News Archive
29/1/2024
Local Projects Benefit From West Of Orkney Windfarm Support
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.
29/1/2024
Tobacco Age Of Sale To Be Raised And Single-use Vapes Banned
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.29/1/2024
New Veterans Cards Rolled Out To Service Leavers
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.
29/1/2024
Metalworking Fluids - Most Businesses Inspected ‘Not Doing Enough' To Protect Workers
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.
29/1/2024
Winter Chill Hits On Premise Drinks Sales With A Second Consecutive Week Of Decline
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 2023.28/1/2024
Fears Of Measles Outbreak In Highlands Caused By SNP Government 'Red Tape' And Bungled Gp Reforms
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.28/1/2024
Heat Pump Applications Up By Almost 50% As Families Make The Most Of Government Grant Increase
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.28/1/2024
Issues At The Post Office Go Beyond Horizon Scandal, Badenoch Says After Chairman's Exit
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".
28/1/2024
The Political Economy Of Money And Tax
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 27-1-24.27/1/2024
Caithness General Hospital Vacancy For General Manager
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.
27/1/2024
Caithness Jobs and How To Get Them
Saturday 3rd February 2024, 10 am - 2 pm, Wick, East Caithness Community facility. Everyone Welcome.
27/1/2024
Exposed - The Institute Of Chartered Accountants In England And Wales Is Still Failing In Its Public Purpose
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.27/1/2024
UK Poverty 2024 - A Joseph Rowntree Foundation Report
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.
27/1/2024
Corporate Insolvency Numbers In Scotland Increasing
Scotland insolvency statistics Q3 2023, R3 in Scotland. Corporate insolvency numbers (liquidations and receiverships) in Scotland for Q3 2023-2024 increased by 7.4% compared with Q3 2022-2023, to a total of 292.27/1/2024
Chunk of Highlands 'needs island-style health care'
A story on the BBC web site. It has all the usual bla safety bla working with local groups bla resources bla bla bla - chaing nothing to help.27/1/2024
Northlink Ferries disruption warning to customers 
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.
27/1/2024
Driving Examiner Strike - 8 February To 11 February 2024
Some driving examiners who are members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union are planning to take strike action from Thursday 8 February to Sunday 11 February 2024. The strike action by the PCS union is about action the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is taking to reduce driving test waiting times for you.
26/1/2024
Three Arrested In Fake Immigration Law Firm Raid
Three suspected fraudulent immigration lawyers have been arrested in Greater Manchester following a Home Office raid on Wednesday 24 January 2024. The suspects are believed to be part of a legal advice firm run by Chinese and British nationals out of a garage attached to a residential property, which had been converted into an office.
26/1/2024
Spreadsheet Errors Can Have Disastrous Consequences - Yet We Keep Making The Same Mistakes
Spreadsheet blunders aren't just frustrating personal inconveniences. They can have serious consequences.
26/1/2024
