Latest News

April Sees Slowing In Annual House Price Growth

UK house prices fell 0.4% month on month in April.   Annual rate of change slowed to 0.6%, from 1.6% in March.  

New Timetable To Deliver Improvements For Communities Across Scotland

A new timetable to be introduced by ScotRail on Sunday, 2 June will see improvements for customers throughout the country, helping to ensure rail remains one of the easiest and sustainable ways to travel.   There will be almost 100 additional services each weekday, including trains to new stations at Cameron Bridge and Leven, which form part of the reopening of the Levenmouth rail link.  

Closing Door To Immigrant Students Families Resulted In 80 Percent Drop

Strong action taken by the Home Secretary to transform the UK's immigration system and cut unsustainable and unfair levels of migration is delivering, new data published today shows.   The number of dependants accompanying students to the UK has drastically fallen by almost 80%, with more than 26,000 fewer student visa applications made from January to March 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.  

Time To Renew For Tax Credits Customers

Around 730,000 tax credits customers will start receiving their annual renewal notices from this week.   HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) said tax credits claimants will receive them between 2 May and 19 June 2024.  

Defence Sector Continues Contributing Significantly To UK Economy

The Joint Economic Data Hub (JEDHub) report shows growth in Defence sector employment, recruitment and revenue.   The Joint Economic Data Hub (JEDHub) report shows growth in Defence sector employment, recruitment and revenue.  

Will Local Government Pick Up The Tab For Increased Defence Spending?

The article published on the LocalGov web site on 30 April 2024 looks at the affect of an increase in defence spending from an English perspective u there may well be knock on effects for Scottish councils Cllr Graham Chapman, vice-chair of the Special Interest Group of Municipal Authorities (SIGOMA), looks at what the PM's announcement of an increase in defence spending means for local authorities.   It is clear that last week's sudden announcement of a ‘substantial' increase in defence spending is not a well thought-through proposition.  

Unemployment On The Rise - Beware Of These Job Scam Warning Signs And Update Your CV

Over 156,000 jobs were lost in the UK compared to the previous three-month period, marking the largest drop since last August.  As firms continue to shed workers and unemployment figures climb to 4.2% - the highest since summer 2023 - job scammers are dangling their bait in hopes of cashing in on desperate job seekers.  

Federal Reserve Keeps Interest Rates Unchanged As Inflation Subbornly Keeps High

The Federal Reserve left its key interest rate unchanged at between 5.25% and 5.5% — the highest level in more than a decade — as annual inflation rates continued to stall.   In its statement announcing the hold, the central bank said that in recent months, there had been "a lack of further progress" toward its 2% percent inflation goal.  

Online Voluntary National Insurance Payments Service Launches

Find out if voluntary National Insurance contributions will boost your State Pension.   The government is making it easier for customers to check for and fill any gaps in their National Insurance (NI) record to help increase their State Pension by launching a new online service today (29 April 2024).  

Consultation Launched To Reduce Disability Benefits

There has been a surge in numbers of people claiming disability benefits since the pandemic and projections show this is continuing, Consultation published on 29 April on proposals to move away from fixed cash benefit system towards tailored support.   Comes as over 2.6 million people of working age now receiving PIP with monthly new claims almost doubling since 2019.