-raising for the flagship mission for the UK’s burgeoning space sector as the project enters the next phase in technical adequacy.
The Edinburgh-headquartered firm has worked with over forty global space clients to date, including some of the biggest names in commercial space and a host of government agencies, with the CLEAR mission the latest in a list of sustainability focused initiatives for space.
Earlier this month, the firm unveiled the world’s first Sustainable Space Roadmap, commissioned by Scottish Enterprise, setting out work packages for space stakeholders across industry and academia to collaborate around, with a common aim of developing a more environmentally conscious space sector both on the ground and in orbit.
Rory Holmes, ClearSpace UK Managing Director said: “Space is getting more and more congested with defunct satellites, rocket bodies and other fragments – we have to act now to ensure this precious environment remains usable for future generations.
“With the UK Space Agency’s leadership, the UK is now at the forefront of developing the missions and technologies needed to address the challenge of space debris.
“We are excited to start working with Astroagency to raise awareness of the issue of space debris and to highlight the world-leading activities that are being performed in the UK to address it.”
The two disused UK-owned satellites that will be removed from orbit, inactive for more than a decade, have the potential to remain in the most congested part of space – low Earth orbit – for up to 100 years before atmospheric drag would eventually cause the objects to naturally re-enter the atmosphere and burn up.
The danger is that with thousands of satellites to be launched and astronauts inside the International Space Station, leaving old satellites and broken fragments of debris orbiting the planet could have disastrous consequences due to the potential for a collision.
The CLEAR mission aims to provide a crucial step towards protecting the space-based infrastructure such as transport, financial, weather and climate change monitoring systems from rogue debris in one of the most sought-after regions of the Earth’s orbit due to its ideal proximity to our planet.
The UK Space Agency commissioned a study by the ClearSpace-led consortium last October into how a retrieval mission could be carried out, evaluating a number of scenarios and identifying the requirements and resources needed to achieve success.
The preliminary phase was completed in March 2022, and the newly awarded funding will power a detailed design phase which is expected to be completed by the end of 2023.
Dr Paul Bate, Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency, said: “As our reliance on space technologies increases rapidly and the UK becomes a global hub of satellite design, manufacturing and launch, we are committed to leading efforts to make space more sustainable.
“With 1,700 satellites launched last year alone, the need to safeguard the space environment for the benefit of everyone on Earth has never been more pressing.
“By catalysing investment, backing innovative new technologies and supporting a national mission to remove space debris, we can keep space open for future generations and protect the important satellite services that modern life depends on.”
Daniel Smith, Founder of AstroAgency, said: “As a UK headquartered company with a passion and track record for promoting the importance of a more environmentally conscious approach to commercial space activity, we couldn’t be more proud to be part of the CLEAR mission consortium.
“Like so many of our public and private sector clients, AstroAgency is committed to a more sustainable space sector both on Earth and in orbit, and CLEAR’s contribution to clearing space debris and safeguarding operational satellites – that provide so many services we use every day often without realising it – is a vital step towards this goal.”
The CLEAR mission will act as a cornerstone for UK companies aspiring to be at the forefront of the emerging in-orbit services market which is forecasted to reach $14.3 billion in cumulative revenue by 2031. It comes after the UK announced last month its Plan for Space Sustainability to mark out the UK as a front-runner in the emerging sector.
The projects will directly support the creation of 20 new jobs, with further opportunities to increase growth in the wider UK space sector, which already supports 47,000 jobs and generates an income of £16.5 billion each year.
AstroAgency provides space sector organisations and those considering entering the lucrative and fast-growing commercial space market with a unique combination of strategic marketing support, business development, brand building techniques, media coverage, detailed technical knowledge and all-important sector intelligence.
The firm’s impressive client list includes the likes of the UK Space Agency, Australian Government, Scottish Government and local council authorities in Ayrshire, Cornwall, Caithness, Norfolk and Suffolk, along with a growing number of private space companies across the globe working in satellite manufacture, launch and Earth observation data analysis.
The company is comprised of international space specialists who work across the space value chain from satellite manufacture and launch to downstream data analysis. Its international team are all remote based and boast a presence in Edinburgh, London, Cardiff, Milan, Amsterdam and Toulouse.
Free Meals on Wheels provided by LifeCare Edinburgh are available for people aged 50 and over, with health and/or support needs, living in North Edinburgh/Leith who are eligible for Pension Credit or Universal Credit.
