Alison Thewliss

REPORT SHOWS 4 IN 10 OLDER PEOPLE ARE NOT MANAGING THEIR MONEY ONLINE

Alison Thewliss, Member of Parliament for Glasgow Central, has called on an urgent reconsideration of the closure of Bank of Scotland on Albert Drive following new findings on online banking.

Age UK’s new report ‘You can’t bank on it anymore’, which looks at the effect of rising online banking on older people, has found that 4 in 10 older people with a bank account in Britain are not managing their money online and could be at high risk of financial exclusion.

The polling also found that three-quarters (75 per cent) of over-65s with a bank account – equivalent to 7.86 million people – wish to undertake at least one banking task in person at a bank branch, building society or Post Office.

Nearly a third of older people with a bank account (31 per cent) – equivalent to 3.25 million people – have also been found to feel uncomfortable with online banking.

With these new findings, Alison Thewliss MP has called on an urgent review ahead of the proposed closure of Bank of Scotland’s Albert Drive branch.

The Albert Drive branch is set to close on the 27th July.

Commenting, Alison Thewliss MP said:

“These new findings by Age UK show the impact the closure of the Bank of Scotland branch on Albert Drive will have on older people in Pollokshields.

“In-person banking continues to be important to many of my constituents, and the removal of access to cash in their local area remains extremely unfair.

“While online banking becomes a key part of society, we must not forget those unable to participate. Those who wish to attend their local branch should have the option – instead of being completely left in limbo.

“I ask that Bank of Scotland reconsider the decision to close the Albert Drive branch to ensure that my constituents continue to have access to the full range of banking services in their own neighbourhood.”

43% OF VOUCHERS LEFT UNCLAIMED IN GLASGOW CENTRAL

Alison Thewliss, Member of Parliament for Glasgow Central, has urged constituents to redeem their prepayment meter vouchers issued to households.

New stats released by the Government found that 17,760 (57%) of prepayment meter vouchers were redeemed.

This means that 43% of these vouchers have been left unclaimed by Glasgow Central constituents.

In October and November, vouchers were valued at £66 – with December and January’s being valued at £67.

With these values, the 13,450 unredeemed vouchers have a value of at least £887,700.

Commenting, Alison Thewliss MP said:

“If you are on a traditional prepayment meter, you should be getting £66 or £67 vouchers each month. This is an entitlement which a large amount of my constituents have not redeemed.

“In this cost-of-living crisis, any additional money during these difficult times could make a massive difference to people’s lives.

“If you are using a traditional prepayment meter and have not received any of the monthly vouchers through the post, or by email or text message, you can contact your energy supplier to enquire about this payment. This must be done before the 1^st June to ensure you are eligible for the payment.

“If any Glasgow Central constituents are in need of support for this payment, please do not hesitate to contact my office via email: alison.thewliss.mp@parliament.uk, or via phone call: 0141 552 7117. My team are always more than happy to help with any constituent issues and urge any constituent to contact my team.”

GLASGOW CENTRAL MP THANKS CONSTITUENT FOR THEIR PATIENCE
 
A Glasgow Central constituent has ended a longstanding dispute with Openreach after contacting their local MP.
 
The constituent contacted the office of Alison Thewliss MP in February of 2022, highlighting issues with potholes in the Govan area.
 
With the number of potholes and the constant bouncing of buses and trucks on these broken roads, the constituent’s home was experiencing a large amount of vibrations – causing difficulties with sleep.
 
After dialogue with Glasgow City Council, it was highlighted that it would be Openreach who would need to deal with the case.
 
A box which was installed by Openreach was also seen to be causing a large amount of noise in the area, which the constituent highlighted in her emails to the office.
 
With the support of Alison Thewliss MP, the constituent was able to highlight the key areas which were causing the most amount of problems.
 
Openreach contacted the office of Alison Thewliss MP and the constituent to confirm that the works would be completed on the 1st March, ending the longstanding issues faced over the past year.
 
After confirmation from Openreach that the works had been completed, the constituent contacted the office of Alison Thewliss MP to extend her thanks for the support.
 
Commenting, the constituent said:
 
“I am so relieved to have these issues resolved. I have faced a year of difficulties, and it is great to be able to live in the comfort of my own home without the worry of not being able to have a good sleep.
 
“I can’t thank Alison and her team enough for the support they have given me in this case. The patience and dedication shown by the team is something which I am extremely grateful for.
 
“It has been a long time since this case was started with Alison’s team, and I am delighted to see it has finally been resolved.”
 
Commenting, Alison Thewliss MP said:
 
“I am delighted to see this case has been resolved with the constituent. This case has been going on for more than a year, and I can’t begin to imagine how difficult the past year must have been.
 
“While my team were in touch with Openreach, my constituent has been so patient and understood the issues we faced in this case.
 
“I also want to extend a thanks to the Openreach, who were also very helpful in this issue and were in regular dialogue with my team about this case.
 
“As mentioned by the constituent, it will be such a relief to be able to live in their home without worry, and I hope this will make a massive difference to their life.
 
“If any Glasgow Central constituents have issues they wish to raise, please do not hesitate to contact my office via email: alison.thewliss.mp@parliament.uk, or via phone call: 0141 552 7117. My team are always more than happy to help with any constituent issues and urge any constituent to contact my team.”

ALBERT DRIVE BRANCH SET FOR CLOSURE

Alison Thewliss, Member of Parliament for Glasgow Central, has condemned the decision to close the Bank of Scotland branch on Albert Drive.

The list of branches set to close across Scotland was announced on the Bank of Scotland website.

Among this list of closures includes a branch on Albert Drive in Glasgow’s Pollokshields area.

The Albert Drive branch is set to close around the 27^th July.

Commenting, Alison Thewliss MP said:

“It is disappointing that Bank of Scotland has taken the decision to close the branch on Albert Drive. Glasgow Central constituents should not need to travel into town just to collect their money.

“Many local businesses across my constituency have often used this branch. This branch is a pillar of the community, and many will feel the deep impact of this closure.

“I ask that Bank of Scotland reconsider the decision to close this branch to ensure that my constituents continue to have access to their money in their own neighbourhood.”

Dear Home Secretary,

We are writing to make clear our deeply held opposition to the Illegal Migration Bill, which passed its second reading earlier this month.

The Government is right to take steps to stop Channel crossings in small boats. It is an inherently risky journey for people who are already vulnerable and desperate.

However, there is no evidence to suggest that this Bill will have any impact on the number of dangerous crossings, or that a restrictive asylum policy in general acts as a deterrent. It is clear that the Home Office is aware of the limitations of these kinds of policies. In 2022, the Rwanda scheme lacked evidence to the point where the Civil Service was unable to confirm its value for public money.

It is extremely worrying to see the UK Government press ahead with policies which pose a serious and consistent threat to our international human rights obligations. It is worse still when these policies show no promise of delivering their intended consequences. This Bill will not make people safe – it will put victims of trafficking and modern slavery even more at risk, and leave refugees fleeing persecution in limbo, or offshored thousands of miles away.

Parliamentarians in both Scotland and the UK are human rights guarantors, and an important part of our role is to ensure that legislation is compliant with international obligations on human rights. The incompatibility of the Bill with the European Convention on Human Rights, the Refugee Convention, The Convention of Action Against Trafficking, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child means that we as lawmakers are obliged to vote against it.

The undermining of rights conveyed upon individuals by these agreements must be resisted by all spheres of government. This Bill will negatively impact directly on those seeking international protection in Scotland, as well as on the powers and duties of the Scottish Government, local authorities, and other public bodies under the devolution settlement. We call upon MSPs to withhold legislative consent when this legislation is put before the Scottish Parliament.

Arbitrary detention of refugee and asylum-seeking children and their families, trafficking victims, victims of torture and other vulnerable people is entirely unacceptable. You may recall that Scotland led the way in campaigning against child detention. In May 2010, Dungavel was closed to children, with detention centres elsewhere in the UK rapidly following suit. It is unthinkable that we now face a situation where these rights are being rolled back.

Scotland’s refugee and asylum-seeking community deserves better. The Home Office have shown time and time again that they cannot be trusted when it comes to looking after vulnerable children and adults.

We urge all Scottish parliamentarians to take a principled stand against this pernicious legislation.

Yours sincerely,

Alan Brown MP
Alison Thewliss MP
Alasdair Allan MSP
Allan Dorans MP 
Alyn Smith MP
Amy Callaghan MP
Angela Crawley MP
Angus Brendan MacNeil MP 
Anne McLaughlin MP
Bill Kidd MSP
Bob Doris MSP
Brendan O’Hara MP 
Carol Monaghan MP 
Chris Law MP
Chris Stephens MP
Clare Adamson MSP 
Colin Beattie MSP 
Collette Stevenson MSP 
Dave Doogan MP
David Linden MP
Deidre Brock MP 
Douglas Chapman MP
Dr Lisa Cameron MP 
Dr Philippa Whitford MP
Drew Hendry MP
Emma Roddick MSP
Evelyn Tweed MSP
Fiona Hyslop MSP
Gavin Newlands MP
Gordon Macdonald MSP 
Graeme Dey MSP
Hannah Bardell MP
James Dornan MSP
Jenni Minto MSP
Joanna Cherry KC MP
John Mason MSP
John McNally MP
John Nicolson MP
Kaukab Stewart MSP
Kenny MacAskill MP
Kirsten Oswald MP
Kirsty Blackman MP
Marie McNair MSP
Marion Fellows MP
Martin Docherty-Hughes MP 
Martyn Day MP
Mhairi Black MP
Ms Anum Qaisar MP 
Owen Thompson MP
Patrick Grady MP
Patricia Gibson MP 
Paul McLennan MSP 
Pete Wishart MP 
Peter Grant MP 
Richard Thomson MP 
Rona Mackay MSP 
Ronnie Cowan MP
Rt Hon Ian Blackford MP 
Rt Hon Stewart Hosie MP 
Ruth Maguire MSP 
Siobhan Brown MSP 
Stephanie Callaghan MSP 
Stephen Flynn MP
Steven Bonnar MP
Stewart Malcolm McDonald MP 
Stuart McDonald MP
Stuart McMillan MSP
Tommy Sheppard MP

The reasons people flee conflict and persecution are much more compelling than the barriers being put up by this dangerous legislation. People come to the UK for many reasons, including family links, the English language, experience of having worked for UK forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, and for the long legacy of empire. 

There is no system for applying for asylum from abroad. People literally must have their feet on UK soil before they can make an application. They can’t hop on a plane, as they won’t be allowed to board without the appropriate visa. Safe and legal routes are few and far between.

The exception to this, of course, has been Ukraine. You won’t find Ukrainians amongst the Iraqis, Iranians and Afghans in rubber dinghies, because for them, there is a functioning safe and legal route. No one would grudge Ukranians this important route to safety, but having proven it works for this group of vulnerable people fleeing conflict, the UK Government really ought to establish routes for other groups who are equally at risk.

In many of the cases I have dealt with in my advice surgeries, there are long delays for decisions on their cases. Some have waited for over a year in B&B accommodation for a decision, unable to get on with their lives and contribute as they dearly wish to do.

The various schemes the UK Government have proposed to tackle the issue are costing a fortune, sending hundreds of millions of pounds to the French Government, detaining people when they arrive here, and a costly and unworkable deal with Rwanda. 

Investing more wisely in the boring work of actually processing cases would be a much better use of public funds. Allowing asylum seekers the right to work while waiting for a decision would also be better all round – for the people in the system, for the public purse, and for integration into our communities.

We can and must do better than the divisive language of the Home Secretary. The anti-racism march through the streets of Glasgow on Saturday gives me hope that there is another way of dealing with this matter, one which recognises that these are our neighbours and that refugees are welcome in Scotland.

SNP MP Alison Thewliss has called on the Royal Mail to ‘stop the threats of job cuts to valued postal workers and ‘engage meaningfully’ with the Communications Worker Union to find an acceptable solution to prevent further postal strikes. 

In a joint letter to the Chief Executive Officer of Royal Mail, Alison Thewliss MP told the Royal Mail Chief that it is “unacceptable to see the language employed by Royal Mail in threatening its workforce with job losses because they dare to ask for a fair work package.”

Postal workers across Glasgow Central are on strike again today, with several more strike days planned early next month, from the 2^nd of November to the 4^th of November.

Last week, the Royal Mail’s announced its intention to slash 10,000 jobs, citing the strike action and low parcel delivery sales as the reason. Thewliss has called this move a ‘tactic in the ongoing pay dispute with postal workers’ and has accused Royal Mail of ‘acting in bad faith’.

Commenting, Alison Thewliss MP said:

“Postal workers across Glasgow Central are struggling to make ends meet in the face of the cost-of-living crisis while Royal Mail shareholders benefited from bumper profits in the millions.

“It is understandable that postal workers find the argument that there isn’t money for them to have a fair wage unpalatable when there are millions of pounds of profit for shareholders, who should share the burden – when hard working postal staff are struggling to put food on their table this winter.

“Royal Mail staff in Glasgow Central and their families need financial security. The decision to strike will not have been easy for any of them, but this is about more than pay; it is also about protecting the universal mail service we all expect and value.

“Royal Mail need to get back to the negotiating table – in a meaningful way – and put our communities at the heart of discussions.”