Latest News –  Martin Whitfield MSP

Martin Whitfield MSP has welcomed a new campaign encouraging people who are anxious about energy bills or the cost of living to seek advice this winter. The Worried this Winter campaign has been launched by the Citizens Advice Network in Scotland following research showing that energy bills are the top concern for over 2.2 million people in Scotland this winter, while a further 1.4 million are worried about being able to properly heat their home. The campaign aims to make the public aware of the various ways in which they can access advice from the Citizens Advice network. This includes [...]

Martin Whitfield MSP is helping to promote this year's Road Safety Week (19 to 25 November) and its theme, 'Let's Talk About Speed'. Run by road safety charity, Brake, Road Safety Week is the UK's biggest campaign on promoting and enhancing road safety. Every year, thousands of schools, organisations and communities get involved to share important road safety messages, remember people affected by road death and injury, and raise funds to help Brake care for more road victims and campaign for safe roads for everyone. This year, Brake is aiming to stimulate a national conversation about speed - one of [...]

Commenting on the announcement that passenger services will begin calling at East Linton’s new rail station from 13th December, Martin Whitfield MSP said: “I warmly welcome this exciting news and look forward to rail services starting to serve East Linton’s new station next month. "The campaign for the return of the village’s rail station began a long time ago and it is important to pay tribute to everyone who has backed it over the years. “East Lothian Council also deserves great credit for securing the land around the site and making a major financial contribution to the station’s construction. "It [...]

As this year's Anti-Bullying Week (13-17 November) gets underway, Martin Whitfield MSP has pledged his support for respectme's Listen Up! campaign. ‘Listen Up! (Respect our Rights)’ has been created with input from young people from respectme’s Youth Action Group. The campaigning charity's young ambassadors want every child and young person to be heard and taken seriously when bullying is reported, and for children’s rights to be at the heart of all effective responses to bullying. The campaign is aimed at educators, parents and carers and youth organisation representatives. It is calling on all adults to ‘Listen Up’ and take practical [...]

Martin Whitfield MSP is again backing the annual Respect for Shopworkers Week, which runs from 13-19 November. Run by retail trade union, Usdaw, the campaign raises awareness of the union’s year-round Freedom from Fear Campaign and promotes a message of ‘respect for shopworkers’ to the public. As this year's week got underway, Usdaw launched shocking statistics from their annual Freedom From Fear survey of  over 3,000 retail staff across the UK. The results show that in the last twelve months: 65% have experienced verbal abuse. 42% were threatened by a customer. 5% were assaulted. 60% of these incidents were triggered [...]

Martin Whitfield MSP is joining colleagues and organisations across Scotland to help promote Shared Care Scotland's Short Break Directory. The directory is a valuable online resource designed to support individuals and families in Scotland - and organisations who work to support them - who require respite and short break services. There are 800,000 unpaid carers in Scotland who provide over £36 billion worth of work. Unpaid carers are essential to the Scottish economy. Breaks from caring make a huge difference to the health and wellbeing of unpaid carers, yet many report being unable to access a break from their caring [...]