Local Authority News
11/12/2013
Caithness Heat and Power follow up statutory report
The highland Council has received a copy of the Follow Up statutory report on Caithness Heat and Power prepared by Audit Scotland. This Follow Up statutory report is being considered by the Accounts Commission at its meeting on 12th December 2013.10/12/2013
Trading Standards warns local businesses to be wary of telephone cold callers
Trading Standards Officers at The Highland Council are reminding businesses to be wary of making donations to telephone cold-callers looking for contributions to seemingly good causes. Reports have come in of Highland businesses being targeted by publishing firms seeking payments for educational publications in return for the business being named as a contributor.5/12/2013
Highland Council response to extreme weather
Today (5 December 2013) 56 schools, 7 Service Points and council offices were closed due to lack of power, bad weather or loss of water. There were issues with the Council’s website and school closures online which are being investigated.5/12/2013
Highland Council winter road condition reports for Thursday, 5 December 2013
The Highland Council’s snow clearing / gritting route policies and area maps are online for 2013/14 at www.highland.gov.uk/gritting. Road condition and gritting treatment reports by The Highland Council’s, Transport, Environmental and Community Services for Thursday 5 December 2013 are as follows: Caithness, South Sutherland and East Ross U2126 Oykel Bailley Bridge Road closed due to flooding.5/12/2013
Talks continue to maintain parking controls in Highland communities
The Highland Council and Police Scotland are to work together to ensure parking management is maintained in the Highlands when the traffic warden service – currently provided by the police - ends. Police Scotland have given notice of the completion of their phased withdrawal from the service from 3 February, next year.3/12/2013
Business Do Not Donate Cash to Cyber Bullying Programme
Currently firms are contacting businesses asking for support for an educational programme on cyber bullying. The line is that councils have cut back on their funding and they can offer help to classes in your local school if you donate to the programme.29/11/2013
Landward Caithness by-election result 
The by-election for a councillor to represent the Landward Caithness Ward (No 4) on The Highland Council has been won by Matthew Reiss, who will join the Independent Group on the Council Mr Reiss was one of five candidates who contested the vacancy, created by the resignation of Alex MacLeod. He joins Councillors David Bremner (Independent), Willie Mackay (Independent) and Gillian Coghill (Independent) in representing the Landward Caithness Ward.
29/11/2013
Council Director to step down
Mr Neil Gillies, The Highland Council’s Director of Transport Environmental and Community Services, has announced his decision to retire from the Council, with effect from the end of January, next year. Mr Gillies joined the former Highland Regional Council in 1978 and worked on a wide range of civil engineering projects including roads, bridges, harbours and coast protection works, and road maintenance.25/11/2013
Additional funding boost to Highland fishing communities
The Highland Fisheries Local Action Group (FLAG) has been successful in securing further funding to support coastal communities as part of the European Fisheries Fund Axis 4 programme. There is now over £200,000 still available to assist projects which contribute to the sustainable development of fisheries areas around the Highlands.19/11/2013
North Highland Onshore Vision Action Plan updated
A key piece of work to maximise the onshore benefits in Caithness and North Sutherland from the anticipated upsurge of marine renewables has been updated to highlight progress already made and to set new targets for the year ahead. The North Highland Onshore Vision was produced by The Highland Council in 2011 to support the development of marine renewable energy developments.19/11/2013
Message to re-use during European Waste Reduction Week
This week is the European Week for Waste Reduction (EWWR) and this year The Highland Council’s Waste Aware Team are getting involved. Staff will be on hand at various Recycling Centres across the region, raising the profile of the furniture re-use skips at the sites, and encouraging householders to think before they throw away, and consider whether an item can be reused.
19/11/2013
Caithness and Sutherland prepared for winter
“The North Highlands are ready for winter” was the message given at the Caithness and Sutherland Area Committee yesterday (18 November 2014) with staff, vehicles and a plentiful supply of salt in place to treat roads and footpaths over the coming winter months. The Highland Council has increased its winter maintenance budget to £5.6 million this year and has introducing an improved service with 45,500 tonnes of salt in storage in readiness for winter.19/11/2013
Funding available to create and promote employment opportunities in the North Highlands
The Highland Council has re-launched its Deprived Area Fund to help create employment opportunities and tackle poverty, with £100,000 of funding is available for parts of Caithness over the next three years. The Deprived Area Fund has disbursed a total of £1.248m to deprived areas across the Highlands over the last 3 years.19/11/2013
Work of local group to promote the North Highlands as a top tourism destination
At yesterday’s (Monday 18 November 2014) Caithness and Sutherland Area Committee, members heard about the work been done by the North Highland Initiative to develop tourism in the Area with Tom Campbell, Chief Executive outlining some of the exciting destination development projects planned over the next 12 months. The North Highland Initiative (NHI) was launched in August 2005 to promote and develop the economy and to support the rural communities of the North Highlands bringing together the farming community, local businesses and the tourism industry to try to address some of the challenges facing rural communities in the far north of Scotland by creating a powerful regional identity for the area through marketing.14/11/2013
New head teacher for Thurso High School 
The Highland Council has appointed Mr Ken Murphy, to the post of Head Teacher of the 804-pupil Thurso High School. Mr Murphy, who has been the Acting Head Teacher since August of this year, succeeds Dr Fiona Grant, who has reverted to a teaching post at the school.
14/11/2013
Feedback sought on updated planning framework for Dounreay
Tomorrow (15 November 2013) The Highland Council launches a public consultation on the Dounreay Planning Framework 2: Draft Supplementary Guidance. The Highland Council approved the existing Dounreay Planning Framework in January 2006, as a land use development brief against which to regulate and control future decommissioning and restoration works proposed at the former nuclear power research site at Dounreay, near Thurso in Caithness.
14/11/2013
Education capital projects progress in Highland schools
Progress was welcomed today by members of The Highland Council's Adult and Children's Service's Committee on a number of several major education capital projects. Approval to bring forward the fourth and final phase of the redevelopment of Lochaber High School was given by members.14/11/2013
Landward Caithness Properties In Line For Energy Saving Grants
Highland Council and E.ON write to home owners about energy savings. The Highland Council and partners E.ON are writing to people to offer energy saving improvements that will help save energy and money in their homes.12/11/2013
Work gets underway on West Ross road upgrade
Work gets under way on Monday (18 November) on a £ 1.75 million project to upgrade the A890 Strathcarron-Balnacra Road. The Highland Council has attracted funding of £250,000 from the European Regional Development Fund to assist with funding of the widening of the road to two-lane carriageway for some 2 km immediately to the east of the Strathcarron Junction where the road is narrow, with an undulating profile due to underlying peat and is of a very poor standard.9/11/2013
