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NEST is a simple, great value pension scheme any employer can use to meet their new automatic enrolment duties. The duties started to be introduced from October 2012 and will affect all UK employers over the next few years.
Social enterprise New Start Highland has safeguarded the future of HomeAid Caithness & Sutherland as it announces it is due to start running its daily operations at the end of this month. The move protects ten current jobs as well as existing and future traineeships and plans are in place to create more local jobs in the Caithness area.
A review of the committee that provides independent advice to the UK Government on the long-term management of radioactive waste has been announced. It is the second Triennial Review of the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM), part of the government's commitment to ensuring non-departmental public bodies "continue to have regular independent challenge".
Local MP, John Thurso, today welcomed the announcement that communities in the North are set to benefit from the latest round of awards from the UK government's Coastal Communities Fund (CCF). The Coastal Communities Fund is financed by the government through the allocation of funding equivalent to 50% of the revenues from the Crown Estate's marine activities in that area.
The Scottish Police Authority (SPA) is today publishing the findings and recommendations of its scrutiny inquiry into the public impacts of Police Scotland's decision in 2013 to authorise its trained Armed Response Vehicle officers to operate under a Firearms Standing Authority. Among its key findings, the scrutiny inquiry found that.
The Scottish Labour candidate for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, John Erskine has vowed to fight to attract high wage jobs to the constituency if elected in May. This vow comes after figures from the Trussell Trust revealed that for the month of December 2014, 48% of users of their food banks in Caithness had to do so because of low wages.
David Stewart, Scottish Labour MSP for the Highlands and Islands, raised concerns over the "dangerously low" numbers of Educational Psychologists in Scotland during a Members Business debate in the Parliament today. Mr Stewart, who had called the debate which received cross-party support, criticised the Scottish Government for failing to address the “critical shortage” of Educational Psychologists in Scotland.
The average British worker ‘runs out of steam' by 1.40pm on a Thursday, a study has revealed. Reearchers found that after a long week of dealing with hectic schedules and hefty workloads, most workers begin to wilt by Thursday afternoon.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts, (January, 28th) sold 2955 sheep of all classes. Lambs (2280) averaged £57.88 and sold to £88.50 gross for Texel crosses from Teanluick, Beauly.
For more than 50 years, global production of plastic has continued to rise. Some 299 million tons of plastics were produced in 2013, representing a 4 percent increase over 2012.
Next Wednesday (4 February) the four housing partners of the Highland Housing Register in Caithness will be hosting special sessions in Wick and Thurso to let people know about an exciting new way of allocating some of its properties, giving applicants much more choice about the housing they will be offered. For a period from 16 February 2015 onwards, vacancies will be advertised to promote choice.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (January, 27th) sold 40 prime cattle. Prime bullocks (22) averaged 218.3p (+4.9p) and sold to 224p per kg and £1,482.40 gross.
Highland & Islands MSP, Rhoda Grant is seeking confirmation from the Scottish Government that significant road improvement works planned to take place on the Berriedale Braes in Caithness will be exempted from landfill tax which could skyrocket project costs on the long overdue scheme. From April 2015, landfill tax collected from landfill operators will go to Revenue Scotland and will become the Scottish Landfill Tax.
Highlands and Islands Labour MSP, and long term campaigner for better broadband services, Rhoda Grant, has written to the Cabinet Secretary for Infrastructure, Keith Brown, calling on him to allocate more funding to the Highlands and Islands for improved broadband services. Mrs Grant understands the Scottish Government has further monies available for this and are currently making decisions on spending priorities.
The scheduled Caithness District Partnership will still take place on Friday 30 January 2015 in Thurso but people should be aware that the venue and start time have been changed from what was originally promoted. The Partnership meeting will now take place at 10.30am in the Pentland Hotel, Princes Street, Thurso.
Paper and can banks are to be phased out of The Highland Council's network of Recycling Points during February and March. The decision was taken at a meeting of The Highland Council on the 18th December, at which the budget for 2015/16 and the indicative budget for the following 3 years was agreed, a package of savings totaling £42.8 million.
Following on from the warning and advice on bogus callers issued last week in conjunction with Highland Council Trading Standards, Police have received a number of reports of callers operating in the Holm, Culduthel and Lochardil areas of the city this week. During two of the incidents reported, male callers targeted local addresses including those with elderly residents, offering to fix broken tiles and treat roofs for moss for "free" before requesting a sum of money.
Week Commencing 19 January 2015 Energy & Business services: MeyGen's tidal project at the Inner Sound kicks off in earnest this month, with work starting on the groundwork for onshore access road and buildings at Ness of Quoys, just east of Gills Harbour http://renews.biz/82743/crews-pave-way-for-meygen/ And MeyGen subcontractor Fisher Marine has been working out of Gills Harbour this week, conducting survey work in support of the project http://caithness-business.co.uk/article.php?id=5674 . MeyGen's Parent company Atlantis Resources is, meanwhile, one of the companies attending the 2015 Innovators & Investors Forum in London next month.
More than 6,000 homes and businesses in the two Caithness towns are able to order fibre based broadband now, with speeds of up to 80 mbps, delivered through the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband project. Services will be available to another 700 plus premises soon, as cabinets currently in the final stages of activation in Wick go live.
