Seasonally adjusted "work-related" spending, which includes spending on automotive fuel, has risen 15% since the end of August 2023, coinciding with a fall in "delayable" spending; meanwhile, overall UK retail footfall decreased to 96% of the previous week and was slightly down on the equivalent week of 2022 (Bank of England CHAPS, Springboard). Section 3: Consumer Behaviour.
More than 600 days since Russia invaded Ukraine, over 1,400 international companies are still operating in Russia. Only a small percentage of western firms have been able to close down their operations in the country since it invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
The Scottish Government needs to act quickly to deliver services differently. But it needs to support its workforce to manage this change, rather than simply doing more with less.
As winter starts to bite, you may be starting to worry again about how much you will have to pay for your gas and electricity over the coming months. Of course, energy isn't the only rising cost in the current inflation-led economy, which has caused most households to see a decline in disposable income since last winter.
Western sanctions that put a price cap on Russian oil exports from December 2022 aimed to cause the country significant economic pain after its invasion of Ukraine last year. The idea was to curtail the amount Russia makes from its oil while ensuring it continues to flow into the global market to reduce price pressures on consumers around the world.
People in the UK say the economy and inflation are currently the most important issues facing the country. But do Britons actually know much about how the economy works? My colleagues, Dan Kenealy and Hayley Bennett, and I used a survey to study public attitudes and knowledge about the UK economy and politics.
Delayed labour market data showed that the labour market continued to cool over the summer, with unemployment up and employment down. However, the poor quality of this data will hamper key decisions, including the Bank of England's on interest rates and the Government's on labour market inactivity, the Resolution Foundation said on Tuesday.
Inflation remains too high in the UK. The annual rate of consumer price inflation to September was 6.7%, the same as a month earlier.
The UK Government has an opportunity to mobilise far greater amounts of private investment for public policy priorities than is the case now. Blended finance, deployed well, offers a tried and tested pathway for public and private investors, with different outcome, risk and return expectations, to work effectively together.
Safe and effective, what do these words actually mean? Ester McVey, MP speech..
Two Caithness Councillors have joined the new Highland alliance political group. Councillors Andrew Jarvie and Mathew Reiss have joined the new group.
Thistle Wind Partners (TWP), an offshore wind farm project that will be connecting to the grid in Caithness. Local community engagement events in Caithness.
As scandals go the revelations by the International Consortium of Journalists is surely one of the biggest to hit the big accountancy firms. The crisis has snowballed into an international embarrassment for the Big Four firm.
Those who have booked accommodation via hotel platform Booking.com are being urged to be wary of scam emails asking them to confirm their payment details. Several customers who were due to check in received scam emails claiming that their stay may be cancelled unless they provided their bank card details via a link within a certain time period.
A UN agency report claims the parcel market will be worth 35% of all traditional mail revenues by 2025, while letters will fall to just 29%. ParcelHero says the shock report also claims international letters and express parcels have failed to recover from their pandemic collapse and Britain's postal service fails to rank in the Top 5.
Corporate insolvencies in Scotland rose 19.9% in Q2 2023-2024 when compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019 and rose by 4.8% compared to the same period last year. Personal insolvencies saw no real change in Q2 compared to a year ago but fell by 40.2% compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
Rogue traders may look to take advantage of homeowners whose properties have been damaged in recent stormy weather across Scotland. One of the most frequently reported scams is when uninvited traders say that you need urgent repairs done to your roof or house exterior.
Ayreshire residents are being warned of the dangers of cold calls from companies claiming to offer loft insulation. Several reports have been received by local Trading Standards about unacceptable sales tactics being used by some companies to encourage residents to enter into agreements.
There are regular reports of scam calls where an automated message says that there has been fraudulent activity on your bank account or credit card. You are usually asked to press 1 to review or cancel the 'suspicious' transactions.
Police Scotland has released new guidance on avoiding scams linked to QR Codes - square barcodes that a smartphone camera can scan and read to provide quick access to a website or app. QR codes have become increasingly popular as they offer a contactless way to access information and pay for services.
