News Archive
2/6/2014
The Post Office will launch its highly competitive range of mortgages along with its financial services partner, Bank of Ireland UK, on Monday, 2nd June 2014. The range is available initially through the Legal and General Mortgage Club Appointed Representatives, and will cater to the needs of first time buyers or those looking to move.
2/6/2014
Which? launches a new campaign to help people Unlock Better Mobile Deals as we find many don't trust their provider to put them on the right deal for their usage. New Which? research reveals only four in 10 (40%) currently trust their mobile phone provider to put them on the best deal for their usage at the end of their contract, and many think it is unfair phones are locked to one provider.
2/6/2014
Customers are using less cash than ever as retailers make it easier and more convenient to shop and pay. New data reveals that a growing proportion of smaller payments previously made in cash are now being made in other ways.
This week saw thirteen new officers enrolled into the ranks of the Special Constabulary within Police Scotland Highland and Islands Division, the first sworn in since the creation of the new police service since April 2013. The Special Constabulary is a unique body of people who voluntarily give up their personal time to contribute positively to the wellbeing and safety of their communities.
An estate on the Isle of Lewis will come into community ownership thanks to grants announced this week from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and Scottish Land Fund (SLF). The Carloway Estate will purchase over 11,000 acres of land on the north-west coast of the Isle of Lewis that takes in over 200 crofts spread across seven townships including Callanish, Breasclete, Tolsta Chaolais, and a number of outlying islands.
The Scottish Police Authority has today published 12 recommendations aimed at improving the targeting, effectiveness, and transparency of the use of stop and search tactics by Police Scotland. Publishing the results of its scrutiny review of stop and search, the SPA has acknowledged the contribution that stop and search makes to tackling violence and antisocial behaviour in Scotland.
Anyone with an interest in marine energy might wish to take look in on this lecture being held at ERI, Thurso. With marine energy being touted often as one of the means that Caithness will gain some new employment and contracts as Dounreay runs down this lecture may give some serious insights into what the fact are.
29/5/2014
Commenting on the latest annual trade union membership statistics, published on Wednesday 28th May 2014 by the Department for Business, TUC General Secretary Frances O'Grady said:"It's good to see union membership hold steady as private sector growth makes up for the big job cuts in local government, the civil service and the NHS. "Unions deliver better pay, longer holidays, more training, safer workplaces, family-friendly jobs and decent pensions.
Users of The Highland Council's website http://www.highland.gov.uk/ are today (29 May 2014) seeing a fresh new look and experiencing greatly improved on-line services. The council is working with a new supplier, Jadu, to make it easier for customers to find information and book or pay for services.
The Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland commences its public consultation on councillor numbers as part of its Fifth Reviews of Electoral Arrangements. Issued on behalf of The Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland The Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland commences a 12 week period of public consultation today, on its proposals for the number of councillors on each council.
29/5/2014
* New current account opened with the Society every 50 seconds * Deposit balances up £4.9bn in the last year Nationwide Building Society today announces its 2013/14 full year results which demonstrate the Society's support for savers and current account customers. The Society has remained true to its mutual heritage by offering competitive products with long-term member value, underpinned by exceptional customer service.
Today the church of England has once again set out the case for supporting a local credit union in their war against Pay Day Lenders. In February they announced that they would their churches al over the country to promote the credit union network as being one of the best ways the local communities could help each other for low levels of finance without hitting people with high charges.
29/5/2014
95% of UK adults belong to a loyalty card scheme. Average loyalty card balance is £28.60 £46.90 - average amount redeemed by shoppers in the last year from across all their loyalty schemes, representing £2.1bn worth of savings.
29/5/2014
Like him or loathe him, as Prince Charles clearly does, Vladimir Putin is a grand master of 'I want, does get'. Whether it be the territorial windfall of Crimea or destabilising Ukraine so it becomes untenable for it to join the European Union or NATO, the result was intended from the outset.
29/5/2014
The expected seasonal dip during the early months of 2014 saw lending fall compared to the previous quarter, but there was a strong upward trend in Scotland when year-on-year comparisons are made, new Council of Mortgage Lenders data shows. Lending for house purchase As in the UK overall, lending to home-owners for house purchase in Scotland saw the usual seasonal dip quarter-on-quarter with 12,300 loans in total being advanced.
29/5/2014
Andy Zanelli, head of retirement planning, AXA Wealth, comments on calculations from the Adam Smith Institute that show the average UK tax payer will hand HMRC 148 days of their salary in tax payments. "For the first five months of the year the average British taxpayer works for the tax man and few of us want to pay more tax than we need to; could we be doing more to minimise the tax we pay? “There are some simple steps that we can all take to maximise the available tax breaks provided by the Government and mitigate our individual tax liability.
29/5/2014
According to a Lloyds Bank International Private Banking survey nearly two fifths (38%) of Britons with children would consider a move abroad, with 45% of those citing their families as an incentive for the move. When asked to select reasons for emigration, the research showed that bringing families closer together was high up the agenda (53%), only bested by improving the quality of life (67%) and exposing them to a different culture (59%).
29/5/2014
Nationwide's full year results, announced today, clearly demonstrate the Society's sustained support for the housing market, helping more people to achieve a home of their own: Gross mortgage lending up 31% to £28.1 billion, a market share of 14.9% of UK residential mortgage lending Net lending up 52% at £9.9 billion Helping members to buy a home In line with its responsible lending approach, the Society's support for first time buyers includes its own Save to Buy product enabling customers to access 95% LTV mortgages after saving for at least six months. More than 45,000 members are currently regularly saving in this scheme prior to applying for their first mortgage or moving up the property ladder.
The Highland Council's Carbon CLEVER commitment to achieve a carbon neutral Inverness in a low carbon Highlands by 2025 took another step in the right direction today (28 May 2014) with Members' approval to reduce the council’s reliance on paper reports at committees. Members of the Council’s Resources Committee approved a ‘Carbon Clever Committees’ initiative that will modernise the Council’s committees by reducing reliance on printed documents and providing access to electronic agendas and reports.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (May, 28th) sold 110 store cattle, 15 breeding cattle and 49 OTM cattle. Bullocks (48) averaged 228.8p and sold to 260.9p per kg and £1,200 gross for a 460kg Limousin cross from Lower Sibster, Wick.