News Archive
31/10/2022
Council Agrees In-year Funding Support For A Range Of Partners
The Highland Council has been engaging with key public, private and third sector partners to understand the shared impact of the current financial crisis and the action that can be taken to maximise combined resources and minimise the impact of the financial challenges. They agreed a range of supports in a detailed report brought to Council today, 27 October including the following: One-off support funding is to be provided for ELC Partners in the current financial year, based on the payment of an additional funding amount calculated as 32p per hour for 3-5 year old provision, and 53p per hour for 2 year old provision, which is to apply from August 2022.31/10/2022
Young People To Have Their Say At Cop27
Young people from some of the countries already facing the worst impacts of climate change are being given the opportunity to attend COP27 in Egypt as part of the Scottish Government's work to widen access to climate negotiations. The Climate Youth Negotiator Programme will support 35 young people from countries including the Solomon Islands, Liberia and Bhutan to attend the UN climate negotiations, which take place from 6-18 November.31/10/2022
Scotland Leads On The Real Living Wage
A Fair Work approach to the cost of living crisis. A record proportion of employees in Scotland are being paid the real Living Wage (rLW) or more, new figures reveal.31/10/2022
Bombshell New Figures Highlight Collapse Of Exports To The Eu Big Four - Plus The USA And China!
New Government figures show a massive post-Brexit slump in UK exports to Germany, France, Italy and Spain - and reveal the UK failed to transition to key export markets such as the USA and China. The new International Trade Secretary, Kemi Badenoch, faces an uphill battle, warns ParcelHero.31/10/2022
Protecting Scotland's Water - New Rules To Align With European Union Standards
Powers passed by MSPs to help deal with the impact of Brexit are being used for the first time to ensure Scotland's high quality drinking water aligns with standards set by the European Union. The EU Continuity Act 2020 ensures that Scotland can maintain and advance the high standards shared between devolved Scots and EU law, irrespective of the consequences of the UK’s exit from the European Union.31/10/2022
A Transparent Approach To Benefit Take-up Progress
A new annual publication with estimated take-up rates of Scottish social security benefits has been published for the first time. The report will help track progress against the Scottish Government's Benefit Take-up Strategy which is a requirement of the 2018 Social Security (Scotland) Act.31/10/2022
West Of Orkney Windfarm Successfully Completes Offshore And Nearshore Survey Campaign
The developer of the West of Orkney Windfarm has completed its 2022 offshore surveys for the project area, located around 25km north of the Sutherland coast. The 2 GW project is a joint venture comprising Corio Generation, TotalEnergies and Renewable Infrastructure Development Group (RIDG) and is scheduled to be generating electricity by 2029.
30/10/2022
HIE Board Visits Shetland
On Monday afternoon, the Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) board members paid a visit to Lerwick Port Authority to hear about the plans to develop an ultra-deep-water quay at Dales Voe. The project intends to further enhance port facilities and allow for a significant volume of future decommissioning work and offshore wind opportunities that will create many jobs.
30/10/2022
Public Services In A Digital Future
This blog is part of a collaborative Joseph Rowntree Foundation project examining and exploring ideas we need to advance Social Justice in a Digital Age. "Productivity isn't everything" wrote Paul Krugman, Nobel prize-winning economist in 1990.30/10/2022
Council Welfare Schemes Better In Scotland Than England But All Are Struggling
William Eichler writing in Localgov highlights a report by the Resolution Foundation. Cuts to benefits have left local authority-administered discretionary welfare support funds ‘over-burdened', think tank warns.29/10/2022
UK Government Debt And Deficit June 2022
UK general government gross debt was £2,436.7 billion at the end of Quarter 2 (Apr to June) 2022, equivalent to 101.9% of gross domestic product (GDP). UK general government deficit (or net borrowing) was £43.9 billion in Quarter 2 2022, equivalent to 7.2% of GDP.
29/10/2022
Covid-19 Variants Identified In The UK - Latest Updates
Latest updates on SARS-CoV-2 variants detected in the UK. UKHSA designates 2 new COVID-19 variants.
29/10/2022
Welsh Ambitions Are Powering Ahead Of Scotland's
A tale of woe that the Scottish government would like to forget. Oh maybe also the banking dreams and the ferries still not delivered after six years.29/10/2022
Low And High Pay In The UK 2022
Over the coronavirus pandemic period, earnings estimates were affected by changes in composition of the workforce and the impact of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (furlough) making interpretation difficult; also data collection disruption and lower response rates mean that, for 2020 and 2021, data were subject to more uncertainty and should be treated with caution; we would encourage users to focus on long-term trends rather than year-on-year changes. The proportion of low-paid employee jobs (based on hourly pay) fell to 10.5% in 2022 from 14.3% in 2021, the lowest since the series began in 1997, with the proportion of high-paid employee jobs falling 0.7 percentage points on-the-year to 23.7% in 2022.29/10/2022
UK Government Approves Agreement Between Bulb And Octopus Energy, Providing Certainty To 1.5 Million Customers
A deal has been signed confirming Bulb's 1.5 million customers will have a new energy home in Octopus. UK government approves deal between the special administrators of Bulb and Octopus Energy to acquire Bulb's 1.5 million customers following an extensive and competitive sale process, the move provides a stable new home for Bulb's customers and 650 employees.
29/10/2022
Scotland Is World's First Daily Mile Nation
Scottish children have stepped their way into the history books as the country is confirmed as the world's first Daily Mile Nation. Around 187,000 school children in all of Scotland's local authority areas are getting active for at least fifteen minutes a day meeting the criteria agreed with the Daily Mile Foundation.29/10/2022
Scottish Independence: How Nicola Sturgeon's Pledge To Rejoin The EU Could Impact A Referendum Vote
John Curtice, Senior Research Fellow, National Centre for Social Research, and Professor of Politics, University of Strathclyde and TV pundit on the statistics writing for the Conversation web site. In its new white paper on the economics of independence , the Scottish government made it clear that rejoining the EU was central to its vision of how Scotland could prosper outside the UK.28/10/2022
Progress In Nhs Highland - Improvements In Governance, Leadership And Culture - Have they Solved The Bullying Problems?
NHS Highland will move from Stage 3 to Stage 2 of NHS Scotland's national performance framework following improvements in governance, leadership and culture. The Health Secretary confirmed that the health board had taken actions to warrant reviewing the escalation, initially put in place in 2018, and will continue to be monitored by the Scottish Government.28/10/2022
Dormant Training Firm Shut Down After Abusing Covid Support
Training and development company took £60,000 through two financial support schemes despite not being eligible. Keysholders Ltd was wound up by the High Court on 21 June 2022 and the Official Receiver has been appointed Liquidator of the company.28/10/2022
