News Archive
18/3/2015
LABOUR CANDIDATE EXPRESSES CONCERNS OVER LONG TERM FUTURE OF UNIVERSAL SERVICE OBLIGATION
John Erskine, Scottish Labour candidate for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross in May's General Election, has expressed concerns over the long term future of the universal service obligation (USO) provide by the Royal Mail. This comes after a report by the UK Parliament's Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) committee which warned that although the universal service was not currently under threat, this could change in a rapidly changing postal market and that Ofcom needed to protect the Royal Mail in a market which is experiencing a battle for lowest price competition.16/3/2015
Council consulting on its Onshore Wind Energy Guidance
Members of the public are being invited to take part in a consultation on the Council's Onshore Wind Energy Supplementary Guidance which, when approved, will be used in the consideration of planning applications for wind energy developments in the Highlands. New national planning policies published in June 2014 changed how Councils are required to plan for Onshore Wind Energy development and Highland Council are therefore in the process of reviewing their planning policies and guidance.
16/3/2015
Nominations sought for candidates wishing to stand in Nairn by-election
A by-election is being held in Nairn on Thursday 7 May to find a successor to Councillor Colin Macaulay (SNP) who has stepped down. Nomination papers are now available from The Highland Council Service Point in Nairn as well as from www.highland.gov.uk/yourcouncil/elections/ .16/3/2015
Buyers Beware! MyCarCheck Lists Top Six Used Car Scams
Buyers Beware! MyCarCheck Lists Top Six Used Car Scams, Highlighting Increasing Threats of Finance Debt and Fraud. MyCarCheck, the UK's No.1 consumer vehicle data provider, has reported that 32% of the finance checks it conducted in February 2015 flagged up potentially major issues.16/3/2015
HALF OF ROAD COLLISIONS IN SCOTLAND OCCUR WITHIN FIRST THREE YEARS OF DRIVING
‘New to the Road' campaign launches today, to help improve young driver safety in Scotland - www.newtotheroad.co.uk - with events at schools across Scotland 46% of Scottish motorists have had a collision Around half of these incidents occurred when the driver was still new to the road1 A fifth of motorists involved in a collision say it could have been avoided with more road experience 60% admit to breaking the law within their first few years of driving Almost half (49%) of road collisions in Scotland involve motorists who are still within their first three years of driving, according to research for a new road safety campaign targeting young drivers. The study was conducted for the launch of the ‘New to the Road' campaign, set up to improve the safety of young motorists in Scotland.16/3/2015
Britons £5.5 Billion a Year Better-Off as a Result of Falling Food Prices
UK food spend falls 3.5 per cent to £188 billion per year. *Each adult spending £110 less on food each year But UK spends £1 billion more on takeaways.
16/3/2015
Be Aware of Pension Scams
Approaching retirement is an exciting time with a wealth of new opportunities and experiences on the horizon. We all work hard to be able to enjoy this time so it is important to be careful about what you do with your money.
16/3/2015
Consumers Could Be Due £235 Million from Old Energy Accounts
- A quarter (23%) of consumers admit they're unsure whether they left old energy accounts in credit[1]. - Four in five (79%)consumers with credit outstanding say they reclaimed an average of £88 each - with some receiving as much as £300[2] - Energy suppliers launched the 'My Energy Credit' campaign six months ago to help return unclaimed balances to customers, but the findings suggest more can be done.16/3/2015
Scamproof Your Savings
Pension savers are being urged to 'scamproof their savings' as part of a campaign launched today by The Pensions Regulator ahead of forthcoming changes to the law. To date, under-55s have been the primary target for scammers promising to be able to release people's pensions as pension loans or upfront cash.16/3/2015
Current Account Fraud Underpins the Relentless Rise of ID Fraud
Nottingham, UK, 12 March 2014 - Experian, the global information services company, reveals that fraud-detection rates have increased during the past year*, with around 50 frauds now being detected per 10,000 cases during Q4 2014 - compared to 40 frauds detected per 10,000 cases in Q4 2013. Experian's annual fraud report also reveals a marked shift in the level of third-party or identity theft - when a victim's identity is stolen - as a proportion of all detected fraud cases.16/3/2015
8.5 Million UK Households Would Not Last the Week on Their Savings
Almost a quarter (24%) of households have no savings at all Nearly a third (30%) couldn't pay their mortgage if they lost their job A third (33%) of people in the UK - or 8.5 million[1] households - have £250 or less set aside as a financial safety net, new research from HSBC shows. The survey of over 2,000 people found that almost a quarter (24%) of all UK households have no savings at all, while 9% have savings of £250 or less.15/3/2015
Births, Deaths and other Vital Events figures for 2014
Provisional figures for births, deaths, adoptions, marriages and civil partnerships registered during 2014 are published today by the National Records of Scotland. The statistics show that the number of marriages in 2014 rose by 1,500 compared to 2013 but levels are still historically low.15/3/2015
Scotland on track for new trains
New fleet of faster, quieter and longer trains to arrive in summer 2017. Designs for the 70 brand new faster, quieter and longer trains being built for the ScotRail fleet have been unveiled by Transport Minister Derek Mackay.
15/3/2015
Learning lessons from overseas
£130,000 international study fund opens for applications. Scottish students that have never studied abroad will be given the chance to learn in a new environment overseas in the coming academic year.15/3/2015
New shipping service reduces HGVs on Scotland's trunk roads
Over 6,300 HGV journeys to be removed from key routes in first three years. "Corpach timber transport company Boyd Brothers is well on the way to becoming greener thanks to a Scottish Government investment of almost £1 million" said Transport Minister Derek Mackay during a visit to the Highland sawmill today.14/3/2015
College scoops overall winner at LANTRA awards
Students and staff at the North Highland College UHI are delighted after attending the annual LANTRA awards ceremony last week in the Dunblane Hydro Hotel. Gamekeeping modern apprentice Callum Low and NC Gamekeeping with Wildlife Management student Mary Bowman both were both nominated for Game and Wildlife Learner of the Year award.
14/3/2015
Caithness and North Sutherland Regeneration Partnership - Update
Week Commencing 9th March 2015. This is a short message to update you on activities relating to the Caithness & North Sutherland Regeneration Partnership.14/3/2015
Hill farm support payments begin
Less Favoured Area Scheme 2014 payments start. Thousands of hill farmers and crofters in Scotland's most fragile and remote areas are set to receive vital support payments by the end of this week.14/3/2015
NHS Scotland pay rise
Health staff to get recommended increase in full. NHS staff in Scotland are to benefit from an independently recommended pay rise in 2015/16, thanks to changes agreed by the Scottish Government.14/3/2015
