Grant Laing has resigned as leader of Perth and Kinross Council, citing personal reasons in a move that has surprised political colleagues. The councillor, who was first elected to represent the Strathtay ward in 2012, has also left the Scottish National Party and will now sit as an independent. Laing had been named council leader following the 2022 Scottish council elections.

Deputy leader Eric Drysdale will serve as acting leader until the next full council meeting on October 29. Drysdale described Laing's decision as coming "as a shock to all of his councillor colleagues" but pledged that the council would "step up our efforts to fill the gap his departure will leave." The resignation was announced through a brief update on the council's official website.

Colleagues acknowledged Laing's three-and-a-half-year tenure, noting his "wholehearted commitment to our group's core principles underpinned by a vision of a Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality." The council has declined to provide further details about the personal reasons behind Laing's sudden departure from both the leadership role and the SNP.

The SNP has confirmed to media outlets that Laing is no longer a party member. The resignation comes as a political blow to First Minister John Swinney, who represents the Perthshire North constituency in Holyrood. Scottish Conservative MSP Murdo Fraser described the situation as "yet more chaos" in Swinney's backyard from what he characterized as a "failing administration."

Northern Ireland continues to dominate UK house price growth, posting a remarkable 9.6% annual increase in the third quarter according to Nationwide Building Society data. This performance significantly outpaces other UK regions, echoing trends seen in border regions of Ireland in recent quarters. The sustained strength in Northern Ireland's property market stands in stark contrast to more modest growth patterns elsewhere in the United Kingdom.

Wales demonstrated steady improvement with annual house price growth accelerating to 3.0% in the third quarter, up from 2.6% in the previous quarter. The average house price in Wales now stands at £213,359, remaining below the UK average of approximately £272,000. Scotland experienced a slowdown in growth to 2.9% from 4.5% in the second quarter, while England saw further deceleration with annual growth dropping to 1.6% from 2.5% in the previous quarter.

Regional disparities within England reveal a clear north-south divide. Northern England, comprising North, North West, Yorkshire & The Humber, East Midlands and West Midlands, recorded average price growth of 3.4% year-on-year. The North region specifically emerged as England's top performer with prices up 5.1% annually. Meanwhile, Southern England saw growth slow to just 0.7%, driven by marked softening in Outer Metropolitan and Outer South East regions, with the latter being the weakest performing area at just 0.3% growth.

Property type performance shows semi-detached homes leading the market with 3.4% annual price growth, followed by detached properties at 2.5% and terraced homes at 2.4%. Flats experienced a slight decline of 0.3% year-on-year and have shown noticeably weaker growth than other property types over the longer term. Robert Gardner, Nationwide's chief economist, noted that despite global economic uncertainties, underlying conditions for potential home buyers remain supportive, with housing market activity likely to strengthen gradually if the broader economic recovery is maintained.