The Council has launched its 'Reduce Water Waste' campaign, which aims to raise awareness and promote water minimisation in schools and amongst all council staff and councillors. Reducing water use will: Save money and energy Reduce our carbon emissions Contribute to the continuing health of our valuable ecosystems Visit www.highland.gov.uk/waterminimisation for useful tips on how you can save water.
Highland residents have been making full use of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) recycling facilities that were introduced at Recycling Centres across the region in January 2010 - so much so that the Highland Council has won two "WEEE Collector of the Month" awards. The Recycling Electrical Producers' Industry Consortium (REPIC) has a contract with The Highland Council to collect WEEE from the Council's Recycling Centres.
Preparations for the potential delivery of The Highland Council's Community Learning and leisure Services through an arms length organisation took a further step forward last week. Members of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee agreed that the preferred business model for any arms length organisation which might be set up by the Council would be a company limited by guarantee with charitable status and with the option of a trading subsidiary.
Highland Council has committed to the continuation of an innovative approach to the funding and delivery of social care services. The Council was one of three authorities who piloted the use of Self Directed Support for the Scottish Government, over the last two years.
A fairer system of charging Council house rent has been agreed by The Highland Council's Housing and Social Work Committee following consultation with tenants and an examination of rent structures of other local councils and recognised rent systems. Consultation indicated that the size and the type of the property were important to tenants in setting rent charges as was the condition and energy efficiency of a property.
The North Territory hub Programme Board has announced that Alba Community Partnerships (comprising of Cyril Sweett Investments Ltd and Miller Corporate Holdings, part of The Miller Group) has been selected as the preferred bidder for the hub North Territory. hub North was the second hub territory to move into procurement and expects to deliver projects with an estimated value of £435 million over the next 10 years.
Members of The Highland Council's Housing and Social Work Committee have expressed their disappointment and concern that Rok plc has gone into Administration. Rok have a number of Council contracts and also provide a sub-contracting service on other projects.
Highland council house tenants , who have spare accommodation, are to be offered an incentive to move to a smaller council home that better meets their needs. The Highland Council's Housing and Social work Committee agreed on Wednesday 10th November 2010, a downsizing policy to encourage and support tenants of Highland Housing Register landlords to transfer to a smaller home.
Highland Wide Local Development Plan to be discussed at joint Caithness Wards Forum The Highland Council's, Highland Wide Local Development Plan is the main topic to be discussed at a joint Caithness Wards Forum being held on Monday 15 November at 7.30 pm in the Mackays Hotel, Wick. The Highland Wide Local Development Plan, represents the Council's land use vision, strategy and principal, general policies for the whole Highland Council area except that part within the Cairngorms National Park Authority boundary.
Following a night of severely windy weather The Highland Council is encouraging landowners to check trees and vegetation near to public roads which have been damaged by the gales. Landowners are being asked to check for damage to their trees and to remove debris from roads or footways without undue delay.
House Building Figures show importance of affordable housing investment in the Highlands A briefing note issued by The Highland Council indicates that 415 new houses were completed in The Highland Council area between June and September 2010. This is an improvement over the first quarter of the financial year (402) and more than the same period in 2008/9 (383) and 2009/10 (302).
Highland Opportunity Ltd, The Highland Council's Enterprise Trust, has completed another positive year in which £900,000 of loans were approved for 50 Highland businesses. Speaking at the company's 24th annual meeting, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Councillor Helen Carmichael praised the performance of staff, particularly in more than doubling their target of supporting 426 jobs.
The Highland Council has introduced a new roads and street lighting helpline as it gears up for coping with winter. The number is 01349 886601.
The Highland Council is to work with other Highland and Islands councils to campaign for the retention of publicly-funded salvage tugs, based at Stornoway and Shetland. Councillors fiercely oppose the UK Government's recent decision to end funding in September of next year of the tugs, which were introduced as the result of the inquiry by Lord Donaldson into the Braer Disaster, off Shetland in 1993.
More than 50 secondary school pupils from across the Highlands will find out how an award in science can help their careers, at an information session at the Centre for Health Science, Inverness on Friday (October 29). Organised by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and The Highland Council, the event will raise the profile of the Scottish Science Baccalaureate in schools, reflecting the key role of science in the future of economic development of Scotland.
Council backs title bid for University of the Highlands and Islands Millennium Institute Highland Councillors today (Thursday 28th October 2010) endorsed an application being made for university title by the University of the Highlands and Islands Millennium Institute. The Council has written to the Scottish Government fully backing the bid and highlighting the economic benefits that university status will bring to the region.
Highland Councillors have offered practical support and assistance to Moray Council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the Moray Task Force in their efforts to cope with the impact of significant job losses resulting from the impending closure of RAF Kinloss, and the continuing uncertainty over the future of RAF Lossiemouth. Convener Sandy Park raised the matter as an emergency item at the full Council meeting in Inverness on Thursday 28th October 2010 when he highlighted the huge strain placed on the Moray economy by last week's announcement of defence cuts by the UK Government.
The A830 Arisaig to Loch Nan Uamh Road Improvement wins prestigious Saltire Society Award - announced today 28th October 2010. The A830 Arisaig to Loch Nan Uamh Road Improvement, the last section of the "Road to the Isles", has won the prestigious Saltire Society Award for Civil Engineering design in the Environment Category.
At the start of The Highland Council meeting today, Convener of The Highland Council, Sandy Park congratulated the Royal National Mod organisers for a very successful event held in Caithness from 8 - 16 October. He said: "I had the privilege, on behalf of The Highland Council, of welcoming the 1st ever National Mod to the County of Caithness and attending the opening concert.
Work begins this week on a £950,000 extension to the Seater Landfill Site, near Bower, Caithness. Rok Construction have been commissioned by The Highland Council to construct a ninth cell at the site, which opened in 1990 and has capacity to continue in operation until 2040.
