News Archive
27/9/2012
Get Bids In Fast for Play Parks
Community groups to benefit from Landfill Community Fund. Highland community groups are being invited to make a bid for a new tranche of £100,000 of funding, to develop or enhance children's play areas.26/9/2012
Council Goes for Preventative Spending
£3 million preventative spending aims to promote wellbeing of young, old and deprived. The Highland Council has published proposals to improve the circumstances of young people, older adults and those struggling with deprivation by committing at least £3 million of the Council's budget each year on earlier interventions to stop situations getting worse.26/9/2012
Big Council Office Reductions Proposed For Inverness and Dingwall
Office review in Inverness and Dingwall identifies scope for rationalisation. Highland Councillors have been advised that reducing the number of Council offices in Inverness and Dingwall from 22 to 4 by 2020 has the greatest potential to deliver significant benefits and improved value to the Council when compared to retaining the current office estate.26/9/2012
New Secondary School for Inverness
Council welcomes funding boost for IRA replacement. The Highland Council has warmly welcomed confirmation that Inverness Royal Academy is one of the 67 schools in Scotland to benefit from major funding from the Scottish Government's "Scotland's Schools for the Future Phase 3" Programme.25/9/2012
FREE Christmas Advertising For Caithness Businesses
If your business is located in Caithness and you want to let everyone know about your Christmas stock then send us a short item with a photo (jpeg) and we will set it up for you on these pages. Just email your item to bill[AT]caithness.org any time over the next few weeks.24/9/2012
On Or Under the Water With Mackay Underwater Technology
"Professional Equipment for Work & Leisure, At, On or Under the Water" Mackay Underwater Technology - Watersports is based at Wick harbour, close to the marina, and offers a wide range of quality chandlery equipment to the boat user. "With the success of Wick's marina, and the county's deep seated tradition of working at sea, it seemed only logical to expand the business into the chandlery area.
24/9/2012
Contracts awarded for early design work on A9 dualling programme
A9 dualling Perth to Inverness "Work to dual the A9 by 2025 is gathering pace with the award of two major contracts this week" said Transport Minister Keith Brown today. The Minister was speaking as he announced details of two consultants appointed to undertake preparatory work for dualling 80 miles of the A9 between Perth and Inverness.24/9/2012
Council deals with weather impact in the Highlands
Highland Council's Transport, Environmental and Community Services (TECs) staff are currently dealing with weather-related incidents in Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey and Lochaber. TEC Services staff have cleared one fallen tree on the B970 at Insh and three trees on Carr Road at Carrbridge.24/9/2012
Agricultural Census Shows Need For Coupled Payments
The latest agricultural census in Scotland highlights the need for continuing Common Agricultural Policy coupled payments. That was the message from Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead as he commented on the June 2012 Scottish Agricultural Census which was published today by Scotland's Chief Statistician.24/9/2012
£345,000 To Take Science To Communities
Archaeology in Argyll, climate change in East Lothian and science workshops at music festivals are among the projects to benefit from the new Talking Science fund. Overall, 16 projects will share around £345,000 funding and will aim to increase understanding of science among an audience of over 117,000 Scots.24/9/2012
SDI Trade Mission to Western India 25-30 November 2012
25 November 2012 to 30 November 2012, Mumbai & Pune, India Are you a Scottish-based company with global ambitions? Then join this Scottish Business Trade Mission to explore trade opportunities in Western India. You'll be among some good company.24/9/2012
Crofting Convenor Appointed
Skye crofter Susan Walker has been appointed the first convenor of the recently established Crofting Commission. Ms Walker has been an active crofter for three decades and is the co-author of 'The State of Crofting in Camuscross', an academic report on crofting in her local township.24/9/2012
Healthy Support For Small Business
The Scottish Government, in partnership with the Scottish Food and Drink Federation, is running a further two-year programme for small businesses to make their products healthier. This innovative approach sees hands-on support for small companies across Scotland, helping them to reduce levels of sugar, fat and salt in their everyday products.24/9/2012
Fresh Start for Scotland's High Streets
Plans to help bring empty high street properties into use have been put forward by the Local Government Minister Derek Mackay. Under the proposals new occupants of shops or offices that have been empty for at least a year will be able to apply for a fifty per cent discount on their business rates for 12 months.24/9/2012
Scottish Health Survey 2011
Commenting on the publication of the Scottish Health Survey 2011, Public Health Minister Michael Matheson said: "These findings show that Scotland's health is improving, from an increase in physical activity levels for girls to a large decline in adult smokers. "It is particularly encouraging to see such a fall in the number of smokers as giving up smoking is one of the best things that anyone can do to protect their health.24/9/2012
Millions For Greener Homes
A new £10 million fund aims to deliver hundreds of eco-friendly homes and bring down heating bills. The announcement of the Greener Homes Innovation Scheme follows last week's 2013-14 budget which directed investment into construction, skills and the green economy.24/9/2012
New proposals to streamline employment law will boost business
New steps to give firms more flexibility and confidence in managing their workforce and to reduce employment law red tape, were announced today by Business Secretary Vince Cable. They are most likely to benefit small businesses.24/9/2012
More Graduates In Employment
Figures published today show a further boost in the number of graduates from Scottish universities taking up employment or remaining in education. 88.5 per cent of graduates in 2010/11 found jobs or went into further study, a 0.7 per cent increase on the previous year.24/9/2012
LFAS Flexibility Required
The newest proposal for 'fine tuning' the Less Favoured Areas Support Scheme (LFASS) replacement scheme needs more flexibility to make sure all farmers in Scotland that should benefits from it do so. At the EU Agriculture Council in Brussels today, Scotland's Rural Affairs Secretary Richard Lochhead pressed hard for enough flexibility in the fine tuning exercise to make sure it gives the right result for the new 'Areas facing Natural Constraints' (ANC) in Scotland.24/9/2012
