News Archive

23/4/2026 : Local Authority

Highland Housing Under Pressure: What the Latest Caithness Committee Report Really Tells Us

The latest Highland Council Caithness Committee Housing Management Performance Report (2025–26) offers a detailed snapshot of how social housing services are performing across the region.  On the surface, it is a routine governance update—tracking repairs, allocations, rent collection, and tenant satisfaction.  

23/4/2026 : Local Authority

Accessible Voting at the 2026 Scottish Parliament Election – Support Available for Voters

As the Scottish Parliament Election approaches on Thursday 7 May 2026, we are ensuring that voting is accessible to voters.   Polling stations across the Highlands will be open from 7am to 10pm.  

23/4/2026

A Fragile Confidence: What Britain’s Businesses Reveal About an Economy Under Quiet Pressure

The latest Business insights and impact on the UK economy release from the Office for National Statistics provides one of the most immediate and revealing windows into how firms across the country are actually experiencing current conditions.   Based on the Business Insights and Conditions Survey a rapid, fortnightly snapshot of business sentiment and activity.  

23/4/2026

 
Ten years on from Parcelhero’s ‘Death of the High Street’ report, are our town centres still dying? YES

Parcelhero’s influential report ‘2030: The Death of the High Street’ was released in 2016.  It forecast huge changes to our town centres because of the continued rise of e-commerce.  

23/4/2026

If You Are Flying This Year - How To Avoid The Problems As Airlines Juggle Flights

As airlines juggle their flights on routes and the price of jet fuel there are likely going to be many changes as the Iran war continues.  Taking care when booking ahead may reduce your chances of getting caught with problems.  

23/4/2026

Holding Steady: Inside the UK’s Economy as It Balances Between Resilience and Restraint

The latest real-time indicators release from the Office for National Statistics offers a revealing glimpse into the UK economy as it exists not in hindsight, but in motion.  Unlike traditional economic data such as GDP or inflation, which arrive with a lag and often revise the past, these indicators attempt something more immediate: capturing the economy as it is being lived.  

23/4/2026

 
Bank of England independence has been a disaster - and it's time for it to end - Richard Murphy

Should the Bank of England control UK interest rates, or should that power return to elected government? In this video, I argue that the Bank of England's independence was never a neutral, technocratic decision.  It was a deliberate political project, rooted in far-right Public Choice Theory, designed to strip democratic control away from ordinary people and hand it to unelected bankers.  

23/4/2026 : Local Authority

Thurso provides feedback on £100 million investment plan

Consultation in Thurso has found strong support for investment in a Community Point of Delivery (PoD) that serves the whole town and delivers wider benefits beyond the replacement of ageing school buildings.   Local people described the proposed development of an education campus on the current Thurso High School site and surrounding area as an opportunity to create a civic asset for the whole community, bringing together education, sport, leisure, health, art and social facilities.  

23/4/2026

 
USA Freaks Out: Amazon DITCHED for Lidl - Dutch Central Bank Exits Amazon, €11B Investment

Europe is no longer waiting for American tech to become trustworthy.  When a central bank chooses a European supermarket group’s cloud platform over Amazon, Microsoft, or Google.  

23/4/2026

What Airlines Are Doing In The Face Of Huge Rise In Price Of Jet Fuel

Lufthansa’s 20,000-flight cut is big but not unique it’s part of a wider global pattern driven mainly by soaring jet fuel prices, supply risk, and geopolitical disruption (especially around Iran and the Strait of Hormuz).   The following is a quick look at whatis happening.  

23/4/2026

Higher Interest for longer outlook boosts savings returns but Mortgage Outlook Is Grim For Some

A higher for longer outlook could lift savings returns, but borrowers still face rising mortgage costs of up to £1,700, Moneyfactscompare.co.uk analysis can reveal.   Since the previous inflation announcement, the Moneyfacts Average Mortgage rate has risen from 5.50% to 5.71%.  

23/4/2026

 
From Condoms to Cars: Prices Are Going Up… So Are We Heading for a Baby Boom? Or Not

There was a time when inflation meant your weekly shop crept up a few pounds and you muttered about it over tea.  In 2026, inflation has taken a more comprehensive approach.  

23/4/2026

 
What UK Did for Ukraine Is INSANE… This ENRAGED Putin Like Never Before!

The move that’s shaking the battlefield — the United Kingdom has stepped up in a way few expected, delivering powerful support to Ukraine that is changing the dynamics of the war.  From advanced weapon systems to strategic intelligence, this isn’t just assistance — it’s a game-changing intervention.  

23/4/2026 : Local Authority

Caithness Ward Discretionary Budget Approved By Councillors In The Year To 31 March 2026

Councillors approved grant funding from ward discretionary funds in the year to 31 March 2026.  13 groups in each of the two wards received funding.  

23/4/2026

A Turning Tide: Why the UK’s 2026 Public Finances Signal Quiet but Real Progress

The latest public finances report for the UK, covering the financial year ending March 2026, offers something rare in recent years: cautious optimism.  While government borrowing remains historically high, the direction of travel has improved meaningfully.  

22/4/2026

Licence to Let? Why Scotland’s Short-Term Rental Crackdown Is Tightening - Especially in the Highlands

For years, short-term lets in Scotland operated in a kind of grey zone lightly regulated, rapidly expanding, and hugely profitable in the right locations and that era is over.   Since the introduction of Scotland’s licensing scheme, many hosts now feel that getting approval is harder than ever.  

22/4/2026 : Local Authority

Non Domestic Rates - Sector Specific Business Rates Relief – from 1 April 2026

Support for Highland businesses may be available.   Retail, Hospitality & Leisure Relief.  

22/4/2026

 
Economic resilience continues, but outlook tempered by conflict in the Middle East

Recent data has remained positive for the Scottish economy, but the outlook for future growth is being dampened by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, according to the Fraser of Allander Institute 22 April 2026.   In its latest Quarterly Economic Commentary, the Institute has downgraded its 2026 growth forecast from 1.1 per cent (February 2026) to 0.9 per cent.  

22/4/2026

Scotland Decides: Inside the 2026 Manifestos and What They Really Mean

As Scotland heads toward the 2026 Holyrood election, every major party is promising change but they are not offering the same kind of change.   When you strip away slogans, each manifesto reveals a very different vision of Scotland’s future: one focused on independence, one on public service repair, one on tax cuts, and others on structural reform or climate transformation.  

22/4/2026

Post Office GLO Scheme to close following successful delivery

The Group Litigation Order (GLO) Compensation Scheme will close to new applications on 31 July 2026, with a view to the scheme concluding on 31 December 2026.   Redress scheme for group of postmasters who won Horizon court battle in 2019 to close in December.