It’s not surprising that almost half of Scots are worried about not being able to afford to pay their energy bills next year.
Rents, mortgages and food prices have all gone up, with wages not increasing at the same rate. But one of the biggest burdens facing households has been soaring bills for gas and electricity.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine caused the price of gas to skyrocket – and bills have stayed high ever since.
Over the winter the increases have forced too many families in Scotland to choose between heating and eating.
And now households will be caused further anxiety by the energy price cap rising again tomorrow.
The average increase will be £111 per year, with the new cap a whopping 62 per cent higher than it was in the autumn of 2021.
Since coming to power last July, Labour has committed to getting bills down by 2030. But for many families that is not a quick enough turnaround.
They are struggling to pay their bills now and need urgent action from the UK Government. We live in an energy rich country but pay some of the biggest bills in Europe. Meanwhile, energy companies are hoovering up massive profits.
Getting these bills down was one of the main reasons the country voted Labour into power.
There is no time to be wasted – the Government must make progress on this soon.
End toxic violence
Nearly half of all female school staff were on the receiving end of physical abuse or violence in the last 12 months.
And a study has shown that a much higher proportion of women in schools face abuse than their male colleagues.
The reasons why women are being targeted in this way are complicated and there is no simple answer to the problem. But there seems to be little doubt that online hate messaging from misogynists like Andrew Tate is having an impact on young minds.
The Record has highlighted the terrible impact these “manosphere” influencers can have on young people through the Our Kids… Our Future campaign.
While the TV show Adolescence really hit home about what can happen when young folk use the internet without any restrictions.
It is no wonder that a new poll shows support among 16 to 29-year-olds for a ban on kids using social media.
Young people know first hand that a torrent of toxic material on the internet is causing real world damage.
All of us need to get to grips with this problem. And radical action – including new restrictions on young people’s unfettered access to the online world – needs to be considered.