This latest release from Highland and Islands Enterprise perhaps needs careful reading as it does not mention some of the huge problems facing in the economy facing businesses. Of course it wants to emphasis the positive views but no reference to many empty shops in High Streets.
A quarter of Brits say they are willing to protest if the Government looks to raise the national retirement age, according to new research by pensions expert, Penfold. A survey of 2,000 British workers, commissioned by Penfold, found that over two-thirds (67 per cent) of respondents disagree with the Government's plans to raise the retirement age, with one in four willing to take action and walk out.
Accountant in Bankruptcy (AiB) has released official statistics reporting statutory debt solutions and company insolvencies in Scotland for the fourth quarter (January to March 2023) of the financial year 2022-23. Scottish Statutory Debt Solutions Statistics for 2022-23 Quarter 4 There were 1,912 personal insolvencies (bankruptcies and protected trust deeds (PTDs)) in Scotland in 2022-23 Q4, 15 (0.8%) more than in the same quarter in the previous financial year (2021-22 Q4).
Winston Churchill, a man of famously expensive habits, believed that income should always be adjusted to meet expenses, and never the other way around. In the words of his biographer, Roy Jenkins, "he decided that when the gap between income and expenditure became uncomfortably wide, the spirited solution must always be to increase income rather than to reduce expenditure." Government finances are, of course, not equivalent to those of a household.
Low Emission Zones are coming and Glasgow City Centre is the first from 1 June 2023. Check out the Glasgow scheme HERE if you need to drive into a city centre and your vehicle is non compliant.
Members will next week be asked to approve an official planning statement which sets out the practical processes that will be followed to protect The Flow Country from potentially harmful development whilst it is being considered by UNESCO for World Heritage Site status. This takes into account how the policy context has been updated by National Planning Framework 4, which was adopted on 13 February 2023.
Introducing the new norm, the safety benefits of speed limit adherence and changing and informing driver behaviour will be key to the Highland Council's roll out of 20mph speed limits across the Highlands. A report going to the Council’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee will highlight additional actions and interventions the Road Safety Team are planning to support the new 20mph speed limits which are currently getting rolled-out to 121 villages and towns across Highland, fully funded by Transport Scotland.
Stanmore consultancy boss claimed £25,000 before closing the business in effort to avoid repaying taxpayer loan. A London businessman has been sentenced to six months in prison, suspended for 18 months, after pleading guilty to fraud by abusing the Bounce Back Loan scheme.
In Q1 2023, the overall GB vacancy rate remained at 13.8%, the same level as Q4 2022. It was 0.3 percentage points better than the same period last year.
The UK and Poland have signed a major £1.9 billion export agreement to roll out a British air defence system across the European nation. Prime Minister hails landmark deal between UK firm MBDA and Poland as major boost for Euro-Atlantic security.
Work is underway to create to create four new business units at Wick Business Park, following interest from local firms. Caithness company, John Gunn & Sons was appointed by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) for the development, following a public tendering process.
For years, many have feared that artificial intelligence (AI) will take over national security mechanisms, leading to human slavery, domination of human society and perhaps the annihilation of humans. One way of killing humans is medical misdiagnosis, so it seems reasonable to examine the performance of ChatGPT, the AI chatbot that is taking the world by storm.
The social separation imposed by the pandemic led us to rely on technology to an extent we might never have imagined - from Teams and Zoom to online banking and vaccine status apps. Now, society faces an increasing number of decisions about our relationship with technology.
Research published by Changeworks sets out the impact of far higher levels of fuel poverty on the physical and mental health of people living in rural areas of Scotland. ‘A Perfect Storm: Fuel Poverty in Rural Scotland' was commissioned by the Rural & Islands Housing Associations Forum (RIHAF), the Highlands & Islands Housing Associations Affordable Warmth group (HIHAAW) and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
Are you an established business with a new product or service that you want to bring to market? This programme will take you through every every stage needed to give your new product or service the best possible start. Over 12 weeks, you'll learn how to improve the likelihood of success and come away with a business-wide action plan.
At yesterday's (Thursday 27 April 2023) Housing & Property Committee meeting, Members approved the new Local Housing Strategy 2023-2028 (LHS). The Strategy was produced following an extensive period of discussion with various stakeholders who have ensured that it meets legislative and regulatory requirements but also focuses on the key housing issues affecting communities across Highland.
Different coping mechanisms are being used by different groups to get through the cost-of-living crisis, with middle-aged people running up debts, young people turning to friends and family, and poorer people resorting to more extreme measures like eating less and visiting food banks, according to new analysis published on Thursday 27 April 2023 by the Resolution Foundation. The Foundation's new report Hoping and coping - supported by the Health Foundation - uses data from a YouGov survey of 10,122 adults to assess the various approaches people have employed to navigate the cost-of-living crisis in recent months, and how they differ across income and age groups.
At yesterday's (Thursday 27 April 2023) Housing and Property Committee meeting, Members approved the draft Housing and Investment Plan 2023-2028 for submission to the Scottish Government. Members also agreed to the indicative five year investment programme to 2028.
The Green Jobs Capital Fund supports organisations to create and retain green jobs. These are jobs focusing on the production of goods or services that benefit the environment, or that help drive more environmentally friendly processes.
Spain recently adopted a menstrual leave policy, which makes additional (paid or unpaid) days off work available to "only and all cisgender women". It's so great that we're having more public conversations about menstrual and menopausal health, but I'm getting very tired of being told that menstrual leave is the solution.
