News Archive

School Numbers Dropping According To Council Forecasts

On Thursday 30 May 2024 the Education committee of Highland Council will be updated on the 15-year School Roll Forecasts (SRFs) that were published in April 2024 and the recent work undertaken to support the roll forecasting and school capacity modelling processes.  There will be a presentation at the Committee meeting that will provide more information, including graphics to illustrate current statistics and future trends.  

Health And Care Experience Survey 2023/24 Results Published

Scotland's Chief Statistician today released the main findings of the 2023/24 Health and Care Experience survey.   Experience of General Practice and Out of Hours healthcare: 69% of people rated their overall experience of their General Practice as good or excellent: this is a slight increase since the last survey in 2021/22 (67%), but it is lower than the survey prior to that in 2019/20 (79%).  

Over £829 Million In Social Security Payments Providing Boost For Families

The families of more than 329,000 children under 16 are benefitting from Scottish Child Payment, latest statistics show.   The weekly payment of £26.70, which is unique to Scotland, is helping families with the cost of living crisis, with over £677 million paid since the payment launched.  

New Tech Tool To Tackle NHS Waiting Lists

National theatre scheduling software to increase procedures.   Software to reduce hospital waiting times and enhance operating theatre efficiency will be rolled out in NHS boards across Scotland over the next year.  

Long-term International Migration, Provisional: Year Ending December 2023

Long-term net migration (the number of people immigrating minus the number emigrating) was provisionally estimated to be 685,000 in the year ending (YE) December 2023, compared with our updated estimate of 764,000 for the YE December 2022.  While it is too early to say if this is the start of a new downward trend, emigration increased in 2023, while new Home Office data show visa applications have fallen in recent months.  

Today's Record Prices Don't Reflect The True Cost Of Food - But There Are Alternatives To Asking Consumers To Pay Even More

The boss of a British supermarket has claimed that the "era of cheap food is over".  But what he calls cheap, many people still find expensive.  

Rural Areas Saw Strongest House Price Growth Over Last Five Years

A Nationwide housing report shows rural areas had the biggest price increases in the last 5 years and Scotland overall saw large increases.   House prices in predominantly rural areas have risen by 22% over the last five years, compared to 17% in predominately urban areas Rural semi-detached properties have seen the strongest rate of price growth, urban flats the weakest.  

A Major Change For Property In England - Leasehold Reforms Become Law

The Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act has became law on Friday 24 May 2024.   The change made it under the wire before parliament broke up for the election.  

Sandra Skinner Reform UK Candidate In The Election

Sandra Skinner is a candidate for election for the Reform UK party.   She is an engineer and came north to join Highlands Fabricators in 1998 where she met her husband Hugh.  

Early Learning And Childcare Job Opportunities Across Highland

Have you considered a rewarding job working with young children within your community? The Highland Council is recruiting for permanent and fixed term posts commencing in August 2024.  Our Early Learning Centre (ELC) settings are varied in size due to the rural and urban settings.