For the first time in the Highlands, 16 and 17 year olds will be able to seek election to their local Community Council. The change is a core feature of a new scheme for the establishment of Community Councils agreed by The Highland Council earlier this year.
Statutory consultations on the provision of Primary Schools in Wick Caithness have been welcomed today (9 August 2011) by members of The Highland Council's Education, Culture and Sport Committee. Following a presentation on the Sustainable Schools Estate Review for Wick Primary Schools option appraisal by Caledonian Economics Limited to the ECS Committee members agreed that statutory consultations will be undertaken for two options.
Major investment, totalling more than £57 million, is being planned for schools in Wick over the next five years. As well as the construction of a new community secondary school within the existing site of Wick High School, at an estimated cost of £37 million, the Council will consider commencing a Statutory Consultation on the possible replacement of the town's primary schools with two new purpose built facilities.
Highland schools have again performed well in SQA results. At Higher level, 322 candidates passed 5 Highers, 47 of them with five straight A passes.
The Highland Council will complete a phased introduction of new opening hours at its network of 35 Service Points next week. Opening hours have already been amended at Fort Augustus, Grantown, Hilton (Inverness), Golspie, Brora, Tain, Invergordon, Alness, Kingussie and Aviemore.
An innovative new approach to planning will guide future major development in the Highlands and in particular the Inverness and Inner Moray Firth areas. The Highland Council and Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) have been working to produce guidance on 'green networks' to complement the Highland-wide Local Development Plan.
The Highlands will get a welcome boost towards the end of the summer tourist season when 120 delegates from across Europe gather in Inverness for a conference looking at promoting sustainable tourism in mountain communities. The Mountain Communities Leading Europe in Finding Innovative Solutions Conference is being organised by Euromontana in partnership with The Highland Council to put the spot light on current issues surrounding developing tourism in mountain areas across the world.
Highland householders are being urged to seek advice from the Home Energy Scotland Hotline to insulate themselves from rising fuel prices. The Home Energy Scotland Hotline, funded by the Scottish Government, can provide energy saving advice and assistance to help households save money and keep their homes warm.
The Highland Council is working with the Office of Fair Trading to warn the public of doorstep visits from rogue traders offering to carry out home repairs and gardening work. They are urging householders to be extra careful when accepting building and maintenance repair offers from cold callers.
The Highland Council has appointed a corporate property asset manager to spearhead its plans for maximising the benefits of its property portfolio. He is Graham Bull, a property manager with the Council's Housing and Property Service, who is a Chartered Surveyor with degrees in both Architecture and Building Surveying.
The latest 'zero tolerance' campaign by The Highland Council is proving that the message is getting across to people to not drop litter. During the two week campaign (4-15 July) covering Nairn, Grantown, Aviemore, Alness, Invergordon, Tain, Wick, Thurso, Dingwall, Fort William and Inverness only seven fixed penalty Notices were issued.
Urgent plea over proposed removal of emergency towing vessels The Leader of The Highland Council, Councillor Michael Foxley, has renewed his call on the UK Government to delay for six months the withdrawal of emergency towing vessels around the UK shoreline pending consideration of new income-generating proposals presented by the task force he chairs. Believing an announcement is imminent, Councillor Foxley has written again to Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox and Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman urging a reprieve for the four emergency towing vessels, two of which are based in the Highlands and Islands.
The care home operator Southern Cross, which runs four homes in the Highlands, has announced that it intends to transfer their homes "to new operators in an organised fashion during the next few weeks". Southern Cross states that: "Landlords will be asked to nominate alternative operators who they wish to operate their properties.
A brother and sister from Thurso who set in motion a fund-raising campaign to upgrade their local playpark, have formally opened the community facility. With the help of their parents, Dylan and Amy Cameron, 2 Dale Road, Thurso, set about the task of raising money to refurbish the Pennyland Drive playpark and their efforts were rewarded at Thursday's opening ceremony.
The Highland Council is about to start trialling various options to reduce street lighting energy costs in the Lochaber area. The trials, to run from mid July until early December, will take place at locations in Banavie, Strontian, Kinlochleven and Fort William.
THE Highlands and Islands Consortium, which is made up of Argyll and Bute Council, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, The Highland Council, Moray Council, Orkney Council and Shetland Islands Councils, has awarded framework contracts for providing design services in civil engineering, transportation, planning and environmental related projects. Framework contracts are agreements which set out specific terms and conditions for contracts.
Don't be caught out by bogus holiday clubs and scams warns Highland Council Trading Standards Advice and Enforcement staff from The Highland Council's Trading Standards will be on hand this weekend at Inverness Airport to offer advice and information to Highland holidaymakers heading for the sun. Every year it is estimated that almost 400,000 UK consumers fall victim to bogus holiday clubs at a cost of over £1 billion.
The Highland Council has appointed eight independent directors to serve on the board of its new arms length company, High Life Highland, which will deliver community learning and leisure services on behalf of the Council. They are: - Craig Ewan Douglas Graham Linda Kirkland Elizabeth McArdle Donald McLachlan Kenneth Nicol John Watt Laurence Young They will join four Highland Councillors on the board.
The Highland Council has accepted the imposition of a one-year moratorium on rural school closures but is to seek an urgent meeting with Scottish Cabinet Secretary, Mike Russell, to discuss the Council's current procedures in regard to reviewing its education estate and the broader issues relating to the education of pupils in rural schools. Councilors accepted that the moratorium until June 2012 would be used to allow a commission on the delivery of rural education to review the legislation and its application and to make recommendations on how to reflect best practice.
The Highland Council has agreed that the budget for the service provided by classroom assistants in primary schools be reinstated in 2011-12 and that further work is carried out to redefine the role of classroom support needs to ensure that future support is child-centred and needs-driven. The Council agreed recommendations of a cross-party Working Group, which received advice from a professsional task force.