The hot, dry weather experienced across Britain this year has brought an issue that is usually taken for granted rather sharply into view: water. For much of the summer, England's reservoirs and rivers came under increasing pressure, with restrictions imposed in some areas.
The UK Government is preparing for a major overhaul of Personal Independence Payment (PIP), with the Department for Work and Pensions now setting out a series of proposed changes following the first major review of the benefit since it was introduced in 2013. The review, chaired by Sir Stephen Timms, says the existing system is no longer fit for purpose.
Parents of teenagers in England are being told that they will need to understand a new range of vocational qualifications as their children approach the age of 14. The Career Development Institute has welcomed the introduction of new Vocational GCSEs, which are due to start being introduced in England from 2029.
One of the United Kingdom’s largest broadband providers, TalkTalk, is facing imminent insolvency risk, throwing the nation's critical digital infrastructure into a state of high alert. Plagued by a crushing £1.4 billion debt load, severe payment arrears to its primary network supplier, and a rapidly eroding customer base, the company's financial instability has escalated into a genuine national security concern for government officials.
Scotland wants more investment, more houses, more renewable energy and better infrastructure. But there is growing concern that one of the systems needed to deliver all of this is struggling to keep up.
For many years Highland Council has faced difficult decisions over small rural schools. Some have closed, others have been mothballed, and communities have often argued that a village school is about much more than the number of children sitting in its classrooms.
Diesel prices are approaching £2 a litre across Caithness, with another increase possible next week. But is it worth filling your tank now?.
The United States is now experiencing something that will be familiar to anyone filling a diesel vehicle in Caithness. But the numbers are on a different scale.
Glasgow City Council has taken a dramatic step in its long-running equal-pay dispute, giving notice that it intends to end existing pay arrangements for its non-teaching workforce unless an agreement can be reached with the trade unions. Around 23,000 employees are affected.
Pubs, restaurants and hotels are reporting that the growing popularity of weight-loss medicines may be changing the way some customers eat and drink. The Scottish Licensed Trade Association has surveyed around 300 pubs, bars, restaurants and hotels for its latest summer market report.
Farming is often thought of as an industry that relies mainly on land, livestock and hard work. Increasingly, it also requires access to substantial amounts of capital.
Workers in Britain and the United States are getting a smaller share of national income than they did decades ago. That is not simply a feeling.
The US bond market is sending an important signal about the future direction of interest rates. The yield on the 10-year US Treasury bond climbed to around 5.14% on Thursday, its highest level since 2007, while the 30-year Treasury yield reached about 5.44%, its highest level since 2004.
The United Kingdom will not attempt to build a massive, all-purpose foundational artificial intelligence model to rival the multi-billion-dollar systems currently dominating the United States and China. Confronted by stark realities regarding land, energy resources, and capital, British leaders have quietly abandoned the idea of a singular, state-backed mega-model.
Scotland's drug death figures have moved in the wrong direction again. New figures from National Records of Scotland show that 1,133 people died from drug use in Scotland in 2025, an increase of 116 deaths, or 11%, on the previous year.
Britain is approaching a rather remarkable demographic turning point. The population is still growing, but increasingly it is not because Britain is producing more people through births.
The Highland Council’s Justice Social Work teams in Lochaber and Caithness will be hosting open days in Fort William on Tuesday 6 October and Wick on Friday 9 October 2026. The open days will provide members of the public with an opportunity to gain an insight into the Justice Service and find out more about the excellent work going on locally.
Farmers are once again having to keep a close eye on fertiliser prices, with the cost of some of the key products used to grow crops remaining well above the levels seen before the latest international disruptions. For farmers, fertiliser is not an optional extra.
Rising energy prices are a problem for households and businesses, but there is another very large energy bill that receives much less attention. Highland Council operates one of the largest public-sector property estates in Scotland, while NHS Highland runs hospitals, health centres, clinics and other facilities across an enormous geographical area.
A new employment right coming into force in April 2027 will give employees a day-one right to take bereavement leave following the death of certain close family members. There has been some confusion about whether the new rules apply across the UK, particularly because employment law can be different in Scotland in some areas.