A £10 million fund will target support to achieving commercial deployment of tidal energy generation in Scottish waters through driving innovation and reduction in the cost of electricity generated. This concentrated support for tidal energy sits alongside the parallel £30 million committed to date by the Scottish Government to Wave Energy Scotland (WES), and a further £10 million proposed for WES in 2019/20.
Husband and wife team received directorship disqualifications totalling 20 years after they duped small businesses to sponsor unnecessary educational material. In a two-year period, the pair from Congleton, Cheshire, secured more than £1.7 million from businesses who were led to believe they were investing in books and DVDs about substance abuse in return for advertising in the books.
Following the tragic fatality last year in Norfolk involving a child and an inflatable Bouncy Castle, and a further incident on an inflatable slide at Woking where ten children were injured and taken to hospital, The Highland Council's Environmental Health Service is responding to Health and Safety Executive (HSE) advice and raising awareness of the risks associated with such equipment. HSE has recently revised their guidance for Bouncy Castles and other play inflatables which is now available to operators and members of the public on their website.
The contract for refurbishment works including the removal and replacement of the existing viewing tower at Nairn Courthouse has been awarded by The Highland Council to Laing Traditional Masonry Group (LTM Group). The £809,000 project at the Category B listed Court House involves the renovation of the two-stage steeple, which is in poor condition, as well as internal and external works required.
At some point in 2019, the Chancellor will need to publish the outcome of HM Treasury's forthcoming Spending Review. At a minimum, this will set detailed departmental allocations for the 2020−21 financial year, and possibly beyond.
"GDP slowed in the last three months of the year with the manufacturing of cars and steel products seeing steep falls and construction also declining. However, services continued to grow with the health sector, management consultants and IT all doing well.
The arrival in Moray of spaceflight company, Orbex, which is expected to bring more than 130 jobs to the region, has been welcomed by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE). Orbex has set up a new Scottish base at the Enterprise Park Forres, which opened this week (7 February).
Weekly update from CNSRP - week commencing 4th February 2019. SpaceHub Sutherland: The SHS team were in the Kyle Community Centre in Tongue for the first of a planned weekly presence in the area on Wednesdays between 1000 to 1300 hrs to allow people to meet with the project team.
The proposals are based on themes which emerged from weeks of consultation with staff, communities, groups and partners. The themes focus on Efficiencies, Income generation, Redesign and a flexible Workforce.
HMRC publishes the employer bulletin 6 times a year, giving employers and agents the latest information on topics and issues that may affect them. You can download and read the employer bulletin on screen or print it off.
GMB Scotland yesterday Friday 8 February 2019 welcomed the withdrawal of planned reforms which would have resulted in cuts to terms and conditions of Scottish Ambulance Service and NHS staff. Proposals by the NHS Scottish Terms and Conditions Committee (STAC) to the utilisation and application of Time Off In Lieu (TOIL) would have seen the value of accrued TOIL not taken automatically after three months devalued from time and half to plain time.
North Highland College. Saturday 9th February 2019..
The Highland Council's Environmental Health team currently allocates significant resource to facilitate Highland based food manufacturer's trade with EU and non-EU countries. This work can be split into two categories; statutory and non-statutory.
Growing economic links between Canada and Scotland will be strengthened through a new Scottish Government office in Ottawa. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon hosted a Scotland is Now reception in Canada's capital city to officially launch the new office and to launch the global marketing campaign to a Canadian audience for the first time.
Two reports out today show that the increase in life expectancy that has shown steady progress in Scotland since the Second World War, has now stalled and that health inequalities have worsened. In the past seven years, Scotland has seen the slowest growth in life expectancy, since at least the late 1970s and death rates have now begun to rise for people living in our poorest areas.
Labour MSP Rhoda Grant is warning train passengers not to expect a two hour and 45 minute journey time on the Highland Main Line anytime soon. Scottish Government Transport Minister, Michael Matheson, has stated the quicker journey time is now ‘a long-term aspiration' despite a commitment made by Alex Salmond, the then First Minister, in August 2008, to reduce train journey times between Inverness and Edinburgh to at least two hours 45 minutes by 2012.
Prospect has confirmed arrangements for balloting air traffic controllers at Highlands and Islands Airports Limited on industrial action. The ballot will open on 11 February and close on 1 March.
The era of the ‘amateur' landlord may be at an end according to Scottish accountants and business advisors French Duncan. This year will see further erosion of the tax benefits of being a landlord and by 2020 there will be few financial incentives left for landlords.
FORT WILLIAM, Dingwall & Highland Marts, (February, 7th) sold 388 sheep of all classes. Lambs (240) averaged £50.67 and sold to £80 gross for a pen of Lleyn crosses from Steall, Fort William.
Higher wholesale costs push up default and pre-payment price caps from April 2019. From 1 April, the levels of the default tariff price cap will increase by £117 and pre-payment meter cap by £106 to reflect higher costs Customers on default deals are still better off - Ofgem analysis suggests that without the default tariff cap they could be overcharged by £75-£100 a year.