A £50 million funding boost for Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) recruitment and up to £12 million to expand Hospital at Home are among measures to support the health and care system this winter. The Scottish Government and COSLA's joint Winter Plan, published today, identifies funding for SAS to support work already underway to recruit a further 317 frontline staff to help increase capacity to emergency response.
Young people transitioning from the care system into adulthood are to receive a one-off Care Leaver Payment of £2,000 to support them to move into more independent living under proposals being considered. The First Minister announced the proposed payment will be co-designed with care experienced people to ensure it meets their needs and helps reduce some of the financial challenges they face.
The Highland Council and BT have signed a multi-year agreement to deliver connectivity to over 340 sites, including nearly 200 schools, with new fibre provision delivered to over 100 sites in some of the most challenging locations in Scotland. BT will deliver services through the recently procured Scottish Wide Area Network (SWAN) Framework, and working with the Council will transition and transform the existing network services to a modern, fit for future infrastructure.
Over 460,000 people working for 14,000 real Living Wage Employers throughout the country are set for a vital cost-of-living pay boost, as the Living Wage Foundation's real Living Wage rates rise to £12 an hour across the UK (£1.10 increase), and £13.15 an hour in London (£1.20 increase). 10% increase in the real Living Wage as cost of living continues to hit low paid workers the hardest.
The Highland Council is reminding communities across Highland what actions they need to take to put forward a nomination for their local area to be designated as the country's newest national park. Chair of The Highland Council’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee, Cllr Ken Gowans is encouraging nominating groups to discuss their bids with relevant Council officials and elected members.
New research shows the Scottish economy will be £52 billion better off cumulatively over the 40-year working life of college graduates. The report from the Fraser of Allander Institute shows that over their working life, college graduates boost employment, increase real wages and contribute to increased trade and investment.
Highland Council's Employability team has announced its first ever virtual jobs fayre which will take place on Wednesday 15 November 2023. The virtual event will enable those interested to log onto the session from the comfort of their own home.
Designs based on the community's ideas for transforming some of the lanes connected to Wick High Street will be revealed at an event in the town in November. The Royal Burgh of Wick Community Council and The Highland Council successfully applied for Sustrans Scotland's Pocket Places Programme funding to improve the area.
Lack of local maternity services puts rural Scottish mothers at risk. On a freezing cold January afternoon in 2017, expectant mother Pranjali Christian felt her contractions start.
The information provided is a summary of reports from operational staff and is intended to give a general indication of typical conditions in each area at a point in time. It is not intended to imply that any individual route is entirely snow and ice free and drivers must be aware that conditions can change rapidly and make their own assessment of conditions for travelling.
Self Assessment customers have just 100 days left to submit their tax return ahead of the deadline on 31 January 2024. And with the clock ticking down, customers can find various types of help from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) at the click of a mouse - from webinars to step by step guides.
Journalist Peter Oborne talks about the lies in politics with colluding by the media. He is the former chief political commentator of The Daily Telegraph, from which he resigned in early 2015.
The UK Space Agency's Space for Everyone tour reached more than 160,000 young people on its 5-month journey around the UK. Parents should get your children to look at this if they may be interested in the many careers in space.
Icy patches may cause some disruption to travel on Monday morning. What to expect - Probably some icy patches on some untreated roads, pavements and cycle paths.
The Highlands and Islands Local Resilience Partnership has now been formally stood down following the multi-agency emergency response to Storm Babet. The partners undertook a review this morning and a decision has been made to move into the recovery phase following the emergency response.
ScotRail is advising customers that most services will be back to normal on Monday (23 October 2023), but the aftermath of Storm Babet is continuing to have an impact on services - with some trains now not expected to run in Fife until tomorrow morning (Monday 23 October 2023) at the earliest. After several days of extreme rainfall and high winds, almost all routes are open and normal service will resume on Monday morning.
Ukrainian civilian engineers have received training in the UK to learn techniques to protect critical infrastructure from Russian drone and missile attacks. British Army Royal Engineer specialists have delivered a new programme of training to help Ukraine strengthen its ability to protect its critical national infrastructure (CNI) from Russian attacks and save civilian lives this winter.
Dounreay's newly skilled workers were encouraged to make the most of opportunities and challenges as another year's apprentices completed the training programme. Twelve apprentices received their certificates from Operations Director Mick Moore at this year's awards ceremony.
Preparing a bowl of chicken soup for a loved one when they're sick has been a common practice throughout the world for centuries. Today, generations from virtually every culture swear to the benefits of chicken soup.
ScotRail is warning customers that services, currently withdrawn on some routes in the north and northeast of the country because of the impact of Storm Babet, are likely to remain closed until at least Sunday morning. Exceptionally wet and windy conditions have severely affected much of the country since Thursday, causing the Met Office to issue a red weather warning alongside a number of amber warnings.
