A NEW fund to help owners of long-term empty homes carry out repairs and refurbishments to bring properties back into everyday use will be launched later this month. The fund sits within a wider programme of action outlined to members of The Highland Council on Thursday 14 May, as part of a progress report on tackling the Highland Housing Challenge, which was declared in June 2024.
The latest figures from the Office for National Statistics paint a mixed picture for the British construction industry. On the surface there are signs of resilience, with construction contributing to unexpectedly positive UK GDP growth in March 2026, but underneath the headlines the sector still appears fragile, especially in the housebuilding market.
Highly respected cultural leader and strategist Bryan Beattie has been appointed by The Highland Council as Bid Director of the Inverness - Highland bid for UK City of Culture 2029. He was recently creative director for the Inverness Castle Experience and interim Chief Executive at Eden Court, and a former Chair of Fèis Rois and Scottish Youth Theatre.
Business confidence in Scotland showed modest improvement in early 2026, despite all six key indicators of activity staying in negative territory for a sixth consecutive quarter, according to the Fraser of Allander Institute. The Institute’s latest Scottish Business Monitor (SBM) reveals firms reported continued declines in sales, new business activity, investment and exports, pointing to broad-based economic weakness.
Rather than being a principled reform to the taxation of pensions, this change creates another new arbitrary line in the tax system. In last November’s Budget, the Chancellor announced that salary sacrifice pension contributions above £2,000 per year will be liable for both employer and employee National Insurance contributions (NICs) from 2029–30.
Data centres have quietly become one of the UK’s fastest growing energy consumers. They are vast, windowless fortresses of servers humming day and night, drawing more electricity than many towns and drinking more water than some industries.
Why the Highlands is Drowning in Surveys While Nothing Actually Happens. There’s a particular kind of fatigue spreading across the Highlands not the kind caused by long drives to Raigmore or the weekly battle with potholes, but something quieter, more bureaucratic, and somehow even more exhausting.
As of mid‑May 2026, the pound has weakened noticeably and UK borrowing costs remain elevated. The pound has lost roughly 1½ % in May and about ¾ % since January, trading near the lower end of its recent range.
The Steel Industry (Nationalisation) Bill will take its first step through Parliament today with its First Reading. A Bill to grant the Government powers to nationalise steel companies such as British Steel, subject to a public interest being met, will be introduced to Parliament today (14 May), marking an important step towards safeguarding the long‑term future of the UK steel industry.
Britain’s public services are in a state that no one can ignore, yet the political system seems unable to confront the scale of the challenge. That is the central argument of the Resolution Foundation’s latest report, which sets out a stark but measured assessment of where the country stands in 2026.
The Highland Council will meet on Thursday, 14 May and on the agenda for discussion is a report on the Highland Housing Challenge. The Highland Housing Challenge was declared in June 2024, with a target of 24,000 new homes by 2034.
Amazon is set for a bumper $27.6bn Prime Day in the US and £2.4bn in the UK alone, forecasts the home delivery expert Parcelhero. However, Amazon is now facing increasing competition from the likes of Joybuy and Temu.
The latest ONS trade figures for March 2026 reveal a UK economy grappling with rising import costs, uneven export performance and a shifting global environment. For businesses, the message is not one of crisis, but of tightening margins, volatile markets and a trade position that is becoming harder to stabilise.
British soldiers will be equipped with modern guns capable of firing eight rounds per minute at targets up to 70km away – delivering the long-term close support artillery solution for the British Army, a landmark moment in UK defence modernisation. Procurement of 72 Remote Controlled Howitzers (RCH 155) for the British Army will deliver a step change in artillery capability.
UK government borrowing costs are rising fast, and the official explanation does not make sense. Britain is paying far more to borrow than France or Italy, despite having its own currency, a central bank, and no meaningful risk of default.
There have been more reports of scammers attempting to take advantage of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)'s car finance compensation scheme. Under the scheme, those who used finance to buy a car, motorbike or van between 6 April 2007 and 1 November 2024 may be owed compensation.
The latest Index of Production from the Office for National Statistics offers another reminder that the UK’s industrial foundations remain uneven, fragile and deeply exposed to global pressures. On the surface, the first quarter of 2026 looks mildly positive, with production output rising by 0.2% and manufacturing showing a more convincing 0.8% increase.
The latest GDP figures from the Office for National Statistics paint a picture of a UK economy that is moving — slowly, unevenly, and with more fragility than confidence. March 2026 delivered a modest 0.3% rise in GDP, with a 0.6% increase over the three‑month period.
Political drama in London might feel distant from Wick or Thurso, but it has a direct line into your mortgage payments. Every bout of instability in Westminster such as leadership speculation, fiscal uncertainty, election noise sends a ripple through financial markets.
A new practical website, Sustainable Screen, has launched to help screen professionals reduce their environmental impact and embed greener practices across productions. Scotland is already over halfway to its target of reaching net-zero emissions by 2045, placing it ahead of the wider UK.