News

Housing minister Kevin Stewart has written to the UK Government to urge a rethink on VAT rates for building refurbishments and renovations. In his letter to Treasury minister Jesse Norman, he argues the current situation acts as a disincentive to improvement work that might make buildings more energ

A new Age Scotland report has outlined the housing needs of older people with a series of recommendations for the Scottish Government and local authorities.  The research highlights a need to increase the availability of accessible and adaptable homes so that people can live well and independen

A major £32.5 million contract to improve the quality of homes in North Lanarkshire has been secured by Strathaven-based construction, refurbishment and energy contractors Procast.

Scottish Borders Council’s five-year revenue budget and ten-year capital plan was decided by councillors on Friday with a Council Tax freeze agreed for 2021/22. The money for significant investment in frontline services including transport infrastructure, early years education and the continue

A plan to create a well-connected, healthy, green and carbon-conscious Elgin City Centre has been published by Moray Council. The draft Elgin City Centre Masterplan, produced in partnership with the local community, seeks feedback from locals across Moray. A similar process will be rolled out for to

Strathmore Homes has criticised Angus Council after a development in Monikie was rejected on the grounds there are already enough homes in the area. The plans, which were submitted to the council last September, would have seen an existing house on land next to Monikie Primary School demolished

A new report published by Community Land Scotland has revealed that 20% of all community-owned assets are now urban, and not just rural. The change came about following the Community Right to Buy extended to cover urban areas in 2016. Almost £7 million of funding was provided by the Scottish L

A new £30 million fund is being established by the Scottish Government to support small businesses within the third sector, helping them to grow as Scotland recovers from the impacts of coronavirus. The fund will be designed to respond to a need for third sector organisations to access loans t

GP practices in some of Scotland's most deprived communities will receive £3.17 million of Scottish Government funding dedicated to welfare rights advisors to address growing mental health concerns caused by money and housing insecurity. Launching in September 2021, 150 GP Practices will be ab

The new Child Disability Payment will be open in pilot areas for applications from 26 July 2021. Regulations passed mean that families of children with a disability or long-term health condition living in Dundee City, Perth and Kinross and the Western Isles council who need financial support should

Scottish Government investment in the Connecting Scotland programme, to provide low-income households with digital devices and support, has now been increased to more than £48 million. This includes £26.6m for the third and next stage of the initiative, meaning a total of 60,000 househol

Scottish Enterprise has announced the first of a series of grant funding calls to help support economic recovery and stimulate the creation of new green jobs to advance Scotland’s net-zero emission ambitions. The £4 million green jobs call will open to applications on Tuesday 18 May with

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will deliver an address at Scottish Renewables’ Annual Conference to be held online this week. Up for debate during the conference will be the policies and actions needed to ensure Scotland reaches its net-zero target.

The Bank of Scotland Foundation has launched its Invest grant programme today, which is a multi-year programme for charities helping vulnerable people manage various financial issues. The fund aims to help charities that were already facing significant difficulties with their finances before the pan

Cairn Housing Association has welcomed a £55 million funding package from Royal Bank of Scotland to re-finance existing loans, enhance home interiors and develop its pipeline of prospective developments. Operating across 24 local authorities in Scotland with a significant presence in the Centr