Local Authority News
27/9/2011
Community Learning And Leisure Become A Trust
High Life Highland takes over community learning and leisure services From Saturday (1 October 2011) High Life Highland, an arms length company with charitable status, takes over the management and delivery of community learning and leisure services from The Highland Council. More than 1,000 staff working in adult learning, archives, arts, leisure facilities, libraries, museums, outdoor education, sport and youth work will transfer from the employment of the Council to the new company.26/9/2011
Community Council Nomination Deadline Looms
Candidates considering serving on their local Community Council for the next four years are being reminded that the nomination deadline for election is only one week away. To be able to stand for election, candidates must return their nomination forms to The Highland Council by 4 pm on Tuesday 4 October.25/9/2011
Archive Centre hosts symposium for Highland Archaeology Festival
Speakers from four partnership organisations will be talking at a Symposium during Highland Archaeology Festival on how archives can assist archaeology. Organised by The Highland Council, Workers' Educational Association (Scotland), The Waterways Trust Scotland, and Archaeology for Communities in the Highlands, the one-day symposium is on Monday 10 October from 10am to 4pm at the Highland Archive Centre in Bught Park, Inverness.25/9/2011
Supporting The Transport Needs Of Local Communities
The Highland Council has awarded new public transport contracts which will run from 1 January 2012 until December 2016. This involves 92 public transport contracts, of which 38 include provision for school transport.25/9/2011
Outcome of Highland Council under-age tobacco sales exercise
As a result of a test-purchase exercise undertaken across the Highlands that used the services of a young volunteer, The Highland Council Trading Standards has recently issued two fixed penalties for under-age sales of cigarettes. The £200 penalties, which were new sanctions introduced by Scottish legislation earlier this year, were issued to the shop assistant who made the illegal sale and to the company operating the shop premises.22/9/2011
Sustainable Tourism Features At European Conference
Over 140 delegates from across Europe will be arriving in Inverness next week to take part in a conference looking at ways European destinations can promote the growth of sustainable tourism in mountain areas. The Sustainable Active Tourism Conference is being organised by The Highland Council in partnership with Euromontana to put the spot light on current issues surrounding developing tourism in mountain areas across Europe.20/9/2011
Council To Consult On Small-scale Wind Turbines
Council to consult on draft supplementary guidance for small-scale wind turbine proposals The Highland Council, in recognition of the demand and potential of small-scale wind turbine developments has produced Draft Supplementary Guidance and now wishes to consult over the proposals. Chairman of the PED committee, Councillor Ian Ross said: "The development of small-scale renewables, particularly of wind generators, can make a significant contribution to meeting energy needs at a local level.18/9/2011
Tourism Campaign - Highland Autumn & Winter
New tourism campaign promotes autumn and winter in the Highlands Inspiring ideas are part of the national tourism organisation's marketing campaign, Surprise Yourself, which aims to highlight the more surprising aspects of the Highlands to visitors in the coming months. A new direct mail campaign, created by VisitScotland and in partnership with the Highland Council, will be delivered to around 50,000 households this month, encouraging those who may already be familiar with the Highlands to discover more of what the region has to offer during the autumn and winter months.
16/9/2011
High Life Highland Fees Set
A £7.961 million six month services fee has been set for the arms length organisation "High life Highland" which will deliver community learning and leisure services for The Highland Council. Members of the Council's Education, Culture and Sport (ECS) Service have agreed to a half year budget of £7.082 million and service level agreement costs of £0.879 million from 1 October 2011 to the end of March 2012.15/9/2011
Council seek views on flooding matters
The Highland Council is underlining its commitment to tackling flooding by issuing improved and more detailed guidance to developers on how to address flooding matters when they design and implement their proposals for development. During the autumn, the Council will ask the public and the development industry to comment on a draft of this new advice, which has been prepared in conjunction with technical input from various sources including the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.15/9/2011
Council commends Highland pupils' SQA results
Member of The Highland Council's Education, Culture and Sport Committee have welcomed a report on SQA exam results for Highland pupils in 2011. The report stated that: "overall the results were very encouraging, remain above the national average and show a consistent overall performance in most categories of exam results".15/9/2011
Highland Tobacco Retailers Urged To Register
The Highland Council's Trading Standards is reminding all businesses selling tobacco that they have less than three weeks to register with the Scottish Government if they wish to continue to sell tobacco products. I October is the deadline for tobacco retailers to register on the Scottish Tobacco Retailer Register which has been open for registration since 1St April 2011.13/9/2011
Wick Picks Up Beautiful Scotland Award
Highland Beautiful Scotland winner announced Wick picked up a major prize on Monday 12th September 2011 at Keep Scotland Beautiful's prestigious Beautiful Scotland award ceremony in the Pavilion, Rothesay on the Isle of Bute. The award was presented by the Chief Executive of Keep Scotland Beautiful, Derek Robertson, and Scottish actor and comedian, Johnny Beattie.
13/9/2011
Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Inspections
The Highland Council is inviting suitably qualified and experienced contractors to apply for inclusion on a select list of tenderers for the statutory inspection and testing of taxis and private hire vehicles under one contract covering the entire Council area. The service to be provided covers 1,029 taxi and private hire vehicle inspections each year to both MOT and the current Council standard (equivalent to the Vehicle Inspectorate Car and Light Commercial Inspection).13/9/2011
Community Council Elections Called
Candidates wishing to serve their local Community Councils in the Highlands for the next four years have until 4 pm on Tuesday 4 October to present their nominations. The maximum membership of each of the 153 Highland Community Councils is determined by the population it serves and varies from 7 - 13 members.11/9/2011
Business Gateway to attend Black Isle Gathering
Entrepreneurs from across Ross and Cromarty will be able to tap into the knowledge of an Internet wizard and a business expert when Business Gateway takes a stall at this year's Black Isle Gathering and A Grand Day Out which is being part financed by the Scottish Government and the European Community Highland LEADER 2007-2013 Programme with support from The Highland Council. It is the first time that the local office of Scotland's national business advisory service will be present at the gathering which takes place on Saturday September 24th at Fortrose Academy.11/9/2011
South West Inverness Flood Relief Channel
South West Inverness Flood Relief Channel - Fourth and Final Phase Highland Councillors have given the go ahead for the fourth and final phase of a £16 million scheme to protect 600 houses, which are at risk of flooding on the south side of Inverness. The final phase of the South-West Inverness flood relief channel lies between Old town of Leys and the Alt na Skiah Burn to the south of Fairways Golf course.11/9/2011
Appointment of High Life Highland Director
Councillor Thomas Prag, Inverness South, has been elected as a Director of the Board of High Life Highland, the new arms length company which will deliver community learning and leisure services on behalf of the Council from 1 October. Councillor Prag replaces Councillor David Fallows, Badenoch and Strathspey, who resigned his membership due to a conflict of interest with his role as Chairman of the Council's Audit and Standards Committee.9/9/2011
Council response to reform of police and fire services in Scotland
The Highland Council is to constructively engage with the Scottish Government as a matter of urgency to ensure that a single police service and a single fire service in Scotland reflects the distinctive needs of the Highlands. Councillors are eager to protect staffing levels in local communities.7/9/2011
