https://sutherland-business.co.uk/ Business news stories for the county of Sutherland, Scotland en-gb PHP Business Index by Niall Fernie Copyright 1998-2026 Caithness.Org niall.fernie@gmail.com (Niall Fernie) 720 https://sutherland-business.co.uk/images/logo_rss.gifhttps://sutherland-business.co.uk/ https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1842 If you’ve been online lately, you’ve probably seen those ads shouting “Drink THIS every morning to melt belly fat!”. They always feature a mysterious fruit, a glowing mug, and a doctor who looks suspiciously like a stock photo model named Kevin. https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1842 Sutherland Business Index Fri, 17 Jul 2026 01:01:01 GMT https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1841 For more than 30 years, China seemed unstoppable. Its economy grew at astonishing speed with new cities appeared almost overnight and millions of people moved from the countryside into better-paid jobs. https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1841 Sutherland Business Index Thu, 16 Jul 2026 01:01:01 GMT https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1840 Every week there seems to be another story about China. Chinese electric cars are becoming cheaper. https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1840 Sutherland Business Index Wed, 15 Jul 2026 01:01:01 GMT https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1837 The ONS report measures the natural capital of enclosed farmland meaning the economic value of the land, soils, habitats, and ecosystem services produced by fields, hedgerows, and managed agricultural landscapes across the UK. Key points from the report Enclosed farmland covers around a third of the UK’s land area, making it one of the country’s most significant land uses. https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1837 Sutherland Business Index Thu, 9 Jul 2026 01:01:01 GMT https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1838 Millions of calls were likely mishandled over nearly a three-year period, preventing or delaying customers from switching away to a better deal. Investigation uncovers deliberate call-dropping tactics, excessive and unnecessary call transfers and putting customers repeatedly on hold for no reason. https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1838 Sutherland Business Index Thu, 9 Jul 2026 01:01:01 GMT https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1839 The UK Government has announced that children aged 8 and 9 can now use eGates at major UK airports and at international rail terminals. Previously, only travellers aged 10 and over were allowed to use them. https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1839 Sutherland Business Index Thu, 9 Jul 2026 01:01:01 GMT https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1835 Sutherland is one of Europe's great wilderness landscapes. From towering mountains and white-sand beaches to remote glens and picturesque fishing villages, it offers some of the finest scenery anywhere in Britain. https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1835 Sutherland Business Index Fri, 3 Jul 2026 01:01:01 GMT https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1836 Before the Strait of Hormuz made the evening news, most of us thought potash was a new vegan spread and phosphates were something you rinsed off your dishes. Now, half the country is debating Moroccan mineral reserves like it’s the World Cup. https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1836 Sutherland Business Index Fri, 3 Jul 2026 01:01:01 GMT https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1833 AI, energy, defence and commodities are colliding to reshape the global economy and the effects are already reaching households and businesses in the Highlands. The world economy is shifting from efficiency to constraint and from cheap abundance to strategic competition For three decades the global economy rested on a simple assumption: that supply would adjust, prices would stabilise, and globalisation would smooth out shocks. https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1833 Sutherland Business Index Wed, 1 Jul 2026 01:01:01 GMT https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1834 The £100 Million Question: Why Higher Council Tax Doesn't Always Mean Better Local Services Every spring, millions of households receive a council tax bill that is a little higher than the year before. At the same time, they often hear about cuts to local services, delayed road repairs, fewer leisure facilities or postponed building projects. https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1834 Sutherland Business Index Wed, 1 Jul 2026 01:01:01 GMT https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1832 The by-election to elect a councillor to represent Ward 4 East Sutherland and Edderton on The Highland Council has been won by John Murray, Independent who was one of 5 candidates who contested the vacancy. Voters went to the poll (Thursday 25 June 2026) and the by-election count was held Friday morning in Dornoch Academy. https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1832 Sutherland Business Index Mon, 29 Jun 2026 01:01:01 GMT https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1829 For years, ultra‑cheap online marketplaces like Temu, Shein, and AliExpress have reshaped the way people shop in the UK. But now the Government is preparing a major change that could shift the balance back toward the high street: the abolition of the de minimis import threshold. https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1829 Sutherland Business Index Wed, 24 Jun 2026 01:01:01 GMT https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1830 A Super a Super El Niño event can significantly raise the risk of commodity price spikes and crop failures, but the impact depends on its strength, location, and how global supply chains respond. Here’s how it works in practice. https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1830 Sutherland Business Index Wed, 24 Jun 2026 01:01:01 GMT https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1831 This year a predicted Super El Niño affect may hit prices in the UK. There is no certainty about how it will play out but better to know what may be affected. https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1831 Sutherland Business Index Wed, 24 Jun 2026 01:01:01 GMT https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1826 Kirsty MacPherson will join from East Renfrewshire Council. Former head teacher previously worked in Dumfries and Galloway and Shetland. https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1826 Sutherland Business Index Fri, 19 Jun 2026 01:01:01 GMT https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1827 The cost‑of‑living pressures coming toward 2027 — rising rents, mortgage resets, council tax increases, higher import prices, and energy costs that refuse to fall — are structural. You can’t control them, but you can control your exposure to them. https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1827 Sutherland Business Index Fri, 19 Jun 2026 01:01:01 GMT https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1828 cotland enters the second half of the decade with inflation finally stabilising, but the cost of living remains stubbornly high. Prices are no longer rising at crisis levels, yet they are not falling either — and for many households, especially renters and mortgaged families, the financial pressure is still intense. https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1828 Sutherland Business Index Fri, 19 Jun 2026 01:01:01 GMT https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1824 When the BBC announces another round of job cuts, it is easy to think of it as a single event. But the latest announcement is not an isolated decision. https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1824 Sutherland Business Index Thu, 18 Jun 2026 01:01:01 GMT https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1825 This report is the final output of the Scottish Rural Communities Policy Review. It brings together the evidence collected during the project & provides options & practical recommendations for the roles and delivery of Community Led Local Development, Scottish Rural Network and Scottish Rural Action. https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1825 Sutherland Business Index Thu, 18 Jun 2026 01:01:01 GMT https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1823 In times of uncertainty, savers may want to keep cash close, but with over 200 easy-access accounts beating inflation, leaving money in low-paying accounts is costly. Time to move your money out of low interest accounts. https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1823 Sutherland Business Index Wed, 17 Jun 2026 01:01:01 GMT https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1822 Postal vote packs for the Ward 4 East Sutherland and Edderton by-election were posted posted out last Friday. The Highland Council is advising postal voters to read the instructions carefully when completing their statement and ballot paper to ensure their vote counts. https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1822 Sutherland Business Index Mon, 15 Jun 2026 01:01:01 GMT https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1821 The case against children’s access to social media isn’t just about online harms, argues Goldsmith’s Dr Veli Hillman, but about the steady narrowing of what childhood is allowed to become. Modern societies routinely restrict children’s access to activities where power, incentives and risks are radically unequal. https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1821 Sutherland Business Index Sun, 14 Jun 2026 01:01:01 GMT https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1820 In rural Scotland, distance is not an abstract concept. It is the price of participation in modern life. https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1820 Sutherland Business Index Sat, 6 Jun 2026 01:01:01 GMT https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1819 The collapse of Orbex in February 2026 and the fate of its subsidiary Sutherland Spaceport Ltd (SSL) was not caused by a single event. It was a combination of funding failure, rising costs, and strategic setbacks that slowly removed its ability to continue operating. https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1819 Sutherland Business Index Thu, 4 Jun 2026 01:01:01 GMT https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1818 A number of projects have been supported by funding allocations agreed at today’s Sutherland County Committee. Community regeneration projects Members approved £95,000 of Community Regeneration Funding in support of two community projects in Sutherland. https://sutherland-business.co.uk/article/1818 Sutherland Business Index Tue, 2 Jun 2026 01:01:01 GMT https://sutherland-business.co.uk/property.php?id=351 A great opportunity to purchase the tenancy of croft 99 Portskerra, which is situated within the picturesque crofting community of Melvich. Extending to approximately 1.42 hectares (2.81 acres) the croft consists of two fields, spanning from the top road to low road, with additional land opposite on the seafront side commanding an exceptional location boasting superb views to the sea, Orkney Isles, and beautiful rugged coastline. https://sutherland-business.co.uk/property.php?id=351 Sutherland Business Index Mon, 4 Aug 2025 15:15:16 GMT https://sutherland-business.co.uk/property.php?id=350 3 bedroom end terrace house with large enclosed garden. Very sought after area, with homes in this price range rarely available. https://sutherland-business.co.uk/property.php?id=350 Sutherland Business Index Sun, 27 Jul 2025 05:41:39 GMT https://sutherland-business.co.uk/property.php?id=340 Unique opportunity to purchase these two beautiful stone-built properties and large owner-occupied croft that extends to approximately 2.8ha (6.9 acres). The buildings, with pretty thatched roofs, were completely renovated in the 1990’s whilst retaining an abundance of character and original features. https://sutherland-business.co.uk/property.php?id=340 Sutherland Business Index Tue, 28 Jan 2025 15:50:41 GMT https://sutherland-business.co.uk/property.php?id=333 Tenanted croft land which is 2.3937 hectares or 5.9 acres plus 2 shares in the Armadale Common Grazings. There is full planning permission for a 3 bedroom house and garage. https://sutherland-business.co.uk/property.php?id=333 Sutherland Business Index Fri, 26 Jul 2024 17:48:40 GMT https://sutherland-business.co.uk/property.php?id=331 This is a fabulous opportunity to own a beautiful bungalow which is situated in an elevated plot with panoramic views towards the Orkney Islands and Melvich Bay. This attractive four bedroomed family home boasts a stunning lounge with a large picture window which boasts superb views over Melvich Bay. https://sutherland-business.co.uk/property.php?id=331 Sutherland Business Index Tue, 4 Jun 2024 10:34:40 GMT