Tag: letter

TUC welcomes civil liberties’ groups condemnation of ministers’ attack on the right to strike

50 leading civil liberties organisations and rights groups slam the government’s strikes bill

The TUC has welcomed an open letter penned by 50 civil liberties organisations and rights groups slamming the government’s new anti-strikes bill as an attack on the fundamental right to strike.

The organisations including Liberty, Human Rights Watch, Oxfam and many more said the Bill will allow “a further significant and unjustified intrusion by the state into the freedom of association and assembly.”

The groups also warn of the “enormous scope” the legislation would give ministers to decide key provisions, including the minimum service levels, without proper parliamentary scrutiny.

The Bill was back in parliament yesterday for its third reading.

The TUC has launched a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to discover why the government published the Bill without a required impact assessment.

Previous government advice – published in the Autumn – warned that minimum service levels in transport could poison industrial relations, and lead to more frequent industrial action. 

Despite this warning, the Conservatives are now proposing to extend minimum service levels to a range of other sectors including – health, education, fire, border security and nuclear decommissioning.

TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: “Ministers are launching a brazen attack on the right to strike – a fundamental British liberty.

“This draconian legislation would mean that when workers democratically vote to strike, they can be forced to work and sacked if they don’t comply. 

“It is little wonder that civil liberties organisations up and down the country are lining up to condemn this spiteful Bill.

“It is undemocratic, unworkable and almost certainly illegal. And crucially it will likely poison industrial relations and exacerbate disputes rather than help resolve them.”

On the need for ministers to come clean about the true scope of the Bill, Paul Nowak added: “Instead of levelling with the public about the bill’s draconian nature, ministers are railroading it through without proper scrutiny or consultation.

“With inflation running at over 10%, the last thing working people need is for ministers to make it harder to secure better pay and conditions.

“It is shameful that parliamentarians are being forced to vote blindly on such far-reaching new laws. We urge MPs from all parties to vote against this nasty Bill.”

Letter in full – also found on the Liberty website

Dear Secretary of State,

Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill

We are writing to you as organisations concerned with the protection of civil liberties in this country to urge you to reconsider the Strikes (Minimum Service Levels) Bill.

The right to strike is a fundamental liberty.

In Great Britain it is already highly constrained by detailed rules concerning balloting, notice periods and picketing.

We believe the proposals for minimum service levels during industrial action will unfairly constrain the activities of trade unions and their members by allowing a further significant and unjustified intrusion by the state into the freedom of association and assembly.

The government has produced no evidence that such draconian measures are necessary. Voluntary life-and-limb cover has long been a feature of industrial action by essential workers.

This Bill has the potential to cause significant damage to fair and effective industrial relations in this country by making it harder to resolve disputes. Indeed the government itself has acknowledged that minimum service levels risk leading to an increased frequency of strikes.

We are also concerned by the lack of detail in the Bill, and the enormous scope it gives you and your successors as Secretary of State to decide key provisions, including the minimum service levels themselves, free from proper Parliamentary scrutiny.

In particular, the vast power given to Ministers to amend or revoke primary legislation, including Acts that do not even exist yet, is an extraordinary denial of the duty of our elected representatives to legislate on our behalf.

The Bill will expand the power of Ministers over Parliament and employers over workers, undermine rights protections, and inject uncertainty and precarity into the lives of millions of people who may now face dismissal for going on strike.

We urge you to reconsider these plans for an unwarranted curtailment of freedom of assembly and association

Martha Spurrier, Director, Liberty

Justine Forster, CEO, Advocacy Focus

Robert Rae, Co-Director, Art27 Scotland

Clive Parry, England Director, Association for Real Change

D ame Sara Llewellin, Chief Executive, Barrow Cadbury Trust

Silkie Carlo, Director, Big Brother Watch

Rosalind Stevens, Project Manager, Civil Society Alliance

Brian Gormally, Director, Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ)

Isobel Ingham-Barrow, CEO, Community Policy Forum

Megan Thomas, Policy and Research Officer, Disability Wales

Ele Hicks, Engagement, Research, and Policy and Influencing Manager, Diverse Cymru

Andrea Simon, Director, End Violence Against Women Coalition

Clare Moody, Co-CEO, Equally Ours

Kyle Taylor, Founder, Fair Vote UK

Peter Wieltschnig, Policy & Networks Officer, Focus on Labour Exploitation (FLEX)

Clare Lyons, Director of Policy, Advocacy and Campaigns, Friends of the Earth (England, Wales and Northern Ireland)

Nick Dearden, Director, Global Justice Now

John Gaskell, Chair, Grassroots for Europe

Areeba Hamid & Will McCallum, Co-Executive Directors, Greenpeace UK

Declan Owens, Co-Chair, Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers

Kevin Hanratty, Director, Human Rights Consortium Northern Ireland

Mhairi Snowden, Director, Human Rights Consortium Scotland

Yasmine Ahmed, UK Director, Human Rights Watch

Deborah Coles, Executive Director, INQUEST

Zehrah Hasan, Advocacy Director, The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI)

Jess McQuail, Director, Just Fair

Nimrod Ben-Cnaan, Head of Policy and Profile, Law Centres Network

Barry Gale, Group Leader, Mental Health Rights Scotland

Fizza Qureshi, CEO, Migrants’ Rights Network

Zara Mohammed, Secretary General, Muslim Council of Britain

Kevin Blowe, Campaigns Coordinator, Netpol

Mark Kieran, CEO, Open Britain

Kate Flannery, Secretary, Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign

Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah, Chief Executive, Oxfam GB

Becky Peters, Director (Interim), People’s History Museum, Manchester Police Spies Out Of Lives

Lubia Begum-Rob, Director, Prisoners’ Advice Service

Ariane Adam, Legal Director, Public Law Project

Mia Hasenson-Gross, Executive Director, René Cassin, the Jewish Voice for Human Rights

Agnes Tolmie, Chair, The Scottish Women’s Convention

Sue Tibballs, Chief Executive, Sheila McKechnie Foundation

Susan Cueva, Chair, Southeast and East Asian Centre (SEEAC)

Chris Jones, Director, Statewatch

Louise Hazan, Co-Founder, Tipping Point UK

Chris Brian, Researcher, Undercover Research Group

Katrina Ffrench, Director, UNJUST C.I.C

Tom Brake, Director, Unlock Democracy

Bob Miller, Secretary, Wearside Amnesty International

Joyce Kallevik, Director, Wish

Raewyn Jones, Interim CEO, Work Rights Centre

Letters: Charity makes sure no child faces hospital alone this Christmas

Dear Editor,

Christmas is a time when many of us look forward to being with our loved ones, making lifelong memories while getting into the festive spirit of caring for each other.

For the majority of us the festive period will be full of joy and an occasion to look forward to. However, for families whose children will be seriously ill in hospital, this Christmas will be a time full of worry. Hospital can be a lonely and scary place for anyone, but especially a child. We want to make sure no child faces hospital alone and like all charities we are in desperate need of support to do this.

Without a place to stay close to the hospital our families will have to travel, on average, 90 minutes to be with their seriously ill child. The alternative is paying out for expensive hotels, sleeping on a chair in the hospital or even sleeping in their cars. Neither are viable options, worsened further by the current cost of living crisis. These extra expenses are another burden that families shouldn’t have to shoulder at a time when all they want is to be with their child.

Our ‘Homes from Home’ are free for families who need them and it currently costs us approximately £40 to support one family for one night, but this cost is rapidly rising.

By donating £40 to our appeal your readers will give families all the precious gifts of Christmas; care, wellbeing, warmth, rest and most precious of all, time together in our ‘Homes from Home’.

Our ten ‘Homes from Home’ are located at specialist children’s hospitals and support families from across the UK. They are completely free of charge to all the families that stay with us, but as a charity we rely on the generosity of our supporters to make sure every child can be with their family this Christmas.

We want to make sure that no child faces hospital alone and that all families can be together this Christmas, making special festive memories rather than travelling in their car or sleeping in uncomfortable waiting room chairs.

Every £40 donated will give another family the precious gift of togetherness, ensuring that they can always be just minutes away from their ill child’s hospital bedside.

Donate £40 today by visiting sickchildrenstrust.org


Jane Featherstone,

Chief Executive at The Sick Children’s Trust

International figures call on world leaders to end factory farming

More than 200 prominent individuals – including actors Brian Cox, Alan Cumming, Steve Coogan, and Dame Joanna Lumley – have united through an international open letter to call on world leaders at the COP27 climate conference to end factory farming and transform our global food system.

The letter – organised by Compassion in World Farming as part of its new End of the Line for Factory Farming global campaign – highlights the urgent need to transform our global food system and calls on world leaders to support and deliver a global agreement on food and farming at the United Nations General Assembly. It is being released on Solutions Day at the conference.

208 people from around the world have signed the letter, including:

  • Hollywood actors Brian Cox, Alan Cumming, Steve Coogan and Eva Green
  • British TV personalities Chris Packham, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Dr Amir Khan GP and actors Dame Joanna Lumley, Kate Ford, Peter Egan and Miriam Margolyes.
  • Award-winning authors Michael Morpurgo, and Barbara Kingsolver
  • Religious leaders Bishop John Arnold, Bishop of Salford, Chair of CAFOD and Rabbi David Rosen CBE, International President, The World Conference on Religion and Peace 
  • Eminent experts Jane Goodall, PhD, DBE, Founder – the Jane Goodall Institute & UN Messenger of Peace; Frans B. M. de Waal, Ph. D., C. H. Candler Professor Emeritus, Primate Behaviour, Emory University; Peter Singer, AC Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics Princeton University; Carl Safina, PHD, President, The Safina Center, Endowed Professor for Nature and Humanity, Stony Brook University
  • Business leaders Dale Vince OBE, owner, green electricity company Ecotricity; Julian Richer, business owner

The letter states: “If the global community is to meet the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Climate Agreement targets and the goals of the Convention on Biological Diversity, action must be taken now to end industrial animal farming. 

“From pollution to the climate crisis and wildlife extinctions. From animal cruelty to human hunger and malnutrition. Take a closer look at almost any global challenge, and you’ll find food at its core. A system based on overproduction and unhealthy food is propped up by intensive farming methods.

“The livestock sector produces more greenhouse gases than the direct emissions of all the world’s planes, trains and cars combined. Without urgent action, intensive animal agriculture threatens our very survival. We need a food transformation. Our people, animals and planet cannot wait any longer.” 

End of the Line for Factory Farming is the new global movement dedicated to ending this cruel and unnecessary practice.

Launched this week by Compassion in World Farming with partner NGOs from all over the world, the campaign aims to get a global agreement to end factory farming and transform our global food system so that it benefits people, animals and the planet.

New YouGov research released by Compassion this week shows that almost two thirds of people (63%) in 13 countries polled believe factory farming puts profits ahead of climate and environment. 

Stage, TV and film actor, Alan Cumming OBE FRSE, known for roles in The Good Wife and X2:X-Men United, said: “The amount of human edible food we produce just to feed the animals we slaughter for meat is beyond wasteful – especially when millions of people around the world go hungry every day. q

“We need a food system that is fair, kind and sustainable. That’s why I’m supporting Compassion in World Farming’s End of the Line for Factory Farming campaign – to help change this broken system once and for all.”

Dr Nick Palmer, Head of Compassion in World Farming UK, said: “This is the first campaign action from the new End of the Line for Factory Farming global movement dedicated to ending this cruel and unnecessary practice as it’s causing a climate and nature emergency – one third of global warming is driven by food production and consumption.

“Our open letter, released on Solutions Day at COP27, sends a clear message to world leaders highlighting the urgent need for action. It’s quite simple – without ending factory farming and transforming our food system, it will be impossible to meet climate targets. What’s needed is for world leaders to put forward a global agreement that meets our climate and SDG commitments before it’s too late.”

For more information about the campaign visit END.IT

UK mini-budget a “huge gamble on health of economy”

SWINNEY SEEKS URGENT MEETING WITH CHANCELLOR

Deputy First Minister John Swinney and his counterparts from other devolved governments are seeking an urgent meeting with Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng to discuss immediate actions needed to reverse the damaging effects of the UK Government’s tax proposals.

Mr Swinney and the Finance Ministers from Wales and Northern Ireland are highlighting the profound impact of “the largest set of unfunded tax cuts for the rich in over 50 years” warning that it is “a huge gamble on public finances and the health of our economy”.  

In a joint letter to Mr Kwarteng, they warn against being condemned to another decade of austerity and express deep concern over reports that UK Government departments will be asked to make spending cuts to balance the budget, which may have profound consequences for devolved budget settlements already eroded by inflation.

The Ministers also renew calls for the UK Government to provide targeted support for households and businesses, funded through a windfall tax on the energy sector. In addition, they call for Social Security benefits to be increased, and request additional resources for the devolved governments to protect public services and to fund public sector pay settlements.

Read the letter in full here.

UK Government’s Mini-budget measures are “an attack on nature”

Scotland’s Environment Minister Mairi McAllan and Biodiversity Minister Lorna Slater have written to the UK Government urging them to drop the proposals announced in its mini-budget, which they call “an attack on nature…and on the devolution settlement.”

The letter states that these proposals “demonstrate a reckless attitude to legislation that has been developed over many decades and that enshrines vital protections for both nature and people.”

The letter reads:

To: 

  • Ranil Jayawardena MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
  • Rt Hon Mark Spencer MP, Minister of State in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

From: 

  • Minister for Environment and Land Reform Màiri McAllan MSP
  • Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity Lorna Slater MSP

We write with urgency regarding proposals announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on Friday, about which the Scottish Government had very little prior notification. 

These measures, alongside the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill, represent an attack on nature (when we should be demonstrating global leadership in the lead up to the important CoP15 global summit), and on the devolved settlement itself.

We therefore ask that you and your Government drop these damaging proposals, and instead work with us and the other devolved governments, to deliver high environmental standards that rise to the nature emergency and respect devolution.

Your government has given little clarity over how the measures included in the mini-budget will be taken forward, and what the implications of them will be for Scotland. Nor have you engaged with us in advance on these issues. 

However, from the information that has been made available, we share the strong concerns highlighted by nature groups such as the RSPB and the Woodland Trust.  The proposals demonstrate a reckless attitude to legislation that has been developed over many decades and that enshrines vital protections for both nature and people.

Your proposed measures also threaten to undermine our programme of planning reform that is underway in Scotland.  National Planning Framework 4 will signal a turning point for planning in Scotland, and we have been clear that responding to both the global climate emergency and the nature crisis will be central to that.

In addition to the measures set out in the mini-budget, the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill threatens to further undermine standards, as well as the Scottish Government’s powers to protect Scotland’s environment.

As set out in the Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture’s recent letter to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the Bill puts at risk the high standards people in Scotland have rightly come to expect from EU membership.

Your government appears to want to row back more than 40 years of protections in a rush to impose a deregulated, race to the bottom on our society and economy.  It is particularly alarming that our environmentally-principled approach of controls on polluting substances, ensuring standards for water and air quality, and providing protection for our natural habitats and wildlife are at risk from this deregulatory programme.

Retained EU Law provides Scotland with a high standard of regulation. As we have repeatedly said, Scottish Ministers will continue to seek alignment with EU standards where possible and in a manner that contributes to maintaining and improving environmental protections. 

As part of this effort, we remain committed to an ambitious programme of enhancing nature protections and delivering nature restoration.  This includes delivering on the vision set out in the recent consultation on our new biodiversity strategy, setting ambitious statutory nature recovery targets, delivering on our vision to be a global leader in sustainable and regenerative agriculture, investing in our natural capital such as through our Nature Restoration Fund, and expanding and improving our national park network.

Finally, as mentioned above, we are particularly concerned that this attack on nature has come at a critical moment as we approach the UN CoP15 biodiversity summit at the end of this year. The Scottish Government is committed to supporting an ambitious global framework to halt and reverse biodiversity decline, but this sudden and fundamental change in position means our views are no longer represented, and has undermined the UK’s ability to have a positive influence on the outcome of the talks.

We strongly urge you to reconsider both the anti-nature measures set out in the mini-budget and the proposed Retained EU Law Bill. Should you proceed regardless of our concerns and those of the public and civil society across the UK, then as a minimum we seek a guarantee that none of these measures will apply in Scotland without specific consent from the Scottish Government. We expect this matter to be considered at the next IMG-EFRA on 24 October.

What are the chances of Truss and Kwarteng thinking again? Absolutely NONE …

Meanwhile, the Scottish Government has recruited three eminent economists …

Emergency Budget Review

Leading economists to give expert advice

Members of an expert panel providing advice to the Scottish Government as part of its Emergency Budget Review (EBR) have been confirmed.

Sir Anton Muscatelli, Professor Frances Ruane and Professor Mike Brewer will assess the impact on Scotland of the UK Chancellor’s fiscal approach and held their first meeting with Deputy First Minister John Swinney today.

Their advice will enable timely consideration of the implications of the UK Government’s fiscal event as work continues to prioritise the Scottish Government’s budget towards tackling the cost of living crisis. The Deputy First Minister has announced he will report the results of the EBR in the week beginning 24 October.

Mr Swinney said: “The Scottish Government wants to make sure it gets the very best advice and fresh perspectives as Ministers consider the complex and difficult decisions we face while tackling the challenges ahead.

“The radical shift in UK economic policy announced by the Chancellor has already caused significant economic shock.

“For the benefit of the people and businesses of Scotland, many of whom will find themselves paying higher prices as a result, it is vital that we consider the current situation and potential solutions with care.

“The members of the panel all bring robust economic insight and I am grateful to them for giving their time and expertise as we navigate these uncharted economic waters.”

The expert panel members, whose positions are non-remunerated, are:

Sir Anton Muscatelli

Principal of the University of Glasgow. He was knighted in June 2017 for services to higher education.

Formerly principal of Heriot-Watt University, he has been an adviser to the House of Commons Treasury Select Committee on monetary policy since 2007.

He chairs the Scottish Government’s Standing Council on Europe, a non-political group which provides expert advice to Scottish Ministers on protecting Scotland’s relationship with the EU, and he was a member of the Scottish Government’s Council of Economic Advisers between 2015 and 2021 and a member of the Advisory Council for Economic Transformation. 

Professor Frances Ruane

A Research Affiliate at the Economic and Social Research Institute since 2015. She is currently Chair of the National Competitiveness and Productivity Council and in that role represents Ireland on the European Network of National Productivity Boards.

Prof Ruane has previously served as the European Statistical Advisory Committee and the European Statistical Governance Advisory Board .

In addition, she previously served three terms on the Council of Economic Advisers in Scotland. She will provide an external perspective to the panel on issues such as the competitiveness of Scotland’s tax regime.

Professor Mike Brewer – 

Chief Economist and the Deputy Chief Executive of the Resolution Foundation, where he oversees all aspects of the Foundation’s research agenda.

He is a visiting Professor at the Department of Social Policy at the London School of Economics and between 2011 and 2020 was a Professor of Economics at the University of Essex.

He has also worked at the Institute for Fiscal Studies and HM Treasury.  

Call for targeted action on soaring energy bills

Chancellor urged not to pass on costs to struggling households

The UK Government is being urged by the devolved governments to fund its cap on energy prices through a windfall tax, not higher borrowing.

In a joint letter to the new Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng (below), Deputy First Minister John Swinney is joined by Finance Ministers from Wales and Northern Ireland in calling for more targeted support to those impacted the most by the cost of living crisis.

They express their concern that more action is needed to prevent further hardship for households and businesses and say support “should be funded by targeting the windfall gains in the energy sector rather than passing on the cost through higher borrowing”.

The Finance Ministers also call for additional funding to support vital public services in the face of rising prices, energy costs and wage pressures as devolved settlements are worth considerably less in real terms than last October when they were set.

The joint letter reads:

Dear Kwasi,

We want to jointly congratulate you on your new role as Chancellor of the Exchequer. We are committed to working constructively with you and the new UK Government. A productive working relationship will be essential to tackle the economic crisis facing our citizens, communities and businesses.

We wrote to your predecessor on 15 July outlining our considerable concerns with the worsening economic situation in the UK including the cost crisis, funding for public sector pay and the impact of inflation on the Devolved Governments’ budgets. Our letter has been included as an annex here.

The Prime Minister’s announcement of 8 September limiting increases in energy bills will alleviate some of the anticipated additional pressures on households and businesses. However, it is important to recognise that overall this is an expensive package of measures that does not target support to those who need it most. We are deeply concerned at who will bear the brunt of these costs. Support should be funded by targeting the windfall gains in the energy sector rather than passing the cost to households through higher borrowing.

Looking ahead to your forthcoming fiscal statement, we urge you to focus efforts on those most impacted, not just relying on blanket interventions which do not recognise the scale of hardship particular households are facing.  An extended and targeted support package needs to be provided to help those who, even with the cap, are facing the impossible choice between heating their homes and feeding themselves and their loved ones. Even with the price cap, energy costs are still double what they were last year.

In addition to households, early clarity and additional support is also required for businesses and the third sector, who are facing substantial challenges. The current measures provide businesses with only a temporary respite and little certainty to help them plan for the future. Many organisations would be forced to close if they are not supported.

Ministers in the Devolved Governments have exhausted the options available to us to address the cost crisis, stretching every pound available to us to provide support. The main levers that can make a difference are held by the UK Government and it must now take urgent steps to use these to provide much needed certainty to those suffering hardship and poverty.

The crisis has also resulted in a major squeeze on funding for public services and increases in demand. Additional funding is urgently needed to support our vital public services in the face of rising prices, energy costs and wage pressures, alongside unforeseen pressures. Based on recent inflation and widespread inflationary expectations for the next year or two, our respective three-year spending review settlements are worth considerably, potentially billions, less in real terms than when we received them last October.

Further, Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine has resulted in many Ukrainians seeking safety across the UK, however it is necessary to increase the funding available to support them here. In particular, there is a lack of parity in the funding available for those arriving under the Ukraine Family Scheme and the Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme, which cannot be right. ‘Thank You Payments’ to host families should also, in line with Lord Harrington’s recommendation, be doubled to ensure that those who have opened their homes to Ukrainians do not lose out financially as a result.

We would welcome early engagement and clarity on planned fiscal events to enable us to set out the implications for the devolved nations and effectively plan our own budgets, which are significantly impacted by UK spending and tax decisions.

Collaborative working between the UK Government and the Devolved Governments in a spirit of mutual respect would be of benefit to all of us.

Given that, now overdue, action is required to tackle the crisis we propose a quadrilateral meeting with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury as soon as possible and in advance of the FISC to agree the immediate steps that must be taken to tackle this issue and support households, businesses and the public sector.

This letter has been copied to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury and the Secretaries of State for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Yours sincerely, 

John Swinney BPA/MSP

An Leas-phrìomh Mhinistear agus Ath-shlànachadh Cobhid, Riaghaltas na h-Alba

Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery, Scottish Government

Rebecca Evans AS/MS

Y Gweinidog Cyllid a Llywodraeth Leol, Llywodraeth Cymru

Minister for Finance and Local Government, Welsh Government

Conor Murphy MLA

Minister of Finance, Northern Ireland Executive

Bridge the Gap!

Charities appeal to First Minister to double Scottish Child Payment bridging payments NOW

We can turn compassion and justice into action to support children in low-income households.

120 charities and community organisations are calling on the Scottish Government @scotgov to continue to do the right thing by doubling Scottish Child Payment bridging payments.

See the letter to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon (below):

Letter-to-First-Minister-doubling-of-bridging-payments-_0Download

#BridgeTheGap

https://bit.ly/3JWCIGJ

‘Boris, We Need To Talk’: FM urges action to address cost of living crisis

Sturgeon calls for emergency meeting

The First Minister has sought an emergency meeting of the Prime Minister and Heads of devolved Government Council to agree steps to help people in need as a result of the cost of living crisis.

In a letter to the Prime Minister urging the suggested September meeting be brought forward due to a “fast deteriorating” situation the First Minister made her view clear that “many people across the UK simply cannot afford to wait until September for further action to be taken”.

The meeting between leaders of the devolved governments and the UK Government would provide an opportunity to agree actions that can be taken now and formulate a plan of action for the long term. 

The Scottish Government Resilience Room (SGoRR) will convene this week to discuss what steps can be taken to urgently ease the burden on households across Scotland, both now and in the future.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “While we will continue to take all actions available to us within devolved responsibilities and budgets – the Scottish Government is investing almost £3 billion this year in a range of measures which will help address the cost of living pressures – it is a statement of fact that many of the levers which would make the biggest difference lie with the UK Government.

“It is also the case that only the UK Government can access and make available resources on the scale required. Therefore, actions by devolved governments alone – though important  – will not be enough to meet the unprecedented challenges we face.  

“Action is needed now to address significant gaps in help for households, in particular those on low incomes, who are increasingly vulnerable to the impact of rising household costs.

“However, it is also vital, given further increases to energy bills due to be announced later this month, that a substantial plan be developed now to avert and mitigate what will otherwise be a crisis of unprecedented proportions – a crisis in which many people will be unable to feed themselves and their families or heat their homes.   

“While few will escape some impact of the cost of living crisis, these impacts are not being experienced evenly. That is why the focus must be on providing targeted support to those most adversely impacted, rather than an irresponsible reduction in broad-based taxes which will benefit the relatively better off over those most in need.

“The current crisis requires clear, focused and determined leadership and co-operation to develop and deliver – at pace – a package of interventions to protect those most impacted.”

The First Minister’s letter to the Prime Minister can be read in full online. 

Campaigners’ plea on eve of elections: KEEP our Eye Pavilion!

A grassroots campaigning group determined to ensure a new facility to replace the ageing Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion is built in Edinburgh has pressed politicians to reaffirm their support.

The Keep Edinburgh Eye Pavilion (KEEP) has this week written to all the main Scottish political parties to ask that candidates for the local authority elections this Thursday within Lothian uphold pledges previously made.

In their letter, KEEP says: ‘Across the Lothians, people with sight loss are becoming increasingly concerned about the ongoing delays to the promised replacement Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion (PAEP) in Edinburgh. Recent press reports now indicate that further delays and increasing costs, mean that the new hospital will not be operational until June 2027‘.

KEEP points out that the Princess Alexandra Eye Pavilion provides specialist ophthalmological care for thousands of people across the south-east of Scotland. In 2015, the building was deemed not fit for purpose in a NHS Lothian report that made the case for a new facility.

But in late 2020, the Scottish Government withdrew capital funding from the health board earmarked to re-build it. However, following a campaign by KEEP it was announced in spring 2021 that the re-build would go ahead. 

‘However,’ the letter from KEEP goes on, ‘there are growing concerns that the continued delays are not simply a construction matter. The existing PAEP building has been deemed not fit for purpose and is facing further reduced capacity through disrepair, resulting in waiting times and pressures on services becoming more acute.

‘It is not acceptable that blind and partially sighted people are increasingly being asked to travel across the country to the Golden Jubilee Hospital in Clydebank to receive treatment. Patients frequently face lengthy delays if unable to travel there independently‘.

During last year’s Scottish Parliament elections, KEEP secured commitments from all the main parties concerning the proposed new eye clinic facility.

Edinburgh city councillors also agreed a cross-party composite motion which said: “In terms of accessibility and equality of services it is vital that people have access that is affordable and is easy. As those of us who have had any trouble with our eyesight know, there is no time to spare. You need to get to that hospital quickly and efficiently. We have a centre of excellence that is world-renowned and we, as a capital city for people living in the south east of Scotland, depend on this facility. We need to stand up for Edinburgh.”

In their letter to each party’s health spokesperson, KEEP is asking councillors elected across the Lothian Health Board area to uphold pledges already made ‘and further work to ensure that the delays are reduced, that a clear timetable is given for when this project will start and be completed, and a guarantee to meet with members of the KEEP campaign to regularly discuss once they are elected‘.

Kate Forbes: Urgent action needed to tackle cost of living

Scotland’s Finance Secretary writes to Treasury ahead of Spring Statement

People and businesses need urgent UK Government support to mitigate the rising cost of living, says Finance Secretary Kate Forbes.

In a letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak ahead of the Spring Statement, Ms Forbes called on UK Ministers to match the 6% uprate on social security benefits which the Scottish Government is delivering on eight of the benefits it delivers, and for further payments to be made to low income households through the Cold Weather Payment

The letter to the UK Government also calls for:

  • more targeted funding to business sectors directly affected by the conflict in Ukraine
  • relief to business on National Insurance Contributions
  • the removal of VAT from energy efficient and zero emission heat equipment and products
  • greater powers for the Scottish Government to work with employers to implement flexible working
  • full replacement of EU funding lost to Scotland as a result of Brexit, as promised by the UK Government

The Scottish Government ‘stands ready’ to work with the UK Government, which holds the powers to tackle the most pressing issues, to put a package of support in place.

Ms Forbes said: “In Scotland we are doing all we can to ensure people, communities and businesses are given as much support as possible to deal with the rising cost of living and the potential economic implications of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.

“However, many of the powers required to really tackle these issues are reserved to the UK Government, which is why I am calling on the Chancellor to take much needed action in his Spring Statement.

“The Scottish Government is uprating eight Scottish benefits by 6% from 1 April as well as doubling our Scottish Child Payment from £10 per week per eligible child to £20. We are using our powers to help those who need us most in these difficult times and it is time for the UK Government to follow our lead and uprate social security benefits by 6%.

“I would also ask for further immediate support to be delivered through the Cold Weather Payment, with an additional payment now and another next winter when we know energy bills will have risen again.”

Read the letter in full here.

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