At the Highland Council meeting held yesterday, 30 June 2022, elected Members approved a package of support totalling £3.639m for low-income households and economic growth. The approved package consists of: £0.591m - one-off grants of £125 each will be paid automatically for around 4,700 vulnerable children and young people in Primary 1 to 6th year who received school clothing grants as at 31 May 2022.
Councillor Ron Gunn, who represents the Thurso and Northwest Sutherland Ward of The Highland Council, has been appointed as Chair of the new Caithness Committee which met for the first time (Friday 1 July 2022). After taking the Chair, Cllr Gunn thanked Members for their support and then called for nominations to the roles of Vice Chairs and Civic Leaders for Thurso and Wick.
Members of full Council, who met yesterday - Thursday, 30 June – were presented with a report on the UK Government's Shared Prosperity Fund and provided with an update on the process currently underway to develop a Highland Investment Plan which will determine how the funding may be used locally. A financial allocation of £9,445,515 has been awarded to Highland Council over a three-year period, which runs from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2025.
A report outlining the key points within The Highland Council's annual accounts for the year to 31st March 2022 was presented to full Council today (30 June 2022), ahead of their submission for full audit. The report shows that the Council continued to demonstrate strong financial management during financial year 2021/22, with an overall surplus of £9m recorded against the revenue budget for the general fund.
Virgin Orbit's next satellite launch will take place from the UK, following the success of the "Straight Up" mission. Virgin Orbit's next satellite launch will take place from the UK, following the success of the "Straight Up" mission, which lifted off from Mojave in California earlier yesterday (2 July 2022).
New laws to protect disabled people in England, Scotland and Wales when travelling in taxis and PHVs. new laws will ensure disabled people receive help and can travel with dignity and confidence.
It may not be hitting the news headlines now but UK is still involved in Syria and Iraq. The RAF are continuing to take the fight to Daesh in Iraq and Syria.
The UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern have signed an agreement to extend the generous Youth Mobility Scheme and Working Holiday scheme. Young Brits and New Zealanders will benefit from life-changing opportunities on the other side of the world thanks to the expansion of our shared visa schemes.
Thousands of children from low-income families will benefit from free childcare, activities and healthy food as part of a £10 million summer programme. Available to children and young people aged five to 14 years old who need it most, the funding has been allocated to local authorities to supplement existing holiday programmes or to develop new ones.
Proposals to limit the promotion of food and drink high in fat, sugar or salt have been published. The Scottish Government's consultation seeks views on restricting the promotion of confectionery, cakes, crisps, savoury snacks and sugary soft drinks at checkouts and front of store, and on multi-buy discounts.
Community Safety Minister Ash Regan has made a "substantial and credible offer" of support to Legal Aid practitioners. A robust package of support was set out by Ms Regan in a letter to the sector today which builds on the increases to fees already introduced over the past three years.
New group to oversee next steps in tackling the crisis. International experts and people affected by drugs are being joined by third sector and local government representatives to support the National Mission to reduce drug deaths.
At the first full Highland Council Committee meeting (30 June 2022), newly elected Members agreed that the Council will implement a trauma informed practice across all Council services. It is estimated that around 60% of the UK population has experienced psychological trauma in their lifetime.
A pioneering bid for Green Freeport status by the Opportunity Cromarty Firth (OCF) consortium today received seismic boost after Members of Highland Council homologated the local authority's cross-chamber support. Members agreed their continued support for the OCF project and Green Freeport bid and acknowledged the potential benefits to the Highland region.
Tracey Dalling, head of UNISON Scotland, the largest union in Scottish local government has called on councillors to defend local democracy and oppose the transfer of powers away from local councils proposed in the National Care Service Bill going through Scottish Parliament. The call comes in a letter sent by the head of Scotland's biggest trade union to every councillor in Scotland.
Preparations are underway to welcome some of the best blind and visually impaired golfers from around the world to Aviemore to compete in the British Blind Golf Open next week. The event, which will take place at the Spey Valley Golf Course in Aviemore, has received support from The Highland Council The Convener of the Highland Council, Cllr Bill Lobban is pleased to see the Highlands host such a prestigious event.
Partnership provides a platform to extend local discussions and trigger local investment funding. The move in Theddlethorpe, Lincolnshire, marks another important step forward in the nationwide search to find a willing community and suitable site for a Geological Disposal Facility (GDF) where higher-activity radioactive waste will be disposed of safely and securely.
A growing number of families are accessing funded Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) across Scotland. The latest figures show that 121,101 children were in funded ELC places at the end of April 2022 - an increase of 9,527 since January 2022.
Magnox has launched a new supply chain strategy to support its long-term future, reflecting business model changes and an expansion of the mission to safely decommission 12 nuclear facilities. The revised business strategy will enable Magnox, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, to seek longer term collaborative arrangements with the supply chain with the aim of encouraging the development of solutions to nuclear decommissioning challenges that deliver value for the taxpayer whilst being innovative, sustainable and providing socio-economic benefits for local communities.
National Records for Scotland show that covid is still causing deaths and that the disease continues to infect more people. Scottish Government has decided not to enforce things like mask wearing but recommends people take al the precautions that were previously in force to protect themselves.
