Invites to this event have also been issued to other local stakeholders and to residents/businesses in the local area. Please do pass the invitation on to any other parties that you think may be interested.
Local health and care services are asking for the public’s views on the future of care in Lothian.
The Lothian Health & Care System (LHCS), which is made up of NHS Lothian and the four local health and social care partnerships, is urging people to help shape healthcare in their region.
The pandemic has forced a major re-think across all services and systems, including healthcare. The NHS as a whole is facing sustained pressures and the LHCS wants people to have their say around the future of services over the next five years.
Together, the LHCS works to plan, commission, and deliver health and care services locally to a population of nearly one million which is projected to grow by 8% in the next decade.
Colin Briggs, Director of Strategic Planning, NHS Lothian, said: “We’re all aware that health and social care services are under significant and sustained pressure at the moment. That is why the LHCS is setting out its strategic direction for the next five years.
“Our Lothian Strategic Development Framework (LSDF) describes what we’re trying to achieve, now and in the future, the challenges we face and the direction we want to take over the next five years. It also lays out what we think the people of the Lothians can expect from us over that time, some of which will be hard for all of us”
“However, we can’t do this in isolation. Health and care belong to us all and we really want people to tell us their thoughts and ideas, their priorities, and their expectations, and also for us to be able to work together to find the best way forward.”
Through a combination of consultations, question and answer sessions and online feedback, NHS Lothian and partners are asking for the public’s feedback on the LSDF.
More than 400,000 postcards have been landing on doormats of households across Edinburgh, West Lothian, East Lothian and Midlothian giving details of how people can get involved and share their views. This builds on a successful initial engagement period during April, May, and June.
Mr Briggs added: “We’ve tried to be as accessible as possible in how we enable people from across our communities to give us their views.
“We want our patients, their families, our staff and the population we serve to be as involved as possible, both now and going forward.
“We are also being candid with our communities by saying that our performance and outcomes are not what we would want them to be. We need a new direction of travel in a post-pandemic world.
“The priorities currently outlined in the LSDF include moving care closer to home, supporting self-care, learning lessons from the pandemic, working closer with partners, improving our facilities, better utilising technology and reducing waiting lists.
“If you think we’re going in the right direction, or if you think we’re not, we’d really like to hear from you. Please get involved and tell us what you think the future of health and care should look like.”
Proposals for all new buildings to be fitted with climate-friendly alternatives to fossil fuel heating systems have been published.
The New Building Heat Standard (Part II) consultation sets out plans that would mean direct emissions heating systems (DEH), such as those run on fossil fuel, would no longer be installed in any homes and non-domestic buildings warranted from April 2024. They would be replaced by alternatives such as heat pumps, solar and electric energy.
To launch the consultation, Zero Carbon Buildings Minister Patrick Harvie visited Saughton Park and Gardens in Edinburgh, where two ground source heat pumps provide the buildings’ heat.
Mr Harvie said: “Scotland’s homes and buildings account for approximately a fifth of all our emissions, and we know that we need to take bold, ambitious steps to ensure we meet our climate obligations.
“New buildings will lead the way in cutting emissions, and earlier this year we published new energy standards that will cut emissions of all new-build homes by nearly a third.
“The proposed regulations are another major change to achieve our climate targets and make our homes and buildings warmer, greener and cheaper to run.
“We have been working with industry to inform the development of the proposed new regulations and I would urge individuals and organisations to share their views to help shape and inform their delivery.”
To help tackle illegal migration, the UK government is proposing tougher penalties for hauliers and vehicle drivers found carrying clandestine migrants
As part of the continued fight against illegal migration and the criminal gangs behind it, changes to the existing clandestine entrant civil penalties scheme will be made through the Nationality and Borders Act.
These include new civil penalties for hauliers and vehicle drivers who fail to adequately secure their vehicle and conduct proper checks, regardless of whether a clandestine entrant is found, as part of efforts to prevent dangerous journeys which risk serious injury or even death.
Since 2020, the number of clandestine entrants coming to the UK via HGV and goods vehicles has continued to increase year on year. The government is determined to stop this, including via these refreshed penalties for hauliers and vehicle drivers who leave themselves vulnerable to exploitation.
Ahead of implementation, we are seeking the views of vehicle drivers, companies and other interested parties on all these new measures.
The consultation with the industry will run for 8 weeks and will close on 12 September 2022.
Alongside the consultation, the Home Office will be running a series of engagement events to explore these issues in more detail.
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Simon Baynes MP said: “We are determined to do all we can to prevent illegal entry into the UK.
“Criminal gangs who risk the lives of desperate people for profit are taking advantage of those whose vehicles travel in and out of the country.
“Far too many vehicles are currently not adequately secured, and we will seek to increase penalties on those who are negligent and prosecute those who are complicit.
“This consultation is the next vital step in achieving this, and we look forward to working with the haulage industry and other interested parties to ensure that they are aware of the necessary requirements.”
The recently enacted Nationality and Borders Act is part of the UK government’s New Plan for Immigration to make it fairer for those in genuine need, deter illegal entry into the UK, break the business model of people-smuggling networks and remove those from the UK with no right to be here.
The city council wants to know your thoughts on Community Payback Orders (CPO). These alternatives to custodial sentences are given out by the Court as a way for people to pay for their crimes.
In particular, it wants to know what you think about the unpaid work part of a CPO, which replaced community service in 2011. This is when an individual who has committed an offence does unpaid work within the community.
Have you experienced people doing unpaid work in your community?
Do you believe unpaid work gives people the opportunity to repay the community for their offences?
Do you have any thoughts about residents, community projects or organisations who could benefit from unpaid work support by individuals completing CPOs?
These questions and a desire to improve service delivery is why the city council has launched it’s annual consultation in line with their commitments to the Scottish Government.
Councillor Val Walker, Culture and Communities Committee Convener, said: “We are taking a dynamic and evaluative approach to Community Payback Orders and the views of our citizens are crucial to this process.
“One major goal of the consultation is to find new areas and opportunities in the capital for unpaid work to be undertaken. Past examples of this work include community clear-ups, repainting community centres and the ‘Brake The Cycle’ scheme, wherein individuals serving CPOs are involved in renovating bicycles, learning new skills and gaining confidence in themselves and their wider community.
“These along with other activities allow key organisations such as charities to receive support whilst simultaneously allowing individuals serving CPOs to give back to their communities.
“Through this consultation and collection of information we want to promote more discussion with communities about unpaid work opportunities. These processes are key to properly understanding how CPOs help not only the individuals serving them in terms of reoffending, but the tangible benefits these brings to communities across our capital city.”
This consultation is open now and will run until 25 September 2022.
TheCOVID-19 Recovery Committeeis to analyse the impact of the pandemic on the Scottish labour market, including how long Covid, long-term sickness and early retirement is affecting the number of those in work.
As the country starts the process of recovery from the pandemic, a key issue that has emerged is a persistently high number of people no longer part of the workforce, termed ‘economically inactive’.
A blog by the Fraser of Allander Institute concluded in April 2022 that: “More worrying for the outlook for the Scottish labour market is the fact that we now have over 20,000 more people economically inactive because of long-term sickness than we had pre-pandemic.”
The Committee will investigate the reasons behind these high numbers, including the emergence of above average numbers of long-term sick.
They want to understand if this is this due to pre-existing conditions, or new conditions, such as long COVID, or other factors, such as stress brought on by pandemic experiences. The Committee will also look at whether early retirement is one of the drivers behind this change in the labour market.
COVID-19 Recovery Committee Convener Siobhian Brown MSP said: “Unlike previous economic shocks, where the labour force numbers recovered much more quickly, we are seeing concerning persistent numbers of long term economically inactive people.
“We want to find out why this has happened and what needs to be done to encourage these people back into the work place.
“We are keen to learn more about the labour market impact of the pandemic on people with pre-existing health conditions, what influenced people to take early retirement and whether specific groups of society or areas of the country have been impacted more than others.
“There is no doubt that the reasons behind this will be complex but in order to address this issue we must first understand why people are no longer working.”
‘Transformative changes’ are being proposed to the way Scotland’s land is used and managed in order to ensure greater benefit to communities and the environment.
The Scottish Government is seeking views on ambitious proposals for its new Land Reform Bill, which will be introduced by the end of 2023.
The Bill aims to address long-standing concerns about the highly concentrated pattern of land ownership in rural areas of Scotland.
Proposed measures include:
The introduction of a public interest test for transfers of large-scale landholdings
A requirement on owners of large-scale holdings to give prior notice to community bodies of their intention to sell
A requirement on those seeking land-based subsidies to have the land registered in the Land Register, to ensure transparency around who benefits from public funding
In addition, the consultation asks questions about how to ensure communities benefit from future investment in Scotland’s natural capital, and that there is greater transparency around land and asset ownership.
Environment and Land Reform Minister Mairi McAllan visited The Ecology Centre in Kinghorn, Fife, to formally launch the consultation.
The centre is a community-led charity that has been supported with grant funding from the Scottish Land Fund.
Ms McAllan said: “Land reform is a pervasive issue in Scotland. We have a strong record of progressive and innovative land reform – but this journey is not complete. We must continue to develop and implement land reform that addresses historical inequalities and at the same time, we must rise to changing social, environmental and economic issues in contemporary Scotland.
“I recognise, and am fully committed to tackling, the adverse effects of scale and concentration of landownership – and empowering communities in the process.
“I am also clear that while investment in Scotland’s natural capital is vital to tackle the climate and nature emergencies, we must ensure that our people and communities are not disadvantaged and indeed can benefit.
“Finally, we must continue to improve transparency of ownership of land in Scotland.That’s why this summer we will be consulting on a wide range of transformative proposals – including our aim to ensure that the public interest is considered on transfers of particularly large-scale landholdings.
“The new Bill will be a significant step forward in ensuring our land is owned diversely and is used in the public interest and to the benefit of the people of Scotland.
“This is the next step on Scotland’s land reform journey as we continue the work to pass more power to people and local communities, encourage and support responsible and diverse landownership and ensure communities have a say in how land in is used.”
Chair of Community Land Scotland Ailsa Raeburn said: “Community Land Scotland warmly welcome the launch of the Consultation on the forthcoming Land Reform Bill. It is becoming ever clearer that who owns and controls land, is incredibly important in building a fairer greener Scotland.
“We very much hope the new Bill encompasses a range of measures that effectively tackles the endemic issues of scale and concentration of land ownership and the adverse effects this has on local communities. The Bill is a great opportunity to ensure Scotland’s land is owned and used fairly and that as many people as possible can benefit from it.”
Chair of the Scottish Land Commission Andrew Thin said: “The ways land is owned and used is central to tackling the climate emergency, contributing to a successful economy and supporting communities.
“It is great to see the Government launch the consultation of the upcoming Land Reform Bill which includes a range of potential measures to ensure that the benefit of land is shared by all.
“The Scottish Land Commission has been working over the last five years to provide a robust evidence base for our recommendations on making land work better in the public interest, highlighting the opportunity land reform can bring to Scotland and its people.
“I would encourage everyone to take part in the consultation and help to shape the next step in Scotland’s land reform journey.”
Proposals to limit the promotion of food and drink high in fat, sugar or salt have been published.
The Scottish Government’s consultation seeks views on restricting the promotion of confectionery, cakes, crisps, savoury snacks and sugary soft drinks at checkouts and front of store, and on multi-buy discounts.
The aim is to reduce the health harms associated with poor diet and higher weight.
The consultation will help assess what impact the proposed restrictions would have on businesses and public health, including on health inequalities. It will run for 12 weeks to 23 September 2022.
Minister for Public Health Maree Todd said: “Our diets remain too high in calories, fat, sugar and salt which can have serious consequences for our overall health.
“In Scotland, two out of three adults are overweight or obese, with those living in our poorest areas more likely to be overweight and experience the most harm as a result.
“We know that promotions can encourage over-consumption and impulse buying.
“By restricting the promotion of less healthy food and drink we can better support people to make healthier choices and help create a Scotland where everyone eats well and has a healthy weight.”
Food Standards Scotland (FSS) Head of Nutrition Science and Policy Dr Gillian Purdon said: “We welcome the launch of the Scottish Government’s consultation on restricting promotions of foods high in fat, salt or sugar.
“FSS supports the introduction of promotional restrictions on these products as part of a suite of recommendations to address the nation’s poor diet. Promotions can encourage us to buy more than we need, and don’t necessarily save us money.
“Evidence shows that a considerable amount of the food and drink we buy is on promotion, and is often skewed towards less healthy choices such as confectionery, sweet biscuits, savoury snacks, cakes, pastries, puddings and sugar containing soft drinks. These foods account for around 20% of calories and fat in our diet, and more than half of our free sugar intake.
“Restricting promotions of these types of foods is one way to support people to make healthier choices.”
Edinburgh’s residents are being encouraged to have their say on what makes them feel safe or unsafe when out and about in the Capital and what they think could improve this.
The Women’s Safety in Public Places Community Improvement Partnership (WSPP CIP) has launched a new consultation on what makes Edinburgh residents, especially girls and women and vulnerable people, feel safe or unsafe in Edinburgh’s public spaces.
Recognising that making spaces safer for women, makes them safer for everyone, views are being sought on where people feel safe or unsafe and why, as well as what they think could be done to improve feelings and perception of safety. Findings will inform future plans to make Edinburgh ‘Safer by Design’.
Last year a report on Women’s Safety in Public Places was presented to the Policy and Sustainability Committee (30 November 2021). The report presented information from a number of teams within the Council, including Community Safety, 20-Minute Neighbourhoods and the Equally Safe Edinburgh Committee and proposed a range of actions to support and promote the safety of women and girls across the capital.
One of the first activities to drive forward the actions is a consultation into girls’ and women’s feelings about safety in public spaces in Edinburgh.
The Women’s Safety in Public Places Community Improvement Partnership was assembled in January 2022 consisting of representatives from the Council and Police Scotland and this consultation will now run for 12 weeks.
Councillor Mandy Watt, Depute Leader of the City of Edinburgh Council, said: “We recognise that some women and girls do not feel safe in public places. We are working to identify what makes particular areas and places feel safe or unsafe and what city partners can do to improve this.
“Women consider personal safety constantly in their everyday lives, from meeting and socialising with friends, to travelling on public transport and walking home. Recent murders of women in public spaces sparked a national conversation about how women feel unsafe and alter their behaviours to keep safe and the partnership is committed to addressing this in the Capital.
“Edinburgh prides itself on being an inclusive, diverse and welcoming city but there is no denying that like other cities in the UK more can be done to make our residents feel safe. This consultation is vital with responses helping to inform the future of how we develop and improve public spaces across the whole of the Edinburgh area, from the design of roads and pathways to the layout of parks and shopping areas and more.
“We have a responsibility to do everything in our power to make residents feel safe in their city. I would encourage everyone to take part in the consultation so that their feedback is at the heart of developing Edinburgh.”
The Partnership will use the findings from the consultation to inform their report and recommendations to bring back to the Council later this year.
Combined with data from Police Scotland, this report will help to inform future place-making and development plans for Edinburgh on how to make the city safer for all.
The online consultation is hosted on the City of Edinburgh Council – Citizen Space. It is open for 12 weeks from Monday 27 June 2022 to 20 September 2022.
