Very windy gusting up to 65 miles an hour on Wednesday 31 January 2024 with heavy rain pushing southeastwards through the morning and early part of the afternoon. Scattered showers and sunny spells for the rest of the day.
Businesses and marine organisations in Scotland's coastal communities will benefit from £14 million in grants from the Marine Fund Scotland 2023-24. A total of 91 projects, with grants ranging from just under £1,000 up to £1.6 million, will support innovation and sustainable practices for the marine economy, including work to reduce carbon emissions.
Britain's rise in sickness-related inactivity, and resulting fall in employment, since the start of the pandemic has played out differently across the country - with traditionally low employment areas like Glasgow continuing to record strong jobs growth, but areas with existing high levels of ill-health and disability like West Wales seeing the biggest rises in long-term sickness, according to new Resolution Foundation research published on Monday 29 January 2024. The Foundation's latest Labour Market Outlook examines recent changes to employment and economic inactivity due to ill-health in different parts of the country.
Scotland and City of London to collaborate and seize opportunities for business and investment. First Minister Humza Yousaf will travel to London this week (Monday, 29 January) to take part in a number of events in partnership with the City of London Corporation, including agreeing an enhanced framework to promote Scotland and London as centres of excellence for financial services.
There has been a notable increase in the number of reports of the theft of domestic heating oil and diesel from storage tanks and vehicles during the past 7 days. The reports have come from across the country including our rural communities.
A number of projects in Caithness, Sutherland and Orkney are making a positive impact in their local communities thanks to support from the West of Orkney Windfarm. Last year the developer set up a small donations fund, offering up to £1000 each towards worthwhile programmes in the far north.
A new campaign launched to encourage UK businesses, academics and researchers to apply for Horizon Europe funding kicks off today (Monday 29 January 2024). The government's push to maximise UK participation in Horizon Europe continues today with the start of a new multichannel campaign across social media, podcasts and more in both UK and Europe.
All service leavers will receive a new card to mark their time in the armed forces. The Veterans' Recognition Scheme has a two-phase rollout.
Moves to protect children agreed after four-nations consultation. Plans to ban single use vapes and raise the tobacco age of sale so that no one born on or after 1 January 2009 can ever legally be sold tobacco in Scotland have been unveiled.
On Premise drinks sales have dipped well below last year's levels for a second week, with cold weather adding to the challenges of consumers' slow post-Christmas spending. CGA by NIQ’s Daily Drinks Tracker shows average sales in managed venues in the week to last Saturday (20 January 2024) were 8% behind the same period in 2023.
Back in September last year, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) announced it was carrying out inspections. Since then more than half of those checks have identified failings.
Business secretary Kemi Badenoch has confirmed the departure of Post Office chairman Henry Staunton and said issues at the organisation "go beyond the Horizon scandal". She also said it was "better the Post Office had new leadership going forwards" and "it was very sad we came to this conclusion".
Fearless Nat rebel Fergus Ewing hits out at the Scottish Government for imposing a 'metropolitan-designed model of service provision' on the Highlands and declares: 'If my constituents wanted a doormat they would have gone to B&Q. Fergus Ewing has blasted the Scottish Government's GP reforms for the "shockingly" low vaccination rates in the Highlands as a measles outbreak sweeps the UK and Europe.
New figures show applications to the government's Boiler Upgrade Scheme in December jumped by 49% compared to the same month in 2022. Figures for December show applications jumped by 49% year on year.
If you want to learn about the economy and how it works a good place to start is an article by Richard Murphy in his blog published yesterday 17 January 2024. The political economy of money and tax published 27-1-24.
The UK is entering this election year with unacceptably high levels of poverty, appallingly high for some groups. We need a coherent plan with creative policies to end poverty in the UK.
Following a detailed review of the role of the Rural General Hospital Manager at Caithness General Hospital (CGH), Wick, NHS Highland are pleased to advertise this exciting senior leadership role. This is a key operational management and leadership role in the Acute Division within NHS Highland.
Current forecasts indicate the possibility of disruption to our services from Saturday 27th January through to the evening of Monday 29th January. Information will follow as forecasts update.
Saturday 3rd February 2024, 10 am - 2 pm, Wick, East Caithness Community facility. Everyone Welcome.
Richard Murphy's Blog 26 January 2024 exposes a problem. Yesterday, I noted a request by a Guardian journalist for education in basic financial literacy.
