Pandemic response funding details published. Spending on measures to counter the COVID-19 pandemic has reached just over £4 billion, Scottish Government figures reveal.
Support to work safely. New guidance has been published for retailers and manufacturers to consider how people can safely return to work, with updated guidance for construction to publish later in the week.
The Highland Council can now confirm which of the Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRC) across the region will re-open from Monday 1st June 2020. A phased approach to re-opening the sites will be adopted with strict controls in place to help manage social distancing and to ensure the anticipated high number of visitors and volume of waste can be handled safely and efficiently.
The Highland Council's Housing Service currently operates an annual garden aid scheme, cutting grass in approximately 1,300 council house gardens. The Garden Aid service is for older or disabled tenants who don't have anyone to help them cut their grass.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (May, 26th) sold 9 prime cattle. Prime bullocks (3) averaged 210.0p and sold to 214.0p per kg and £1,302.00 gross.
Small businesses and employers across the UK who have paid statutory sick pay to staff taking coronavirus-related leave will be able to claim back the money from today. In a further boost to employers affected by the outbreak, The Coronavirus Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme - which was announced by Chancellor Rishi Sunak at the Budget -opened for applications this morning.
New fund will meet the cost for unsafe non-ACM cladding on residential buildings that are 18 metres and over and do not comply with building regulations. Building owners urged to register for the government's £1 billion fund to remove and replace unsafe non-ACM cladding systems on high-rise residential buildings.
Businesses in the Highlands and Islands looking to boost their productivity and competitiveness through Internet of Things (IoT) technology, are being offered the chance to hear from industry experts. Internet of Things technology enables devices, such as everyday objects, machinery and systems to connect to the internet.
Following an ambitious bid by Highland Council supported by NHS Highland, to deliver rapid active travel interventions in response to the Coronavirus pandemic, The Highland Council has been awarded £752,954 from the Scottish Government's Spaces for People fund, which is administered by Sustrans. Over the coming weeks towns across Highland and the City of Inverness will see a roll-out of temporary walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure along priority routes.
Public assurance is being provided by Highland Council that the organisation is fully transparent and accountable during the COVID-19 emergency response as it publishes decisions made by its group of senior officers - or Gold Group* - under emergency procedures. The list of decisions made since 19 March 2020 is on the Council's website at the following link and will continue to the added to and updated as further decisions are made using emergency procedures.
The COVID-19 small business and self-catering grant scheme, set up to help companies stay in business during the coronavirus crisis, has now paid out £56,286,250 million to 5135 Highland businesses. The Highland Council's Head of Development and Regeneration, Allan Maguire, said: "We now are processing applications and approving payment within days of a business submitting a complete online application form and its accompanying evidence.
From https://www.scotianomics.org/. Our COVID-19 Community Risk Monitor measures the level of risk exposure of Scotland's 354 local authority wards to the COVID-19 virus.
Highlands and Islands Labour MSP Rhoda Grant was pleased when MSPs this week backed another move to give the media 100% business rates relief. However Mrs Grant was dismayed to discover that might mean the £3million advertising support previously announced by the Scottish Government could be taken off the table.
Following the deal for NHS staff, pressure from UNISON and other trade unions has secured a similar deal for social care staff. This deal is hugely encouraging.
Energy companies have been slashing exploration and production budgets since the Covid-19 pandemic took hold and sent oil prices tumbling, but, with few profitable investment alternatives, operators are now likely to increase spending in decommissioning work. Rystad Energy estimates the total value of the global pool of decommissioning projects that will accumulate through 2024 could reach $42 billion.
About 2,500 jobs have been lost and 64,000 bookings cancelled with the collapse into administration of Specialist Leisure Group. The hotel and travel company included well-known coach holiday brands Shearings and National Holidays.
In some cases this is because government computers have failed to automatically award the correct rate of pension. In other cases it is because the women concerned did not know they could claim a higher rate when their husband reached pension age.
Finance Secretary Kate Forbes has urged the UK Government to provide certainty when announcing funding for Scotland to tackle the Covid crisis. On May 2 the UK Government announced a £617 million extension to business grants, which it advised would generate £60 million of funding consequentials under the Barnett Formula.
April's retail sales figures will result in a cull of independent stores, warns ParcelHero. April's ONS retail sales results show overall sales collapsed -18.1% even as e-commerce boomed by 30.7%.
The route map gives an indication of the order in which we will carefully and gradually seek to change current restrictions. It provides practical examples of what people, organisations and businesses can expect to see change over time.
