Finance Secretary John Swinney has pledged that despite financial cuts to the Scottish Budget, he will deliver a budget that continues to prioritise key public services. The £48m first phase redevelopment will replace inpatient facilities in modern, fit-for-purpose buildings. The site is being redeveloped in a number of stages over the next 10 years, with […]

Scotland will become the first country in the UK to completely abolish the existing burdensome system of GP payments, freeing up GPs to spend more time with patients. The new arrangements will significantly reduce the bureaucratic burden on GPs – reducing workload and freeing up GP time to spend with patients. There will also be […]

Launched in December 2014, the London Co-investment Fund (LCIF) has decided to invest over £5m in 35 London based high growth tech companies. The £26m fund, backed by the Mayor of London, is an initiative by Maggie Rodriguez-Piza of Funding London and John Spindler of Capital Enterprise which aims to bridge the funding gap for early-stage […]

By Jonathan Coyle, Director, Essex County Council Traded Services Councils and local authorities around the country are under ever increasing pressure to reduce spend while still delivering essential front line services. In the face of these financial challenges, we decided to look at alternative options and instead of closing the funding gap by cuts alone […]

The agreement signed at Great Ormond Street Hospital will begin with five devolution pilots across London. Plans that will set in motion the radical transformation of health and social care services across London were revealed by Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne and Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt. The Chancellor signed a health devolution agreement with the capital’s […]

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Prime Minister David Cameron have agreed a final deal on the fiscal framework that will accompany the Scotland Bill. The fiscal framework is crucial to determining Scotland’s budget once new tax powers are devolved and both parties have now agreed that the arrangement should be a fair deal for both […]

The third of the new Astute Class attack submarines, Artful, has officially been handed over to the Royal Navy. Until now the submarine was owned by Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S), the MOD’s body responsible for procuring and supporting equipment for the Armed Forces.  Following her hand over on Thursday 10 December, the next milestone […]

Annual business population statistics show that there are now 5.4m businesses in the UK but there’s still concerns about the high proportion of businesses that do not employ. SMEs are now responsible for 15.6m jobs, an increase in the last year from 15.2 million in the UK and historical trends indicate that they are likely to create […]

Difficulty obtaining finance and a general skills shortage risk undermining Britain’s start-up entrepreneurs, the Institute of Directors (IoD) has warned today. The recent survey carried out by the the IoD 99 network – which is made up of more than 650 entrepreneurs under the age of 35 – suggests that of all that were surveyed […]

The Government is publishing the UK’s first ever National Space Policy – which it says will firmly place the UK on the global stage for future space programmes. The new policy sets out the Government’s vision to capture a greater share of the world’s thriving space market. Working across the UK in partnership with the […]