Under that scheme, capital spending – buildings and infrastructure – made up just 23–28% of funding for Scottish local authorities, leaving far more available for frontline services. In 2027–28, it’s £21m revenue, £12m capital, before flipping in 2028–29, when capital, £24m, overtakes revenue, £17m. The split moves to £21m revenue and £12m capital in 2027–28, before switching in 2028–29 to £24m capital, £18m revenue. “The blame for Scotland’s local government funding crises lies firmly at the SNP-led Scottish Government’s door," they said. "Susan Aitken should be asking John Swinney why the SNP-led Scottish Government has over decades centralised powers while cutting funding levels for Scottish local government.

‘He’s a changed man’ – meet the ‘grim reaper’ for Dermot Bannon’s OTT home tastesQuantity surveyor Claire Irwin has achieved the apparently impossible in getting the ‘Room to Improve’ architect to finally get real about budgetsClaire Irwin says she's most proud of work that brings an old house up to an A1 or A2 ratingMelanie Finn Today at 06:30RTÉ’s Room to Improve quantity surveyor Claire Irwin may have achieved the impossible – reining in Dermot Bannon’s lavish tastes.The 17th season of the popular show may well herald a more considered approach from the celebrity architect.Bannon, who often refused to let the trifling issue of homeowners’ budgets get in the way of his vision, is now “a changed man”.

The West Midlands chief constable was allowed to depart with his full pension by the area’s police and crime commissioner (PCC), who even praised his ‘honour’ in stepping down. Mr Guildford finally relinquished his post after spending days rebuffing calls to quit from Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood and MPs. But the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) last night raised the prospect that Mr Guildford could face a misconduct investigation, probably delaying any lawsuit. Home Secretary Ms Mahmood said she had lost confidence in Mr Guildford on Wednesday, but the chief constable refused to go for days. They set out a catalogue of failings that have harmed trust in West Midlands Police.

The modern Long Stone, near Pearse Street Garda station, Dublin. “I wonder if you’ve missed the leper under your nose,” he writes, pointing out that Dublin’s Townsend Street is known in Irish as Sráid Chnoc na Lobhar. But until recently (five minutes ago), I remained vaguely of the impression that Townsend Street was a geographically descriptive name. Hence the Long Stone, originally placed as a landing marker by the Norsemen, where the end of Pearse Street Garda station and a replica stone now stand. Indeed it was just a mark opposite your name in the attendance book if you didn’t make it in to Lepers Hill before the 10am cut-off.

Golf has a complicated relationship with luck, and a lot of the time golf doesn’t try to fight it. He doesn’t try to pretend to his players that luck will play no part in their performance; instead, they devise coping strategies. It’s OK to accept that luck plays a role, but we have some control over luck by how we respond to it.”In modern sport, luck is more harassed than it once was. In this rampant intellectualisation of sport, though, luck has become an inconvenient outlier: a known quantity with an unknown value. That’s just luck and no luck.

The Islamic Republic has perpetuated 47 years of violence on the people of Iran, both in life and in death. Why does the regime fear its own people so profoundly that it would kill thousands, and imprison tens of thousands? There is some support for Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s former Shah, as an immediate alternative to the current regime. Iran’s future cannot be disentangled from broader global currents, including the rise of ethnonationalism and right-wing politics worldwide. And a group of Iranian feminists has issued a statement calling for sustained political pressure to immediately stop the killings and repression in Iran.

However, despite looking the part, Ravena Hanniely says she just wants to enjoy the benefits of a glamorous WAG lifestyle without dating an athlete. The dancer boasts a 60cm (23inch) waist, which she maintains by hula hooping and cycling through about 15 waist trainers a day. Despite the attention, the Playboy Denmark star insists she never adopted the WAG aesthetic to deceive people. She goes on to say: 'Men approach me assuming my lifestyle, money, and connections before they even know my name. The WAG aesthetic rose to global prominence during the 2006 World Cup era in the UK, and is often accompanied by a hyper-glamorous lifestyle.

The Coca–Cola recipe is one of the world's most closely guarded trade secrets – but it may not be secret for much longer. Figuring out what made up that remaining one per cent took Mr Armstrong over a year of scientific analysis, taste tests, and trial and error. However, that didn't put off Mr Armstrong, who recruited the help of a chemical test called mass spectrometry. Mr Armstrong's recipe included lemon oil, lime oil, tea tree oil, cinnamon oil, nutmeg oil, orange oil, coriander oil, and a natural pine–like flavour called fenchol. Add 1ml of diluted 'flavour solution A' and 10ml of 'flavour solution B'.

“There was an interview for a Norwegian company down in Dingle,” Tom Óg told the Roscommon Herald. While I was there, the manager of the place left and they offered me his job.”The Dingle senior football team, West Kerry League and Championship winners in 1993. Tom Óg O'Brien is pictured front row, third from left. In his playing time with Dingle, O’Brien became well-accustomed with the near-religious approach to football in Kerry. Having maintained his link with Dingle and coaching St. Brigid’s underage teams, O’Brien has a unique insight into both sets of players ahead of this weekend.

‘I asked God for help and I haven’t touched drugs since’ – meet the young people rediscovering their faith in the Catholic ChurchFriends Scott Rumgay (22) and Jason Roche (24) found comfort in the church following difficult times in their livesThe young Catholics - Just what is making young people go back to church? Laura Lynott Today at 06:30Amid some of the most difficult moments of their lives, many young people say they have found themselves returning to the Catholic faith.

Photo: Kevin Sabitus/Getty ImagesEight teams remain in the race for Super Bowl LX as the Divisional Round sees the top seeds, the Denver Broncos of the AFC and Seattle Seahawks of the NFC, return to action – here’s a breakdown of this weekend’s games. Their defence is fantastic against the pass game but porous against the run game – which suits them as Denver are pass-heavy. The real wildcard is whether Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold, who had an injury in training, turns the ball over. Verdict: SeahawksSUNDAYHouston Texans @ New England Patriots, 8pm, VM2/Sky SportsThe Houston defence is one of the best we have ever seen. Houston Texans quarterback CJ Stroud.

‘Some households have saved over €800 a year’: How switching energy supplier can lead to huge savingsEnergy prices are continuing to rise in Ireland, but if you shop around, you can reap significant rewardsSwitching Saturday - Charlie Weston and Sinead Ryan discuss switching energy providersCharlie Weston Today at 06:30There seems to be no let-up when it comes to rises in electricity prices.

Centre is enjoying life in Limerick after joining Reds from LeicesterMunster centre Dan Kelly: 'I just wanted a new challenge, let’s say. The easy thing was to stay at Leicester, be comfortable in your comfort zone.' Photo: SportsfileDan Kelly had long been on Munster’s radar before he finally joined the province on a two-year contract last summer. In fact, Munster’s pursuit of Kelly dates back to his underage days, when he was a standout player for the Ireland U-20s, who were on course for a Grand Slam in 2020 before Covid intervened and the tournament was eventually cancelled.

‘I’ve never loved anything as much as boxing, I just wish I had more time’ – from a New York boardroom to an Irish boxing ringAdvertising executive Sarah Cunningham came home to Ireland to help her mother through chemo and fight for national titleSarah Cunningham who traded New York board rooms to Inchicore boxing ringMichael Scully Today at 06:30As Sarah Cunningham steps into the National Stadium, her eyes will find her mother Mary, the inspiration behind a journey that has brought this remarkable late bloomer to this moment.

Photograph: Getty Images/iStockphotoThe US has become the single biggest supplier of cannabis to the Irish drug market after a rapid increase in transatlantic smuggling, new figures show. Irish organised crime gangs have forged strong relationships with cannabis suppliers in the US as well as Canada and Thailand. American suppliers last year accounted for almost half of the cannabis seized at the point of entry into the State. Long read: Ireland’s booming cannabis market and its global links Read the full story by Conor Lally here. In 2019, the total value of cannabis seized in the Republic after arriving from the US was €1.1 million.