Families in the UK found themselves in the midst of a cost of living crisis over the winter. Inflation has skyrocketed over the past year, with prices still over 10 per cent higher than a year ago.
The Treasury's Covid approach contributed to "tug of war" in government. This report examines the Treasury's impressive role in designing and delivering economic support schemes - as well as the problems that undermined government decision making.
Rishi Sunak needs to draw a line under a failed approach to settling strikes and reconsider what pay deals the government can offer. With industrial action showing no sign of easing, Stuart Hoddinott says Rishi Sunak needs to draw a line under a failed approach to settling strikes and reconsider what pay deals the government can offer A few weeks ago it looked like the government might finally have brought an end to widespread public sector strikes after a breakthrough on NHS and teachers pay.
Highlands and Islands Airports Limited reports significant year-on-year passenger numbers increases across its 11 regional airports. Leading regional airport operator, Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL), has reported a 38.7% year-on-year increase in passenger numbers for 2022/23, with the figures now approaching pre-pandemic levels.
Inverness-based Munro and Noble has acquired Caithness-based firm Georgesons Solicitors, which comprises both Georgesons Solicitors and Georgesons Estate Agents. The newly acquired business will operate under the name Munro and Noble incorporating Georgesons.
Phil Anderson Financial Services has once again been named the Best Financial Adviser to work for at the Professional Adviser Awards in London. The prestigious award was collected by independent financial adviser Andrew Scouller, who accepted it on behalf of the entire firm.
We're excited to see the John o' Groats Trail appear on the small screen with Landward on Thursday 27th April 8.30pm on BBC Scotland, as Ken and Jay from the Trail take Dougie and the team around some of the Trail's most scenic sights. If you miss us then don't worry, you can catch the show on Friday 28th at 7.30pm, and then again Sunday BBC2 UK at 9am.
It's ten years since the tragic collapse of the Rana Plaza building near Dhaka, Bangladesh, which killed at least 1,132 garment workers and injured several thousand more. The collapse of the eight-storey building on April 24 2013, which housed five factories making clothes for western high street brands like Accessorize, Primark and Walmart, was the worst of its kind in the world.
A campaign designed to promote the UK's thriving tech sector to American entrepreneurs and investors has been launched in Silicon Valley. New campaign launched in US - with billboards across Silicon Valley – to encourage tech experts to invest in the UK and help deliver on priority to grow the economy.
If you do not usually check out Money Saving Expert by Martin Lewis you should start to find out many ways to save money. Cell phone and Broadband charges are amongst many money saving tips on the site.
The UK's fragmented, weak and under-resourced system for enforcing labour market rights costs workers billions a year and a radical overhaul is needed, according to new Resolution Foundation research published today (Tuesday). Enforce for good - the final report of a four-year project on labour market enforcement, supported by Unbound Philanthropy – examines the scale of non-compliance with labour market rules and how the current system of UK enforcement needs to change to address this.
A minimum wage, paid holiday from day one, safe working conditions and non-discrimination in the workplace are all basic standards that workers are entitled to in the UK today. But these rights are not worth the paper (or screen) they are written on if non-compliant employers are not identified and required to make good any wrongs.
The main findings from official statistics and analysis of UK productivity, presenting a summary of recent developments. Growth in output per hour worked in Quarter 4 (Oct to Dec) 2022 was flat (0.0%) compared with Quarter 4 2021.
Oil prices have confounded expectations in the first quarter of 2023. Brent - a major global benchmark - hit a low of US$72 (£58) a barrel on March 17, while the world's other main benchmark, West Texas Intermediate (WTI), dropped to less than US$66 a barrel.
Legislation proposing a significant package of reform to ensure victims are treated with compassion and their voices heard across the justice system has been published. The Victims, Witnesses and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill will require justice agencies to make efforts to reduce re-traumatisation of victims and witnesses and will address long-standing challenges in the justice system's approach to serious sexual offences.
Sickness absence rates of workers in the UK labour market, including number of days lost and reasons for absence. The sickness absence rate - the percentage of working hours lost because of sickness or injury rose to 2.6% in 2022, an increase of 0.4 percentage points from 2021 and the highest it has been since 2004, when it was 2.7%.
Scotland's onshore GDP grew by 0.2% in February, according to statistics announced today by the Chief Statistician. This follows revised growth of 0.7% in January and a fall of 0.5% in December.
Visits to the UK by overseas residents, visits abroad by UK residents and spending by travellers, using provisional passenger traffic data. Main points - Visits to the UK decreased from 3.2 million in November 2022 to 3.0 million in December 2022.
From chatbots and virtual assistants to fraud detection and risk management, artificial intelligence (AI) is now being used in many areas of finance. But what could an AI system like ChatGPT do for your bank balance? AI tools might seem overly complex or expensive to non-experts, but advances in natural language processing and machine learning could turn ChatGPT and similar products into virtual personal finance assistants.
We carry them everywhere, take them to bed, to the bathroom and for many people they're the first thing they see in the morning - more than 90% of the world owns or uses a mobile phone and many of us couldn't manage without one. But while health concerns about phones use usually focus on the distraction they can cause while driving, the possible effects of radiofrequency exposure, or just how addictive they can be.
