Babak Belurs

Rabu, 19 Agustus 2020

Restaurants ditch Eat Out To Help Out scheme blaming 'rude' customers - Metro.co.uk

Eat Out To Help Out scheme causing 'hostility towards staff' — More than 35 million meals have now been served under the government’s Eat Out To Help Out scheme, but owners have been forced to question whether it is worth the mental strain on staff (Picture: Google)

A number of despairing restaurant owners have withdrawn from the Eat Out To Help Out scheme after staff found it impossible to deal with hordes of ‘rude and entitled customers’.

The government has hailed the scheme as a huge success, with 35 million cheap meals being served up since the beginning of August.

However, some staff have admitted the ‘physical and mental stress’ they’ve been put under over the past three weeks has become too much for them to handle.

Kelly Hill, owner of The Tavern Inn in Newquay, told the BBC she pulled out of the scheme after it brought her ‘nothing but negativity due to the huge demand’.

She said: ‘People are ordering big, big meals; they are not willing to wait for their food; our staff are being shouted at for having no tables, or for the service being slow. It’s put an awful lot of strain on our waiting staff and kitchen staff.’

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The Westleigh Inn, near Bideford in Devon, has also pulled the plug on the scheme, blaming the ‘physical and mental stress it has put us and all our staff under’.

kelly hill owner of The Tavern Inn in Newquay PLEASE LEGAL — Kelly Hill owner of The Tavern Inn in Newquay, said the scheme brought ‘nothing but negativity’

A Devon pub has taken the decision to de-register from the Government's Eat Out to Help Out scheme - because they were too busy. — The owners of the Westleigh Inn near Bideford in North Devon say rude customers have put their staff under ‘physical and mental stress’ (Picture: Google)

Landlady Steph Dyer said: ‘The idea is brilliant, but just not in August. Do it in October. Everybody I have spoken to is finding it difficult to maintain standards of service’.

The owners of The Heron Inn in Truro also recently took to Facebook to confirm they were retracting the offer, writing: ‘Safety is our main priority, and with the increased amount of people visiting us, it is making it difficult for us to manage with social distancing rules in place.

‘We have received unpleasant comments and general unwelcome behaviour from customers when they are unable to find a table due to us having reached capacity’.

Meanwhile, the owners of The Paddock Inn in Penally, Wales have revealed business was good before the scheme and they only signed on to make their customers happy – however, they are now considering backing out after it brought their team ‘nothing but grief’.

They said: ‘We are seriously considering pulling the plug on this due to the extreme levels of rudeness, lack of understanding, and complete impatience of some of our recent customers.’

Steph Dyer and Pete Kenwood own the Westleigh Inn and have opted out of the Eat Out to Help Out scheme — Landlords Steph Dyer and Pete Kenwood told the BBC it is the wrong time for the scheme

Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak places an Eat Out to Help Out sticker in the window of a business during a visit to Rothesay on the Isle of Bute, Scotland. PA Photo. Picture date: Friday August 7, 2020. See PA story POLITICS Coronavirus Sunak. Photo credit should read: Jeff J Mitchell/PA Wire — Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak places an Eat Out to Help Out sticker in the window of a business during a visit to Rothesay on the Isle of Bute, Scotland (Picture:: PA)

‘If you are incapable of understanding this then go and get a table elsewhere. You will likely find that there is also a wait there as this is natural when operating with less staff.

‘We are currently discussing amongst ourselves whether or not to continue with the scheme as it is simply not fair to expose our staff to the kind of behaviour that we have seen this week.’

It comes after one distressed front-of-house team member told Metro.co.uk: ‘My days off are spent nursing a broken body and battered ego.’

Hundreds of restaurant and pub employees have also taken to social media to blast ‘rude and obnoxious customers who think they’re entitled to everything’.

One person named Alexander Michael Rice wrote: ‘Eat out to help out is a joke. It makes people more rude and obnoxious who then think they’re entitled to everything! Getting so much abuse lately, its a joke!’

While the Eat Out To Help Out Scheme has left many staff members feeling demoralised, the government has insisted it is key to saving the UK economy as the country plunges into the deepest recession on record.

Rishi Sunak said on Tuesday: ‘Today’s figures show that Britain is eating out to help out – with at least 35 million meals served up in the first two weeks alone, that is equivalent to over half of the UK taking part and supporting local jobs in the hospitality sector.

‘To build back better we must protect as many jobs as possible, that is why I am urging all registered businesses to make the most of this by claiming back today – it’s free, simple and pays out within five working days.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

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2020-08-19 07:24:00Z
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Selasa, 18 Agustus 2020

A-levels U-turn: Medical schools call for places cap to be lifted - BBC News

Ministers are coming under pressure to lift the limit on the number of places to study medicine in England, after changes to how A-levels are awarded.

The number of students studying to be doctors is regulated because of the cost and for NHS workforce planning.

But universities fear that without the cap on places relaxed and financial support, they can not accommodate all the students with the grades to get in.

The education secretary has apologised for the distress caused by the U-turn.

This is the latest issue thrown up by the government's decision on Monday to change how exam grades are awarded, following heavy criticism from students, teachers and some Tory MPs.

The move to give A-level and GCSE students grades estimated by their teachers, rather than by an algorithm, means thousands of A-level students may now have the grades to trade up to their first-choice university offers.

In a letter to Education Secretary Gavin Williamson, seen by the BBC, Universities UK sought "urgent assurances" that he was speaking to the Department for Health about increasing the medical student cap.

"The role of universities in training the medical workforce is essential for all regions and nations of the UK, as clearly shown by our members' response to the Covid-19 pandemic," it said.

The letter also called more widely for "significant financial support" from the government as students are expected to change courses after being awarded higher grades.

The body, which represents 137 institutions across the UK, said that while the change to the grading method was the right decision, it would lead to grade inflation meaning universities with lower entry requirements would face a drop in course take-up and as a result require financial help.

The letter also asked for clarity on how increased student numbers could be managed alongside social distancing measures and guidance on how to handle a higher number of candidates with the required grades than available places.

Prof Jenny Higham, principal of medical school St George's, University of London, told the BBC's Newsnight: "Medicine is both a very practical discipline and also requires a great deal of clinical and practical experience and hence clinical placement capacity also needs to be increased."

The pandemic has meant the current students have been unable to carry out their clinical studies meaning there is a backlog in places, she said.

Prof Higham added it was a high cost subject with courses funded by supplementary payments from the government as well as tuition fees, and the need to pay for clinical placements.

The BBC has asked the Department of Health for a response.

Conservative MP Sir John Redwood told Newsnight any changes also needed to be fair to the class of 2021 as well as "make up to the class of 2020", with next year's cohort needing to be assured of places if they got the necessary grades.

On Tuesday, universities minister Michelle Donelan said she wanted to ensure any students who had accepted a "different course" than planned, as a result of being downgraded last week, should be able to "change their mind and to reverse that decision".

She said No 10 was working with universities to help "boost the capacity available" in order to "minimise the amount of students that will be looking to defer."

Ministers in England, Northern Ireland and Wales all decided on Monday - four days after A-level results were issued - to revert to teacher assessed grades rather than the algorithm. Scotland reverted to teacher assessed grades on 4 August after facing a similar backlash.

The move prompted a scramble for university places as students tried to reclaim places at universities which they had last week been rejected from.

However, the top universities warned that students who now have higher grades could still be asked to defer if there is no space left on their chosen course.

The chaos and uncertainty has led to calls from school and college leaders for an urgent review.

"This degree of transparency is necessary at a time when public confidence has been badly shaken," said Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders union.

Mr Barton also called on No 10 and Ofqual to put in place a "robust contingency plan" for students sitting GCSEs and A-levels next summer in the event of further coronavirus-related disruption.

Meanwhile, pupils will get their GCSE results on Thursday as planned, the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) said.

PANORAMA: Has lockdown changed what we eat?
FORT SALEM: Fancy some escapism? Binge-watch the new series

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2020-08-19 02:25:15Z
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A-levels U-turn: Medical schools call for places cap to be lifted - BBC News

Ministers are coming under pressure to lift the limit on the number of places to study medicine in England, after changes to how A-levels are awarded.

The number of students studying to be doctors is regulated because of the cost and for NHS workforce planning.

But universities fear that without the cap on places relaxed and financial support, they can not accommodate all the students with the grades to get in.

The education secretary has apologised for the distress caused by the U-turn.

This is the latest issue thrown up by the government's decision on Monday to change how exam grades are awarded, following heavy criticism from students, teachers and some Tory MPs.

"The role of universities in training the medical workforce is essential for all regions and nations of the UK, as clearly shown by our members' response to the Covid-19 pandemic," it said.

The letter also called more widely for "significant financial support" from the government as students are expected to change courses after being awarded higher grades.

The pandemic has meant the current students have been unable to carry out their clinical studies meaning there is a backlog in places, she said.

Prof Higham added it was a high cost subject with courses funded by supplementary payments from the government as well as tuition fees, and the need to pay for clinical placements.

The BBC has asked the Department of Health for a response.

She said No 10 was working with universities to help "boost the capacity available" in order to "minimise the amount of students that will be looking to defer."

The move prompted a scramble for university places as students tried to reclaim places at universities which they had last week been rejected from.

However, the top universities warned that students who now have higher grades could still be asked to defer if there is no space left on their chosen course.

The chaos and uncertainty has led to calls from school and college leaders for an urgent review.

"This degree of transparency is necessary at a time when public confidence has been badly shaken," said Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders union.

Mr Barton also called on No 10 and Ofqual to put in place a "robust contingency plan" for students sitting GCSEs and A-levels next summer in the event of further coronavirus-related disruption.

Meanwhile, pupils will get their GCSE results on Thursday as planned, the Joint Council for Qualifications (JCQ) said.

PANORAMA: Has lockdown changed what we eat?
FORT SALEM: Fancy some escapism? Binge-watch the new series

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Students in limbo after A-level row | News - The Times

Thousands of students will be forced to defer their university courses for a year after the government’s retreat on A-level results, despite institutions offering an unprecedented expansion of places.

Vice-chancellors told The Times that they would honour pupils’ offers but could not guarantee that they would be able to take them up this year.

Some universities are adding 500 extra places each after the government lifted the cap. But dozens of others are forcing their glut of students to take an unwanted gap year and start their degree after next summer.

Universities including Cambridge said they could not guarantee that all those who had been offered a place would be able to start in October. This means that universities which until recently were asking students

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2020-08-18 23:01:00Z
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Students scramble for university places after exam U-turn - BBC News - BBC News

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Students scramble for university places after exam U-turn - BBC News BBC News
A-levels: Gavin Williamson 'incredibly sorry' for exam distress BBC News
With A-level And GCSE Results Doing A U-Turn, What Does It Mean For Students? | This Morning This Morning
Why should Gavin Williamson resign for being useless? That’s why he was appointed The Independent
The Government must learn the lessons of this exams imbroglio, and fast Telegraph.co.uk
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2020-08-18 21:13:21Z
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Wednesday's national newspaper front pages - Sky News

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Wednesday's national newspaper front pages Sky News
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2020-08-18 21:05:54Z
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Brexit trade talks set to stall again over British truckers’ EU access - Financial Times

Brussels has rejected the UK’s opening demands for continued wide-ranging access to the EU for British truckers, setting the stage for a clash when Brexit trade negotiations resume on Wednesday.

UK road haulage groups warned that failure to strike a deal by the end of the post-Brexit transition on December 31 would hurt hauliers and businesses on both side of the Channel, driving up costs and reducing availability for pan-EU supply chains.

The European Commission has told EU member states that the British request for trucking access was “fundamentally unbalanced”.

The UK wants British truckers to be allowed to continue making pick-ups and drop-offs both inside EU member states — known as “cabotage” — and between them, according to two people familiar with the negotiations.

The commission has warned member states that the UK request for cabotage rights is too similar to pre-Brexit levels of access to the EU single market and does not commit to enough level playing-field guarantees to ensure EU hauliers are not undercut.

“The commission view is that the UK request is fundamentally unbalanced and would give rights to UK hauliers that are extremely close to single market membership,” said a person briefed on the talks. “We cannot allow the UK to maintain pretty much the same access as it has today,” another added.

Negotiations over the proposed EU-UK trade deal remain stalled on multiple fronts, leaving the two sides little time to strike a deal in time for when the transition period ends.

Participants had low expectations for imminent progress during this week’s round of talks in Brussels, with fishing rights and state subsidies the two key sticking points.

Both sides will need to clear the way for a deal in September or at the very latest October if they are to have a chance of securing ratification by the end of the year.

Michel Barnier, the EU’s Brexit negotiator, warned publicly in London last month that the UK could not expect the same levels of access to the EU after Brexit, singling out road haulage as an area where the UK “continued to request single market-like benefits”.

The UK is requesting full transit rights for trucks crossing the EU to destinations such as Turkey; the right to make two drop-offs inside an EU member state; and the right to make three stops in total in the EU between member states.

The UK request is very similar to the existing rules for EU drivers, who are entitled to perform up to three cabotage operations within a seven-day period, although they can do these within a single member state.

British negotiators also want unlimited travel for unladen lorries; the rights for concert and tour operations to cover a music group or orchestra performing multiple tour dates in the EU; and additional rights for coach operators.

In return, the UK is offering EU drivers transit rights across the UK to other countries — which is particularly vital to Ireland as it uses the UK as a “land bridge” for exports heading into Europe — and the right for two cabotage stops within the UK.

Richard Burnett, chief executive of the Road Haulage Association, said the British request for two stops was “perfectly reasonable” and it was in the interest of both parties to reach a deal.

“Two stops is a reasonable ask in order to keep trade moving. And if the EU don’t agree to that it will constrain the ability of EU hauliers to come to the UK, which will act reciprocally. That doesn’t benefit anyone,” he said.

Mr Burnett added that he was sceptical about the EU’s concerns about maintaining a level playing field on trucking, given that UK hauliers were already facing stiff competition from EU drivers, particularly from the bloc’s lower-wage economies.

However, EU diplomats stress the political sensitivity of the sector, as well as the role regulatory regimes play in driving costs for the industry.

The commission on Tuesday published a draft legal text on road transport requirements following consultations with member states who have taken different views on how far to make concessions to the UK.

The 36-page document sets out level playing field requirements in areas including worker mobility, driving and rest times, working hours, and technical requirements for motor vehicles, including use of tachographs.

Although EU diplomats familiar with the negotiations did not rule out EU concessions on road transport, given the mutual interest in keeping road freight moving, they said they would be linked to the UK signing up to shared rules.

A UK spokesperson said: “Our discussions with the EU are in line with the UK’s approach to the negotiations, which we published earlier this year.”

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2020-08-18 20:30:00Z
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Rabu, 19 Agustus 2020

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Selasa, 18 Agustus 2020