News Archive
27/6/2018
Portland Hotel in Lybster Reopens on 30th June 2018
The hotel will be opening on Saturday 30th June. The bar from 4:30pm and restaurant bookings from 5:00pm.
27/6/2018
New Head Teachers Appointed in Highland
The Highland Council is pleased to announce the recent appointment of 8 Head and 4 Acting Head Teachers across the region's schools in the north and south education areas. All the new teachers will be in their posts by the new term in August 2018.27/6/2018
Highland Council welcomes next steps in education reform
Highland Council has always been committed to the empowerment of schools and the communities that they serve. Accordingly, the Council welcomes the announcement, by Deputy First Minister John Swinney, about next steps in education reform.27/6/2018
Cosla Calls For More Financial Power For Councils Starting With A Transient Visitor Tax
The President of COSLA, together with COSLA's Resources Spokesperson Councillor Gail Macgregor, today called for more financial power for Scottish Local Government. The COSLA team said that this call for more financial power should start with the discretion to introduce a Transient Visitor Tax, and called on the Scottish Government to grant Councils such a power.26/6/2018
Attitudes To Government, The Economy And Public Services
The Chief Statistician today released a set of Official Statistics drawn from the Scottish Social Attitudes Survey 2017, covering a range of topics including attitudes to government, economy, standard of living and the NHS. A gap in trust in the Scottish and UK Governments has existed since 1999 when the survey began.26/6/2018
New Scottish Government Cabinet Appointed
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has today appointed a new, refreshed Scottish Government Cabinet. The new appointments are designed to meet current challenges, introduce new talent and ensure the government is capitalising on all opportunities in taking forward its bold and ambitious programme for Scotland.26/6/2018
Fast-tracking Education Reforms In Scotland
The reform of education in Scotland will be fast-tracked following a joint agreement with local councils, Deputy First Minister John Swinney has announced. In the coming months, the Scottish Government will work to give headteachers more control over the important decisions about how to raise standards and improve attainment in their classrooms.26/6/2018
More Scottish Ministers Annoounced
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed a number of ministerial posts following the appointment of a new Scottish Government Cabinet. Kevin Stewart will remain in post as Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning and has been tasked by the First Minister with implementing the Homelessness Taskforce recommendations.24/6/2018
Seacat Services Recruiting
SeaCat Services, the company who provide Crew Transfer Vessels for the Beatrice Offshore Windfarm development, are once again advertising for a range of positions (such as Master, Mate, Deckhand) on their vessels, more of which will be running from Wick as the project nears its operations phase. The company ran a recruitment event in Wick last winter, but will hope for further interest now, and through North Highland College UHI we are looking at what skills development support might be available to boost employability.
24/6/2018
Roc Technologies Awarded 5 Year Contract At Dounreay
Roc Technologies Awarded 5-year Strategic IT Transformation and Managed Service Partnership by Dounreay. Roc Technologies recently announced it has been awarded a 5-year contract to transform and manage IT services by Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd(Dounreay).24/6/2018
Caithness And North Sutherland Regeneration Partnership - Update
Week Commencing 17 June 2018 Energy & Business Services: Representatives of Sykes @ Home were in Caithness this week to begin a recruitment process for Homeworkers, beginning with a well-supported drop-in recruitment event in Thurso. CNSRP partner Highlands and Islands.24/6/2018
Seacat Fleet To Reach Maximum Occupancy In 2018
Class-leading offshore energy support vessel (OESV) operator, Seacat Services, has announced that its fleet will reach maximum occupancy for periods of 2018, reflecting the growth of the offshore wind sector and the resulting increase in demand experienced by the vessel support market. In an achievement that points to the strength and longevity of the company's relationships in the offshore wind sector, periods of 2018 will see all of Seacat Services' 14 vessels under charter, with some contracts extending until 2020.
23/6/2018
Highland Council to tackle single use plastics
Within Scotland and the UK, there is now widespread understanding and acceptance that single use plastics have a detrimental impact on our wider environment. Within Council Headquarters, plastic cups were removed from nearly all water dispensers some years ago and the coffee machine with polystyrene cups has also now been removed from the Chamber area.23/6/2018
Funding For Breast Milk Bank In Scotland
Essential help for premature and ill babies. Scotland's donor milk bank is set to receive up to £300,000 to provide vital supplies for premature and ill babies.
23/6/2018
Scottish National Investment Bank - Former Tesco Bank CEO appointed as strategic adviser.
The First Minister has appointed Benny Higgins as the strategic adviser for the establishment of the Scottish National Investment Bank. Mr Higgins, former CEO of Tesco Bank, developed an implementation plan for the bank and the Scottish Government has accepted all 21 of his report's recommendations.
23/6/2018
Fund To Get More Women Into Agriculture
£250,000 has been awarded to help break down the day to day barriers which limit womens impact in the agriculture sector. The funding comes as the women in agriculture taskforce publishes its one year progress report.23/6/2018
Scottish Government's Social Security Plan At A Critical Point
Recruiting the skilled staff needed for the Scottish Government's new financial and social security powers and responsibilities will be challenging, says the Auditor General. Around 50 per cent of spending will be raised directly in Scotland by 2020 following the Scotland Acts of 2012 and 2016.
23/6/2018
Chief Executive Sought For Outer Hebrides Tourism
An Outer Hebrides destination organisation is looking for a Chief Executive to lead and spearhead the delivery of its strategy. Outer Hebrides Tourism (OHT) is the industry body which promotes the Outer Hebrides as a world-class visitor destination and champions and supports tourism businesses.23/6/2018
Scottish Budget 2017/18 Shows Surplus Carry Forward
Surplus tax receipts and carry forward of funding into 2018-19 was confirmed today as the Scottish Government published the provisional cash outturn for 2017-18. Set against a backdrop of unprecedented change in Scotland's fiscal landscape due to the Scotland Acts and the Fiscal Framework, which fundamentally changed the sources of funding that underpin Scotland's spending and introduced significant new devolved financial powers, the figures show expenditure of £30.9 billion, against a fiscal budget of £31.4 billion.22/6/2018
