News Archive
1/7/2024
Remember Your Photo ID To Vote On Thursday 4 July
You can use any of the following accepted forms of photo ID when voting at a polling station. You will only need to show one form of photo ID.
1/7/2024
Housing Market Subdued - Transactions Down By Around 15% Compared With 2019 Levels
The latest Nationwide housing report paints a somewhat gloomy picture with mortgages hard to get and transactions down. UK house prices up 1.5% in June compared with a year ago.
1/7/2024
Mortgages Will Stay High - IFS Economist Answers Your Election Questions
The director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies answers i readers' questions on the election and what it means for your finances. Mortgages will remain high in the future but that could help first-time buyers, Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), has said.30/6/2024
Attention Caithness And Sutherland Entrepreneurs
The Caithness Chamber of Commerce Business Awards are here to celebrate your success. This prestigious event is your chance to enhance your business's visibility and receive well-deserved accolades.
30/6/2024
One Rule For Themselves And Another For Everyone Else - Gambling On The Election - The Last Straw
Hannah White at the Institute for Government The gambling betting scandal is the latest reminder of the need to restore trust in politics. Ethical scandals, like the election betting furore, disrupt the ability of governments to deliver on their political priorities.30/6/2024
How Would The Parties Tax And Spending Plans Affect Scotland And Wales?
This ‘explainer' from the Institute for Fiscal Studies looks at how the parties' proposals would affect Scotland and Wales, covering tax, spending, public finances and the constitution. The UK general election on 4 July will determine the make-up of the House of Commons and, in turn, who forms the next UK government.
29/6/2024
Current Parliament Remains On Track To Be The Worst For Living Standards Growth Since The 1950s
Real per capita household disposable incomes were lower in early 2024 than they were back in late 2019, with growth so far in this parliament weaker than all but two parliaments since 1910, the Resolution Foundation said on Friday 28 June 2024 in response to the latest ONS National Accounts data. The Foundation notes that real per capita household disposable incomes (RHDI) has grown over the past year, by 2.4 per cent, as Britain has emerged from the depths of the cost-of-living crisis.
28/6/2024
Plans Progressing As Part Of £2bn Highland 20 Year Investment Plan But Will Communities Be Happy To Wait
The report to Highland council includes a huge range of projects over a 20 year period. It lacks dates and many of the costs are as yet unknown for individual projects such as Thurso High school that may be 10 years or longer away.28/6/2024
Why Are So Many More People Claiming PIP?
As the Conservatives plan to slash personal independence payment (PIP) to pay for tax cuts, arguing that far too many people are getting awards for minor illnesses, a think tank has undertaken research to find out the actual causes of the increase in claims for PIP and other disability and incapacity benefits. 250,000 PIP claims in three months The latest PIP statistics reveal a record number of applications, with a quarter of a million new claims being lodged in the three months to April 2024.28/6/2024
Labour's Policies On Workers Rights And Mandated Workplace Benefits
This comment assesses the potential impact of Labour's proposed increases in workplace rights and benefits such as sick pay. What are Labour's proposals? The Labour party has proposed a range of enhancements to employment rights including mandating certain workplace benefits.28/6/2024
Balance Of Payments UK - January To March 2024
The underlying UK current account deficit, excluding precious metals, narrowed by £2.5 billion to £23.8 billion, or 3.5% of gross domestic product (GDP), in Quarter 1 (Jan to Mar) 2024. The UK current account deficit, when trade in precious metals is included, narrowed to £21.0 billion, or 3.1% of GDP.
28/6/2024
Quarterly Sector Accounts UK - January To March 2024
The household saving ratio is estimated to have increased to 11.1% in Quarter 1 (Jan to Mar) 2024, from 10.2% in the previous quarter. The increase in the saving ratio was driven by increases in compensation of employees of £4.3 billion and the adjustment for pension entitlements of £3.7 billion.28/6/2024
GDP Quarterly National Accounts UK - January To March 2024 - Revised Figures Who Improvement
UK gross domestic product (GDP) is estimated to have increased by 0.7% in Quarter 1 (Jan to Mar) 2024, revised up from a first estimate increase of 0.6%. Looking at more timely monthly estimates of GDP, it was recently estimated that the economy showed no growth in April 2024.
28/6/2024
Economic Activity And Social Change In The UK - Real-time Indicators: 27 June 2024
Overall retail footfall increased by 2% in the week to 23 June 2024 when compared with the previous week but was 1% lower when compared with the equivalent week of 2023 (MRI OnLocation). Section 3: Consumer behaviour.
28/6/2024
The Future Of Zero-hours Contracts
Sophie Lockwood at people management web site ponders whether working arrangements with no minimum hours should be banned. A general election is on the horizon and political parties are busy making headline-grabbing pledges in an attempt to sway undecided voters and lure back the disenchanted.28/6/2024
Economics Is Not Alchemy - Richard Murphy
There is no magic to any government finding the money to do the things that we are capable of doing, because it can always create it by simply spending on these things we need - and then taxing that money back, if need be. Alchemy is not required for the government to do what is required of it.
28/6/2024
Who's Funding Your MP? Here's How To Find Out
William Rogers at Open Democracy has the answers. We trawled through 20 years of data to build a website that allows anyone to quickly see the interests of their MP.28/6/2024
Scottish Agriculture Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Nitrogen Use Statistics
The Chief Statistician has released more detailed figures on agricultural emissions. Results show that in 2022 total agriculture emissions fell by 3% to 7.7 MtCO2e.28/6/2024
Have Labour Or The Conservatives Run The UK Economy Better In The Past 50 Years? New Research
With the UK counting down to the general election on July 4, a question many voters may be asking is whether the economic policies of Labour and Conservative governments tend to deliver different economic outcomes. The two ideologically divided dominant parties have always promoted alternative approaches to managing the nation's economy, each promising a better economic outcome.
28/6/2024
