Tag: Politics

Lords report: Over half of UK citizens ‘financially vulnerable’

The House of Lords Liaison Committee has published its third follow-up report; Tackling Financial Exclusion: A country that works for everyone?

This report examines the progress made by the Government in the implementation of the recommendations made by the Select Committee on Financial Exclusion in its 2017 report Tackling Financial Exclusion: A country that works for everyone?

In the Liaison Committee’s report Review of House of Lords Investigative and Scrutiny Committees: towards a new thematic committee structure published in July 2019, the Committee recommended that the Liaison Committee (on a case by case basis) could hold follow-up evidence sessions on a former special inquiry committee’s recommendations, followed by the publication of a report.

This is the third occasion on which this new procedure has been utilised.

The inquiry found that over half of the population are classed by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as having characteristics of financial vulnerability.

This issue has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic with 14.2m people in the UK now estimated to have low financial resilience – characterised by over-indebtedness or with low levels of savings or low or erratic earnings.

Types of financial exclusion can include: not being able to open a bank account, not being able to access financial services due to bank branch and ATM closures, not being able to access affordable credit.

The report recommended that a clear Government strategy and increased FCA powers are brought forward in order to stop people experiencing financial exclusion.

The report calls on the Government to introduce a requirement for the FCA to establish a statutory Duty of Care that banks and other financial services providers must operate toward their customers. This should replace the current insufficient requirement to ‘treat customers fairly’.

Other recommendations in the Committee’s report, Tackling Financial Exclusion: A country that works for everyone? follow-up report are:

  • The proposed legislation to protect access to cash should be brought forward without delay.
  • The Government should publish the timescale and details on the no-interest loan pilot.
  • The powers of the FCA to mitigate the trends in bank branch and free ATM closures should be reviewed and enhanced.
  • The Government should continue to work with the Post Office and UK Finance to roll out a public information campaign about the banking services that the Post Office offers.

Baroness Tyler of Enfield, who was Chair of the Select Committee on Financial Exclusion, said: “It’s time for the financial services industry to recognise they have a fundamental duty to ensure that banks act in their customers’ best interests and that products and services are fair by design.

“That duty of care should now be established in law and overseen by the Financial Conduct Authority to ensure greater consumer protection and prevent banks and others from profiting from their customer’s vulnerability.

“The COVID crisis has laid bare the extent of financial exclusion across the UK. We continue have more than a million adults in the UK without access to a bank account and more than half the country now have characteristics of financial vulnerability.

“It is now more important than ever that Government come forward with a comprehensive financial inclusion strategy that will ensure access to cash, protect the public and end the scandal of the poorest being overcharged for financial and other services. The Government should publish that strategy within 12 months and allow Parliament to assess it and hold them to account for its delivery.”

Gareth Shaw, Which? Head of Money, said: “Millions of people rely on cash as they are not ready or able to take advantage of digital payments. However, rapid closures to the cash machine and bank branch networks in recent years mean that many of these consumers risk being abandoned by their banks.

“Our research has shown that people in some deprived areas have seen significant cuts to free ATMs in recent years, while a domino effect of bank branch closures has taken place without enough regard to whether suitable alternatives are in place.

“The government must urgently set out its vision for the future of cash, including its promised legislation to protect access to it. This should include putting the FCA in charge of the cash system so that it can take the steps that are needed to ensure cash remains a viable payment option for as long as it is needed.”

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.

GMB members overwhelmingly reject ‘derisory’ local government pay offer

GMB members across Scottish Local Government have overwhelmingly rejected the Scottish Government’s £800 increase for staff earning under £25,000 a year, sending a clear message to politicians and employers: “We’re worth more.”

Following the close of the union’s consultative ballot, 93 per cent of members voted to reject the offer tabled by the Finance Secretary Kate Forbes in the recent Scottish Budget, increasing the prospect of significant industrial action across local services this summer.

GMB, which represents 20,000 local government workers, pre-dominantly in services like home care, refuse, school support, and roads and maintenance, will now write to the First Minister and COSLA leaders to call for fresh negotiations and a significantly improved offer.

GMB Scotland Senior Organiser for Public Services Drew Duffy said: “This is a clear demonstration from key workers across Scottish local government that Kate Forbes’ valuation of their efforts isn’t anywhere near good enough.

“It’s been a wretched year and a desperate decade for council workers, especially the lowest paid and the services they deliver. Home carers, refuse workers, and school support staff have got on with the job for all of us despite being failed on PPE, testing and safe working guidelines. Furthermore, they did this after years of political austerity, which cut their pay in real-terms and gutted their services.

“After the applause and all the political platitudes, to recognise their dedication and sacrifice with an increase that won’t amount to much more than £10 a week for many staff is derisory, and the message to Ministers, politicians on the election trail, and councils is clear: “We’re worth more.””

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.”

Everyone Aboard: Scotland’s political leaders urged to commit to expansion of free bus travel

Over 100 organisations from across Scotland have today written to the leaders of Scotland’s political parties, urging them to commit to a radical extension of free bus travel, in a move that they say would have a transformative impact on the lives of people across Scotland’s communities. 

The call has been made as part of the Poverty Alliance’s Everyone Aboard campaign, which asks for their support in extending fre bus travel to under 25s and people on Universal Credit and other low-income benefits. 

The coalition of organisations – coordinated by the Poverty Alliance and including Friends of the Earth Scotland, the Scottish Youth Parliament and Barnardo’s Scotland – are making the call at a time of growing poverty in Scotland, with recent Scottish Government statistics showing over 1 million people in Scotland are now living in the grip of poverty. 

Bus travel will, the letter states, be critical in stemming the rising tide of pandemic-related youth unemployment, with bus travel particularly important for young people and people on low incomes to help them access the labour market. Without this action, the organisations have warned, they “risk being left behind in our economic and social recovery.” 

Peter Kelly, Director of the Poverty Alliance, said: “We are calling on the leaders of Scotland’s political parties to take the bold, far-reaching action to help loosen the grip of poverty on people’s lives. Removing the barrier to transport would be a significant step towards building a Scotland where everyone is included, no matter their income.   

“This move would also help advance gender equality, as women disproportionately rely on public transport to access jobs, healthcare and activities to boost their wellbeing.

“Lone parents, who are predominantly women, would particularly benefit. Expanding the use of public transport will play an important role in reducing Scotland’s emissions and responding to the climate emergency.

“Extending free bus travel is a key way the next Scottish Government can help make Scotland a greener and more just place for us all to live.” 

Mollie McGoran MSYP, Trustee of the Scottish Youth Parliament, said: “Young people and people on low incomes have been some of the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic and so must be put at the heart of the recovery.

“That’s why we support the aims of the Poverty Alliance’s Everyone Aboard campaign to provide free bus travel for young people and people on low incomes in Scotland. 

“We believe that Transport Scotland and the Scottish Government should provide funding to support initiatives which make it easier, cheaper, and safer for young people to use active and sustainable travel options.

“Our 2018 national campaign All Aboard found young people feel bus fares are too high. The cost of public transport creates barriers to participation which are denying young people and those on low incomes access to opportunities, and this proposal would be a great step in the right direction.”  

Gavin Thomson, Air Pollution Campaigner, Friends of the Earth Scotland, said: “Transport is the biggest emitting sector in Scotland. To meet our climate change targets, bold action must be taken to promote cleaner forms of travel, like public transport, and lead a just transition away from fossil fuel private car use.  

“Extending free bus travel to all young people under 25 and those on Universal Credit will form an important part of the solution and help ensure no one is left behind as we transform our transport system.

“The upcoming Scottish Parliament election provides political parties an opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to tackling climate change. We must seize it.” 

The full letter can be read here: Everyone Aboard letter to Scotland’s party leaders

Constitution Reform Group launches a ‘Third Way’ for the future of the United Kingdom

– Replace the House of Lords with a National Parliament
– Establish an English Parliament
– Create a UK Central Bank
– Reset the mechanisms of the United Kingdom’s constitution
– Protect and maintain this historic and successful Union 
The Constitution Reform Group (CRG) has launched its new Act of Union Bill 2021, which would establish a new political and financial framework for equal cooperation between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The Bill has been launched to initiate a much-needed nationwide conversation on a ‘third way’ for the future of the United Kingdom, to break the restrictive dichotomy of ‘status quo versus independence’ being maintained by regional separatist movements. 

The CRG is calling on all pro-Union political parties to express their support for its core aim, which is to debate, introduce and complete any reform necessary to save the Union.

It is also calling on all separatist movements to confirm publicly whether they would seek to renegotiate the framework of the United Kingdom before supporting its dissolution. 

For the past six years, the CRG has worked with leading constitutional lawyers and experts to draft this extensive legislation, which is comprehensive and internally logical and consistent.

The Bill’s implementation would provide the four constituent parts of the United Kingdom a clearer view of their local autonomy and clearly define the scope and purpose of their cooperation.

It includes options for consideration by Parliament and the electorate to replace the House of Lords with a National Parliament and another to establish an English Parliament.

It also includes provisions to reset the mechanisms of the Union, such as the creation of a UK Central Bank, which would better and more equally serve the interests of all parts of the United Kingdom.

Before Royal Assent, the Bill would be put to the people of the United Kingdom for approval in a referendum. 

Robert Salisbury, Chairman of the CRG’s Steering Committee, said: “The Group is convinced that the break-up of the United Kingdom would be a tragic and fundamental strategic blunder and end an intimate partnership that has been astonishingly successful, culturally and economically, and which has stood as a powerful defence of its people’s values and liberties in a dangerous world.

“If the Union is to endure and prosper, the U.K. must be refashioned, and a new constitutional settlement is a necessary part of that refashioning.” 

The CRG was established after the 2014 Scottish independence referendum to devise a new path for the Union by addressing existing and developing constitutional inequalities between the four parts of the United Kingdom.

Its membership includes former First Ministers of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and senior figures from across the political spectrum, who cooperate with the common belief that the United Kingdom is stronger together.

The Group believes that reform of the United Kingdom’s constitution, although complex, is a significantly more desirable task than negotiating its undoing.
They are therefore trying to raise awareness of the feasibility of a ‘third way’ and of the need for a wider national conversation on what must be done to ensure the United Kingdom stays together as one family. 
Constitution Reform Group Steering Committee:

Marquess of Salisbury KG KCVO PC DL, Chairman
Bim Afolami MP
David BurnsideThe Rt Hon the Lord Campbell of Pittenweem CH CBE QC
Shana Fleming OBE
Joanna George
Daniel Greenberg CB
The Rt Hon the Lord Hain
The Rt Hon Carwyn Jones AM
Sir Andrew Large
Lord Lisvane KCB DL FLSW
Seema Malhotra MP
The Rt Hon the Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale
David Melding AM CBE
Sir Paul Silk KCB FLSW
The Baroness Stuart of Edgbaston
The Rt Hon the Lord Trimble 

Constitution Reform Group Sub-Committee on Public MoneyMembers include:

Sir Andrew Large (Chairman) – Deputy Governor of the Bank of England and a member of its Monetary Policy Committee from September 2002 to January 2006.
Sir John Gieve KCB – Former British civil servant, Deputy Governor for Financial Stability of the Bank of England and ex officio member of the Monetary Policy Committee, 2006 to 2009.
Lord Macpherson of Earl’s Court GCB – Permanent Secretary to the Treasury, 2005 to 2016.
David Peretz CB – Former Under Secretary for Home Finance and Monetary Policy HM Treasury, Executive Director of the IMF and World Bank, G7 Financial Sherpa, and Chair of Bermuda’s independent Fiscal Responsibility Panel.

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.” 

Inexorable rise in food bank use

1.9 million meals distributed – and latest statistics DO NOT include pandemic period

Between 1 April 2019 and 31 March 2020, the Trussell Trust’s food bank network distributed 1.9 million three-day emergency food supplies to people in crisis, a 18% increase on the previous year. More than seven hundred thousand of these went to children.

Across Scotland, more than 237,000 were distributed – 80,000 of which were for children.

Food bank use has increased by 74% over the last five years, the charity reports. The top three reasons for referral to a food bank in the Trussell Trust network in 2019-20 were low income, benefit delays and benefit changes.

Releasing the charity’s latest annual statistics, Trussell Trust’s CEO Emma Revie said: “This year has been an extraordinarily difficult one, with many more people across the country facing destitution as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Food banks carry on, working as tirelessly as ever, to support people in crisis through the unprecedented challenge the pandemic continues to pose.

“The statistics in our 2019/2020 report show the situation in food banks up until the end of March, before the true economic impact of the pandemic had hit. Despite this, we see a rise in the number of people being forced to use a food bank yet again.

“This constant rise in food bank use, year after year, cannot continue. More and more people are struggling to eat because they simply cannot afford food – and when we look to the year ahead, it’s likely even more people will be forced into destitution. This is not right.”

“We know this situation can be turned around – that’s why we’re campaigning to create a future where no one needs a food bank. Our benefits system is supposed to protect us all from being swept into poverty and while additional government measures have helped some people stay afloat this year, clearly more needs to be done.

“That’s why we united with partners from across the charity sector in urging the UK government to make sure everyone can afford the essentials through the economic downturn.

“And we want to see governments at all levels doing everything in their power to protect people from financial hardship.

“We have outlined what needs to be done – it’s in our power to protect one another, we’ve seen it during this health crisis, and we need it to continue during this economic one.”

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.