Latest News

Today

Diesel Prices Under Pressure as Saudi and Russian Disruptions Hit the Market

Diesel has become one of the more worrying parts of the current energy story, and the reasons go well beyond the price of crude oil.   For motorists in Caithness, the effect is already visible at the pumps.  

Today

Why Diesel Prices Matter to More Than Drivers – And What It Means for Food Supplies

Most people think about diesel when they pull into a filling station.   But the price of diesel matters to almost everyone, including people who never drive a diesel car.  

Today : Advisory / Counseling Services

£1.78m innovation programme to benefit 500 businesses

A new three-year programme (14 September) is expected to help more than 500 businesses and social enterprises across the Highlands and Islands to innovate and grow.   Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has approved a £1.78m budget to fund the programme, which builds on ten years of innovation support by the agency.  

Today : Other Public Services

 
Dounreay's Famous 'Golf Ball' Will Be Painted – But When Will It Finally Come Down?

There is something slightly strange about spending money painting a building which is eventually going to be demolished.   That is what is happening at Dounreay, where the famous steel sphere containing the Dounreay Fast Reactor is being maintained while the difficult job of removing what remains inside it continues.  

Today

Scotland Needs to Get Planning Moving If It Wants Economic Growth

Scotland wants economic growth, new housing, renewable energy and major infrastructure projects.  But according to a new report from the CBI, one of the biggest obstacles may be something rather less dramatic: the planning system.  

Today : Other Public Services

Dounreay Supports Almost One in Four Jobs Across Caithness and North Sutherland

Dounreay Supports Almost One in Four Jobs Across Caithness and North Sutherland Dounreay's importance to the Caithness economy is even greater than many people might realise.   A new economic impact assessment commissioned by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and carried out by PwC estimates that the Dounreay site supported £179 million of economic activity in Caithness and North Sutherland during 2024/25.  

Today : Other Public Services

What happens when the number of jobs and the amount of spending generated by Dounreay eventually begin to fall?

Dounreay is no longer the giant nuclear research establishment it once was, but a new economic assessment shows that it remains one of the most important pillars of the Caithness and north Sutherland economy.   The question that follows from that is perhaps even more important.  

Today : Local Authority

Council Tax Reform: Just How Many Scots Took Part in the Debate?

Council tax is one of those bills that most households know only too well.   It arrives every month or in a series of instalments, and it helps pay for services ranging from rubbish collection and roads to schools, social care and other council services.  

Today

Dundee Student Accommodation Collapse Raises Questions About the University Housing Boom

The collapse of a student accommodation business in Dundee has left almost 70 students scrambling to find somewhere to live just as the new academic year gets under way.   But the story is about more than one failed property company.  

Yesterday

Updated 19.30pm - Diesel Prices Under Pressure as Saudi Supply Disruption Raises New Questions for Britain

Diesel prices have become an increasingly uncomfortable issue for motorists and businesses as the disruption to Middle Eastern oil supplies adds another layer of uncertainty to an already difficult energy market.   For people in Caithness, the problem is particularly visible at the forecourt.  

Yesterday

Private Renters Face a Growing Housing Benefit Gap

A new report from the Resolution Foundation has highlighted a problem facing some of Britain's lowest-income private renters housing.  Support has stopped keeping pace with rents.  

Yesterday

Gas Prices Are Rising Again: What Could It Mean for UK Households This Winter?

For households across Britain, the energy crisis of 2022 can still feel like a fairly recent memory.  Now the gas market is beginning to send another warning, although the circumstances are different this time.  

19/9/2026

Why Are Bakeries Struggling? Midland Bakeries Collapses as Costs Rise

The collapse of Midland Bakeries Limited raises a wider question.  Is this simply the failure of one relatively small bakery business, or is it another sign that the economics of baking are becoming increasingly difficult?.  

19/9/2026

Why Is the Government Telling Us to Prepare for Disruption?

There is a Government website that many people will never have heard of.  Want to more then read on.  

19/9/2026 : Local Authority

Why Scotland Is Reorganising Public Services – And Why Highland Could Feel the Impact More Than Most

Something important is happening in Scotland's public services, and it goes considerably further than another round of annual budget cuts.   The Scottish Government is now talking about changing the way public services themselves are organised.  

19/9/2026

Why Is Diesel Still Getting More Expensive When Oil Is Around $104?

The price of crude oil is only part of the story – and diesel is currently facing a serious supply problem.   There is something rather strange happening at Britain's filling stations.  

19/9/2026

Caithness This Week: Healthcare, Sewage, Wind Farms and a By-Election

It has been another busy week in Caithness, with several stories that are likely to have a longer life than the normal local news cycle.   Healthcare, sewage, renewable energy, rural crime and the forthcoming Wick and East Caithness by-election have all been making headlines.  

19/9/2026

Savings: How to Make Your Money Work Harder

From regular savers to Cash ISAs, there are more choices than simply leaving money in a current account.   For anyone who has money sitting in a current account earning little or no interest, the savings market is worth another look.  

19/9/2026

What could the Budget mean for Caithness?

For people in Caithness, the impact of the Budget cannot simply be measured by the headline percentage of a tax increase.   The reason is geography.  

19/9/2026

Doing business with the Falkland Islands

Statement from Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Overseas Territories Uma Kumaran MP on doing business with the Falkland Islands.   The United Kingdom is clear: the Falkland Islands are British and they have the right to develop their natural resources as they see fit.