Industrial Action update - impact on Council Services

30th November 2011

ECS: All schools in Highland were closed to pupils. Information has been prominent on the home page of the Council's web site since Friday. The list of schools closed was posted yesterday advising school staff not taking strike action to go to their nearest school if their school was closed.

High Life Highland: The only notification of closures has seen the closure of Kyle, Broadford and Inverness Libraries and Nairn Leisure Centre. Lochaber Leisure Centre - operating single shift - opening at 2.30 pm.

TEC Services: Inverness Crematorium is closed and there will be no burials across the Highlands.

Corran Ferry, which plies between Nether Lochaber and Ardgour, did not operate today. Staff available for emergency call out.

No refuse collections in Lochaber, Nairn and Sutherland. In Inverness, there was an estimated 50% reduction in service, with 6 waste routes and 1 blue box route operating as normal. No service was provided on all 3 brown bin routes, 2 blue box routes and 3 refuse routes.

All but two routes in Ross and Cromarty (Gairloch and Ullapool) were operating. In Skye, all refuse routes were operating normally and only two recycling routes were affected.

There was no impact on services in Caithness or Badenoch and Strathspey.

At Inverness, the Henderson Drive Recycling Centre was closed. Also closed were the recycling centres in Nairn and Sutherland and Ullapool.

Winter maintenance services were maintained.

Social Work: Essential social work services including care at home and residential care services provided by the Council were not be affected by the strike action.

Some day care services, however, did not to operate and these are: -

Corbett Centre Inverness - adults with learning disability; Glen Centre Aviemore - older people; McLean Court Nairn - older people; Acharacle - older people; Tigh na Drochaid, Portree - older people and adults with learning disability.

Remaining open on Wednesday are Caberfeidh, Kingussie - adults with learning disability; the Mackenzie Centre, Inverness - older people; the Montrose Centre, Fort William - adults with learning disability; and Airdferry, Dornie - older people.

Any concerns about a child or adult's welfare should be reported as normal to the local Social Work Office, but if this is not possible, the emergency service is available at: 0845 769 7284.

Customer Services: The Service Centre will remain open and the public is being advised to contact here if they require assistance normally provided at a Service Point.

The strike will also result in the closure of 19 of the Council's 35 Service Points, namely:-

Caithness: Wick
Sutherland: Bettyhill, Dornoch, Lairg
Ross: Bonar Bridge, Invergordon, Tain, Ullapool
Skye and Lochalsh: Broadford, Kyle, Portree
Lochaber: Fort William
Inverness: Ardersier, Fort Augustus, Inverness (Church Street).
Nairn
Badenoch and Strathspey: Aviemore, Grantown, Kingussie.
Planning: The public planning office at Kingussie was closed.

Offices: All main administrative offices remained open.