Towns across the country can now apply to become the first UK Town of Culture. Applications will be open until 31 March 2026 for Expressions of Interest.
Many benefits are ending and being closed by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) as part of the move to Universal Credit in Great Britain. The key dates are worth baring in mind (especially those around April and into early 2026).
The United States Department of Justice once a bulwark of impartial law enforcement is facing an unprecedented exodus of experienced attorneys and federal prosecutors. What was once a career defined by upholding the Constitution is now morphing into a battleground between legal ethics and political demands.
People will benefit from faster access to GP care as part of a £36 million investment announced in the Scottish Budget. The funding will support the rollout of a new network of walk-in General Practice (GP) services, designed to make it easier for people to see GPs and other primary care clinicians quickly for urgent health concerns without needing an appointment.
As of the most recent figures, the UK has roughly 30 GW of combined wind power capacity already operational including both onshore and offshore turbines. This milestone was reached in 2024 and means wind alone can meet the power needs of millions of homes.
HMRC is warning customers to be wary of scam emails, texts and phone calls in the run up to the Self Assessment deadline on 31st January. They have received over 48,000 reports of Self Assessment scams since February 2025.
Maps of the Council's gritting routes by priority and policy are available online at www.highland.gov.uk/gritting. Met Office - A yellow weather warning for ice is still active until 10am this morning.
The Highland Council is delighted to announce that James Welsh will be joining the team as Chief Officer - Enterprise and Investment. James brings a wealth of experience in planning, development and inward investment, with a proven track record in both the public and private sectors.
The Highland Council's Leader Councillor Raymond Bremner will be attending Scottish Cities Week in London next week (19-21 January 2026) to promote investment and development opportunities in the Highlands to an international audience. The event, held each year in London and considered to be one of the prominent events in the calendar, provides a focused opportunity to create and develop long-term strategic partnerships, with a wide array of investors from around the globe due to attend.
In her budget speech today, Finance Secretary Shona Robison announced that funding for colleges in Scotland will increase by around 10%, delivering an extra £70 million this year. This is a significant boost intended to support further education and skills training across the country.
The Berwick Bank Wind Farm is poised to become one of the largest offshore wind energy projects in the world. It will be a flagship development in the UK's renewable energy transition and a central pillar of Scotland’s contribution to net‑zero goals.
Finance Secretary Shona Robison today set out the Scottish Government's draft budget for the coming financial year, at Holyrood just four months ahead of the Scottish Parliament election. 1.
Among the many pressures shaping this year's Scottish Budget, one theme stood out clearly: an effort to demonstrate that those with the greatest means will be asked to contribute more. Nowhere was that message more pointed than in the finance secretary’s remarks on private aviation.
Since its decisive victory in the July 2024 general election, the UK Labour government under Sir Keir Starmer has presided over an unusually high number of policy reversals commonly known as U‑turns. These reversals have spanned tax, welfare, regulation and digital policy, prompting debate over whether Labour is being distracted by political pressure, misreading public mood, or responding pragmatically to practical constraints.
There are several real, strategic, and political reasons why the Labour government has been issuing a high volume of consultations instead of immediately implementing policies. Complexity of Modern Policy Problems Many of today's policy areas — AI regulation, digital identity, data privacy, employment law, cost of living strategies, climate adaptation schemes.
The recent Scottish Budget has prompted debate over whether its capital spending plans will support economic growth or, conversely, risk acting as a drag on the Scottish economy. Capital spending is investment in infrastructure such as transport, housing, public buildings and energy systems and is traditionally viewed as growth-enhancing.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) welcomes some of the headline measures in Scotland's 2026‑27 pre‑election budget such as support for families with children, business rates relief, and above‑inflation increases in some income tax thresholds. But warns that the broader fiscal picture remains weak and, in many areas, less favourable than the government's own rhetoric suggests.
The Scottish Government's latest Budget has been presented as delivering tax relief for low and middle earners. Ministers have highlighted increases in income tax thresholds as evidence that households will be better off.
While the Scottish Budget 2026‑27 was widely covered for its headline spending and tax measures, several important areas were omitted or inadequately addressed. These omissions matter because they could shape Scotland's economic performance, public services and fiscal sustainability in the years ahead beyond the immediate budget cycle.
Fiscal drag occurs when tax thresholds (the income levels at which different tax rates apply) stay frozen while wages rise in nominal terms. As people's pay increases with inflation or wage growth, more of their income becomes subject to tax or taxed at higher rates without any change in tax rates themselves.