Local Authority News
11/5/2016
Final preparations in hand to welcome refugees to Highland
Highland Community Planning Partners have confirmed that they are now ready to receive 4 Syrian refugee families to the Highlands in the next few weeks. A working group of officers and volunteers from The Highland Council, Police Scotland, NHS Highland, and Highland Third Sector Interface have been putting final preparations in place for housing, education and health support for the families.5/5/2016
Reaching customers overseas - Caithness event
Local business support organisations in Caithness are coming together on Thursday 12th May 2016 in Thurso to host an event as part of an ongoing initiative to help local businesses find out about, and harness, the support available to do business overseas. Entitled ‘Reaching Customers Overseas', the event will take place at Caithness Horizons between 1-4pm.5/5/2016
Communities to be consulted on public conveniences
The budget for operating public conveniences across Highland was reduced by £250,000 in 2016/17 and a further £344,000 in 2017/18, at Highland Council in February 2016 as part of the overall budget savings, leaving a budget of £639,000 thereafter. The council operates 102 public conveniences and 27 comfort schemes with annual costs of £1.233 million.29/4/2016
Housing initiatives aim to prevent homelessness and improve people's lives
Members of the Community Services Committee have warmly welcomed the initiatives being undertaken to prevent homelessness and improve the lives of homeless people in Highland. The Temporary Accommodation Re-Provisioning Project aims to reduce the use of leased private sector rooms and bed and breakfast type accommodation and invest the savings generated in the building and acquisition of Council owned accommodation.28/4/2016
Road Maintenance budgets to be devolved to Local Area Committees
The budget for Road Maintenance for 2016-17 is to be distributed between the eight Local Area Committees to enable greater local decision making in line with the Council's localism agenda. The budget for road maintenance contains four main and distinct activities.
13/4/2016
Postal voters urged to make their vote count
From today (Wednesday 13 April) 33,565 postal voting papers are being dispatched to Highland electors that have requested a postal vote. Voters are being reminded to read instructions carefully as they cast their votes for the Scottish Parliamentary election and to return their completed postal packs ideally before polling day.11/4/2016
Highland Council Trading Standards - Non-domestic rates reduction scams warning
Highland Council Trading Standards have warned of - rates reduction - firms who are targeting local businesses. The Highland Councils Finance Service raised concerns when they began to receive calls from Highland businesses about receiving unsolicited marketing letters.11/4/2016
Highland School Estate - No Safety Concerns
In light of recent developments regarding the condition of Edinburgh Schools, the Highland Council confirms that it has no cause for concern about the safety of school buildings in this authority. The Council will also be consulting with its PPP partners to provide further assurance regarding the 14 schools built under the first and second PPP development phases and to respond fully to the letter received from the Scottish Government.4/4/2016
Join your Councils fight against fraud. Report it!
The - report it - campaign is a new initiative by The Highland Councils Corporate Fraud Team which is asking residents to help them tackle fraud. The Fraud Team, which is situated in the Finance Service, was established in August 2015 to detect, investigate and prevent all frauds against the Council, including housing tenancy fraud (the use of Council housing by someone not entitled to occupy that home).1/4/2016
NOSS PRIMARY SCHOOL, WICK PROJECT REACHES PRACTICAL COMPLETION
The new £15.4million Noss Primary School has reached a vital milestone with the practical completion of the facility. Replacing the existing North and Hillhead Primary Schools in Wick, work on the 4,620 sq m facility commenced in late 2014 and has been delivered by hub North Scotland on behalf of The Highland Council.
1/4/2016
Highland nominations for Scottish Parliamentary Election 2016
A total of 13 candidates are seeking election on Thursday 5 May 2016 in the three Scottish Parliamentary local constituencies for Highland. Caithness, Sutherland and Ross constituency has attracted 4 candidates; Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch constituency, 5 candidates; and Inverness and Nairn constituency, 4 candidates.29/3/2016
New bin collection calendars now available on Highland Council website!
New waste and recycling collection calendars for 2016-2018 are now available on The Highland Council's website and at Service Points. The calendars can be downloaded and printed out from www.highland.gov.uk/bindays Type in your street address and the appropriate calendar will appear.
25/3/2016
Highland Council congratulates Divisional Commander on his retirement
The Highland Council has congratulated Divisional Commander of the Highlands and Islands, Julian Innes on his retiral and thanked him for his service at his last Committee meeting on 23 March 2016. Chair of the Communities and Partnerships Committee, Cllr Hamish Fraser said: Chief Superintendent Innes has made a huge contribution to the safety of our communities.
25/3/2016
Highland Council to undertake a redesign
Highland Council has unanimously agreed to undertake a complete redesign of the council over the coming months. Following difficult budget decisions on 25 February, there will be significant reductions in staff and service budgets which will take effect from the end of this month.[Builders]
23/3/2016New north coast marine plan launched
To support north coast local communities, a new marine plan for the North Highlands coast has just been completed. After several years collaborative work with Marine Scotland and Orkney Islands Council, The Highland Council is pleased to be part of this rewarding and successful venture.22/3/2016
Success of City-Region Deal - £315millon of Investment
The vision behind the Inverness City-Region Deal to position Inverness and the Highlands as a region of digital opportunity, is set to become a reality as the deal is signed between the UK and Scottish Government's and The Highland Council in Inverness. The City-Region deal contains a number of proposals under three broad headings; a growing economy, a skilled economy and an enabled economy.
22/3/2016
Dog fouling fine doubles
From 1st April 2016 the fine for dog owners who fail to pick up after their dog will rise from £40 to £80 , bringing it into line with the fine for other types of littering - cigarette butts, chewing gum and general litter. The change comes after the overwhelming majority of responses to a Scottish Government consultation on responsible dog ownership said they would support the fixed penalty being raised.17/3/2016
