The Highland Council is believed to be the first local authority in the UK to temporarily relax licensing regulations to enable landowners with suitable sites to provide continental style motorhome stopovers known as ‘Aire' - Àirigh (meaning Shieling in Gaelic). Highland Council is adapting to the significant increase of motorhome ownership in the UK and the demand for self-contained holidays by creating an opportunity to offer small, simple and low-cost short stopovers for motorhome visitors.
The Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills, Shirley-Anne Somerville, announced today to the Scottish Parliament the details of the appeals system that will support this year's Alternative Model for Certification for young people studying for Scottish Qualification courses at National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher level. Young people will be empowered to indicate their intention to appeal from 25 June, based on certain criteria.
Revised burial grounds and crematorium management rules are to come into place from 1 June 2021 for the next 10 years. Following a public consultation that took place in February and March this year, Members of The Highland Council's Communities and Place Committee have approved the revised management rules.
The Council is continuing to work at pace to submit bids into the UK Government's Levelling Up Fund and Community Renewal Fund. The Highlands can submit one transport bid and one bid for each Westminster constituency.
Members of today's Recovery, Improvement and Transformation Board were provided with an update of the early progress of the Transformation Programme, which consists of nine key projects that form a major part of the Council’s Health and Prosperity Strategy, which was approved in March 2021. £3.7m will be invested over 24 months in these key projects, which are projected to generate an estimated £18.7m of savings, efficiencies, cost mitigation and cost avoidance.
Wick Common Good fund looking for some help. See poster for details..
Members of Highland Council's Health, Social Care and Wellbeing Committee, which met virtually yesterday, were informed of the work being undertaken to finalise the 2020/21 Local Child Poverty Action Update Report. In 2017, the Scottish Government introduced the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act, which outlined responsibilities on both the Scottish Government and local partners to address child poverty.
Children and young people across Highland will have access to playful, creative and engaging experiences over the summer. The Scottish Government has announced £20m nationally to support a ‘summer of play' as part of the recovery from Covid-19.
New voluntary pay and display machines will be in operation in Nairn from Friday as part of a drive to raise funds to support local infrastructure. The Parking ticket machines are located at The Harbour, Cumming Street and The Maggot Car Parks in Nairn with signs confirming voluntary parking charges.
Health, Social Care and Wellbeing Committee members have been provided with sight of the latest iteration of the Highland Integrated Children's Service Plan (ICS) for 2021 - 2023 prior its submission to the Community Planning Partnership Board for formal sign-off. The Children and Young People (Scotland) Act 2014 requires every local authority and its relevant health board to jointly prepare a Children's Services Plan for the area of the local authority, in respect of each three-year period.
Highland-based community groups are being invited to tender for funding to support delivery of small-scale activities and events that provide fun, engaging, nature-based opportunities for the benefit of our health and well-being. High Life Highland (HLH) is a key member of The Highland Green Health Partnership, which aims to improve people's wellbeing through engagement with nature.
Lead Mental Health Officer to co-ordinate ‘whole system approach' for emerging strategy for mental health services for children and young people in the Highlands. Members of The Highland Council’s Health, Social Care and Wellbeing Committee, met yesterday 19 May 2021 and noted the work being undertaken and the proposals to create a mental health strategy that addresses the wide-ranging needs of those in the community.
Elected members react to opening of new residential unit to let younger children return to Highland. Members in attendance at yesterday's Health, Social Care and Wellbeing Committee shared their delight upon being informed of the opening of a bespoke residential unit to return younger children from Out of Area to Highland.
Members of The Highland Council's Inverness City and Area Recovery Group have welcomed updates on various projects all with the joint aim of revitalising Inverness city centre and highlighting what a great place Inverness is to live in and invest. Provost of Inverness and Area Cllr Helen Carmichael said: "Councillors on the City and Area Recovery Group are unanimous in their support for these exciting and wonderful opportunities that have been presented before us.
Last weekend saw the first patrols of The Highland Council's new Seasonal Access Ranger team. The team are based throughout the Highlands to promote and advise on responsible access to the countryside through the Scottish Outdoor Access Code.
Members at today's full meeting of Highland Council agreed a motion from the Leader and Chair of Corporate Resources, which would call for a fairer share of income derived from the development of the region’s natural resources to establish a Highland Renewable Fund. In the motion Highland Council Leader, Cllr Margaret Davidson, highlighted that at a time when private energy companies are making huge profits from the abundance of natural resources of wind and water in the Highlands the region’s roads were suffering.
Anja Johnston from Thurso will take up the role of Highland Youth Convener early in May 2021 This full-time role is a bursary position that will run for 12 months. The 24-year-old, has previously worked as an Assistant Youth Worker, delivering the YOJO digital youth project with High Life Highland.
At the Highland Council Gaelic committee to beheld on 18th May 2021 the committee will be asked to agree that the National Mòd for Inverness in 2021 should be given a further £80,000. The council has an agreement to pay £40,000 annually that aids the Mod to come to Highland every three years.
Since the launch of the Highland Employment Recruitment Offer (HERO) in March 2021, there has been a positive uptake of the grant scheme across Highland as 157 applications have been approved in principle, with 73 recruited/currently being recruited. HERO is funded by The Highland Council and the Scottish Government under the No One Left Behind and Young Person's Guarantee Funding Streams.
Members of the Highland Council's Economy and Infrastructure Committee have agreed to allocate up to £200k of the Council's Cycling, Walking and Safer Routes 2021/22 grant award to the delivery of a new Council 20mph programme, and 10% of this annual budget is to be used in future years. The introduction of more 20 mph speed limits on Highland roads will help the Council to meet the challenging road casualty reduction targets set out in the new Scottish Road Safety Framework launched in February this year.
