Visitor levy legislation for Scotland has passed its first vote in Parliament.
The legislation would give councils the power to introduce a visitor levy to raise funding for local tourism facilities and services.
MSPs have voted in favour of the general principles of the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill, which would enable councils to apply a levy on overnight stays. The money raised would be reinvested in facilities and services that are substantially used by visitors, benefitting tourists and local economies.

£7 million has been announced for hydrogen projects in the North East, which aim to decarbonise transport support skilled jobs and grow the economy.
Funding has been awarded to fuel distributer Exolum to build a publicly accessible green hydrogen refuelling station near Middlesbrough. It will initially be used to serve at least 25 new zero emission heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) making deliveries.
It is hoped the development will improve air quality for residents in the Tees Valley and support hundreds of skilled UK jobs and upskilling opportunities for workers.

Welsh economy minister Vaughan Gething has argued that Wales has been failed by levelling up in a speech in the Senedd.
He claimed that n real terms Wales is now short-changed by almost £1.3 billion in unreplaced EU structural and rural funding between 2021 and 2025 due the ongoing impact of inflation in this period.

The Welsh Government has announced that all schools in Wales are now open for all pupils.
There were only five schools in Wales that were found to have RAAC, compared to 231 in England and 39 in Scotland.
These five schools have now reopened to all pupils.
The Minister for Education and Welsh Language, Jeremy Miles said: "Over the past nine years, we have introduced an extensive programme for the refurbishment and building of new schools and colleges, upgrading and replacing those which are most in need of replacement for safety and quality reasons.

The government has announced £17 million of funding to be used to help rough sleepers into long-term housing during the cold weather.
The money has been given to local authorities across England in areas where it is most needed, so they are able to provide more beds for people who sleep rough.
London boroughs including Hammersmith, Lambeth and Greenwich collectively received over £3 million. Nottingham City Council received over £400,000, Bristol City Council over £300,000 and Hastings & Eastbourne Borough Councils almost £250,000.

The Cabinet Office has released a new official portrait of the King, which is available to public authorities across the UK.
The portrait was taken at Windsor Castle last year by photographer Hugo Burnand and shows the King wearing a Royal Navy uniform of an Admiral of the Fleet and official medals and decorations.
Applications are now open for eligible institutions, including principal Local Authorities, courts, schools, police forces and fire and rescue services.

A new consultation has been launched on a series of measures to prevent utility companies from letting roadworks overrun and clogging up traffic as a result.

A new Pothole Partnership has been formed with road users and industry, with new figures revealing that pothole damage to vehicles is at a five-year high.
The research from the AA has been revealed on National Pothole Day (15 January) and show that the AA dealt with 631,852 pothole related incidents in 2023. This is the highest number for five years.

The Cabinet Office has set out its Civil Service People Plan for 2024–2027.
The plan sets out a focus on skills, recruitment and efficiency.
It includes a commitment to make senior ranks smaller and more skilled by developing a brand new Senior Civil Servant Strategy and aims to deliver a more capable workforce that can lead and manage a modern, multi-skilled Civil Service spread across the country.
There will also be an overhaul of the Civil Service recruitment processes, to streamline them and open them up to attract a broader range of talent.