HIE has agreed a sub-lease with Moray based Orbex for the spaceport location on community-owned land on the A' Mhoine peninsula in north-west Sutherland. HIE has been developing launch plans for several years and leases the site from Melness Crofters' Estate.
Members of the public will be able to hear about plans for a new Health and Care Hub for the North Coast at a drop-in event happening the beginning of November. The drop-in, which takes place on Wednesday 02 November from 14:00 - 19.30 in the Kyle Centre in Tongue, will allow those attending to see draft plans for the North Sutherland Health & Social Care Hub and ask questions of those in attendance – which will include representatives from NHS Highland, Highland Council and Wildland Limited.
UK-based spaceflight company Orbex has secured £40.4 million for its Series C funding round, led by a new investor, the Scottish National Investment Bank. The new round of funding will allow the company to scale up its resources as it counts down to the first vertical launch from UK soil, as well as unlocking additional funding to support future projects.
Near Me is a video consultation platform enabling patients across Highland and Argyll and Bute to attend appointments from the comfort of their own home - or anywhere else convenient. In September 2022, over 1900 individual consultations in NHS Highland took place using Near Me.
At PM Question time today (19 October 2022) Liz Truss replied to a question from Ian Blackford MP and confirmed the government's commitment to the triple lock for pensions. This would mean that pensions would be increased in line with inflation.
As inflation hits 10.1% Retail expert Dr Gordon Fletcher from the University of Salford Business School says our shopping baskets are being hit doubly hard, with rising process and shrinking quantities combining to create real difficulties for a lot of people. Dr Fletcher said: "As inflation returns to the reported rate from July it is a timely reminder that these are figures last seen in the year of the Prince of Wales' birth and the premiership of Margaret Thatcher.
8 things you might not know about your student loan, but definitely should. Student loans and how they're repaid works differently from other types of borrowing.
R I P low interest rates: the cost of borrowing is seriously on the rise. Inflationary pressures in the economy have been pushing interest rates up for some time.
New guidance from HMRC to help small businesses and the self-employed access the various tax reliefs available to them was published on 12 October 2022. Tax-deductible business expenses If you're self-employed, your business will have various running costs.
At a meeting of The Highland Council on 22 September 2022, Councillors approved the creation of a Highland-wide grant fund of up to £450,000 to help alleviate the cost-of-living crisis for vulnerable households through community-led initiatives. Third Sector voluntary and community organisations are invited to apply for grants under the value of £10,000.
The results from the latest Scottish Health and Care Experience (HACE) Survey from Public Health Scotland show large percentages of positive feedback from people in the NHS Highland board area about their experiences at their GP Practices. The survey was sent to a random sample of the public and covered a number of areas in health and care experience, including treatment and advice from GP Practices, COVID-19 and Out of Hours healthcare.
Parallels with 2008-09 are emerging. Failure of regulation has allowed means pension are vulnerable.
NHS strike ballot continues despite government talks, says UNISON UNISON, the largest union in the NHS, is reporting that there has been no significantly improved pay offer - despite government talks. The union has sent a communication to it's members today that the dispute over pay continues.
UK government introduces new Energy Prices Bill, putting into law support for consumers with energy costs. UK government introduces landmark Energy Prices Bill, putting into law support to help households, businesses and others with energy costs this winter, while reducing inflation and supporting economic growth.
Paperless Trade For Uk Businesses To Boost Growth Electronic Trade Documents Bill ends need for paper-based trading documents. The Bill will make digital documentation legally recognised, reduce admin costs and make it easier for British firms to buy and sell internationally.
Over a million vaccines have been delivered to protect against the latest strains of flu and COVID-19 in the latest efforts to relieve pressure on the NHS over winter. Frontline healthcare staff and the country's most vulnerable have been immunised at speed - with 80.2% of all care home residents being fully vaccinated since the rollout began in September.
As new ONS figures show a strong labour market, Scottish Secretary Alister Jack says the UK Government's focus on economic growth will benefit people across the UK. Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said, "With the unemployment rate at a historic low, and many more people on the payroll than this time last year, today's figures show that Scotland’s labour market remains strong.
Recruitment to Scotland's ambulance service has hit a record high, helping to boost the service this winter. A record 540 paramedics, ambulance technicians, call handlers and clinicians have been employed in the last year.
During a visit to UKAEA, Sir Tony Blair underlined his support for fusion energy. Former prime minister, Sir Tony Blair, underlined his continued support for fusion energy and its role in addressing energy security and climate change for generations to come.
A feasibility study is getting under way to explore the potential to use natural heat, miles below the Earth's surface, as a renewable energy source at Cairngorm Mountain. HIE and resort operator Cairngorm Mountain (Scotland) Ltd have commissioned independent engineering consultants Arup to lead the study.
