News Archive
20/1/2024
Extended Relief For Councils Buying Affordable Housing - Increasing Exemptions To Additional Properties Tax
Legislation enabling councils to increase their affordable housing stock without having to pay a tax on additional properties has been introduced in the Scottish Parliament. Under changes to the Additional Dwelling Supplement (ADS), paid as part of Land and Buildings Transaction Tax, the length of time a buyer moving between properties has to sell their original home in order to be able to reclaim ADS would also be extended from 18 months to 36 months.20/1/2024
Elvis Visit To Local Care Home Get On Their Blue Suede Shoes
Pentland View care home in Thurso was transformed into Blue Hawaii to mark what would have been Elvis Presley's 89th birthday on 8 January. It is estimated that Elvis has sold over one billion records worldwide so to honour the undisputed King of Rock & Roll, the staff and residents enjoyed a fantastic day of music, fun and dancing.
20/1/2024
Blue Christmas For Retailers As December Sales Tumble
The latest official estimates reveal retail sales plummeted by -3.2% in December, their biggest fall since the height of Covid lockdowns. The home delivery expert ParcelHero says the impact of inflation meant shoppers reduced the amount they bought this Christmas, but there were crumbs of comfort in online sales results.20/1/2024
Power Boost For Off-grid Island
A project to increase electricity supply and reduce emissions on a west coast island has been awarded more than £25,000 by HIE. The HIE funding is being used to replace and upgrade high voltage transformers and other associated equipment to enable a major upgrade of the renewable energy supply on the Isle of Muck.20/1/2024
Selling On Vinted, Etsy Or Ebay? Here's What You Need To Know About Paying Tax
If you've sold clothes on Vinted or Depop, or something you've made on Etsy, you might have been alarmed or confused by information recently published by HMRC on paying taxes when selling items online. If you've sold clothes on Vinted or Depop, or something you've made on Etsy, you might have been alarmed or confused by information recently published by HMRC on paying taxes when selling items online.19/1/2024
Thurso and Wick High Schools Closed on Friday 19th January
Weather is still hitting school transport services around the county. Wick Unfortunately we have made the decision to close the school tomorrow, Friday 19th January, due to the ongoing snowfall and hazardous road conditions.19/1/2024
Region's Young Workforce To Take Part In Pioneering Sustainability Skills Programme
Region's young workforce to take part in pioneering sustainability skills programme. Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), Zero Waste Scotland and business transformation enterprise Powering Futures have teamed up to provide the fully-funded places on the Highlands and Islands Powering Futures Challenge 2024.
19/1/2024
NHS Highland Consultant Selected For All-female Expedition To Antarctica
Sharon Pfleger, Consultant in Pharmaceutical Public Health, has sailed to Antarctica as part of a global leadership programme for women in STEMM working on environmental issues. In November, Sharon Pfleger, Consultant in Pharmaceutical Public Health, embarked on the Island Sky ship leaving Puerto Madryn in Argentina and sailed to Antarctica as part of the culmination of a global leadership programme, Homeward Bound, for women in STEMM working on environmental issues.
19/1/2024
Using Your Own Car For Work Subsidises Your Employer And Leaves You Seriously Out Of Pocket
Employees driving their own car for work - so-called grey fleet drivers - are being left out of pocket with current rates remaining unchanged for more than a decade. That's according to research conducted by the RAC Foundation, which suggests the 45 pence per mile (ppm) approved mileage allowance payments (AMAPs) rate should increase by 41% to 63p.19/1/2024
"Get Prepared... Install Your I-vms Device Now!" Urges Mmo
Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has confirmed that more than 80% of under-12m inshore vessels participated in the I-VMS roll-out programme last year, resulting in £1.3m of European funding being awarded to fishers. New legislation, a statutory instrument (SI), is expected to come into force in April 2024 and will require all under-12m vessels fishing for commercial purposes in English waters to have an active I-VMS device.
19/1/2024
Uk House Price Index - November 2023 - England Prices Fall But Scotland Up
Average UK house prices decreased by 2.1% in the 12 months to November 2023 (provisional estimate), down from a decrease of 1.3% (revised estimate) in the 12 months to October 2023. The average UK house price was £285,000 in November 2023, which was £6,000 lower than 12 months ago.
19/1/2024
Retail Sales, Great Britain - December 2023 - Shoppers Spent Less
Retail sales volumes are estimated to have fallen by 3.2% in December 2023, from a rise of 1.4% in November 2023 (revised up from an increase of 1.3%); December's decrease was the largest monthly fall since January 2021, when coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions affected sales. Looking at the quarterly picture, sales volumes fell by 0.9% in the three months to December 2023 when compared with the previous three months.
19/1/2024
The Subpostmasters Still Being Hit By The Post Office Discredited Horizon System
It is unbelievable but it is now coming to light that present sub-postmasters are still being penalised by the discredited Horizon computer system run by the Post Office. More and more stories are coming out about the plight of current sub-postmasters who are suffering from the faulty Horizon system still run by Fujitsu.19/1/2024
Fujitsu Will Not Bid For Uk.gov Business Until Post Office Inquiry Closes
Fujitsu has written to UK Government to confirm it will no longer tender for business in the public sector amid the ongoing inquiry into the Post Office scandal - weeks after winning a £485 million ($614 million) contract. Despite the supplier of the controversial Post Office Horizon system being scrutinized in Britain like never before, it continued to be selected for expensive projects that are paid for by taxpayer.19/1/2024
Post Office Board Knew About Horizon System Flaws And Exclusive Document Show Insurers Were Alerted
As the Post Office Inquiry continues to hear testimony, more and more details are coming to light about who knew what when. Back in 2019, the Post Office spent at least a-hundred-million pounds still defending the Horizon system when more than five hundred subpostmasters won their landmark settlement.
19/1/2024
Post Office Inquiry - Fujitsu Manager Called Bankrupted Subpostmaster 'nasty Chap' - Unbelievable Bullying treatment of Sub Postmaster
A Fujitsu employee called a subpostmaster who was bankrupted by the company's faulty computer system a "nasty chap" in not-seen-before email sent internally in 2003. Peter Sewell, who was in the Post Office Account Security Team at Fujitsu, said that Lee Carrington was a "nasty man" after the subpostmaster had threatened the company with legal action after losing all his money due to no fault of his own.
19/1/2024
Highland Road Conditions Report - Friday 19 January 2024
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.
19/1/2024
Post Office Scandal: Software Company Faces Questions Over Remote Access
The inquiry into the Post Office Horizon scandal has heard that Fujitsu employees could remotely access postmasters' accounts as early as 2002. Staff at the Japanese software company could change the accounts of sub-postmasters without them knowing.
19/1/2024
Why Is Local Government In Such Trouble? Radio 4 Programme
Today at 11.00am a programme on the BBC RADIO 4 at 11.00am highlights the problems facing local government in England. Scottish councils also have serious problems facing them with staff reductions and cuts being looked at for the next financial year The programme is available on https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001vbrr While highland council financial issue may not be on the scale of some English councils they are extremely serious.18/1/2024
