SCOTTISH Business Week 2022 took place virtually last week, with more than 1,200 sign-ups from business owners and aspiring businesspeople around the country. The free event, delivered by Business Gateway and its national support partners including Scottish Enterprise, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, South of Scotland Enterprise, Skills Development Scotland, and sponsored by British Business Bank, saw more than 40 webinars and masterclasses presented over the week.
This report is from the Institute for Fiscal Studies. The full report is in Pdf form and has 224 pages.
UNISON, and sister trade unions Unite and GMB, are threatening pull out local government school staff and refuse workers on strike again. Strike action was suspended after UNISON members voted for an offer which was made to them by COSLA on 2nd September 2022.
eep within Friday's University of Michigan (UMich) numbers was a worrisome sign for the Federal Reserve's inflation-fighting efforts. While the focus of the UMich releases tends to be on their consumer and current conditions surveys, another of their reports suggests an entrenching of inflation expectations both over one- and five-to-ten-year periods.
An Article from the Fraser of Allender Institute. Recent events have placed great pressure on both the UK and Scottish governments to find savings to public spending.
Public sector net borrowing excluding public sector banks (PSNB ex) was £20.0 billion in September 2022, which was £2.2 billion more than in September 2021 and the second highest September borrowing since monthly records began in 1993, being £8.2 billion lower than in September 2020 at the height of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Central government current (or day-to-day) expenditure was £79.3 billion in September 2022, which was £5.8 billion more than in September 2021; this largely reflected a £2.5 billion increase in debt interest payable, and a £4.4 billion increase in net social benefit payments being partially offset by a £1.4 billion reduction in subsidy payments.
Retail sales volumes fell by 1.4% in September 2022; making them 1.3% below pre-coronavirus (COVID-19) February 2020 levels. While retailers continue to mention the effect of rising prices and the cost of living on sales volumes, data for September 2022 are also affected by the bank holiday for the State Funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, when many retailers closed.
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has found 7.8 million people are finding it a heavy burden to keep up with their bills, an increase of around 2.5 million people since 2020. The FCA has published a snapshot of the latest edition of its landmark Financial Lives survey, which was carried out between February and June 2022.
In September 2022, just over a quarter (26%) of trading businesses reported their turnover was lower compared with August 2022, while 14% reported their turnover was higher (a net 12% of businesses saying turnover decreased); the accommodation and food service activities industry reported the largest percentage of businesses whose turnover was lower, at 52%. In early October 2022, more than a third (35%) of trading businesses reported economic uncertainty was having an impact on their turnover; while one in five (21%) trading businesses expect their turnover to decrease in November 2022.
Find out how you can use Companies House Service to view the details of limited companies. Follow companies for free Follow is a free service on Find and update company information which sends you email alerts of company transactions.
A consultation has been launched on how qualifications and assessment should be reformed to ensure learners' achievements are fairly recognised. Young people, parents, carers, teachers, education staff and all learners are among those being encouraged to give their views.
Many comments about payments to Liz Truss have been investigated by The Ferret and the full facts of it are shown in the article published on 20 October 2022. The payments do not kick in until she leave office as an MP.
First Minister convenes second summit with energy companies and advice organisations. Further actions to support consumers and businesses through the winter have been agreed at a virtual summit between energy companies and advice organisations and Ministers.
Dingwall and Highland Mart Ltd., (October 19th) sold 456 weaned and store calves. Bullocks (237) averaged 217.3p and sold to 271.1p per kg for a 225kg British Blue cross from 1 Obbe Road, Leverburgh and £1,400 gross for a 617kg Charolais cross from Ballone, Abriachan Heifer (207) averaged 210.0p and sold to 298.4p per kg for a 605 Limousin cross from Shop Farm, Scotscalder and £1,400 gross for a 660kg Beef Shorthorn cross from Auchmore Farm, Muir of Ord.
The government's Energy Bill Relief Scheme is open for businesses, charities and public sector organisations to get support with energy bills this winter. The scheme provides support to eligible non-domestic consumers by providing a discount on gas and electricity unit prices from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023.
UK-based spaceflight company Orbex has secured £40.4 million for its Series C funding round, led by a new investor, the Scottish National Investment Bank. The new round of funding will allow the company to scale up its resources as it counts down to the first vertical launch from UK soil, as well as unlocking additional funding to support future projects.
At PM Question time today (19 October 2022) Liz Truss replied to a question from Ian Blackford MP and confirmed the government's commitment to the triple lock for pensions. This would mean that pensions would be increased in line with inflation.
Near Me is a video consultation platform enabling patients across Highland and Argyll and Bute to attend appointments from the comfort of their own home - or anywhere else convenient. In September 2022, over 1900 individual consultations in NHS Highland took place using Near Me.
HMRC has notified the Reduction in the rate of National Insurance Contributions and reversal of the Health and Social Care Levy — employer actions. On 22 September 2022 the government announced in-year reductions to National Insurance rates and the cancellation of the Health and Social Care Levy as a separate tax.
As inflation hits 10.1% Retail expert Dr Gordon Fletcher from the University of Salford Business School says our shopping baskets are being hit doubly hard, with rising process and shrinking quantities combining to create real difficulties for a lot of people. Dr Fletcher said: "As inflation returns to the reported rate from July it is a timely reminder that these are figures last seen in the year of the Prince of Wales' birth and the premiership of Margaret Thatcher.
