Rachel Reeves says it is her pre-election promise - to balance the books - that Labour must deliver. But 20 other cabinet ministers also made promises - and are being denied the chance to deliver them by Reeves.
The latest ONS results confirm retailers' nightmare before Christmas. December’s retail sales volumes fell by 0.3% against November.
Cocoon is a collaborative textile installation and sharing of work, showcasing work co- created by a group of women in Caithness, in collaboration with artist Laura O'Kane. The exhibition presents a collection of silk scarves designed during the 2024 Caithness Community Artist in Residence programme, led by LAC in partnership with Rape and Sexual Abuse Service Highland (RASASH).
Weâre excited to invite you to our Annual General Meeting. Join the Home Start Board, Team, and Guests as we take a moment to reflect on 2024, celebrate our successes, and look ahead to the future.
We have the honour of welcoming the following players. * Adrian Lewis - 2x World Champion * Chris Dobey - World #10, 2023 Masters Champion and current Premier League player * Joe Cullen - World #23, 2022 Masters Champion.
Holidaymakers looking to book spring and summer getaways are being warned to be wary of scams after a significant number of consumer issues with holiday bookings were reported last year. These included fake accommodation listings on social media, cold calls and unsolicited emails offering holiday deals, scam websites and fake reviews on popular travel websites.
Hundreds of creative businesses and projects across the UK are to receive government funding to help them grow as part of a major boost to the economy - marking the first step of the Government's Sector Plan for the creative industries. Culture Secretary hosts major economic growth summit in Gateshead for creative industries and announces key priority areas.
The Foreign Secretary and Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport have launched the UK Soft Power Council to drive UK growth and security. Foreign Secretary launches Soft Power Council to help boost UK economic growth and security by bringing together experts from across culture, sport, the creative industries and geopolitics.
HMRC is warning customers to be wary of scam emails, texts and phone calls in the run up to the Self Assessment deadline on 31st January. HMRC received over 150,000 scam referrals last year, over half of which were offering bogus tax rebates.
The UK economy has returned to the weak growth that has characterised the past 15 years, as the mini-recession in the second half of 2023, and subsequent recovery in early 2024, has petered out, the Resolution Foundation said on Thursday 26 January 2025. The economy grew by 0.1 per cent in November - with service sectors such as hotels, retail, ICT and food all growing, while production shrank for a third consecutive month.
There have been more reports of cold callers providing misleading information about loft insulation. One man in his 80s was told by a cold caller that they were surveying homes in his area and asked if he had yellow fibreglass insulation.
Over the festive period there was an increase in so-called 'Hello Mum/Dad' scams. This is when a scammer poses as a family member or friend and sends messages via text or WhatsApp to ask you to transfer money to pay an urgent bill or invoice.
During the colder months there is always an increase in reports of cold calls and messages from scammers who provide misleading information about the availability of grants or funding for energy efficiency products such as insulation, boilers and double glazing. 38% of respondents to our most recent Big Scottish Scam Survey had experienced one of these scams.
Customers of various phone providers have recently received cold calls where they are offered an upgrade or discount of up to 50% on their phone bills. If they accept, they are asked to confirm their account details.
Action Fraud have recently warned customers using the Booking.com platform to be wary of unusual messages or phishing emails from hotel accounts. Several hotels have had their accounts on the platform taken over by scammers, who are messaging customers with reservations to ask for additional payments or credit card details.
See poster for details. Tickets on sale at local butcher or by phone..
New research from the British Nutrition Foundation finds that 57 percent of parents surveyed rely on visual estimations to decide portion sizes for themselves. Nearly a third (32 percent) of parents only sometimes or rarely feel confident about choosing the right portion size for their child Nearly half (48 percent) of all parents say that their children have second helpings at least once a week.
Survey launches to seek views of cultural sector. Dame Sue Bruce will chair the review of Creative Scotland, Culture Secretary Angus Robertson has announced.
Traditional Scottish music evening - local bands' night.
Do you need a grant to help with education, trips or other things. Highland council is responsible for several trust that make grants for range of purposes.
Neighbourhood Watch Scotland has issued it latest advice and warning about targeting of young people. Encrypted messaging services on social media allows criminals to create chat groups online, with restricted access typically limited only to verified members.
UKHSA urges parents and carers to take these simple steps to ensure children make the healthiest start to the New Year. The UK Health Security Agency is reminding parents and carers of the simple steps they can take to ensure their children make the healthiest start to the new school term.
Help to protect a wild flower meadow with the rangers..
Almost 25,000 taxpayers ‘celebrated' the New Year by filing their Self Assessment tax return. If customers miss the 31 January deadline, they could face a penalty.
The Highland Council has released a short in-house video to highlight how it is delivering on its Net Zero ambitions. It also reaffirms the Council's vision as a centre for global renewable energy, by capitalising on natural resources to deliver alternative energy solutions, including developing solar, wind and wave solutions.
Sands of Time - Donald asks the question about the sustainability of our beaches. I'm thinking of this poem whilst carrying out one of my favourite past times, beachcombing - walking on the beach and looking, and thinking - a bit.
Be More Cat This Year - Caturday Film Club. Many more sill on Youtube..
In terms of energy efficiency and garment care, heated clothes dryers (often called heated airers) are generally considered better than tumble dryers, as they use significantly less energy, cause less damage to clothes. They can produce less wrinkles, making them a more gentle drying option; however, tumble dryers are typically faster at drying clothes, so the best choice depends on your priorities regarding drying time and garment care.
Something new. See how AI deals with some information on Caithness to make an interesting podcast.
The original manuscript of a Gaelic love song written during the Battle of the Somme is to be housed at a new cultural centre. North Uist Historical Society will receive £165,000 of Scottish Government funding to convert Carinish Old School and showcase items from its collection, many of which are currently kept in storage.
The end of the year is always a time of reflection on what we have done and what we have left undone. And, of course, it's time to start thinking about those resolutions for the new year and what we will do differently.
The free running app has been downloaded over 7 million times since it launched in 2016, with 9.3 million NHS Couch to 5k runs started this year. Record numbers of people put on their running shoes and got fit-for-free this year with 8.7 million NHS Couch to 5k runs completed in 2024, new data revealed today (31 December 2024).
The MHRA's Criminal Enforcement Unit works to identify and prevent the illegal sale of weight-loss medicines online. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is reminding the public this New Year not to buy weight-loss medicines without a healthcare professional's prescription from beauty salons or via social media.
Two influential tech CEOs have sparked a debate about AI's effect on jobs. Klarna CEO Sebastian Siemiatkowski announced the buy-now, pay-later firm stopped hiring a year ago, claiming that AI can do most of the jobs that humans do.
With Something Good, the arts and culture newsletter from The Conversation UK, we aim to cut through the noise and recommend the very best in new releases every fortnight. In 2024, we've been spoiled for choice when it comes to recommending fiction.
The experience of a Christmas in many countries today owes a great deal to the modern era. The Christmas tree, Christmas cards and the image of Santa Claus as a portly bearded gentleman in a red suit with white trimming all date to the 1800s and 1900s.
The number of non-surgical cosmetic procedures (NSCPs) being carried out across Scotland and the UK has risen considerably over the years and continues to do so[1]. Alongside the growth of this industry there has been increased concern about the safety of these procedures, especially, but not only, where they take place outwith a traditional healthcare setting.
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