SRUC is delighted with the level of engagement with staff, students and stakeholders since the launch of the new strategy document on 19 April.
May32017
High level of engagement with new strategy
May32017
Dugdale must take action on her growing ranks of pro-independence rebels
3 May 2017
Kezia Dugdale has been told to act on her independence-supporting election candidates, after it emerged another aspiring MP is sympathetic to the break-up of Britain.
Labour’s position on the union has already come under fire this week with candidates in pro-UK seats in the south of Scotland being revealed as separation sympathisers.
Now details have come out about Moray candidate Jo Kirby, who also appears to back independence.
She has shared a number of pro-SNP items on social media, including an article describing the SNP as “the most credible political force in the UK” and a speech by Angus Robertson – who she’ll stand against in Moray – endorsing holding a second independence referendum.
Yesterday, Labour’s candidate for the Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire by-election at Holyrood, Sally Prentice, claimed she was the person to stand up to the SNP on a “divisive” referendum re-run.
But just the week before, she said: “SNP voters – the only way you’re going to get to ask the question again is if Jeremy Corbyn is in number 10.”
In addition, it was reported yesterday that Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale candidate Douglas Beattie was “gutted” following the 2014 referendum result.
Now, the Scottish Conservatives have urged Ms Dugdale to either remove the candidates from the upcoming election, or face accusations of not being in control of her own party.
Scottish Conservative deputy leader Jackson Carlaw said:
“Kezia Dugdale can’t reasonably say she’s serious about Scotland’s place in the UK while she stands by these independence-supporting candidates.
“She must either sack them, or admit she has next to no control over her own party.
“This goes beyond just a bit of embarrassment for Labour.
“The candidate for the Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire by-election is actually lying to voters by claiming to be the one to stand up to the SNP, while on social media she’s telling all her friends the precise opposite.
“These revelations go to show once again that it’s only the Scottish Conservatives who can be trusted on keeping Scotland a key part of the UK.”
Yesterday, two Labour General Election candidates were unmasked as independence supporters:
http://www.scottishconservatives.com/2017/05/labour-candidate-to-snp-voters-back-us-and-well-deliver-indyref2/
http://www.scottishconservatives.com/2017/05/revealed-the-labour-general-election-candidate-who-backs-separation/
And today, a third has been revealed as an SNP sympathiser:
- Jo Kirby shared a graphic promoting SNP policy on EU membership (Jo Kirby Facebook, 24 June 2016, link).
- Kirby promoted an article describing the SNP as the ‘most credible political force in the UK’ (Jo Kirby Facebook, 26 June 2016, link).
- Kirby shared propaganda from a campaign for independence. The post lauded Scots for ‘basing their nationality on civic rather than ethnic identity’ (Jo Kirby Facebook, 30 June 2016, link).
- Jo Kirby shared a speech by Angus Robertson which endorsed holding a second independence referendum. Kirby shared the speech, in which Robertson said: ‘We have no intention whatsoever of seeing Scotland taken out of Europe. That would be totally, totally democratically unacceptable. We are a European country and we will stay a European country. And if it means we have to have an independence referendum to protect Scotland’s place, then so be it’ (Jo Kirby Facebook, 28 June 2016, link).
May32017
News story: CMA refers Cygnet/Cambian merger for in-depth investigation
Cygnet’s merger with the Cambian adult services division of Cambian Group plc has been referred for an in-depth investigation.
On 21 April, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said that it would refer the merger for an in-depth investigation, called a phase 2 investigation, unless Cygnet offered acceptable undertakings to address competition concerns.
Cygnet has not offered any undertakings and the CMA will therefore now refer the merger.
The CMA’s initial investigation identified competition concerns in relation to the provision of rehabilitation services to patients suffering from long-term mental health issues in 8 areas, and patients suffering from personality disorder in 4 areas.
A decision on the merger will be made by a group of independent panel members supported by a team of CMA staff. The deadline for the final report will be 17 October 2017.
May32017
News story: ATM merger faces in-depth investigation
Both companies – Cardtronics plc (Cardtronics) and DirectCash Payments (DCP) – are independent ATM deployers supplying cashpoints to site owners, such as convenience stores and pubs.
Independent ATM deployers face competition from banks and building societies to supply ATMs to large site owners in high ‘footfall’ locations such as supermarkets, shopping centres or transport hubs. However independent ATM deployers also supply smaller non-corporate customers whose cashpoints typically have lower numbers of transactions and are often pay-to-use.
Cardtronics and DCP supply both free-to-use and pay-to-use ATMs.
Following its initial investigation, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) believes that, in those local areas where there is insufficient competition from rival ATMs, the merger could lead to increased surcharge fees for customers withdrawing cash. Given the potential lack of suitable sites and the cost of supplying new ATMs, entry into these local areas by competitors would not be sufficiently likely to prevent an increase in fees.
The merger will now be referred for an in-depth phase 2 investigation by an independent group of CMA panel members – unless Cardtronics is able to offer undertakings which sufficiently address the substantial lessening of competition in relation to supply of ATMs to users on a local basis.
Cardtronics has until 10 May 2017 to offer undertakings that might be accepted by the CMA. If no undertaking is offered or accepted, then the CMA will refer the merger for a phase 2 merger investigation. Further details on the investigation can be found on the case page.
May32017
Press release: March 2017 Price Paid Data
HM Land Registry Price Paid Data tracks land and property sales in England and Wales submitted to us for registration.
This month’s Price Paid Data includes details of over 96,500 residential and commercial land and property sales in England and Wales lodged for registration in March 2017.
Of the 96,565 sales lodged for registration:
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67,893 were freehold
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14,849 were newly built
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33,024 sales took place in March 2017
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510 were residential sales in March 2017 in England and Wales for £1 million and over
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305 were residential sales in March 2017 in London for £1 million and over
Number of sales lodged for registration by property type
| Property type | Number of properties |
|---|---|
| Detached | 20,569 |
| Semi-detached | 22,796 |
| Terraced | 24,779 |
| Flat/maisonette | 21,160 |
| Other | 7,261 |
| Total | 96,565 |
The most expensive residential sale in March 2017 was of a terraced property in the London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea for £11,250,000. The cheapest residential sales in March 2017 were of a terraced property in Blyth, Northumberland and a flat in Weymouth, Dorset each for £10,000.
The most expensive commercial sale in March 2017 was in Bristol for £52,880,562. The cheapest commercial sales in March 2017 were in Lancing, Woking, Corby, Chesterfield, Benfleet and the London Borough of Waltham Forest each for £100.
Notes to editors
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Price Paid Data (PPD) is published at 11am on the 20th working day of each month. The next dataset will be published on 30 May 2017.
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Price Paid Data is property price data for all residential and commercial property sales in England and Wales that are lodged with HM Land Registry for registration in that month, subject to exclusions.
- The following information is available for each property:
- the full address
- the price paid
- the date of transfer
- the property type
- whether it is new build or not
- whether it is freehold or leasehold
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Price Paid Data can be downloaded in txt, csv format and in a machine readable format as linked data and is released under Open Government Licence (OGL). Under the OGL, HM Land Registry permits use of Price Paid Data for commercial or non-commercial purposes. However, the OGL does not cover the use of third party rights, which HMLR is not authorised to license.
- Price Paid Data includes Standard Price Paid Data (SPPD) for single residential property sales at full market value and Additional Price Paid Data (APPD). The information available for each property will indicate whether it is APPD or SPPD and the record’s status – addition/change/deletion (A/C/D). This includes transactions previously excluded from SPPD such as:
- transfers to a non-private individual, for example a company, corporate body or business
- transfers under a power of sale (repossessions)
- buy-to-lets (where they can be identified by a mortgage)
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The Price Paid Data report builder allows users to build bespoke reports using the data. Reports can be based on location, estate type, price paid or property type over a defined period of time.
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As a government department established in 1862, executive agency and trading fund responsible to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, HM Land Registry keeps and maintains the Land Register for England and Wales. The Land Register has been open to public inspection since 1990.
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With the largest transactional database of its kind detailing over 24 million titles, HM Land Registry underpins the economy by safeguarding ownership of many billions of pounds worth of property.
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For further information about HM Land Registry visit www.gov.uk/land-registry.
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