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As Scotland's local councils face acute challenges, with budgets and workforce stretched to the limit, reform has become increasingly urgent, warns Audit Scotland's Accounts Commission.

With Argyll and Bute facing one of its highest budget gaps in recent times, steps to help balance the budget were on the agenda when the council met recently. Budget forecasts show that the council is facing a budget gap of £14.5 million next year, 2025/26.

Nationwide Building Society has completed its £2.9 billion acquisition of Virgin Money, creating one of the UK's largest banking groups with 24.5 million customers and nearly 700 branches. The deal, approved by Virgin Money shareholders and a specialist court, will see the Virgin Money brand d

A £22 million investment has been made into a scheme to increase investment in affordable homes and deliver more housing.

Gilson Gray has acquired City of London-based PCM Solicitors, marking its first foray into the London and South East market. This marks the Edinburgh-headquartered law firm's third acquisition of 2024, after the firm announced deals for Edinburgh’s MHD and Bowmans Solicitors in Forfar earlier

Accountancy firm Wbg has encouraged SMEs to put themselves at the heart of their local communities and help generate thriving local economies to the benefit of the national economy. The firm endorses the Scotland Loves Local Pledge – a commitment to prioritising local people and businesses by

Accountancy and business advisory firm Johnston Carmichael has welcomed 61 students into the firm following growth across the UK. The recruits will be spread across the firm’s offices in Scotland and Newcastle, where Johnston Carmichael recently moved to bigger premises as it grows its head co

Revolut, Chase and Modulr are set to join the 159 short-code phone service available to people who are worried about a potential banking scam. 

Cracking down on insurance fraud remains a top priority for the industry as its latest figures reveal £1.1 billion worth of fraudulent claims were detected last year, up 4% on 2022, according to the Association of British Insurers (ABI). Insurers identified 84,400 fraudulent claims in 2023, 11

From 7 October 2024, victims of authorised push payment (APP) scams will be able to claim a maximum reimbursement of £85,000 for losses incurred through Faster Payments and CHAPS, the Bank of England's Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) has confirmed. This decision by the PSR board reduces t

Scotland's economy saw modest growth of 0.3% in July 2024, outperforming the stagnant UK economy. This follows a revised 0% growth (up from -0.3%) in June, contributing to a 0.3% increase in GDP for the three months leading to July. The manufacturing and information & communications sectors were

August 2024 saw 102 company insolvencies registered in Scotland, 9% lower than the number in August 2023. The total number of company insolvencies was comprised of 56 CVLs, 42 compulsory liquidations, two administrations and two receivership appointments. There were no CVAs.

UK inflation has remained flat at 2.2% in August, despite a significant surge in airfares. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) reported that lower fuel prices and slower increases in restaurant costs offset the rise in flight costs. This news comes as the Bank of England is expected to maintain

Scotland’s commercial property market attracted significantly more international interest in the decade that followed the 2014 independence referendum than it did in the 10 years prior to the vote, according Knight Frank.

Henderson Loggie is calling on the UK government to provide businesses with a clear and comprehensive tax roadmap in the forthcoming budget. As Scotland’s businesses face ongoing economic uncertainty, the lack of long-term tax clarity could hinder strategic planning and investment, according t