News Archive

Children's Services in Caithness

Children's services in Highland are moving forward with the creation of Family Teams as part of the community services to children, young people and families.   This means that most staff involved in providing services to children, such as social workers, health visitors and school nurses will all be part of the new Family Team.  

Four in Ten More Likely to Bank With a New Entrant Than a Year Ago

- Consumers would trust supermarket brands such as Waitrose (45%), Morrisons (18%) and Aldi (12%) to do their banking[1] - Three quarters (77%) would trust John Lewis to manage their money[1]while three in ten (30%) would opt for Debenhams (30%) and a quarter (27%) would pick House of Fraser[1] - Consumers are most likely to pick a bank based on how financially secure it is (87%), its reputation (86%), and competitiveness of interest rates (85%)[2] - While 88% regard online banking as essential, nearly two thirds (62%) place an importance on telephone banking, and 45% value mobile banking.   - A quarter (23%) say new entrants have learned from the mistakes of traditional banks and offer better value for money (15%).  

Sale of the century: Scots more likely to buy when there's a sale

*Three-quarters say they're more likely to make a purchase if they spot an item that's reduced *Being on holiday also found to loosen purse strings *1 in 5 respondents say payday increases the likelihood they'll spend Spotting a bargain is the thing most likely to convince Scottish people to spend their money if they had not already been planning to.   A new survey* conducted on behalf of Debt Advisory Centre Scotland revealed that nearly three-quarters of Scottish respondents (72%) admitted seeing an item was marked down or in the sale was the scenario that made them more likely than normal to get their spending money out.  

Petrol and Diesel Fall to a New Three Year Low

This week's supermarket price war has brought drivers in the UK a bank holiday boost with the average prices of petrol and diesel falling to new three-year lows.   However, UK price falls have so far been lagging behind most of its European neighbours', the August AA Fuel Price Report reveals.  

Castle Of Mey Awarded £193,440 By Historic Scotland

£1.5 MILLION AID FOR HISTORIC BUILDINGS.   More than £1.5 million has been awarded to help repair seven historic buildings across Scotland as part of Historic Scotland's Building Repairs Grants scheme.  

World's largest tidal project surges forward

The green light has been given on Thursday 21st August 2014 to kick off the first phase of the MeyGen project - the world's largest tidal power development which will be installed in the Inner Sound of the Pentland Firth.   Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) is backing the project with a £3.3m grant.  

Eruption Warning! Gocompare.com Urges Flyers to Check Their Travel Insurance

In 2010, the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull volcano closed most of Europe's airspace for around six days, affecting more than ten million travellers and costing the aviation industry millions.   Now, as the Icelandic meteorological office increases its eruption warning for the Bardarbunga volcano, Gocompare.com is warning bank holiday flyers to check their travel insurance before they head off.  

Coin Jars Stuffed With £1.3bn as Brits Shun Savings Accounts for DIY Saving

* 66% of Brits regularly save cash in a coin jar - the average coin jar contains £40.80.   * Over half (54%) of coin jar savers think it's a good way to save money.  

Retail Sales, July 2014

In July 2014, the quantity bought in the retail industry increased by 2.6% compared with July 2013 and by 0.1% compared with June 2014.  The three-month on previous three-month movement in the quantity bought showed continued growth for the seventeenth consecutive month increasing by 0.3%.  

Bank of Scotland Offers Two Months Mortgage Interest Back

Bank of Scotland is refunding two months interest1 - up to a maximum of £1,000 - for Homemovers and First Time Buyers when they take out a qualifying mortgage.   Available from 19th August until 6th October, the offer is available to customers choosing and completing on a qualifying mortgage product2.