Scottish Labour MSP Sarah Boyack has branded the SNP government’s consultation on Council Tax a “scandal”, revealing that the changes would hit 92,971 households in Edinburgh.
The SNP government is currently consulting on plans to hike Council Tax for properties in bands E to H – which would hit 39% per cent of households in Scotland’s capital.
People in the area could face increases of up to around £800.
This consultation follows years of ‘brutal’ budget cuts to Council budgets by the SNP government.
Scottish Labour MSP Sarah Boyack said: “Years of brutal cuts by the SNP has local services in [AREA] at breaking point, and now the government wants to plug the gaps with eye-watering Council Tax hikes of up to around £800.
“It is a scandal that ordinary Scots are once again being asked to pay more while getting less in return.
“This damaging Council Tax bombshell will hit more than 92,000 households in Edinburgh during the worst cost of living crisis in decades, piling pressure on people already facing impossible financial decisions.
“Scots struggling with rising housing costs should be getting support from their government – but instead they are being asked to foot the bill for the SNP’s failure.
“Labour will stand up for people struggling with soaring living costs and fight for a fair deal for Edinburgh.”
BUT WHAT WOULD LABOUR ACTUALLY DO? REPLACE THE COUNCIL TAX? – Ed.
Scottish Labour MSP Sarah Boyack has branded Humza Yousaf’s time as Health Secretary “catastrophic” as new figures reveal NHS waiting lists in Lothian soaring on his watch.
At the end of March, as Humza Yousaf departed as Health Secretary, there were 123,481 people in Lothian on an NHS waiting list.
This is a shocking 25 per cent increase since the same point in 2021, shortly after Humza Yousaf took over the role.
Across Scotland waiting lists are at a record high, with around 1 in every 7 Scots currently on an NHS waiting list.
Scottish Labour branded this a “national emergency” and called for the Scottish Government to support NHS Lothian and implement a real NHS catch-up plan.
Commenting, Scottish Labour MSP Sarah Boyack said “People in Lothian have been badly let down by this incompetent SNP government and their disastrous stewardship of our NHS.
“It should worry us all that First Minister Humza Yousaf left behind such a catastrophic legacy as Health Secretary.
“Despite the tireless efforts of NHS staff, record numbers of Scots are stuck languishing on NHS waiting list, including more than 120,000 people in Lothian.
“Blame for this national emergency lies squarely with Humza Yousaf and his failed NHS recovery plan, which saw waiting lists in NHS Lothian spiral by 25% after the pandemic.
“The SNP government must support NHS Lothian and deliver a real catch-up plan to help it recover from the damage inflicted by both the pandemic and by this disastrous government.”
More than 90 dentists withdrew from NHS Lothian dental list from 2021 to June 2022, a Freedom of Information request submitted by the Scottish Labour has revealed.
Sarah Boyack warns of a health crisis as waiting times for A&E and NHS dentistry continue to spiral, while delayed discharges have gone up.
Scottish Labour’s FOI request revealed that between 2021 and June 2022, 92 dentists withdrew from NHS Lothian dental list. As at beginning of June this year, out of the 163 general dental practices in Lothian, only 51 confirmed that they are accepting patients, with some accepting children only.
Since 8th May 2022 and up until 11th December, there has been only one week during which the percentage of people seen within Scottish Government’s 4-hour target was above 70 per cent – in the week ending 11th December more than 1,756 people were stuck in A&E for more than four hours – only 63.6 per cent of those attending NHS Lothian’s emergencies were seen within 4 hours. In the same week, 353 people were stuck in A&E for more than 12 hours.
This comes as the recent monthly report on delayed discharge shows rates in NHS Lothian for October 2022 soaring to 1,644 compared to 1,420 in September 2022.
This makes NHS Lothian the second-worst performing health board in Scotland, only topped by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, with 3,848 delayed discharges in October 2022.
October recorded the highest average number of beds occupied per day due to delayed discharges in Scotland since the current guidance came into place in July 2016.
Scottish Labour MSP for Lothian Sarah Boyacksaid: “Another month, another set of damning statistics from NHS Lothian.
“On top of the cost of living crisis, which is taking its toll on people’s mental and physical health, we see piling pressure on our NHS, worsening patients outcomes and huge waste of public money.
“With the freezing cold, people will get sick and they will require care. That’s why we need support to GPs to allow them to respond to the rising demand and handle cases, whenever possible, at primary care level.
“These are not just figures – it is someone’s dad, friend or life partner; it’s the NHS staff who is overworked and underpaid; it’s the people who left our health service because they simply couldn’t cope.
“With a general election approaching, now is the time focus on what really matters and make a difference for millions of people.”
Scottish women’s groups warn Anas Sarwar that he “cannot hide any longer” and will be held to account on Gender Recognition Reform Bill
Six grassroots organisations in Scotland have written a powerful plea to Anas Sarwar, the leader of Scottish Labour, on Monday (12 December) urging him follow his conscience ahead of the Scottish parliamentary vote on the Gender Recognition Reform Bill on 21 December.
In a strongly-worded letter, the groups – including Women Speak Scotland, Scottish Feminist Network and Women’s Declaration International Scotland – criticised Sarwar and other senior party figures of “not taking seriously the most significant bill on the safety of women and children in Scotland’s devolved history by delegating the issue to a relatively inexperienced MSP who seems to be struggling with or unwilling to hold the Scottish Government to account.”
The letter conveys the women’s frustration and anger as they describe that many of them “are politically homeless having previously been lifelong Labour supporters”, while “others are reevaluating their previously steadfast pro-Indy stance given the significance of the Equality Act (2010)” to the Gender Recognition Reform Bill.
The women issued a stark warning to the Scottish Labour leader in the event that they continue to avoid the serious concerns surrounding the Bill and hope that the current controversies “will blow over”:
“You cannot hide any longer. We women see you, we are angry, and we won’t wheesht. Women’s hard-won rights are not a political game.
“We will not let voters forget that you personally, as party leader, were knowingly and wilfully complicit in ignoring all the warnings, including from women in the Labour Party. All those who vote in favour of the GRR Bill will be held responsible for all its negative outcomes.”
“If you do not take a principled stance as leader of the Labour Party in Scotland, we will hold you accountable for the suffering of women and children in the years to come.”
Senior NHSGGC clinicians write to First Minister and Cabinet Secretary over ‘unfounded criticism’ by politicians and in media
Senior clinicians from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde have written to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Humza Yousaf, to express their disappointment and frustration about the way in which their work and integrity have been portrayed in the Scottish Parliament and the media in recent days.
Here is the full text of that letter:
Dear First Minister and Cabinet Secretary,
Queen Elizabeth University Hospital/Royal Hospital for Children
As NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde clinicians and clinical leaders, we write to express our immense disappointment and frustration about the way in which our hospitals, our colleagues and the treatment of our patients is being portrayed in the press and the chamber of the Scottish Parliament.
Our highly specialist services care for, treat and support some of the most vulnerable adults, young people and children in the country. Our sole aim is to deliver high quality, person centred care to our patients and focus on what matters most to them; fundamental to this is the strong working relationship between our clinical teams and infection control teams to keep our patients safe.
We have been, and remain, fully committed to being completely open and transparent in all that we do and we are dismayed that the integrity of our staff has been repeatedly called into question. Do we always get everything right when we discuss issues with families? Perhaps not. Do we ever wilfully withhold information from them? Absolutely not.
We have grave concerns that the continued undermining nature of the current negative headlines will result in an erosion of trust between clinical staff and patients and their families. Indeed, we have already seen evidence of the impact this is having on individual patients and carers, with staff reporting that families are very anxious about the safety of their relative while in our care.
We are particularly disappointed that individual patients are being discussed in Parliament without the knowledge of the families concerned, causing untold distress to families already grieving the loss of their loved one.
This unfounded criticism of our clinical teams and staff as well as the safety of our hospitals, is also hugely detrimental to staff morale at a time when so much is being asked of them.
Our staff across NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, including the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital campus, provide professional, dedicated care to their patients and as we prepare for a challenging winter, this sustained criticism of our staff is undoubtedly causing them distress and worry.
We are proud of all of our teams, many of which include leading specialists, but we fear that such negativity will have an enormous impact on our ability to recruit and retain such skilled individuals in the future as well as those of wider clinical, nursing and support staff. We will always treat our patients with integrity, dignity, respect and honesty and this should never be in doubt.
We accept that there will always be improvements we can make and learning we can implement, but at the heart of all that we do, is the commitment from every clinician working within NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde to provide the best quality of care for all of our patients and to be open and honest with them and their loved ones about their diagnosis and treatment.
Anything less would undermine the professional code of practice each of us sign up to at the start of our careers and adhere to throughout.
Yours sincerely
Dr Jennifer Armstrong, Medical Director Dr Margaret McGuire, Nurse Director Dr Scott Davidson, Deputy Medical Director (Acute) Angela O’Neill, Deputy Nurse Director (Acute) Dr Chris Deighan, Deputy Medical Director (Corporate) Dr Kerri Neylon, Deputy Medical Director, Primary Care Mr Wesley Stuart, Chief of Medicine, South Sector Dr Claire Harrow, Chief of Medicine, Clyde Sector Ann-Marie Selby, Interim Associate Chief Nurse Clyde Sector Hon. Professor Colin McKay, Chief of Medicine, North Sector John Carson, Chief Nurse, North Sector Hon. Professor Alistair Leanord, Chief of Medicine, Diagnostics Dr Alan Mathers, Chief of Medicine, Women and Children’s Services Morag Gardner, Chief Nurse, South Sector Mandy Meechan, Interim Chief Nurse, Women and Children’s (designate) Patricia Friel, Interim Chief Nurse, Women and Children Services Dr David Dodds, Chief of Medicine, Regional Services Lorna Loudon, Interim Chief Nurse, Regional Services Dr Martin Culshaw, Associate Medical Director, Mental Health Gail Caldwell, Director of Pharmacy Fiona Smith, AHP Director Evelyn Frame, Chief Midwife Margaret Connelly, Assistant Chief Nurse, Governance and Regulation Lesley Rousselet, Chair, Area Clinical Forum
Drugs Policy Minister Angela Constance has described the increase in drug-related deaths as “heart-breaking”, and reiterated the Scottish Government’s determination to continue its work to address the crisis.
National Records of Scotland figures show there were 1,339 deaths, an increase of 5% on 2019 and the highest figure on record.
From September, there will be quarterly reporting of suspected drug deaths to enable better surveillance and response from all those involved in tackling this public health emergency.
A national mission on the crisis was announced in January following the appointment of Angela Constance in December 2020 to the newly created post of Drugs Policy Minister.
Since then the Scottish Government has announced that £250 million will be spent on addressing the emergency over the next five years.
An immediate priority is getting more people into treatment and £100 million will go towards improving and increasing the provision of residential rehabilitation while £4 million is being spent on the implementation of MAT (Medication Assisted Treatment) standards.
The new standards ensure everyone has access to the support which works best for them, no matter where they live. Same day support will start to be rolled out from this autumn with all of the standards in place by April next year.
Other measures introduced so far this year as part of the national mission include:
funds totalling £18 million for improving outreach services and support for families, and increasing residential rehabilitation provision
£4 million on the expansion of the provision of long-lasting buprenorphine (Buvidal) into the wider community following a successful pilot in prisons
£400,000 on expanding the existing Heroin-Assisted Treatment facility in Glasgow – exploring its use in other parts of Scotland
£3 million to services to expand near-fatal overdose pathways
£3 million to expand the range of outreach services so that treatment and support are available regardless of where people live
£13.5 million for Alcohol and Drugs Partnerships to support local and national initiatives
guidance being finalised by a Drug Deaths Taskforce Working Group on the consistent prescribing of benzodiazepine
Ms Constance writing to the UK Minister for Policing to push for action on the regulation of pill presses, drug checking facilities and overdose prevention facilities
consultations with stakeholders on the formation of a National Collaborative (Forum) to focus on the voices of people with lived or living experience and families
Ms Constance said: “Once again, the statistics on drug-related deaths are heart-breaking. I want to offer my sincere condolences to everyone who has lost a loved one through drug use.
“We need to gather as much information as we can about drug use in Scotland and to that end, data on suspected drug deaths will be published quarterly from this September. This will ensure we can react more quickly and effectively to this crisis and identify any emerging trends.
“We are working hard to get more people into the treatment that works for them as quickly as possible. Without treatment, there is little hope of recovery so we are funding as many community and third sector initiatives as we can so that individuals have the widest possible choice and can opt for the support which suits them and their family.
“Of the £250 million announced over the next five years, £100 million will go on improving the provision of residential rehabilitation and I will update Parliament on progress in this area after the summer recess.
“As I have said before, I am determined that every penny of this additional funding will make a difference to all those affected by drug use in Scotland.”
Drug Deaths Taskforce Chair Professor Catriona Matheson said: “Every drug-related death in Scotland is an avoidable tragedy, and these figures serve to remind us of the importance and urgency of our mission to identify the areas of action that can make a sustainable impact against the challenge.
“We believe the approach of putting evidence into action has saved lives, and we will analyse the detail behind the headlines and look to build upon those areas showing progress and to address those areas requiring more attention.
“Both the causes of, and the solutions to, the challenge we all face are complex, at its heart are real people at real risk, and we continue to be determined to make difference for them.”
Lothians & Edinburgh Abstinence Programme Clinical Lead Dr David McCartney said: “All of us who work in addiction treatment are appalled at the high level of drug-related deaths in Scotland.
“Having a wide range of treatment options that are holistic, reduce harm, promote recovery and are integrated into a recovery oriented system of care is essential to address the crisis. I welcome the Scottish Government’s investment in residential rehabilitation treatment as part of the wider approach under the National Mission.”
Andrew Horne, director of the drug, alcohol and mental health charity With You, said: “With You remains concerned and saddened by the tragic and continual increase in the numbers of lives lost due to problems with drugs.
“Every drug-related death is preventable, and each death has a huge impact on families and communities, continuing to be felt years down the line. Our thoughts are with the thousands of people who have lost a loved one in the past year.
“We have a mountain to climb to reverse these alarming figures but with the recently strengthened commitment and decisive action now being taken, we are hopeful that change is possible.
“New investment in outreach teams for people who have had a non-fatal overdose or who have dropped out of treatment marks a significant step forward, as does the improved support for people transitioning from prison into the community. Changes to enable quicker access to appointments and more choice over treatment, as standard across Scotland, are also positive.
“These figures are stark, but with new initiatives, clear standards and high expectations of services and partnership working, they can be brought down.”
Scottish Conservative MSP Pam Gosal said: “That’s 1,339 preventable deaths. These were real people, with real families.
“The First Minister ‘took her eye off the ball’ and this resulted in drugs deaths at 3.5 times the level of England and Wales.
“It’s time that the Scottish Government dealt with Scotland’s shame.”
There were 92 drug-related deaths in Edinburgh last year, according to the new figures published by the National Records of Scotland.
The statistics showed that across Scotland a record 1,339 drug deaths were recorded in 2020, meaning Scotland once again has the highest rate of drug deaths in Europe.
Scottish Greens MSP for Lothian, Lorna Slater, said: “Today’s sad figures expose the devastating impact of the failed approach to drug policy in Edinburgh and across Scotland. Every single one of these deaths is a preventable tragedy.
“The strategy pursued by the UK and Scottish governments must change. The war on drugs has failed, it’s long past time for this crisis to be treated as the public health emergency that it is. We need a new approach which focuses on restoring people’s dignity and treating them, rather than criminalising them.
“We urgently need the Scottish Government to do everything in its powers to save lives. We also need all parties to work together to urge the Conservative Government in Westminster to devolve powers and change the out-dated and dangerous Misuse of Drugs Act.”
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said: “The Scottish Government can’t escape the fact that Scotland has the same drugs laws as the rest of the UK, but 3.5 times the rate of drug deaths.
“We need to look at every option to confront this, but we can and must act now. We need to invest in treatment and recovery.”
Shopworkers’ trade union Usdaw has congratulated Anas Sarwar MSP on his election as the new Leader of the Scottish Labour Party.
Stewart Forrest – Usdaw Divisional Officer for Scotland says: “Usdaw nominated Anas Sarwar for leader because we believe he is the right person to rebuild Scottish Labour and then rebuild Scotland. So we are delighted that he has won the support of Labour members and affiliated supporters.
“Usdaw members, their families and working people across Scotland need a strong Labour Party in the Scottish Parliament and across the country, speaking out for them on their issues. With the election coming in May, it is crucial that Scottish Labour comes together behind the new leader and puts forward a positive message to the country.
“The SNP Government are failing to deliver social justice, tackle poverty and address the crisis in health and education. Usdaw members need Labour in power to deliver change. I know that Anas does not underestimate the challenge ahead for Labour and Usdaw will be working with him to help improve Scottish workers’ lives.”
Leader of the Scottish Labour Party Richard Leonard will speak on an explicitly pro-People’s Vote platform for the first time at Edinburgh University Student’s Association tomorrow (Monday 9th September).
119 days ago the SNP won the Scottish Parliament election and received a mandate from the people of Scotland to govern, albeit as a minority administration. What followed wasn’t a whirlwind of bold and radical activity, it was yet more constitutional debate. It simply can’t go on like this.
The Scottish Parliament returns for a new session next week. In advance of that today I am setting out Labour’s priorities, an alternative Programme for Government. These are some of the key issues we will push the SNP on in Parliament and across the country. They are firmly rooted in the manifesto we built together in May with a clear anti-austerity message at its core.
Education is our priority, because only by giving our young people the skills they need to compete for the jobs of the future can we grow our economy and close the gap between the richest and the rest. We also want the government to introduce a Bill to ban fracking, to ease the pressure on our NHS by investing in social care, to secure rights for workers and to support refugees arriving in Scotland.
At the heart of everything we do is the message that to invest in our public services and give everybody a fair chance in life, the SNP must stop the cuts. The Scottish Parliament has major new powers over tax and it’s time the nationalists started using them to end austerity in Scotland.
You can read our full alternative Programme for Government here.
If, like me, you think the last thing Scotland needs or wants is a second independence referendum, then share this with your friends and let them know what the Government should be doing to deliver that fairer future we want for all.
‘We will be again the change that working people need’ – Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy
Scottish Labour leader Jim Murphy has responded to his party’s near wipeout in yesterday’s general election by promising to fight to make Labour the natural voice for working people once again.
Time is not on his side. The party that has dominated the Scottish political scene for so long – in the industrial heartlands it’s said they used to weigh the Labour votes, not count them – has been reduced to one solitary MP: and the Scottish Parliamentary Elections are just a year away.
Mr Murphy, who lost his own East Renfrewshire seat last night, divides opinion both inside and outside the Labour Party, but it will come as no surprise to many that he’s decided to tough it out while Ed Miliband, Nick Clegg and Nigel Farage (perhaps!) have called it a day.
He’s a fighter is oor Jim, and in a typically combative message to members said Labour will bounce back after having been ‘overwhelmed by history and by circumstance’:
Firstly, thank you.
Thousands of members and activists worked so hard for Labour across Scotland and across the UK for a Labour Government. Your dedication is extraordinary.
I want to thank the 700,000 people across Scotland who voted Labour yesterday. Those people voted for the most radical Scottish Labour manifesto in a generation.
We are coming to terms with a dreadful night for our party.
Far worse than that we have the realisation of a terrible day for Scotland, and for working class people across the UK, as David Cameron forms another government.
The friends and colleagues lost have been faithful servants to our party and forceful advocates for their constituents.
But this isn’t about us. It isn’t about individual’s careers.
Because while we have lost seats the thing that hurts most is the loss of hope that will be felt as we face another five years of a government totally lacking in vision and compassion.
I didn’t stand for leader out of a sense of personal ambition. I stood because I knew that Scottish Labour after losing in 2007 and 2011 and after the emotional hangover of the referendum faced the biggest challenge in our 127 year history.
As Leader I wanted to take responsibility for meeting these challenges and I still do.
Our campaign was energetic and professional on the ground.
But we have been overwhelmed by history and by circumstance. We make no excuses. A party can never blame the electorate.
Scotland deserves a stronger Scottish Labour Party. Working class people need the party back on its feet.
So where now for Scottish Labour?
We have to start from our strengths. And here the success of the SNP strategy offers us a guide on how to move forward.
‘We have been beaten by a party who claimed our heritage, clothed themselves in our values, and copied many of our policies.
We will take confidence in the principles behind our policies and we will renew and retarget them for the Scottish election.
With less than a year to the Scottish Parliament elections. We cannot afford another period of introspection.
People need Labour now.
They need a strong opposition.
They need us to be what we have always been at our best: a voice for working people.
This morning as the sun rose we were hurting.
But in a morning like this, before too long.
We will bounce back.
We will again be the change that working people need.
