Local Authority News
8/8/2022
Opportunity To Represent Your Local Community With Interim Community Council Elections
Nominations are being invited from people seeking election to 15 Highland community councils covering areas in Caithness Sutherland, Easter Ross, Wester Ross, Isle of Raasay, the Black Isle, Inverness, Nairnshire, Badenoch and Strathspey and Lochaber. Community Councils are voluntary organisations that express the views and concerns of local people within their area across a wide range of issues from new buildings and roads to local services and facilities.
4/8/2022
COSLA leaders must make substantially increased offer to avert strikes, says UNISON
COSLA leaders meet tomorrow (Friday 5 August 2022) to discuss the local government pay offer and how they can avert substantial, long term, strikes in 1200 schools and early years centres and waste and recycling centres in councils across Scotland . UNISON is urging COSLA to use this leaders meeting to agree a substantially improved pay offer to avert serious disruption across Scotland - otherwise few if any councils will avoid some level of significant disruption.10/7/2022
Businesses Urged To Apply For Planning And Building Warrants Before Relaxation Controls End On 30 September 2022.
The Highland Council is urging businesses - particularly those in the tourism and hospitality sectors - to be prepared for the end of relaxation of planning and building warrant controls on 30 September 2022. In line with changes to the COVID-19 guidance from the Scottish Government many of the pandemic mitigations that were put in place in terms of the provision of temporary structures and their uses – are no longer required.6/7/2022
Consultation On Free Period Product Provision In Highland
The Highland Council has launched a public consultation to ask people's views on where and how they would like to see free period products made available in the Highland area. In 2021, Scotland became the first country to pass a law to make period products freely available and reasonably easily accessible to anyone who needs them.5/7/2022
Levelling Up Fund Bid For North Coast 500 And Portree Harbour
At the Highland Council meeting held on, 30 June 2022, elected Members agreed to progress the submission of two separate bids for round two of the UK Levelling Up Fund, these include the North Coast 500 (Transport Bid) and Portree Harbour (standalone Heritage bid). Economy and Infrastructure Committee Chair, Cllr Ken Gowans said: "The Levelling Up Fund offers Highland an opportunity to bid for funds that will make a transformational impact across our communities.3/7/2022
£3.639m Economic Boost For Highland
At the Highland Council meeting held yesterday, 30 June 2022, elected Members approved a package of support totalling £3.639m for low-income households and economic growth. The approved package consists of: £0.591m - one-off grants of £125 each will be paid automatically for around 4,700 vulnerable children and young people in Primary 1 to 6th year who received school clothing grants as at 31 May 2022.3/7/2022
Caithness Committee Chair And Civic Leaders Appointed
Councillor Ron Gunn, who represents the Thurso and Northwest Sutherland Ward of The Highland Council, has been appointed as Chair of the new Caithness Committee which met for the first time (Friday 1 July 2022). After taking the Chair, Cllr Gunn thanked Members for their support and then called for nominations to the roles of Vice Chairs and Civic Leaders for Thurso and Wick.
3/7/2022
Council Reports A Successful Year-end Position For 2021/22
A report outlining the key points within The Highland Council's annual accounts for the year to 31st March 2022 was presented to full Council today (30 June 2022), ahead of their submission for full audit. The report shows that the Council continued to demonstrate strong financial management during financial year 2021/22, with an overall surplus of £9m recorded against the revenue budget for the general fund.3/7/2022
Councillors Give Green-light For Full Development Of Highland Investment Plan
Members of full Council, who met yesterday - Thursday, 30 June – were presented with a report on the UK Government's Shared Prosperity Fund and provided with an update on the process currently underway to develop a Highland Investment Plan which will determine how the funding may be used locally. A financial allocation of £9,445,515 has been awarded to Highland Council over a three-year period, which runs from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2025.1/7/2022
Highland Council To Implement Trauma Informed Practice
At the first full Highland Council Committee meeting (30 June 2022), newly elected Members agreed that the Council will implement a trauma informed practice across all Council services. It is estimated that around 60% of the UK population has experienced psychological trauma in their lifetime.1/7/2022
Highland Council Recognises The Ambitious Opportunity Cromarty Firth Consortium's Green Freeport Bid
A pioneering bid for Green Freeport status by the Opportunity Cromarty Firth (OCF) consortium today received seismic boost after Members of Highland Council homologated the local authority's cross-chamber support. Members agreed their continued support for the OCF project and Green Freeport bid and acknowledged the potential benefits to the Highland region.24/6/2022
Short Term Lets In Highland to Require A Licence To Operate At A Cost Of Between £300 to £600
Business operating in the short term letting market may think this is the worst time to add more cost to running what for many is a small business. The Highland Council has set in motion the plans required by the Scottish government to control who can an cannot operate in the region.
24/6/2022
Public's Views Sought On Council's Short Term Let Draft Policy Statement & Additional Conditions
The Highland Council wants to hear the views of residents, visitors, interested groups and organisations on the Council's short term let draft policy statement and proposed additional conditions for a licence. Earlier this year the Scottish Parliament approved legislation to introduce a new licensing scheme for short-term let properties, which is due to come into effect on 1 October this year.21/6/2022
Council Tax Collection Statistics, 2021-22
Scotland's Chief Statistician today released the latest Council Tax Collection Statistics which provides figures for Scottish local authorities up to and including the financial year 2021-22. In 2021-22 for Scotland as a whole, the total amount of Council Tax billed (after Council Tax Reduction) was £2.723 billion.20/6/2022
Highland Taxi Operators Want 15 to 20% increase in fares but delayed by council requirements to hold consultations
Highland Council Licensing Committee agreed today 20 June 2022 to an early review of taxi tariffs that could see a 15 and 20 per cent fare increase. Taxi operators want increases to offset the inflation and increased fuel costs recently.17/6/2022
Highlands And Islands Enterprise Joins Forces With Spirit Of The Highlands And Islands
Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) is joining forces with the Spirit of the Highlands and Islands project to provide funding support. Spirit of the Highlands and Islands aims to encourage visitors to see all parts of the Highlands and Islands in a sustainable way.
17/6/2022
Looking Back At The Highland Council And NHS Highland's Community Testing Programme
On April 22nd 2021, a custom-fitted articulated lorry was parked outside The Highland Council's Headquarters. The vehicle had been nick-named "Jabbernaut" and staff inside were assisting people in testing themselves for COVID-19.
16/6/2022
Hydro Ness Announced As A Finalist In The Scottish Highlands Renewable Energy Awards
The Hydro Ness project team is hugely proud to be announced as a finalist in the Highlands & Islands Renewable Energy Awards 2022. The project is nominated under the category of ‘Best On-Shore Renewable Energy Project Award'.
10/6/2022
Candidacy Rights For Foreign Nationals
Bill passes allowing nationals from certain countries to stand as local councillors. An electoral reform bill allowing nationals from countries where a relevant treaty has been agreed, including Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal and Spain, to become local councillors has been passed by Parliament.10/6/2022
