Scotland's Chief Statistician has released the latest Council Tax Reduction (CTR) statistics. In September 2019, Scotland’s CTR scheme supported 471,790 households and the total weekly income forgone by local authorities was £6.57 million.
Better monitoring of NHS board performance is needed to identify and address failings, according to a letter issued on 28th November 2019 by the Scottish Parliament's Health and Sport Committee. The Committee state that failure to monitor performance has had significant impacts on service delivery and the public purse.
Fundamental cultural change is needed to bring about gender equality in the agricultural industry, a new report reveals. The Women in Agriculture Taskforce, commissioned by the Scottish Government, has found that women's contribution to the industry can be undervalued, downplayed, or simply unseen.
The Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) scheme provides financial assistance towards housing costs for those claiming housing benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit. Statistics released today by Scotland's Chief Statistician show that during the period 1 April 2019 to 30 September 2019, Local Authorities in Scotland made 99,910 awards under the DHP scheme, with a total value of £59.1 million and an average award of £592.
Motorists warned of zero tolerance approach. The Justice Secretary and Police Scotland have launched this year's festive campaign to tackle drink- and drug-driving.
The web site Full Fact has analysed the SNP Manifesto. https://fullfact.org/election-2019/snp-manifesto-2019/ The other parties manifestos are also fact checked - links to each one are also there.
Christmas came early across the Highlands and Islands for members of HI-Scot credit union. Canny savers received their Christmas savings in November, leaving plenty of time to get their Christmas shopping done.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (November, 28th) sold 3,865 store sheep. Lambs (2,886) sold to £85.00 gross for Texel crosses from Hillend, Auldearn.
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The institute For Fiscal Studies is an independent body. Opening remarks by IFS Director Paul Johnson: Who knows what to make of party manifestos? When we looked at the manifestos in 2017 we said "the Conservatives would preside over yet more spending cuts" and that their manifesto would mean "another parliament of austerity".
Given the uncertainty over the actual policies that would be pursued, the actual tax revenues that would arise, and even the timing of policies, it is incredibly hard to make precise statements over the public finance impacts of these sets of policies. Broadly speaking we can say: • On their stated policies the Conservatives would be borrowing just over 2% of GDP each year going forward, broadly in line with their aim for a current budget balance.
Institute for Fiscal Studies. Question and answer session from the IFS manifesto analysis event.
Taxes Again, there is little to say about Conservative proposals. They have very few beyond a small cut in National Insurance Contributions and an ill-advised promise not to raise rates of income tax, NICs or VAT.
Welfare spending and the labour market Considering the scale of increases they propose on public service and investment spending Labour's proposals on working age welfare spending are relatively modest, undoing only just over half the cuts implemented since 2015 and less than a quarter of those put in place since 2010. Conservative proposals appear to be all but non-existent, though the continued roll out of Universal Credit, a benefit that will be received by more than a quarter of working age households, is of course a big ongoing change in itself.
Current government policy is that day-to-day public service spending should increase by £34 billion, or almost 10%, between 2019-20 and 2023-24. That in itself is a big change.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (November, 27th) sold 1,147 store cattle, 4 adult head of breeding cattle 136 OTM cattle. Bullocks (658) averaged 215.8p and sold to 323.1p per kilo for a 260kg Limousin cross from Wester Tomloan, Ardclach, and £1,160 gross twice for a 565kg Limousin cross from Cambusmore, Dornoch and for a pen of 580kg Charolais crosses from 4 Glaick, Ardross.
Highlands and Islands MSP David Stewart, who is also Labour's Shadow Public Health Minister said: "This is a huge blow for the many people who have contacted me with very distressing details about how they were treated by the health authority. "There are former employees who've lost or left their jobs and, in some cases, had their careers ruined and most, if not all, will be unable to go to an industrial tribunal due to a time-bar on cases, and will be unable to afford a civil case.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (November, 26th) sold 49 prime cattle at its Christmas Show & Sale sponsored by The Royal Bank of Scotland, John M. Munro Butchers, Highland Tractors, Parks of Hamilton and Scot JCB judged by E Munro Esq, Messrs John M Munro Ltd., Dingwall.
Social enterprises are a critical part of the rural economy contributing £250m in the Highlands and Islands and South of Scotland areas. This is according to new figures released by HIE and South of Scotland Economic Partnership (SoSEP).
The old Woolworth building in Market Square, Wick is lying empty and unused. The Wick Community Council is looking for any ideas from businesses or/and local groups for possible uses.
