The pandemic has impacted us all in so many ways. As the vaccination programme rolls out, we can start to see a return to a more ‘normal’ way of life. But we can’t just build back to where we were (writes Cllr. KATE CAMPBELL).
This crisis has brought into sharp focus the structural inequalities that are woven through our society. We need to build an economy that offers more stability and, crucially, more equality for everyone.
Sadly, many firms are saying they’ll have no option but to make redundancies once furlough ends. The full impact on employment is still to be fully realised. This is alongside the economic uncertainty caused by Brexit, still largely masked by the pandemic.
So there is much to do.
Supporting business and retaining jobs must be the priority, alongside building an economy with fair work, sustainability and wellbeing at its heart. As your council we feel that we’ve an important role to play.
Together, with partners, we’re working hard to support businesses to get back up and running. So far, we’ve administered over £181.4m in grants to more than 19,000 businesses.
And we’ve been working on plans to bring back the Edinburgh Guarantee – first launched after the last recession, offering training or employment to all young people.
We’ll be relaunching as the Edinburgh Guarantee for All, expanded to support residents of all ages.
We know that people who already faced disadvantage have been more likely to be adversely affected – people on low incomes, in insecure work, women, disabled people, and people from a BAME background. So support will be focussed on those who need it the most.
We’ve been speaking to businesses, colleges, universities, voluntary sector and national organisations. We’ve met with employers from all sectors, gaining valuable insights into how the pandemic has affected different industries.
We’ve been struck by how much our business community wants to work together to rebuild our economy, creating good quality jobs and opportunities for fair work. And we’re looking for more employers to join us.
There are many benefits to being part of the Edinburgh Guarantee. We’ll help employers connect with a diverse and talented pool of potential employees.
With a track record of delivering employment support we can help businesses who want to promote inclusion and diversity in their workforce, with all the benefits this brings.
The Edinburgh Guarantee team will be on hand to help with recruitment processes. And we’ve been pulling together key resources, for example, access to funding to support recruitment. Getting involved will help employers to raise the profile of their business and connect with other organisations across their sector.
All this information will be available on our new website, launching soon.
But most importantly it’s an opportunity for our business community to get involved, actively, in rebuilding our economy.
So please get in touch with us today via edinburghguarantee@edinburgh.gov.uk – be part of the recovery of our city, and give someone that chance to move into fair work or gain the education and training that they deserve.
Cllr Kate Campbell is Edinburgh’s Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener.
Seven new private sector jobs will be needed to create one viable job post-pandemic
Cities will lead economic bounce back but most new jobs are expected to be low-skilled and low-paid.
Government must upskill workers and encourage higher-skilled businesses to invest in cities – particularly in the North and Midlands.
New Centre for Cities’ research in partnership with HSBC UK reveals that Britain’s jobs crisis is bigger than realised as the economy will need to create almost ten million new private sector jobs just to reverse the damage done by the pandemic.
Analysis of Britain’s ‘jobs miracle’ from 2013 to 2019 – when the national economy created 2.7 million net new jobs – finds that 19.3 million private sector jobs were created during this period and 16.6 million were lost. This meant that seven new private sector jobs were needed to create one viable job.
If this pattern repeats post-Covid then 9.4 million new private sector jobs will be needed to get the 1.3 million people who lost their jobs during the pandemic working again.
After the financial crisis big cities created the vast majority of new jobs and are expected to do so again post-Covid. London created one in four of all new private sector jobs (790,300) – equal to 17 Scarboroughs, or 25 Hartlepools. Other big cities also played an outsized role: in Manchester, 152,100 new jobs were created; in Birmingham 99,100 were; and in Glasgow 40,800 were.
In total, Britain’s ten largest cities created almost half (45.6%) of jobs during the ‘jobs miracle’, despite accounting for just 3.5% of land. In contrast, smaller towns and rural areas created 36% of new jobs. These findings underline the important role that big cities will play in helping the country recover from Covid-19.
Contribution of cities and non-urban areas to job creation, 2013-19
Source: ONS, Business Structure Database (BSD)
Many of the jobs lost in the pandemic were in sectors such as hospitality and tourism. While they are expected to recover quickly once the economy reopens, with an estimated three quarters of new jobs likely to come from sectors such as these, relying on them for new jobs will not address years of poor productivity and pay stagnation, particularly outside London and the Greater South East.
After the pandemic, the productivity problem that UK cities face will need to be addressed.
To do this the Government should invest in adult education to train people for higher-paid jobs in emerging industries. It should also recognise the crucial role that cities will play in building back better from the pandemic. It should invest £5 billion in a new City Centre Productivity Fund to make struggling city centres more attractive places for high-skilled businesses to locate.
The paper’s other proposals to help the country build back better from the pandemic include reforming business rates, which in their current form are a tax on business investment, and devolving more economic powers and resources to local government – particularly England’s metro mayors.
Centre for Cities’ Chief Executive Andrew Carter said:“Britain’s biggest cities will play a central role in our recovery from the pandemic, as they did after the last economic crisis when London alone created a quarter of all new jobs.
“We must use Covid-19 as an economic reset and address many of the long-standing problems that the economy has faced in recent years such as stalled productivity and stagnant pay. To do this the Government will need to focus on investing in adult education to train people for higher paid jobs.
“Addressing these problems will be be essential if the Government hopes to attract higher-skilled businesses in emerging industries to cities and large towns in the North and Midlands and meet its levelling up objectives.
Ian Stuart, CEO, HSBC UK said:“The employment challenge ahead for the country’s economy cannot be underestimated.
“Beyond the sheer volume of new jobs required, the UK will need to create high value, export-led employment across all regions, if it is to address the age-old productivity puzzle.
“Coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic, we will only truly succeed in levelling up the country if the challenge is shared between government and the private sector with a focus on reskilling our people and attracting new business growth and international investment in the sectors where we have a real competitive advantage.”
On the day that the nation reflected on one year since the first stay-at-home order of the Covid-19 pandemic, the British Psychological Society calls for the psychological needs of healthcare staff to be front and centre of the nation’s recovery.
Coronavirus has cost more than 140,000 lives in the UK over the last year, and we fell silent at 12pm yesterday to remember those we have lost. The toll is unimaginable, and the effects so wide reaching that there is no one in the country whose life has not been profoundly affected by the pandemic.
There are few groups that have been impacted as significantly as the healthcare staff working on the frontline to treat Covid-19 patients and keep the NHS functioning during an unprecedented period.
Psychologists have played a central role in developing the NHS’s early initiatives on staff support in response to the pandemic, including new wellbeing hubs, and it is vital that psychological expertise is incorporated into all future developments.
The recent NHS staff survey results showed a further increase in work-related stress levels in the NHS, and likelihood of staff burnout is only going to rise as the effects of working through the pandemic become more apparent.
Risks are particularly high for the 40.3 per cent of NHS staff who were already experiencing stress at work before the pandemic hit, and for those working in intensive care units with the sickest Covid-19 patients.
It is key that the focus is now on rebuilding the NHS as psychologically healthy and resilient, supporting staff wellbeing on a cultural and organisational, as well as individual, level.
Dr Julie Highfield, consultant clinical psychologist in Wales’ largest critical care unit and wellbeing project director for the Intensive Care Society, said: “One year on, I welcome the progress in involving psychologists in staff wellbeing initiatives, however much of the focus is on individual mental health.
“Although this is helpful in part, it’s not the whole picture. When I meet with staff what they describe does not fit neatly into common mental health pathways, it is the way chronic excessive workload has changed their relationship with work.
“If we just focus on mental health provision and individual resilience, we miss the systemic factors that contribute to the experience of work such as workplace culture, leadership and sufficient staffing, education, equipment, and facilities. As psychologists, we should also support workforce sustainability for a future healthier NHS and social care sector.
“We need to utilise the skills, knowledge and evidence base of Psychologists to help organisations to understand how to provide the core conditions to thrive at work, therefore reducing the risk of psychological harm.”
Dr Adrian Neal, chair of the BPS Division of Clinical Psychology’s Leadership and Management Faculty, added: “As we mark the first anniversary of the UK’s pandemic lockdown, it seems a natural opportunity to reflect, take stock of the impact and look forward.
Right now we are seeing an exhausted workforce, an increase in grief, burnout and more acute mental health difficulties (though less than we had expected), as well as changes in how people are relating to their work, peers, communities, and employers.
It is widely recognised that employee and organisational wellbeing is going to be vital to the sustainability of our public sector systems, and resources have been mobilised at pace in an attempt to mitigate perceived needs.
Perhaps the most useful thing we can do as psychologists is to encourage a calm and evidenced approach to fully understanding and formulating the psychosocial impact the pandemic in all of its unfolding complexity.
If we can do this, psychologists will play an important role in supporting both individuals and organisations in how they recover, adapt and grow in the years to come.”
Capital Theatres is looking to appoint three key individuals to its team – Director of Finance & Business Services, Director of Development & Head of Creative Engagement.
Under the leadership of a new Chief Executive Fiona Gibson, Capital Theatres is moving into an exciting new strategic phase as it spearheads the cultural and economic regeneration of its communities in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It is now recruiting for three key positions to help it move successfully forwards, including a new post for Head of Creative Engagement, further developing its increasing focus on community engagement and developing artistic talent, and a new Director of Development who will lead the fundraising campaign to support the redevelopment of the King’s Theatre as well as a variety of creative projects.
It’s current Director of Finance, Iain Ross is set to retire after 11 years with Capital Theatres and so the third role is set to steer the organisation financially as it charts its way through recovery and seeks to expand its creative vision.
Director of Development; an important role in the future strategic direction of the organisation, the post will be responsible for devising and implementing a creative and innovative fundraising strategy, of which a key priority will be the King’s Theatre Redevelopment Campaign.
Building on the success already achieved in the early phases of the capital appeal, the new Director will lead the public launch of a high-profile capital campaign, which will see the century-old, iconic landmark in Edinburgh transformed and restored it to its former glory, ensuring its future for generations to come.
Head of Creative Engagement; a new role for a special person who can grow and develop all aspects of the Creative Engagement programme, centring on Capital Theatres’ strategic ambition to co-create high quality projects that make a real difference inside the local communities it serves.
The role will also lead on increasing community engagement around the King’s Theatre Redevelopment Campaign, develop the Studio as a ‘go-to’ venue for emerging artists and new work, pioneer alternative performance experiences for audience members whose needs are not met by traditional models and evolve the organisation’s award-winning engagement activity with people living with dementia.
Director of Finance and Business Services: Resilience and longevity of the theatres is paramount and the Director of Finance & Business Services is pivotal to ensuring the long-term sustainability of the organisation.
The role will manage the financial business case for delivery of the King’s Theatre redevelopment project, along with financial decisions support for the broader organisational strategy including collaboration and co-production with cultural consortia and artistic partners, revenue growth through trading and the cashflow planning and reporting requirements of public and private fundraising.
A new £30 million fund is being established to support small businesses within the third sector, helping them to grow as Scotland recovers from the impacts of coronavirus.
The fund will be designed to respond to a need for third sector organisations to access loans to help grow and explore new forms of social investment and finance. It will also help support the sector to meet the challenge of the pandemic and to become more sustainable in the long-term.
Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell said: “We have worked hard to support the third sector throughout the pandemic. This new fund will focus on those organisations with the potential to grow, contributing to jobs and making a positive contribution to our communities and the wellbeing economy.
“It also goes some way towards our commitment to explore other strands of social investment, including capital loans, to build upon Scotland’s world leading position in social enterprise.
“The fund will help this sector to ensure that it not only supports our communities, but is at the very forefront of our recovery, leading our communities and our country through recovery.”
Yvonne Greeves, Board member at Firstport & Chair of Catalyst Fund, said: “The Catalyst Fund is an exciting new addition to the social investment arena in Scotland.
“The patient, revenue-based repayment model is well placed to help certain social enterprises obtain the capital they need to start-up and grow, whilst offering them a more flexible repayment approach to match their ambitions.
“We welcome the support from the Scottish Government in backing this innovative model and we look forward to supporting social enterprises with potential for high-growth to enter new markets and deliver significant social impact.”
The Third Sector Growth Fund will build on more than £1 billion which has been invested in communities since the start of the pandemic, which includes a recent commitment to a further £14 million to allow the Communities and Third Sector Recovery Programme to continue to the end of June.
The Third Sector Growth Fund will have three elements:
The Social Catalyst fund, which totals £15 million, will help growing organisations which are not able to access finance through standard loans, offering investment which can be repaid based on turnover, rather than growing interest rates. This would suit small businesses and start-ups whose income is variable.
The Circular Economy Fund will support activity which builds on sustainability of social enterprises and enables growth through investment loans. Together with The Long Term Third Sector Finance Fund which will offer loans for social enterprises and Third Sector organisations over a period of 18-24 months. a total of £10 million will be available.
The Social Impact Venture Portfolio will offer investments of equity into mission-driven businesses, encouraging organisations to adopt a social enterprise model. This is worth £5 million.
The delivery partners are The Social Impact Venture Portfolio and Social Investment Scotland, a social enterprise and a charity offering loan funding and business support across the sector to make a positive impact on lives, society and the environment.
Social Investment Scotland will manage The Circular Economy Social Enterprise Fund and Long Term Third Sector Finance Fund.
The Impact Investment Partnership Scotland (IIPS), an entity owned equally by Firstport and Social Enterprise Scotland (SES), will manage the Social Catalyst Fund.
Access to the funds will be by application. Further details of the funds and how to apply will be published on the partner organisations websites later this Spring.
Cities and regions can apply for additional funding to help them recover from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Speaking ahead of the first meeting of the City Centre Recovery taskforce tomorrow (Thursday) Economy Secretary Fiona Hyslop announced two new funds totalling £4 million.
Each city local authority has been invited to submit proposals focused on recovery planning to the £2 million City Centres Recovery Fund.
Proposals received so far include:
plans for more city centre based apprenticeships and training in Edinburgh
property repair, improvement and conversion in Perth City Centre
repurposing of Dundee City Centre properties through collaboration with Creative Industries sector
support for businesses in Glasgow applying for outdoor trading areas as restrictions ease
Meanwhile, a £2 million Regional Recovery Fund is calling for proposals focused on maximising local job creation, as well as accelerating delivery of City Region and Growth Deal investment and developing regional recovery plans.
Ms Hyslop said: “There is no denying the severe impact this pandemic has had, and continues to have, on our cities and regions. We recognise the sacrifices everyone has made to support our collective effort to get the virus under control and for that we are incredibly grateful.
“We know the pandemic has had differing impacts across Scotland, and this targeted support allows each local authority to put forward tailored proposals that meet their unique needs and support economic recovery.
“We have already provided £1.2 billion in economic recovery initiatives over the last year and the recently passed Scottish Budget sets out even more recovery measures to support the economy in the next year.
“Our City Centre Recovery taskforce will develop a shared vision for the future of Scotland’s city centres, with a focus on innovative actions to help them prosper over the next five years, in a way that encourages inclusive and sustainable growth.”
The First Minister has set out a timetable for the re-opening of parts of society over the next two months.
Stay at Home regulations will be lifted on 2 April and replaced with guidance to Stay Local, with more services including hairdressers, garden centres and non-essential click and collect services able to open from 5 April.
More college students will also return to on-campus learning and outdoor contact sports will resume for 12-17 year olds on 5 April if progress on vaccination and suppression of Coronavirus (COVID-19) continues.
The Scottish Government then hopes to lift all restrictions on journeys in mainland Scotland on 26 April.
Discussions will be held with island communities already in lower levels on the possibility of having a faster return to more socialising and hospitality with restrictions on mainland travel to protect against importation of the virus.
Vaccination of all nine JCVI priority groups – more than half of the population, accounting for 99% of COVID-related fatalities – is expected to be completed by mid-April, supplies allowing.
The dates outlined are enabled by strong new evidence that suggests vaccines reduce the chances of transmitting the virus as well as reducing serious illness and death, even after a first dose.
Further expected easing on 26 April includes:
all retail premises, libraries, museums and galleries, tourist accommodation would be able to open
the hospitality sector would be able to reopen outdoors for the service of alcohol, and potentially open indoors for non-alcohol service
up to four people from two households could be able to socialise indoors in a public place such as a café or restaurant
six people from up to three households could be able to meet outdoors and the limit on wedding and funeral attendance could be raised to 50 people
gyms and swimming pools would be open for individual exercise and non-essential childcare would be permitted
non-essential work in peoples’ homes and driving lessons could resume from this date
On 17 May, it is hoped that groups of four people from two households would be able to socialise indoors in a private home, and that cinemas, amusement arcades and small scale outdoor and indoor events could restart with limits on capacity.
Further easing on this date would include outdoor contact sport for adults and indoor group exercise
The First Minister also indicated that in early June it is hoped that Scotland could move to Level 1 and by end of June to level 0.
Grants of up to £7,500 for retailers and up to £19,500 for hospitality and leisure businesses will be paid in April to help businesses re-open progressively.
These one-off re-start grants will replace ongoing Strategic Framework Business Fund (SFBF) payments and will provide more money up front to help with the costs of re-opening. Eligible businesses must have applied to the SFBF by 22 March in order to receive these payments.
The last four-weekly SFBF payment of up to £3,000 will be paid on 22 March, as scheduled. Targeted restart grants for businesses that are not in scope for the current SFBF support package may be considered if the Scottish Government receives further consequentials from the UK Government.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “Vaccination is already having a significant impact on the number of deaths in Scotland, and research giving us more confidence in its effects against new variants and in helping prevent transmission.
“That gives us more confidence in setting possible dates for our next steps out of lockdown in addition to the significant changes set out last week to allow more socialisation, and get children back to school as soon as possible.
“It is not possible to provide specific dates or details for coming out of lockdown beyond 17 May – that will depend on what impact there is from the changes already made – however my hope and ambition is that from early June, all of Scotland will effectively be in level 1 of the levels system, allowing for a further easing of restrictions – and possibly moving to level 0 in late June.
“That is not the endpoint – we hope and expect that vaccination, better treatments, continued use of the test and protect system, and proportionate ongoing precautions such as good hand hygiene will allow us to keep COVID under much greater control.
“This will allow us to enjoy many of the things that we took for granted before the pandemic– normal family gatherings where we can hug our loved ones, sporting events, gigs and nightclubs.
“I cannot set a date for that point yet, but I do believe that over the coming weeks as more and more adults are vaccinated it will be possible to set a firmer date by which many of these normal things will be possible, and I am very optimistic that this date will be over the summer.
“Thanks to the sacrifices we all made three months ago, and the success of the vaccination programme we are now in a much better and brighter position, with well-earned optimism as we look ahead to the summer.
“We are getting the virus under control, but it is still dangerous, and to reach these dates it’s more important than ever now to stay within the rules – until 2 April stay at home, except for essential purposes; don’t meet people from other households indoors, and follow the FACTS advice when out and about.”
Responding to the announcement of the timetable for lifting estrictions, CAMRA Scotland’s Director Joe Crawford said: “Pub goers, licensees and brewers will be disappointed to see our pubs being treated unfairly compared to similar businesses like cafés and non-essential retail.
“The return of curfews and a ban on alcohol being consumed indoors is devastating news for the industry which is looking to reopen covid-secure venues so that people can socialise safely. For many businesses it just won’t be worthwhile opening back up as they won’t be able to turn a profit under these draconian restrictions.
“Restart grants announced today are welcome – but without a full and proper reopening, and with continuing restrictions like table-service only requirement lasting for the foreseeable future, it is vital that the Scottish Government provides dedicated financial support for our pubs, social clubs and the breweries that serve them until they can trade at full capacity.
“CAMRA are also campaigning for the UK Government to cut tax on beer served in pubs to help them compete with supermarkets.”
Responding to the latest update on lockdown restrictions and the outline of indicative dates for the re-opening of the economy from the First Minister, Dr Liz Cameron OBE, Chief Executive of the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said:
“Businesses have been patiently waiting for indicative dates to re-open and today’s announcement is a good start. It will enable many businesses and customers to start planning and preparing for re-opening with confidence and optimism.
“In particular, the intention to relax travel restrictions should support the viability of the tourism, hospitality and retail sectors. We are pleased to hear that the Scottish Government will work with the UK Government and the travel & aviation sectors to look at the detail as to how international travel can re-open safely and quickly.
“We also need to see clarification of what is allowed in the various levels of restrictions, sooner rather than later. We would urge alignment across all UK nations which enables the industry to restart together and to avoid confusion for travellers.
“There is still a lot of work to be done to plan for the re-opening of the remaining sectors of the economy. We are now looking to engage on the granular detail of the levels, associated criteria and trigger points. We will work with government to help enable that to be done as quickly and as safely as possible, in line with the continued successful roll-out of the vaccination programme.”
On the establishment of restart grants, Dr Cameron said:“It makes more sense to provide businesses with a lump sum so they can deploy these resources where it can be of most use – businesses themselves are the best judges of this.
“Businesses will welcome the certainty of when they can expect the funds to be allocated and we look forward to working with Scottish Government and local government to ensure this process runs as smoothly as possible.”
‘Tough times ahead’ for licensed hospitality sector, warns Scottish Licensed Trade Association, following the First Minister’s statement today.
The SLTA has expressed bitter disappointment after today’s announcement by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon that bars, restaurants and cafés will not be able to serve alcohol indoors when the licensed hospitality industry reopens next month.
Warning that there remain “tough times ahead” for licensed hospitality as Scotland slowly emerges from lockdown, SLTA managing director Colin Wilkinson said: “This is not the news we were hoping for. Yes, it’s good news for those bars, restaurants and cafés with suitable facilities who will be able to serve people outdoors – in groups of up to six from three households – until 10pm from 26 April.
“However, for indoor hospitality, today’s news is yet another bitter blow and we are surprised that the Scottish Government has chosen not to allow premises to sell alcohol when they reopen next month. “We of course welcome the news that from 17 May, hospitality venues will be able to open until 10.30pm indoors with alcohol permitted and, for outdoors, until 10pm.
“We welcome these indicative dates for reopening as they provide more clarity for businesses but overall, these slight lifting of restrictions don’t go far enough and, for the majority, reopening will remain unviable. We’re bitterly disappointed.”
The SLTA welcomed confirmation that on 22 March, recipients of support under the Strategic Business Framework Fund will receive a final four-week payment then in April a further combined payment of a two-week payment under the Strategic Business Framework Fund and eligible hospitality and leisure businesses will also receive a further payment of up to £19,500 in the form of a restart grant.
But Wilkinson added:“Restrictions will continue into June and beyond, leading businesses further into debt.
“The typical small hospitality business has taken on between £60,000 and £90,000 in bank debt and deferred bills as of February this year just to survive Covid – and the debt is rising with every week of low or no income.
“If there is a positive to come out of today’s announcement it is that we have something to work towards but that doesn’t change the fact that for a very high percentage of business, reopening in April will simply be unviable.”
Council leaders are encouraging communities and businesses to ‘stick with it’ after a proposed date for lifting the ‘stay at home’ rule was announced today by the Scottish Government.
Council Leader Adam McVey said: “This is a welcome and clear roadmap out of lockdown that gives us all something positive to look forward to.
“The successful roll-out of the vaccine programme and the fall in positive cases across Edinburgh is testament to the collective efforts of our health services, our residents and our businesses. The hard work and sacrifices we’re making are the only way can achieve the roadmap and return to normal.
“We are moving in the right direction, with rates across the city at one of the lowest levels since spring last year. We must stick with it and stay within the guidelines, to continue to keep the virus under control and keep our communities safe.
“I know so many of our local traders are anxious to open their doors again and I hope everyone will join me in getting out when we can to support businesses near us and in our city centre. We’ll very soon be able to fully enjoy everything our amazing city has to offer and welcome back friends and visitors to our Capital.
Depute Leader Cammy Day said:“Tuesday 23 March, a week today, marks a full year since the country went into lockdown and our condolences go out to all those who have lost loved ones during this unprecedented crisis. We will remember them during a national silence next Tuesday.
“Today’s announcement is really good news for businesses across Edinburgh as travel restrictions look to be eased across Scotland from 26 April. Opening up retail, hospitality and tourism gives us all something to look forward to and meeting up with more loved ones in outdoor settings for something to eat and drink will be a real treat again.
“Until then it’s important we don’t drop our guard – we need to continue to observe this gradual, phased approach so we can protect people’s health and safety while working towards Edinburgh’s successful recovery from the pandemic. We all want to keep the virus under control and keep everyone safe.
“So for now, until 2 April, our advice remains the same – please stay at home and help save lives. Hope’s on the horizon and we’ll get there even faster if we stick together now.”
Responding to the First Minister’s announcement on an indicative timeline for lifting restrictions, STUC General Secretary said: “We welcome this cautious approach that is entirely reliant on continuing progress in suppressing the virus. The implications for public health and sustainable economic recovery of moving too fast would be catastrophic.
“We have no doubt that the First Minister will continue to be subject to sustained pressure from bosses in many sectors, including hospitality, to move more quickly but this must be resisted.
“We believe that effective test, trace and isolate measures are essential, along with the flexibility to increase local restrictions when necessary to control any outbreaks.
“For the sake of the public’s health and the safety of workers we need the future return to work to be a steadily managed stream and not a torrent. “It is essential that the proposed return of students to colleges and universities is only undertaken with full and early consultation of education unions.
“We urge employers planning the return to work to learn from previous mistakes made during the emergence from the first lockdown. They must ensure that all continuing guidelines on social distancing and face coverings in the workplace continue.
“They must respect any ongoing fears and concerns of their own workers and, critically, fully consult with employees both on what is expected of them and on the protection they have a right to expect. Any worker with concerns should contact their union or the STUC.”
Failure to support the nation’s pubs return from lockdown risks imperilling the government’s levelling up agenda for economic and social renewal, the think-tank Localis has warned.
In a report entitled ‘The Power of Pubs – protecting social infrastructure and laying the groundwork for levelling up’ Localis argues it is vital that the lockdown roadmap is not allowed to slip back further for pubs, and that the commitment to end all trading restrictions by 21 June must be delivered to return all pubs to viable trading.
Without such assurances and medium-term support to help place the pub sector at the foundations of a strong recovery, the authors warned local economies and community resilience in left-behind parts of the country – including ‘blue wall’ former industrial heartlands, rural and coastal areas – would be particularly hit.
Among key recommendations, the report authors urged central government to further reduce the tax burden on the pub sector to aid the recovery and called for an extension to the Business and Planning Act 2020.
Local councils should be directed to help pubs by issuing licence fee refunds – paid for by the Treasury – for the six months to June 2021, through business support grants, the study advised.
Additionally, where premises have been put to new community purposes during the pandemic, councils should offer a diversification grant to pubs looking to retain or expand the services they provided during lockdown.
Localis chief executive, Jonathan Werran, said: “The case for treating Britain’s pubs with fair consideration in exiting lockdown measures is, at core, as simple as it is heartfelt. Where there’s a pub, there’s a community.
“As one of the biggest contributors to the UK economy, the sector has a vital role to play in the recovery and levelling up journey of the country as well as in maintaining community cohesion and social resilience well beyond the pandemic.”
Emma McClarkin, chief executive, British Beer and Pub Association,said: “The Pandemic has fractured our communities economic environment and frayed our social ties.
“The pub is a powerful embodiment and symbol of both, woven into the fabric of our society and it is one we need to support and strengthen as we rebuild our trade as well as reconnect our communities.”
An online school, established by Wey Education more than 16 years ago, has launched an ‘essential’ programme of English, Maths and Science support, delivered live by expert teachers, to help students across the UK recover the learning they have missed due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
These efforts align with the Government’s recovery support package which includes tutoring programmes, summer provision and recovery premiums for state schools, so that children and young people can catch up on missed learning and development opportunities.
The “InterHigh Essentials” package was developed as a way to alleviate the “pain” of families who were struggling with home schooling and remote learning. It offers young people in the local area the opportunity to enrol on its online platform and access lessons for three core subjects English, maths and science, plus tutorial, in an interactive and effective, yet easy-to-use format. The virtual lessons will be delivered live by experienced teachers who are qualified to teach online.
Developed by a team with over 16 years of experience with online teaching, students will be given opportunities to fully engage with their learning, in a virtual environment that is characteristic of how we will learn, work, and interact in the future.
For the equivalent of £12 a day, families can benefit from supplementary learning in a virtual environment while their child continues to be enrolled in their current school.
Emma Beer, an InterHigh parent who enrolled her son during Covid-19, said:“He’s more settled into a routine and is far more engaged in learning at home. During the first two weeks of schools closing, it was difficult to home educate my son and I struggled to find material online which engaged him, meaning I had to constantly sit next to him to keep an eye on what he was doing.
“The crisis has unveiled an amazing opportunity for my son to try a different approach to education.”
The programme is open to students in Key Stage 2, 3, and 4, and registration can be done individually by students, or by schools on their behalf. The team at InterHigh believe in transformative education which provides a community for students to learn wherever they feel most comfortable, supported, and engaged.
Jacqueline Danielle, CEO of Wey Education, said:“Our aim is to provide all young people with the opportunity to access an education that will inspire a lifelong love of learning – both pure and applied, and I believe we have achieved something truly remarkable over the past 17 years at Wey Education.
“Events this year have opened the eyes of many to the power and possibilities of online learning. We are excited to provide more families with the opportunity to study with us and experience our innovative and pioneering approach to teaching and learning in a virtual environment.”
Dr Sara de Freitas, Executive Director of Education at Wey Education, said:“During the pandemic, many students have missed out on parts of their education which can have long term negative impacts upon employment and mental health.
“Our new programme is designed to plug these gaps in young people’s education and provide the important learning they may have missed during the pandemic.
“We are thrilled to be able to offer this package to students as a supplementary offer and recommend it for all students that have been affected by school closures during this year and last year.”
For more information, including how to enrol, please visit:
All remaining primary school children are set to return to school full-time from 15 March, with all secondary pupils returning on a part-time basis from that date.
Regulated childcare, including breakfast and after-school clubs, for primary pupils will also re-start on 15 March as part of the Phase 2 return.
From 15 March, all secondary pupils will receive both high quality remote learning and some in-school teaching. Councils will decide how to safely balance in-school learning based on local circumstances and needs.
Senior phase students (S4-S6) who are taking national qualifications will have priority for face-to-face lessons in school.
Updated schools safety guidance to support the phased return will be published next week and Education Scotland will develop practical guidance for schools, which will be also published shortly.
Local authorities will be encouraged to support young people’s wellbeing in other ways – for example, by providing more opportunities for outdoor learning.
Colleges, who can have up to 5% of learners on campus at any one time, will also be able to prioritise senior phase pupils.
The plans are conditional on continued progress on suppressing coronavirus. All pupils are expected to return to full-time schooling after Easter, subject to continued suppression of the virus.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “I can confirm that the next phase of reopening education will take place on 15 March. From that date – unless new evidence or new circumstances force us to reconsider – all children in primary 4 to 7 will go back to school on a full-time basis and all primary school children will be able to return to regulated childcare.
“All secondary school pupils will return to spend some time in school from 15 March – with a clear expectation that all secondary school pupils will be back in school on a full-time basis after the Easter holidays.
“The phased approach to school return is firmly based on the expert advice that we have received. It is the best and also the most sustainable and enduring way to get as many children back to school as possible, as safely as possible.”
All secondary pupils will continue to be required to observe two metre physical distancing while in school in the period immediately after the Phase 2 return. This is in addition to existing measures, including the use of face coverings. School transport will operate with the same physical distancing rules as public transport.
EIS Writes to Party Leaders Urging Support for Vaccinating School Staff
The EIS has written to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, Deputy First Minister John Swinney and to the Holyrood leaders of Scotland’s major political parties, calling for their support to vaccinate school staff against Covid.
Last week, the Scottish Government announced that it did not intend to prioritise the vaccination of teachers and the EIS is calling for urgent reconsideration of this position.
In the letter, EIS General Secretary Larry Flanagan says, “It seems short-sighted of the Scottish Government not to utilise the vaccination tool to ensure continuity of education – an action at odds with the political rhetoric about the importance of education to the lives of our young people.”
The letter continues, “Given the caring role that teachers and other education staff undertake, particularly Early Years, Primary and ASN staff, and the difficulties that there are in maintaining physical distance between staff and pupils in these contexts, in omitting to vaccinate teachers, the Scottish Government will have failed to take appropriate mitigating action of the kind that it has undertaken for other frontline care workers.”
The letter also calls on Government to “consider the impact of teacher absence on the education of young people.
In secondary schools, for example, staff absence over the next period through Covid related reasons could seriously impact on the SQA qualifications. On average staff absences in schools has been around 1,500 per week, at one stage last September peaking at over 2,500.
Clearly this is disruptive to education continuity especially for senior phase secondary pupils, already facing a tight timeline around accreditation processes.”
Calling for school staff to now be prioritised, the letter says, “Whilst the EIS very deliberately did not call for education staff priority within Phase 1 of the programme, as that was very clearly predicated on those most at risk of death, we believe there is scope within Phase 2 to take a different approach as 99% of that ‘at severe risk’ group will have been covered in the first phase.
“Within Phase 1 the Scottish Government chose to reorder the JCVI priorities to accommodate its own policy agenda with regard to care homes and we believe a similar approach should apply to schools.”
An online campaign calling for school staff to be vaccinated, launched on Friday by the EIS, attracted almost 5000 signatures over the weekend.
