News Archive
10/5/2022
Annual Housing Statistics, 2020-21 - Big Falls In New Houses Completed
The latest compendium annual housing statistics have been published today by Scotland's Chief Statistician. This release covers annual statistics up to the financial year 2020-21 on total new housing supply in Scotland across all sectors, along with information on various elements of local authority housing such as stock, lettings, evictions and housing lists.10/5/2022
Queen's Speech 2022 - Delivered By HRH The Prince Of Wales, Prince Charles
My Lords and members of the House of Commons. My Government's priority is to grow and strengthen the economy and help ease the cost of living for families.9/5/2022
Staff Shortages And Cost Of Living Push Macdonalds, Inverness To Raise Pay To £11 An Hour As Energy Prices Soar
Last month Macdonalds takeaway place in Inverness raised the pay rate to £11 per hour an Inverness. Staff shortages in catering and cost of living rising seem to be pushing people to move on to find better rates of pay.9/5/2022
Salmon Scotland welcomes food and drink export figures
A report by the Food and Drink Federation has said Scotland's economic recovery has largely been driven by strong growth in exports of drinks and seafood products, which together accounted for £5.2billion of total Scottish exports. Scotland's total food and drink exports in 2021 were up 15 per cent on the previous year.9/5/2022
UK Punishes Putin With New Round Of Sanctions On £1.7 Billion Of Goods
The UK has announced a new package of sanctions on Russia and Belarus targeting £1.7 billion worth of trade. Russian and Belarusian regimes targeted with new package of trade sanctions on goods.9/5/2022
Removing Barriers To Employment - Supporting people into work
Young people struggling to access employment will be supported by an additional £4 million through the Young Person's Guarantee. The funding will help young people impacted most by the pandemic, including those who are care-experienced and those experiencing mental health issues.9/5/2022
Highlands And Islands Supply Chain Showcased At All-energy 2022
All-Energy is back for its 21st anniversary and the first face-to-face event in two years. In conjunction with Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), the region's businesses will exhibit on the HI-energy pavilion, which once again will host the largest regional presence at the show.9/5/2022
Space-themed Stem Activity For Secondary School Pupils Launches In Highland
Scotland's space industry is undergoing massive growth, and the Highlands and Islands are at the forefront. Commercial spaceports that will put satellites into low Earth orbit from Sutherland and Shetland have received planning permission and their development is well underway.
9/5/2022
Region's Businesses Visit Orkney To Boost Food And Drink
Ten representatives of businesses from member organisation Shetland Food and Drink included Shetland Fisherman's Association, Whalsay Made and Shetland Reel Gin. Eight representatives from Food from Argyll and two from Bute Kitchen joined the collaborative visit to Orkney including Mull Cheese, Argyll Coffee and IslayCocoa.
9/5/2022
Keep The Heid And Read This Wednesday 11th May
Readers young and old are being challenged to spend six minutes reading on Wednesday 11May 2022. It is part of Keep the Heid and Read campaign, a Scotland-wide reading initiative led by The Scottish Library and Information Council.
8/5/2022
£15 Million For Second Year Of Fund - Community Mental Health Fund Supports Nearly 2,000 Projects
A fund launched last year to tackle the social isolation, loneliness and mental health inequalities made worse by the pandemic, has been awarded a further £15 million. The Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund for adults was launched in October last year, and has helped nearly 2,000 community projects to deliver activities and programmes in its first year.7/5/2022
Flow Country Partnership To Hold 16-day Consultation Tour Of Caithness & Sutherland
The Flow Country Partnership is taking its project on the road for a 16-day consultation tour of Caithness and Sutherland. It is the most intact and extensive blanket bog system in the world and this remarkable place is so important that it could soon join Victoria Falls and The Rocky Mountains on UNESCO's World Heritage Site list.
7/5/2022
Hundreds More Mobile Generators To Provide Vital Power For Ukraine
UK government donates a further 287 mobile generators. More than 850 generators in total will help to run relief centres, hospitals, phone masts, and water pumping stations.6/5/2022
Highland Council 2022 Election Results
All the results for the 2022 Highland Council election have been declared. They are as follows: Independent - 21 Scottish Conservative and Unionist - 10 Scottish Green Party - 4 Scottish Labour Party - 2 Scottish Liberal Democrats - 15 Scottish National Party (SNP) - 22 Total elected 74 The first meeting of the new Council will be held on Thursday 26 May.6/5/2022
Positivity Over Business Volume But Pressure Of Inflation Rising For Scottish Firms
From The Fraser of Allender Institute Scottish businesses have positive expectations for activity levels, employment and turnover according to the latest Addleshaw Goddard Scottish Business Monitor report, but also report that inflationary pressure and supply chain issues pose challenges in the year ahead. The report, which surveyed 500 firms in April from across the economy, revealed that all sectors of the Scottish economy recorded large and positive net balances for their volume of business in the first quarter of 2022, with this positivity expected to continue over the next six months.6/5/2022
The Hangover: The Cost Of Minimum Alcohol Pricing In Scotland
Minimum unit pricing (MUP) sets a floor price on a unit of alcohol to prevent the sale of ‘cheap' drinks, with the aim of reducing alcoholrelated harm. MUP was introduced in Scotland on 1 May 2018 at 50p per unit.6/5/2022
Prices Rising As Costs Soar
Shop Price annual inflation accelerated to 2.7% in April, up from 2.1% in March. This is above the 12- and 6-month average price increases of 0.4% and 1.5%, respectively.6/5/2022
THOUSANDS OF ASDA WORKERS VOTE IN FAVOUR OF STRIKE ACTION IN PAY BALLOT
Keyworkers should not be forced into self-funding their own pay rise via cuts to their sick pay, says GMB Union Thousands of Asda workers have indicated they are ready to take strike action in a consultative vote. GMB balloted their 8,000 GMB members working in driver, warehouse and clerical roles - 95 per cent of those who voted said they were will to take industrial action over a real terms pay cut Asda is trying to force through a pay deal which would see workers lose sick pay entitlement - including the first three days of paid sick pay in any sickness absence and the last 13 to 26 weeks of sick pay The sick pay scheme was introduced in 2012 when Asda distribution workers where at increased risk of workplace stress and musco-skeletal issues due to higher pick rates.6/5/2022
Scotland local government workers willing to take industrial action over pay says UNISON
An indicative ballot of local government employees in Scotland has revealed they are prepared to take industrial action over pay says UNISON today (Thursday). In a letter to COSLA sent this week, UNISON and two other unions highlight that the employer has failed to come up with an acceptable pay offer for local government workers whose pay has been held down for too many years.5/5/2022
