News Archive

15/5/2024 : Other Public Services

 
Dounreay Bosses Accused As Workers Strike At Nuclear Site Today

Bosses at Dounreay have driven workers to strike after hiding behind civil service pay rules, according to GMB Scotland.   Workers at the nuclear complex are on strike today after overwhelmingly rejecting a revised pay offer and backing industrial action.  

15/5/2024 : Local Authority

 
Highland Council Has The Biggest Budget Gap In Scotland Of All 32 Councils

Todays Audit Scotland report Local government budgets 2024/25 reveals how dire council budgets are.   This makes many more cuts in services likely in coming years.  

15/5/2024

 
HMRC Needs To Be In Every Town And City In The Country - Richard Murphy

Over the last ten years or so, our tax authority has closed the vast majority of tax offices in the UK.  No wonder we are not collecting large parts of the tax the country is owed.  

15/5/2024

 
New Golden Age Of Shipbuilding As New Uk-built Warships Boost Navy Building Programme To Up To 28 Ships And Submarines 

With up to 28 warships and submarines in the pipeline, backed by defence spending rising to 2.5% of GDP, Britain is seeing a new Golden Age of shipbuilding.   Defence spending boost driving new Golden Age of shipbuilding Defence Secretary announces Royal Navy shipbuilding programme to rise to up to 28 ships and submarines to deliver a more secure future.  

15/5/2024

Sustainable Tourism Strategy Launched For Public Consultation - May 2024

Following the recent Economy and Infrastructure Committee (Thursday 2 May 2024), where Members approved the Council's Draft Sustainable Tourism Strategy and agreed a public and stakeholder engagement programme, the public consultation has now been launched on 14 May 2024.   Economy and Infrastructure Committee Chair, Cllr Ken Gowans said: "The tourism sector has seen incredible growth over recent times.  

15/5/2024

 
Scotland's Councils Face Severe Challenges To Balance The Books - It's Much Worse Than You Thought

Scotland's councils faced a collective gap of up to £585 million between the money needed to deliver services and the money available when setting their budgets this year.  This is estimated to increase to £780 million by 2026/27.  

15/5/2024

 
Government Unveils Major Package Of Farming And Food Sector Support

The Prime Minister has unveiled a major package of measures to support farmers and grow the UK's farming and food sector.   A major package of measures to support farmers and grow the UK's farming and food sector has been announced by the government on Tuesday 14 May 2024.  

15/5/2024

 
Scottish Secretary Responds To Labour Market Stats For May 2024

Alister Jack says getting more people into employment is a priority with more than £3bn now invested directly into Scotland to boost growth and prosperity.   Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said, "We've made good progress as wages are rising faster than inflation and payroll numbers in Scotland have increased since the start of 2024.  

15/5/2024

Justice for Post Office Horizon victims

Bill to exonerate wrongly convicted sub-postmasters.   Sub-postmasters wrongly convicted as a result of the faulty Horizon IT system will automatically be exonerated under proposed legislation introduced to the Scottish Parliament today.  

15/5/2024

Community Energy Generation Growth Fund - £1.5 Million To Support Community Projects

A fund to help community groups across Scotland set up renewable energy generation projects has opened for applications.   The £1.5 million Community Energy Generation Growth Fund will support local communities installing wind turbines and solar panels or developing other types of renewable energy generation, such as hydro, to meet local needs.  

14/5/2024

 
Are Your Drivers Up To Date With Their Driver CPC?

The deadline for many professional drivers to complete their Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) training is 9 September 2024.   To make sure your drivers can find training in time, we are asking operators to encourage drivers whose Driver CPC runs out this September to check that they have completed 35 hours well before the 9 September deadline.  

14/5/2024

 
DWP Updates Fraud Plan

Department for Work and Pensions announces it has saved £1.3 billion from fraud and error.   Comes as government updates plan to further crack down on benefit cheats, including creating new legal powers and hiring more staff.  

14/5/2024

 
World-leading 3d Printer Used By British Army In The Field For First Time

A cutting-edge 3D printer is being used by the British Army for the first time in the field on the largest NATO deployment in Europe in a generation.   9 Theatre Support Battalion, Royal Electrical & Mechanical Engineers, are using the technology to make spare parts for vehicles as well as print vital modifications to battle-winning equipment on NATO exercise Steadfast Defender - the largest NATO deployment in Europe in a generation.  

14/5/2024

 
£9 Million Funding For Satellite Instruments To Monitor Climate

The UK Space Agency has announced its largest investment into an early-stage technology programme to enhance the UK's Earth observation technologies, to improve how space is used to understand and protect the planet.   Delivered by the Centre for Earth Observation Instrumentation (CEOI), the £9 million will support 12 projects that will enhance the ability to monitor Earth's atmosphere and measure critical emissions such as carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrogen dioxide.  

14/5/2024

Closure Of Visitscotland Icentres

Highlands and Islands Labour MSP, Rhoda Grant, has called on VisitScotland to reconsider its decision to close their information centres throughout Scotland.  The MSP has already contacted the Minister with responsibility for the issue, but she has now also contacted VisitScotland directly in light of information on visitor numbers using the Kirkwall centre being uncovered via a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.  

14/5/2024

 
UK Government Working Hand In Hand With Australia To Promote Trade In Legal And Tech Services

Legal and technology professionals on opposite sides of the world are set to benefit from bolstered connections between the UK and Australia through the UK Government's GREAT Legal Services campaign's latest programme of events.   Minister Freer visits Australia as part of GREAT Legal Services campaign to promote the UK legal and tech sectors.  

14/5/2024

 
UK Fishing Industry To Benefit From Cutting-edge Technology To Help Manage Fish Stocks

Use of cameras, gear sensors and GPS units will help improve the sustainability of UK fish stocks.   The sustainability of UK fish stocks will be better safeguarded through the use of technology to monitor and manage fishing activity in English waters, the government has announced on 13 May 2024.  

14/5/2024

PM Sets Out Blueprint To Boost British Fruit And Vegetable Sector

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak sets out his blueprint to boost British fruit and vegetable sector as the first UK Food Security Index is published.   The Prime Minister will tell the second Farm to Fork Summit at Downing Street tomorrow that the UK needs to reduce its reliance on overseas fruit and vegetables and back British producers.  

14/5/2024

 
Earnings And Employment From Pay As You Earn Real Time Information, UK - May 2024

Early estimates for April 2024 indicate that the number of payrolled employees rose by 0.4% compared with April 2023, a rise of 129,000 employees.   This annual increase was largest in the health and social work sector, with a rise of 170,000 employees.  

13/5/2024

 
Limited Liability Companies Cause Moral Hazard - Richard Murphy

The UK's system of creating limited companies very cheaply and almost wholly unaccountably creates risks for us all from fraudsters, cheats and crooks, all of whom can use these companies to prejudice our well-being.  So why do we let it happen? ABOUT RICHARD MURPHY Richard Murphy is Professor of Accounting Practice at Sheffield University Management School.