On 9 August 2020, the Scottish government launched a fair deliveries map so that residents in rural parts of Scotland can find the best deals for delivery charges. The map can be accessed at https://fairdeliveries.scot/. [20.08/27]Read More

HMRC has amended various parts of manuals including part of its CFM manual about loan relationships and IHTM on inheritance tax. [20.08/13]Read More

HMRC spent more than £20,000 on respirators on 6 July 2020 for its Fraud Investigation Service. [20.08/13]Read More

Sir Ed Davey was elected leader of the Liberal Democrat party on 27 August 2020. He received 63.5% of the vote to Layla Moran’s 36.5%. Davey replaces Jo Swinson who lost her seat in the December 2019 general election after a few weeks in post. Davey was first elected as MP in 1997, though he...Read More

In August 2020, HMRC revised Notice 12A, last issued in May 2016, on what a person can do if their possessions are seized. The notice relates only to seizures under Customs and Excise Management Act 1979 s139. A seizure may be made of cash, goods or vehicles. The person may either challenge the legality of...Read More

From 1 September 2020, someone who needs to self-isolate and who lives in an area with a high incidence of coronavirus can receive £13 a day. The scheme is to be trialled in Blackburn with Darwen, Pendle and Oldham. These pilots will be rapidly reviewed to see what impact it has made on self-isolation. Those...Read More

The bicycle voucher scheme announced by the government in June 2020 is not working, according to Private Eye of 28 August 2020. The scheme offered 500,000 vouchers of £50 each on a first-come-first-served basis for cyclists to fix their bicycles. The article says that no attempt was made to ensure that cycle repair shops could...Read More

Pension schemes will be required to report their climate change risks, the secretary of state for works and pensions announced on 26 August 2020. Details will be put out for consultation. The proposed scheme would cover 75% of occupational pension schemes which hold £1.3 trillion of assets. The government has ruled out requiring pension schemes...Read More

Spectators will be allowed to attend some sporting events from 1 October 2020, the government announced on 26 August 2020. This will be part of a trial with social distancing in place, including in queues. Venues must comply with social distancing. Admission is by ticket, the number of which must be controlled. Those who attend...Read More

Each resident of Scotland benefited from a “Union dividend” of £1,941 a year in 2019/20, according to a government statement on 26 August 2020. The figure was £1,805 in 2018/19. This is the amount of public spending per person. Against this revenue per person in Scotland was £308 a year less than the rest of...Read More