Family loss inspires city MP to transform rare cancers research
Plus: Elsie Inglis statue plans lodged; and billionaire's 'windowless' Princes Street hotel
Father-in-law’s death prompts MP’s bid to change law on rare cancers
MPs are set to vote on proposed changes to UK law designed to incentivise research and investment into the treatment of rare cancers.
The Private Members Bill proposed by Dr Scott Arthur, the Edinburgh South West MP, was inspired by his father-in-law, Ivor Hutchison, who died just six month after being diagnosed with a brain tumour.
The proposals are being backed by charities including Blood Cancer UK and the Brain Tumour Charity who say it would transform the landscape around rare cancers in the UK.
MPs will vote on Friday on whether to take Dr Arthur’s Rare Cancers Bill forward to the next stage of legislation.
What will the Bill change? It will make it easier for patients to be easily contacted about research, including clinical trials, by creating a registry service for patients with rare cancers. It would also improve oversight of research delivery for rare cancers and trigger a review of ‘orphan drugs’ legislation to assess whether it is continuing to effectively incentivise the development of drugs for rare conditions.
What are orphan drugs? The term ‘orphan drugs’ refers to medicines used to treat, prevent or diagnose rare conditions. The name is a reference to the fact they may not have been developed for economic reasons. There is existing legislation designed to incentivise their development, but there are doubts about its ongoing effectiveness.
A rare opportunity: Dr Arthur effectively won a parliamentary lottery to get the chance to introduce the Bill. Only seven MPs are offered a realistic opportunity to steer a Private Members’ Bill through the UK parliament each year. They are chosen by a random ballot and he was one of the seven this year.
What happens next? Dr Arthur needs to secure the support of at least 100 MPs for his Bill to continue to proceed through parliament. The Brain Tumour Charity is urging the public to contact their MPs to ask them to support it ahead of Friday’s vote.
YOUR EDINBURGH BRIEFING
PRINCES STREET PROGRESS: Billionaire property tycoon Asif Azaz’s plans to open one of his ‘windowless’ hotels on Princes Street are expected to take an important step forward. City officials are recommending councillors approve his proposals for the former Debenhams site when they meet on Wednesday. The 328-bed hotel with a rooftop bar and three open air terraces would be the first Zedwell hotel in Scotland and one of the first outside London. Azaz’s fast-growing Zedwell chain is based on a concept of guest’s sleeping well in soundproofed ‘cocoon’ rooms without windows.
PIE PERFECTION: The Lothians is officially home to the UK’s best pie after one of the region’s most celebrated butchers carried off the top prize at the British Pie Awards. The kebab pie made by Boghall Butchers in Bathgate, West Lothian, beat off competition from 900 rivals to be crowned supreme champion, in the home of the pork pie, Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire. The pie’s filling consists of a doner kebab filling, made with chicken and beef, a chilli marinade and a sweet chilli sauce.
ELSIE INGLIS STATUE: Following years of campaigning and fundraising, the Elsie Inglis Trust has submitted plans for a statue of one of Edinburgh’s great heroes to the city council. Celebrated sculptor Alexander Stoddart’s portrait of Inlgis would stand outside 219 High Street, about halfway between North Bridge and St Giles, close to the site of the maternity hospital she established. The surgeon and suffragist is celebrated internationally for her humanitarian and pioneering medical work.
INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY: Several hundred people took part in an International Women’s Day march on the Royal Mile, joining millions around the world protesting for gender equality and social justice. Gender-based violence was one of the main focuses of this year’s protests.
MAROON MILE: Fifteen banners celebrating Hearts 150th anniversary are set to be hung from lampposts between Haymarket and Gorgie after councillors approved a key part of the club’s Maroon Mile plans.
HIBS PUB SAVED: A popular Hibs pub is set to reopen five years after being earmarked for conversion into flats. Leith’s Newbarns Brewery and The Palmerston in the city’s West End have had their plans to reopen the Cooper’s Rest in Easter Road as a bat and restaurant approved by the city council.
LOOKING CHILLED: Never work with children or animals, they say in showbiz. We couldn’t agree less, so there were no cold feet on our part when our friends at Edinburgh Zoo told us that children being supported by Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity have painted special pebbles to celebrate the beginning of penguin breeding season. Not half as much as the penguins are celebrating, we suspect…
WRITE AHEAD: Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Trust is looking to appoint a full-time director to lead the organisation, which is at the heart of the Capital’s literary community and a network of 53 UNESCO Cities of Literature in 39 countries.
VAPE SCARE: Two 14-year-old boys were taken to hospital after falling ill following smoking illegal vapes at Dalkeith High School. Vapes are banned at the school and the police are investigating the incident in which the boys escaped serious harm.
E-SCOOTER CRASH: A 16-year-old boy has been left fighting for his life following a crash between an e-scooter and a car on Newmills Road, Dalkeith, on Friday. Police are appealing for anyone with dash-cam footage to get in touch.
HOTEL AWARDS: Two crew members from Fingal, the floating luxury hotel in Leith, have been awarded prestigious Hospitality Industry Trust (HIT) Scotland scholarships. guest experience and environmental manager, Charles Granleese, has received the Frank Mullen Bespoke Scholarship to support his personal development and Matty Tomaszewski, assistant beverage manager, has been awarded the Whisky Scholarship.
HOSPITAL HOMES: The city council is seeking a development partner for the £120m regeneration of the Liberton Hospital site on Lasswade Road. The council bought the land from NHS Lothian and intends to build 388 homes there, with around half of them classed as “affordable”. The chosen developers will be asked to asses the practicality of retaining the 1960s hospital building as part of the redevelopment.
THE BUSINESS
Plea to help our city centre businesses “drive growth” through impending cost rises
Edinburgh’s city centre hospitality, retail and leisure businesses should be given the same level of help as those south of the border when it comes to meeting expensive business rates – especially with big cost rises on the way next month.
Essential Edinburgh, which runs the city centre business improvement district, is calling on the Scottish Government to take two positive actions to help mitigate the imminent increases in National Insurance and Real Living Wage costs which will increase business costs significantly from April.
The Capital BID is part of High Streets UK, a pro-growth partnership of over 5,000 businesses across the UK, which has released a series of policy recommendations in response to the Westminster Government’s Business Rates Discussion Paper. The UK Government is looking at reforming business rates.
Roddy Smith, Chief Executive of Essential Edinburgh commented: ‘’Although business rates policy is a devolved matter to the Scottish Government, we fully support the policy recommendations put forward to Westminster by our colleagues at UK High Streets. Business rates in Edinburgh city centre are the highest in Scotland and with additional increased costs coming forward in April 25, we must guard against business rates adding to unsustainable trading costs.
“The 40% relief for our retail, hospitality and leisure business has not mirrored those in England, especially in areas that have higher business rate such as Edinburgh city centre.
“City centres drive growth in our economy and provide thousands of jobs and need Scottish Government support. We will continue to work with fellow business organisations to press for change to our business rates system in Scotland in order to promote and protect our city centre high streets.”
PIONEERING SPIRIT: Birch Premium Botanical Vodka, made by East Lothian based Buck & Birch, has been recognised by Scotland’s top food and drink experts as the most innovative food and drink product by judges at the annual ScotHot hospitality sector event. The company’s work with local community woodlands in producing the vodka featured in the Inquirer in December.
THE APPRENTICE OPENING: The successful engineering apprenticeship scheme run by Lothian buses has opened for applications. During its decade of running, the project has seen 120 young people employed, with many rising to supervisory and managerial roles. The scheme is open till April 4.
MOTORING AHEAD: Arnold Clark has opened a new Vauxhall site at Cultins Road, off Calder Road, Edinburgh. The site will also host one of the car dealer’s newest franchises, Leapmotor, a Chinese electric vehicle company that designs, develops, manufactures and sells intelligent electric vehicles.
THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT
TASKMASTER RETURNS: Fringe favourite and Taskmaster host Greg Davies is set for three back-to-back sold out shows at the Playhouse, as he brings his Full Fat Legend show to Edinburgh from Wednesday as part of his first live tour in seven year.
GOING UNDERGROUND: You can explore Mary King’s Close at your own pace as the Royal Mile attraction opens its doors for a rare chance to wander the famous street outside of its normal guided tours. The Underground Unlocked night takes place on Thursday.
SMALL CHANGES: Mercury Prize winning singer-songwriter Michael Kiwanuka comes to the Usher Hall on Wednesday as he tours his album Small Changes which was lavished with praise by the critics.
QUICK BITES
YE OLDE COFFEE SHOP: A cafe named after one of Edinburgh’s most historic coffee house has opened following a £500,000 investment. John’s Coffee House and Tavern was once a hub for Scotland’s great legal minds, Enlightenment thinkers, and writers. The new venue bearing its name has opened close to its original site on the Royal Mile.
BOMBAY DREAM ENDS: One of Edinburgh’s best known Indian restaurants – Bombay Spice on Leith’s Duke Street – has closed after being in business for more than a quarter of a century.
NANDO’S BEGINS: A new Nando’s peri-peri chicken restaurant is set to open at the Gyle shopping centre in a unit that was previously opened by Frankie & Benny’s. A planning application for external alterations and new signage has been lodged with the city council.