Council urged to understand consequences of tourism tax
More than 3,000 responses were collected from the public during a consultation conducted by the council, but councillors are yet to discuss the findings and the next step.
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Ms Campbell, from Arrochar, said: 'The visitor levy is yet another burden on a sector already struggling. Local authorities have not undertaken economic impact assessments, so have no idea whether it is going to be beneficial.
'It is going to increase the number of day trippers, it is going to increase the number of camper vans on our roads. This is based on an assessment which was done in 2019.
'We are in constant contact with Argyll and Bute Council, but are not encouraged by what we are hearing. There is not enough communication and they seem to have shut down communication with the industry.
'They need to understand the potential consequences before they go ahead with this and the impact it will have.
'Policymakers are thinking that tourism simply happens. If they introduce the visitor levy on top of all the other regulatory processes, that becomes the tipping point, and when will we find out?'
The association was visiting venues across the country to express its opinion on perceptions of the self-catering industry's role in housing shortages.
Fiona, who was recently awarded an MBE, added: 'We are absolutely fed up to the back teeth with our sector being scapegoated on the basis that we make any impact on the housing crisis. Our sector represents 0.8 per cent of the housing stock.'
Argyll and Bute Council has been contacted for comment. On its website, the authority's latest update on the visitor levy consultation process says: 'The independent agency we commissioned to prepare a report on the visitor levy consultation findings continues to analyse findings from the consultation to ensure that all feedback is fully considered and represented in the report.
'When complete, this report will be presented to councillors to consider at a meeting of the full council. We do not yet have a confirmed date for the meeting. We will provide a further update in August.'
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Telegraph
4 days ago
- Telegraph
‘I'm a scam expert but my mum still ended up on the suckers list'
Have your parents been the victim of a scam? Get in touch at money@ It was how tiny her usually indomitable mum looked when she revealed she had been a victim of a bank impersonation scam that still troubles Louise Baxter. The visible fragility as Linda, 76, got upset over the £6,450 she had nearly lost. 'She was ashen,' recalls Baxter, 45. 'And she looked small. She said to me, 'I feel like a vulnerable old lady.' I was like, 'Mum, you're not a vulnerable lady, you're a victim.' But it was really upsetting to see her like that because my mum is so fierce.' She adds: 'I felt terribly upset she had been manipulated by somebody and I hadn't been able to protect her. And I also felt a bit helpless.' Her description echoes the emotions of so many children of older scam victims, only with an extra note of self-recrimination: Baxter is the head of the National Trading Standards scams team. It's a team she set up in 2012 following a career with Trading Standards, and Baxter was awarded an MBE for her invaluable work in 2017. Yet even she couldn't stop her own mum from getting scammed. Baxter acknowledges it is difficult to admit her own mother has become a scam victim – not only once, but on two subsequent occasions, which she goes on to discuss. She alludes to the jibes she expects this interview to elicit. 'I don't doubt people are going to put some horrible things in the comments – 'Oh, why was she so stupid – she's running the national scams team',' she says. It's an attitude towards victims that she's keen to turn around. 'I think Mum was worried about telling me because of what I do,' she admits. Linda only revealed the bank scam to Baxter the day after she had clocked her mistake while speaking to another family member, who suggested she call up the bank. 'She was shaking, and she kept saying, 'I'm stupid.' And I said 'you're not stupid.' I get up on stages and shout about the fact we have to change the language; we have to provide permission for victims to come forward because nobody reports this as a crime because of the blame and shame element.' The art of the scam Baxter explains she has always talked openly about scams with her widowed mum, a retired town clerk who lives in Eastbourne, East Sussex. She views her as fully clued up. 'She's amazing, very switched on. She tells me how to manage my money; she helps friends who are less computer savvy,' she says. But Linda became ill with Covid in January 2024 and more isolated, and that affected her ability to process information and make decisions. She clicked on a scam social media advert to buy a scented candle and afterwards received genuine communication from her bank saying there had been attempted fraudulent activity on her credit card. This communication meant that when the impersonation scam happened later, her defences were down. Linda received a text one evening asking her to call her bank urgently to avert fraud and to respond using the telephone number given. A 'polite' chap called Simon took her account and bank log-in details and finally reassured her it was sorted. Within the hour a £6,000 loan was taken out on her account, and a further £450 was withdrawn to buy Royal Mint coins. Luckily, the loan withdrawal was stopped just in time. Afterwards, Baxter spoke to her mother regularly about potentially suspicious texts, emails or calls, as Linda began receiving more of them. Baxter explains that once you respond to one scam, you land on what criminals call the 'suckers list' and are targeted more. 'If you don't respond, you drop off the list,' she explains. Linda continued to ignore the scam communications until a couple of months ago, when she again bought items from adverts on Facebook, this time for the garden. She received a thank you note from the company but the items, costing £48, never arrived. The messages started up again. Recently, she was caught off-guard and responded to a text stating she had a parking fine. She clicked on the link, which took her to a legitimate-looking government website, and entered her contact details, only stopping and calling her daughter before giving her bank details. 'She said, 'I've done something silly',' Baxter recalls. She says it's a terrible feeling – that people are 'watching' her mum. 'I can't be with her all of the time,' she says. She explains even the least vulnerable older person becomes so the more they are targeted. 'There's potential for more susceptibility because there's more chance you might respond,' she says. Once a person has become a victim, they often lose confidence, too. 'The wellbeing and mental health effects are quite catastrophic, so it can sometimes catapult people into more vulnerability,' she says. She adds a staggering statistic: 'If you're elderly and a victim of a scam, you're two-and-a-half times more likely to die or go into residential care in the next 12 months.' Family rifts caused by scammers Baxter is no stranger to distressed families and, despite reiterating that anyone can become a victim, still cannot quite believe she is now one of those family members. 'There's a whole load of emotions I've dealt with (in families): frustration, desperation, the fact you haven't been able to protect them,' she says. 'A lot of shame as well. Why did I not notice? We should have visited more. And it can tear families apart. I've seen where criminals have isolated people and turned them away from their families.' This is particularly true of investment or romance scams. Baxter knows families unable to ever heal rifts. 'The criminals have said 'you can't talk about any of this because they're going to be jealous', or 'they want your money for inheritance',' she says. She describes scammers as groomers. 'They might phone on a daily basis, and so if a victim says 'my daughter says this is a scam' they'll say, 'I told you they were going to say that.'' The families won't be able to get through. 'Sometimes that could be because of cognitive decline, or because they've been coerced, controlled and emotionally manipulated to the nth degree, or it could be that there was a broken relationship before, so the criminals will hang on that,' she adds. Baxter gives broad advice to anyone trying to help a family member who has been scammed. 'The first thing is communication,' she says. 'The more people share the fact they've been a victim, the more it gives permission for others to share.' That is why Linda wanted her to speak. She also emphasises the importance of the right reaction you give a parent or grandparent. 'It's listening with empathy and no judgement. That first conversation is the most important, so they feel they can talk to you about it.' Baxter stresses the importance of simply asking a family member if they're not sure about a purchase, or a message, or any other form of communication – and to 'pause'. 'Nothing is that urgent. Criminals rely on pushing us into what's called a 'hot state' when our decision-making processes are impaired,' she says. She just wishes Linda had called when 'Simon's' text first landed. Scamming methods to beware of Lottery and clairvoyant letter scams These were rife when Baxter started working with Trading Standards 20 years ago, yet she explains they still are today. A lottery scam will suggest a big win if the recipient responds with an admin fee – but will also stress 'you mustn't tell anyone', explains Baxter. A clairvoyant letter scam, meanwhile, will often appear to be in handwriting, repeatedly use the recipient's name, and claim a clairvoyant has seen 'money on the recipient's cards'. It will ask them to respond with money for their prediction or may even threaten them if they do not 'cross their palm with silver'. These, says Baxter, are often the scams that victims don't reveal out of shame. 'Everybody's very focused on AI and the deepfake stuff,' she says, 'but in my world victims do tend to be over 70, and the old scam methods are still working.' Impersonation scams As Linda experienced, impersonation scams can be fake messages and calls from a bank, while it's also common for scammers to pretend to be the police or the NHS. And, while landlines are most prevalently used, mobiles are also targeted. 'The police one can sometimes be 'your bank account has been compromised, you need to go and get all your money out, and we're going to send a courier to collect it',' explains Baxter. A call pertaining to being from the NHS might not feel financially threatening at all, but it's no less damaging. 'It could just be someone pretending to speak from the NHS to get your personal information, to get sensitive medical history so later they could target you,' she says. Telephone scams More broadly, telephone scams can encompass any hot topic that scammers pick. Recently, calls selling roof insulation have been frequent. Baxter also lists a range of home goods and technology scams. 'We see 'you need to protect your washing machine and fridge freezer' and offers of an insurance-backed guarantee. Fake white goods protection policies will take a direct debit of £20 from your account each month. Older people might not access online banking and check their direct debits,' she says. Then there is the call claiming your computer has been compromised. 'They'll say 'we're from Microsoft, we just need to help you to block it.' They'll get you on to your computer and give you some code that gives them access so they can scrape it.' She adds: 'Victims have even been offered a call-blocking subscription to protect their phone from criminals.' Romance and 'pig butchering' fraud Baxter explains that victims of romance scams tend to be in their 50s and upwards, with the scams becoming more prevalent as people try online dating in older age. 'People are in an online relationship with somebody, and then that person needs money for plane tickets, hospital bills, or house maintenance', she says. She warns that romance scams can also evolve into a scam termed 'pig butchering'. This is when the victim is encouraged to make increasing financial contributions, usually in the form of cryptocurrency. 'The scammer will say something like, 'oh my God, I've had such a great day, I've just invested in this amazing scheme, it's going to make me millions of pounds.' And they talk about that a lot, and the victim will say, 'I've got £500 I can spare on that' – so you invite yourself in.' The 'butchering' later becomes apparent when the funds invested and the returns never appear. 'Hi Mum, it's me' texts These aren't new but are still prevalent, warns Baxter. In the form of a text, the victim will receive a natural-sounding message purporting to be from their son or daughter needing financial help. 'It'll often start with 'Hi Mum, my phone just broke, so can you delete the number and save this one?'' says Baxter. The conversation will continue depending on how the victim responds. ''I lost my phone' or 'I haven't got my bank account set up yet', or something like that. 'You couldn't just send £500 to my account?' and they'll send some details.'
North Wales Live
23-07-2025
- North Wales Live
Welsh tycoon caught on CCTV 'assaulting' lawyer
The moment mining tycoon David Lewis "assaulted" a solicitor was captured on CCTV. Footage shows the millionaire jabbing a finger at Robert Davies MBE while pushing him up against a window. Lewis, whose company operated Merthyr Tydfil's controversial Ffos y Fran mine, was cautioned for assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH). He was later prosecuted for that offence. But the case was dropped, prompting Mr Davies to share CCTV of the incident with WalesOnline. It appears to show Mr Davies, 75, exiting the Newport office of his firm, RDP Law, while Lewis is nearby in a parked convertible. Lewis, 68, gets out of the car and moves his face close to Mr Davies before following him to the side of the building, placing both hands on the solicitor and holding him up against a window. Lewis is the sole director of Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd, which ran Ffos y Fran - the UK's last opencast coal mine - from 2007 until two years ago when it finally closed more than a year after its planning permission had expired. The company, which turned over £75.2m in 2022 and £54.6m the following year, is currently mired in controversy over the land's restoration. Mr Davies has been a solicitor for more than 50 years and was awarded an MBE in 2007 for his contribution to legal services. He is the founder and chairman of RDP Law. The background to the alleged assault, according to Mr Davies, has to do with a civil court case. He told WalesOnline: "In April 2024, proceedings between companies controlled by Lewis, and a third party, were heard by the High Court in London. Both parties had wanted me as a witness; I declined, but appeared when summonsed by the court to do so." After Mr Davies gave evidence in the High Court, he says he was visited by Lewis on the afternoon of May 16 last year while heading out of the RDP Law office. The solicitor claimed in a statement to police: "I noticed there was a black convertible car parked in the bay immediately to the right of the front door of the office as one walks out. "As I was leaving the front entrance, I turned left towards my car and heard someone call: 'Come here you f***ing little s***.' At that I saw Mr Lewis getting out of his car. He walked up to me saying a stream of invectives, came right up against me pushing himself against me and causing me to move backwards." Mr Davies claimed he tried to de-escalate the situation but that Lewis followed him around the corner of the office. He alleged Lewis pushed him against the lobby window, with a hand or arm around the solicitor's neck. Lewis allegedly told him: "You dropped me in it, you lying b******." The solicitor continued: "His face was right up against mine by then and he was forcefully holding me against the wall... I said nothing to him in reply and he eventually released me. I walked back into the office and he remained outside." Mr Davies said he sustained a permanent scar to the neck which he believes was caused by Lewis' ring or a fingernail. Following a police investigation, a PC emailed Mr Davies in February: "Mr Lewis will receive a conditional caution for [assault occasioning actual bodily harm] with the condition to attend a victim awareness course." After being cautioned, Lewis allegedly failed to comply with the condition, which led to a prosecution being brought for ABH. But when Lewis appeared at Newport Magistrates' Court last week, the case was dropped without explanation, leaving Mr Davies appalled. Prosecutor Adam Warner then wrote to Mr Davies: "I am writing to let you know that I have reviewed the charge of assault occasioning you actual bodily harm on May 16, 2024, and made the decision to stop the prosecution. The reason for my decision is that a six-month time limit to commence a prosecution for the appropriate offence has passed." However, no such time limit applies to the offence of ABH. Mr Davies suspected the prosecution service decided a more appropriate charge would be common assault - which is subject to a six-month time limit - but then realised it was out of time. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has now confirmed this. Its spokesman told WalesOnline: "Having received the case from the police, and following a review of the evidence, we concluded that the correct charge was assault by beating. However, the statutory time limit for that offence had already expired. Consequently, the case was discontinued as we could not proceed with the original charge." The explanation has failed to satisfy Mr Davies, who claims no-one from the authorities came back to him to check "the extent, nature or effect" of the injury, which he alleges to be a permanent scar. He said: "It is beyond dispute that Lewis assaulted me. It was caught on CCTV. He subsequently admitted it [by accepting a caution]. Nothing could be clearer. That he has escaped answerability to the court is wholly unacceptable, and I will be asking Gwent Police and the Crown Prosecution Service to account for their apparent failures in enabling this." During the magistrates' court hearing, Presiding Justice Richard Morris granted a request from Lewis' solicitor Matthew Demaid that his legal costs be covered by central funds. When the magistrate confirmed this, Lewis laughed and walked out of the courtroom. Outside court, WalesOnline asked Lewis if he had previously accepted a caution for ABH against Mr Davies. He replied: "I haven't accepted a caution, absolutely not. I've just been found acquitted." When we said we had seen an email from police confirming the caution, his solicitor advised him not to comment further. We have since verified the email. Ffos y Fran mine shut in November 2023 after Merthyr Tydfil council refused an application to extend the time of operations there. Local residents were angered by delays to the closure, which came more than a year after the deadline on its planning permission. Merthyr (South Wales) Ltd originally agreed a plan to restore the 285 hectares of land once mining finished, but earlier this year the company applied for a revised scheme involving a different, "more affordable" restoration process. WalesOnline recently reported that the Coal Action Network, a campaign against coal mining, was planning to take the firm to court over its alleged refusal to fund the original restoration deal and "clean up its mess". In 2003 Lewis, of Sluvad Road in New Inn, Torfaen, was convicted of obtaining £88,000 by deception. Cardiff Crown Court heard the then-46-year-old ran firms with a turnover of £39m a year and became a "pathological gambler", betting on "anything that lived or moved". He placed more than £250,000 in bets over three months in an account with bookmakers Stan James. But after running up debts of £88,000 he lied to the bank that the account had been used without his authority, and was repaid the money. The court heard that Lewis - whose civil engineering business had contracts with various local councils - later paid back the refund he should not have had. Imposing a three-year community rehabilitation course and £33,000 in prosecution costs, Judge Jonathan Durham-Hall KC told Lewis: "You set about a scheme to deprive everybody except yourself, and when the truth was put before you, you wriggled, twisted and whinged." In its 16 years in operation, some 11 million tonnes of coal was extracted from Ffos y Fran. The mine was responsible for 86% of the UK's coal output before it shut. Gwent Police and the Crown Prosecution Service have been approached for comment on Mr Davies' criticism over the ABH prosecution. Lewis has been approached for comment through his solicitor.
Daily Record
20-07-2025
- Daily Record
Scotland's 'best seaside gardens' named as nine coastal beauty spots singled out
July is the perfect time to head to a colourful garden. Scotland's "best seaside gardens" have been crowned. Beauty spots in Dumfries and Galloway, South Ayrshire, and the Scottish Highlands are among those that were singled out. Visiting a garden is a classic summertime activity, with Scotland having no shortage of pretty estates. With summer halfway over, there is no time like the present to get out and walk around a vibrant garden. On Tuesday, July 15, Discover Scottish Gardens published a list of the top coastal gardens around the country. A total of nine seaside gardens are featured on the roundup. One of the gardens named among the best coastal spots in the country by Discover Scottish Gardens is Arbigland House and Gardens in Dumfries and Galloway. The 18th century mansion is situated within 24 acres of woodland gardens, which extend down to a beach along the Solway Firth. The formal gardens at Arbigland House are separated into different areas such as a Sunken Garden, a Japanese Garden, and a Sundial Garden. The former features roses and a Pavilion constructed by Italian Prisoners of War, while the Sundial Garden includes a sundial from 1815 that commemorates the battle of Waterloo. Discover Scottish Gardens stated: "From the 18th century mansion house, a long walk, lined by beech trees, stretches from Arbigland House to the beaches of the Solway Firth. The 24 acres of gardens here, which include an Italianate sunken garden, steep terraces and streamside gardens shaded by Giant gunnera, are undergoing restoration but there's no denying the salty credentials of this historic spot on the Dumfries & Galloway coastline. "The Vikings washed up here and the estate itself was the birthplace of John Paul Jones, father of the American navy." Elsewhere, the experts also selected Culzean Castle in South Ayrshire as one of Scotland's best seaside gardens. The castle sits in a 260-hectare estate featuring beaches, woods, trails, and more. Highlights of the estate include its colourful formal gardens and glasshouses. Culzean Castle itself sits atop a dramatic cliff, below which there is a picturesque sandy coastline home to various caves. The experts wrote: "From the battlements of Culzean there are spectacular views across the Firth of Clyde towards the jagged peaks of Arran. Beneath the castle lie rock pools and caves just begging to be explored, while the Fountain Court on the leeward side is filled with tender plants that relish the coastal conditions. "There are hundreds of acres of woodland paths to be enjoyed, along with a double walled garden full of decorative and edible plants." Another seaside garden featured on Discover Scottish Gardens' list is Ardencraig Gardens on the Isle of Bute. The garden, which is located near the island's principal town of Rothesay and is managed by Argyll and Bute Council, is home to a variety of exotic plants in its glasshouses. Other gardens singled out by the experts include Ardmaddy Estate in Argyll and Inverewe Garden in Scottish Highlands. Ardmaddy Estate is situated near the popular coastal resort of of Oban and features a restored and improved 18th century walled garden, while Inverewe Garden is located in Wester Ross and is known for its rare plants that can only grow thanks to the warming effects of the Gulf Stream. Meanwhile, Discover Scottish Gardens also praised Castle of Mey and Dunrobin Castle in the Scottish Highlands. Rounding out the list are House of Dun in Angus and Cambo Gardens in Fife. The full list of the best seaside gardens around Scotland can be found below. For more information about each one, visit the Discover Scottish Gardens website. The best seaside gardens around Scotland
