Tag: Holyrood Elections 2021

Activists call for green jobs

Politicians urged to support investment to create over 13,000 green jobs

Local campaigners have urged all Edinburgh and Lothians candidates in the upcoming Scottish Parliament election to support much needed investment in key sectors to create green jobs as part of our economic recovery all while cutting our climate emissions.

New research shows that over 13,000 jobs could be created in Edinburgh across green infrastructure and care work in just two years.

The call comes after new research from Green New Deal UK revealed at least 130,000 green jobs can be created across Scotland. Campaigners highlight how this will help us deal with the current job insecurity many citizens face, but only if the government invests in key areas including care work and renewable energy.

The analysis maps out the huge jobs potential in sectors like solar energy, offshore wind, social care and energy efficiency – all of which are essential to Scotland meeting its national and international climate targets.

The data, compiled by Green New Deal UK, shows:

·         130,000 jobs could be created across Scotland in the next two years.

·         60,000 jobs could be created in care work, looking after people in our communities.

·         62,000 jobs could be created in building the green infrastructure needed to reduce climate emissions, including in renewable energy, construction and transport.

Laurie Dewar, a Green New Deal organiser in Edinburgh, said: “Our research shows that you can reduce unemployment and create jobs whilst tackling climate change at the same time. Politicians have the power capitalise on this opportunity and help their constituents.

“As a young person I know that now is the time in which my future is decided, and I want a world in which my decisions will not be dictated by ecological chaos.

“Considering the irrevocable damage climate change will do to the places we live and love, the global health and humanitarian crises it will spark, and the working solutions that we know can be adopted, we must come to a consensus to act.

“I see real power in our collective desire to live in a safer world and a key example is the public’s display of solidarity and connection throughout the pandemic. Walking down the streets now it is still easy to find rainbows lining the windows one year on: a symbol of our desire to create brightness in the dark. We can do that here as well. Out of the ashes of these twin issues can we form a better society.”

Ryan Morrison, Just Transition Campaigner at Friends of the Earth Scotland, commented: “The next Scottish Parliament must put people and climate action at the heart of decisions they make about the economy.

“Thousands of green jobs can be created by making bus travel free for everyone, scaling up renewable energy whilst ensuring that people in Scotland are reaping the benefits, and planning for a fair transition away from fossil fuels.

“We also need to broaden our understanding of what makes a job green. A truly green economy will see a myriad of retrofitters, carers, bike couriers and teachers, up and down the country, all working towards transforming our economy.

“There are opportunities in every part of Scotland that can support our recovery from the pandemic while tackling our emissions in tandem. It is imperative that new MSPs are focused on turning the potential opportunity shown in this research into quality jobs on the ground.”

Campaigners highlight how almost one in five children in Edinburgh live in poverty – most to adults in paid employment – showing the clear need more good jobs. In a world facing a climate crisis any good job must be green and sustainable, but they can also help revitalise our capital and create a society to be proud of.

Local government has to be an election priority, says COSLA

With Scotland going to the polls in just two weeks, and the election campaign back underway, COSLA says that Local Government must be an election priority and called on the political parties to make it one.

COSLA President Councillor Alison Evison said:   “Scottish Local Government plays a vital role in the lives of people within our Communities and this has never been more needed than in this past year.

“We have not heard much about Local Government in this year’s campaign so far and that is disappointing.

“COSLA has already called on all political parties to acknowledge the rightful role of Local Government in their manifestos ahead of this year’s election.

“Local Government is the anchor in our communities with a committed workforce who are invested in their communities and take pride in supporting people through good times and bad.

“We run the nurseries and schools that educate our young people and help build them into confident young people.

“Care of the elderly and vulnerable within our communities has never been more important and again it is Councils who rise to meet this challenge.  Our waste collection/disposal service keeps our communities clean and removes potential hazards. If it hadn’t continued during the pandemic we would have all suffered.

“We help individuals and businesses in times of crisis, often when there is no one else to turn to and again this is something that was highlighted during the pandemic.

“It is also important to look at how we help with the health of the nation.  It should not be forgotten how much we support the Health Service– be that with gritting roads and pavements or running sport and leisure facilities.   We are also responsible for services that help address isolation and mental health.

“In terms of our economic impact, Councils are often the biggest single employer in most parts of Scotland, mostly employing people from within their own council area who have local knowledge.  

“This means we have employees on the ground, ready, skilled and able to deal with emergency or crisis issues on, if necessary, a street by street basis. Councils have been instrumental in supporting business throughout this crisis and will be crucial as we look to rebuild an economy fit for the future.

“The new Parliament provides the opportunity for parties to put people and communities at the heart of their manifestos through Local Government and the vital services we deliver.”

OFCOM to examine BBC role in Holyrood Elections campaign

Salmond says: “The BBC are the broadcasting Bourbons – they have learnt nothing from their blatant bias of 2014”

The BBCs coverage of the Scottish election campaign and what has been described as its “virtual blackout” of ALBA will be the subject of special Ofcom election Committee hearing today (Friday 23rd April).

ALBA leader Alex Salmond said: “The BBC’s record as a public service broadcaster in Scotland is lamentable and there is no better illustration than their conduct during this Scottish election.

“However, they are no longer a law unto themselves and I am grateful to Ofcom for convening an emergency meeting of their Election Committee to consider BBC coverage – or more accurately, lack of coverage – of ALBA. It is much appreciated that Ofcom have responded so quickly in fulfilling their responsibilities to ensure fair and balanced coverage of the Scottish campaign.

“The exclusion of ALBA from the leadership election debates is deplorable but even worse is the blackout from the news on a daily basis.

“On the odd occasion when they deign to interview ALBA representatives, the tone of the interviews has been unremittingly hostile.

“Aggressive questioning is perfectly acceptable if part of a range of coverage. However, inaccurate smearing is quite another when it dominates the few interviews BBC apparatchiks deign to grant ALBA.

“The BBC even allow smearing of ALBA by the other party representatives who are covered every day in every election programming with not even attempts by the interviewers to maintain any semblance of balance.

“Given that the BBC has fine some journalists and producers still working for them, we can only conclude that this is now the official house style to denigrate ALBA and the quest for Scottish independence. Indeed it is obvious that some journalists are asking questions to editorial direction.

“BBC outlets dominate broadcasting coverage and that means they dominate the election campaign during a pandemic. They have ample time and opportunity to show fairness to new parties emerging onto the political scene.

“The fact that they have so blatantly and so arrogantly failed to do so, shows that they are now a de facto state broadcaster rather than a public service one. The day that Greg Dyke was effectively sacked as Director General in 2004 is the day that the rot set in to the BBC and it has been downhill ever since.

“The BBC disgraced themselves in their coverage of the 2014 referendum and like the Bourbons they have learnt nothing.

“Every other broadcaster regulated by Ofcom have at least made some attempt at balance in their coverage and are not the subject of complaint by ALBA.

“STV for example did not (wrongly in ALBA’s view) include ALBA in their leader’s debate but did interview an ALBA MP immediately afterwards. Other radio and television outlets have all included ALBA in their round of leadership interviews and on a reasonably fair basis with the other parties.

“Ironically one of the BBC’s many personal attacks on me is that I co-host a political programme which is broadcast on RT. That programme, produced independently by a Scottish company, is a model of fairness and balance compared with anything the BBC now seem remotely capable of.

“ALBA are now calling time on the BBC exactly in the interests of political fairness and balance.”

Invest in Scottish maternity to tackle deprivation, says RCM in message to next government

Tackling Scotland’s social deprivation and inequalities by investing in maternity services and staff must be at the heart of the next government’s policy. That’s the message from the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) in a Blueprint for maternity services published this week.

In five areas for action, it also calls for an end to Scotland’s midwife shortage, saying some areas of the country struggle to attract enough midwives. 

The pandemic has also exposed starkly existing inequalities hitting vulnerable women and those from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.  Maternity and other areas of healthcare have a key role to play in efforts to address these inequalities, says the RCM 

The RCM’s five areas for action for the next Scottish Government are: 

  • tackling social deprivation; 
  • delivering the best maternity care for all the people of Scotland; 
  • supporting NHS staff to recover from the pandemic; 
  • ensuring Scotland has birthplaces that are fit for the future; and 
  • ending Scotland’s midwife shortage for good. 

Pulling no punches, the Blueprint says the pandemic ‘has been brutal’ on maternity and other NHS staff, who have worked throughout to ensure safe and high-quality care for women. This has hit their mental and physical health and they must be given the time and support to recover from it. 

Jon Skewes, Executive Director for External Relations at the RCM, said: “There has been a monumental effort from midwives, maternity support workers, and maternity care assistants through the pandemic. It is time to step-up and really invest in them, in their pay and in their working conditions.

“Right now, we have a demoralised and exhausted workforce and women falling through the cracks and not getting the care they deserve. Staff are also often working in old, poorly designed buildings that are simply not fit for purpose. The pandemic has exposed the extent and the impact on care of this crumbling infrastructure.” 

Additional training places for student midwives are also needed in more of Scotland’s universities. When they qualify new midwives generally stay within the regions they trained in leaving the chances of recruiting staff stacked against other areas without midwifery courses.  

Jon Skewes added: “Tackling deprivation goes way beyond maternity and the wider NHS. Fixing it must be done through multiple channels including social care, education, and others.

“Maternity is a very good place to start improving the health of the nation, reduce inequalities and indeed, save lives that should not be lost. This has been a really tough year for the NHS and the people using it as it creaked under the weight of pandemic demands.

“It has also been a remarkable year because of how its staff and the service responded. Now is the time to invest to make it fit for the future.” 

Call for Holyrood candidates to commit to protection of Scotland’s local parks and green spaces

Green space charity Fields in Trust Scotland is calling on candidates in May’s Parliamentary elections to recognise the importance of our local parks and green spaces and sign a pledge committing to protect them from development if elected.

The Parks Protector Pledge contains six key points which set out how elected policymakers can work to protect, support and champion green spaces for good, both locally and nationally. Candidates standing for election to the Scottish Parliament are invited to make a public commitment to the Pledge.

Following a year in which we have valued our local parks more than ever before, the Fields in Trust charity is calling on candidates to demonstrate support for green spaces by joining 40 members of the Westminster Parliament, representing five different parties, who signed the Parks Protector Pledge at the 2019 General Election.

Fields in Trust is also encouraging electors to ask their candidates how they will support local parks and green spaces if elected.

Fields in Trust is an independent, UK-wide charity which has been legally protecting parks and green spaces since 1925 and currently protects 297 spaces covering nearly 2,300 hectares in Scotland. HRH The Duke of Edinburgh served as President of the charity for 64 years.

Chair of Fields in Trust Scotland, Brian Samson said: “Parks and green spaces have been vital lifelines for communities across Scotland over the last twelve months; they will continue to be an essential element of our pandemic recovery.

“Yet 2.7 million people across Britain, including 318,355 people in Scotland, already live more than a ten-minute walk from a public park and this is set to increase in the next five years.

“MSP’s can play a significant role in delivering the health, wellbeing, environmental and community benefits that parks and green spaces provide, by ensuring they are protected for future generations to enjoy”.

Fields in Trust has published original research demonstrating parks and green spaces contribute to community health and wellbeing and can address multiple policy challenges, including health improvement; tackling loneliness; addressing childhood obesity; benefitting the environment and delivering volunteer opportunities.

Protecting these public assets is not something that is politically contested and by building cross-party support in championing the value of local parks, future legislative reform can protect local green spaces that matter to constituents.

Dentists ready to work with next Scottish Government to rebuild services

The British Dental Association has indicated it is ready to work with a future SNP government on wide-ranging pledges made in the party’s manifesto, which could fundamentally change the way dentistry is delivered in Scotland.  
 
The party has pledged to abolish patient charges over the course of the next parliament, and to work with the BDA to “shape a reformed funding arrangement for NHS dentists so that they are supported for the future”.

Approximately 20% of the NHS dental budget – some £74 million in 2018/19 – is drawn from charges. The BDA believes charges represent a tangible barrier to care for those on modest incomes but will be seeking assurances that any move will not lead to a reduction in overall funding for the service. 
 
The Scottish Budget 2021- 22 provided £431 million for general dental services, a rise of just 0.6% from the year before which represents a real-terms cut at a time the service faces an unprecedented backlog. The dental budget in Scotland has been cut in real terms in three out of the last four years. 
 
The dentist’s union has warned of widening inequality following the COVID pandemic, with high street services operating at a fraction of their former capacity, with an estimated 2,500 children now facing up to year-long waits for dental extractions in hospitals.  

Public Health Scotland data has shown a dramatic reduction in NHS dentistry due to COVID, which is hitting those in most deprived communities the hardest. Between April and November 2020, the number of courses of treatment delivered was 83% lower than during the same period in 2019. Practices are operating at significantly reduced capacity to meet infection control protocols, and the BDA is seeking capital investment in areas such as ventilation that can help restore patient volumes.

David McColl, chair of the British Dental Association’s Scottish Dental Practice Committee, said: “Dentistry in Scotland risks becoming a casualty of this pandemic. We have called for wholesale change to the way care is delivered, and we will work with the next Scottish Government to achieve that.  
 
“These are big plans to bring down barriers to care and improve access, but they must go hand in hand with needed investment if services millions depend on are going to remain sustainable.

“Practices are now operating at a fraction of their former capacity. Dentists will need real and ongoing support if we’re ever going to meet historic levels of demand.”

Voters urged to register as Holyrood Election approaches

Voters are being encouraged to check they are on the electoral roll with just over three weeks until the Scottish Parliament Election.

As campaigns get underway and interest in the forthcoming vote begins to mount (Eh? – Ed.), residents are being reminded that they must be registered in order to have their say on Thursday 6 May.

Anyone aged 16 and over including foreign citizens can register to vote in this election.

While most people who registered to vote in the last UK Parliamentary General Election will still be eligible to take part in the Scottish Parliament Election in May, first time voters or anyone who has since moved house will need to make sure they are on the electoral roll ahead of the registration deadline on Monday 19 April.

Nominations for Holyrood candidates closed on Wednesday 31 March. The full list of candidates and parties standing in Edinburgh’s six constituencies and the Lothian region is available on the Council website.

Andrew Kerr, Chief Executive of the City of Edinburgh Council and Returning Officer for the Edinburgh constituencies and the Lothian Region, said: “This is the final week to make sure you’re registered to have your say on 6 May. No matter where you were born, if you’re aged 16 or over and you live in Scotland you can vote in the Scottish Parliament Election.

“We are keen to continue the enthusiasm demonstrated by voters during the UK Parliamentary Election in 2019 and even our recent by-election in Craigentinny/Duddingston when we had the same range of safety measures in place. Anyone unsure about how to register or where to vote can find more information on the Council website.”

On polling day there will be additional hygiene and distancing measures at polling places to keep voters and staff safe.

These include a fresh pencil for each voter, protective screens for polling staff, one-way systems in some venues and limits to the number of voters in polling places at any time.

Find out more about where, when and how to vote.