Highland Council continues fight to protect coastal waters
11th March 2016
Senior members of The Highland Council's Administration are met with the Marine and Coastguard Agency (MCA) to continue discussions on the future of the Emergency Towing Vessels (ETVs) in Scottish waters.
This follows on from a Working Group meeting in February which resulted in the UK Government agreeing to extend the contract for the current vessel for 6 months to enable further discussions to take place.
Cllr Allan Henderson, Chair of the Council's Community Services Committee said: "Securing the extension of the current ETV contract for 6 months was a great achievement and suggests that the UK Government is willing to engage constructively on this issue. However, it provides only a very short breathing space and we cannot afford to lessen the pressure. We need the Government to agree to permanent ETV provision for our precious coastline, in the West as well as the North, and I will be making the case for this very strongly when we meet today. It is unthinkable that so much could be put at risk for the sake of a small budget saving."
Cllr Richard Green, Vice Chair of the Community Services Committee and KIMO member said: "There are significant challenges involved in navigating around the West, the Northern Isles and Pentland Firth and this, combined with unusual tidal movements and severe weather makes the whole area particularly vulnerable to marine accidents. The Marine and Coastguard Agency has accepted that there is no commercial alternative available to come to the aid of a stricken vessel. As well as the increased risk of loss of life, the removal of all ETV capability would leave the whole area vulnerable to potentially catastrophic environmental and economic damage."
Leader of the Highland Council, Cllr Margaret Davidson said: "This is a crucial issue for Highland Council. We have two thirds of the country's coastline and any serious environmental incident would have major national implications for many generations to come. This is why we have a Motion at our Council meeting on Thursday to call on both the UK and Scottish Governments to reach an agreement on the long term funding for two ETVs - one in the North and one in the West."
The Highland Councillors will be joining colleagues from Shetland, Orkney and the Western Isles Councils as well representatives of KIMO at the Scotland Office in Edinburgh to press for the continuation of funding for the last remaining Emergency Towing Vessel (ETV) in UK waters and for the reinstatement of a second vessel on a permanent basis. It is understood that the Scottish Government will also be represented at official level along with officers from Marine Scotland, Transport Scotland and SEPA.
Related Businesses
Related Articles
The information provided is a summary of reports from operational staff and is intended to give a general indication of typical conditions in each area at a point in time. It is not intended to imply that any individual route is entirely snow and ice free and drivers must be aware that conditions can change rapidly and make their own assessment of conditions for travelling.
The information provided is a summary of reports from operational staff and is intended to give a general indication of typical conditions in each area at a point in time. It is not intended to imply that any individual route is entirely snow and ice free and drivers must be aware that conditions can change rapidly and make their own assessment of conditions for travelling.
The information provided is a summary of reports from operational staff and is intended to give a general indication of typical conditions in each area at a point in time. It is not intended to imply that any individual route is entirely snow and ice free and drivers must be aware that conditions can change rapidly and make their own assessment of conditions for travelling.
Households across Scotland have received £4.1 billion in relief since the Council Tax Reduction scheme was introduced in 2013. People on low incomes are eligible for the benefit if they live in Scotland - there is no equivalent in England where most councils require each household to contribute a minimum amount of council tax, irrespective of ability to do so.
The Highland Council is preparing to carry out improvement works in Thurso at Ormlie Road and at The Mall riverside path adjacent to Janet Street. The scope of works on Ormlie Road will include junction improvements between Castlegreen Road and Juniper Drive with new drop kerbs and tactile paving and some surface repairs.
A Highland-wide partnership launched earlier in 2024 to support people on their journey towards, into and within employment is looking forward to a New Year in 2025 full of exciting opportunities designed to help hundreds more people across the Highlands unlock their work potential. Work.
The Highland Council is delighted to share that its Energy Efficient Scotland: Area Based Scheme has won the Outstanding Project Award at the Scottish Green Energy Awards. Described by Scottish Renewables as a "pioneering clean power scheme", this £7 million project demonstrates the incredible impact that can be achieved through combined public and private sector investment.
The ambitious yet focused ‘Highland Investment Plan' is committed to addressing our asset challenges over the next twenty years. By using a place based approach, to ensure a more integrated community offering through the creation of new community facilities.
Applications to the Inverness Winter Payments Scheme, which is fully funded by the Inverness Common Fund, have already been awarded to 1,035 eligible households within the 7 specified Inverness Wards. Leader of Inverness Area, Councillor Ian Brown said: "Since the Scheme was opened to applications for this winter, already £114,885 has been awarded to people who live in the eligible Wards of Aird and Loch Ness, Inverness West, Inverness Central, Inverness Ness-side, Inverness Millburn, Culloden and Ardersier and Inverness South Wards.
The first Highland-wide virtual jobs fair held last month has proved to be a hit with participants and businesses. The week-long virtual event, which was delivered by the Local Employability Partnership for the West - The Highland Council, Skills Development Scotland, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Department for Work and Pensions, Developing the Young Workforce and UHI North West and Hebrides was timed to coincide with Scottish Careers Week 2024.
