Pay deals across the whole economy have resulted in a median 2% increase in the three months to the end of May 2014, according to the latest analysis from pay specialists XpertHR. This marks a fall from the 2.5% median increase recorded in the first three months of the year.
The next Highland Council budget forum will be held at 6.30pm on Tuesday 8 July in Strathy Village Hall, Strathy, Sutherland. It is the latest in a series of budget events being held to consult the public over spending priorities between 2015-2019, during which time the Council has to find savings of an estimated £63 million.
Highland Councillors have approved £20,000 funding towards the appointment of a Project Manager to spearhead the establishment of a Highland Science Academy on the new Inverness Campus at Beechwood. The new post will be responsible for taking forward an action plan to progress the Science Academy project over a 2 year period.
Forestry Commission Scotland are currently reviewing the Land Management Plan for forest blocks situated between Wick, John o'Groats, Thurso, Halkirk & Lybster The Land Management Plan will set out the long term vision for management of these forests and details of felling and replanting for the next ten years. We are keen to hear from members of the community who visit these forests or would like to offer comments on future management of the woodlands here.
Week commencing 23 June 2014 Tourism, Food & Drink: Following last week's food & drink success for Caithness companies, news this week that two more local businesses have been nominated for the Highlands & Islands Tourism Awards with Thurso's Mr C's Bar and Annie's Bakery both nominated in categories. Enabling activities: CNSRP partner the Highland Council is holding two public engagement events in Caithness next week in support of the developing strategy for a new LEADER programme for the Highlands.
Commenting on Ofcom's ruling that Openreach must repair the majority of phone and broadband faults within two days, and that most customers requiring a new line must receive an appointment within 12 working days or face sanctions, Ewan Taylor-Gibson, broadband expert at uSwitch.com says: "Today's news that Ofcom is cracking the whip on Openreach is very welcome. Anyone who has waited for their broadband or phone to be fixed for weeks on end would have felt at the mercy of their provider, whilst paying for a service they couldn't use.
Cairn operates nationwide, across the whole of Scotland. They have properties in the Borders in the south, and as far north as Thurso and Wick.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (June, 24th) sold 45 prime cattle. Prime bullocks (30) averaged 199.2p (+0.5p) and sold to 211p per kg and £1,412.90 gross.
National projects identified and scenic areas protected. Planning Minister Derek Mackay has yesterday (23 June 2014) launched the Scottish Government's vision for planning in Scotland.
The map was produced by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) to identify the most extensive areas of the highest wildness in Scotland that are considered nationally important. It was prepared after a seven-week public consultation at the end of last year and detailed analysis of new data.
An Official Statistics Publication for Scotland. Council Tax Reduction: Caseload and Expenditure, Scotland, 2013-14 This publication provides statistics on the Council Tax Reduction scheme, which reduces the Council Tax liability of vulnerable people in Scotland.
The Highland Council is to take a lead role in helping businesses save money, be more competitive and reduce their environmental impact by using resources more efficiently, by backing the national Resource Efficiency Pledge scheme. The Resource Efficiency Pledge is a new scheme from Resource Efficient Scotland, a programme of Zero Waste Scotland which works with businesses to help them reduce both their running costs and carbon emissions.
Four Highlands and Islands companies won a total of £173,500 last week in the fourth round of the Scottish EDGE competition. The Scottish EDGE competition is designed to help innovative young Scottish companies to expand and grow by creating more jobs in Scotland and taking advantage of opportunities to move into international markets.
Telephone, TV and Jet Engine Are 'Britain's Best Inventions', but Consumers Are in the Dark About Them Being British. Britain invented the telephone[1], TV[2] and the jet engine[3].
Price wars are a "race to the bottom" and could deter future investors. Shift to convenience store shopping has been driven by retailers - not consumers But convenience stores sales are now so significant they risk rendering hypermarkets obsolete in their current form 'Drive through' supermarkets and free doorstep delivery would offer consumers the ultimate in convenience and choice Introduction.
Industry partners Biffa and Sainsbury's are today celebrating an innovative facility that will allow Sainsbury's Cannock store to run on power generated solely from the supermarket's own food waste. Using Biffa's advanced anaerobic digestion (AD) facilities and a unique power link up, Sainsbury's Cannock store will be powered using electricity generated using food waste from Sainsbury's stores across the UK.
Danish international discount grocery retailer Netto is returning to Britain in an attractive new trial format, bringing a fresh Scandinavian flavour to the UK discount sector. The new-look Netto will take the form of a joint venture combining Dansk Supermarked's excellence in systems, infrastructure and low-cost operations with Sainsbury's UK grocery, product sourcing and property expertise, in a compelling customer proposition.
Following its recent Women in IT campaign which featured 30 women throughout May, BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, is continuing to champion IT as a profession for all by celebrating National Women in Engineering Day which takes place on 23 June. The celebration will include a Festival of Wikipedia that will see volunteers adding, updating, and improving Wikipedia entries of women in technology, dead or alive, to ensure that their contribution to the profession is recorded and celebrated.
Data released on 20th june 2014 by the UK Office for National Statistics showed that public sector net borrowing for May 2014 was £13.3 billion, £0.7 billion higher than last May and higher than consensus expectations of £12 billion. With year-on-year GDP growth now at 3.1% in the latest (Q1 2014) figures, the recovery is boosting certain areas of taxation compared to a year ago.
Commenting on the government's new minimum wage remit for the Low Pay Commission published on Wednesday, TUC General Secretary Frances O'Grady said: "With figures suggesting that nearly a quarter of apprentices get paid less than the law says they should, we welcome moves to simplify the system. This would prevent employers who cheat their apprentices out of the minimum wage from using the excuse that they didn't understand they had to pay it.
