The Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic, Kate Forbes MSP, today announced the reappointments of Simon Cotton and David Wilson as Members of the Board of Highlands and Islands Enterprise. Simon Cotton has over a decade of experience of running textile manufacturing businesses in the HIE region, including Johnstons of Elgin and Macnaughton Holdings.
UK beef prices have been rising steadily over the past three years, and they remain elevated going into 2025. Supply constraints, higher feed costs, and strong demand have all contributed to this upward trend.
The Low Pay Commission is calling for employers and workers to meet with us to discuss the National Living Wage. The Low Pay Commission is holding meetings with individuals and employers.
The decline of wealth taxation in the UK was not the result of a single policy failure or an overwhelming economic consensus. Instead, it was the product of political realignment, changing economic narratives, and shifts in who holds influence and power.
A new £2.5 million package to nurture more young entrepreneurs is part of record £45 million investment to drive innovation, enterprise and entrepreneurship across Scotland in 2026-27. The draft Scottish Budget supports investment in people and businesses at every stage of their journey, from continued investment to encourage those from disadvantaged or under-represented backgrounds to start and grow businesses, to tailored support for companies scaling up.
Nuclear Transport Solutions sign new strategic agreement on development of transport package designed to safely move the next generation of nuclear fuel. Nuclear Transport Solutions (NTS), the world's leading nuclear transport specialist, and nuclear technology company Westinghouse have signed a new strategic agreement to work together on the development of Pegasus - NTS’s revolutionary transport package designed to safely move the next generation of nuclear fuel.
The UK risks falling behind in the global race to scale artificial intelligence (AI) unless urgent action is taken to accelerate nuclear development. A new report by the Nuclear Industry Association (NIA) and Oxford Economics explains and gives a warning.
Consumers are surrounded by food that is highly conducive to weight gain. No one likes dieting and very few have lasting success.
The UK is facing a sustained squeeze on living standards. Wages have struggled to keep pace with inflation, housing costs remain high, and public services—from the NHS to local councils—are under acute strain.
The UK government has set an ambitious target to build 1.5 million new homes in England over this Parliament, which equates to roughly 300,000 homes per year. This target reflects an urgent political commitment to address the long-standing shortage of housing and make homes more affordable — a priority that successive governments have struggled to meet.
Over the past eighteen months, the UK has witnessed a wave of corporate insolvencies, with the construction sector standing out as the hardest hit. More than five thousand construction firms have collapsed during this period, either through liquidation, administration, or receivership.
The freeze on the personal allowance (the amount of income you can earn before paying tax) is hitting harder year on year. This freeze, currently set until 2030, is often described as a "stealth tax" because although tax rates haven't gone up, inflation and wage growth mean more people are dragged into paying higher taxes over time.
Around a third (32%) of trading businesses reported a decrease in their turnover in December 2025 when compared with the previous month, up 4 percentage points from November. Broadly it is in line with movements seen around this time in previous years; in contrast, 13% reported an increase in their turnover, broadly stable compared with November 2025.
The Board of Scottish Water has announced that household water and waste water bills will rise by an average of £42 per year from 1st April 2026 - an increase of around £3.50 a month. The change will take the average annual charge in Scotland to £532, which remains among the lowest of any water company in the UK.
The story of the UK's energy transition is not only national but deeply regional, with areas like Caithness and the wider Highlands playing outsized roles in shaping the future of electricity generation. From nuclear heritage to cutting-edge renewables, these regions illustrate both the challenges and opportunities of moving away from fossil fuels toward a cleaner, more resilient energy system.
Borrowing - the difference between total public sector spending and income - was £11.6 billion in December 2025; this was £7.1 billion or 38.0% less than December 2024 and the 10th highest December since monthly records began in 1993 (not adjusted for inflation). Borrowing in the financial year to December 2025 was £140.4 billion; this was £0.3 billion or 0.2% less than in the same nine-month period of 2024, but still the third-highest April to December borrowing on record (not adjusted for inflation), after those of 2020 and 2024.
Twelve start-up companies have each been awarded £35,000 to fast track high-tech solutions to help improve people's lives and public services. Projects include finding new ways to improve support for people with long term health conditions, systems to help tackle teacher workload and the creation of a portal to gather the authentic language data required for building Gaelic digital technology such as voice recognition software.
Intake pledge met as £526.5 million committed for dentistry in 2026-27 Draft Budget. The number of Scottish students starting Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) courses has increased by 7% - the highest increase in a decade.
Unemployment held steady at 5.1 per cent last month, while real pay packets grew slowly at the end of last year, the Resolution Foundation said in response to the latest ONS labour market statistics. The number of payrolled jobs fell once again in November and December (by 33,000 and 43,000, though the latter is likely to be revised) and has now fallen by 184,000 over the past 12 months.
Efforts to regenerate nine towns in the south of Scotland have taken a major step forward with the publication of proposals developed by volunteer-led teams. Town teams are now refining their ideas and preparing business cases ahead of final funding decisions as part of a £20 million Scottish Government investment.
