A brand new children's food festival will take place in the North Highlands in the summer of 2015 it has been announced. Created and organised by the North Highland Initiative (NHI) in partnership with Scotland Food & Drink, the festival will take place from 5 and 6 June 2015 and aims to highlight the importance of local food production, how to make great cuisine and good food choices and the variety of career opportunities in food production and service.
The biggest fibre cable laying project undertaken in the UK in recent years has begun on the West Coast of Scotland to deliver superfast broadband to some of the country's most remote island communities. Thousands of homes and businesses are set to benefit from the publicly funded digital network being built to bring world class connectivity to Scotland.
Atlantis Resources has signed a turbine supply contract with Andritz Hydro Hammerfest for its Scottish tidal current energy project, MeyGen. Andritz will supply three 1.5Mw tidal power turbines for Phase 1A of the project in the Pentland Firth while Atlantis will also use one of its own 1.5MW turbines.
Energy & Business services: Pelamis Wave Power has issued a project update on its Farr Point project off the coast of north Sutherland. The company reports on the results consultation work and survey work in support of its likely application later this year to Marine Scotland for a 10MW array of Pelamis wave devices.
The main construction contract for the new £15.4M Noss Primary School in Wick has been signed. The site, on the existing North Primary School campus, is already cleared and ready for the foundation work to begin.
The Highland Council are encouraging retailers throughout the Highlands to get ready for the 20th October when retailers will be required to make a minimum 5p charge for all single use bags. Scotland currently uses 750 million bags each year and the legislation aims to encourage shoppers to think about reusing bags in order to prevent litter and combat our throwaway culture.
New rules that apply to business activities in an off-premises contract, such online sales, mail order, telephone sales and agreements made in a consumer's home came into force on 13th June 2014. These new Regulations cover sales of goods and digital content and the supply of services and may affect a large proportion of Highland businesses involved home improvements, gardening and trades like plumbing, electrical, joinery, and painting as well as those Highland based businesses who regularly sell goods and services online by telephone or by mail order.
Oil and gas firms may be adopting a "wait and see" approach before making further investment decisions in the North Sea, according to a new report from Deloitte. The report, which details drilling, licensing and deal activity across North West Europe over the second quarter of 2014 and was compiled by Deloitte's Petroleum Services Group (PSG), found a total of seven exploration and appraisal (E&A) wells were drilled on the UKCS.
* Consumer confidence continues to improve and is now four points higher than a year ago; * The North of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland see a six percentage point rise in confidence concerning household disposable income in Q2 vs Q1; * Overall, confidence about disposable income increases by 11 points year-on-year; * Confidence over level of debt falls two points since last quarter. * The North of England*, Scotland and Northern Ireland saw a sharp rise in consumer confidence in Q2 2014, according to the latest Deloitte Consumer Tracker.
Cities and local authorities can provide an alternative to the big six and create a cleaner, smarter, more competitive and affordable energy system, according to a new report from the think tank IPPR. The report urges Britain's cities to get even more active in energy markets and for the pioneers to go further.
Paul McKinney, EDR Project Director at the Carbon Trust, said:"Reducing peak time electricity demand is an absolutely critical part of delivering a secure, low carbon energy system at the lowest cost, helping to keep the lights on in the UK. And improving energy efficiency frequently comes with a rock-solid business case, so the decision to invest in it seems like it should be a no-brainer.
* CMA consulting on provisional decision to launch an in-depth investigation. Essential parts of the UK retail banking sector lack effective competition and do not meet the needs of personal consumers or small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), two studies by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), published today, have found.
Almost a fifth (19%) of exports of Scotland's national drink goes to Commonwealth countries. Last year exports to the Commonwealth were up 1% on 2012 to £793 million, out of a global total of £4.3 billion.
The Council of Mortgage Lenders estimates that gross mortgage lending reached £17.5 billion in June. This is 4% higher than May (£16.8 billion), 17% higher than June last year (£14.9 billion) and the highest monthly figure since October last year (£17.6 billion).
A project to cut the cost of offshore wind by at least 10% is being awarded £2.2 million by the Scottish Government, First Minister Alex Salmond has announced. The Carbon Trust's Offshore Wind Accelerator (OWA) programme, a joint industry and government scheme, brings together nine offshore wind developers with over 72% (31GW) of the UK's licensed capacity.
The Scottish Affairs Committee publishes its report on the Referendum on Separation for Scotland: Implications for Pensions and Benefits. A report published by the Scottish Affairs Committee says the Scottish Government's failure to properly cost its plans for both public and private pensions will leave Scots with uncertainty in an area where most value security.
The Scottish cabinet was in Wick on monday 14th July 2014..
Week Commencing 14th July 2014 Energy & Business services: We welcomed a new business to the area this week, with Aberdeen-based Process Safety Solutions (PSS) opening a new base at the HIE-owned Wick Business Park. The opening was carried out by John Swinney MSP, the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth whilst the Scottish Cabinet was in Wick this week.
Aberdeen-based Process Safety Solutions, the systems life-cycle management specialist supporting the oil and gas sector in the UK and overseas, officially opened its new Wick facility on 15th July 2014 at Wick Business Park in Caithness. The team welcomed John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth.
The Scottish Cabinet are meeting in Wick as part of a series of public question and answer sessions. Members of the public had the opportunity to ask questions of Ministers about 'Scotland's Future'..