Here are the business stories making the headlines locally and across the country this morning.
Stewart Milne Group: Nearly 100 homes across Aberdeen remain unfinished with no end in sight
The collapse of Stewart Milne Group has left 86 homes unfinished across Aberdeen.
A total of 22 properties are incomplete at the Wellington Road site in Charleston, near Cove.
And a further 56 are remaining at the £20.4 million housing association Hillcrest Homes site at Stationfields in Cove.
It’s understood tenants were expected to move in within the next six weeks but Hillcrest today confirmed it had placed this on hold.
Aberdeen Labour leader suspended for ‘personal attack’ on rival elected member
Aberdeen City Council’s Labour leader has been suspended after he branded a rival elected member “prejudiced”.
Councillor Mohammad Tauqeer Malik, who represents Lower Deeside, has been suspended from his duties for one month after Standards Commission Scotland ruled he had breached the councillor’s code.
During a virtual proceeding held on Wednesday, executives voted to temporarily remove the Labour councillor after he was found to have behaved disrespectfully towards another elected official.
The ruling relates to comments he made against fellow councillor John Cooke in October 2022.
Octopus Energy: Bills will fall in April, says boss
The boss of Octopus Energy says bills will fall this April as providers have already paid for the gas.
Speaking to the BBC at the World Economic Forum in Davos, chief executive Greg Jackson said the new energy price cap will be "hundreds of pounds lower" than current levels.
He added that gas supplies had been secured in advance of the winter months.
This has led to lower wholesale prices, Mr Jackson said.
His comments come as millions are set to see bills rise, with January statements reflecting the current price cap, which came into force at the start of the month.
Electric cars lose half their value after three years
Electric cars lose as much as half of their value after just three years on the road, new figures show, as the rate of depreciation far outstrips conventional equivalents.
Research from Auto Trader said there were “unsustainable levels of depreciation” in the electric car market, with used prices of battery-powered vehicles dropping by 23pc in the last year alone.
The online vehicle marketplace said a motorist buying a £50,000 electric car could expect to lose £24,000 in value over three years, while a similarly priced petrol car could lose £17,000.
The value of used electric cars has dropped dramatically in the last 12 months after Covid-related supply shortages eased and as rising electricity prices hit demand.
This coincided with petrol prices falling to a two-year low.