DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (May, 14th) sold 329 store cattle and 46 OTM cattle. Bullocks (152) averaged 236.3p and sold to 278.1p per kg for 320kg Limousin crosses from The Dell of Killiehuntly, Kingussie, and £1,300 gross for 618kg Aberdeen Angus crosses from Stonehouse, Brora.
The Highland Council is to consult on future land use opportunities and local infrastructure improvements at Inshes and Raigmore in a shared consultation with Transport Scotland that will shape the future development of this key area of Inverness. Feedback from the consultation will help to create an Inshes and Raigmore Development Brief that will guide future development and look in detail at the challenges and opportunities in this busy part of the city.
At yesterday’s Planning, Development and Infrastructure Committee members have agreed an amended programme of new build housing in the Highlands which will increase the number of Council houses built from the 392 agreed by the Council in January this year to 512. The amended house building programme agreed yesterday will see the revised number of new council houses added to the 126 within previous programmes, making a total of 664 against a target by 2017 of 688.
Dates have been set for a series of 13 budget events being held by The Highland Council to consult with the public over spending priorities between 2015-2019 during which time the Council has to find savings of an estimated £63 million. The forums will also include the first stage of public consultation on the Customer Service Review (including Service Points) agreed at the Council meeting in March.
The living wage should be more actively promoted across the Highlands Council Area, Rhoda Grant MSP has said, after figures showed that 90% of Scots think that companies should pay the living wage. There are around 19,570 people across the Highland Council area who are paid less than the living wage, currently set at £7.65 an hour.
Latest estimates for January to March 2014 show that employment continued to increase, unemployment continued to fall, as did the number of economically inactive people aged from 16 to 64. These changes continue the general direction of movement over the past two years.
The Post Office has launched a £20m Community Branch Fund to help secure the long-term future of branches in villages and remote communities, and underpin their crucial economic and social role. As the traditional banking network declines, community branches are critical in enabling local people to maintain access to the majority of high street banks, along with a wide range of other Post Office products and services.
* Output levels rise solidly in April, albeit at slowest pace in four months * Faster increases in new business and backlogs of work * Inflationary pressures strengthen slightly. Scotland's private sector economy continued to grow in April, the latest Bank of Scotland PMIreport showed, with output and employment both rising on the month.
Members of The Highland Council’s Planning, Development and Infrastructure Committee will be updated on the draft findings of recent research into the cumulative effect of wind energy developments in Caithness at their meeting on Wednesday (14 May 2014). This follows The Highland Council’s successful joint bid with Argyll and Bute Council for Scottish Government funding to undertake such studies in parts of the two council areas.
Along with increasing the number of experienced bank and relationship managers in frontline roles, the bank's digital offering has been developed in order to make things as convenient as possible for customers. In this vein, February saw RBS and NatWest launch a new online business portal providing all the essential information businesses need if they are thinking about applying for a business loan.
- 8.6 million drivers risk missing out on savings by sticking with their existing insurer when renewing - 2.4 million motorists can't be bothered to shop around for cover - Motorists could save up to £220 a year each by switching UK motorists are wasting £1.9 billion each year by staying loyal to their existing car insurer. Not shopping around for a better deal at renewal time means drivers could be throwing away around £220 a year1, says MoneySuperMarket.com.
uSwitch.com’s survey of over 7,000 credit card customers shows retail brands Marks & Spencer, Tesco and Sainsbury’s stealing the limelight from the Big Four banks, as customers rank them higher in trust, value for money and customer service. - Too big to fail? The Big Four banks fail to win a single award in credit card satisfaction survey.
HSBC has installed free Wi-Fi in branches around the UK to help its customers get online while they bank. The hotspots, powered by BT Wi-Fi, are initially available in over 650 HSBC branches throughout the UK.
* Total household wealth up by over £3 trillion since 2003 or £96,000 per household * Household wealth grows faster than disposable income and inflation * Financial asset value rises as housing wealth drops. According to latest research from Lloyds Bank Private Banking total household wealth1 at the end of 2013 is estimated to have reached £7.84 trillion, an increase of £3.07 trillion over the past decade; equivalent to a rise of £96,000 per household.
MoneySuperMarket.com Comments On Barclaycard Launching The Offer - . Commenting on Barclaycard launching the UK's longest ever balance transfer offer of zero per cent for 32 months, Kevin Mountford, head of banking at MoneySuperMarket said: “Following on from Halifax launching its 31 month balance transfer card last week, Barclaycard has upped the ante once again and updated its offering to maintain pole position in the balance transfer market.
* New powers To control Dangerous Dogs * Longer Prison Sentences For Irresponsible Dog Owners * New Powers For Police and Local Authorities * Laws already in place in Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Communication Workers Union (CWU) - which represents the largest number of dog attack victims in the UK - is welcoming tough new dog control laws introduced today.
Milestone reached in contractors payment scheme. The first payment has been made in an innovative scheme designed to speed up payments to contractors working on public sector construction projects.
£15 million for Green Homes Cashback scheme. Households will be able to apply for up to £7,300 through a new, more generous, phase of the Scottish Government’s Green Homes Cashback scheme.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (May, 13th) sold 37 prime cattle. Prime bullocks (25) averaged 207.1p (+2.9p) and sold to 223p per kg and £1,471.80 gross.
The work of police officers and staff in the Highlands and Islands plays a vital role in keeping people safe, Police Scotland Chief Constable Sir Stephen House said today. The Chief Constable was visiting the divisional headquarters of Highland and Islands Division in Inverness today (Tuesday 13 May 2014) to attend a ceremony honouring the long service of police officers and staff.
