Across the UK and beyond, politicians talk endlessly about affordability — yet nothing improves. Why? Because they are blaming inflation when the real issue is structural income extraction.
Average house prices in Highland reached £217,000 in October 2025 — up nearly £40,000 since 2020. Meanwhile rents rose to £719 per month and this steady rise has made home ownership increasingly unaffordable for young people, especially in tourism-heavy and rural areas.
Following the announcement on 23 December 2025 that Air Charter Scotland have been appointed to take over the Wick-Aberdeen air service, tickets for the service are now available for sale. Tickets can be bought directly from the operator at https://aircharterscotland.com/ , and will also be available through online vendors such as Google Flights and Skyscanner.
The Declaration of Intent signed in Paris on 6 January 2026 sets out shared principles and intentions among the United Kingdom, the French Republic, and Ukraine regarding future multinational military support for Ukraine in the event that a ceasefire or peace agreement is reached in the ongoing war with Russia. Key points include: Support for Ukraine's Sovereignty and Security The UK and France reaffirm their commitment to Ukraine's territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders and support its Euro‑Atlantic integration.
The United Kingdom is confronting a demographic trend with profound long-term consequences: a falling birth rate. Recent analyses, including those from the Resolution Foundation, indicate that this trend is likely to continue for decades, resulting in fewer people of working age, increased pressure on public finances, and significant challenges for pensions, labour markets, and social services.
Dating apps and social media platforms must now prevent cyberflashing, as it becomes a priority offence under the Online Safety Act. Online Safety Act strengthened as ‘cyberflashing' becomes a priority offence.
Debate about public- and private-sector pay in the United Kingdom is both persistent and politically charged. Claims that public-sector workers are "overpaid" clash with counter-arguments that years of restraint have eroded living standards for nurses, teachers and civil servants.
In July 1944, as World War II neared its end, delegates from 44 nations gathered in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. Their mission was ambitious: to design a new international economic order that would prevent the chaos of the interwar years and foster stability in the post‑war world.
Maps of the Council's gritting routes by priority and policy are available online at www.highland.gov.uk/gritting (external link) The information provided is a summary of reports from operational staff and is intended to give a general indication of typical conditions in each area at a point in time. It is not intended to imply that any individual route is entirely snow and ice free and drivers must be aware that conditions can change rapidly and make their own assessment of conditions for travelling.
An area of snow is likely to persist across northern Scotland during Wednesday, spreading down the east coast through the day. This falling as rain or sleet at low elevations, especially around coasts, but is likely to fall on to frozen surfaces, bringing the potential for widespread icy conditions to continue.
A further meeting of the Scottish Government's Resilience Room (SGORR) has been held to continue to coordinate the recovery response to the severe weather in northern Scotland. The meeting was chaired by Justice Secretary Angela Constance and attended by First Minister John Swinney, Cabinet Secretaries, the Met Office, transport operators, Police Scotland, local authorities, resilience partnerships and utilities companies.
We're making electric lorries more affordable to help hauliers make the switch, while boosting growth and investment in the sector. £18 million to slash up to £120,000 off the cost of green lorries, making it cheaper for businesses to go electric.
NHS Scotland long waits have fallen for the sixth consecutive month with significant year-on-year increases in activity, according to new figures published today. Public Health Scotland data shows that the number of patients waiting over 52 weeks for an outpatient appointment fell by 12.8% in a single month between October and November 2025 - numbers are now lower than April 2025.
Defence Medical Services awards £2.5 million contract to Avenue3 for Project Mercury, enabling secure military medical records access worldwide. A £2.5 million contract to develop a Deployed Clinical Record system to enable defence clinicians to access military medical records anywhere in the world, has been awarded by the Defence Medical Services to Leeds digital health-care solutions consultancy Avenue3.
Waiting times remain one of the most significant pressures facing NHS Scotland. Despite clear national standards designed to ensure timely access to care, performance across elective treatment, diagnostics, cancer services, and emergency care continues to fall short of targets.
The UK Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) is a major climate policy, which helps cut down on pollution. The scheme sets a limit on how much greenhouse gas different industries can release into the air and puts a price on these emissions.
Millions of taxpayers have less than one month to file their Self Assessment tax return. 5.65 million people still need to file their Self Assessment tax return thousands of people celebrated the New Year by filing their Self Assessment tax return 6.36 million people head into 2026 with their tax affairs in order Thousands of people got a head start on their 2026 resolutions by filing their Self Assessment tax return over the New Year.
The next World Economic Forum (WEF) meeting in Davos will take place from 19-23 January 2026 under the theme "A Spirit of Dialogue". It will focus on five global challenges: cooperation in a contested world, unlocking new sources of growth, investing in people, advancing sustainability, and harnessing innovation.
The United Kingdom maintains a strategic nuclear deterrent as a core component of its national defence policy. In recent years, the government has committed substantial financial resources to sustain and modernise this capability.
New measures will be introduced to make online public services more secure and resilient, so people can use them with confidence - whether applying for benefits, paying taxes or accessing healthcare. £210 million plan to strengthen cyber resilience across government.
