Secretary of State sets out the need to prioritise homegrown talent for foundation and specialty training posts to support a sustainable NHS workforce. Thank you, Mr.
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation's report "This isn't what change feels like" (27 Jan 2026) warns that while scrapping the two-child limit in April 2026 will lift 400,000 children out of poverty, progress will stall without deeper reforms. Poverty is projected to remain stubbornly high around 21% overall and over 4 million children still in poverty by 2029 unless government strengthens social security and tackles structural inequalities.
The Highland Council's Justice Service team in Sutherland will be hosting an open day on Thursday 12 February 2026. This is a chance for members of the public to come along and find out more about community sentences in Scotland, particularly in Sutherland and the surrounding area.
The Highland Council is inviting local residents to share their views on a possible proposal for a Masterplan Consent Area (MCA) Scheme at Embo. MCAs are a legal planning tool that enable advance consent for large development sites, significantly reducing the time it takes to deliver housing and infrastructure.
The Highland Council is set to deliver significant infrastructure improvements at Ardvreck Castle, one of Sutherland's most iconic historic sites, to enhance visitor experience, improve road safety, and support sustainable tourism. The project is began on Monday 19 January 2026, for a duration of 10 weeks and the car park will be closed during this time.
Sutherland is one of Scotland's most sparsely populated counties, with communities experiencing population decline, an aging demographic, and outmigration of young people. The rise of tourism, particularly the North Coast 500 (NC500), has boosted visitor numbers but also intensified housing affordability problems, as older investors purchase properties for Airbnb and holiday lets.
The North Coast 500 (NC500), often billed as Scotland's answer to Route 66, has become one of the UK's most celebrated scenic drives. Stretching 516 miles through the Highlands, including the remote county of Sutherland, it attracts thousands of visitors each year.
Every December, Britain's electricity grid braces itself for one of the quirkiest and most predictable surges in demand: the mass kettle switch‑on. It is a peculiarly British phenomenon, rooted in our love of tea and the rhythms of festive television.
Chefs from one of Scotland's most famous restaurants co-operated with Highland Council's catering team last week to ensure pupils at a Skye primary school did not miss out on their eagerly awaited Christmas lunch. Because the school was without a cook, it looked like youngsters at Dunvegan Primary would have to forego their seasonal roast, an occasion which is always a real festive highlight for pupils and staff.
The Highland Council welcomes the UK Government's announcement that Highland has been awarded £20million Pride in Place Programme (PiPP) funding. Leader of The Highland Council, Cllr Raymond Bremner said: "We have received confirmation from Kirsty McNeill MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Scotland that the North, West and East Sutherland Neighbourhood has been identified as the neighbourhood within Highland Council area to receive PiPP funding.
At yesterday's meeting (Monday 1 December) of the Sutherland County Committee, Members were updated on income generated by the Invitation to Pay parking scheme in the 2024/25 financial year. The Invitation to Pay parking scheme was introduced in Sutherland in 2022 and income is calculated across five Council-operated car parks in Achmelvich, Clachtoll, Durness and Golspie.
At yesterday's meeting (Monday 1 December) of the Sutherland County Committee, Members agreed to progress the process for considering the introduction of a Short Term Let Control Area covering all or part of Sutherland. It was also agreed that progressing the consideration would enable communities within the area to participate in a consultation at the appropriate stage.
Members of the Sutherland County Committee have recommended that Full Council approves an application for £280,000 of funding from the Dornoch Common Good Fund towards the development of a new community centre in Dornoch. The application was submitted by the Dornoch and District Community Association (DADCA) which serves the local community by supporting social, cultural and recreational activities and has been recommended for approval subject to match funding and required permissions being in place.
Members of Sutherland County Committee have approved £104,718 of Community Regeneration Funding in support of a project to modernise Skerray Village Hall in Achtoty. Following a community consultation process, the project aims to make the hall a more welcoming and accessible community space by improving the front and rear of the building, introducing insulation and redesigning the access arrangements.
A Stonehaven resident has become the latest victim in the North East of a fraud known as SIM swapping. The victim first became aware of the scam when she received a text message advising her of a change to her Google password.
Paul Kelso investigates what's driving energy prices higher and how to bring them down now and in the future. It comes as analysts expect the cap to fall by 1% for a typical dual fuel household.
Good Morning Scotland the well known BBC Scotland early morning programme ends today 21 November 2025 A new flagship show, which begins on Monday 24 November, will be presented by Martin Geissler and Laura Maciver. BBC Scotland is launching a new weekday morning news programme, Radio Scotland Breakfast, which will replace the long-running Good Morning Scotland.
Devolving Council Tax support in 2013-14 has massively increased the amount of social security now being administered locally in England. But this change has caused acute and often arbitrary hardship for vulnerable families - illustrating the perils of passing responsibility for deep spending cuts onto local authorities - according to new research published on Thursday 20 November 2025.
While the fall in CPI to 3.6 per cent in October, from 3.8 in September, signals the start of a long drift down in inflation, the cost of living remains high meaning the Chancellor must act at the Budget, according to the Resolution Foundation this morning (Wednesday). This fall was largely in line with expectations, as past increases in energy prices dropped out of the 12-month window used to calculate inflation.
Scotland is taking a major step towards becoming a digital-first nation with plans to join public services together through a digital platform, First Minister John Swinney has said. The Scottish Government is building technical infrastructure to lay the groundwork for innovations to connect people and public services.
