Local Authority News
6/8/2012
SQA results in Highland 2012
Delight at top grades. Highland pupils are celebrating a sharp increase in the number of candidates gaining top grades in this year's Higher exams.29/7/2012
Consultation Begins On Night Club Door Entry Policy
The Highland Licensing Board is consulting widely over a review of its policy governing door entry to night clubs (commonly called a curfew), which requires admission by midnight. The Board invites representations on whether the policy should continue and, if so, whether it should be extended throughout the Highlands.24/7/2012
Applications Open For Community Transport Fund
The Highland Council is inviting applications from voluntary groups to operate community transport projects for the 2013 - 2014 financial year. 19 voluntary groups are coming to the end of their current funding agreements and they will now be able to apply for new revenue funding.19/7/2012
Graduate Placements Set To Help Highland Businesses Grow
With more graduates than ever finding it tough to get into the workplace a new scheme to help them get a foothold into business, whilst at the same time helping Highland companies get the right kind of help to grow, launches this month. The Highland Council Graduate Placement Programme is a work placement scheme being delivered by Business Gateway Highlands' Recruitment Service.19/7/2012
Planning Review Body Rejects Forss Wind Farm Extension
Highland Councillors who are members of the Planning Review body rejected the application to extend the Forss wind farm with anther five turbines. Councillors on the review body visited the site on Thursday 19th July 2012 and decided that the planners had previously made the correct decision based on the intrusion to the views in the area.18/7/2012
Welfare Benefits Changes - Advice Sessions
Council to run sessions highlighting changes to the welfare benefit system. The Highland Council will be running a number of awareness raising sessions in Skye and Lochalsh, Ullapool and Dingwall over the next few weeks advising people on how changes to the new Welfare Reform may affect them.13/7/2012
Contractors Deadline Extended By Highland Council
Deadline extended for local contractors to apply for construction works opportunities with Highland Council. Local contractors in the Highlands have been given an extra week within which to apply to The Highland Council to join its new Contractors Framework Agreement.9/7/2012
Council welcomes Scottish Open golf fans to the Highlands
The Highland Council is gearing up to play its part in the latest big event to take place in the area - the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open - to be played at the Castle Stuart Golf Links, near Inverness, from Thursday 12 July until Sunday 15 July. The Council has been working closely with the European Tour, the owners of the golf links, the police, Stagecoach, HIE and Event Scotland to ensure that the organisation of the event runs smoothly.
9/7/2012
Help For Highland Businesses To Create Jobs For The Unemployed
With many people facing increasing challenges in finding jobs and career opportunities The Highland Council, in partnership with the European Social Fund, has taken positive steps to help by launching an Employment Grants Scheme that will encourage and support businesses in the creation of additional posts for unemployed people. Targeted at small and medium sized businesses employing fewer than 250 people, a wage subsidy of up to £150 per week is available for 6 months to create additional and permanent posts.8/7/2012
Youth Trainee Project Is Springboard To Work Or Future Training
As part of a wider commitment to promoting youth employment, The Highland Council, with support from Europe, has launched a project which aims to be a springboard to full-time employment or future study or training for young people who have difficulty in securing work. The Youth Trainee Project has funding of £440,000 until March 2014 to provide 66 young people (16-24 years) with 6 months of paid work placements within Council Services.5/7/2012
New Recycling Bins Help Caithness Meet Recycling Targets
Figures released by The Highland Council to coincide with National Recycle Week show that the new refuse and recycling service introduced in Caithness in April 2011 has been a great success. This saw the introduction of a fortnightly refuse collection alternating with a fortnightly mixed recycling collection for paper, cardboard, food tins, drink cans and plastic bottles.
4/7/2012
Victorian Escapee Arrested - Giant Hog Weed Under Control
Giant Hogweed is an impressive plant from the Caucasus region of far eastern Europe which can grow up to 12 feet tall and can have a flower head up to a foot across. These impressive statistics made it a plant that was sought after for Victorian estate gardens.
3/7/2012
Motorists warned of delays on A897 Helmsdale to Melvich road
The Highland Council will be carrying out a major patching exercise on the A897 between Helmsdale and Kinbrace with work starting on Monday (9 July 2012). The works will be carried out Monday to Friday between 8am to 4pm over a 4 to 5 week period and due to the nature of the work delays of up to 20 minutes can be expected throughout the working day.3/7/2012
3378 Volunteers Cleaned Up Highland
Keep Scotland Beautiful mobilised 3,378 volunteers to clean up Highland as part of Scotland's National Spring Clean. 2,612 children and 766 adults from Highland were amongst 117,734 volunteers from across Scotland who gave their time between 1 April and 31 May to support National Spring Clean, run by Scotland's leading charity for the environment, Keep Scotland Beautiful.1/7/2012
Deadline fast approaching for the Inner Moray Firth Local Development Plan
The consultation on the first stage of preparing the Local Development Plan for the Inner Moray Firth area is drawing to a close, with the deadline for submissions at 5 pm on Friday (6 July). The consultation document, known as the Main Issues Report, asks for people's thoughts on where future development should and should not be located across the Inner Moray Firth area which stretches from Tain in the North to Fort Augustus in the South and Auldearn in the East to Garve in the West.28/6/2012
Caithness District Partnership Focus On Review Of Adult Services
The Caithness District Partnership, which will identify key issues and priorities governing the care of children and adults in the county, met for the first time earlier this week when it agreed that, as a first priority, it would support a review and re-design of services for adults in Caithness, with a particular focus on older adult care and support. The meeting took place at the Pulteneytown People's Project Community Centre, Wick, when Colin Punler, an NHS Board Member from Thurso, was elected chairman.28/6/2012
Budget Consultation Timetable Agreed
The Highland Council has agreed to embark on a four-month public consultation over budget savings needed in 2013/14 and 2014/15. The Council estimates the savings targets will be £11.5 million in 2013/14 and £18.2 million in 2014/15.27/6/2012
Council confirms £10,000 towards new design for Berriedale Braes
The Highland Council has shown its commitment to the economy of the North Highlands in approving £10,000 towards the design of an improved road alignment for the Berriedale Braes. This stretch of the A9 is maintained by Transport Scotland.27/6/2012
Three new community councils to be formed
Following a third round of Community Council elections in the Highlands, three new councils are guaranteed to be formed. Caithness West and Uig, Skye, can operate from 3 July as they received more nominations than half their maximum membership.20/6/2012
