An article from The Conversation web site 18 June 2020. Author - Anna Leask - Professor of Tourism Management, Edinburgh Napier University Tourism has virtually stopped thanks to the COVID-19 lockdowns.
New approach put in place as Scotland moves to Phase 2 of recovery. Face coverings will become mandatory on public transport from Monday 22 June, as part of operators' preparations for progress towards recovery and to reduce the risk of transmission.
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 over £63 million to 5,892 Highland businesses. Councillor Trish Robertson, Chair of The Highland Council's Economy and Infrastructure Committee said: "Our staff that are processing applications are still working very hard and thanks to their efforts and to applicants for providing the correct information when they apply, the percentage of grants processed is currently at 99%.
Following on from the statement today (18 June 2020) by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and a subsequent board meeting High Life Highland has initiated the first tentative steps of its own plans to fit in with the Scottish Government's "Scotland's Route Map through and out of the crisis". Ian Ross, Chair of the High Life Highland Board informed fellow Directors, "A substantial amount of work has gone on before and during lockdown to protect customers, staff and the wider services provided by the Charity.
New powers and measures to align devolved Scots law with those in the European Union after the end of the Brexit transition period have been published. The UK Withdrawal from the European Union (Continuity) (Scotland) Bill will allow or provide for continuity of provision that would otherwise be lost on withdrawal from the EU.
Progress continues but caution urged to suppress COVID-19 Further changes to lockdown restrictions in Scotland have been announced today (Thursday, 18 June 2020) by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. Those shielding are now able to go outdoors for exercise from today.
HMRC contacted employers today with an update on VAT. As part of the government's support for businesses during COVID-19, HMRC gave businesses the option of deferring their VAT payments if they were unable to pay on time, without incurring late payment interest or penalties.
The £2 million Towns and BIDs Resilience and Recovery Fund, announced by the Scottish Government on 12th June 2020, is intended to support localised response activities contributing to town centre and high street resilience and recovery. Overview £1 million of this funding will be allocated directly to towns to address immediate priorities as lockdown restrictions are gradually eased.
Further measures have been announced to support Scotland's zoos and aquariums. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced that from 29 June outdoor areas of zoos and gardens will be able to open to the public, provided appropriate measures are put in place to ensure physical distancing and compliance with phase 2 restrictions.
Following the First Minister's announcement on Tuesday, 16 June 2020, eligible school pupils are to receive free school meals during the summer break to help tackle food poverty. In Highland, P1-3 pupils entitled to school clothing grants and P4-S6 pupils who are eligible for free school meals have been receiving £15 per pupil, per week, which is paid fortnightly using a voucher system.
The public body responsible for Cairngorm Mountain acted appropriately when selecting a private company to manage the resort, but tough decisions on its future are now required. Cairngorm Mountain Limited (CML), which operated the mountain's winter sports and leisure activities, went into administration in 2018 following the closure of the funicular railway due to structural problems.
The Highland Council's Environmental Health Team has identified raised levels of naturally occurring bivalve shellfish biotoxins following routine monitoring at Loch Eishort, Sleat, Isle of Skye. Eating bivalve shellfish such as mussels, cockles, oysters or razor fish from these areas may pose a health risk arising from the consumption of these biotoxins.
CHIEF Executive of The Highland Council, Donna Manson was invited to give evidence at the Scottish Parliament's COVID-19 Committee on Wednesday 17 June. Mrs Manson's advice to the Committee was the importance of a clear and simple national message during the COVID-19 emergency.
Increased animal cruelty penalties and new legal protections for service animals to be introduced. MSPs have supported increased penalties for the worst types of animal cruelty and ‘Finn's law', which gives new legal protections for service animals such as police dogs and horses.
Today, The Highland Council's approach to a phased reopening of schools and Education Learning and Care (ELC) settings in the Highland region was discussed by Members at the Recovery Board. Guided by the national framework, Highland Council will look at the local and individual circumstances of each of it's 203 school and ELC settings to provide the safest and most valuable learning experience possible to its 50,000 children and young people when term resumes in August.
New statistics from the Annual Population Survey show that 309,000 young people aged 16 to 24 years were in employment in Scotland in April 2019 to March 2020. The employment rate for young people was 54.8 per cent, lower than a year ago (58.3 per cent).
Businesses in the Highlands and Islands are being encouraged to bring their costs down with free, one to one, virtual support available from Zero Waste Scotland. Through the recently launched Energy Efficiency Business Support Service, which is supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), Zero Waste Scotland is offering small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) energy assessments to identify where simple actions could result in significant financial savings.
New figures show that prudent budget management is enabling the Scottish Government to maximise its response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The 2019-20 Provisional Budget Outturn reveals a 0.7 per cent underspend on a total budget of £34.6 billion - down from 0.9 per cent the previous year - with all of the £258 million underspend carried forward and most having already been deployed.
Highland Council is pleased to report that preparatory work to resume construction activity on three key school projects has commenced. This is a significant step towards the completion of new buildings at Alness Academy and Merkinch Primary, and the refurbishment of Inverness High School.
Scotland's GDP fell by 2.5% during the first quarter of 2020, according to statistics announced today by the Chief Statistician which cover the period from January to March. Over the year, compared to the first quarter of 2019, the economy has contracted by 2.3%.