News Archive
30/1/2021
Cosla Backs Labour Amendment In Protest To SNPs Council Funding Plans
COSLA leaders have today voted in favour of a Scottish Labour amendment in protest against the SNP's plans for Local Government funding put forward yesterday. Despite Scotland's councils facing 14 years of underfunding and the loss of £767 million due to the pandemic, the Scottish Government has called for a council tax freeze but is offering financial support that does not come close to matching the losses incurred by councils.30/1/2021
Coronavirus Covid-19 Daily Data For Scotland, UK, World - 30 January 2021
994 new cases of COVID-19 reported. 22,056 new tests for COVID-19 that reported results - 5.8% of these were positive.30/1/2021
Western Isles In Lockdown
Due to an increase in prevalence of coronavirus (COVID-19) and an increase in infection rates Na h-Eileanan Siar will move to Level 4 from 00.01 Saturday 30 January 2021. New cases following a previous rise - including a community outbreak on Barra - have placed a significant strain on hospital capacity in the Western Isles Health Board area and the hospital on Stornoway is now reaching full capacity within available staffing resources.30/1/2021
8 Sound Reasons To Consider Bidding For Public Sector Contracts
Scottish Construction Now. The public sector in the UK spends an incredible £290 billion per annum with third party organisations.30/1/2021
Scottish Budget: Funding Outlined For Homes And Regeneration But Affordable Housing Cut Condemned
Scottish Housing News. Funding announced by the Scottish Government falls short of delivering the required number of affordable homes needed in Scotland and won't effectively tackle fuel poverty, housing charities have warned following yesterday's Scottish Budget.
30/1/2021
Licensing of short-term lets - is it a sledgehammer to crack a nut?
Scottish Housing News. Scottish Government has been under pressure for a considerable period of time to ‘do something' about the alleged proliferation of short-term lets.30/1/2021
Impact of pandemic sees 28% drop in new home registrations
Scottish Housing News. Scotland witnessed a 28% decline in new home registrations in 2020, despite a strong Q4 bounceback, as the impact of the coronavirus pandemic took its toll on housebuilders.30/1/2021
Scottish Budget: First-time Buyer Relief Continued But LBTT Holiday Will End
Scottish Housing News. Relief for first-time buyers, which raises the nil rate band for LBTT to £175,000, has been extended, while the ceiling of the nil rate band for residential land and buildings transaction tax (LBTT) will return to £145,000 from April 1, finance secretary Kate Forbes confirmed as part of the Scottish Budget yesterday.30/1/2021
Edinburgh Rents Drop Amid Shift To Homeworking And Decline In Demand For Airbnbs
Scottish Housing News. The move to homeworking and a decline in demand for short-stay Airbnb lets, as well as worries about Covid rates in urban areas, are thought to have contributed to rents plummetting in Edinburgh.30/1/2021
GameStop shares surge again as trading war continues
Shares in the US retailer GameStop have jumped in value again as small investors continued their attack on major corporate investors. GameStop: hedge fund attacks have opened up powerful new front against Wall Street In the dying days of 2009, Rage Against the Machine achieved the unlikeliest of Christmas number ones with a re-release of their anti-establishment anthem Killing in the Name.
29/1/2021
Coronavirus Covid-19 Daily Data For Scotland - 29 January 2021
1,155 new cases of COVID-19 reported. 23,330 new tests for COVID-19 that reported results - 5.8% of these were positive.29/1/2021
Scottish Budget 2021-22
Significant new investment to drive economic recovery, bolster public services and support families underpins the Scottish Government's spending and taxation plans for the coming year. Presenting the Scottish Budget 2021-22, Finance Secretary Kate Forbes today announced support for jobs and skills totalling around £1.1 billion.
29/1/2021
Vaccine Programme Moves To Next Stage
Mass vaccination centres to open in Edinburgh and Aberdeen. People aged 70 and over will get Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines in a range of settings, from community centres to mass vaccination centres, from Monday 1 February as the vaccination programme moves to the next stage.29/1/2021
Scottish Fiscal Commission Gets Behind The Budget
This Fiscal Update, published at the same time as our Scotland's Economic and Fiscal Forecasts (SEFF), sets out how the 2020-21 Scottish Budget has changed since it was set in February 2020. Foreword The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has had a profound effect on the fiscal and economic outlook in Scotland and the UK.
29/1/2021
Supporting Recovery Through The Tax System
Rates relief for sectors worst hit by pandemic and compensation for a council tax freeze. Retail, hospitality, leisure and aviation businesses will get 100% non-domestic rates relief extended for at least an additional three months, Finance Secretary Kate Forbes confirmed as part of the Scottish Budget.
29/1/2021
Connecting Parent Councils in Highland
The Highland Council is providing all parent councils with a Gmail address to help establish a consistent approach to communication across parent councils in Highland. Cllr John Finlayson, Chair of Education Committee said: "I am delighted we have managed to pull this together, as consistent partnership working and communication with parents is essential, as we work together to support the education of all our young people.29/1/2021
Foreign Travel Health Rules Updated - come into force at 0400 on Friday 29 January
Public health rules for international travel are an important part of Scotland's wider response to the pandemic to limit the introduction of new chains of transmission. Following the laying of the regulations, the change to self-isolation rules will come into force at 0400 on Friday 29 January.29/1/2021
Community Payback Orders - 35 Percent Reduction To Existing Orders
Action to reduce backlog of unpaid work during pandemic. New measures will help ensure the justice system can operate effectively and ease pressure on local authorities as the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues.29/1/2021
Councils Can Choose To Freeze Council Tax Again
In order to protect people's incomes, local authorities are to be given £90 million of funding - the equivalent of a 3% increase - on top of the local government settlement to compensate councils who choose to freeze their council tax. Some have already said this amounts to an election bribe.29/1/2021
