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Glasgow Times
4 days ago
- Politics
- Glasgow Times
Glasgow city council caught up in Netflix and porn scandal
The Daily Mail revealed that Glasgow City Council workers tried to access inappropriate sites using taxpayer-funded devices. In the past year, staff attempted to stream Netflix shows 63 times. They also tried to access the Pornhub website 17 times and gambling sites another 17 times. READ MORE: YOB chucked bottle at Celtic goalkeeper during derby match READ MORE: Two officers hospitalised and three arrested after 'disturbance' While most attempts were blocked by the council's safety firewall, five attempts to access betting sites were successful. The council suggested that some staff may have been working on a gambling harms project at the time of these successful entries. The revelations come as many public sector staff continue to work from home for part of the week, with some logging on from as far away as the United Arab Emirates, Bulgaria, and Germany. This follows last week's revelations in The Mail that Scottish Government civil servants had also been accessing inappropriate material at work. Scottish Conservative Glasgow MSP Annie Wells said: "Glaswegians who have been hit with huge hikes in their council tax will be appalled that council employees have been trying to access dodgy websites and Netflix on their time. "We know that this behaviour has occurred within the SNP government, and this culture is clearly prevalent within SNP-run Glasgow City Council too. "Hard-pressed taxpayers expect employees to be focused on fixing the city's pothole-ridden roads, emptying bins, and supporting our schools. "Instead, there have been multiple occasions of them trying to view dodgy content, place a bet or watch their favourite new shows. "This might only be a select number of staff who thought this was appropriate, but SNP bosses at the City Chambers must guarantee all staff will be working on what matters to Glasgow at all times." Figures obtained under freedom of information laws show that there were 63 attempts to access Netflix on Glasgow City Council devices between May 14, 2024, and May 13 this year. Every attempt was blocked by a firewall, the council insists. In the past year, there were also 17 attempts to access pornography on Glasgow City Council devices, but every attempt was again blocked by firewalls. READ MORE: Glasgow drivers racked up £1.7m in LEZ fines since 2023, figures show Over the same period, there were 17 attempts to access gambling websites, with five of those being successful. The statistics, obtained by the Scottish Conservatives, follow a public backlash over the number of civil servants and local authority staff still working from home, despite the Covid pandemic ending in 2022. Some workers only need to attend their office one day a week, while council staff have been allowed to work from far-flung locations including Japan, India, and Australia. A spokesman for the council said: "The council has clear policies on acceptable use of IT equipment, and access to some sites and services is restricted or blocked. "The council has thousands of staff who use a PC, phone or other internet-enabled device, and these figures reflect a very small number of incidents."
Scottish Sun
4 days ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Scottish council staff caught watching porn and Netflix on work computers
It comes amid similar revelations about public sector workers elsewhere SITE FOR SORE EYES Scottish council staff caught watching porn and Netflix on work computers Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) STAFF at Scotland's biggest council have been watching porn and skiving on Netflix while on the job. Glasgow City Council workers have been accessing X-rated sites and streaming platforms on their official devices. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 The sites were accessed on Glasgow City Council devices Credit: Getty 3 Workers tried to get onto Pornhub on their council laptops Credit: Alamy New figures revealed by the Mail on Sunday show just how many times employees tried to access the forbidden webpages. Pornhub was among the naughty sites skiving staff tried to access while on the taxpayer's time. Figures showed workers tried to access the site 17 times. Most of the attempts to gain access to the X-rated platform were blocked by the council's firewall, but five attempts managed to get through. Staff also logged on to Netflix 63 times in the past year to watch their favourite shows. Others tried to access gambling sites 17 times. It comes as the city recently rolled out huge council tax hikes for residents. Glaswegians saw 7.5 per cent added to their bills to tackle the city's crumbling roads and rubbish-strewn streets. It has sparked fears some staff could be slacking off while working from home. Scottish Conservative MSP Annie Wells, who represents Glasgow, told the Mail: "Glaswegians who have been hit with huge hikes in their council tax will be appalled that council employees have been trying to access dodgy websites and Netflix on their time. DWP adviser filmed exposing her boobs and flashing fans on porn site while working from home "Hard-pressed taxpayers expect employees to be focused on fixing the city's pothole-ridden roads, emptying bins, and supporting our schools." It comes as similar revelations were made about Scottish Government Civil Servants who had accessed the same sites. A spokesperson for Glasgow City Council said: "The council has clear policies on acceptable use of IT equipment and access to some sites and services are restricted or blocked. "The council has thousands of staff that use a PC, phone or other internet-enabled device and these figures reflect a very small number of incidents."
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Now SNP-led council staff try to watch Netflix and porn while using work computers
An SNP-led council has become embroiled in the Netflix and porn scandal, as The Mail can reveal that workers tried to access inappropriate sites using their taxpayer-funded devices. Staff at Glasgow City Council, some of whom continue to work from home for at least some of the week, have attempted to stream their favourite TV shows on Netflix on 63 occasions in the past year. Workers also tried to click through to the X-rated Pornhub website 17 times, with the same number of attempts made to get onto gambling websites. Although most of the attempts were blocked by the council's in-built safety firewall, five click-throughs to betting sites were successful. A spokesman for the local authority said that some staff may have been working on a gambling harms project at the time of the successful web entries. However, the shock figures come as a number of public sector staff continue to work from home some days of the week, with one local authority admitting that some are logging on from the United Arab Emirates, Bulgaria and Germany. It also follows revelations in The Mail last week that Scottish Government civil servants had also been accessing inappropriate material at work. Scottish Conservative Glasgow MSP Annie Wells said: 'Glaswegians who have been hit with huge hikes in their council tax will be appalled that council employees have been trying to access dodgy websites and Netflix on their time. 'We know that this behaviour has occurred within the SNP government, and this culture is clearly prevalent within SNP-run Glasgow City Council too. 'Hard-pressed taxpayers expect employees to be focused on fixing the city's pothole-ridden roads, emptying bins, and supporting our schools. 'Instead, there have been multiple occasions of them trying to view dodgy content, place a bet or watch their favourite new shows. 'This might only be a select number of staff who thought this was appropriate, but SNP bosses at the City Chambers must guarantee all staff will be working on what matters to Glasgow at all times.' Figures obtained under freedom of information laws show that there were 63 attempts to access Netflix on Glasgow City Council devices between May 14, 2024, and May 13 this year. Every attempt was blocked by a firewall, the council insists. In the past year, there were also 17 attempts to access pornography on Glasgow City Council devices, but every attempt was again blocked by firewalls. Over the same period there were 17 attempts to access gambling websites, with five of those being successful. The statistics, obtained by the Scottish Conservatives, follow a public backlash over the number of civil servants and local authority staff still working from home, despite the Covid pandemic ending in 2022. Some workers only need to attend their office one day a week while council staff have been allowed to work from far-flung locations including Japan, India and Australia. A spokesman for the council said: 'The council has clear policies on acceptable use of IT equipment and access to some sites and services are restricted or blocked. 'The council has thousands of staff that use a PC, phone or other internet-enabled device and these figures reflect a very small number of incidents.'
Scottish Sun
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Scottish Sun
Nicola Sturgeon branded ‘part-time MSP' after landing more than £76.5k book deal
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) NICOLA Sturgeon has been branded a 'part-time MSP' after banking another £76,500 from her book deal. It is the second of four upfront payments the former First Minister will receive for her memoir 'Frankly'. 3 Nicola Sturgeon has been branded a 'part-time MSP' Credit: Alamy 3 Tory MSP Annie Wells said she is 'more interested in writing her memoirs than turning up to parliament' Credit: Getty 3 The memoir is set to hit the shelves on August 14. Ms Sturgeon has rarely attended Holyrood since stepping down as SNP leader in March 2023. But she will appear on the campaign trail for the Hamilton by-election today. Tory MSP Annie Wells said yesterday: 'Nicola Sturgeon has become a part-time MSP. 'It will stick in the throats of constituents that she continues to coin it in for work away from Holyrood when they face huge challenges. "She has been more interested in writing her memoirs and touring the festival circuit than turning up to parliament.' Ms Sturgeon will receive a total of £300,000 from publishers Pan Macmillan for Frankly, which is out in August. It will stick in the throats of constituents that she continues to coin it in for work away from Holyrood when they face huge challenges Tory MSP Annie Wells Records show her personal company was paid the second, five-figure sum. Her spokeswoman said: 'Nicola continues to be an active MSP, holding surgeries, meeting with constituents, and engaging widely.' The memoir is set to hit the shelves on August 14. In a video shared on Instagram, Sturgeon opened up about her upcoming book and revealed she's 'poured her heart' into the memoir. Nicola Sturgeon breaks silence after being cleared over SNP finance probe It promises to lift the lid on her personal journey and political career. She said: 'Hi, I have some news today that I am thrilled to share with you. The cover and title of my memoir, which will be published on 14 August. 'I have poured my heart into this book. It tells the story of my personal journey. It recounts the extraordinary events that I have been privileged to live and to lead through. She has been more interested in writing her memoirs and touring the festival circuit than turning up to parliament Tory MSP Annie Wells 'It takes you behind the scenes of the incredible experiences I've had along the way and my interactions with some colourful characters. 'The title sums up what the book is - open, honest, candid about my mistakes and my heartbreaks as well as my triumphs and achievements. 'So here it is, Frankly. I can't wait for you to read it, and it's available for pre-order now.' Ms Sturgeon previously said: "I think it's a very candid book. People will judge it on its merits. And no doubt people will have things to say about it. But it's candid. "I have, I hope, been very open about the things I'm proud of or have done right, and also the things that I don't think I did as well as I might have done."
Scotsman
12-05-2025
- Health
- Scotsman
Cervical smears: Number of women receiving vital health test plummets in Scotland
Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The number of women getting cervical smear tests has plummeted over the past three years, figures have revealed, as the Scottish Government was urged to 'do better'. Last year at least 121,981 tests were carried out across Scotland. But this number has fallen sharply from the 189,283 tests conducted in 2023 and the 223,276 tests in 2022. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad A number of health boards saw their numbers almost halve during this time, including NHS Grampian, NHS Lanarkshire, NHS Lothian and NHS Tayside. All women between the ages of 25 and 64 are offered a cervical smear test every three to five years to try and prevent cancer. The speculum and soft brush they use for the smear test But according to data obtained by the Scottish Conservatives through a Freedom of Information request, the number of women receiving a smear test in NHS Grampian almost halved from 35,297 in 2022 to just 18,194 last year. A similar picture was seen in NHS Lanarkshire where numbers dropped from 42,134 in 2022 to 22,272 last year. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad At NHS Lothian, a drop of 60,136 to 31,750 over the corresponding period was recorded, and in NHS Tayside there was a fall from 25,603 to 13,637. Falling numbers were also recorded at other health boards, including at NHS Ayrshire and Arran where tests dropped from 21,190 to 13,392 and at NHS Borders where a decrease from 6,290 to 3,579 was seen. At NHS Forth Valley, the numbers dipped from 18,838 to 9,975 and at NHS Highland tests tumbled from 13,887 to 9,182. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad On top of this the number of women receiving further treatment or a follow-up appointment after their smear test dropped slightly from 8,926 in 2023 to 8,589 last year - despite there being an increase of 1,734 between 2022 and 2023. Annie Wells, the Scottish Conservatives' health spokeswoman, hit out at the Scottish Government for not publishing this data themselves. Annie Wells said the Scottish Tories would repeal the Hate Crime Bill. She told The Scotsman: 'These figures show that there has been a decline in women attending for vital screening right across the country. The fact the Scottish Government has not managed to publish these statistics is a failing that compounds this worrying situation. 'Health boards clearly hold the data and it's unacceptable that this hasn't been formally published, which would allow experts, politicians and the media to properly scrutinise it. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'We know that screening saves lives, so any reduction in attendance is also a risk that someone is not getting the care and treatment they need. For the sake of women all over Scotland, the government must do better.' The Scottish Government was contacted for comment.
