Local Authority News
A new Service within The Highland Council is introduced on Monday 28 April, with the creation of the Care and Learning Service, which is a merger of Education Culture & Sport and Health & Social Care. This fulfils the Council's commitment to better integrating education, health and social care services to promote improved outcomes for children, families and communities.
Councils have improved how they manage procurement but they can achieve further benefits and savings, says the Accounts Commission. Every year Scotland's councils spend £5.4 billion (around £1010 for every person) on procurement - buying goods and services they need, ranging from construction materials to IT and social care.
The Highland Council is this week launching a recruitment drive for 140 extra nursery staff as it prepares to implement an increase in childcare provision from August 2014. As part of the implementation of the Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014, all three and four year olds in Scotland will be entitled to 600 hours per year of early learning and childcare from August.
From 28th April 2014, The Highland Council’s Recycling Centres will no longer accept waste associated with commercial or trade activities (i.e. work carried out for business or profit) such as household clearances, furniture removals and handyman or gardening services.
Sam MacNaughton, The Highland Council’s Head of Transport and Infrastructure today (Friday) retires after 44 years service in local government during which time he has secured many millions of pounds of investment in the Highlands to improve the Highland transport network. Sam, who hails from Lochaber, is married to Anne and they have three daughters, Mairi, Sarah and Chirsty.
Highland Councillors are united in their support for proposed new legislation aimed at cutting accidents on our roads involving young drivers. Leaders of all political groupings on the Council back the introduction of a Graduated Driver Licensing system for new drivers in Scotland, which would restrict their permissions in driving unsupervised until they have gained adequate experience.
The Highland Council’s Trading Standards Officers are warning sun-lovers bound for Turkey not to be caught out by a new visa system which requires for a visa to be applied for before travel. Britons have always been issued with a visa stamp in their passports on arrival for a £10 fee, but this will begin to come to an end from 11 April 2014, meaning visitors will have to apply online for an electronic visa (e-Visa) before travel.
The Highland Council has warmly welcomed publication of a report by The Care Inspectorate of their recent inspection of children’s services in the Highlands. This inspection, which took place in October and November 2013, covered the range of services in the Council area that provide services to children, young people and families, including education, health, social work, police and the voluntary sector.
The Highland Council today (Tuesday 1st April 2014) welcomes the commencement of the High Hedges (Scotland) Act, which brings into being new powers to resolve high hedge disputes between neighbours. Subject to certain criteria, people across Highland are now able to apply to the Council for a 'High Hedge Notice' where a hedge on neighbouring property is having an adverse impact on the enjoyment of their home or garden as a result of loss of light.
The Leader of The Highland Council Councillor Drew Hendry has praised the “stunning” success of the Council’s Homeless Prevention team in achieving a 53% reduction in homeless presentations and a 33% reduction in the use of temporary accommodation since their creation in June 2011. Speaking at the Highland Homelessness conference in Nairn today (Wednesday) Councillor Hendry revealed that the team has worked with 4,269 households, recording a 65% "success" rate in terms of homeless presentations prevented.
A new leadership group has been set up to drive forward a Highland Science Academy that will be a catalyst for bringing new jobs and ground-breaking educational and IT advances to the region. The move brings together The Highland Council, Skills Development Scotland (SDS), Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and the University of the Highlands and Islands in a landmark partnership that will deliver a new and innovative programme of work-based learning, ranging from pre-school to higher education.
The Highland Council has reviewed its Community Challenge Fund one year after its introduction and agreed measures to encourage and support more community groups to bid into the £1 million fund. Three community groups have applied successfully for funding.
Pupils, parents and carers are being informed that the price of school meals will increase in Highland primary and secondary schools from Tuesday 22 April 2014 when pupils return from the Easter holidays and the new spring-summer menu starts. The price of a primary school two course traditional lunch will increase to £1.95 and for secondary schools to £2.15.
The Highland Council has unanimously supported reducing the minimum age for voting in all elections to 16. The Council is also backing Highland Youth Voice’s “Votes[AT]16” campaign which calls for 16 and 17 year olds to get the vote.
An action plan and vision of what a low carbon Highlands would be like by 2025 was welcomed by members of The Highland Council - Thursday 13 March 2014. The vision supports an earlier statement of Inverness as a Carbon CLEVER City by 2025 which was recently approved by the Council’s City of Inverness Area Committee on 4 March 2014.
The Highland Council has agreed plans to implement a review of Customer Services. The Council has agreed to spend £68,500 from the Strategic Change and Development Fund to enhance the Council’s web site so that the public can conduct more transactions online and the Service Centre, which handles phone queries from customers.
The Highland Council’s Trading Standards team is reminding Highland businesses involved in the provision of credit to consumers that they must register by the end of the month with the new Regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”). Businesses affected include obvious financial sector operators like lenders, credit brokers, debt collection specialists, debt management companies and pawnbrokers.
Following feedback from Highland food and drink producers and providers The Highland Council is to run a workshop on social media networking and launch a Think Local Facebook page to build business contacts and to promote local food and drink. Over the last few months crofters, caterers, hoteliers and shop owners have attended meetings throughout the Highlands as part of the council’s Think Local Highland Food and Drink project aimed at enabling better collaboration in this sector.
The public is being urged to comment on The Highland Council’s first green transport strategy. The deadline for responses is 30 April.
The Highland Council has welcomed funding to enable people living in fuel poverty to make their homes warmer, more environmentally friendly and cheaper to heat. The amount of £2,055,346 from The Scottish Government for the Home Energy Efficiency Programme for Scotland is the fourth highest allocation in Scotland.