Andrew Robertson

Writes analysis on public policy and national developments, focusing on the structures and decisions shaping modern Scotland.

66553554 buchananstreet glasgow

Economy·Featured

Scotland’s Businesses Are Beginning to Worry More About Missing Customers Than Rising Costs

Falling demand has become the most commonly cited main concern among Scottish businesses for September 2026, narrowly ahead of energy prices. At the same time, the share of firms reporting rising turnover has fallen sharply from the previous month and from a year earlier.

Seafield and Kishorn Port geograph.org.uk 7320977

Featured·Infrastructure

Scotland Is Rebuilding the Giant Highland Dry Dock Created for the North Sea Oil Age

In 1975, workers began removing 1.8 million tonnes of Torridonian sandstone from a Highland mountainside to create a construction yard capable of building one of the largest objects Scotland had ever made. Half a century later, rock is being blasted at Kishorn again. A

74117298 young woman in professional training to become plumber

Scotland Plans 150,000 Apprenticeships. Parliament Has Reopened the Question of Where the Money Goes

The Scottish Government intends to fund at least 150,000 apprenticeships over the next five years. As

Copyright Richard West

Scotland Is Rebuilding the Gourock–Dunoon Ferry Link But Has Not Decided How Many Ferries to Build

A programme intended to replace ageing passenger ferries and rebuild three Clyde harbours has reached an

Visual accompanying “Scotland’s Railway Was Built for Another Climate. £400 Million Is Now Being Spent to Keep It Running”

Scotland’s Railway Was Built for Another Climate. £400 Million Is Now Being Spent to Keep It Running

Scotland is two years into a £400 million programme to protect its railway from heavier rainfall,

76423390 edinburgh street scene

Community·Featured

Scotland Has a Migration Map Now. It Shows a Country Moving in Different Directions

New population and migration material published this week makes it possible to examine Scotland below the national total. The figures describe a

by Andrew Robertson

3 September 2026

74705456 edinburgh city panorama

Featured·Policy and Government

Scotland Is Building A Major Projects Office. What Will Change?

The Scottish Government has announced a new Major Projects Office to accelerate nationally significant investment in housing, energy and other strategic sectors.

by Andrew Robertson

3 September 2026

22852068 olive oil bottles at jenners department store in edinburgh scotland

Economy·Featured

Energy Prices Remain A Leading Concern For Scottish Businesses

The latest Business Insights and Conditions Survey for Scotland records falling demand and energy prices as the top concerns for September 2026

by Andrew Robertson

27 August 2026

58866980 fresh morning scene with water flowing from a kitchen faucet

Environment·Featured

Scotland’s Drinking Water Quality Fell Slightly In 2025 As Complaints Rose

Regulatory testing found that 99.88 per cent of samples taken from consumers’ taps met required standards in 2025. The Drinking Water Quality

by Andrew Robertson

27 August 2026

HMP Shotts in North Lanarkshire, one of Scotland’s maximum security prisons, which holds men serving long term sentences. Image: Scottish Prison Service

Featured·Policy and Government

Scotland’s Prisons Hold More Than 8,600 People as Ministers Consider Sentencing and Release Reform

Scotland’s prison system has entered a new policy stage after consultation closed on proposals that could change the use of short custodial

by Andrew Robertson

21 August 2026

95390582 a modern control room features screens displaying data monitoring an offshore wind farm at sunset

Featured·Policy and Government

New 50MW Data Centre Rule Gives Ministers Sight of Scotland’s Biggest Projects, but Not the Whole Pipeline

Scotland’s largest proposed data centres will now have to be brought quickly to the attention of ministers, after the Scottish Government introduced

by Andrew Robertson

21 August 2026

Economy·Featured

Ferguson Marine faces 70 Job Losses While Four Vessel Contracts Remain Unsigned

Up to 70 workers could leave Ferguson Marine as the Port Glasgow shipyard runs into a gap between the completion of MV

by Andrew Robertson

18 August 2026

43134 and 43148 at Pitlochry

Transport

ScotRail’s £83.8m Retail Contract Comes Into View After Troubled App Launch

The scale of the deal behind ScotRail’s new ticketing system is now public: £83.763 million for technology spanning the website, app, ticket

by Andrew Robertson

17 August 2026

1298010 scottisch landscape

Na h-Eileanan Siar·Policy and Government

£1.5m announced to support Gaelic in designated communities

The funding was announced as the second phase of the Cnoc Soilleir Gaelic cultural and education centre opened in South Uist. Scottish

by Andrew Robertson

13 August 2026

87870194 stock market investment trading financial coin and scotland fla

Economy

Scotland revenues reach £98.3bn as fiscal deficit narrows

Government revenues attributed to Scotland rose by £6.3bn in 2025-26, while the gap between estimated public spending and revenue narrowed to £25.3bn.

by Andrew Robertson

13 August 2026

Wind turbine blade at industrial harbor no metadata

Economy·Featured

Scotland’s Power-Machinery Imports Jump 46% as Government Pushes Home-Grown Wind Manufacturing

Power-generating machinery accounted for around two-fifths of the increase in Scotland’s goods imports in the year to March 2026. The statistics do

by Andrew Robertson

10 August 2026

Nurse consoling a senior woman in the nursing home holding her hand

Policy and Government

Scotland Looks To Displaced Care Workers To Add 45,000 Hours A Month

The Scottish Government says a recruitment scheme could add 45,000 hours of adult social-care work each month, but the figure describes potential

by Andrew Robertson

6 August 2026

736302 wind turbine

Featured·Policy and Government

Twenty Of Scotland’s 24 Community Energy Meetings Came From One Consultation

Twenty of the 24 community energy meetings identified by the Scottish Government over a 12-month period came from a single offshore-wind consultation.

by Andrew Robertson

3 August 2026

87836882 picturesque road in scottish highlands cairngorm national park near lecht ski resort (1)

Energy·Featured

Scotland’s Local Electricity Network Coordination Group Ended Without A Replacement

A Scottish Government group established to resolve barriers preventing homes, businesses and public infrastructure from connecting to local electricity networks stopped meeting

by Andrew Robertson

3 August 2026

4672110 pensive child

Economy·Featured

Fourteen Councils Exceed Welfare Fund Budgets As Crisis Applications Rise

Scottish councils received more than 258,000 Crisis Grant applications in one year, while emergency spending increased by 26 per cent and fourteen

by Andrew Robertson

31 July 2026

Kittiwake Asset, UK North Sea

Aberdeen City·Energy·Featured

North Sea Kittiwake Platform Enters Final Phase After 36 Years

A long-serving North Sea production hub is moving towards shutdown and decommissioning, opening another chapter in the industrial transition facing Aberdeen as

by Andrew Robertson

27 July 2026

data centre

Featured·Infrastructure·North Ayrshire

North Ayrshire Council Faces Transparency Questions Over £1.17m Data-Centre Deal

North Ayrshire Council has committed more than £1.17 million of public money to a six-year data-centre contract awarded directly to one supplier.

by Andrew Robertson

25 July 2026

scottish money

Featured·Policy and Government

Scottish Local Government External Debt Budgeted To Rise By £3.2 Billion

Scotland’s councils and other local-authority bodies have budgeted for combined external debt to reach almost £28.8 billion during 2026–27, as borrowing remains

by Andrew Robertson

25 July 2026

Inverclyde

Economy·Inverclyde

Inverclyde Offers Cash Grants in Attempt to Slow Population Decline

One-off grants of up to £400 have been introduced to encourage people to remain in or move to Inverclyde, where the population

by Andrew Robertson

22 July 2026

Clyde Arc Bridge along River Clyde Sunset twilight at Glasgow city Scotland UK.

Featured·Glasgow City·Infrastructure

Glasgow Power Network Under Enhanced Monitoring Ahead of Commonwealth Games

SP Energy Networks has introduced additional engineering support and trialled mobile fault-detection technology before the Games begin on Thursday. The measures may

by Andrew Robertson

22 July 2026

Scottish flag and UK flag.

Featured·Policy and Government

Burnham Closes Door on Scottish Referendum in First Call with Swinney

The new Prime Minister promised deeper devolution and more pragmatic relations with Holyrood, but made clear that his government was not preparing

by Andrew Robertson

21 July 2026

Terminal Wick John OGroats Airport geograph 5532275

Argyll and Bute·Featured·Highland·Na h-Eileanan Siar·Scottish News·Transport

Highlands International Journeys to Lose Tax Exemption

Domestic connections serving the Highlands and Islands will receive wider protection when Air Departure Tax begins in April 2027, but direct and

by Andrew Robertson

15 July 2026

Loch Ness. The Loch Kemp proposal would use Loch Ness as its lower reservoir and Loch Kemp as the upper storage body

Environment·Featured·Scottish News

Scotland’s Glens May Become Britain’s Energy Battery

Scotland’s environmental regulator is preparing new guidance for large hydropower and pumped-storage schemes at the point when some of the largest proposed

by Andrew Robertson

10 July 2026

Scottish angus lab grown beef

Featured·Policy and Government·Scottish News

Scotland Is Preparing the Rules for Cultivated Meat While Most Scots Say They Would Not Eat It

Food Standards Scotland has helped publish four new guidance documents for businesses developing cell-cultivated and other novel foods, bringing products grown from

by Andrew Robertson

10 July 2026

61624888 a white cloud hovers over a laptop symbolizing the concept of cloud computing

Energy·Featured·North Lanarkshire·Scottish News

Lanarkshire AI Growth Zone Faces Questions Over Power, Land and Community Benefit Claims

Scotland’s first AI Growth Zone is now facing serious questions over whether its public claims on renewable power, land use, jobs and

by Andrew Robertson

7 July 2026

G JEMS Flown by James McDonald / Photo Credit: Strathaven Balloon Festival 2022

Heritage and Arts·Scottish News

Sea Shanties, Sheepdogs And Strange Small Joys: Quirky Things To Do In Scotland This Summer

Scotland’s summer is usually described through its biggest names: Edinburgh, the Highlands, castles, festivals, beaches and road trips. But some of the

by Andrew Robertson

13 June 2026

Featured·Policy and Government·Scottish News

Scots Are Right To Ask Who Watches The Watchers

Digital surveillance is no longer a remote intelligence issue. It now sits inside ordinary life, touching phones, platforms, private messages, children, journalism,

by Andrew Robertson

12 June 2026

Featured visual for “Scots Asked to Search 700 Miles of Coast for One of Britain’s Rarest Insects”

Environment·Featured·Scottish News

Scots Asked to Search 700 Miles of Coast for One of Britain’s Rarest Insects

A conservation project is asking people along Scotland’s east coast to help find wood sage and the bordered brown lacewing, one of

by Andrew Robertson

3 June 2026

7451254 grazing cattle

Economy·Featured·Scottish News

Scottish Farmers on Alert as Bluetongue Rules Hit Livestock Movement

Scotland has not recorded bluetongue through current surveillance, but Great Britain is no longer classed as free from the disease. New movement

by Andrew Robertson

2 June 2026

Cato Data Centre

Fife·Infrastructure·Scottish News

Fife Fights Back Against AI Data Centre That Could Use Power Equal to Half Scotland’s Homes

A proposed hyperscale AI data centre near Auchtertool would form part of a £15 billion Scottish network promoted by ILI Group. Local

by Andrew Robertson

1 June 2026

Gi responsive 994

Community·Featured·Glasgow City·Scottish News

Glasgow Sets Out Land Plan for 30,000 New Homes

Glasgow’s new City Development Plan would open up land for more than 30,000 homes while creating new areas for business growth, innovation

by Andrew Robertson

1 June 2026

Lab grown meat

Economy·Featured·Scottish News

Lab-Grown Meat is Not on Scottish Plates Yet, But the Food Fight Has Begun

No cell-cultivated meat has yet been authorised for human consumption in Great Britain. But cultivated chicken has already been approved for use

by Andrew Robertson

1 June 2026

78380114 sad woman looking at her colleague

Community·Highland·Orkney Islands·Scottish News·Shetland Islands

When Abuse Is Not a Bruise: Older Women, Rural Scotland and the Law That Changed

Scotland’s domestic abuse law now recognises coercive control, psychological abuse and patterns of behaviour that may leave no visible injury. But older

by Andrew Robertson

31 May 2026

67239942 in the field

Argyll and Bute·Dumfries and Galloway·East Lothian·Environment·Highland·Moray·North Ayrshire·Scottish News

Scotland’s Fire Season Moves Into New Territory

Scotland recorded its most severe wildfire season in 2025, with major fires across moorland, peatland and woodland. A new national action plan

by Andrew Robertson

29 May 2026

Featured visual for “Free Summer Sport Programme Aims to Reach Young People Across the South West”

Community·Dumfries and Galloway·Scottish News

Free Summer Sport Programme Aims to Reach Young People Across the South-West

Dumfries and Galloway has secured £344,000 for a summer programme of free sport and physical activity for children and young people across

by Andrew Robertson

29 May 2026

Gleaner overhead view

Argyll and Bute·Economy·Featured·Scottish News

Former Ardrishaig Oil Depot Moves Closer to New Life as Distillery Plan Gets Funding

Argyll and Bute Council has approved £250,000 for the next phase of regeneration at the former Gleaner oil depot in Ardrishaig, supporting

by Andrew Robertson

29 May 2026

21086670 stirling castle scotland heritage

Scottish News·Stirling·Transport

Stirling Road Works Notice Closed After Pedestrian Safety Improvements

Stirling Council has had a road works compliance notice closed after the Scottish Road Works Commissioner found that the authority had improved

by Andrew Robertson

28 May 2026

12151520 female customer service agent

Economy·Featured·Scottish News

Zero Hours Reform Will Test Scotland’s Balance Between Security and Flexibility

Major changes to zero hours and low hours work are due to reshape employment law across Great Britain from 2027. For Scotland,

by Andrew Robertson

20 May 2026

51180018 farmer spraying pesticide sprayer garden farm vegetable garden spraying protection plant field rows agriculture fertilizer spraying insecticide fungicide herbicide

Environment·Featured·Scottish Borders·Scottish News

Scottish Borders Council Tests Whether Weed Control Can Move Beyond Glyphosate

Scottish Borders Council is to consider a pilot comparing chemical free weed control with its current glyphosate based approach in Galashiels and

by Andrew Robertson

20 May 2026

19803570 round hay bales in the country

Energy·Scottish News

SSEN’s New Flexibility Auction Shows How Scotland’s Electricity Grid Is Changing

SSEN Distribution is seeking up to 708MW of flexibility across 178 areas, in a market designed to pay providers for shifting electricity

by Andrew Robertson

20 May 2026

14154576 glasgow scotland aerial view

Featured·Glasgow City·Scottish News·Transport

Glasgow To Begin 20mph Rollout In Govan

Govan will be the first area of Glasgow to move to new 20mph speed limits, with almost 200 streets included in the

by Andrew Robertson

13 May 2026

Featured visual for “Logie Timber To Cut Energy Costs With Solar Panels At Moray Sawmill”

Community·Featured·Highland·Scottish News

Logie Timber To Cut Energy Costs With Solar Panels At Moray Sawmill

Logie Timber, based near Forres, has secured support from Highlands and Islands Enterprise for a £71,000 solar project intended to reduce electricity

by Andrew Robertson

13 May 2026

945e35621d66298d5b2e303a9b72b3e11334ecbf (1)

Community·Scottish News·Stirling

Stirling Tests New Culture Night as Crowds Move Through City and Villages

Stirling’s first Culture Night brought more than 40 free events into the city centre and surrounding communities, offering an early test of

by Andrew Robertson

12 May 2026

63362900 close up of a green recycling bin filled with recyclable materials in a residential area

Angus·Environment·Scottish News

Forfar Recycling Trial Puts Angus At Front Of Scottish Waste Reform

A Forfar pilot described by Angus Council as the first of its kind in Scotland will be rolled out to other Angus

by Andrew Robertson

12 May 2026

The sea stacks of Duncansby Head, the most northeasterly part of Scotland and slightly northeast of John O'Groats in Caithness

Energy·Featured·Highland·Scottish News

Hollandmey Wind Farm Consent Leaves Caithness Facing a 2026 Construction Question

ScottishPower Renewables has consent for a wind, solar and battery project near Mey after a public inquiry. But in north east Caithness,

by Andrew Robertson

10 May 2026

32911494 sun drenched spring forest with conifers

Economy·Featured·Scottish News

Scotland’s Forest Argument Is About More Than Trees

A new report commissioned by Confor challenges a Royal Society of Edinburgh inquiry into public support for forestry. Behind the technical dispute

by Andrew Robertson

5 May 2026

91346178 helmsdale harbor on the east coast of scotland (1)

Environment·Featured·Scottish News

Scotland’s Salmon and Sea Trout Catches Fall to Historic Lows in 2025

Official statistics released this morning record the weakest salmon returns in modern Scottish records, with total catches in 2025 falling to their

by Andrew Robertson

29 April 2026

14188058 thistle and buterfly

Environment·Scottish Borders·Scottish News

Borders Awards Narrow Focus to Biodiversity and Sustainability

There is no shortage of activity across the Scottish Borders, but less of it has been entering formal competition. A revised approach

by Andrew Robertson

29 April 2026

85281020 the river north esk through the rocks of solitude near edzell in angus scotland salmon often seen leaping to their spawning ground a challenge for canoeing or kayaking

Angus·Environment·Scottish News

Angus Maps Climate Risks as Warmer Winters and Stronger Storms Loom

A new council assessment sets out how climate change is expected to reshape Angus, identifying key hazards, vulnerable groups and practical steps

by Andrew Robertson

21 April 2026

99284136 the scots pine view to the head

Environment·Highland·Scottish News

Call for Stronger Action to Protect Scotland’s Rainforests as Election Approaches

A campaign to restore and expand Scotland’s temperate rainforest has intensified ahead of the Scottish Parliament election, with environmental groups urging ministers

by Andrew Robertson

7 April 2026

64958954 woman in winter breathing fresh air on the beach

Argyll and Bute·Environment·Scottish News

Argyll and Bute Records Strong Air Quality Results in 2025 Report

Air quality across Argyll and Bute remained well within national limits throughout 2025, according to the council’s latest annual progress report. The

by Andrew Robertson

3 April 2026

Neil Osborne, Highland Council’s Climate Change & Energy Manager pictured receiving the award

Environment·Highland·Scottish News

Highland Council Secures National Recognition for Climate and Energy Leadership

Highland Council has been recognised on the national stage after its Climate and Energy Team secured a major win at the APSE

by Andrew Robertson

31 March 2026

51492728 a wind turbine on a green renewable energy farm on a sunny day

Environment·Scottish News

Scotland Sets Out Sweeping Climate Blueprint to 2040

The Scottish Government has unveiled an expansive new roadmap to net zero, setting out more than 150 measures designed not merely to

by Andrew Robertson

24 March 2026

Scotland Bird

Dumfries and Galloway·Environment·Scottish News

Environmental Surveys Begin Along River Nith Ahead of Flood Protection Work

Dumfries and Galloway Council launches major ecological assessment to safeguard wildlife during construction Dumfries and Galloway Council has begun a series of

by Andrew Robertson

8 April 2025