Scotland's total business stock falls but the registered business stock continues to grow. Scotland’s Chief Statistician today released Businesses in Scotland 2016.
The Scottish Parliament has approved legislation that will protect household incomes, make local taxation fairer and that paves the way for an additional £500 million to be invested in education over this parliament. The overwhelming vote in favour of the council tax order is the first step in the process of reforming council tax with the Scottish Government committing to further discussions on fair and progressive taxation over this Parliament.
£246m support payments arriving in farmer bank accounts. The first 2016 direct loan payments will be deposited in farmers bank accounts today, Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing has confirmed.
The Highland Council's Community Services Committee has confirmed that the local authority if ready for winter with respect to its gritting service of council roads. Members have been assured that the council has adequate salt stocks for the region which were replenished in September and October; that the authority will have around 60,000 tonnes in stock for the start of the main winter season and that there are no concerns about future provision of deliveries from the council's supplier.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts (November, 5th) sold one bull, 14 goats, 925 sheep and 496 lots of poultry, eggs and poultry equipment at their poultry, rare & traditional breeds of livestock sale. Cattle (one) sold to £860 gross for a Belted Galloway bull from Burnbank, Isle of Canna.
Under provisions of the Immigration Act 2016 which comes into force on 1 December 2016, The Highland Council will be unable, from that date, to grant a taxi driver or private hire car (PHC) driver licence to any person unless a check has first been made to verify that the person is not disqualified by reason of his or her immigration status from driving a taxi or private hire car (PHC). This will mean that all applicants for taxi or PHC driver licences, including UK passport holders, will require to attend their nearest licensing office in person with original documents (passport or other acceptable documents) demonstrating that they have the right to work in the UK.
Week Commencing 31 October 2017 Enabling activities: Colleague Andrew Johnston, Director of the Highlands and Islands Science Skills Academy, was in Caithness this week, and it was good to catch up with him to discuss progress with the "Newton Rooms" concept, which has seen a network of facilities established in Norway to give practical, hands-on experiences of learning programmes in sciences. The development of the concept in the Highlands has been boosted by support through the Inverness City-Region Deal, and we believe that Caithness would make a fantastic first "Newton Room" venue in the Highland area.
Wick based New Wave Foods is looking for more seaweed harvesters to help with increasing demand for their products. New Wave Foods has been sustainably harvesting high-quality seaweed for food over the last six months.
The Highland Council is reminding everyone that the opportunity to have a say on the modified version of the Proposed Caithness and Sutherland Local Development Plan (CaSPlan) is coming to an end, with the consultation closing at midday on Friday 11 November 2016. The Council is urging anyone with an interest in Caithness and Sutherland to have their say on the Modified Plan, which focusses on where development should and should not occur in the Caithness and Sutherland area over the next twenty years.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (November, 2nd) sold 302 store cattle. Bullocks (179) averaged 213.2p and sold to 278.4p per kilo for a pen of 255kg Limousin crosses from Erchite, Dores and £1,110 gross for pens of 561kg and 547kg Shorthorn crosses and from Balliefurth Farm, Grantown on Spey.
Amenity Services including Grass cutting for The Highland Council will be provided by an in-house service from the beginning of the financial year 2017/18. Members of the Council's Community Services Committee have agreed to establish an in-house operation with a revised management structure and new performance management system.
Highland Councillors have given their backing to the business case for bringing air services to the Isle of Skye and are to continue lobbying the Scottish Government and its agencies at the highest level. Following assessment of the business case at the Isle of Skye and Raasay Committee, members of the Council's Planning, Development and Infrastructure Committee had the opportunity to discuss the wider economic and social benefits of having an airport on Skye and examined the short-term action plan to take forward some key development activities.
More people across the country will be able to keep themselves and their families warm this winter as a result of £10 million funding announced today. Housing associations and councils will be given a share of £9 million funding to help improve the housing of some of the poorest households and those most in need.
Certainty for over £700m of farming, fishing and structural funds projects. EU funding contracts for structural funds, fisheries and farming projects that are agreed before the UK proposes to leave the EU will be paid in full, the Scottish Government has announced.
The way fisheries quotas are allocated will remain unchanged once the devolution of new fisheries powers is confirmed, Rural Economy Fergus Ewing has announced. Speaking at the Scottish Fishermen's Federation Dinner, Mr Ewing confirmed his intention to provide the industry with stability by maintaining existing allocations through the Fixed Quota Allocation (FQA) system.
Agreement with profession on future role of GPs. A joint agreement on the future direction of GP services has been signed by the Scottish Government and doctors' union the British Medical Association (BMA) The agreement, sent to all GPs this morning, sets out a shared vision for how primary care services can be improved, and the role GPs have to play.
More than £100 million in criminal assets seized. Significant progress has been made tackling serious organised crime in Scotland as public, private and voluntary sector partners work together to deal with emerging threats from cyber crime, human trafficking and fraud.
The Highland Council's Community Services have recently completed a recruitment drive for apprentice mechanics. Over 250 applications were received and nine new apprentices have just started their 4 year training programme.
Due to the uncertainty over the retention of the Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) Board and following discussions at last week's Highland Council meeting, a report went to today's (Wednesday 2 November) Planning, Development and Infrastructure Committee so members could discuss the issue. In its original response to the Scottish Government on the Enterprise and Skills Review, the Council stressed the need to retain a regional economic development focus and the report presented today considered the outcomes of the first phase of the Review and how proposals for the implementation of phase 2 could impact on the Highlands, in particular proposals to create a Scottish wide Strategic Board.
The Highlands and Islands will see more fibre broadband coverage for homes and businesses into 2017, thanks to the early success of the region's Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) project. Fergus Ewing, Cabinet Secretary for the rural economy and connectivity, announced today (31 October) that strong take up figures mean that an additional £2.3m is being re-invested back into the project.
