Ministerial Statement on the rates revaluation fb.watch/E4W8Q-sVkZ/ via facebookwatch

'The Future of Council Tax in Scotland' consultation has launched. People are being invited to register their interest in being one of around 150 selected to take part in workshops to discuss options for council tax reform. Deadline 2nd Jan 2026: ow.ly/uo0350XIa3b

news.stv.tv/west-central/e…

Presenting Justin Langer in his absolute element 🙌 He takes us through some of the England batsman's techniques, what's going wrong, some good examples... And then the keys to rectifying it all #Ashes

To whet your appetite, an extract from my recently published book - a collection of true, humorous travel stories from Scotland, Cyprus, Europe, South‑East Asia, India, Africa, and more, accompanied by photographs amzn.eu/d/3jGG4wf Half of proceeds go to a worthy charity

2,536 days after England launched the NHS app, Scots are still phoning GP surgeries like it’s 1999. Why? Because SNP ministers thought it looked too British. It’s a deliberate choice to put politics before patients. scottishdailyexpress.co.uk/news/politics/…

Business rates. The British people, and its MPs, do not understand the coming apocalypse. And it is going to be an apocalypse. I talk to pub owners, cafe owners, all types of small business owners. They are terrified and nobody is listening. Real people. Family businesses. The

Lisbon has reversed restrictions on short-term rentals as controls have failed to improve housing affordability. In 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 we have STL 'control zones' which damage the local economy and deliver zero benefit. bit.ly/4pprOfO Màiri McAllan Ivan McKee Kate Forbes MSP

Meeting of the Parliament, 7th January 2026 Yesterday’s debate laid bare the damage the Scottish Government’s business rates revaluation is causing. Fergus Ewing MSP said: “The valuations are just garbage—utter garbage. However, more than that, as we have heard from many

Highland cattle can survive Scottish winter outdoors eating hay and grass. These are 500-kilogram animals thriving in conditions that would kill most crop plants. The Highlands have short growing seasons, frequent frost, high rainfall, and terrain so steep you'd need climbing

Is low occupancy the hidden factor driving Argyll and Bute’s housing emergency? westcoasttoday.co.uk/news/is-low-oc…

Fiona Campbell MBE, CEO of the Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers, said: “A 113% increase in short-term let licensing fees is deeply concerning and requires clear justification from Shetland Islands Council. Without transparency, the Council risks undermining the confidence

COSLA has set out concerns about the Scottish Government’s Budget settlement for Local Government, warning that while there is a modest increase in uncommitted revenue, the settlement remains insufficient to meet rising demand for essential local services. ow.ly/SOJC50XXn6p

What is your view on this? westcoasttoday.co.uk/news/is-low-oc…

Ellenabeich

Nice to see my photo in the Oban Times today

Campbeltown Courier - low occupancy rates drive the housing emergency in Argyll & Bute

SNP funding cuts mean huge council tax rises in April. How much will yours go up?

The SNP government thinks the public are hanging on its every word when it comes to breaking up Britain. In fact, barely anyone is paying attention, and Scots have far greater priorities. dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/…

I support net zero, but it must be practical and fair. We can’t put thousands of North Sea workers out of jobs while importing the same oil from abroad. That’s not a transition, it’s self-inflicted damage.