On 26 November the UK Chancellor delivered her Budget, bringing to a close what has felt like a long period of speculation since the summer. The wait was not quite as long as anticipated however, as the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) accidently published their Economic and Fiscal Forecast a few hours early, revealing many of the headline decisions taken in the Budget.
Agreement reached with key stakeholders on the unfair dismissal elements of the Employment Rights Bill. The Government convened a series of constructive conversations between trade unions and business representatives.
The Chancellor has moved decisively to ease cost of living pressures with welcome support on energy bills and for larger families. She has also increased her fiscal wiggle room, funded by the expected freeze in income tax thresholds and sensible reforms that help to level the playing field on personal taxes.
In an ONS survey held before this week's contentious Autumn Budget, fewer transport & storage companies said they are expecting an increase in turnover in December than any comparable sector, while a surprise 10.9% reduced the price of their services in October. This was significantly more than any other business sector, says the home delivery expert Parcelhero.
The Highland Council continues to call for meaningful engagement from the Home Office over its plans to temporarily accommodate up to 300 adult male asylum seekers at Cameron Barracks, Inverness. It follows an email on Monday from Alex Norris MP, Minister for Border Security and Asylum, to Council Leader, Raymond Bremner, which failed to answer questions raised by the Council or address community concerns.
The government is ending the current "customs duty relief" that lets many small parcels enter the UK duty-free if they're worth £135 or less. After the change, all imports — even low-value parcels — will be subject to customs duty.
When the full, unexpurgated diaries of the Conservative MP Sir Henry "Chips" Channon were published in 2021, these disarmingly frank accounts of his aristocratic life in mid-20th century Britain caused a stir. They revealed the inner thoughts of a renowned social climber and rightwing snob, whose political career never recovered from his record as an appeaser of Nazi Germany.
SSEN Transmission has become the first company to sign up to the Highland Social Value Charter (HSVC), marking a significant milestone in delivering long-term socio-economic benefits for communities across the Highlands. Investment commitments from the company include funding for roads, new homes, jobs, and work for local contractors in addition to a local and regional fund for communities to apply to.
In the 2025 Autumn Budget, the UK government introduced a significant reform of the business-rates system — a reform that has quickly become known in the media and logistics sector as the "warehouse tax." Despite the name, this is not a brand-new tax created specifically for warehouses. Instead, it is a restructuring of existing Business Rates, the property tax paid annually by all commercial premises.
The Budget 2025 strengthens HMRC's capability to pursue tax avoidance and evasion: it increases the rewards paid to informants who supply valuable information that leads to recovery of unpaid taxes (for high-value cases—above £1.5 million). The government will introduce enhanced powers and sanctions against tax-advisers who facilitate non-compliance — effective from 1 April 2026.
UK chancellor Rachel Reeves has made some significant reforms in her latest budget. Notably, she has committed to easing living cost pressures with widespread energy bill support, higher taxes for the most expensive homes, and axing the two-child cap on certain benefits.
Agency will receive an extra £25 million to help it tackle rogue directors. Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced funding boost for the Insolvency Service The government will invest £25 million over the next five years to enable the Insolvency Service to disqualify more rogue company directors The Insolvency Service has welcomed news in the Budget that the agency will receive an extra £25 million over the next five years to help it tackle rogue directors.
Finance Secretary responds to Chancellor's statement. The UK Budget "fails to deliver" for Scotland and will not move the dial on the cost of living for squeezed households, Finance Secretary Shona Robison has said.
Rachel Reeves says her budget delivers stability. The Office for Budget Responsibility's charts tell a very different story.
Prices on Amazon and other online retailers marketplaces will rise in coming years as a result of the changes in the 2025 Budget. Here's how and why.
Scotland's onshore GDP grew by 0.2% in the three months to September (2025 Quarter 3), up from the growth of 0.6% in the three months to August, and growth of 0.5% in July, according to statistics announced by the Chief Statistician. This follows growth of 0.2% in 2025 Quarter 2 (April to June).
It is that time of the year again - Black Friday is almost upon us. What used to be just an American event has now taken over the calendar in many other countries as one of the key shopping events of the year.
Michelle Eames - Helpbox UK..
The BBC Radio 4 programme to day is packed with lots of advice about how to get your money back after being scammed. Rules have changed so this is well worth listening to.
The government has announced that any unused £1 million allowance for agricultural property relief and business property relief will be transferable between spouses and civil partners, to bring it in line with the treatment of the nil-rate band and residence nil-rate band. This makes the inheritance tax rules for those with agricultural and business assets less complex and fairer.
