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New legislation has been published that aims to give councils more choice in how they design and apply a visitor levy to raise funds for local tourist services.  While local authorities currently have the power to apply a charge on overnight stays based on a percentage of accommodation costs, t

A former social care officer who groomed, assaulted and raped vulnerable girls has been jailed. Alexander Boyd, also known as Sandy, was found guilty of four charges on 3 November 2025 following a trial at the High Court in Glasgow. 

Blackadders LLP has reported a period of strong financial performance, with combined turnover of the law firm and Blackadders Wealth Management LLP hitting a milestone £20.2 million, a 19 per cent increase from the previous year. This growth was accompanied by a 46 per cent surge in group prof

A homeowner is at his wits’ end after spending months trying to get a 550-pound bear removed from beneath his house. Kenneth Johnson, who lives in Altadena, California, claims the animal has been living in his crawlspace since November and that the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (C

A woman has been awarded £1,000 in compensation after her mother’s ashes were mistakenly sent through an EU country, opened by border officials and returned with some of the contents spilled. The daughter, referred to as Mrs R in proceedings, had paid £1,440 to direct cremation fir

DWF has appointed Gary Georgeson as a director in its real estate team in Edinburgh, marking another step in its continued investment and growth across Scotland. Mr Georgeson brings 20 years' experience in the commercial property sector, advising on all aspects of real estate matters with a particul

Sharon Clelland has been appointed as a traffic commissioner for Great Britain. Ms Clelland, who starts the role on 6 April 2026, joins from her role as head of legal services for the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner, the independent body providing regulatory oversight of policing in Sc

The Ministry of Justice has been taken to task over ignoring the decline of legal aid provision and for wasting money In a new report, Westminster's Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has scrutinised the landscape for legal aid and HM Prison and Probation Service’s (HMPPS) decision to spend &poun

Simpson & Marwick has announced a series of appointments designed to support the firm’s next phase of growth. Ricky Nicol will move into the role of non-executive chairman, bringing experience in leadership and technology. Meanwhile, Scott Fraser has been appointed as board adviser. 

MFMac has announced the appointment of Shaz Khalid as a partner within its corporate & commercial division. Mr Khalid brings over 15 years of experience advising on high-value and complex projects across the energy and renewables sector. His most recent role was head of legal for SSE Renewables&

A mother and daughter who shared “deeply disturbing” neo-Nazi, antisemitic, racist and transphobic material on social media have been jailed after admitting a catalogue of hate crimes. Shirley Craughwell, 51, posted material describing non-white people as “a different species&rdquo

Northern Ireland's justice minister, Naomi Long, has rejected calls for mediation to resolve a long-standing dispute over criminal legal aid fee levels. Members of the Criminal Bar Association (CBA) yesterday withdrew services from all legally-aided Crown Court fees in a significant escalation of in

The Crown Office has lodged a first notice with the Sheriff Court to begin the court process for a fatal accident inquiry (FAI) into the death of Gerard Brown. Mr Brown, 65, from Glasgow died on 8 September 2021 after a fall at home on on 6 September.

Lady Drummond has been appointed as the new judicial member of the Scottish Sentencing Council. Lady Drummond succeeds Lord Matthews, whose five-year term with the council came to an end late last year.

Renovation and safety works at Ayr Sheriff Court have already cost more than £250,000, with further work still to be completed. A freedom of information request by the Ayr Advertiser shows that £262,898 has been spent across two phases of repairs at the scaffolded court building, and tha