Gilfach barber wins gold at national industry awards
Martyn offers clients a personalised experience built on trust, attention to detail, and pride in his craft.
Martyn has previously been named Best of Welsh Barber of the Year and Businessman of the Year.
He said: "This gold award affirms MH Barbering's place among the UK's elite, and celebrates our lasting impact on the future of British barbering."
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Scotsman
an hour ago
- Scotsman
Polarising Donald Trump's North Sea comments tapped into growing frustration
It's time to listen to the point made by US president Donald Trump and turn his soundbite on the North Sea into a smart, sober policy, writes Ryan Crighton. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Donald Trump's shoot-from-the-hip diplomacy was on full display in Aberdeen this week as he waded into the UK's energy debate, calling for lower taxes on North Sea oil and gas operators. The president's remarks – delivered both in person and online to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer – will have raised eyebrows in Westminster. However, in the north-east of Scotland, where redundancies are mounting, his comments tapped into a growing sense of frustration. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad US President Donald Trump on the first tee during the official opening of the New Course, the second championship course at Trump International Golf Links, on the Menie Estate in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire | PA He may be a polarising messenger, but his advocacy for the repeal of the Energy Profits Levy (EPL) aligns with what the data, the workers and the businesses on the ground have been saying for over two years – that the windfall tax is killing off a vital British industry and a crucial national asset. According to data from Offshore Energies UK, 10,000 jobs have already been lost since the levy's introduction by the Conservative government in 2022. Harbour Energy, the UK's largest oil and gas producer, has since laid off 600 people in Aberdeen alone. These aren't abstract statistics — they are highly skilled individuals, families, and communities being sacrificed on the altar of fiscal short-termism. The failure of the north east green freeport bid is a major blow for a regional economy transitioning away from fossil fuels. Picture: Andy Buchanan/Getty Worse still, the economic wreckage isn't even delivering the returns that were promised. Independent analysis from Stifel shows EPL revenues have consistently come in at the low end of government forecasts. Why? Because the supposed "windfall" they are taxing does not exist. Oil prices are down 50 per cent since the peak of the Ukraine crisis. Gas prices have collapsed by 80 per cent. The result is a textbook case of policy failure. Tax hikes intended to boost revenues have instead triggered a collapse in investment, with over £20 billion of planned capital spending now cancelled or paused. Exploration activity has ground to a halt. Fields are being decommissioned prematurely. The UK is forfeiting not just jobs and tax income, but its energy security. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad This shouldn't just be of concern to those living and working in Aberdeen - this should alarm everyone, because the UK still needs oil and gas. Even in the most ambitious net-zero scenario, the country will require between 13 and 15 billion barrels of oil equivalent by 2050. Right now, we're on track to produce less than four. And that energy shortfall isn't going to be filled by wind turbines and hydrogen pipelines overnight. The reality is that we are swapping cleaner, domestically produced energy for dirtier, imported alternatives. According to the North Sea Transition Authority, gas extracted in the UK has less than a quarter of the carbon footprint of imported LNG. Yet we are allowing that domestic capacity to decline while increasing our reliance on higher-emission imports from the US and Qatar. It is environmental hypocrisy at its worst. All the while, the UK government continues to claim we are 'maximising value' from our domestic resources. But how? By driving capital offshore? By gutting the supply chain that is also needed to deliver renewables, carbon capture, and green hydrogen? By forcing energy companies to pay tax rates that, in some cases, exceed 100 per cent? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Ryan Crighton, policy director at Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce and a senior partner at True North Advisors. | True North Advisors In 2024, Harbour Energy reported a pre-tax profit of £950 million. However, after accounting for an effective tax rate of 108 per cent, the company posted no net profit for the year. This level of taxation is without parallel in the UK economy. It's not just unfair - it's economically suicidal. The UK's approach also compares poorly to our North Sea neighbours in Norway. While their headline tax rate is similar, the Norwegian government supports exploration and shares risk through its fiscal regime. That's why Norway continues to attract investment and why its energy sector is thriving. We, by contrast, have taken the opposite path – penalising production, scaring off capital, and hoping for different results. What's even more galling is that the levy is being used to fund Great British Energy – the new public clean energy company set-up by the Labour Party. According to Stifel, EPL revenues are set to collapse from £5.5bn to under £1bn by 2029. You cannot fund the future of energy by strangling the very sector that underpins it. So yes, President Trump is right to shine a spotlight on this issue. But the solution isn't a populist soundbite or a quick political win. It is a long-overdue dose of energy pragmatism. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad That means abolishing the EPL – now – and restoring a stable, competitive tax regime that can unlock investment, extend production and retain the critical skills base we will need for the next generation of energy infrastructure. It also means rejecting the false binary between fossil fuels and renewables. The future is not oil or wind. It is oil and wind. And hydrogen. And carbon capture. We need all of it. Everything, everywhere, all at once. The UK cannot build a low-carbon future while dismantling the industrial engine required to deliver it. A managed transition must be just that – managed. And that means recognising the continuing role of oil and gas, treating our energy sector with the strategic seriousness it deserves, and stopping the ideological war against the basin that still powers Britain. So, let's take Trump's call and translate it into smart, sober policy. Not because he said it, but because the facts demand it. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The North Sea doesn't need special treatment, but it does deserve fair treatment. The alternative isn't a greener future – it's a weaker Britain.
Daily Record
3 hours ago
- Daily Record
Scots losing free ATMs at rate of nearly four per week in cash access crisis
Figures from LINK, the UK's cash machine network, show free-to-use ATMs in Scotland have declined by about 30 per cent since 2018. Scots are losing free ATMs at a rate of nearly four per week amid a mounting cash access crisis, data shows. Figures from LINK, the UK's cash machine network, show free-to-use ATMs in Scotland have declined by about 5100 in 2018 to around 3500 today. That means there's about one free cash machine for every 1600 Scottish adults. Campaigners say the decline of bank branches along with ATMs is a 'disaster' for remote and rural communities and vulnerable groups who depend on cash. Ron Delnevo, of the Payment Choice Alliance, said: 'It's a bit scary for Scotland, because once you get out of the big cities, there's not a lot left. It's pathetic.' He used the example of Edzell, near Brechin, which lost its only bank branch, a Bank of Scotland site, in 2016. Delnevo said: 'There's no ATM in Edzell, so if you want cash from an ATM you have to go as far as Brechin. That's a 12-mile round trip. "These people have suffered, in the last ten years, a massive deterioration in the service. "If you go all around Scotland, it's the same thing when you find small places. "In the UK, I think Scotland is worst affected, because taking into account population, we've got a massive geographic area and there are many isolated communities. "They've been badly let down by the banks." The relentless pace of bank branch closures - particularly across remote and rural areas - has coincided with the rise in online banking. The Covid pandemic also saw a drive by firms towards cashless payments. But LINK's own research shows cash remains the most trusted payment method, with 76 per cent of British consumers saying it's important to have the option to pay with hard currency. Douglas Ross, Tory MSP for the Highlands and Islands, said: 'The rapid decline of free-to-use cash machines is deeply worrying, particularly for older Scots and vulnerable people who rely on cash to manage their day-to-day lives. 'Access to cash isn't a luxury, it's a necessity, especially in rural areas and for supporting local businesses that still depend on cash payments. 'We need a clear strategy to safeguard the remaining cash machines across Scotland before it's too late.' It comes as Scottish Labour has today launched a new consultation to tackle 'scandal of financial exclusion' including issues with cash access to help tackle poverty. The party's finance spokesman Michael Marra said: 'Low-income families are often reliant on cash, and the loss of bank branches and ATMs has hit them hardest.' Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Some of the most vulnerable groups in the country often rely on cash, including people with disabilities, older people and those in abusive relationships who might depend on cash as an escape route from controlling partners. UK-wide, free cash machines hit a peak of around 55,000 in 2018 but have since plummeted to around 35,000, latest data shows - a drop of more than a third. Insiders say the UK total could eventually "bottom out" at around 15,000. Delnevo added: "What would that mean for Scotland? It would certainly be a dramatic loss. It might mean Scotland is left with fewer than 1500 ATMs. "If it goes down to that level, you're going to have miles and miles without any ATM coverage."
Daily Mirror
6 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Huge car brand returning to the UK selling all EV line-up only available in four countries
The legendary manufacturer's return to Great Britain signals the accelerating evolution of the automotive industry, with petrol-guzzling muscle cars making way for emission-free automobiles An iconic name in the automotive world is making a clean break from its past and gearing up for a major return to the UK market following an eight-year absence. American luxury brand Cadillac, which has long been associated with big V8s and bold design, will be offering a lineup of fully electric vehicles when it relaunches on British soil. Cadillac's return is a bold move by General Motors (GM), which established its European headquarters in Zurich back in 2021 as part of a renewed continental push. The first UK-bound model will be the Cadillac Lyriq, a premium all-electric SUV retailing at around £68,000, that has so far only been available in Switzerland, France, Sweden and Germany. It comes after UK drivers were warned over 'avoiding' road instead of having to follow new rule. According to CEO of GM Europe, Pere Brugal, the brand will focus solely on electric vehicles, with the UK being one of its key markets going forward. He told Autocar: "It is one of the [markets] that we're focusing on right now." While the UK release date hasn't yet been revealed, the CEO did confirm the Lyric will be available soon after final testing is completed in Ireland, and that Cadillac is aiming to launch in the UK with at least two models. But Mr Brugal declined to confirm which ones will be joining the Lyriq, saying: "We want to make sure we launch not only with one model portfolio. We want to make sure we launch with at least a two-model portfolio." The specifications of the Lyriq are impressive — the entry-level version offers a range of around 330 miles and generates 520bhp. Those wanting an extra boost can choose the performance-focused top-tier model, which increases power to 606bhp. However, as Mr Brugal pointed out, launching in the UK is not just about shipping cars across the Atlantic. The ability to import Cadillac's growing portfolio will depend heavily on the alignment of emission regulations and safety standards between the US and Europe. "If the regulations between the US and Europe harmonise, it will make our life easier," he explained. "We will bring a lot of benefit to the final customer, because that will increase the range of options.' He also noted the possibility of designing a bespoke GM model specifically for European tastes. Unlike previous Cadillac ventures in the UK, the relaunch will eschew traditional dealership networks. Instead, the all-electric models will be sold using an online-based model, supported by pop-up 'experience' centres inviting customers to see, drive and configure their cars. This strategic attempt to modernise the buying experience mirrors the approach used by other EV manufacturers such as Polestar. As the Lyriq prepares to hit UK roads, Cadillac's all-electric resurgence signals not just the return of an iconic brand, but also the accelerating evolution of the automotive industry, with tradition giving way to innovation and petrol-guzzling muscle cars making way for emission-free automobiles.
