Edel Harris OBE, former chief executive of the charity Mencap, has been appointed to chair the Independent Review of Adult Disability Payment. The Independent Review - a Programme For Government commitment – will consider people's experiences of the Scottish benefit to ensure it continues to meet the needs of disabled people.
Criminal gangs who try to fly phones, drugs and weapons into prisons using drones face finding themselves there instead under tough new restrictions coming into force on 25 January 2024. New 400m drone ‘no-fly zones' around prisons come into force Ten-year maximum prison sentence for criminals who breach restrictions.
Automotive giants Tesla and Volvo have announced pauses to the production of their electric vehicles (EVs) in Europe. Electric vehicles are seeing record sales and demand worldwide, but a lack of parts means that factories cannot sustain their production.
Great British Nuclear (GBN) has signed up to support a ground-breaking scheme to give senior board level opportunities within the nuclear industry to women. GBN is partnering Women in Nuclear UK's (WiN) scheme to create and match senior leadership roles for women at boardroom level, providing the experience needed to equip them for future director and Board roles.
A number of applications for community projects in Sutherland were awarded funding totalling £528.5K from the area's Community Regeneration Fund. Community Regeneration Funding is an umbrella term for a number of funds that are available for communities/organisations to access in Highland.
Highlands and Islands Enterprise student support for placements. Funding applications are OPEN to enterprises of ANY size and sector based within the Highland Council area.
Green sector delivered more electricity than Scotland used for first time. Renewable technologies generated the equivalent of 113% of Scotland's overall electricity consumption in 2022, new statistics show.
Members of the Sutherland Committee agreed a list of proposed prioritised roadworks which will be funded out of the Capital Budget allocation for 2024/25. The local allocations capital budget for 2024/25 remains to be established which will be calculated from the approved capital budget allocation.
Analysis of the longer-term trends in average hours worked in the UK, more recent changes since the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and the impact on economic growth. Between 1998 and 2022, average weekly hours worked in the labour market fell by 1.3 hours, reflecting a significant fall for men aged 25 to 49 years who are full-time, and increases in women's hours worked have been insufficient to offset this; average hours have also fallen because of compositional changes in the labour market, with more women and older workers present.
"Cast a vote for a greener planet, lower food bills, better health and kindness to animals. And you don't even have to wait for a general election," states the global Veganuary campaign that encourages people to eat plant-based throughout January.
The Highland Council's parking enforcement team are reminding drivers that during February they will be enforcing the new pavement parking ban. The Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 has prohibited pavement parking, double parking, and parking at dropped kerbs and anyone caught can face a £100 fine.
Garage rents for the Sutherland area will increase by 10% for 2024/25 as agreed at today's Area Committee. Garage Rent for Council Tenants will increase from £7.58 to £8.34 per week.
Officers are reminding the community to ensure they have appropriate measures in place to help deter and prevent heating fuel thefts, following a recent incident in Caithness. It's important to put measures in place to protect your fuel tank and make it extremely difficult for thieves to target your fuel.
In many offices (not to mention on Zoom, Teams and Slack), employees and managers alike are whispering about the "great resignation". The UK saw a sharp rise in people quitting their jobs in 2021, and one fifth of UK workers still say they plan to resign in the next year in search of greater job satisfaction and better pay.
New law will create a new specific offence for dog and cat abduction. A new criminal offence for pet abduction has taken a significant step forward today (19 January) with the announcement of government backing for new legislation.
Strong winds associated with Storm Isha are likely to bring some disruption to travel and utilities across the UK on Sunday and Monday. What to Expect Some damage to buildings, such as tiles blown from roofs, could happen.
Storm Isha has been named by the Met Office, with strong winds for all from Sunday and heavy rain for some. Cold Arctic air that has been dominating the UK in recent days is subsiding, replaced by an Atlantic influence which will bring a return to milder conditions, but also bring wet and windy weather across the UK on Sunday.
Border Force have made the highest number of illegal drug seizures since records began, as action at the border helps stop illegal drugs reaching the country. In the year ending March 2023, Border Force made a total of 25,834 drug seizures, a 24% increase from last year and the highest on record.
The information provided is a summary of reports from operational staff and is intended to give a general indication of typical conditions in each area at a point in time. It is not intended to imply that any individual route is entirely snow and ice free and drivers must be aware that conditions can change rapidly and make their own assessment of conditions for travelling.
Private rental prices paid by tenants in the UK rose by 6.2% in the 12 months to December 2023, unchanged from the annual percentage change in the 12 months to November 2023. Annual private rental prices increased by 6.1% in England, 7.1% in Wales and 6.3% in Scotland in the 12 months to December 2023.
