Coronavirus in Scotland RECAP: First Minister gives Covid update at Holyrood | Nicola Sturgeon hails reduction in hospital cases | FM says Scottish Government wants to get Glasgow back on track ‘as quickly as possible’ | Scottish Greens leaders apologise after Covid breach | Boris Johnson and Matt Hancock respond to Dominic Cummings’ attacks on them

Uber’s “landmark” decision to recognise the GMB union opens the door to others working in the gig economy in Scotland who wish to organise, an official has said.

The ride-hailing app’s decision to strike a collective bargaining agreement means the GMB will represent up to 70,000 drivers across the UK.

It follows a Supreme Court decision earlier this year, which dismissed Uber’s appeal against an employment tribunal ruling that its drivers should be classed as workers with access to the minimum wage and paid holidays.

Uber has also recently agreed drivers should have at least the national living wage, holiday pay and a pension plan.

More than 1,000 of Uber’s drivers operated north of the border but the GMB said the decision would be significant for many others in the “gig economy”.

The union is planning a recruitment and organising drive as a result, in particular looking at those working for delivery companies.

GMB Scotland’s secretary Gary Smith said: “This is great news for over one thousand Uber drivers in Scotland, and tens of thousands more across the rest of the UK.

“These workers can now benefit from the collective strength of union representation and the stronger employment rights that go together with a union recognition agreement.

“It’s also a landmark moment for the gig economy.

“It shows that new and emerging industries can embrace trade unionism and that unions can organise within them.

“Ultimately, after a wretched year and a difficult decade, this agreement should give hope to workers that our post-Covid economic recovery can be built on fairer foundations.”

Smaller firms have lost an average of £192,000 in revenue since the start of the coronavirus crisis, new research suggests.

A survey of 1,000 owners of small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) indicated that just over four in five have taken a financial hit due to the pandemic.

More than one in 10 respondents said they had lost at least half a million pounds.

The study by freelance platform Fiverr suggested that those in Greater London lost the most money.

Half of those questioned said the Government handled the coronavirus pandemic well, while almost a third felt it had been handled badly.

Peggy de Lange of Fiverr said: “In the past year, it’s clear that SMEs have suffered. The financial loss is just the surface.

“It’s been inspiring to see how they continue to demonstrate resilience and agility through finding new revenue streams and being flexible to overcome the pressures Covid-19 has put on them.”

Pets at Home has revealed that revenue soared over the past year after it was boosted by the boom in pet ownership during the pandemic.

The company said group revenues jumped by 7.9% to a record £1.14 billion for the year to March 25.

The retailer said it was buoyed by an increase in new pet owners, with the UK’s pet population rising by “an estimated 8% in the 12 months following the first lockdown”.

This particularly sparked a rise in a retail revenues, which passed £1 billion in a year for the first time.

Pets at Home said sales of puppy-focused products jumped by 26%, while kitten products surged by 37%.

The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow has recorded the most coronavirus deaths in Scotland, new data shows.

The National Records of Scotland (NRS) has released a breakdown of coronavirus deaths by the hospital they occurred in.

Hospitals in the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) health board area have recorded the most deaths.

The Queen Elizabeth University Hospital had 809 deaths, while Glasgow’s Royal Infirmary had 628, the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley 425 and Inverclyde Royal Hospital, Greenock, 138.

In Lothian, Edinburgh’s Royal Infirmary recorded 368 Covid-19 deaths, and the city’s Western General Hospital 152.

St John’s Hospital in Livingston had 134 deaths.

In Tayside, Ninewells Hospital in Dundee had 340 coronavirus fatalities while in Ayrshire and Arran the University Hospital Crosshouse, Kilmarnock, had 339 and the University Hospital Ayr 186.

A total of 362 deaths took place in Lanarkshire’s University Hospital Wishaw, with 297 in University Hospital Monklands, Airdrie, and 282 in University Hospital Hairmyres in East Kilbride.

Aberdeen Royal Infirmary recorded the most deaths in Grampian with 261, Forth Valley Royal Hospital in Larbert the most in Forth Valley with 315, and Victoria Hospital, Kirkcaldy, had the most in Fife with 210.

Almost a third (30%) of people who have died with Covid-19 lived in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board area, according to NRS data, with 17% in Lanarkshire and 14% in Lothian.

NRS published the data along with its weekly breakdown of Covid-19 deaths.

Scotland’s councils need a multi-year financial settlement in the wake of coronavirus in order to be sustainable, a report has said.

The Accounts Commission has examined how local authorities responded to the pandemic.

While it praised the quick shift to new methods of working, it highlighted the unequal impact of Covid-19.

Its report said the most vulnerable, minority groups and women were most affected by changes brought about by the pandemic.

They included carers who could not access respite care and people with learning disabilities who were unable to access critical services and support.

The Accounts Commission said it was vital that councils had longer-term financial certainty, warning the funding situation beyond 2021 looked uncertain.

Elma Murray, interim chairwoman of the commission, said: “Councils, communities and their partners have worked incredibly hard to continue to deliver vital services to local people.

“The stark reality is that some council services won’t restart, and some services will have to be delivered differently.

“Underpinning this is the increasingly urgent need to address inequalities throughout Scotland’s communities.

“For councils this is made more challenging because they continue to operate in a climate of significant financial uncertainty, which must now be addressed.”