Highland councillors have agreed to take forward a new planning policy aimed at reducing light pollution across the region. At a meeting of The Highland Council’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee held (Thursday 28 May 2026), members supported the proposed Dark Skies Draft Planning Policy, which will guide lighting requirements in new developments.
The Economy and Infrastructure Committee met today (Thursday 28 May, 2026) and reaffirmed The Highland Council’s strong progress in delivering its Strategic Tourism Infrastructure Development Plan (STIDP), with more than £7 million secured to date through the Scottish Government’s Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund (RTIF). The investment is supporting a wide range of projects across the Highlands.
The argument from the Scottish Government is that Scotland produces very large amounts of electricity especially renewable power from wind and hydro. Yet Scottish households still pay some of the highest energy costs in Europe because pricing is largely set across the whole UK market.
New government guidance to help avoid fake fashion. This will support shoppers to make the most of the UK's thriving pre-loved market, after 1 in 4 bought a fake without knowing.
Businesses urged to take simple steps for smoother trade with the EU. On 19 May 2025, the UK government and the European Union (EU) agreed to pursue a new Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement.
Households across the UK continue to embrace solar power as the government accelerates its clean power mission. 269,000 solar installations completed in 2025 – the highest total ever recorded in a calendar year and 37% larger than the year before.
The UK government has announced new measures designed to prevent councils in England from making what it describes as “risky investments” using public money. The move follows a series of high-profile financial crises involving local authorities that borrowed heavily to invest in commercial property, shopping centres, hotels and other speculative projects in the hope of generating income.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued a warning after new figures showed Salmonella infections in England reached their highest level in a decade during 2025. According to the latest data, there were 10,406 confirmed Salmonella cases in England last year, slightly higher than the 10,389 recorded in 2024 and far above levels seen earlier in the decade.
A challenging mix of a failure to fill the gaps in the nursing workforce and increasing patient need are leaving staff struggling to keep people safe, as a quarter say registered nurse numbers are so far below what is required that there is now a high risk of harm on shift. There’s now a ‘high risk’ of harm on shift, say nursing staff in Scotland.
Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), which includes Southern, Thameslink, Great Northern and Gatwick Express, will transfer into public ownership. On Sunday 31 May, Thameslink, Southern, Great Northern and Gatwick Express will transfer into public ownership to deliver more reliable, passenger-centred services across the network.
Air Charter Scotland – operator of the lifeline public service obligation (PSO) air service connecting Wick and Aberdeen – has announced revised fares designed to make travelling even simpler and more accessible for passengers. In response to customer feedback, passengers will benefit from lower fares across all ticket types, the introduction of new return rates and discounted travel for children.
Wick has waited a long time for its town‑centre improvements — long enough for weeds to develop tenancy rights and for shopfronts to start leaning on each other for emotional support. But now, with the latest announcement of delays, the whole thing is beginning to look suspiciously like a miniature, Highland‑issue version of the Edinburgh Trams fiasco.
Caithness households are facing a familiar dilemma this summer but with unfamiliar stakes. Heating‑oil prices remain stubbornly high, global markets are twitchy, and the usual rhythm of “fill up in June, forget about it till winter” has been knocked off course.
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When the wind howls across the Flow Country, it’s easy to believe Scotland has cracked the energy puzzle. Turbines spin, lights stay on, and politicians talk about “green prosperity.” But the latest research from the Centre for Local Economies (CLE) — funded by Uplift, Community Land Scotland, and Community Energy Scotland — tells a very different story.
Oil prices are extremely volatile today because traders are reacting to rapidly changing events involving the United States, Iran and the Strait of Hormuz which is one of the world’s most important oil shipping routes. After falling sharply earlier this week on hopes of a possible US-Iran diplomatic breakthrough, prices have now rebounded again following fresh military strikes and Iranian retaliation.
Young people in the UK today face a combination of economic, social and technological pressures that many older generations did not experience to the same degree. The biggest challenges are around jobs, housing, living costs, mental health and uncertainty about the future.
The bond market has spent this week behaving like a barometer caught in a storm, twitching at every shift in geopolitics, inflation data, and political uncertainty. What should have been a quiet late‑May stretch has instead turned into one of the most jittery periods of the year, with yields rising across the United States, the United Kingdom, and much of the global economy.
What would happen if energy consumers mostly switch off on one day say 1 July when the new energy cap increase comes in. It would be silent protest that would be very visible to politicians and energy provider profits sink for a day.
Across Scotland, 321,885 children are benefiting from Scottish Child Payment as of March 2026, according to newly published statistics. Launched in February 2021, the Scotland-only benefit is a weekly payment of £28.20, paid every four weeks to every eligible child under 16 within a household.