See poster.
See poster for details..
At a meeting of the Highland Council (Thursday 11 May 2023) members have agreed to put forward a bid for up to £50m of UK government funding towards the cost of providing a new electric ferry to operate across the Corran Narrows in Lochaber. The MV Corran and her replacement the MV Maid of Glencoul are still out of service waiting for parts to be fitted and repairs completed.
Members of The Highland Council's Economy and Infrastructure Committee were today (Thursday 4 May) given an overview of the employability services delivered by the Council and its partners, and approved priorities for the coming year. Members heard that during 2022-23 The Council’s Employability team, together with public, private and third-sector partners delivered a suite of activity across Highland, supporting 680 people of whom 257 gained employment as a result.
Today (Thursday 4 May 2023), Members of the Economy and Infrastructure Committee agreed to continue to build on the success of the 2022/23 Community Regeneration Programme for 2023/24. Economy and Infrastructure Committee Chair, Cllr Ken Gowans said: "Following a successful first year the new Highland Community Regeneration Programme model has been well received, bringing a streamlined application, grant award and claim processes to project applicants and grant recipients.
During the last year, over 2000 Highland businesses have been supported to start-up and grow by Highland Council. Supported by the Council's business development service, businesses have secured start-up and growth finance, and have accessed advisory support through the Council's Business Gateway service.
On Thursday 4 May 2023, Members of the Economy and Infrastructure Committee will be asked to approve the establishment of a Short Term Let Control Area for Badenoch and Strathspey (Ward 20). Ward 20 may be the first area for Short Term Rent controls but is probable that other areas will follow so anyone renting property may want to study this report.
Members of The Highland Council's Economy and Infrastructure Committee will consider updated developer contribution rates for education and community facilities when they meet on Thursday. Approval of the report will allow the Council to apply revised developer contribution rates for schools and community facilities in line with up to date construction costs and taking account of the latest evidence on the implications of housing development for schools and other infrastructure.
Introducing the new norm, the safety benefits of speed limit adherence and changing and informing driver behaviour will be key to the Highland Council's roll out of 20mph speed limits across the Highlands. A report going to the Council’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee will highlight additional actions and interventions the Road Safety Team are planning to support the new 20mph speed limits which are currently getting rolled-out to 121 villages and towns across Highland, fully funded by Transport Scotland.
At yesterday's (Thursday 27 April 2023) Housing & Property Committee meeting, Members approved the new Local Housing Strategy 2023-2028 (LHS). The Strategy was produced following an extensive period of discussion with various stakeholders who have ensured that it meets legislative and regulatory requirements but also focuses on the key housing issues affecting communities across Highland.
At yesterday's (Thursday 27 April 2023) Housing and Property Committee meeting, Members approved the draft Housing and Investment Plan 2023-2028 for submission to the Scottish Government. Members also agreed to the indicative five year investment programme to 2028.
Members at next week's meeting of the Council’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee will be allocating the distribution of £7.7M of the £20.5M capital roads budget specifically for carriageway structural maintenance. Chair of the Economy and Infrastructure Committee, Cllr Ken Gowans said: "Many of our roads are suffering from lack of attention due to limited resources over a number of years.
A short film explains what knowledge assets are, why they're so powerful, and how we can help you make the most of them. The Government Office for Technology Transfer (GOTT) is on a mission to help colleagues in the Civil Service, arm's length bodies and public sector research establishments create value for the UK taxpayer by unlocking the full potential of knowledge assets.
At a recent meeting (Thursday 30 March 2023) of The Highland Council's Redesign Board members noted the progress being made on the Road Improvement project. The Roads Improvement project aims to redesign the service where necessary and deliver improvements for the effective, efficient, and sustainable delivery of all engineering and roads operations and improve road condition across the Highlands.
The Highland Council is updating its Local Transport Strategy, which sets out how it will manage and modernise the transport network across the region. The Case for Change is the first stage in this process; the Council would like to hear your views and the document is now out for consultation.
Highland Council's Trading Standards and the Climate Change & Energy Team are joining forces to warn unsuspecting householders to be on their guard if they are approached by traders offering funding for the installation of home energy products. This follows recent reports that there may be traders operating in the area, offering free insulation, and heating and funding for solar panels or air source heat pumps, under Government funded schemes, saying they are working on behalf of Highland Council when this is not the case.
The Highland Council has awarded a significant contract to Norbloc construction Ltd, Halkirk to carry out a full refurbishment of the public convenience at Whitechapel Road, Wick. The £395K works involve bringing the former public convenience back into use by undertaking ground stabilisation works.
The Highland Council will hold a drop-in session at the end of the month to share the design for the pedestrian zone in the High Street and the Bridge Street/High Street junction, part of the wider regeneration of Wick town centre. The purpose of the session is to share more detail so the Council can finalise the design, secure a funding stream and move on to preparing tender documents and the construction phase.
Three Highland Council teams will be taking part in a Sustrans-funded E-Cargo bike pilot scheme aimed at reducing fleet emissions supporting the local authority's wider Net Zero ambition. The pilot will involve a trial of three E-Cargo bikes which will be used for business by Inverness Amenities team, Inverness roads team and the Fort William Child Health team.
Members at the meeting of Highland Council's Climate Change Committee on 16 March 2023 agreed to extend a benchmarking exercise which has been assessing the local authority’s energy performance across its estate. Benchmarking energy performance is a process that compares the energy use of a building with other similar structures.