Are you ready for winter asks Highland Council?
1st December 2014
The Highland Council is supporting the Scottish Government's Ready Scotland Campaign and urges people in the Highlands to take some time to get ready for winter and all kinds of severe weather. See - 7
http://www.readyscotland.org/are-you-ready/winter-weather/
Councillor Graham Mackenzie, Highland Council's Chair of Community Services Committee, said: "We have had a very mild start to this winter and we want people to think ahead and be prepared for a change in the temperature and all types of severe weather. Are you ready at home and while travelling for potential hard frosts and snow and do you know how to find out if your school is closed?"
Within its winter roads maintenance budget of £5.6 million for 2014/15, the Council is ready to salt - according to its policy - the 4,200 miles (6,700km) of roads for which the Council has responsibility. Trunk roads in Highland are the responsibility of Transport Scotland and their operators Bear Scotland.
Highland Council's road salt stocks are currently at 50,000 tonnes. This equates to 14 days of extreme conditions or 53 days restricted use. Arrangements are in place to re-stock during the winter if the rate of use is high. The Council's suppliers have adequate reserves for this to happen and no shortage is anticipated.
Grit/salt bins on council roads have a telephone number displayed to allow the public to request a refill. The Council's Winter Maintenance Policy and local area gritting maps are on the council's website. See -
http://www.highland.gov.uk/info/20005/roads_and_pavements/107/winter_road_maintenance
To find out if Highland schools are closed call the school information line on 0800 564 2272 and dial in your local school PIN number to get the latest pre-recorded message from the head teacher. A list of school PIN numbers
http://www.highland.gov.uk/downloads/file/4653/telephone_pins_for_checking_if_a_school_is_closed
is on the council's website. Make sure you have the phone number and PIN number ready in a handy place now. School Closures are also being updated on the Council website at www.highland.gov.uk/schoolclosures
Related Businesses
Related Articles
Yesterday, Thursday 16 May, representatives from the tourism sector in the Highlands gathered in Inverness to take part in a Sustainable Tourism Strategy Workshop hosted by The Highland Council. The meeting, which was well attended with representatives from across Highland and different interests, follows the launch of the Council's public consultation on its Draft Sustainable Tourism Strategy.
First Minister John Swinney has confirmed the opening of a £1.5 million fund to support councils in removing the impact of school meal debt from families across the country. Mr Swinney said this commitment will help ensure no child is penalised for struggling to pay for school meals as a result of the cost of living crisis.
Todays Audit Scotland report Local government budgets 2024/25 reveals how dire council budgets are. This makes many more cuts in services likely in coming years.
At the Highland Council Economy and Infrastructure Committee. (Thursday 2 May 2024) Members had the opportunity to review the work the Council is doing to progress active travel and improve road safety before approving the next steps.
At the meeting of the Economy and Infrastructure Committee members had the opportunity to review the last two years of the Community Regeneration Funding Programme before agreeing changes to how the 2024/25 programme will be delivered. Committee Chair, Cllr Ken Gowans said: "Following a successful two years, it is a good time to review what has gone well and what can be done better so we can continue to build on success, and seamlessly move the focus onto how best to support the delivery of projects." "With 279 live projects and over £6million of committed funds still to be claimed, there is no doubt as to the value and impact of the programme's potential.
The Highland Council's In-House bus service pilot project was launched in January 2023. The success of its first year of operation in delivering savings and creating a valued and reliable service was highlighted at today’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee.
Members of Highland Council's Economy and Infrastructure Committee today (2 May 2024) approved the local authority's draft Ecology Strategy and Action Plan which will now move forward to an 12-week public consultation. The Ecology Strategy sets out an ambitious set of actions to tackle biodiversity loss and address the ecological emergency.
Economy and Infrastructure Committee members today (2 May 2024) agreed to direct £100K from the Council's share of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) to fund a new staff training programme at the Inverness Castle Experience. The funding will enable the project team to provide specialist visitor attraction training to young people identified through partners at Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) and the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI).
The Housing and Property Committee met on Wednesday 1 May 2024 and noted the Housing Service performance report 2023/24 that met the agreed priorities and associated initiatives in the Local Housing Strategy 2023-2028. The report highlighted a number of achievements in 2023/24 in increasing housing supply.
Kate Lackie, Malcolm MacLeod and Allan Gunn have been appointed as Assistant Chief Executives with The Highland Council. Convener of the Council, Cllr Bill Lobban said: "I am delighted to say that Kate Lackie, Malcolm MacLeod and Allan Gunn have been appointed as Assistant Chief Executives with The Highland Council.
