Brig Newspaper • 2nd May 2026

Holyrood 2026 - Scottish Green's Candidate for Mid Scotland and Fife, Mark Ruskell

Brig spoke to Mark Ruskell, the Scottish Green’s lead candidate for the Mid Scotland and Fife regional list, as the party did not stand a constituency candidate for Stirling.


Ruskell has been involved with the Scottish Greens for decades, first as a youth party member at the University of Stirling. He later represented Mid Scotland and Fife in the Scottish Parliament between 2003 and 2007, before being elected to represent Dunblane and Bridge of Allan in Stirling Council in 2012. He was re-el...

Brig Newspaper • 8th March 2026

Stirling Council’s budget consultation finds opposition to cuts

Stirling Council has published the findings of its 2026/27 ‘Big Conversation’ consultation with over 2,600 residents, council staff, and local stakeholders.


The consultation asked locals for their opinions on income-raising and cost-saving options for the council, while it navigates a projected £14.3 million budget shortfall for 2026/27.


So how were the different measures received?


Most broadly supported were changes to housing licensing rules so that landlords pay certain fees rather t...

Brig Newspaper • 2nd March 2026

Stirling's BrewDog pub shuts permanently

Stirling’s BrewDog pub on 7 Baker Street closed on Monday (March 2), as the company completed a £33 million sale to US drinks and medical cannabis company, Tilray.


Originally a temporary measure to comply with licensing rules while the company held staff meetings, the closure became permanent late on Monday afternoon.


Alongside Stirling’s branch, 37 other bars will be permanently closed, and 484 staff made redundant.


Eleven UK pubs and 733 jobs were saved as part of the sale.


Three S...

Brig Newspaper • 13th February 2026

High Court rules Palestine Action ban is unlawful

The High Court has ruled that the ban of Palestine Action as a proscribed terrorist group is unlawful, but it remains in place ahead of another hearing on February 20.


UK Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood says she is “disappointed” with the decision, and pledges that the Government will appeal the ruling.


Palestine Action, a group created in 2020 to protest British involvement in Israeli apartheid in Gaza, was proscribed a terrorist organisation in July 2025. This followed a break-in by membe...

Brig Newspaper • 30th October 2025

SNP to take control of Stirling Council as 18-year-old Josh Fyvie wins Stirling East by-election

The SNP candidate, Josh Fyvie, won the Stirling East by-election on Thursday, October 30, paving the way for the SNP to form a new administration.


Brig spoke to Josh, who told us that he feels honoured to have been elected as the SNP councillor for Stirling East, believes that he is the youngest councillor in the UK, and wants to see more young people get involved in politics.


Josh is an 18-year-old law student who’s been a member of the SNP since he was 14.


The first preference votes a...

Brig Newspaper • 17th September 2025

Gaza, Grangemouth, and his Labour suspension: A Conversation with MP Brian Leishman

Brig sat down with Brian Leishman, the Independent MP for Alloa and Grangemouth, to discuss his suspension from Labour, his thoughts on government policy from Gaza to Grangemouth, and what he would like to see from Labour going forward.


In mid-July, Leishman was among four MPs who were suspended from the Labour Party for repeated breaches of party discipline. 


When asked about his suspension, Leishman told Brig that while he was waiting to speak in debates about welfare and taxation, he re...

Brig Newspaper • 3rd September 2025

Lush shuts Stirling store in solidarity with Gaza as Scotland announces measures against Israel

The Lush in Stirling’s Thistle Centre shopping centre has shut down alongside all other U.K. stores and factories today, September 3, in solidarity with civilians suffering in Gaza as a result of the ongoing Israeli invasion.


The shops will be shut for the full day, whilst their shopfront website displays the message “STOP STARVING GAZA – WE ARE CLOSED IN SOLIDARITY” in the colours of the Palestinian flag.

Lush will close its Irish stores tomorrow, Thursday September 4.


In a statement,...

Brig Newspaper • 25th June 2025

SNP motion to oust Labour-run Stirling Council fails

An SNP no-confidence motion to oust Stirling Council’s minority Labour administration was defeated 12-11, as the Conservatives sided with Labour.


In a heated special meeting of the Council on Monday, June 23, councillors debated the SNP confidence motion, which rested on the administration’s ‘failure to produce’ certain financial documents.


These documents included the year-end accounts for 2024/25 and the revenue and capital accounts for the year-to-date.


The hybrid meeting allowed cou...

Brig Newspaper • 6th April 2025

EXCLUSIVE: Stirling University halves scholarships for non-Scottish UK and ROI students

Non-Scottish UK and Republic of Ireland students starting in 2026 could be entitled to half the total value of scholarships as those who start in 2025, as the University cuts awards.


One award being discontinued after September 2025 is the Undergraduate Merit scholarship, which awards a total of £3,000 cash across the first three years to students who achieve the equivalent of AAB at A-Level.


The other two are the Stirling Welcome scholarship, which awards £1,000 in cash in the first year,...

Brig Newspaper • 25th September 2024

Minimum alcohol price to rise in Scotland

The minimum unit price (MUP) of alcohol in Scotland will rise from 50 pence per unit to 65 pence per unit on Monday, September 30 as part of measures to curb alcohol-related deaths and alleviate pressure on the NHS.


The 30 per cent increase, approved by the Scottish Parliament in April, will apply to all alcohol-selling premises, such as pubs, shops, and clubs.


For example, a pint of Tennent’s, which has an Alcohol by Volume (ABV) percentage of 4 per cent, currently has a minimum price of...

Brig Newspaper • 29th February 2024

Freeze on private rent to expire next month

The Scottish Government’s private rent freeze will expire on 31 March 2024, allowing landlords to increase rent prices.


The freeze was established for six months in October 2022 to regulate prices for tenants during the cost of living crisis. It was extended in April 2023 for six months, before being extended again in October 2023 for another six months.


During the cap, private landlords could only raise the rent by up to three per cent, once per year.


If they could prove extraordinary...

Brig Newspaper • 26th January 2024

SAAS loans to rise by a third, while England's loans match inflation

The maximum limit for SAAS maintenance loans will increase from £7,000 to £9,400 from September 2024 – a 34 per cent increase.


This means that young undergraduate students from Scottish households earning less than £34,000 per year can take out a maintenance loan of £9,400 per year, alongside a non-repayable bursary of £2,000 per year.


These are means-tested, so those from households earning between £0 and £33,999 may receive a maximum total of £11,400 per year.


Above £34,000, no bursar...

Brig Newspaper • 30th October 2023

Stirling's 36km-long "Crown of Trees" proposal unveiled by charity

The project involves connecting historic woodlands with existing walking routes and expanding the wooded coverage of the walk paths. The community-based charity TreeLink Stirling unveiled this during their Autumn Gathering on Saturday October 28.


Significant woodlands include Abbey Craig (upon which Wallace Monument stands) and Craigforth. The charity seeks to expand tree coverage along walk paths to connect these wooded areas to historically significant battlegrounds, such as Bannockburn an...

Brig Newspaper • 24th October 2023

Building a Halloween costume in Stirling

With just a week to go and assignments finally over, now is a perfect time to panic-buy a costume.


Whether you’ve got a spooky quiz coming up, or have managed to grab a ticket for a Fubar Halloween event, chances are you’re going to need a costume.


Luckily for you, Stirling has an array of clothes shops, where you can cobble together a seasonal outfit in no time.


With its simple yet accurate name, this party shop offers a huge variety of costume sets, accessories, and face paints.


O...

Brig Newspaper • 1st March 2023

The Windsor Framework: An Explainer

Yesterday, PM Rishi Sunak and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen held a joint press conference in which they announced the new Windsor Framework. This legislation renegotiates several aspects of post-Brexit deals, particularly regarding Northern Ireland and its trade with GB and Ireland.


The old deal, agreed upon by PM Johnson and enforced from 2021, created new checks on goods moving between the UK and the EU.


However, Northern Ireland shares a land border with the Republ...