Toblerone

The Scottish press has been awash with stories of poverty and inequality in the past week.

An investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority revealed that families forced to use pre-pay energy meters are charged £312 more on average than those on the best tariffs.

Four million low-income households in the UK pay for their energy up-front, many of which are in debt to their supplier.

It is a particularly poignant time of year for energy to be at the forefront of the news agenda as winter starts to bite.

Worse, a uSwitch survey has found that half of working families in the UK are planning to cut their energy use over the winter months in order to afford their monthly bills with a worrying 29 per cent choosing not to heat their homes when they are cold.

It’s crazy to think that the cost of your energy bills can also be a postcode lottery with some areas paying more than others on the same tariff.

Amid such startling headlines, it’s encouraging then to see that Business Secretary Greg Clark has demanded talks with Energy UK to discuss the reports that suppliers are overcharging millions of families.

With signs that energy prices may be on the increase, I hope he sticks to his word and puts pressure on the ‘big six’ companies, otherwise even more families may face a cold, long winter.

Meanwhile, the Scottish Government’s pledge to eradicate fuel poverty has expired and has not been met.

Holyrood met last week to discuss fuel poverty, with the Green Party suggesting a number of ideas to combat the problem. My favourite is making the largest energy companies pay to help tackle fuel poverty.

It would be fantastic to see these companies investing a little of their profits back into Scotland to help ensure everyone stays warm over winter.

Other suggestions include building smarter homes that make the most of the limited sunshine we get to keep homes toasty by orientating them to receive maximum sunlight, reducing energy bills.

In the meantime, there is something everyone can do right now to help manage bills – but sadly, more than half of Scottish households don’t do it.

Big Energy Week - a joint campaign between the Energy Saving Trust, Citizens Advice Scotland and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy which took place at the start of the month - found that Scottish households could save around £300 by switching energy supplier.

Despite the potential saving, more than half of households do not review their bills to find the best deals, instead choosing to work overtime or use credit cards to make up the difference instead of investing a little time and research to lower costs.

Those who pre-pay their energy don’t tend to have as much choice as other customers but I can’t understand why you wouldn’t shop around if you can.

In business, it makes sense to ensure your overheads are as low as you can so you can reinvest or build up a healthy profit. And a household should be exactly the same – those savings might not seem like much at the time but they will add up and invest in your future.

A recent BBC Scotland investigation into wealth inequality suggests saving is extremely important as it stated that when it comes to wealth, it’s your pension that matters most and has the biggest effect on your standing.

As the end of the year approaches, it is definitely a great time to take stock of bills for a prosperous 2017.

 

 

With the current political mood across the UK at a low following Brexit and the ongoing fallout from Donald Trump’s victory in the American presidential race, I was amazed to see the SNP getting their knickers in a twist over an altogether more bizarre subject.

In a rather farcical move, SNP MSP Colin Beattie, who represents Midlothian North and Musselburgh, called on the UK Government to challenge the new design of the iconic chocolate bar Toblerone, citing in a Holyrood motion that its change of shape is "emblematic" of the devastating consequences of Brexit.

While a plunge in the value of the pound following the Brexit vote has worried many and real concerns have been aired on what our future trade relationships with the EU and other economies may be, Cllr Beattie seems to have focused instead on the larger gaps between chocolate triangles.

In these uncertain times, when our politicians should be looking carefully at just what Brexit will mean and how it will affect the people of Scotland, you have to ask yourself whether the people Cllr Beattie serves feel that investigating Toblerone is an efficient use of his resources.

I’m certain there are much more pertinent issues in Midlothian North and Musselburgh including barriers to accessing health services, transport and education. It leaves an unsavoury taste in the mouth, unlike the famous pyramid-shaped chocolate.

His motion calls on the Scottish Parliament to offer its official condolences to those "mourning" the change to the classic confectionary. Perhaps instead we should be mourning those in a position of power having finally lost the plot.

 

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LAUGH

You have to admire the sheer cheek of Leonardo DiCaprio’s lunch date last week.

Leo was in Edinburgh to visit diner Home, the hugely worthy new Social Bite venture that employs former homeless people, and to perform keynote speaker duties at the Scottish Business Awards.

However, he perhaps bit off more than he could chew when he sat down with lunch date competition winner Elise Lovell.

Not content with just tasting the food on offer, Elise fancied a taste of the Hollywood icon too, boldly pointing out that if he didn’t have somewhere to stay, then her competition prize included a hotel room.

It’s perhaps unsurprising then that a photo of the pair betrayed a slightly nervous-looking Leo.

The man is known for his cool composure, so well down Elise for unsettling him in hilarious fashion.

 

WEEP

I was distraught to hear that oil giant Shell is to close its finance operations office in Glasgow with the loss of 380 jobs.

Hearing of any business or office closing its doors is horrendous, but 380 households will be rocked and devastated by the news - especially this close to Christmas.

With an uncertain future for the oil industry, I would urge the government to explore every option on how we can continue to compete within the oil sector, whilst taking advantage of the opportunities from the renewable energy sector -where Scotland is ideally placed to become world leaders once again.

My thoughts go out to those affected. I hope that the Scottish Government works closely with Shell to support those affected and help them find employment quickly.

 

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