6th November 2013
For the school rolls for all of Highland for the past five years see - Five Year School Rolls In Highland Primary School Capacity and Occupancy rates are published at Primary School Capacity and Occupancy
The Scottish Government is proposing a major reshaping of local government, with fewer regional authorities and many more community-level bodies making decisions closer to where people live. The language is about local democracy, stronger communities and bringing decisions closer to people.
Initial proposals designed to deliver fundamental reform of local governance have been set out to help shape the debate on improving public services. The possible changes, if implemented, could help achieve a better balance of decision-making powers across the public sector to ensure investment is focused on delivering improved services.
Council tax is one of those bills that most households know only too well. It arrives every month or in a series of instalments, and it helps pay for services ranging from rubbish collection and roads to schools, social care and other council services.
Something important is happening in Scotland's public services, and it goes considerably further than another round of annual budget cuts. The Scottish Government is now talking about changing the way public services themselves are organised.
Highland Council is planning to spend around £2.1 billion over 20 years on schools, roads, housing, community facilities and other infrastructure. It is an ambitious programme, and one which could bring considerable benefits across the Highlands.
Secondary schools and employers across the Highlands are coming together through a new partnership programme designed to connect classroom learning with future career opportunities and help develop the Highlands future workforce. Industry Connect Highland, developed through My Highland Future and Workforce North, will run throughout the 2026/27 academic year with an initial focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
Communities, businesses and residents are being given extra time to share ideas that will influence future development and land use across Highland. The Highland Council has an open Call for Ideas survey, which is inviting people to share ideas on future development and long-term land use in Highland.
Caithness has had a busy week, although the individual stories might not initially appear to have much in common. Look a little more closely, however, and a pattern begins to emerge.
The Highland Council has welcomed an increase of £750,000 of funding from the SSE Renewables Highland Sustainable Development Fund to support private householders experiencing extreme fuel poverty in Highland. The two-year grant will support the delivery of the Council’s Energy Efficient Scotland: Area Based Scheme (EES:ABS), funded by The Scottish Government, which funds energy efficiency home improvements that can help lower fuel costs and improve living conditions for Highland residents.
Highland councillors are set to reaffirm their opposition to a massive new 400kV powerline stretching across the region when they meet today. The North and South Planning Committees are joining forces to consider the proposed Spittal–Loch Buidhe–Beauly transmission project, one of the biggest electricity infrastructure schemes ever proposed in the Highlands.
