Following a submission to apply for European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) to support "Scotland's 8th City - the Smart City" Strategic Intervention, members have approved in principle, for the council to continued engagement with the Scottish Cities Alliance and Highland partners to progress a number of projects while the application is being considered. £1.8million of the £10m applied for has been ring-fenced for Inverness and the Highlands for projects that use data and technology to enhance the delivery of services, promote economic growth, increase sustainability, provide open data and engage more actively with people and communities.
www.sruc.ac.uk/news Scotland's Rural College has announced proposals for changes to the network of Veterinary Disease Surveillance Centres (DSCs) it runs in Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Government. The DSCs are operated by SRUC's SAC Consulting Veterinary Services.
Week Commencing 1st June 2015 Energy & Business Services Great to see news this week that a new company is being set up with bases in Aberdeen and Lybster, creating 16 jobs between the two areas - 5 of those being planned in Caithness. Enerquip is Chaired by Andrew Polson, the Caithness native who set up AMC Engineering before its purchase by Forum Energy Technologies.
The Highland Council has reviewed its current arrangements for out of hours call handling. An alternative arrangement to the current partnership with Police Scotland has been identified, as the service was to be moved from the Inverness Force Operations Centre to a virtual service centre between Edinburgh and Glasgow, at a higher cost.
£250,000 is to be spent to protect road users from hazards such as large embankments, railways, water and rock slopes. The Community Services Committee agreed the use of the money to spend on Road Restraint Systems such as safety fencing and barriers at a number of sites across the Highlands.
On Wednesday 3 June 2015 Planning, Development and Infrastructure Committee members agreed the final allocation of capital funds for road improvements, bridges and flood prevention schemes for the next three years. The additional funding is over and above that currently allocated for named major projects including the Westlink, Inshes Junction, Stromeferry and the Kinnairdie Link Road in Dingwall.
"Getting involved" is a strategy developed in partnership with tenant volunteers and sets out how the Council seeks to improve information and provide opportunities for tenants to get involved in services. The strategy was developed by a review group consisting of volunteer tenants and housing staff over the past year.
Next week will see further activity on the A9 - this time just south of Thurso at the site of the new Substation to be built by Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission as the latest part of the £1.1 billion Caithness-Moray programme of grid enhancements (a video of what the programmed improvements will look like is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CfMqy_GP20) . Next Monday (8th June 2015) work will start at Geiselittle to create access junction into the site, and the main A9 will therefore be limited to a single-carriageway for a short distance, with traffic lights controlling movement.
North Highland College has announced the return of its "Engineering & Construction Employability Skills" course. Following the success of last year's six-week summer programme - where every candidate entered employment, apprenticeship or further education - this year's programme will again offer a course aimed at equipping young people with the knowledge, skills and certification to help them into employment.
The new Head Teacher of Keiss Primary School in Caithness is Kathryn Laidlaw. She takes up her post in August 2015.
Week Commencing 25th May 2015 Energy & Business Services Catching up this week with June Love and Roy Kirk of HIE, who continue to meet companies with an interest in establishing operations in the area. Several discussions have re-opened following an understandably quieter period for companies in the oil & gas industry.
* Only 5 percent of people believe a farmer is tech savvy. * Less than 10 percent of people realise that many farmers are degree educated.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (May, 27th) sold 226 store cattle and 31 OTM cattle. Bullocks (106) averaged 239.4p and sold to 287p per kg for a pen of 270kg Romagnola crosses from Calrossie Mains, Nigg Station, and £1,180 gross for a 525kg Charolais cross from Glenbrittle, Isle of Skye.
Following the latest round of consultation onf the Main Issues Report for the Caithness and Sutherland Local Development Plan, yesterday (Tuesday 26 May) members of the Area Committee were presented with a summary of matters raised by members of the public and gave their feedback on a number of issues. The CaSPlan Main Issues Report (MIR) it is a discussion document that sets out initial ideas for what the plan needs to achieve for people and places in the area and the Council's initial preferences for where new development might be located.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (May, 26th) sold 51 prime cattle. Prime bullocks (33) averaged 197.2p (-2.4p) and sold to 217p per kg and £1,419.40 gross.
Nominations are invited from people seeking election to three community councils in the Highlands for Smithton and Culloden Community Council (Inverness); Fortrose and Rosemarkie Community Council (Black Isle); and Bower Community Council (Caithness). The deadline for receiving nominations for each community council election is: · 4pm on Wednesday 27 May 2015 for Smithton and Culloden; · 4pm on Wednesday 3 June 2015 for Fortrose and Rosemarkie; and · 4pm on Wednesday 10 June 2015 for Bower.
Communities living on Scottish Government-owned crofting estates are being offered assistance to investigate buying their own land, in a support package announced today (Friday 22 May). Dr Aileen McLeod, Scotland's Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform announced the support while addressing the Community Land Scotland annual conference in Inverness.
A major programme milestone has been achieved with the placement of the first low level waste disposed into the new Low Level Waste Facilities at Dounreay. DSRL were granted planning permission to construct up to six vaults in April 2009.
Week Commencing 18 May 2015 Energy & Business Services Following mention in last week's email about current activity at the Forss Business & Technology Park, it is good to see the coverage in today's (Friday's) press about the partnership between Abbey Ecosse and Enercon, which will see Enercon establishing a service base at Forss for its operations and maintenance personnel in the north. This is one of several developments being worked on for the Park, and new jobs are likely to result from this.
‘Wet pub sector' to be examined. The Scottish Government will commission research to help determine if those working in the tied ‘wet pub sector’ are unfairly disadvantaged compared to other pub tenanted models, Business Minster Fergus Ewing announced at a members debate held in the Scottish Parliament today.
