More than £7 million has been added to the Future Farming Investment Scheme (FFIS) budget following exceptionally high demand, Rural Affairs Secretary Mairi Gougeon confirmed. The FFIS was launched in July to offer flexible capital grants to support investments in efficiency, nature and climate friendly farming.
The quantity of goods bought (volume) in retail sales is estimated to have risen by 0.9% in Quarter 3 (July to Sept) 2025 when compared with Quarter 2 (Apr to June) 2025. Good weather in July and August helped clothing sales in Quarter 3, while non-store retailers showed sustained monthly rises over both quarters.
The government has announced a machinery of government change. The government announced that in order to deliver this cross-government priority, the Cabinet Office will have overall responsibility of the new digital identity scheme, including policy development, legislation and strategic oversight.
The gender pay gap has been decreasing slowly over time; over the last decade it has fallen by more than a quarter among full-time employees, and in April 2025, it stood at 6.9%, down from 7.1% in April 2024. Men in full-time employment earned more than women in full-time employment in all major occupation groups in April 2025.
The Chancellor has launched a new one-stop support service to make the UK more attractive to global investors and create jobs and opportunities for working people across the UK. One-stop shop within the Office for Investment to cut red tape and remove barriers for global firms investing in UK financial services.
We're told tax is a curse and even "theft." That's wrong. Tax is how we build a fair society.
The number of young people aged 16-24 who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) has risen by 195,000 over the past two years to reach 940,000. The most common reason for being NEET is unemployment, but the largest increase in recent decades has been amongst those inactive due to disability and ill-health, according to the latest analysis from the Resolution Foundation, published this week.
This week there have been reports from Perthshire of stickers with scam QR codes being stuck onto several parking meters (as shown in the image). The stickers lead to a malicious website which is designed to gather customers' payment and personal details.
Scotland's latest insolvency data paint a mixed picture of personal resilience and business strain. The Accountant in Bankruptcy (AiB) and related reports show that while personal insolvencies are falling.
As Halloween approaches, it is important to know how to avoid potentially dangerous goods, from counterfeit makeup to costumes and products that do not meet UK safety standards. Last year, the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) carried out tests on 128 costumes aimed at children under seven years old.
There have been recent reports of doorstep scammers who claim to work for or on behalf of the local council or housing association. They may ask to enter your property to carry out 'urgent' maintenance or repairs, or offer to carry out maintenance or repair work for a reduced cost.
Several people have recently received scam emails that use the official TV Licensing name and branding. Common scam messages say your licence is about to expire or that a recent direct debit has failed and your TV Licence cannot be automatically renewed.
Headline CPI inflation held steady at 3.8 per cent in September - defying expectations of a rise to 4 per cent - but this welcome surprise comes at the wrong time for the millions of households receiving benefits. The September inflation rate is used to determine benefit uprating the following April.
Catherine Mann of the Bank of England says inflation will stay above 2%. But what if the problem isn't inflation but is the target itself? The 2% rule was invented in the 1990s to please markets, not to help people.
There's a real debt crisis in Britain - but it’s not the one the politicians or journalists are talking about. While Rachel Reeves and the media obsess over government borrowing, 4 million people are already in negative budgets, meaning they're unable to afford the basics of life without debt.
The average house price in Highland was £214,000 in August 2025 (provisional), up slightly 1.6% from August 2024. This was lower than the rise in Scotland (4.0%) over the same period.
The Highland Council has paid tribute to one of its first serving councillors, John M Young who passed earlier this month. Convener of The Highland Councill Cllr Bill Lobban said: "John was elected as an Independent Councillor to serve the Central Caithness Ward of The Highland Council in 1995.
The Consumer Prices Index including owner occupiers' housing costs (CPIH) rose by 4.1% in the 12 months to September 2025, unchanged from August. On a monthly basis, CPIH rose by 0.1% in September 2025, the same rate as in September 2024.
Changes in the prices of goods bought and sold by UK manufacturers including price indices of materials and fuels purchased (input prices) and factory gate prices (output prices). Also including quarterly estimates monitoring the changes in prices charged for services provided to UK-based customers for a range of industries.
The fairness question: Limited partnerships vs. employees.