News Archive
21/9/2024
Business Insights And Impact On The UK Economy
The impact of challenges facing the economy and other events on UK businesses. Based on responses from the voluntary fortnightly business survey (BICS) to deliver real-time information to help assess issues affecting UK businesses and economy, including financial performance, workforce, trade, and business resilience.
20/9/2024
Dingwall And Highlands Marts Ltd - Several Reports From This Week Dingwall, Portree and Lewis
DINGWALL., Dingwall and Highlands Marts Ltd (September 19th) sold 1,027 store sheep for Lewis Livestock Producers Lewis lambs (936) averaged £61.38 and sold to £109 gross for a pen of Texel crosses from 12 Port of Ness. Lewis feeding sheep (91) sold to £122 gross for a Cheviot ram from 5c Fivepenny, Ness.
20/9/2024
Autonomous Robot Paves The Way For Future Fusion Maintenance
In a world-first, a fully autonomous robot has been used to inspect the inside of a fusion energy facility. In a world-first, a fully autonomous robot has been used to inspect the inside of a fusion energy facility.
20/9/2024
Bank of England Says No Change to Interest Rates for UK - Remains at 5%
The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) sets monetary policy to meet the 2% inflation target, and in a way that helps to sustain growth and employment. The MPC adopts a medium-term and forward-looking approach to determine the monetary stance required to achieve the inflation target sustainably.
20/9/2024
Scottish Colleges' Financial Challenges Increase
Scotland's colleges need more clarity from ministers on what parts of their role to prioritise, as the sector's financial challenges mount. Scottish Government funding for colleges reduced by £32.7 million in cash terms in 2024/25.
20/9/2024
£4 million from Cayman? That will do nicely, thank you
Richard Murphy reveals a serious issue on the increasing sleaze. As Open Democracy has revealed: The Labour Party's largest-ever donation came from a Cayman Islands-registered hedge fund with shares worth hundreds of millions of pounds in fossil fuels, private health firms, arms manufacturers and asset managers.20/9/2024
Councillors Agree Revised Community Wealth Building Strategy
Members at meeting of The Highland Council 919 Septmber2024) agreed a refined strategy and action plan for the Council's approach to Community Wealth Building. The Community Wealth Building Strategy 2024 - 2027 provides an alternative approach to economic development and a practical response that aims to keep wealth within a local area.
20/9/2024
Reform Of Qualifications And Assessment
Less reliance on "high stakes" final exams. The balance of assessment used for senior phase pupils in Scotland will change, with greater use of internal and continuous assessment to award final grades.20/9/2024
NDA Announces Multi-million Phd Bursary Commitment At Summit
At the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority biannual stakeholder summit, CEO David Peattie announced up to £5 million over five years to support around 20 PhDs. On the 17th and 18th of September the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) hosted its biannual in person stakeholder summit, bringing together over 170 delegates from national and local government, the nuclear sector and site communities.
20/9/2024
August Retail Sales - Consumer Spending Remains Robust
The Office for National Statistics has reported retail sales figures in Great Britain for August: Retail sales volumes rose by 1% in August 2024 following a rise of 0.7% in July. ·Non-food store sales volumes rose by 0.6% in August, Food rose by 1.8%.20/9/2024
The Growth Mindset - Sizing Up The Government's Growth Agenda
Government plans to boost infrastructure and build more homes could feasibly get Britain halfway towards having the strongest economic growth in the G7. But it will need to deliver these contentious reforms on the ground, and put growth at the forefront of other policy decisions on trade, skills and labour market reform, if it's to turn its growth ambitions into reality, according to new Resolution Foundation research published on Thursday 19 September 2024.
20/9/2024
Health-related Benefit Claims Have Risen Substantially Across Every Part Of UK - But There Is Little Evidence Of Similar Trends In Other Countries
How do post-COVID claimants of health-related benefits compare with pre-COVID claimants? Where in the UK are they? How do other countries compare?. The number of working-age people getting health-related benefits in UK has increased significantly since 2019.20/9/2024
Parking Penalty Charge Notice Scam Warning
The Highland Council Trading Standards service is urging motorists to be aware of a recent trend in scam texts aimed at tricking people into thinking they have to act quickly to pay a parking penalty charge notice (PCN). The text asks you to pay the PCN which has been issued by "a local Council".
20/9/2024
Trading Standards - Pension Scams
According to new research by LV=, approximately 7.3 million UK adults have been the subject of an attempted pension scam in the past year. They were encouraged via unsolicited calls, texts and emails to transfer or release money from their pension.
20/9/2024
Tradng Standards - Roof Coating Scams
As we approach the autumn and winter months there has been an increase in reports of rogue traders who go door to door and offer to carry out roofing repairs and to coat the roof with products they say will save the resident money on their energy bills. In one recent case, cold callers offered to line a roof and coat it with a paint that would supposedly provide a defence against frost.
20/9/2024
Independent Review Of Qualifications And Assessment - Scottish Government Response: Education Secretary Statement
A speech to Parliament by Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills Jenny Gilruth on 19 September 2024. Presiding Officer, I am pleased to set out the Scottish Government's next steps on qualifications reform today in response to the recommendations from the Independent Review of Qualifications and Assessment.20/9/2024
Economic Growth Requires Breaking The Cycle Of Poor Work And Ill Health
The UK's workforce is facing a growing health crisis, with rising levels of long-term sickness affecting productivity and economic stability. Aadya Bahl explores the relationship between health and work, highlighting the policy responses needed to tackle the issue.
20/9/2024
Today's Moneyfacts Average Mortgage And Savings Rates - 20.9.24
Average fixed mortgage rates, sourced from the Moneyfacts Mortgage Database, represent the mean average initial pay rate of residential fixed rate mortgages for terms of two years across whole of market. Data is collated at the end of each business day and excludes Standard Variable Rate mortgage products as well as those designed for the adverse credit market and products that are only available for new build, self build and equity and shared ownership properties.
20/9/2024
Economists Have Urged Rachel Reeves To Loosen The Purse Strings - Here's Why It's Not That Easy
A group of economists has publicly urged chancellor Rachel Reeves to reverse her stance on public investment, and relax the Treasury rules that constrain it. They argue in a letter to the Financial Times that low investment is the root cause of Britain's productivity stagnation, and that the government must invest more to enable private businesses to step up their own efforts.
19/9/2024
