There's a real debt crisis in Britain - but it’s not the one the politicians or journalists are talking about. While Rachel Reeves and the media obsess over government borrowing, 4 million people are already in negative budgets, meaning they're unable to afford the basics of life without debt.
Several people have recently received scam emails that use the official TV Licensing name and branding. Common scam messages say your licence is about to expire or that a recent direct debit has failed and your TV Licence cannot be automatically renewed.
The average house price in Highland was £214,000 in August 2025 (provisional), up slightly 1.6% from August 2024. This was lower than the rise in Scotland (4.0%) over the same period.
The Highland Council has paid tribute to one of its first serving councillors, John M Young who passed earlier this month. Convener of The Highland Councill Cllr Bill Lobban said: "John was elected as an Independent Councillor to serve the Central Caithness Ward of The Highland Council in 1995.
The Consumer Prices Index including owner occupiers' housing costs (CPIH) rose by 4.1% in the 12 months to September 2025, unchanged from August. On a monthly basis, CPIH rose by 0.1% in September 2025, the same rate as in September 2024.
Changes in the prices of goods bought and sold by UK manufacturers including price indices of materials and fuels purchased (input prices) and factory gate prices (output prices). Also including quarterly estimates monitoring the changes in prices charged for services provided to UK-based customers for a range of industries.
The fairness question: Limited partnerships vs. employees.
Six business experts from across the islands have been selected to help shape new opportunities for young entrepreneurs, businesses and third-sector organisations to develop and grow their ideas in Orkney, Shetland and the Outer Hebrides. Heriot-Watt University has appointed the specialists to its Industry Advisory Board for its ‘innovation and commercialisation project' - one of the key strands of the wider TalEntEd Islands Programme.
The government has announced it is slashing the red tape that holds back ground-breaking innovations from coming to market. New funding will fast-track ground-breaking innovations such as drones delivering medicines in the Scottish islands to firefighters using AI to spot fire risks faster.
The MHRA leads three new government-backed projects using AI-driven approaches to make medicines safer and bring treatments to patients more quickly. A new study will use artificial intelligence (AI) and NHS data to predict side effects from drug combinations before they reach patients.
The UK government's major national programmes and initiatives since 1997 that were explicitly aimed at "cutting red tape" or reducing regulatory and administrative burdens. There haas been at least 9 distinct, named national initiatives (some are agencies or rules rather than one-off campaigns).
Screen Scotland has published the latest figures detailing the screen sector's impact within the Scottish economy. The research shows continued economic growth in Scotland's film and television sector, and the value of sustained public investment in film and television production, cinema exhibition, screen education, talent and skills development.
The UK has about 18.3 % of its population aged 65+ The highest-share country is Japan with around 30.0 % aged 65+ in 2025. Japan's share of 65+ is ~30 % versus the UK's ~18.3 % — so Japan has roughly 1.6 times the proportion of older people compared to the UK.
there are growing reports in the UK and elsewhere that large-scale data centres are generating complaints from local people and utilities alike about their impact on water and electricity supplies. Below is a summary of how this is playing out, what the concerns are, and how prevalent the issues appear to be.
Your phone buzzes at 6 a.m. It's ChatGPT: "I see you're traveling to New York this week.
Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper to boost opportunity for disadvantaged students, hold universities to account and put sector on firm financial footing. Bold plans to break down barriers to opportunity, hold universities to account, and put the post-16 education system on a firmer financial footing have been unveiled as part of the government's plan for national renewal.
The latest figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for September 2025 show continued pressure on the UK's public finances, reinforcing a challenging fiscal backdrop for the government. In September 2025 alone public sector net borrowing (i.e., the shortfall where spending exceeds income) reached about £20.2 billion making it the highest such figure for any September in five years.
Annual mid-year population estimates of people aged 90 years and over by sex and single year of age to 105 years and over, and comparisons between UK countries. There were an estimated 625,000 people aged 90 years or over in the UK in 2024; this is an increase of 53.7% since 2004, and an increase of 2.2% since mid-2023.
With cash ISA reform rumours circulating again, Moneyfacts data reveals higher rate taxpayers and those with larger savings pots could have made more money from top-paying cash ISAs since 2020 despite standard savings accounts paying a greater rate of interest due to their tax efficiency. The importance of tax-efficient saving via ISAs is growing as more people shift into higher tax bands, which reforms could threaten.
The Scottish Government is embroiled in a significant legal dispute with waste management company Biffa Waste Services Limited, which is seeking up to £166 million in damages. The case stems from the collapse of Scotland's ambitious Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), a flagship environmental initiative aimed at reducing litter and boosting recycling rates.
