November 8th – November 14th 2025
Third Short-Term Let Area Approved; Can Scotland Afford its Chief Constable? Commonwealth Games Price Controversy; … but first …
Shetland Knitters are Fuming
at Olympic gold medallist Tom Daley, accusing him of cultural appropriation in the Channel 4 show Game of Wool: Britain’s Best Knitter, saying the programme has grossly misrepresented Shetland knitting. Shetland’s Organisation of Knitters (SOK) are particularly angry about the portrayal of Fair Isle knitting, saying the programme made a number of errors despite having asked the Shetland knitters for advice beforehand, which they then promptly ignored. The programme criticised a competitor for ‘steeking’ (cutting into the fabric), despite this being a common practice; and incorrectly using the term ‘peeries’ meaning ‘small’. Fair Isle small patterns are called ‘peerie patterns’ but the word ‘peeries’ would not be used on its own. This was in addition to referring to the islands as ‘the Shetlands’.
Channel 4 and producers Hello Halo (an offshoot of STV Studios) remain unrepentant.
Is Shetland becoming industrialised?
Statkraft will hold two public information events about a proposed ammonia plant near Dales Voe, plus a meeting with Lerwick Community Council. Concerns were raised about where the water needed for production would come from (supposedly from the waste-water treatment works at Lerwick). This development follows a 103-turbine wind turbine on the central mainland, and another 3 small and one larger windfarm; plus a series of pylon and converter station projects by SSEN. Some fear the industrialisation of Shetland.
Some windfarms do put money back into the community, but many do not. For example, Statkraft said the district heating network could be supported which would ‘bring down bills’, and that although there was no local use of ammonia in Shetland, it would be there in place ‘if it was needed in the future’!
A recurring theme is that on previous occasions, developers have allegedly not listened to any concerns raised, and Shetland hope for little from the Scottish government. The Viking wind farm was rejected by the Shetland Islands Council, only to find themselves overruled by the Scottish government at considerable cost to the council.
Autistic Children Left Undiagnosed
Over 28,000 children are languishing on waiting lists for autism and ADHD assessments, with some waiting 4 years or more even to get a diagnosis, much less start treatment. Families are increasingly looking to get a private diagnosis, which can cost up to £5000, with sometimes no effective treatment available even after a diagnosis. The Scottish government says it is investing an extra £500,000 to improve access to support, but funding for specialist assessments has fallen.
Third Holiday Let Control Area for Highland
Highland Council voted this week in favour of a new Short Term Let (STL) Control Area in Lochaber, which restricts or prevent lets which affect the availability of residential housing and the character of the local community, but will not be applied retrospectively. The other two existing control areas are the whole of Edinburgh; and Badenoch and Strathspey in the Highlands. As it stands, 10% of potential dwellings in Lochaber are currently licensed STLs compared with 5% in Highland area in general.
Kinlochleven and Fort William are areas of concern, and with the average house price in Lochaber at almost £230,000, 70% of residents cannot afford to buy, even worse than the 64% across the whole region.
The Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers is predictably opposed to a control area, citing the number of empty houses in general across the Highlands. But empty houses elsewhere do not help Lochaber.
Scottish government ‘Climate Hypocrites’
Despite a draft ‘presumption since 2023 against new oil and gas projects, the fossil fuel industry is now lobbying the Scottish government at three times the rate prior to 2021, averaging 80 meetings a year. The SNP also back the cancellation of the windfall tax on energy firms. They used to be in favour of this as one means of redistributing wealth. Meanwhile, jobs that sustain the north-east haemorrhage, and we will eventually be importing ‘dirty’ oil and gas from regimes which have no commitment to net zero.
Overgenerous Police Scotland Relocation Costs?
Somewhat under-fire Police Scotland Chief Jo Farrell was paid £134,000 from public funds to help her buy a second home costing £595,000 in Edinburgh, to go with her £1 million family home in Northumberland. Police Scotland paid relocation expenses of nearly £70K, as well as additional ‘tax costs’ of £64,525. This despite her not ungenerous salary of £270K.
These payments are in no way illegal and are mandated under the rules, but you have to ask if it is time to change the rules. Relocation expenses are meant to be paid only in ‘exceptional circumstances’ if for a second home. Any Land and Buildings Transaction Tax and Additional Dwelling Supplement payable may be eligible to be paid for by the public, in this case amounting to £68,500. But overall it looks like a subsidy to buy a second home, and it is an interesting look to get your government employer to pay you money you would not need to pay unless buying a second home, and then you pay it back to the government.
Farrell has Form
She is the recipient of the highest ‘benefits in kind’ of any of the chief constables appointed since the inception of Police Scotland in 2013, with the three previous chiefs getting only £43,900 altogether. By comparison, strict limits apply in England to the amount of relocation expenses, ranging from a mere £3,000 at Cleveland Police to £30,000 at Northumbria Police.
Farrell has never been far from controversy since her arrival in 2023. First, she allegedly tried to recruit a disgraced former chief constable for consultancy services; next, Taxigate, when she ordered a traffic officer off his scheduled duties to drive her and an ex-colleague from Edinburgh to Northumberland when their train was cancelled. And now more questions, particularly at a time when she is going to the Scottish government asking for more money in the police settlement to make up some of the drastic cuts the police have been forced to make.
Male Rapists will be Recorded as …. uh Male …
but treated as women if they want, as they go through custody. So pronounced the same Jo Farrell in evidence to Holyrood’s Citizen Participation committee. And she refused to say whether said male should be sent to a women’s prison if he wants. The Scottish Prison Service is also dithering on the question. They seem to differentiate between violent and non-violent males, but sexual crime escalates from non-violent to violent. Men should not be in women’s prisons because they are MEN, not because they are violent or not.
A Unique Way to Solve the Cladding Problem
The Scottish government has come up with a novel way to raise money for removal of dangerous cladding, which is still prevalent despite a fund of £97 million paid by the UK government remaining largely unspent, at least on cladding removal. This money came as Barnett consequentials to Scotland following the Grenfell Tower fire.
Now the Building Safety Levy (Scotland) Bill, currently going through Holyrood, is going to charge developers about £3,500 per new home completed, although the amount is subject to ministerial decision. It would not apply to affordable housing, social housing or any building on islands.
About 1450 residential buildings in Scotland need remediation work, including 250 high-rises. Homes for Scotland said their members already contribute to cladding remediation through the UK-wide Residential Property Developers Tax, which should give £200 million in Barnett consequentials to Scotland, but developers’ claims that the additional £3,500 tax would make some developments financially unviable is uncertain.
Commonwealth Games Price Out Families
The 2026 games are already facing controversy, with the Scottish authorities saying each sport can decide for itself its stance on trans-identifying males taking part in women’s sport, despite that the International Olympic Committee is moving towards a blanket ban.
And complaints are being made about ticket prices, which start at £12 for non-medal events, but then rocket for competitive events, with adult tickets costing £150 for sought-after medal events like athletics and swimming, with children and seniors’ tickets priced at £113, meaning a typical family with 2 parents and 2 children would pay £526 for just one event. Child prices in 2014 were £5, now up to £113. But Phil Batty OBE, Chief Executive of Glasgow 2026, claims their pricing makes the games fair and accessible!
FLOW-Park Will Ravage Inner Moray Firth
Plans have been lodged to build a floating warehouse for wind turbines off the Moray coast, with London-based Offshore Solutions Group entering a two-year agreement with Crown Estate Scotland for a feasibility study of the FLOW-Park Scheme.
Critics claim the two sites just a kilometre off Nairn and Findhorn will involve deploying heavy anchors, chains and cables to hold 10,000 tonne bases for under-construction turbines, saying it will wipe out the historic inshore squid, prawn and creel fisheries, as well as impact tourism and possibly affect World War II graves at sea.
Over 5000 objectors have signed a petition against the planned Moray FLOW-Park. Even the company have admitted there would be impacts on fishing, and local MSP Fergus Ewing wants to meet with the Scottish government to discuss the matter.
Finally,
Cowdenbeath FC Looking for New Fans
Lowland League outfit Cowdenbeath FC claim they are the first Scottish club to offer a canine season ticket for £25, and have their first holder, a Shih Tzu called ‘Ozzy Pawsbourne’, aka ‘The Prince of Barkness’. There is no actual charge for dogs attending the match, but the fee is to cover production costs. Dogs signing up for the scheme are given lanyards and ID, must stay on a lead at all times, and are NOT allowed to chase players, the referee or the ball, but may bark at the officials ‘within reason’.
The ‘Blue Brazil’ are following the example of English non-league side Peckham Town of the Kent County League. Sounds like something Del-boy might do …