There must be a point when a government stops reviewing a problem and starts solving it. For women and families in Moray, that point may feel a very long way away.
For much of the past year, the direction of travel seemed reasonably clear. Interest rates were expected to continue falling as inflation came under control.
Scotland has a population problem. The number of births is falling, the population is ageing and in many parts of the country deaths now substantially outnumber births.
For the past couple of years, borrowers have been given a fairly reassuring message. Interest rates rose sharply to bring inflation under control, but once inflation began to fall the expectation was that rates would gradually come down again.
Scotland has a child poverty target written into law. By 2030/31, the proportion of children living in relative poverty after housing costs is supposed to be below 10%.
For several weeks Glasgow City Council has been at the centre of one of Scotland's most serious local-government employment disputes. Thousands of council workers faced the possibility of being dismissed and then offered their jobs back on new terms and conditions.
Tens of thousands of people have been protesting across Spain over the country's housing crisis, with rapidly rising rents and the growing influence of tourism among their biggest concerns. The protests came after the Spanish parliament rejected government measures intended to strengthen tenant protection and restrict some forms of short-term rental accommodation.
Britain has just been given another reminder that the cost of changing workers' pay and conditions can sometimes extend far beyond the workplace. North Sea offshore workers employed by Wood Group are beginning strike action in a dispute over pay and employment conditions, including what unions say is the threat of "fire and rehire".
It is easy to become gloomy about Britain. Turn on the television or radio and there is a steady diet of bad news.
Diesel has passed £2 a litre in Britain for the first time. In February it was £1.41.
Scotland has spent almost two decades talking about smaller primary-school classes. The SNP made a very clear commitment in its 2007 manifesto to reduce P1, P2 and P3 classes to 18 pupils or fewer.
Britain's road haulage industry is under pressure, and the numbers provide some evidence that this is more than just a few individual companies getting into difficulty. In 2025, 401 UK companies classified as freight transport by road entered insolvency.
Andy Burnham’s revelation that he was prepared “to go all the way” in terms of the UK’s relationship with the EU came as a shock to many. While a commitment to rejoining the EU in the next Labour manifesto is far from a given – and the prime minister’s language was non-committal – the statement broke a taboo in the party.
Just announced 8:00am today - BT has agreed a rescue of the stricken broadband supplier through a pre-pack administration which will safeguard hundreds of jobs. TalkTalk has been under serious financial pressure, with reports that the company could enter administration.
Bowel cancer has traditionally been thought of as a disease mainly affecting older people. That is still broadly true.
Britain is being encouraged to prepare for emergencies. The advice is sensible.
The Scottish Government has announced more than 250 paid NHS placements for parents on low incomes as part of its effort to tackle child poverty. It is difficult to argue against the basic idea.
Anyone eligible to vote in the contested Latheron, Lybster and Clyth Community Council election is reminded that their postal ballot papers need to be completed and returned in the pre-paid envelope provided by 12 noon on Thursday, 8 October 2026. Candidates standing were invited to submit a statement to support their candidacy and these statements are provided in the envelopes mailed out along with the ballot papers to all eligible voters.
The number of sub-5% fixed mortgage deals has plummeted during September, while the average five-year fixed rate has now hit 6%, - Moneyfactscompare.co.uk analysis. The number of sub-5% fixed mortgage deals has plunged by 99%, from 1,494 since the start of September 2026 to just nine today.
For several years, millions of British homeowners have enjoyed something that now looks increasingly like a historical curiosity: a mortgage costing perhaps 1%, 2% or 3%. Those cheap fixed-rate deals provided households with a degree of financial certainty that was almost taken for granted.