Members of the Economy and Infrastructure Committee have confirmed approval of all recommendations outlined in The Highland Council's latest Net Zero, Energy, Investment & Innovation (NZEII) Portfolio report, marking a significant milestone in its commitment to delivering low-carbon energy solutions across the region. Members agreed to commence preparation of an Outline Business Case for the development of solar PV arrays on the Common Good Investment lands at Blarlaith North and South in Tain.
At today's meeting of The Highland Council's Economy and Infrastructure Committee, members discussed a report on the latest update on the Community Wealth Building (CWB) Strategy. The update highlighted significant progress across key areas of economic development aimed at retaining and growing wealth within local communities.
The Highland Council is encouraging community groups and organisations to apply for a share of £300,000 available through the 2025/26 allocation of the Nature Restoration Fund. Chair of the Council's Economy and Infrastructure Committee, Councillor Ken Gowans said: "I am very pleased to announce the opening of a new round of the Nature Restoration Fund.
The Highland Council has reaffirmed its commitment to delivering inclusive, low-carbon transport solutions with the publication of its latest Sustainable Transport Team update. The report, presented to the Economy and Infrastructure Committee earlier today, outlines major achievements in active travel, road safety, and public transport improvements across the region.
British businesses are under such strain that around 50,000 are on the brink of collapse according to a recent report. Retail is an especially vulnerable sector, with predictions that over 17,300 shops will close this year, costing 200,000 jobs.
According to this year's Big Scottish Scam Survey, the most common scams were related to energy saving measures. 48% of those surveyed had experienced one of these scams in the last year.
People who manage areas of Scotland's land and freshwater can apply for a new award that shows they’re protecting nature and helping to tackle climate change. Areas of advanced biodiversity can now be recognised as a Nature30 site which means they are helping meet Scotland’s commitment to 30 by 30 - ensuring that 30% of our land and sea is protected for nature by 2030.
CPI inflation jumped 0.2 percentage points to reach 3.8 per cent in July. Worryingly, the rise was driven by the higher cost of essentials with faster price rises for energy (rising from 4.5 per cent in June to 8 per cent in July), petrol (up by 2p per litre in July) and food (4.5 per cent to 4.9 per cent) intensifying continuing cost of living pressures according to the Resolution Foundation today (Wednesday).
More than £6 million of additional funding is being invested in nature enhancing projects through the Nature Restoration Fund (NRF). Established in 2021, the £65 million NRF has funded nearly 800 projects helping Scotland's species, woodlands, rivers and seas back on the road to recovery, including planting over 300,000 trees and restoring over 1,800 hectares of urban greenspace in towns and cities.
Estimates from January to March 2025 include the full effect of the improvements in Labour Force Survey (LFS) data collection and sampling methods introduced from January 2024; however, estimates may be subject to the effect of further ongoing improvements. An increased amount of volatility will remain in the estimates from mid-2023 and throughout 2024, so we would advise caution when interpreting change involving those periods.
This video asks a simple question. Is the AI-fuelled stock-market mania echoing the dot.com crash? I compare FTSE 100 and S&P 500 crashes, highlight that the S&P is now trading at price-to-book levels above 2000, and show how mega-cap tech stocks now represent nearly a third of the index.
Borrowing - the difference between total public sector spending and income - was £1.1 billion in July 2025; this was £2.3 billion less than in July 2024 and the lowest July borrowing for three years. Self-assessed (SA) Income Tax receipts in July 2025 were £15.5 billion, £2.7 billion more than in July 2024; however, because of the possibility of delayed July payments, we recommend considering July and August SA Income Tax receipts as a whole when making year-on-year comparisons.
General Practice will receive an initial additional investment of £15 million this year to ease recruitment pressures and boost capacity. The new investment will support workforce retention and recruitment, build service capacity and support the day to day running of GP services.
16% of trading businesses reported that their turnover had increased in July 2025 compared with the previous calendar month, and was broadly stable from June; in contrast, 24% reported their turnover had decreased, also broadly stable over the same period. Around 1 in 7 (15%) trading businesses reported that they expect their turnover to decrease in September 2025, decreasing by 5 percentage points compared with expectations for August; in comparison, 15% reported that they expect their turnover to increase, broadly stable with expectations for August.
Highland Council advise that recent radon testing carried out across its estate has identified elevated levels of radon gas in isolated areas of nine properties. These findings follow a comprehensive monitoring programme involving 135 non-domestic workplaces and public buildings, in line with UK Health and Safety legislation.
The Consumer Prices Index including owner occupiers' housing costs (CPIH) rose by 4.2% in the 12 months to July 2025, up from 4.1% in the 12 months to June. On a monthly basis, CPIH was little changed in July 2025, the same as in July 2024.
Average UK monthly private rents increased by 5.9%, to £1,343, in the 12 months to July 2025 (provisional estimate); this annual growth rate is down from 6.7% in the 12 months to June 2025. Average rents increased to £1,398 (6.0%) in England, £807 (7.9%) in Wales, and £999 (3.6%) in Scotland, in the 12 months to July 2025.
Three new initiatives to help people find and stay in work, including disabled people and those with long term health conditions, have been announced. The pilot projects will share £228,000 of Scottish Government funding to enable people with diverse needs to enter, stay in or progress in the workplace.
New figures show the risk of dying from cancer for people living in Scotland is at the lowest on record. Public health Scotland (PHS) statistics show from 2013 to 2022 the risk of dying from cancer in Scotland decreased by 11.1%, from 333.7 per 100,000 in 2013 to 296.8 per 100,000 in 2022.
The average house price in Highland was £215,000 in June 2025 (provisional), up 3.8% from June 2024. This was lower than the rise in Scotland (5.9%) over the same period.