Almost 400 of Scotland's tech start-up businesses have been supported during the first year of the Techscaler programme. A total of 387 fledgling firms received assistance from the £42 million Scottish Government project - the most comprehensive of its kind in Europe - which provides free mentoring and advice to early stage business owners.
Proposed reforms to council tax in Scotland would further reduce regressivity but should go further, and the issue of revaluation is ducked yet again. In 2017, the Scottish Government increased the relative tax rates (termed ‘tax relativities') applied to properties in bands E-H by between 7.5% and 22.5% in an effort to raise revenues and reduce the regressivity of council tax.
Bi-annual fiscal events "have become an engine for an over-proliferation of measures, generating instability and confusion." Paul Johnson in the Times. You may not have marked it in your diary yet, but the big news for us fiscal nerds is that we now know the date of this year's autumn statement (November 22, since you ask).
Six ground-breaking projects including an investigation looking at how endometriosis impacts women in the workplace have been awarded £12.4 million, the government has announced today, Tuesday 12 September 2023. £12.4 million awarded to six innovative new projects to understand barriers to getting into work.
UHI North, West and Hebrides is celebrating its launch as Scotland's newest college following the merger of UHI North Highland, UHI Outer Hebrides and UHI West Highland. UHI North, West and Hebrides will create an anchor institution connecting rural and island communities through distinctive education and research shaped by the culture, location, and landscapes of the North and West Highlands, Skye, and Outer Hebrides.
Business and Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch signs UK-Italy export and investment partnership boosting UK exports, help create jobs, increase wages and grow the economy. Kemi Badenoch signs UK-Italy export and investment partnership on visit to Rome - the first such partnership between the UK and any EU country.
Government and industry funding to significantly upgrade truck stops for lorry drivers and support recruitment and workforce retention in England. lorry drivers will enjoy better rest areas and more secure parking thanks to nearly £8 million awarded to 39 roadside facility operators across England.
Aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth sails from Portsmouth for her autumn deployment. Britain's flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth sails this week from Portsmouth as she heads north to lead a Carrier Strike Group deployment alongside ships from partner nations.
The UK Hydrographic Office has donated survey equipment and cartographic software to Ukraine to support safer navigation in the area and keep waters safe. The UK Hydrographic Office, an agency of the MoD, has donated £1.6 million worth of equipment to the State Hydrographic Service of Ukraine, helping to keep the seas around Ukraine safe and support commercial shipping amid ongoing Russian attacks.
DINGWALL., Dingwall and Highlands Marts Ltd., (September 8th) sold 6,629 Store lambs. Cheviot Wedder Lambs (983) averaged £58.31 and sold to £100 gross from Bogburn Farm, Duncanston.
DINGWALL., Dingwall and Highlands Marts Ltd., (September 7th) sold 11,117 Store lambs. Cheviot wedder lambs (8,441) averaged £58.04 and sold to £96 gross from 6/7 Badralloch, Garve.
Inspections carried out by local authorities have shown that, at present, there are 16 council areas which have identified schools as containing Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC). Local authorities have responsibility to ensure schools are safe for pupils, staff and all their users, and are carrying out inspections of school buildings to identify the presence of RAAC.
The Council for Science and Technology wrote to the Prime Minister in June offering advice on Horizon Europe and welcomes the announcement on the association of the UK. On 7 September 2023, the government announced the UK will associate to Horizon Europe and Copernicus programmes through a bespoke new agreement with the EU.
The Highland Council has two schools that are known to have buildings that contain RAAC components in their roof and wall construction; these are Charleston Academy and Nairn Academy. The Council reacted in response to the further guidance that was issued by the Institution of Structural Engineers in April 2023 and engaged a firm of Chartered Engineers with the required expertise and experience to undertake detailed investigations and assessments at Charleston Academy and Nairn Academy during the summer holiday period.
The Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has signed a new strategic partnership with Singapore to grow the UK's economy and enhance shared security. The Prime Minister has signed a new strategic partnership with Singapore to grow the UK's economy and enhance shared security.
The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency (ECCT) Bill is currently making its way through Parliament. This legislation will change our role and our purpose and will give us the powers we need to improve the accuracy of the information on our registers and to play a significant role in tackling economic crime.
Last week the Office for National Statistics released their indicative estimates of the impact of the Blue Book revisions to GDP figures. The actual physical book bound in a blue cover is long gone, but the exercise remains, and it's an annual attempt at compiling a set of consistent national accounts for the UK.
The Fraser of Allender covered the statement by the First Minister. It's a new term at Holyrood, and a new Programme for Government - the first for the new First Minister Humza Yousaf.
Local authorities will be able to charge a premium of up to 100% on council tax for second homes under legislation aiming to increase the availability of housing. If approved by Parliament, the secondary legislation would bring second homes into line with long-term empty homes, which can already be subject to a 100% premium on the full rate of council tax.
The Pensions Review assesses what pensions policy and the economic environment mean for future retirees' living standards, recommending reform options. The Pensions Review - led by the Institute for Fiscal Studies in partnership with abrdn Financial Fairness Trust - is a big, 2½-year, project that will comprehensively assess the consequences of current pension policy, the economic environment and individual behaviour for the future of living standards in retirement.
