Here are the business stories making the headlines locally and across the country this morning.
Scotland a ‘no-go’ zone for investors under SNP rent controls
SNP rent controls have made Scotland a “no-go” zone for investors, the property industry has warned, amid fears that Labour may roll out a similar policy in England and Wales.
Investment in build-to-rent properties in Scotland slumped 71% last year, according to Savills data, and there have been no deals in the sector so far this year.
Melanie Leech, chief executive of the British Property Federation, said: “Scotland is a no go area for the majority of international investors and for a number of UK investors because of the way it was done.
"The rent controls were introduced overnight with no consultation and that’s the kind of thing that makes investors really nervous."
Summer job cuts as minimum wage bites
The rise in the minimum wage is piling pressure on employers, who are cutting back on hiring this summer amid broader fears of labour shortages in key sectors of the economy, according to new figures.
Data from the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, an industry body, shows job postings for temporary summer jobs have fallen sharply in the hotel, restaurant, tourism and construction sectors in April and May, compared with the same months last year after a climb in the minimum wage.
Separate figures from Make UK, a lobby group for manufacturing companies, suggest that the sector is suffering from skills shortages that “have placed a ceiling on expansion potential” as businesses struggle to hire more workers.
A recovery in manufacturing meant recruitment intentions had grown from 8% to 26%, according to Make UK’s latest quarterly index.
British drivers paying highest diesel prices in Europe – except for Northern Ireland
British motorists are paying 20p more for a litre of diesel than drivers in the European Union – unless they are in Northern Ireland.
New figures from the RAC suggest the cost of filling a 55-litre family car in most of Britain is now £11 higher than on the Continent.
Overall, the UK has now been the most expensive place in Europe to buy diesel for seven weeks running, with an average cost per litre of 152p – or £83.60 to fill up.
Only drivers in Northern Ireland are being spared, with the average price of diesel there 10p less per litre than in the rest of the UK – despite being the same product.
Bates learned of knighthood at Post Office inquiry
The campaigner and former sub-postmaster, Alan Bates, was at the public inquiry into the Post Office scandal when he received the news that he was to be knighted in the King's Birthday Honours.
He had travelled from his home in Llandudno to hear former Post Office CEO Paula Vennells give evidence, breaking her near-decade long silence.
“It was all a bit of a surprise,” Sir Alan, as he is now known, told the BBC.
He was told that he had to let the Honours Committee know by the end of the day whether he would accept.