Tens of thousands of people have been protesting across Spain over the country's housing crisis, with rapidly rising rents and the growing influence of tourism among their biggest concerns. The protests came after the Spanish parliament rejected government measures intended to strengthen tenant protection and restrict some forms of short-term rental accommodation.
Anyone eligible to vote in the contested Latheron, Lybster and Clyth Community Council election is reminded that their postal ballot papers need to be completed and returned in the pre-paid envelope provided by 12 noon on Thursday, 8 October 2026. Candidates standing were invited to submit a statement to support their candidacy and these statements are provided in the envelopes mailed out along with the ballot papers to all eligible voters.
Highland Council-owned D&E Coaches has confirmed the acquisition of Stagecoach’s Thurso and Wick bus operation securing local jobs. This will protect vital services and strengthening public transport provision across the Highlands.
The Highland Council has reached another significant milestone in the delivery of a replacement Corran Ferry, with the procurement for a new electric vessel. Funded through a £58 million investment from the Inverness and Highland City-Region Deal, including £28 million from the Scottish Government for the new electric vessel, £20 million from the UK Government and £10 million from The Highland Council towards landside infrastructure, the project will deliver a modern replacement ferry service for one of Scotland's busiest single-vessel crossings.
Dave BUCHANAN Independent 714 Julie CALDER Scottish Liberal Democrats Elected Stage 1 1,522 Charlotte GIBSON Scottish Conservative and Unionist 79 John GLEN Scottish National Party (SNP) 424 Iain RICHMOND Reform UK 283# No further preference 0 Remainder not transferred 0 Total 3,022.
Inverness will welcome government representatives, investors, business leaders and economic development partners later this week as it hosts the Scottish Cities Alliance Autumn Investor Event. A two-day programme designed to showcase investment opportunities across Inverness, the Highlands and Scotland's city regions.
Scotland is considering one of the biggest changes to local government for a generation. The Scottish Government has proposed replacing the existing 32 councils with between six and ten regional authorities, alongside somewhere between 120 and 160 community authorities.
Walk through almost any British town centre and you can see the evidence of change. There are empty shops where there were once businesses.
Polling will take place on Thursday 1 October 2026 to elect one of five candidates standing in The Highland Council's Wick and East Caithness Ward 3 by-election. Voters are being reminded to make sure they are ready to cast their vote.
September has become a month when Scotland's aspiring entrepreneurs are being encouraged to take a closer look at an idea that may have been sitting in the back of their minds for some time. Scottish Start-Up Month, led by Business Gateway, has returned for 2026 with a simple message: if you have an idea for a business, this could be the month to take the first step.
Parents of teenagers in England are being told that they will need to understand a new range of vocational qualifications as their children approach the age of 14. The Career Development Institute has welcomed the introduction of new Vocational GCSEs, which are due to start being introduced in England from 2029.
For many years Highland Council has faced difficult decisions over small rural schools. Some have closed, others have been mothballed, and communities have often argued that a village school is about much more than the number of children sitting in its classrooms.
Glasgow City Council has taken a dramatic step in its long-running equal-pay dispute, giving notice that it intends to end existing pay arrangements for its non-teaching workforce unless an agreement can be reached with the trade unions. Around 23,000 employees are affected.
The Highland Council’s Justice Social Work teams in Lochaber and Caithness will be hosting open days in Fort William on Tuesday 6 October and Wick on Friday 9 October 2026. The open days will provide members of the public with an opportunity to gain an insight into the Justice Service and find out more about the excellent work going on locally.
Rising energy prices are a problem for households and businesses, but there is another very large energy bill that receives much less attention. Highland Council operates one of the largest public-sector property estates in Scotland, while NHS Highland runs hospitals, health centres, clinics and other facilities across an enormous geographical area.
NHS Highland and The Highland Council are pleased to announce the launch of a new bespoke year-round transport service for renal haemodialysis patients across Highland. Funded through a grant from NHS Highland, the service marks the first phase of a new approach to patient transport delivery, designed to support the long-term development of a more sustainable, flexible and community-focused transport model for Highland.
Members of The Highland Council's Economy and Infrastructure Committee will meet next Monday (28 September 2026) to consider whether to progress proposals for new Short Term Let Control Areas across parts of Highland. At the special meeting, councillors will be asked to consider the findings of a public consultation on proposed control areas covering Inverness City and a wider Highland Rural area, before deciding whether the proposals should be submitted to Scottish Ministers for approval.
The Scottish Government is proposing a major reshaping of local government, with fewer regional authorities and many more community-level bodies making decisions closer to where people live. The language is about local democracy, stronger communities and bringing decisions closer to people.
Initial proposals designed to deliver fundamental reform of local governance have been set out to help shape the debate on improving public services. The possible changes, if implemented, could help achieve a better balance of decision-making powers across the public sector to ensure investment is focused on delivering improved services.
Council tax is one of those bills that most households know only too well. It arrives every month or in a series of instalments, and it helps pay for services ranging from rubbish collection and roads to schools, social care and other council services.