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News Archive


Caithness And North Sutherland Regeneration Partnership - Update
Week Commencing 19th March 2018 Energy & Business services: Interesting this week to read news of continuing interest in Floating Offshore Wind on the north cost of Caithness and Sutherland.  As I've previously mentioned here, the Dounreay Tri project intended to build a Floating Offshore demonstrator project at a site around 6km north of Dounreay, but following that company's entering into administration the future for the development was uncertain.  
Fast Track Pathfinder For Business Start-ups
HIE is now recruiting for the 2018 intake to its Pathfinder Accelerator, a tried and tested business programme nurturing growth in life sciences and technology.   Share The Pathfinder Accelerator is specifically designed to help companies and start-ups develop novel business ideas relating to life sciences or technology and reduce time to market by testing it in the most time-efficient, cost-effective way to determine its commercial viability.  
23/3/2018
Corporate Parenting Board for Highland's children and young people
A Corporate Parenting Board is to be established which will have a duty of care for currently around 500 ‘Looked After' children and young people in Highland.   Members of the Highland Community Planning Partnership’s, Community Planning Board have this week (21 March 2018) agreed to establish a Corporate Parenting Board the purpose of which will be to: • promote the corporate parenting role of statutory agencies and awareness of the duties towards care experienced young people in Highland.  
Highlands And Islands Businesses Moving To New Technologies
Use of social media and mobile technology is on the increase by Highlands and Islands businesses, according to the region's second Digital Economy Business Survey (DEBS) released today.   Share The findings of the survey carried out by Ipsos MORI, were launched by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) during the week-long DataFest18 Fringe event being held in Inverness for businesses and the wider community for the first time.  
International Trade Workshops
HIE is calling on businesses across the region to be ‘Business Brave' and take the leap into trading overseas by signing up to its Selling Online International trade workshops.   Share The organisation has kicked off a series of free international trade workshops in a bid to support businesses that aspire to sell to overseas markets via the web but lack the knowledge and expertise to do so.  
23/3/2018
Adult Social Care Funding: A Local Or National Responsibility?Thumbnail for article : Adult Social Care Funding: A Local Or National Responsibility?
The Institute for Fiscal Studies has published a report about social care in England but has many similarities with what is happening in Scotland.   The government plans to abolish general grant funding for councils from 2020, meaning councils will depend on council tax and business rates for the majority of their general funding.  
23/3/2018
Third term for Inverness Business Improvement DistrictThumbnail for article : Third term for Inverness Business Improvement District
Inverness businesses have voted for the Inverness Business Improvement District (BID) to continue for a third term and a further five years from 1 April 2018 - 31 March 2023.   In 2008, the yes vote for the creation of Inverness BID made Inverness the first city in the world to incorporate property owners as well as businesses in a business improvement district.  
23/3/2018
US tariffs against China more about politics than economics
In response to the latest move by US president Donald Trump to impose tariffs against China in retaliation for alleged intellectual property theft Dr Fragkiskos Filippaios, a reader in International Business in the Kent Business School at the University of Kent gives his view.   ‘In another controversial move, President Trump has decided to announce plans to impose tariffs on a number of Chinese products and at the same time introduce barriers to Chinese Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) entering the US.  
23/3/2018
Fair Work Supported
Support for trade unions and business.   New measures to support fair work - backed by an extra £350,000 funding – have been set out by Fair Work Secretary Keith Brown and Employability Minister Jamie Hepburn.  
23/3/2018
Scottish Electorate Continues To Rise
The number of people registered to vote in elections in Scotland has increased in 2017, according figures published today by National Records of Scotland.  This is the second successive year that the Scottish electorate has increased, following the previous drop in numbers caused by the introduction of Individual Electoral Registration (IER).  
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22/3/2018
Help is available to reduce Council Tax charges
The Highland Council is advising low income households, including home-owners, to apply for help to reduce their Council Tax.  Eligible households can receive up to 100% reduction from their Council Tax which means that those households who receive the full reduction will only have to pay their Scottish Water and Wastewater charges.  
22/3/2018
New Highland Child Protection Toolkit Launched
The Highland Child Protection Committee has launched a Toolkit to assist individuals, volunteers and community groups working with children and young people understand their roles and responsibilities in relation to child protection.   Over 60 people providing activities for children, young people and families in a paid and voluntary capacity came along to the launch event in Inverness yesterday.  
21/3/2018
UNISON Scotland gives a cautious welcome to NHS England Pay deal
UNISON Scotland has offered a cautious welcome to news that the NHS UK Staff Council have reached agreement on a modernising pay deal for NHS England and is calling in the Scottish Government to enter into talks with NHS unions in Scotland urgently.   Tom Waterson, Chair of the UNISON Scotland Health Committee said, "The NHS England deal is welcome, but it is a matter for our members in England.  
21/3/2018
New lets coming soon for Carse Industrial Estate, Inverness 3rd phase
Following the success of the first two phases of redevelopment of Carse Industrial Estate in Inverness, The Highland Council has committed to the phase 3 expansion of the industrial estate.   A contract for the expansion was awarded to McGregor Construction in February 2018.  
20/3/2018
Beware Of Calls From Scammers Pretending To Be The Telephone Preference ServiceThumbnail for article : Beware Of Calls From Scammers Pretending To Be The Telephone Preference Service
Beware of calls from scammers pretending to be the Telephone Preference Service warns Highland Council Trading Standards.   Highland Council Trading Standards wish to warn consumers not to fall for a new telephone call scam in which fraudsters pretend to be calling from the Telephone Preference Service (or TPS).  
20/3/2018
Director of Care and Learning Highland Council to retireThumbnail for article : Director of Care and Learning Highland Council to retire
Bill Alexander, Director of Care and Learning, has announced his intention to retire from The Highland Council.   Bill commenced with the Council in 2000, in a joint post with NHS Highland as Head of Children's Services.  
20/3/2018
Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd - Sale 20th March 2018
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (March, 20th) sold 9 prime cattle.   Prime bullocks (6) averaged 218.6p (+8.6p) and sold to 226.0p and £1,428.30 gross.  
Contract Awarded For Orkney Research And Innovation Campus
A £5.39m construction contract has been awarded for the development of a new Research and Innovation Campus in Orkney.   The campus is a joint venture by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and Orkney Islands Council (OIC) who have appointed Kirkwall based R Clouston Limited as the main contractor.  
Study To Examine Rural Access To Banking
People in 14 communities across the Highlands and Islands are being asked to take part in an online survey on rural banking services.   The survey will be used to gather feedback from a broad range of individual households, businesses and community groups in areas expected to be affected by local bank branch closures.  
19/3/2018
Rhoda Grant Plea For More Money For North Roads Refused By Scottish Government
Rhoda Grant MSP - disappointed with response from Transport Minister to her plea for financial help with road maintenance.   Highlands & Islands Regional MSP, Rhoda Grant asked the Government by means of a Parliamentary Question if it would consider providing ring-fenced additional funding for The Highland Council and Argyll and Bute Council in relation to road repairs, in light of their responsibilities to maintain over 7,000 km and 2,000 km of roads respectively.