Aspiring Communities Fund support for local project CAN
Community and third sector projects have been allocated a share of £29 million, to find new ways to tackle poverty and improve people’s lives. Among them is North Edinburgh’s Community Action North (CAN), awarded over £200,000 from the Aspiring Communities Fund. Continue reading Can we tackle poverty? Yes, we CAN!
Consultation on new strategy for a healthier future
The promotion of unhealthy food and drink is to be restricted as part of Scotland’s new diet and obesity strategy, Public Health Minister Aileen Campbell has announced. The news has been enthusiastically welcomed by celebrity chef and food campaigner Jamie Oliver, who said the action is ‘trailblazing’.
Public Health Minister Aileen Campbell was at Tynecastle Stadium yesterday to launch a consultation on ambitious plans to help people lose weight, including:
Ms Campbell said: “Obesity significantly increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, cancer cardiovascular disease and depression. Simply put, it’s harming the people of Scotland. It also puts pressure on the NHS, other public services and our economy.
“That is why we need commitment and action from everyone across all sectors and at all levels including government, citizens, the public sector and businesses right across the country.
“We are putting forward a package of bold measures designed to help people make healthier choices, empower personal change and show real leadership. Now we need people who live, work and consume food and drink in Scotland to tell us what they think.
“As with our ground-breaking strategies on alcohol and tobacco, this is the start of a progressive plan of action, learning from our experience in Scotland and further afield, that will make a real, lasting difference to the country’s health.”
The Minister launched the consultation at Tynecastle stadium, where she met participants in the SPFL Trust’s Football Fans in Training (FFIT) weight management programme.
Wattie Buchan, who lost four stone after suffering five heart attacks, said: “I was miserable before. I’ve had five heart attacks, I’ve had a quadruple bypass. My life was terrible. This is the best I’ve felt in four years, I feel better within myself being fitter.
“Twelve weeks ago I could hardly walk. I’ve been doing this for five weeks and now I walk a lot – even my dog has lost weight. It’s totally changed my life around. It’s made a massive difference to how I feel; I feel better mentally as well. It’s like night and day; I am loving it.”
Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver said: “This is an amazing step towards making sure the healthiest choice is the easiest choice – for everyone. Today, Scotland has set an example to the rest of the world. It has picked up the baton that Westminster dropped last year. So, now the ball is back in the UK government’s court.
“We need to ensure everyone in Britain has a chance to raise their children in a healthy environment.”
The consultation is now live and will run to 31 January.
The Scottish Government has announced the successful applicants for the latest Community Choices Fund. Sixteen community organisations and 17 local councils will share the £1.5 million fund, with more than 90 applications submitted for 2017/18. Among the successful applicants are Leith Links Community Council, who receive £82,800 for their Local Democracy at Work initiative, while the City of Edinburgh Council receives £44,000 to support it’s participatory budgeting programme. Continue reading Community Choices Fund success for local Community Council
A new campaign to recruit up to 11,000 people into the childcare profession is underway. The campaign – ‘Shape their worlds. Shape your career.’ – aims to encourage more school leavers into the profession to deliver the expansion of funded early learning and childcare to 1,140 hours a year, or 30 hours per week, by 2020. Continue reading Wanted: 11,000 childcare workers!
Work to establish a Scottish National Investment Bank took a step forward today with the launch of a public consultation on the details of the Bank’s operation. Continue reading First Minister launches consultation on Scottish National Investment Bank
Smacking children is to be banned in Scotland. The Scottish Government has confirmed it will ensure a bill lodged by Green MSP John Finnie will become law. The legislation would make Scotland the first part of the UK to make the physical punishment of children illegal. Continue reading Scotland moves to ban smacking
Social care staff working ‘sleepover’ hours are to receive a pay increase, Health Secretary Shona Robison has announced. Care workers will now be paid the real Living Wage of £8.45 for sleepover hours, meaning the Living Wage will now be received for all hours worked. Continue reading Pay boost for social care staff: workers guaranteed Living Wage for overnight hours
Campaign launched to increase understanding and reporting of hate crime
The Scottish Government has joined with Police Scotland and the Crown Office (COPFS) to launch a new campaign against hate crime.
‘Hate has no home in Scotland’ launched during Hate Crime Awareness Week and will run until 26 November. It aims to increase public understanding of what hate crime is, and how to report it – for those who personally experience it and, importantly, bystanders to hate crimes.
More than 5,300 cases of hate crime were reported in Scotland over the past year, with many other incidents going unreported. The campaign has been developed in partnership with a broad range of stakeholders involved in dealing with hate crime and its consequences as a response.
Launching the campaign, Equalities Secretary Angela Constance (above) said: “We all need to play our part to eradicate hate crime, which has no place in Scotland. ‘Hate has no home’ encourages and empowers people to recognise hate crime and report it, stopping this discrimination at its source. That is particularly important when people are bystanders – no one should be a passive witness when one of our fellow citizens is attacked because of who they are.
“We are committed to working with stakeholders, including Police Scotland and the COPFS, to tackle this blight. Ensuring we all take a stand and report hate crime is an important part of creating a fairer country for all. I look forward to seeing the country come together to support the campaign and take a stand against such hate.”
Chief Superintendent John McKenzie, Police Scotland, Safer Communities, said: “People of all races, religions, ethnicities, of any sexual orientation or with any disability should be able to live their lives free from hate or harassment. There is no place for hate in Scotland and it is our communities, who will lead the way in tackling hate crime with the support of police, the Government and other partners.
“Hate crime is under reported, we want to change that and we are asking people not to be bystanders. Speak out, help us tackle hate crime. By working together we can drive prejudice out of our communities and out of Scotland.”
Lord Advocate James Wolffe QC said: “Crime motivated by hatred is not only a wrong against the individual, but is an affront to our collective values as a community, creating division and fear. That is why we treat it so seriously and why we will continue to do so.
“The prosecution service, along with our colleagues in Police Scotland and other agencies, plays an essential role in creating an environment in which all people who live in Scotland, regardless of their personal or social circumstances, can have confidence that they live in a just society and that they will be protected from crime.”
More information on the campaign can be found here.
Conveners of the Scottish Parliament’s 15 committees are to question the First Minister on her Programme for Government. The session, which will take place on 25th October, is open to members of the public. Continue reading Holyrood committee conveners to quiz First Minister
Charity The Children’s Society has welcomed First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s announcement that all care leavers in Scotland will be exempt from council tax. Continue reading Children’s Society welcomes council tax exemption for Scottish care leavers
