Tag: democracy

Inverleith Councillor nominated for national award

Winners will be unveiled in Dundee on 12 October

LOCAL Government Information Unit Scotland and CCLA are delighted to announce that Cllr Max Mitchell of the City of Edinburgh Council has been shortlisted for the 2022 Cllr Awards for Young Councillor.

Conservative Cllr Mitchell is the only Edinburgh councillor to make the shortlists.

Running for the 5th year, the Cllr Awards are the only national ceremony to celebrate the vital contributions of councillors across Scotland. These Awards are a hugely important way to champion what councillors do locally as their work can, all too often, go unrecognised. 

Competition was extremely tight again this year, with nearly 100 nominations received across five categories that celebrate the varied work of councillors. The categories up for grabs this year are:  Community Champion, Leader of the Year, Lifetime Achievement, Resilience and Recovery and Young Councillor of the Year awards. The full shortlist is included below.

A panel of judges composed of senior councillors and leading stakeholders from across the sector will select the winners who will be revealed at the Cllr Awards ceremony taking place on Wednesday 12 October (from 7:00pm-9:00pm) at Marryat Hall (Caird Hall) with Dundee City Council as this year’s hosts.

The ceremony will also be broadcast live on YouTube.

Sign up to watch the ceremony live or request an invitation to attend the ceremony in-person. 

This year’s awards are only made possible thanks to the generous support of founding partners CCLA.

Jonathan Carr-West, Chief Executive, LGIU Scotland said:  “In a year like no other, councillors up and down the country have once again been working tirelessly to address the needs of their residents and bring much needed leadership to communities that are struggling day in and day out. 

“The 2022 Cllr Awards shortlist is a reflection of the dedication and resilience shown by councillors during some of the most turbulent and worrying years in recent history. 

“From supporting communities through flooding emergencies and fires to welcoming refugees from Ukraine into our local communities, these councillors are some of the most committed elected representatives across Scotland. We are incredibly proud to showcase their stories in this year’s shortlist.

“Congratulations to all of the shortlisted councillors. We look forward to unveiling the winners of this 5th annual Cllr Awards in Dundee on the 12th of October.” 

Lord Provost of Dundee, Bill Campbell, said: “We are delighted to host the Cllr Awards in Dundee, and look forward to celebrating the tremendous contribution that elected members make to communities across Scotland. Congratulations and good luck to all those who have been shortlisted.”

NO LEADER of the YEAR AWARD

In a departure from previous years, there will be NO Leader of the Year Award this time round.

Organisers explained: ‘As we mark the 5th anniversary of Cllr Awards, councils across Scotland have delivered in the face of the most turbulent and worrying years in recent history.

‘Councillors have been responding to the pandemic, helping residents through the cost of living crisis, supporting refugees, delivering aid in response to the war in Ukraine and helping communities to come together to mourn the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

‘In this difficult context, we feel it is essential to take this moment in time to celebrate all local leadership across Scotland. As such, the Cllr Awards will be showcasing and recognising the leadership of each Council Leader in Scotland (those currently in post as well as those serving up to the May 2022 elections) for their remarkable contributions to local government over the last two years.’

AYE, right …!

THE NOMINATIONS ARE:

2022 Cllr Awards Shortlist – Scotland

Community Champion

Cllr Stephen Burns – Renfrewshire Council

Cllr Neill Graham – Renfrewshire Council

Cllr David Macdonald – East Renfrewshire Council

Cllr Uisdean Robertson – Comhairle nan Eilean Siar

Cllr Ann Ross – Aberdeenshire Council

Leader of the Year

See above

Lifetime Achievement 

Bailie Malcolm Cunning – Glasgow City Council (in memoriam)

Cllr Donald Moffat – Scottish Borders Council

Resilience and Recovery

Cllr Maureen Chalmers – South Lanarkshire Council

Cllr Chris Cullen – South Ayrshire Council

Cllr Katie Hagmann – Dumfries and Galloway Council

Cllr Pauline Munro – Highland Council

Cllr Fay Sinclair – Scottish Borders Council

Young Councillor

Cllr Max Mitchell – City of Edinburgh Council

Cllr Connor McManus – Midlothian Council

(It’s a two-horse race here … but that’s a Lib Dem headline!)

Tackling Scotland’s health inequalities requires immediate joined-up action, warns Holyrood Committee

A Scottish Parliament inquiry has concluded by calling for urgent, coordinated action across all levels of Government in the UK to tackle health inequalities in Scotland.

A wide-ranging report by the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee calls for urgent action to address health inequalities, and for tackling poverty to be considered a major public health priority at all levels of Government in order to address this.

Read the report

The Committee heard evidence that the Covid-19 pandemic and the rapidly rising cost of living have further exacerbated Scotland’s health inequalities.

The Committee is calling for action across the UK and the Scottish governments, and by local authorities, which it says is essential if these inequalities are to be tackled effectively. This includes further public service reform and strategic action across multiple policy areas.

Among its recommendations, the Committee is calling for action on education, employment and housing to improve health outcomes and better tackle health inequalities. It says safe, secure and affordable housing must be available for all and highlights the significant impact planning policy can have on health outcomes and, if implemented poorly, in widening inequalities.

In compiling its report, the majority of the Committee agreed with the recommendation by the Glasgow Centre of Population Health that, within budget constraints, the UK Government should take action to align benefits and tax credits with inflation and to reinstate the uplift in Universal Credit introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The report also highlights extensive evidence submitted to the inquiry that informal and unpaid caring has a disproportionate impact on health outcomes and that informal carers face significant health inequalities as a result.

To address this issue, the Committee calls on the Scottish Government and Public Health Scotland to provide more targeted support for carers.

Gillian Martin MSP, Convener of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, said: “The evidence is clear that health inequalities in Scotland continue to grow, while the pandemic and ongoing cost of living crisis will only exacerbate these inequalities further.

“A number of witnesses contributing to the inquiry argued that, over the past decade, UK Government policies on austerity have also had a negative impact on health inequalities in Scotland.

“We are particularly concerned that the rising cost of living will have a greater negative impact on those groups already experiencing health inequalities, including those living in poverty and those with a disability.

“Government action to date to tackle health inequalities has not been enough in the face of decades-long, major impacts on household incomes. We are calling for urgent action across all levels of government to reduce these stark inequalities which have real life and death consequences.

“There is currently no overarching national strategy for tackling health inequalities in Scotland. Meanwhile, evidence submitted to our inquiry has revealed multiple instances where the design and delivery of public services may be exacerbating inequalities rather than reducing them. We need to deliver further public service reform to ensure this doesn’t continue to happen.

“The reasons why we have failed to make progress in tackling health inequalities are many and varied. Reducing these will require bold and strategic action across all levels of government and by a range of government departments. Tackling health inequalities must be a major public health priority because lives literally depend on it.”

Other key findings in the report include:

  • The Committee express concern that certain vulnerable families report being excluded from free childcare provision, including those who care for disabled children and those who do not have a standard Monday-Friday work pattern.
  • A majority of the Committee is supportive of the concept of a universal basic income and calls on the Scottish Government to work with the relevant UK agencies to consider whether a pilot of the policy could take place in Scotland in order to begin to address health inequalities. A Committee majority would also like to see the implementation of a minimum income guarantee in Scotland.
tackling-health-iinequalities-reportDownload

Special Council meeting called to pay tribute to HM The Queen

City councillors will unite to pay tribute to HM The Queen in a specially convened meeting this Friday (16 September).

The meeting, to be held in the City Chambers and broadcast live on the City of Edinburgh Council’s webcast channel, will take place at 10am. 

The sole item for debate on the agenda is a motion put forward by Lord Provost Robert Aldridge, Lord Lieutenant of the City of Edinburgh, which states: 

Death of Her Majesty the Queen – Motion by the Lord Provost

“On behalf of the citizens of Edinburgh, this Council offers its deep condolences to the Royal Family on news of the death of Her Majesty the Queen.

Throughout her extraordinary reign she showed great appreciation for her ancient and hereditary Kingdom of Scotland and its capital city Edinburgh.

During her countless visits to Edinburgh, she reached out to charities, veterans, service personnel, hospitals and children and won a very special place in the hearts of the citizens of Edinburgh and Scotland.

Over her seven-decade reign, she showed unwavering and inspirational, dedication to serving the nation and the Commonwealth, offering wise counsel in often turbulent times.

This Council and this City are in mourning. Council gives thanks for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s exceptional 70 years’ service and extends its deepest sympathy to the Royal Family at this very difficult time.”

The agenda for this special meeting can be found at: 

https://democracy.edinburgh.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=150&MId=6568 

Tortoise seeks judicial review of election process for new Tory leader

Tortoise Media is seeking judicial review of the Conservative Party’s refusal to provide information about the running of the election to decide Boris Johnson’s successor as Party leader and Prime Minister.

The Tortoise newsroom asked for information about the demographics of the membership voting to elect the next leader and Prime Minister; they asked for the numbers of members and how they have grown over time; asked what the Party does to ensure members are who they say they are; and asked what the Party does to deal with attempts at infiltration and interference.  

The Conservative Party refused to answer any of these questions.  Darren Mott, CEO of the Conservatives, said the election was a “private matter” and that the choice of PM is not ultimately made by the members, but the Queen. 

(The full letter is here.)  

Tortoise believe that this is unlawful.   On the advice of lawyers, they have written to the Conservative Party to inform them that they are seeking judicial review because they believe that the Party’s refusal to disclose information is in breach of common law and human rights law – i.e. the Conservative Party is in breach of the laws safeguarding open government and guaranteeing our right to know information regarding the operation of our government and democracy. 

(The full text of our letter to the Conservative Party is here.)

The full argument for judicial review can be found here but in summary we believe the leadership process to be undemocratic, in its conspicuous lack of transparency, and against the principle of open and fair democracy:

  • – undemocratic because the process by which Conservative Party chooses the next PM is unrepresentative (the membership accounts for little over 0.2 per cent of the population and includes non-UK citizens and under-age voters) and because it’s unsafe (the Party has provided no assurance to us as to how or if it checks voters are who they say they are). 
  • – unlawful because we asked the Conservative Party to provide information about the demographics of the electorate, the efforts taken to validate party members and the process of securing the election from interference.  They refused.  In doing so, we believe they’ve breached the common law principle of open government and human rights enshrined in law guaranteeing information is made available to the public about the operation of our democracy. 
  • – we know more about the membership of the Chinese Communist Party – age, gender, geography, job – than we do about the Conservative Party members choosing our prime minister
  • – Party insiders estimate the membership has grown by 50-70,000 people in the last three years, but no one can say who they are; no one, in fact, can say how many of the members are on the electoral register
  • – if Liz Truss moves into No. 10 next week, she’ll have the weakest mandate of any modern prime minister, not being the choice of the majority of Conservative MPs but carried into office by 80,000 or so people who pay £25 a year to be Conservative Party members. 
  • – when we asked a Party official who oversees the Party’s compliance processes to ensure voters are who they say they are, we were told: “Nobody”.  The former head of one of the UK’s national security agencies said the Conservative Party is not resourced to run an election of this importance. 

James Harding, Editor of Tortoise, said: “After we registered Archie, our pet tortoise, a couple of foreign nationals and the late Lady Thatcher as members of the Conservative Party – and the Party had taken the money, issued them all with new membership numbers and invited them to the leader hustings – we were concerned about how the Conservative Party was running this election. 

“We wrote to the Conservative Party to ask who the voters are and what they do to ensure they are who they say they are.  They have refused to answer.  

“This is no way to choose the person who, from next week, will be Prime Minister of a nuclear-armed G7 nation with a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.  

“This election is obviously undemocratic.  The Party’s insistence on secrecy is also unlawful.  We are a newsroom; our job is to inform; if the Conservative Party refuses to disclose information in the public interest, we can’t just shrug, we need to take it to court.  

“The public surely has the right to know who gets to choose who runs the country and what is done to ensure the election is clean and safe. ” 

Citizens’ panel to help shape how the Parliament engages with the people of Scotland

People from across Scotland will be invited to join a Citizens’ Panel which will look to improve how the Parliament works with people across Scotland. 
The 24-person panel, to be selected at random, will broadly reflect the demographic make-up of Scotland. The Citizens’ Panel on Participation will give members of the public a direct opportunity to influence change.  

They will report to the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee who recently launched an inquiry into public participation.

The panel is just one of the many ways the Committee is gathering views that will help inform how the Parliament involves, reflects and meets the needs of all the communities it represents, with a focus on improving engagement for those currently under-represented.  

Participants do not need any prior knowledge to take part and the panel will receive support throughout the sessions, which will hear from speakers who are passionate about democracy and public participation, to help facilitate discussion and inform findings. 

Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Convener, Jackson Carlaw MSP, said: “This is a unique opportunity to help shape the way the Scottish Parliament works with the people of Scotland and I would encourage everyone who receives an invitation over the coming weeks to register and get involved.  

“We know that the Parliament doesn’t hear enough from some groups and communities and this Citizens’ Panel will bring together a diverse range of voices to make recommendations over how Holyrood can better connect and reflect the views of the people MSPs are here to represent. 

“If selected, your views could help to directly shape the future of the way the Scottish Parliament engages with communities across Scotland and improve public participation in decision making across the board.” 

Who are your leading councillors?

5th ANNUAL COUNCILLOR AWARDS – NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN NOW!

THE only national awards ceremony celebrating the work of councillors across Scotland has officially launched its call for nominations.

Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) Scotland and CCLA are proud to host the 5th annual Cllr Awards honouring the achievements of individual councillors who go above and beyond for their communities.

This year’s categories showcase the vital work of councillors including the coveted Community Champion, Leader of the Year and Young Councillor of the Year awards.

Nominations can be made by anyone (members of the public, councillors and council officers) who would like to recognise a councillor who has made a real difference to their area over the last year.

The deadline for nominations is  Wednesday 7 September with the shortlist due to be unveiled at the end of September. 

The winners will be decided by a panel of judges made up of senior councillors and officers and leading stakeholders from across the sector. On Wednesday 12 October the winner will be revealed at the annual awards ceremony taking place at Marryat Hall (Caird Hall) with 2022 hosts Dundee City Council

. It will be held as a hybrid event with virtual link ups to the live ceremony.

This year’s Awards are made possible thanks to the generous support of founding partners, CCLA.

Jonathan Carr-West, Chief Executive of LGIU Scotland, said: “From how our towns look to the home care we receive and the funding of much valued community projects, the work of councillors is felt across all of our lives on a daily basis. 

“Councillors and councils are key to keeping the machinery of everyday life going, ensuring the most vulnerable in the community are looked after and making sure the places where we live and work are thriving, safe and inclusive. 

“Much of the work done by elected members is behind the scenes, which is why we created the Cllr Awards. So that every year we can take time to recognise this work and celebrate their achievements.

“The LGIU is proud to once again open nominations for the annual Cllr Awards to honour the commitment of our locally elected representatives. Our local democracy and our local democratic structures are stronger because of our councillors.

“We look forward to seeing a record number of nominations this year and getting to know the many inspiring stories behind them.”

Six of the best?

SECOND ROUND OF VOTING TAKES PLACE TODAY

RISHI Sunak has emerged as the front-runner in the race to become the next Prime Minister. The former Chancellor was the clear winner following the first round of voting by MPs yesterday.

Sunak topped the poll with 88 votes, Trade Minister Penny Mordaunt was a strong second on 67 and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who launches her campaign today, third on 50.

New Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi and former health secretary Jeremy Hunt were eliminated from the race, both failing to attract suffiicient support.

First Round Voting was:

Rishi Sunak 88

Penny Mordaunt 67

Liz Truss 50

Kemi Badenoch 40

Tom Tugendhat 37

Suella Braverman 32

Nadhim Zahawi 25*

Jeremy Hunt 18*

Eliminated *

The six remaining hopefuls – Kemi Badenoch, Suella Braverman, Penny Mordaunt, Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss and Tom Tugendhat – face another round of voting today when another candidate will be eliminated.

The field is expected to be narrowed down to two by the end of next week, then over the summer around 160,000 Conservative Party members will have their say on who they want as their next party leader – and our prime minister.

The result will be announced on 5 September.

And then there were eight …

Outsider falls before the first hurdle as race to become Conservative Party leader gets underway

EIGHT candidates will battle it out to become the next Conservative Party leader – and our new Prime Minister – as voting gets under way this afternoon.

Each of the candidates was able to get the minimum twenty signatures required to take part in the contest and the competition now gets under way in earnest.

One hopeful who didn’t make it was little-known backbencher Rehman Chishti, who failed to get the required number of nominations.

Cabinet ministers Dominic Raab and Grant Shapps chose not to stand, instead attending Rishi Sanak’s campaign launch. Other big names not putting themselves forward to be the next Prime Minister are Priti Patel, Michael Gove and Sajid Javid, although all three will be keen to influence the outcome of the contest.

The candidates are: Kemi Badenoch, Suella Braverman, Jeremy Hunt, Penny Mordaunt, Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss, Tom Tugendhat and Nadhim Zahawi.

They now have to secure 30 votes in the first round today to stay in the race. Voting opens at 1.30pm with the result expected just after 5pm.

Further votes will then take place over the coming days to whittle the number of candidates down to a final two. Conservative Party members across the country will then choose between this final pair over the summerand the winner is expected to be announced on 5 September before parliament resumes after the summer recess.

Former Chancellor Rishi Sunak seems certain to be one of the final two, but at this stage it is far from clear who his final opponent is going to be.

5pm UPDATE:

Former Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and current Chancellor Nadhim Zahawi have been eliminated after today’s vote.

The six remaining candidates will do it all again tomorrow.

.

Consultation: What impact has COVID-19 had on the Scottish labour market?

The COVID-19 Recovery Committee is 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.

Submit your views – Road to recovery: impact of the pandemic on the Scottish labour market

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.”  

Let the Committee know your views:

Road to recovery: impact of the pandemic on the Scottish labour market

The call for views closes on 9 September.

UK Bill of Rights condemned

‘Freedom of speech and the views of elected lawmakers will be given greater weight in law’ under a Bill of Rights introduced to the Westminster Parliament yesterday. The Bill has been condemned by the Scottish Government, who say the proposals are ‘shocking and unnecessary’.

  • Freedom of speech to be given greater weight in law
  • New permission stage in court to prevent trivial legal claims wasting taxpayers’ money
  • Allows future laws to make it harder for foreign criminals to frustrate deportation process

The Bill will ensure courts cannot interpret laws in ways that were never intended by Parliament and will empower people to express their views freely.

At the same time, it will help prevent trivial human rights claims from wasting judges’ time and taxpayer money. A permission stage in court will be introduced requiring people to show they have suffered a significant disadvantage before their claim can go ahead.

The Bill will also reinforce in law the principle that responsibilities to society are as important as personal rights. It will do this by ensuring courts consider a claimant’s relevant conduct, like a prisoner’s violent or criminal behaviour, when awarding damages.

The Bill will make clear that the UK Supreme Court is the ultimate judicial decision-maker on human rights issues and that the case law of the European Court of Human Rights does not always need to be followed by UK courts.

Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Dominic Raab said: “The Bill of Rights will strengthen our UK tradition of freedom whilst injecting a healthy dose of common sense into the system.

“These reforms will reinforce freedom of speech, enable us to deport more foreign offenders and better protect the public from dangerous criminals.”

The Bill of Rights will make it easier to deport foreign criminals by allowing future laws to restrict the circumstances in which their right to family life would trump public safety and the need to remove them.

It will mean that under future immigration laws, to evade removal a foreign criminal would have to prove that a child or dependent would come to overwhelming, unavoidable harm if they were deported.

As a result, any new laws will curb the abuse of the system that has seen those convicted of hurting their own partners and children evade removal by claiming it would breach their right to family life in the UK.

The Bill of Rights will also:

  • Boost freedom of the press and freedom of expression by introducing a stronger test for courts to consider before they can order journalists to disclose their sources.
  • Prevent courts from placing new costly obligations on public authorities to actively protect someone’s human rights and limit the circumstances in which current obligations apply, for example, police forces having to notify gang members of threats towards them from other gangs.
  • Insulate the Government’s plans to increase the use of prison Separation Centres against legal challenge from extremist offenders claiming ‘a right to socialise’.
  • Recognise that trial by jury is a fundamental component of fair trials in the UK.
  • Prevent human rights from being used as a way to bring claims on overseas military operations once alternative options are provided by upcoming legislation.
  • Confirm that interim measures from the European Court of Human Rights under Rule 39, such as the one issued last week which prevented the removal flight to Rwanda, are not binding on UK courts.

This will be achieved while retaining the UK’s fundamental commitment to the European Convention on Human Rights.

UK BILL OF RIGHTS CONDEMNED

Call for Scottish Parliament to be consulted

Proposals to repeal the Human Rights Act are a “shocking and unnecessary” attempt to remove safeguards afforded to every member of society, Equalities Minister Christina McKelvie has said.

Putting on record the Scottish Government’s unequivocal opposition to the UK Government’s Bill of Rights, published today, Ms McKelvie stressed that the Scottish Parliament would have to agree to any changes affecting the devolution settlement.

Ms McKelvie said: “This shocking and unnecessary legislation seeks to put UK Ministers above some of the most fundamental checks and balances that underpin our democracy.

“The fact remains that we do not need a new Bill of Rights. The Human Rights Act is one of the most important laws passed by the UK Parliament. For more than 20 years it has delivered fairness and justice – protecting our rights to privacy and liberty, freedom of expression and peaceful protest. It has prevented discrimination, inhumanity and the abuse of power.

“The UK Government’s Rwanda policy has been challenged in the European Court of Human Rights. This legislation appears to be part of its response – an attempt to remove safeguards protecting every member of our society.

“As a founding signatory of the European Convention on Human Rights, the UK Government should be championing international human rights standards and the rule of law. Instead its Ministers appear intent on damaging the UK’s global reputation.

“I would urge them to stop this act of vandalism which will have an impact on public bodies that must adhere to it. The UK Government must also remain fully committed to the European Convention on Human Rights and to membership of the Council of Europe.

“The Human Rights Act is built into the heart of the devolution settlement, and any legislation that breaches the Act has no force in law. Let me make clear that it would therefore be wholly unacceptable to make changes affecting Scotland without the explicit agreement of the Scottish Parliament.

“I am proud that the Scottish Government is treading a different path, showing human rights leadership by protecting and enhancing our rights and freedoms, with plans for future Scottish legislation to extend devolved human rights safeguards even further.”

In March the Scottish and Welsh Governments issued a joint statement on Human Rights Act reform.

Last year’s Independent Human Rights Act Review, set up by the UK Government, concluded that there was no case for radical changes to the Act.