In the Highlands over the last 3 months 149 employment opportunities have been created through the Council's advisory and business support services. During a meeting of the Council's Planning, Development and Infrastructure Committee held today (Wednesday 20 August) members heard that 71 new businesses have been supported by Business Gateway to start up and a further 122 Highland businesses already serving local markets have accessed advice over the last quarter.
Dr Michael Foxley has taken up his post as chair of the University of the Highlands and Islands' new further education regional board. The Post-16 Education (Scotland) Act makes the University of the Highlands and Islands, through a further education regional board, accountable for all college and university-level education in the Highlands and Islands.
On Tuesday 19 August 2014 members of The Highland Council's South Planning Applications Committee have refused to grant planning permission to RWE Innogy UK Limited for a 20 turbine wind farm at Glen Kyllachy near Tomatin. The motion, moved by Councillor Bill Lobban and seconded by Councillor Carolyn Caddick was that the application be refused on the grounds that it contravenes Policy 67 of the Highland Wide Local Development Plan in that the development will have a significant detrimental visual impact, both taken cumulatively with Farr Wind Farm and on its own, at areas of regional and local significance, notably, as viewed from the Slochd, Strathnairn, Loch Ashie, Abriachan , and consequently, the Great Glen Way.
Over the last year The Highland Council gained approval of £634k of EU grant funding, drew down a further £1m of grants for existing projects, processed £4.33m of grants through its LEADER project and another £481,000 via the EFF Axis 4 Programme. In an annual report considered today (Wednesday 20 August 2014) at the Planning, Development and Infrastructure Committee, it was highlighted that the Council has also been successful, together with its partners, in making the case for control of €192 Transition Funds.
The Highland Council's Community Services have commissioned Public Health England (PHE) to test around 1,150 Council houses in Highland at the highest risk from radon gas. PHE is writing to 1,150 Council tenants in parts of Badenoch and Strathspey; Wester Ross Strathpeffer and Lochalsh; Caol and Mallaig; Landward Caithness; East Sutherland and Edderton; Dingwall and Seaforth; and Aird and Loch Ness Wards during the week commencing 18 August 2014.
The Highland Council is appealing to campaigners on both sides of the Scottish Independence Referendum and members of the public to heed the Council's Highland Referendum Poster Policy and not fall foul of the law. The public are being advised that only the 15 Referendum Agents registered for The Highland Council area are allowed to display referendum posters on verges and lighting columns under the Council's ownership and control.
There are just a few months to go until fourteen new cottage flats start to be handed over to their new tenants and owners. The Highland Council and the Scottish Government has invested approximately £1.75m to transform a derelict site of a former hotel into affordable housing, enhancing local housing opportunities and be positive for the local environment.
Members of The Highland Council's Community Services Committee are to consider an update report on the Council's Grounds Maintenance Service Delivery which includes an extension to existing grass cutting contracts on Thursday 21 August 2014. A report to Committee will invite Members to: · note the grounds maintenance performance information for April to July 2014; · note the management action taken to address performance issues; · agree that a review of the supervision of grounds maintenance is undertaken; and · agree that the existing contractual arrangements for delivery of amenity grass cutting are extended for the 2015 season so that all contracts terminate at the same time.
Fifteen referendum agents have been appointed in the Highland area to act for the permitted participants in the Scottish Independence Referendum. The deadline for applications was 12 noon yesterday (Thursday 13 August) and the assigned referendum agents will be appointing both polling and counting agents for the Referendum which takes place on Thursday 18 September.
Members of The Highland Council's Licensing Board were today (12 August 2104) informed that a very large number of Personal Licence holders have still to notify the Board that they have undertaken refresher training which is required if they are to retain their Licence. As at 12 August, of 1,559 Personal Licences needing to be refreshed only 688 (44%) had notified the Board that they had completed their refresher training.
The Highland Council's Trading Standards is alerting consumers to be on their guard if they receive a ‘Final Award Notification' letter address from "Euromillions FIFA World Cup Super-Lottery". Letters are being sent out by fraudsters claiming that people have won £725,000.
Works to install twelve storage lockers for electric bikes have started this week in Inverness - six at Falcon Square and a further six at Glenurquhart Road. The public are advised that contractors McGregor Construction and SSE will be on site at both locations.
Entrepreneurs in Highland and Moray are now able to access personal loans to help start their own business thanks to the new government-funded Start-Up Loans scheme which is locally delivered by Business Gateway and Highland Opportunity. For Moray businesses, this is an especially important development.
The main construction contract for the new £15.4M Noss Primary School in Wick has been signed. The site, on the existing North Primary School campus, is already cleared and ready for the foundation work to begin.
The Highland Council are encouraging retailers throughout the Highlands to get ready for the 20th October when retailers will be required to make a minimum 5p charge for all single use bags. Scotland currently uses 750 million bags each year and the legislation aims to encourage shoppers to think about reusing bags in order to prevent litter and combat our throwaway culture.
New rules that apply to business activities in an off-premises contract, such online sales, mail order, telephone sales and agreements made in a consumer's home came into force on 13th June 2014. These new Regulations cover sales of goods and digital content and the supply of services and may affect a large proportion of Highland businesses involved home improvements, gardening and trades like plumbing, electrical, joinery, and painting as well as those Highland based businesses who regularly sell goods and services online by telephone or by mail order.
From councillor Deirdre Mackay, Highland Council ‘This is Brora not Beverley Hills and it's a classic example of what we are now seeing at family events across Highland. ‘Since I first raised this issue in June the responses from Police Scotland become ever stranger.
Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon today broke the ground on the new £48.5 million Wick Community Campus. The facility, which will replace Wick High School, Pulteneytown Academy Primary School, and South Primary School, is part of Scotland's Schools for the Future programme and will receive more than £17 million from the Scottish Government.
A local Highland builder is to appear in a new BBC rogue trader consumer programme entitled "How Safe is Your House?" Norman Hughes (recently trading as: Caledonian Roofing and Building and Driveline Paving) has been carrying out shoddy paving work at extortionate prices and ignoring warnings from trading standards officers. To alert consumers, Highland Council trading standards officers seized the opportunity to be featured in a primetime slot for BBC One's How safe is your house? programme.