The UK Pubic Accounts Committee has commenced an inquiry into the energy transmission network that points up the issues for energy supplies not least for alternative sources. Around twice as much new energy transmission network infrastructure will be needed by 2030 as was built in the past decade to move electricity from generation sites to consumer distribution networks.
Much of the debate about Britain's ageing population takes place in terms of pensions and healthcare. But in places like Caithness, it is about much more than that.
The UK government continues not to have a grip on managing the strategy to pool back-office functions between Departments. In a new report on the Government Shared Services strategy, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) highlights a string of issues with the scheme including unexplained delays and a lack of oversight, and warns that government must now urgently revisit all aspects of its strategy to avoid it becoming a costly failure.
The State Pension Triple Lock has become one of the most politically sensitive policies in Britain. Over the past year, a growing number of respected economic organisations have questioned whether it can continue unchanged.
Whenever economists debate the future of the State Pension Triple Lock, it can sound like a discussion taking place in Westminster offices and London think tanks. But if governments eventually decide the system is too expensive, the effects would be felt in places like Caithness perhaps more than almost anywhere else.
When tax owed to HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) becomes overdue for payment, it is classified as tax debt. In 2023, HMRC published its tax debt strategy, with an update in 2025.
Every year, another group of young people leaves Caithness. This is not just a Caithness story as similar challenges exist in Orkney, Shetland, Argyll, the Borders, Cumbria, Wales and many rural parts of Europe.
Moneyfacts UK Savings Trends Treasury Report data shows savings choice hits a sixth consecutive record high as competition among providers remains fierce. Overall product choice has beaten all-time highs for a sixth consecutive month, rising to 2,583 savings deals (including ISAs).
A triple whammy of weak growth, an ageing population and rising ill-health since 2007 are costing Britain around £330 billion a year today which is being offset by an unholy trinity of higher taxes, lower public services spending and more borrowing. The new residents of Downing Street need a bold new fiscal strategy to break Britain out of its funk, or else the policy trade-offs will get even more painful, according to major new Resolution Foundation research published today (Thursday 16 July 2026).
The international nature of large businesses presents high risks to the UK’s tax revenues. In a new report on large business tax compliance, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) warns that, while HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC) approach to collecting tax from large businesses is generally working well, the scale of risks posed by large multinationals diverting profits across borders remains significantly high - even with a new international minimum tax rate being implemented.
Leaving Caithness is nothing new as people have been doing it for centuries. Some left to fish and others joined the armed forces while many found work in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen or further south.
The latest wave of U.S.–Israel strikes on Iran and Iran’s broad retaliation across the Gulf has triggered one of the most serious disruptions to Middle Eastern refining capacity in decades. Multiple refineries, gas‑processing plants, and petrochemical hubs have been damaged or forced offline.
Fertiliser prices are rising again driven by Middle East gas disruption, higher oil prices. Tightening global ammonia supply and the increases will begin showing up in UK and European food prices from late summer into autumn, with the full inflation impact landing in early 2027.
Today marks an important milestone for both Britain and India as the long-awaited UK-India Free Trade Agreement officially comes into force. After years of negotiations, businesses on both sides can now begin taking advantage of lower tariffs, easier market access and simpler trading rules.
The BBC's latest annual report reveals that more than 539,000 households stopped paying the TV licence over the past year, leaving around 23.3 million licence holders – the lowest figure for many years. The BBC says this is the sharpest annual fall since the Covid pandemic and warns that its current funding model is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain.
Scotland’s life expectancy has stalled — and in its poorest communities, it has fallen. This trend has major implications for UK pension policy, especially as Westminster considers raising the State Pension age again.
The threats to oil and gas prices continues not least by Donald Trumps latest threat to bomb electricity capacity in Iran. This may then lead to even more retaliation against production facilities in the middle east countries.
Around 1.5 million UK households rely on heating oil rather than mains gas and roughly 400,000 of them are in Scotland, especially in rural and island communities. These homes are uniquely exposed to global oil price swings, supply disruptions, and the behaviour of private fuel distributors.
Rural Scotland is more exposed to rising oil prices than almost any other part of the UK. From Caithness and Sutherland to Moray, Aberdeenshire, Argyll, the Borders, and the islands, hundreds of thousands of households depend on heating oil, diesel‑powered transport, and long‑distance supply chains.
Gaelic media in Scotland is entering a period of profound transition. Declining BBC budgets, structural changes at STV, demographic shifts, and the rapid move toward digital platforms are combining to create sustained pressure on Gaelic broadcasting.