Shop workers’ trade union Usdaw has welcomed Holyrood’s Petitions Committee’s unanimous decision to back a petition to end New Year’s Day trading in large stores.
The committee has agreed to write to stakeholders within the retail industry and urges the Scottish Government to conduct the required consultation.
Usdaw launched a petition last year calling on the Scottish Government to launch a consultation on implementing legislation already in place to ban most large shops from opening on New Year’s Day. The Christmas Day and New Year’s Day Trading Act (Scotland) Act 2007 prohibits trading in most large shops on Christmas Day and gave powers to the Scottish Government to stop the opening of those shops on New Year’s Day as well, which has never been enacted.
An extensive Usdaw survey of over 1,000 Scottish retail staff, found that:
98% say that stores should be shut on New Year’s Day
Three-quarters feel they spend too little time with friends and family over New Year.
Only 4% are happy to work on New Year’s Day or 2 January.
Tracy Gilbert, Usdaw’s Scottish Deputy Divisional Officer, said: “We thank the petitions committee for their unanimous support and decision to progress our petition.
“As Jackie Baillie MSP rightly pointed out, the First Minister agreed to look at Usdaw’s campaign, but that was back in January and the Scottish Government is now saying it’s not the right time to do this. It’s been 13 years since the original legislation was passed, so it is difficult to understand when the Government thinks it would be the right time.
“The strength of feeling among our members is clearly demonstrated by our survey and over 3,000 of them writing to their MSPs asking for support. Retail staff work incredibly hard all year round, but it is particularly busy and stressful throughout December. So they deserve to be able to spend time with family and friends.
“Hogmanay and New Year is a special holiday, but this is not reflected in the experience of many retail workers. Under the Christmas Day and New Year’s Day Trading (Scotland) Act 2007 Scottish Ministers may, by statutory instrument, ban large shops from opening on New Year’s Day, subject to consultation.
“On behalf of Scotland’s retail workers, we are urging the Scottish Government to open that consultation and for MSPs to listen to shopworkers’ concerns about their work and life balance. After everything Scottish shop workers have been through this year, as key workers on the frontline of delivering essential services, they deserve a decent break over New Year.”
What shopworkers say:
You’re tired from working and don’t really relax or enjoy the limited time you get with the kids. Then you start all over again working New Year’s Day too!!!
If, like myself, you have to work Boxing Day and New Year’s Day – it should be paid at least time and half.
As a store manager I have had to work Christmas and New Year. A lot of hard work goes into the weeks leading up. By Christmas Day you are exhausted and then back to work on Boxing Day. This year I also have to work New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day and on the second.
I am not happy working till 1930 on both Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. By 4pm our store was fairly empty.
Finishing times on Christmas Eve and Hogmanay are creeping up later, which has a severe impact on family life for retail workers.
People who have lost their jobs or who are at risk of redundancy as a result of coronavirus (COVID-19) can access support to retrain through a new fund launched by Economy Secretary Fiona Hyslop this week.
The £25 million National Transition Training Fund – a flagship Programme for Government commitment – will help up to 10,000 people aged 25 and over to develop the skills required to move into sectors with the greatest potential for future growth and job opportunities.
The fund will help to boost the supply of skills in areas such as sustainable green jobs and raise the profile of training opportunities linked to Scotland’s transition to a net zero economy.
Ms Hyslop said: “This is a very worrying time for many people – particularly for those working in sectors most affected by the pandemic and whose livelihoods are at risk.
“That is why we are doing everything we can to protect jobs and ensure that people faced with redundancy can get back to work as quickly as possible.
“The National Transition Training Fund will help people take advantage of the jobs available in growth areas of the economy, such as digital and green technologies.It will also be responsive to industry needs and targeted towards the most exposed sectors including oil and gas, aviation and tourism.
“As we recover from the pandemic, it is our ambition to create a stronger, more resilient, more sustainable economy. Ensuring people have the right skills to futureproof their careers will be crucial in achieving that goal.”
Skills Development Scotland will be responsible for the initial £11 million phase of the fund, which is now live and will help up to 6,000 people by March 2021.
People accessing the fund will be in control of their own training plan but will have the support of advisers with knowledge of local job opportunities so they can make informed decisions about their future career.
Frank Mitchell, Chair of SDS, said: “The National Transition Training Fund is an important part of the plan for how Scotland can emerge strongly from this crisis with more of the skills that will drive our future economy.
“For anyone currently facing or dealing with redundancy, the fund offers the chance to get vital training offering a pathway towards jobs in growth areas.
“For employers, it’s also an opportunity to access some of the most in-demand skills that are needed to speed up economic recovery and return to growth.”
Stuart McKenna, Chief Executive of the Scottish Training Federation, said: “We welcome the introduction of this new fund which will help people re-shape and develop their existing skills – and through bespoke support, develop a portfolio of skills much needed in growth sectors.
“The focus on ensuring that people have control over their own training plan is particularly welcome. This will promote ownership of their future career and allow them to develop the skills that will give the best opportunities in their specific circumstances.”
The first phase of the National Transition Training Fund will be administered by Skills Development Scotland (SDS) on behalf of Scottish Government, with work coaches from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and PACE advisers from SDS providing advice and support. Two further strands will launch this autumn.
The Fund is open to anyone aged 25 or over who is unemployed, economically inactive or at risk of unemployment due to the impact of Covid-19.
Economy Secretary Fiona Hyslop has outlined details of a £40 million fund to help businesses affected by temporary restrictions to slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).
The COVID-19 Restrictions Fund will provide one-off grants of up to £3,000, depending on rateable value, to bars, restaurants and other businesses required to close by regulations.
A hardship fund with grants of up to £1,500 will support some businesses that remain open but are directly impacted by the restrictions, including those in the direct supply chains of firms that must close from tonight.
In addition, up to £9 million of funding will help with the costs of re-furloughing staff by supporting the 20% salary contribution required by the UK Government.
A discretionary fund of up to £11 million will help businesses that need support but don’t fall into the above categories. This will, for example, support soft play centres that have been unable to re-open this month.
The plan has been developed following discussions with business groups, trades unions and local authorities.
Ms Hyslop said: “The temporary restrictions announced by the First Minister are absolutely essential if we are to prevent a return to the dangerous level of infections that we experienced earlier this year.
“It is a difficult balance and we do not underestimate the challenge that these new measures present for businesses – particularly those in the hospitality sector.
“We have developed a funding plan which will help to protect jobs over the coming fortnight and I encourage business owners to apply for support.
“We are also committed to helping businesses meet their contribution to furlough costs, where staff have to be re-furloughed. We have increased the size of the grant available and are urgently identifying a mechanism to deliver additional support on top of that.
“While I welcome the UK Government’s plans to adapt the job retention scheme and the associated consequential funding, we still require clarity on what the Chancellor’s announcement will mean for Scotland.
“This situation further underlines the need for us to have the financial flexibility which would help us to rebuild our economy.”
Grants will be distributed by local authorities. Up to £2,000 will be payable to businesses with a rateable value of up to £51,000 that are required to close by law, for those with a rateable value of £51,001 or above the grant will be £3,000.
Ms Hislop’s announcement followed the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s statement:
Job Support Scheme expanded to firms required to close due to Covid Restrictions
The UK government’s Job Support Scheme (JSS) will be expanded to protect jobs and support businesses required to close their doors as a result of coronavirus restrictions, the Chancellor announced today (Friday 9 October).
Job Support Scheme will be expanded to support businesses across the UK required to close their premises due to coronavirus restrictions
government will pay two thirds of employees’ salaries to protect jobs over the coming months
cash grants for businesses required to close in local lockdowns also increased to up to £3,000 per month
Under the expansion, firms whose premises are legally required to shut for some period over winter as part of local or national restrictions will receive grants to pay the wages of staff who cannot work – protecting jobs and enabling businesses to reopen quickly once restrictions are lifted.
The government will support eligible businesses by paying two thirds of each employees’ salary (or 67%), up to a maximum of £2,100 a month.
Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, said: “Throughout the crisis the driving force of our economic policy has not changed.
“I have always said that we will do whatever is necessary to protect jobs and livelihoods as the situation evolves.
“The expansion of the Job Support Scheme will provide a safety net for businesses across the UK who are required to temporarily close their doors, giving them the right support at the right time.”
Under the scheme, employers will not be required to contribute towards wages and only asked to cover NICS and pension contributions, a very small proportion of overall employment costs. It is estimated that around half of potential claims are likely not to incur employer NICs or auto-enrolment pension contributions and so face no employer contribution.
Businesses will only be eligible to claim the grant while they are subject to restrictions and employees must be off work for a minimum of seven consecutive days.
The scheme will begin on 1 November and will be available for six months, with a review point in January. In line with the rest of the JSS, payments to businesses will be made in arrears, via a HMRC claims service that will be available from early December. Employees of firms that have been legally closed in the period before 1 November are eligible for the CJRS.
The scheme is UK wide and the UK Government will work with the devolved administrations to ensure the scheme operates effectively across all four nations.
This comes alongside intensive engagement with local leaders today on potential measures are coming in their areas.
In addition to expansion of the JSS, the government is increasing the cash grants to businesses in England shut in local lockdowns to support with fixed costs. These grants will be linked to rateable values, with up to £3,000 per month payable every two weeks, compared to the up to £1,500 every three weeks which was available previously. This could benefit hundreds of thousands of businesses, including restaurants, pubs, nightclubs, bowling alleys and many more.
The devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will benefit from a £1.3 billion increase to their guaranteed funding for 2020-21 – allowing them to continue their response to Covid-19 including through similar measures if they wish.
These measures will sit alongside the original JSS – which is designed to support businesses that are facing low demand over the winter months – and the £1,000 Job Retention Bonus (JRB) which encourages employers to keep staff on payroll.
They build on the UK government’s wider package of unprecedented measures to help protect, create and support jobs through the pandemic, to ensure that nobody is left without hope or opportunity.
Welcoming the move, Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said: “The extension of the Chancellor’s Job Support Scheme is welcome news for businesses across Scotland, providing a vital safety net for companies which are asked to close temporarily.
“From the very start of the pandemic, the UK Government has focussed on stopping the spread of coronavirus and keeping people safe, while also doing everything we can to protect the economy.
“The unprecedented package of measures we have put in place to support all parts of the country shows the clear benefits for Scotland being part of a strong United Kingdom.”
Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at a media briefing in St Andrew’s House, yesterday (Friday 8 October):
Good afternoon, and thanks for joining us. I will start with the usual report on the daily COVID statistics.
The total number of positive cases reported yesterday was 1,246.
That is 16.2% of people newly tested, and takes the total number of cases to 37,033.
440 of the cases were in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, 306 in Lanarkshire, and 192 in Lothian.
The remaining cases were spread across 9 other health board areas.
I can also confirm that 397 people are currently in hospital – that is an increase of 20 since yesterday.
33 people are now in intensive care, that is 2 more than yesterday.
And I regret to say that 6 additional deaths have been registered of people who first tested positive during the previous 28 days. The total number of deaths, under the measure used in these daily figures, is therefore now 2,544.
Today’s total – and indeed all of the deaths that have been recorded in recent days – reminds us, and should remind us, again that Covid is a virus that is deadly for some people, as well as being really dangerous for others.
This is not a virus that we can be complacent about or just allow to spread unchecked, however much we might wish it was and I think that is an important point in the context of everything else I will say today. But let me at this stage pass on my condolences to everybody who has lost a loved one to this illness.
Now, I have a couple of points I want to update on today. First of all, let me report that two more walk-in testing centres have opened this week.
A new centre opened in Old Kilpatrick in West Dunbartonshire yesterday, and a centre is opening for bookings in Stirling shortly.
We are continuing to work with the UK Government to increase the number of walk-in sites across the country, and several more – including centres in Dundee and Inverness – are due to open later this month.
These add to the five walk-in centres that are already in operation – two in Glasgow and one each in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and St Andrews. These five centres, that are already operational, are within walking distance of student campuses, and therefore will be especially useful for students. But I want to stress that all walk-in centres are open to all members of the public. You can book a test by going onto the NHS Inform website.
As always, please don’t use public transport to travel to any testing centre.
If you do not have a car – and can’t walk, or cycle to a testing centre – please book a home testing kit through NHS Inform.
And remember, because this is an absolutely crucial point for all of us to understand, that you must start to self-isolate from the time you start to experience symptoms of Covid – you must not wait until you get a test result before you start self-isolating.
That is a really important point to make sure that we are doing everything we can to break the chains of transmission.
My second theme today, as you would expect, relates to the new regulations which come into force later today and tomorrow.
The regulations applying to hospitality will take effect at 6pm this evening – those relating to other premises like snooker and bingo halls take effect tomorrow. They will all be in force until Sunday 25th October – in other words, across two weeks and three weekends.
First – and with the exception of five central belt health board areas that I will come onto shortly where tighter restrictions will apply – pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes will only be able to operate indoors on a very restricted basis.
They can only open indoors from 6 am to 6 pm, for the service of food and non-alcoholic drinks.
They can however continue to serve alcohol outdoors up to the existing curfew time of 10 pm.
In addition, hotel restaurants will be able to serve residents indoors beyond 6 pm, but will not be able to serve alcohol.
In all cafes, restaurants and bars that will remain open, the existing rules on meetings will continue to apply – so that means no more than 6 people can meet, and they should come from no more than 2 households.
However there is an exemption to these rules – and this exemption applies in all parts of Scotland – for weddings that have already been booked and of course for funerals. The current rules for these will continue to apply.
As I indicated earlier this week, we are introducing stricter restrictions in five health board regions: Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Lanarkshire, Ayrshire and Arran, Lothian and Forth Valley.
I think you probably only need to look at today’s figures to get a sense of why we have taken that difficult decision. I mentioned that there are 440 new cases in Glasgow today, 306 in Lanarkshire, 192 in Lothian.
Numbers in Forth Valley and Ayrshire and Arran are lower – at 53 new cases in Forth Valley and 84 in Ayrshire and Arran – but they are still very high for the population of those areas.
And given that people live and work across all five areas, there can be a ripple effect between them, which is a further reason that tighter restrictions apply to all five of these health boards.
So in these areas, all licensed bars and restaurants will be required to close indoors and outdoors from 6pm this evening, though takeaways will be permitted. There is again an exception for hotels serving food and non-alcoholic drinks to residents.
Now I want to address a frustration about what I understand some see as a lack of clarity over the exemption for cafes – which are being allowed to stay open even in the central belt during the day as long as they don’t serve alcohol.
The reason for this café exemption is quite simple, it is to give people – particularly those who might be living alone and also working from home – somewhere they can still meet a friend for a coffee and a chat. And we judge that as important to help reduce the loneliness and isolation that comes with some of these restrictions that are in place right now.
But, and this is the other side of this balance, we are deliberately trying to reduce the volume of places that people come together so that we can stop the virus spreading, so we’ve got to draw any exemption really tightly.
That’s why we are not allowing premises like restaurants to decide to just stop serving alcohol, become cafes and therefore stay open – that would undermine the purpose of these restrictions.
But we did realise there was a potential anomaly for existing cafes that have an alcohol licence even though serving alcohol is very incidental to their business. What I announced the other day would have forced these cafes to close. In some areas – particularly rural areas – they might be the only cafe in a village.
So we decided to try to resolve this in a very targeted way. And in the 24 hours that we have been doing so, I readily accept that that has resulted in a lack of clarity.
But sometimes that’s the price we have to pay right now for trying to be as flexible as possible. It would have been easier and would have given much greater clarity just to stick to the position yesterday that cafes with a licence had to close.
But we decided to try to strike a different balance.
I can confirm that the Regulations being published today, I think they have just been published before the briefing started, have a definition of cafe which applies regardless of whether or not they have a licence. And that definition is –
“An establishment whose primary business activity, in the ordinary course of its business, is the sale of non alcoholic drinks, snacks or light meals.”
Now that is a definition based on what a cafe already does. It doesn’t allow a restaurant to now turn itself into a cafe.
I think business owners will know whether their establishment fits that definition or not. But any doubts or questions that any have should be discussed with local environmental health authorities.
I know how tough this is and I can’t tell you how sorry I am to be standing here in a position where we are requiring some businesses to close again. I am desperately sorry for that, and I know how desperately difficult this is for people trying to make a living, keep businesses they have worked to build up going and of course take care of their staff.
But government – all governments – are trying to strike right now almost impossible balances between lives and jobs.
And speaking for the Scottish Government, we are trying to do that as best we can. As I’ve said all along we will not always get it perfectly right but we are trying our best to get through this as well as we can.
Let me turn now to the other central belt restrictions that will be in place for the next two weeks.
Snooker and pool halls, indoor bowling alleys, casinos and bingo halls will close in those areas for two weeks, from tomorrow.
Contact sports for people aged 18 and over will also be suspended – with an exception for professional sports.
Indoor group exercise activities will not be allowed, although the current rules will remain in place for under-18s, and gyms and pools can remain open for individual exercise.
And outdoor live events will not be permitted in these five areas for the next two weeks.
And in general, we are advising people who live in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Lanarkshire, Ayrshire and Arran, Lothian and Forth Valley not to travel outside the health board area that they live in, if they do not need to. Similarly, people in other parts of Scotland should not travel to those areas if they do not need to.
That said, we are not imposing mandatory travel restrictions at this stage. And we are not asking people to cancel any half-term breaks that they might have. But we are asking people, if you don’t need to travel – don’t do it at this stage.
Finally, if you live in these five health board areas please limit public transport to essential purposes only, for example, going to school or to work, if you are not able to work from home.
Now, I know that businesses who are affected by these temporary restrictions rightly want to know details of the compensation package that we are developing to support them for the next two week period.
We intended to publish details on the allocation of our £40 million support fund this morning. But we are now expecting an announcement from the Chancellor later today on furlough which might have an impact on our proposals, I hope they will have a positive impact on our proposals – so we will publish details after we have clarity on that. I would call on the UK government to ensure that whatever it announces today on furlough applies in Scotland from tonight.
However, I do now want to outline the three strands of the additional Scottish Government package:
Support for employment – this was intended to top up the existing furlough scheme. However, it is this aspect that might be impacted – we hope positively – by the Chancellor’s announcement later today.
We will give a cash grant over and above any employment support for each business that is being required to close or reduce their operations. This is likely to be at the same level as the support provided in Aberdeen when we had the local lockdown there – and that was, depending on rateable value, grants of £1000 or £1500.
We will make available a discretionary fund for local authorities to distribute to businesses that are in need of support but might not fall into the categories that I have already covered.
As I say, we will publish details of that once we have clarity of the first strand which we hope to get from the Chancellor later on. The restrictions which are coming into force today are significant, there is no way in which I can suggest otherwise. But the case numbers we have seen in recent weeks – including, increasingly, the figures now for people being hospitalised – show why these restrictions are necessary.
We have to stop the virus from spreading further. And having already restricted meetings between households in each other’s homes, the most important additional step we can take is to restrict people meeting up in places like bars and restaurants.
These measures still allow for some social contact in cafes as I have already outlined. And they do not prevent people from taking the half term holidays that they had already booked, or from going ahead with weddings which have already been planned. We have tried to minimize the impact on your lives as much as possible while still doing as much as we need to do to get this virus under control.
But for a period, and this is why for a period of just over two weeks, we will remove some of the major opportunities the virus has to spread. And we do believe this can have and will have a significant impact on transmission.
And so I know these steps are unwelcome – and believe me when I say they have been imposed with the greatest reluctance – I would urge all of you to stick with them. The only alternative to restrictions like this right now is a continuing surge in COVID, which would take more lives and probably in turn require even tighter restrictions in the weeks and months to come.
Now in addition to the temporary restrictions which come into place this weekend, and this is the point I will end on – I would urge everyone to continue to stick with the existing rules and guidance.
None of us should be visiting each other’s homes at the moment – except for specific purposes like childcare. That is a really tough restriction but it is perhaps the most important way we have of stopping this virus jumping from household to household.
When we do meet – outdoors, or in cafes – the maximum group size is 6, from a maximum of two households.
In addition, only car-share if it is essential.
Work from home if you can.
Download the Protect Scotland app, if you haven’t already done so.
And finally, please remember FACTS – FACTS comprises the basic rules that if we all follow take away the opportunities for the virus to spread. So:
Face coverings
Avoid crowded places.
Clean hands and hard surfaces
Two metres distance from people in other households.
and Self isolate, and get tested, if you have symptoms.
I know this is tough, I really do know this is tough and none of what the government is doing right now is being done lightly. I do not want to be standing here imposing restrictions that limit the freedoms we all love and take for granted but this is, as it was at the very start of this pandemic, about saving lives and keeping each other as safe and as well as we possibly can.
We will get through this, it will pass, that much I do know, but I know it will pass easier and possibly more quickly if we pull together, stick together and look out for each other by doing all of these really important things. So my deep gratitude to all of you for that. Jason is now going to say a word of two before he and I turn to questions as usual.
Night shelters will be replaced with rapid rehousing ‘welcome centres’ for people who would otherwise be sleeping rough this winter, in updated plans for tackling homelessness.
The centres will provide emergency accommodation for people who have no other options, encouraging them to move on to other services. People using the centres will be offered targeted support, including for wellbeing, health and social care issues, legal rights, employment and welfare.
Announced yesterday in an updated action plan for tackling homelessness, the centres are part of plans to phase out night shelters entirely by expanding rapid rehousing approaches such as Housing First that provide settled accommodation as quickly as possible.
The Ending Homelessness Together updated plan also contains actions that will:
minimise the risk of evictions
strengthen protections for people experiencing domestic abuse
give people with lived experience of homelessness or rough sleeping a greater say in the development of policy
explore alternative routes to reducing migrant homelessness.
Housing Minister Kevin Stewart, who co-chairs the Homelessness Prevention and Strategy Group, said: “Our vision is of a Scotland with no need for night shelters – where everyone has a home that meets their needs.
“Since our plan for tackling homelessness was first published in 2018 we have delivered on many of the urgent issues facing homeless people. The Scottish Government’s swift response to coronavirus (COVID-19) has led to a dramatic reduction in the numbers of people sleeping rough and we must not let the problem return.
“This updated action plan renews our commitment to ending homelessness and rough sleeping once and for all, particularly by expanding services such as Housing First that provide longer-term accommodation and give homeless people the time and space to establish new lives for themselves.
“We are also placing even greater emphasis on preventing homelessness in the first place, and our new rapid rehousing welcome centres and are a first step to ending the use of night shelters altogether.
“I want to thank everyone who has contributed to this updated plan.”
Cllr Elena Whitham, CoSLA’s Community Wellbeing Spokesperson and the strategy group’s other co-chair, said: “The pandemic has reminded us all of the importance of having a safe and comfortable home that meets our needs. However, we know that the impacts of the crisis have not been felt equally.
“People facing poverty, inequality and other social harms have felt the impact far more greatly. Local Government has shared the ambition to end homelessness and our resolve to do this is now stronger than ever.
“The updated action plan sets out an inclusive and human rights-based approach focused on preventing homelessness, responding quickly, working together with our partners across sectors, taking a person-centred approach which is tailored to reflect individual needs and circumstances.
“I am grateful to the partners who have contributed to this plan, in particular to those with lived experience of homelessness. We must not allow the deepening of inequalities in our response and recovery to the pandemic, and ending homelessness is vital in preventing this.”
Crisis chief executive Jon Sparkes, chair of the Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Action Group, said: “The ambition shown by the Scottish Government in publishing a revised Action Plan is brilliant to see.
“It builds on unprecedented action throughout the pandemic to protect people experiencing homelessness, and shows renewed ambition – including a commitment to move away from night shelters. The outbreak has shown that we can tackle homelessness and end rough sleeping when the will is there.
“As the economic impact of the outbreak continues to be felt, it is more important than ever to prevent people from losing their homes in the first place, and ensuring that if they do, they are helped to find somewhere safe and settled straight away. These actions must be a priority to ensure that Scotland continues towards ending homelessness for good.”
A package of financial flexibilities and extra funding for councils which could be worth up to £750 million has been agreed by the Scottish Government in partnership with COSLA.
To address the financial pressures caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic over the next two years, councils will be granted additional spending powers which could be worth around £600 million.
In addition to this, a Lost Income Scheme will be established to help compensate councils and council trusts for lost sales, fees and charges from services such as sports centres and parking charges.
Councils and their trusts will have access to an estimated £90 million of funding with council trusts delivering services on behalf of councils able to receive a share of a further £49 million of support through the scheme.
Added to additional funding already committed, this brings the value of the overall COVID-19 support package for councils to more than £1 billion.
Finance Secretary Kate Forbes said: “I have been clear that the Scottish Government needs appropriate fiscal levers in order to respond effectively to the COVID-19 pandemic. That is equally true for local government, which is why I am very pleased that we have been able to deliver a package of support for local services worth up to £750 million.
“Working in partnership with COSLA, the Scottish Government has delivered on our commitment to support councils across Scotland with a game changing package of financial flexibilities, giving them the powers they need to make informed decisions about spending at a local level.
“In addition, we are close to finalising the details of additional financial support through a Lost Income Scheme, worth an estimated £90 million subject to confirmation of the funding from the UK Government. For trusts delivering services on behalf of councils this can also be topped up with £49 million of additional funding already confirmed.
“This support will help councils and their trusts manage the loss of income they are facing from local services due to COVID-19.
“These measures are excellent examples of how the Scottish Government is working together with COSLA and local authorities to ensure that we are doing everything within our power to save jobs, protect our public services and reboot our economy.”
COSLA’s Resources Spokesperson Cllr Gail Macgregor said: “We welcome this substantial package of measures from which councils can choose, depending on local circumstance.
“Responding to COVID-19 whilst continuing to deliver essential, everyday services has put extreme pressure on Local Government finances this year. The pandemic has also meant substantial losses of income across a range of council services including leisure, sport, culture, and planning.
“Balancing budgets will be a real challenge and this has been fully recognised by Scottish Government who we have worked with constructively and positively.”
A new plan will help ensure mental health and wellbeing remains at the heart of the Scottish Government’s response to coronavirus (COVID-19).
Children and young people, those facing redundancy, and people with long-term physical health conditions and disabilities are among key groups the plan focuses on.
It builds on innovations and new service designs that have emerged in response to the pandemic, such as the ‘Clear Your Head’ campaign, the expansion of digital services and the establishment of Mental Health Assessment Centres.
As well as promoting good mental health and wellbeing, the plan prioritises rapid and easily accessible support for those in distress and ensures safe, effective treatment and care of people living with mental illness. A tailored programme of work will help individual NHS Boards respond effectively to the anticipated increase in demand in the months ahead.
Announcing the plan to parliament, Mental Health Minister Clare Haughey said: “If the past few weeks have told us anything, it is that the road to recovery from this pandemic will not be linear. However, one thing that has remained constant is the importance of looking after ourselves, and of keeping well.
“I doubt there is a single one of us who hasn’t thought about our mental wellbeing, or worried about that of others, at some point during 2020.
“Throughout this year, mental health has continued to be an absolute priority for this government, and we’ve invested £6 million of dedicated funding to support the whole population.
“Our Transition and Recovery Plan for Mental Health reflects how fundamental this issue is. It is comprehensive, containing over a hundred actions, and focusses on the specific mental health needs of everyone across Scotland.”
Director of Scotland and Northern Ireland at the Mental Health Foundation, Lee Knifton, commented: “We are pleased to see the Scottish Government embark on a mental health in all policies agenda and to have played a role in shaping this plan.
“We have consistently advocated for all policies approach and today’s plan feels like a breakthrough moment. Mental health is much more than mental illness, it must be considered in our schools, workplaces, our welfare system and our justice system. This plan is an important step in that direction.
“It is encouraging to see that the Scottish Government has taken our recommendations on board and we look forward to working in partnership to implement the commitments laid out. This ambitious plan will need investment to achieve maximum impact, but any investment in mental health will realise social, health and economic benefits down the line.”
https://clearyourhead.scot/ contains a variety of resources and tips to help people take care of their mental health and wellbeing.
For those who need more support the Scottish Government has expanded the NHS24 Mental Health Hub so that it is now available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and increased the capacity of the Breathing Space telephone helpline (0800 83 85 87) and web support service.
The Mental Health Foundation’s vision is good mental health for all. The Foundation works to prevent mental health problems and drive change towards a mentally healthy society for all, and support communities, families and individuals to lead mentally healthy lives with a particular focus on those at greatest risk.
CAPITAL’S PUBS TO CLOSE ON FRIDAY AT 6pm FOR TWO WEEKS
Statement given by the First Minister Nicola Sturgeon to the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh this afternoon (7 October 2020):
Presiding Officer, I will update the chamber today on the current position in relation to Covid.
I will give an assessment of the current course of the pandemic; propose difficult but important temporary measures to stem the increase in cases; set out how we will support businesses affected by them; and update the chamber on the longer term work we are doing to further improve our ability to live with Covid.
In all of this, I will be very frank about the challenges we face and the difficult balances we must try to strike.
None of this is easy, I am acutely aware that in every decision we take lives and jobs are at stake and I want to assure, not just the chamber but the country, that none of these decisions are taken lightly.
First, though, I will provide a summary of the daily statistics that were published a short time ago.
Since yesterday, an additional 1054 cases have been confirmed. That represents 13% of the people newly tested, and takes the total number of cases to 34,760. A total of 319 patients are currently in hospital with confirmed Covid-19, which is an increase of 57 since yesterday.
And 28 people are in intensive care, which is an increase of 3 since yesterday. I regret to report that 1 further death has been registered of a patient who had been confirmed as having the virus. The total number of deaths in Scotland under that measurement is therefore now 2,533.
National Records of Scotland has also just published its weekly update, which includes cases where COVID is a suspected or contributory cause of death.
Today’s update shows that by last Sunday, the total number of registered deaths linked to Covid was 4,276.
20 of those deaths were registered last week. That is the highest weekly number of deaths since late June.
Every single one of these deaths represents the loss of an irreplaceable individual.
So once again, I want to send my deepest condolences to all those who are currently grieving.
These figures illustrate the rising challenge we again face from this virus.
That challenge is also set out – starkly – in an evidence paper published today by the Scottish Government’s senior clinical advisors – the Chief Medical Officer, the Chief Nursing Officer and the National Clinical Director.
It assesses our current situation in relation to Covid.
And it explains – as I will try to do in this statement – why we need to introduce additional measures to control the virus; why it is urgent that we act now; and why we have decided upon the specific actions that I am setting out today.
Before I come onto that let me emphasise some of the more positive elements of our current position.
It is important – for the morale of all of us – that we don’t forget that progress has been made. It might not feel this way, but the situation now is better than it was in March.
We are benefiting from the sacrifices we made over the summer. By driving the virus to very low levels then, we have helped to ensure that – even after several weeks of increases – the estimated total number of cases is currently just 13% of the peak level back in March.
Cases are rising, but they are not rising as quickly as they were then.
In addition, and most importantly of all, we now have Test & Protect teams across the country, who are doing exceptional work. Test & Protect is now bearing a lot of the strain of controlling the virus.
And of course we understand more now about how to reduce the risk of transmission – for example, by meeting outdoors rather than indoors if possible, wearing face coverings, cleaning hands thoroughly, and keeping our distance from people in other households.
So while there are significant restrictions still in place – and they are hard and painful – we are living much more freely now than in the spring and early summer.
We are determined – if at all possible – that this will continue to be the case.
So let me be clear. We are not going back into lockdown today. We are not closing schools, colleges or universities. We are not halting the remobilisation of the NHS for non-Covid care. And we are not asking people to stay at home.
So while the measures I announce today will feel like a backward step, and in many respects I know they are, they are in the interests of protecting our progress overall.
It is by taking the tough but necessary action now, that we hope to avoid even tougher action in future.
Let me turn now to more detail to the state of the virus.
The need for action is highlighted by the daily figures I reported a moment ago, more fundamentally, in the evidence paper published today.
It’s worth remembering that when I updated Parliament just over two weeks ago, the average number of new cases being reported each day was 285. That was up from 102 three weeks previously.
Now, we are reporting an average of 788 new cases each day. In addition, I can report that in the 7 days up to Monday, the number of people in hospital with Covid increased by almost 80%.
And the number of people who died with Covid last week was the highest for 14 weeks. In fact, there was the same number of deaths in the last week alone as in the whole of the previous month.
The increase in the numbers of people in hospital with, and sadly dying from Covid reflect the rise we are now seeing in new cases among older age groups. In the second half of September, cases were rising most rapidly in the younger age groups.
However, in the past week, cases in people over 80 years old increased by 60%, and cases in the 60 to 79 year old age group more than doubled.
And we are seeing geographic as well as demographic spread.
Without a doubt – and by some distance – the highest levels of infection are across the central belt.
We are particularly concerned about Greater Glasgow & Clyde, Lanarkshire, Ayrshire & Arran, Lothian and Forth Valley – and that will be reflected in some of what I say later.
But that should not obscure the fact that numbers are rising across Scotland. The majority of our health board areas are now recording more than 50 new cases per 100,000 of their population each week. And virtually every heath board area has a rising number of cases. The only exceptions are Orkney and Shetland, and even they have had cases in recent weeks.
There is also, as we speak, a significant outbreak in the Western Isles.
So the need to act – and to act across the country – is clear. What is also clear is the need to take additional action now.
I mentioned earlier that prevalence of the virus is currently around 13% of its March peak.
However, we estimate that the number of new Covid cases is currently growing by around 7% each day.
So without action – and this is perhaps the starkest warning in today’s evidence paper – we are likely to return to the peak level of infections we had in the Spring by the end of this month.
It’s also instructive to consider the experience of other countries. Our modelling suggests that we are approximately four weeks behind France and six weeks behind Spain in the resurgence of the virus.
Their resurgence, like ours, was initially concentrated among younger people. However it spread to other age groups and they are now seeing significantly more hospital admissions, more people in intensive care, and more deaths.
It is to interrupt that trajectory that we must act now.
Of course, we have already taken perhaps the most important – and certainly the most painful – step we can to reduce transmission.
For the last 12 days, apart from certain limited exceptions, we have not been able to meet up in each other’s homes.
That should already be making a difference to infection rates even if, because there is always a time lag between introducing new measures and the impact they have, we are not yet seeing it reflected in our figures.
And let me take the opportunity to emphasise again today how vitally important it is that we all stick to that rule. It’s incredibly hard for all of us not to visit friends and family, or have them visit us. But it is the single most effective measure we can take to stop Covid passing from one household to another.
So please stick with it.
That measure is vital, but the clinical advice I have received now is that it is not sufficient. We need to do more and we need to do it now.
And to those who may wonder and ask, understandably, if the measures I set out today go too far, let me be clear about this.
If this was a purely one-dimensional decision – if the immediate harm from Covid was all we had to consider – it is quite likely that we would go further. But, 7 months into this pandemic, I am acutely aware that this is not and cannot be a one-dimensional decision. We have a duty to balance all of the different harms caused by the pandemic.
We must consider the direct harm to health from the virus – which must be reduced – but do that alongside the harm being done to jobs and the economy, which in turn has an impact on people’s health and wellbeing.
And we have to consider the wider harms to health and wellbeing that the virus – and the restrictions deployed to control it – are having on all of us.
For all of these reasons, we are applying a far more targeted approach than we did in March – one which reduces opportunities for the virus to spread, while keeping businesses and other activities as open as possible.
And we are not recommending that people who shielded over the summer, should return to staying completely indoors. We know how damaging that is to your wellbeing. But we do recommend that you take extra care – especially if you live in the central belt. You can now access information about infection levels in your local neighbourhood on the Public Health Scotland website.
Presiding officer, let me now set out the additional measures that we are proposing.
The measures on hospitality are intended to be in force for 16 days, from Friday at 6pm to Sunday 25 October inclusive – in other words across the next two weeks and three weekends.
So, firstly, with the exception of the five health board areas I will talk about shortly – pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes will be able to operate indoors on the following very restricted basis only:
During the day, from 6am to 6pm, for the service of food and non-alcoholic drinks only.
Hotel restaurants will be able to operate beyond 6pm, but only for residents and without alcohol.
The reason we are not closing indoor hospitality completely is that we know the benefits, in terms of reducing loneliness and isolation, of giving people – particularly those who live alone – somewhere they can meet a friend for a coffee and a chat.
But the restrictions will be strictly applied. And all the current regulations and the limits on meeting a maximum of 6 people from 2 households in indoor public places will still apply.
Again with the exception of the central belt areas I will mention shortly, bars, pubs, restaurants and cafes can continue to serve alcohol outdoors up to the existing curfew time of 10pm, and subject to the 6/2 rule on group size.
There will be an exemption to these rules – in all parts of Scotland – it’s important to stress this, for celebrations associated with specific life events such as weddings that are already booked and funerals. The current rules for those will continue to apply.
These are the new measures that will take effect nationwide.
However, because of higher levels of infection in the central belt, we are introducing stricter restrictions in the following five health board areas – Greater Glasgow & Clyde, Lanarkshire, Ayrshire & Arran, Lothian and Forth Valley.
In these areas, all licensed premises – with the exception of hotels for residents – will be required to close indoors and outdoors, though takeaways will be permitted. Hotels will remain open for residents.
Cafes which don’t have an alcohol license will be able to stay open until 6pm to support social isolation.
In addition, snooker and pool halls, indoor bowling alleys, casinos and bingo halls will close in these areas for two weeks from 10 October.
Contact sports for people aged 18 and over will be suspended for the next two weeks – with an exception for professional sports.
And indoor group exercise activities will not be allowed – although the current rules will remain in place for under 18s. Gyms can remain open for individual exercise.
Outdoor live events will not be permitted in these five regions for the next two weeks.
And finally, we are asking people living in these 5 health board areas to avoid public transport unless it is absolutely necessary – for example for going to school or to work, if home working is not an option.
We are not imposing mandatory travel restrictions at this stage, and specifically, we are not insisting that people cancel any half term breaks they have planned.
However, in general, we are advising people living in Greater Glasgow & Clyde, Lanarkshire, Ayrshire & Arran, Lothian and Forth Valley not to travel outside the health board area they live in, if you don’t need to – and likewise people in other parts of Scotland should not travel to these areas if they don’t need to.
More detail of all that I have just set out will be available on the Scottish Government website.
I now want to set out some of the reasoning behind these decisions, and the focus on hospitality.
I know that the vast majority of pubs, bars and restaurants have worked exceptionally hard over the last few months to ensure the safety of their staff and customers. I am grateful to them for that.
However the evidence paper published today sets out why these settings present a particular risk. The R number seems to have risen above 1 approximately three weeks after the hospitality sector opened up. We know that more than 1/5 of people contacted by test and protect, report having visited a hospitality setting.
It doesn’t mean that is absolutely where they got the virus but it does show these settings pose a particular risk of transmitting the virus.
That makes sense from what we know about how the virus is spread.
Indoor environments, where different households from different age groups can mix, inevitably present a risk of transmission. That risk can be increased, in some hospitality premises, if good ventilation is difficult, and if it is hard to control the movement of people. And the presence of alcohol can of course affect people’s willingness to physically distance.
For all of these reasons, significantly restricting licensed premises for sixteen days temporarily removes one of the key opportunities the virus has to jump from household to household. It is an essential part of our efforts to get the R number back below 1.
It is also worth noting that many other countries are also introducing restrictions on hospitality – Ireland, France, Germany and Belgium have announced a variety of different measures over the past few days.
I mentioned earlier that one of the things we are trying to do is to balance the public health harm caused by Covid, with wider economic and social harms.
I know that the measures we are proposing today, although they are temporary, will have a significant impact on many businesses and I am sorry for that. But since the Government is placing an obligation on businesses, we also have an obligation to help them financially.
I can announce that we are making available an additional £40 million to support businesses that will be affected by these measures over the next two weeks. We will work with the affected sectors – obviously especially hospitality – in the coming days to ensure that this money provides the most help, to those who most need it and gets to them as quickly as possible.
For the rest of this month, businesses can also use the UK Government’s job retention scheme. However, that now requires a significant contribution from employers – so one of the things we will discuss with businesses, in relation to our own support package, is how we can mitigate some or all of that contribution.
As I have indicated, our intention is that these additional measures will be in place for just over two weeks, incorporating three weekends – from 6pm on Friday to Sunday, 25 October. Of course, we will keep the situation under review between now and then, and keep Parliament updated.
We hope that the restrictions already in place and those I have announced today will stem the increase in new cases. But I can’t stress enough that is fundamentally is down to all of us.
The more we comply with all of the restrictions and advice the more effective they will be.
It is also important because we want these restrictions to be temporary that we use the next two weeks to prepare, protect and prevent – to further strengthen our resilience and our ability to live alongside this virus. So I can confirm over the next period we will also take the following steps.
Firstly, we will introduce regulations to extend the mandatory use of face coverings in indoor communal settings – this will include, for example, staff canteens and corridors in workplaces.
We will take action to strengthen compliance with the different strands of the FACTS advice – focusing on areas where we know from research that compliance is not yet high enough, for example, the need to self isolate.
I can also confirm that, from this weekend and across Scotland, we are asking shops to return to 2 metre physical distancing and asking them to reintroduce the mitigations they put in place earlier in the pandemic – for example, one way systems in supermarkets.
We will also work across all other sectors to review – and where necessary tighten – the guidance and regulation on their operating practices.
In addition, over the next two weeks, we will conduct a further review of our testing strategy – setting out the further steps we will take to further expand capacity, which is already underway, and build resilience and also the further steps we will take to extend testing to more people and more groups of people without symptoms.
And, lastly, we will finalise a strategic framework, setting out the different levels of intervention which can be adopted in future – either locally or across Scotland – depending on how the virus is spreading. We very much hope to align the broad framework with those being considered by other UK nations – although each nation will take its own decisions on implementation.
We will put, subject of course to Parliament’s agreement, put this strategic framework to a debate and vote in Parliament in the week after the recess.
Presiding officer, I am well aware that the measures I have outlined today are disruptive to many businesses – obviously especially hospitality businesses – and will be unwelcome to many people across the country.
However although they are significant – as they need to be, to make an impact – they do not represent a lockdown. In fact, they are designed to reduce the likelihood of a future lockdown.
We are not requiring people to stay inside all day as we were earlier in the year.
Schools will stay open. Learning will continue in our Universities and Colleges.
Shops will continue to trade, and businesses like manufacturing and construction will continue.
And these new restrictions are intended to last for 16 days. They are intended to be short, sharp action to arrest a worrying increase in infection.
Although they are temporary, they are needed.
Without them, there is a very real risk the virus, presiding officer, will be out of control by the end of this month.
But with them, we hope to slow its spread. That will help us to keep schools and businesses – including hospitality businesses – open over the winter. And fundamentally it will save lives.
So please follow these new rules. And continue to take the other basic steps that will protect you and each other.
Do not visit other people’s homes.
Work from home if you can.
Download the Protect Scotland app, if you can and haven’t already done so.
And remember FACTS.
Face coverings; avoid crowded places; clean hands and hard surfaces; 2 metre distancing; and self isolate, and get tested if you have symptoms.
Sticking to all of this isn’t easy, after seven long months it is harder than it has ever been. But it is essential. It’s the best way to look out for each other, and now more than ever, we all need that spirit of love and solidarity that has served us so well.
And hard through it is to believe it right now, all the hard sacrifices we are making will hasten the brighter days that do lie ahead. The pandemic will pass.
So, let’s all stick with it – and above all, let’s stick together.
My thanks, again, to everyone across the country, for all you are doing.
‘DEVASTATING NEWS’
Responding to the First Minister’s announcement for further restrictions for pubs, CAMRA’s Director for Scotland Joe Crawford said: “The First Minister’s announcement banning the serving of alcohol indoors for 16 days across the country – and forcing pubs in five health board areas in the central belt to close altogether – is absolutely devastating news for pubs and breweries.
“Publicans who have been operating at reduced rates, and who have already invested thousands of pounds of their dwindling reserves making their premises COVID-secure, now face 16 days without any turnover whatsoever. Understandably, they feel like pubs have become the scapegoat for the pandemic.
“The £40 million in support for the hospitality sector is welcome and necessary but the devil will be in the detail.
“Without proper financial compensation now – and longer-term financial support to help deal with reduced trade as a result of restrictions like the curfew – we risk seeing thousands of pubs, clubs and breweries closing for good before Christmas.”
LICENSED TRADE IS THE ‘SACRIFICIAL LAMB’ – SLTA
Responding to the announcement Colin Wilkinson, Scottish Licensed Trade Association (SLTA) managing director, said: “The recent introduction of the 10pm closing time plus the two-household group of six rule is having a devasting effect on the industry – closures are looming and now today’s announcement of further restrictions and temporary lockdowns will only accelerate business failure and job losses.
“A recent survey highlighted that nearly 40% of hospitality businesses were considering closure or business exit. In September, an SLTA survey of 600 on-trade premises highlighted that within the pub and bar sector, 12,500 jobs could go.
“These figures have increased dramatically in only a month. When the industry reopened after lockdown and with the then restrictive measures in place, it was estimated that two-thirds of hospitality businesses could still be viable, but only just, with one-third of businesses unable to open.
“Now that figure has flipped and in our estimation two-thirds of hospitality businesses could be mothballed or go under. Over 50% of jobs in the pub and bar sector could also be lost which will have a particularly deep impact on the employment of young people as over 40% of staff employed are under the age of 25.
“Our research already tells us that many in the industry are on the precipice of business failure and these further restriction measures announced today and the much quieter winter season approaching leads us to only one conclusion: the sector is now heading into a scenario of ‘last man standing’.
“Details of the First Minster’s announcement of a £40m financial support package are awaited, but the question is will this be enough? In our opinion the hospitality sector in general needs substantially greater and far more reaching support than has just been announced and does not come anywhere near to saving our industry.
“The SLTA will be working with the Scottish Government on how this funding will be distributed to those affected by today’s announcement.
“Responsible operators are running safe, carefully monitored establishments so in our opinion there is no need for the Scottish Government to ‘go further’ on pubs.
“Actions by governments are meant to be proportionate and evidence based and despite reference today to newly released “evidence paper” the industry continues to call on the Government to provide the evidence for infection rates stemming directly from the licensed trade.
“Industry figures suggest that there are very low infection rates of staff within our pubs and bars which suggests to us that the industry is doing everything that it can and is providing as safe an environment as possible – otherwise, if we were a major causal route of infection, this would surely be reflected in the infection rate of hospitality staff.
“It would appear again that Scotland’s licensed trade is the sacrificial lamb and paying the price for other sectors that do not operate under such restrictive measures as we have seen recently.”
A new Welcome Centre has opened its doors for the winter season, providing warm food and sleeping facilities, immediate housing advice and wellbeing support to anyone facing rough sleeping.
Edinburgh co-ordinates support for rough sleepers this winter at new Rapid Re-accommodation Welcome Centre
Meals and a safe place to stay with social distancing in place
Multiple partner agencies working together to provide health, housing and advocacy support
Responding to the ongoing public health emergency with accommodation where social distancing and self-isolation can be practiced safely, the Welcome Centre shelter will provide up to 65 self-contained rooms every night until 3 May 2021.
It is being provided thanks to dedicated funding and support from the City of Edinburgh Council and the Scottish Government, plus anticipated charitable donations to Bethany Christian Trust including financial support from Social Bite.
A team of Council, public health, private and third sector workers will build on work which has taken place this year to tackle rough sleeping and move households from shared temporary accommodation like B&Bs into self-contained places to live. Edinburgh’s street-based outreach services, provided by StreetWork, will also help to identify individuals at risk during the colder months.
Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener Councillor Kate Campbell said: “Throughout this pandemic our priority has been making sure no one has to sleep rough and that we have good quality accommodation available for anyone who needs it.
“This means working together as a city and it’s welcome that the Council, the Scottish Government and third sector partners are doing just that. It’s emblematic of how we’ve been working since March, and shows how much we can achieve when we work together.
“The Welcome Centre is a place where urgent help can be provided immediately, but beyond that critical point, partners will be on hand to provide coordinated health and housing support and help people take steps to resolve their homelessness over the longer term.
“We know from the work we’ve done already that building trust immediately and taking services to people who need them, rather than asking them to come to us to ask for help, has a positive, lasting impact. It’s incredibly important in building relationships that are helping people to move on from rough sleeping.
“All steps are being taken to protect against Covid-19 and I want to pass my thanks to Bethany, the incredible efforts of our housing officers and our partners for working together on this.
“Just last month we put a five-year plan in place to further strengthen our support and we remain committed to doing all that we can to prevent and tackle homelessness. The lessons learned during the pandemic will be embedded long term so that we are taking every possible action to end rough sleeping in our city.”
Vice Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Convener Councillor Mandy Watt said: “We remain in a public health emergency so we need to take unprecedented steps to keep everyone as safe as we possibly can. We’re aiming to strengthen our support across all of our homelessness services and know this centre will be an important refuge for people who might otherwise sleep rough.
“A person facing a night on the streets during winter is already in a very vulnerable situation, but this is heightened by the pandemic. By opening this new welcome centre in an easily accessible venue where social distancing and self-isolation can more easily be practiced, we’re aiming to drastically reduce the risk of ill health to people in this position – and prevent the virus spreading throughout communities – at a time when the NHS will be under immense pressure.”
Edinburgh’s Bethany-run shelter ran from Church Halls last winter and the Old Waverley Hotel on Princes Street at the height of lockdown, benefitting 1,112 people. This year the centre will run from the Haymarket Hub Hotel located opposite Haymarket train station.
Alasdair Bennett, Chief Executive of Bethany Christian Trust, said: “We have a vision of ending homelessness in Scotland and over the years we have supported and prevented thousands of people from sleeping rough in Edinburgh with multi-agency support, health interventions, accommodation options and practical support, whilst also providing overnight shelter.
“The new Rapid Re-accommodation Welcome Centre will continue to rapidly re-accommodate people safely from the streets with multi-disciplinary interventions on-site, and we will still provide bed spaces for anyone that cannot access any alternative that night and for whom the Welcome Centre is a last resort.”
Scotland’s Housing Minister Kevin Stewart said: “I am clear that no one should be sleeping rough. Having the right support in place to ensure this isn’t the case is even more important during the harsher winter months and during the current pandemic.
“I am pleased we have been able to help fund this Rapid Rehousing Welcome Centre which provides accommodation and a support service, offering an important emergency safety net for anyone who finds themselves homeless.
“The pandemic has not changed our unwavering commitment to end homelessness, having allocated £32.5 million to support prioritising settled housing for all, and initiatives likes this are essential to protecting lives.”
Josh Littlejohn, Co-Founder of Social Bite, said: “Throughout the pandemic we’ve been committed to providing help and support to those who need it most and as we move into the winter months, it’s vital that this support continues, giving those who need it a warm, safe place to sleep at night.
“The Haymarket Hub allows ample space for social distancing measures to be followed and will be a huge support to the most vulnerable in our society as we all continue to navigate through these unsure and challenging times.
“We’re proud to have worked together with partner organisations to support this potentially life-saving project and help further tackle homelessness in the city.”
The Council’s Homelessness and Housing Support team is also available to help anyone in crisis on 0131 529 7125 (8.30am to 5.00pm Monday to Thursday and 8.30am to 3.40pm on Fridays).
£250,000 funding to support new service for people with autism.
A new national support service will help children and adults diagnosed with autism to understand and embrace their identity.
The service will provide online support on a range of issues, offer practical help and connect autistic people and their families with peers.
Backed by £250,000 Scottish Government funding, the pilot National Post Diagnostic Support Programme will be led by Scottish Autism, in partnership with the National Autistic Society, Autism Initiatives and Autistic People’s Organisations.
A new awareness campaign, which aims to challenge stigma and myths to give the general public a clearer understanding of autism, is also being launched.
Speaking at the national Scottish Strategy for Autism’s annual conference, held virtually this year, Mental Health Minister Clare Haughey said: “We know that the restrictions put in place due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic have been particularly hard for autistic people and their families, with normal routines changed dramatically.
“This new programme will allow autistic people across Scotland to access vital support, building on the excellent services already provided by third sector organisations, which have been well adapted to continue throughout the pandemic.
“We also know that there is sadly still a stigma associated with autism, and that’s why we today we are also launching our ‘Different minds. One Scotland’ campaign.
“Crucially, the campaign has been developed with autistic people. It aims to help the public understand autism, to be more accepting of the different qualities and attributes of autistic people.”
Autistic spokesperson Jasmine said: “The way I view the world is shaped by me being autistic, and my experiences have been shaped by me being autistic.
“I want to ensure that there is at least one autistic child who feels a little bit less alone – a little bit less like the world is against them – then I’d feel like the campaign has accomplished everything it set out to.”
Charlene Tait, Deputy CEO at Scottish Autism said: “The delivery of a national post diagnostic service is a much needed and welcome step forward in Scotland. This new service brings the collective knowledge and experience of several charity partners that will work collaboratively to provide a wide range of information and support for autistic people of all ages and their families.
“This new service will focus on ensuring families are better informed and empowered after a diagnosis whilst also supporting autistic individuals to embrace their identity and widen their peer group.”
A Scottish Government omnibus survey from September 2020 found that just 42% of people feel they have a good understanding of autism, over half (50.75%) think that autism is a mental health condition. In addition, 86% of respondents feel that there is value in learning from autistic people.
