There were 11,751 local authority housing stock units vacant as of 31 March 2024. There were 325,477 local authority housing stock units as of March 2024.
Refugees, people seeking asylum and other forced migrants in Glasgow are benefitting from English classes to help them integrate into communities, supported by £500,000 in Scottish Government funding which will help 800 learners. The classes are helping people who have been forced to flee their country gain the language skills needed to rebuild their lives in Scotland, communicate confidently with people in their new communities and establish and strengthen their social connections.
Public Finance Minister Ivan McKee has responded to the publication of the Scottish Government Workforce September 2024 statistics. Mr McKee said: "There has been a 2.3% reduction to the total Scottish Government workforce between March 2022 and September 2024.
There was a 12% decrease in all sector housebuilding starts and a 10% decrease in completions between 2023 and 2024 (year ending September). In the 12 months ending September 2024, there were 19,828 homes built and 14,768 new builds started.
The latest quarterly Scottish Government Workforce Information statistics have been published today by Scotland's Chief Statistician. These statistics cover the numbers of workers, staff sickness rates, and the diversity of staff up to the most recent quarter ending September 2024.
A freedom of information request has revealed that an AI system used by the UK government for assessing benefits cases is apparently getting it wrong by a "statistically significant" amount. The admission to journalists at the Guardian emerged after a fairness analysis into universal credit claimants in February 2024.
Scottish farmed salmon was the UK's top food export last year, ending up in restaurants and on dinner tables all over the world. But also in 2023, the industry trade body Salmon Scotland sought to drop the word "farmed" from its protected geographical indication of "Scottish farmed salmon" after two successive years of falling production.
A community which spent eight years trying to secure Sutherland Spaceport for the future of the area speaks out after the company switched its launches to Shetland. All was well at a lunch in the Tongue Hotel on the final Monday in October when Phillip Chambers, chief executive of aerospace company Orbex, stood up and told those gathered about the bright future for the Sutherland spaceport.
This Christmas, major brands in the UK are spending more than £10 billion on advertising. And to justify the big spend, they are using sophisticated emotional marketing strategies to capture attention and boost sales.
Short-term rentals don't just happen in a vacuum. They affect the environment around them, contributing to the closure of low-productivity firms and the expansion of surviving ones, especially tourist-oriented enterprises.
Average fixed mortgage rates, sourced from the Moneyfacts Mortgage Database, represent the mean average initial pay rate of residential fixed rate mortgages for terms of two years across whole of market. Data is collated at the end of each business day and excludes Standard Variable Rate mortgage products as well as those designed for the adverse credit market and products that are only available for new build, self build and equity and shared ownership properties.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves and Treasury minister Tulip Siddiq, will today open the 100th banking hub in Darwen, Lancashire. Banking hubs have been set up in response to bank branch closures, with 350 set to be rolled out by 2029.
Average no notice savings rates, sourced from the Moneyfacts Savings Database, represent the average gross rate based on a £5,000 deposit across the whole of market. Average rates have been measured to the nearest ten thousandth to ensure greater precision.
Back by popular demand, suppliers working in the wedding market are being invited by Highland Registrars to their second Wedding Fair. The Highland Wedding Fair will take place on Sunday 9 February 2025 with public access from 11.00am - 3.00pm (suppliers will have access from 9.00am).
Gift cards are a popular present but be cautious of scams. Only buy from reputable stores and never share the card details with anyone.
Spaceflight company Orbex is to focus its operations exclusively on developing small and medium sized space rockets after switching its launch operations to SaxaVord Spaceport in Shetland. The company has decided to pause construction of its own spaceport in Sutherland and will instead launch its first rockets from SaxaVord.
New guide identifies 33 tree species best suited for planting on farmland. Hornbeam, beech, goat willow and walnut are just some of the tree species best suited to planting on farmland according to a new expert tree planting guide for farmers published today.
This report marks the launch of Unsung Britain, a one-year research programme designed to understand the economic circumstances of today's low-to-middle income families and how these have changed in recent decades, with support from JPMorganChase. The launch paper finds that Britain's 13 million low-to-middle income families are older and more likely to suffer from poor health or a disability than three decades ago.
Highland Council Trading Standards are urging residents to be aware of a winter payment scam text aimed at tricking people into thinking they have to act quickly or miss out on a winter payment. The text refers to your last round of winter heating allowance and gives a deadline that is very close.
Bonar Bridge will be discussed at the Economy and Infrastructure Committee of Highland Council on 14 November 2024. Bonar Bridge had a paint inspection carried out in 2016, which stated that the paint system had largely failed and should be replaced within 5 years.
