Author: Peacock Carter

The Scottish Government has published a new strategy, setting out Scotland’s air quality framework for the next five years. 

The new strategy titled Cleaner Air for Scotland 2 – Towards a Better Place for Everyone replaces Cleaner Air for Scotland – The Road to a Healthier Future. The strategy sets out a series of actions to deliver further air quality improvements, building largely on the work of a previous review, published in 2019.

The strategy is shaped around 10 general themes:

1. Health – A Precautionary Approach. 
2. Integrated Policy. 
3. Placemaking. 
4. Data. 
5. Public Engagement and Behaviour Change. 
6. Industrial Emissions Regulation. 
7. Tackling Non-Transport Emissions Sources. 
8. Transport. 
9. Governance, Accountability and Delivery. 
10. Further Progress Review. 

Consultation on the details of a licensing scheme for short term lets will take place over seven weeks this summer.

Social Justice Secretary Shona Robison has announced the publication of a draft licensing order for consultation, ahead of laying the final legislation at the Scottish Parliament in September.

The licensing scheme for short-term lets is to be established using powers under the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982, and to give local authorities the ability to introduce short-term let control areas under powers in the Planning (Scotland) Act 2019.

Stakeholders will now have until 13 August to comment on the licensing order and the draft business and regulatory impact assessment.

Draft guidance documents have also been published to explain how the legislation would work in practice.

The production of the draft guidance and Licensing Order was assisted by input from the Stakeholder working group which included representation from Environmental Health Officers.

Ms Robison said: “Regulation of short term lets is vital if we are to balance the needs and concerns of our communities with wider economic and tourism interests. 

“Short-term lets can offer people a flexible and cheaper travel option and have contributed positively to our tourism industry and local economies across the country. 

“However, we know that in certain areas, particularly tourist hot spots, high numbers of short-term lets can cause problems for neighbours and make it harder for people to find homes to live in.

“By allowing local authorities appropriate regulatory powers through a licensing scheme, we can ensure that short term lets are safe and address issues faced by local residents and communities.

“It will allow local authorities to understand more fully what is happening in their areas and assist with the effective handling of complaints.”

Under the proposed legislation, local authorities will have until 1 October 2022 to establish a licensing scheme, with all short-term lets to be licensed by 1 April 2024. Existing hosts and operators must apply for a licence by 1 April 2023.

The Scottish Government previously withdrew the Licensing Order from the Scottish Parliament in February. This was to allow for draft guidance to be developed with input from the stakeholder working group.

Ms Robison added: “We want to get this legislation absolutely right.  A stakeholder working group was established earlier this year to develop guidance on the licensing scheme that was clear, comprehensive and easy to understand. 

“As part of this, the Scottish Government also set out to allay any unfounded concerns and actively explore solutions to any real issues, with a view to making any necessary adjustments to the Licensing Order.

“Stakeholder working group members have helpfully made a range of suggestions for adjustments to the Licensing Order, as well as providing very significant contributions to drafting the guidance.” 

The consultation paper on draft licensing legislation for short-term lets in Scotland and supporting documents can be found here. The consultation runs to Friday 13 August 2021.

Information about the stakeholder working group remit, membership including representation from Environmental Health Officers and meetings can be found here: Short-Term Lets Stakeholder Working Group – gov.scot (www.gov.scot).

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), South Ayrshire Council and Scottish Water are collaborating to clean up the water at one of Scotland’s busiest bathing waters, Ayr (South Beach) ahead of a unique ‘staycation’ summer.

Having been classified as ‘Poor’ for four years in a row, 2021 is a key year for Ayr (South Beach), as another poor classification would result in the loss of its designated bathing water status, meaning it would no longer benefit from SEPA water sampling and water quality predictions. While the beach would remain open and people could still go into the water, advice against bathing would be displayed.

The aim of these efforts is to reduce pollution in local rivers, improve water quality and protect the bathing water to benefit visitors and local communities alike. These works come as part of a targeted improvement plan, which has been in place since 2019 to drive investment and infrastructure development while simultaneously managing any ongoing pressures from rural diffuse pollution.

Scotland has some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, but also experiences some of the wettest weather in Europe. This can have an impact on water quality at bathing waters due to contaminants being washed into rivers from agricultural land and spills following heavy rain to avoid sewers backing up.

Terry A’Hearn, Chief Executive of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) said:

“Improving Scotland’s water environment is a key priority for SEPA, and that includes the bathing waters so many of us enjoy. All across Scotland, we seek to protect watercourses through licensing, inspection and regulation of discharge, advice and guidance to the public, industry, developers and local authorities, and pollution incident response.

“We know that Ayr (South Beach) is subject to a number of complex challenges, and that other local watercourses which feed into it receive bacterial input from a number of sources. That’s why we’re leading efforts to improve local watercourses, including through engagement with the farming community, which is yielding impressive results.
“The work being undertaken is an exemplar of the bold and timely action that can come from partnership working. We will continue to work with our partners to raise or maintain the state of bathing waters all across Scotland, so that summer visits to the beach can be safer and more enjoyable for us all.”

SEPA has had strong, positive engagement from farmers and land managers in the area – which has resulted in over 90% reaching full compliance by ensuring their practices are not affecting watercourses. It is hoped that further improvements to the catchment through simple practical steps will further benefit the bathing water at Ayr (South Beach), which relies partly on the water quality in both the Rivers Ayr and Doon.

The agency has been working with local farmers and NFUS since 2010 through face-to-face visits, workshops and information sessions – resulting in many farmers adopting new practices and spending significant sums of money on additional slurry storage facilities, fencing off entire stretches of watercourses to exclude livestock, and installing alternative means of livestock watering to reach compliance. In some instances, farmers have gone even further than is legally required, by planting riparian zones which move their farming activities further away from the water’s edge.

Visits being carried out by SEPA officers in 2021 are targeted at the handful of farms which are still not fully compliant.

Zero Waste Scotland publishes a new landmark report, The Scottish Material Flow Accounts, that reveals the size of Scotland’s consumption footprint for the first time.

The report shows the average Scot consumes 18.4 tonnes of materials every year which is the equivalent of 50kg per day on average.   The weight calculated for the average European was 14.1 tonnes.

Academics agree that a sustainable level of material use, which would still allow for a high quality of life, is about eight tonnes per person per year.  

The agency said the higher number in Scotland could be because of more rural, dispersed communities requiring more infrastructure and the higher cost of insulating and heating buildings in northern countries.

Material flow accounting is a relatively new way of calculating impact on the environment, giving an alternative view to carbon accounting. It measures the weight of all the resources we consume, with the exception of water. That includes food, metals and metal ore, plastic, fuel, textiles, paper, cardboard and wood.

It includes the impact of transporting products to Scotland, and of the raw materials and energy deployed in other countries manufacturing and exporting goods to Scotland

The accounting also seeks to cover the impact of providing services, and the fuel required to supply water and treat wastewater.

Material flow accounting is seen by Zero Waste Scotland as the start of a conversation with business and individuals about how to lower that impact.

The agency wants it to be a stimulus to reduce demand for new, unsustainable products, making them last longer in the so-called "circular economy", through re-use, repair, refurbishment and remanufacturing, as well as recycling.

Iain Gulland, Chief Executive of Zero Waste Scotland, said: “What the MFA tell us is that consumption in Scotland is unsustainably high. This is, in part, due to the quantity of things we buy. We need a system wide change that enables us all to choose more sustainable ways to live, use the things we need and share resources.” 

Kimberley Pratt, Zero Waste Scotland environmental analyst and report author, added: “It is also due to the amounts of materials it takes to extract raw materials and manufacture new products. These processes are resource-intensive, but those costs are not obvious when we look only at the finished product. For example, 25 tonnes of iron ore must be mined to produce one tonne of iron which the average Scot might consume as steel in products such as the buildings we live and work in, cars and electrical appliances.    

“This highlights the negative environmental impacts of our production processes and consumption habits which favour using new goods made from virgin materials rather than re-used or repaired goods, or goods made from recycled materials or from remanufacturing.”     

The evidence of the Scottish MFA shows there is an inextricable relationship between what Scotland consumes and its global climate impact.    

With the current global political agenda focussed on accelerating a green recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, ahead of COP26 later this year in Glasgow, the report provides a base of evidence to help us rethink how we consume in Scotland.    

The research was carried out with Eunomia Research and Consultancy, and peer reviewed by Queen's University Belfast.

The Scottish Material Flow Accounts is available on the Zero Waste Scotland website here.

For further information and to access the report visit the Zero Waste Scotland website here.

The Scottish Government have published updated Strategic Framework and Physical Distancing Review, following the First Minister’s statement to Parliament on 22 June.  

During the statement First Minister announced the whole of Scotland will move to Level 0 on 19 July if all necessary vaccination and harm reduction measures are met.

Current levels will remain in place for the next three weeks with a review taking place on 13 July although some changes, such as minor relaxations to rules on events such as weddings and funerals will come into place on 28 June.

The First Minister also confirmed that from 19 July physical distancing outdoors will be removed and physical distancing for indoor public areas will reduce to one metre if the data allows. Limits on outdoor gatherings will also be removed on this date given the reduced risk of outdoor transmission at this stage in the vaccination programme.

If the necessary conditions on vaccination and harm reduction continue to be met, all major remaining COVID restrictions will be lifted on 9 August.

The Strategic Review sets out how and why our COVID-19 response strategy will change in light of new conditions and what a move beyond Level 0 will look like. While, the Physical Distancing Review sets out the outcome of a review of physical distancing in public places.

From 28 June  

• suppliers and others employed at a wedding will no longer count towards the cap on attendance
• A bride, groom and other designated persons accompanying them no longer require to wear face-coverings when walking down the aisle
• live entertainment will be permitted at weddings
• more than one household will be permitted to carry the coffin and/or take a cord at a funeral crematoriums and churches can relay funeral services to outside areas

From 19 July

• celebrations of life events such as christenings, bar mitzvahs and anniversaries will be permitted to take place under similar guidelines as weddings and funerals
• different households will be able to share a bedroom in tourist accommodation

Some measures are expected to continue beyond Level 0 including:

• good hand hygiene and surface cleaning
• continued promotion of good ventilation
• a requirement for face coverings in certain settings (e.g. public transport and retail)
• continued compliance with Test and Protect, including self-isolation when necessary
• an ongoing need for outbreak management capability, including active surveillance
• a greater degree of working from home than pre COVID-19 where this is possible and appropriate based on business and employee choice

A study has found that, the introduction of minimum pricing of alcohol has had a lasting impact in Scotland and is starting to have an effect in Wales, a study has found.

The study led by Newcastle University and published in Lancet Public Health shows a Minimum Unit Price (MUP) policy for alcohol, introduced in Scotland in 2018, continues to have a positive impact on lowering drinking levels two years on. 

Scotland was the first in world to bring in MUP for alcohol in May 2018, currently fixed at 50p per unit, while Wales introduced the policy last March.

Alcohol purchases decreased by 7.7% in Scotland following the introduction of the MUP and, in both Scotland and Wales, households that tended to buy the most alcohol were those most likely to reduce their amount.

The study used data from Kantar WorldPanel’s household shopping panel, which provided detailed information on 1.24 million separate alcohol purchases between 2015 and 2018, and the first half of 2020.

The impact of introducing the MUP in Scotland was analysed using purchases in Northern England as a control, alongside the impact of introducing MUP in Wales with Western England as the control.

Professor Peter Anderson, from Newcastle University, who led the study, said: “The introduction of a MUP in Scotland has made a significant impact on reducing alcohol levels, with a sustained drop in overall units bought by some of the highest-consuming households two years on.

“We can now see that the introduction of a MUP in Wales at the beginning of March 2020 has had a similar impact to the one we saw in Scotland in 2018 and we hope to see a continued benefit

“This is an important step forwards in addressing high levels of alcohol-related health problems and social harm that is caused by too much alcohol consumption.”

The team found that the highest purchasing households in Scotland and Wales that fell into the very lowest income bracket (the lowest fifth) did not seem to reduce the amount of alcohol they purchased, and so their expenditure on alcohol increased in line with the increase in price.

Lower purchasing households, including those with the very lowest incomes, did not increase their expenditure on alcohol, following the introduction of MUP.

Whilst household purchases of alcohol increased during covid-19 lockdowns, the level of impact of MUP between Scotland compared to Northern England, and Wales compared to Western England remained the same.

Alison Douglas, chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, described the research as “hugely encouraging”.

She said: “Not only is MUP continuing to have the intended effect in reducing overall alcohol consumption in Scotland, it is those that tended to buy the most alcohol who are most likely to reduce the amount they purchase … We are seeing early signs that this reduction in consumption may be beginning to translate into wider improvements in health, with a reduction of 10% in alcohol-specific deaths in the first year of MUP.”

The Scottish Government has updated their Coronavirus (COVID-19): guidance for the soft play sector.  The guidance is for soft play centres to help the sector prepare for re-opening (at level 0 or 1).

This guidance has been developed in collaboration with industry, trade unions, regulators including Local Authority Environmental Health Officer, and others. 

The update includes a number of changes across the publication including new operational checklist.

The Scottish Government is offering 75% cashback grants along with an interest-free loan for businesses wanting to install heat pumps.

Organisations can access the loan and receive a cashback grant of up to £10,000 while also cutting their energy bill and carbon footprint.

The SME Loan Scheme has already provided Scottish businesses with more than £26 million in loans for more than 1,000 energy saving projects.

For full details, and to take advantage while funds last, call Zero Waste Scotland’s Energy Efficiency Business Support team on 0808 808 2268 or visit the website.

Today on May 31, the World Health Organisation celebrates World No Tobacco Day and their theme this year is #CommitToQuit.

Although many smokers are keen to kick tobacco and nicotine addiction, many don’t have adequate means or support to do so. Without assistance, only 4–7% of those who attempt to quit succeed in doing so. Structured, well-funded and accessible cessation programmes are therefore an important component of World No Tobacco Day’s celebration of “Commit to Quit”.

The scale of the tobacco epidemic is colossal, posing one of the biggest threats to global health ever faced and killing over 8 million people every year. The dangers extend beyond the physical health of individuals – also impacting social and economic well-being with the annual cost of smoking estimated to be $1.4 trillion worldwide.

There are around 887,000 smokers in Scotland. 10,000 people die from smoking related illness each year, according to the Scottish Public Health Observatory (ScotPHO). Around 350,000 people would either quit or not take up smoking were the smoking rate to fall from 20% to 12% by 2021.

NHS Scotland will save between £104 million and £168 million per year thanks to an 8% drop in smoking, according to ScotPHO. As we have previously shown, individual smokers will save around £1,500 per year by quitting.