People who are out of work and those on low incomes will be helped to develop digital skills in order to open up job opportunities. The new £1 million Digital Start Fund will support those furthest from the job market to achieve their digital ambitions through specialist training.
European Foulbrood (EFB) detected in West Lothian. An outbreak of European Foulbrood (EFB) has been found in a colony of honey bees in an apiary in West Lothian.
The Scottish Government will need to manage volatility in its Budget as the devolution of tax and spending powers becomes fully operational, according to the Scottish Fiscal Commission. The Commission published its official five-year economic, tax and social security forecasts today (30 May 2019).
Improving wellbeing, driving inclusive growth, tackling child poverty and combating climate change will be key Scottish Government spending priorities for the coming years. Speaking as he published the Medium-Term Financial Strategy, which reflects the most recent forecasts from the Scottish Fiscal Commission (SFC) and sets out the economic and funding outlook for the next five years, Finance Secretary Derek Mackay outlined the impact that UK austerity is having on public finances.
Wick town centre is set to sparkle following a deep clean of the High Street area. The deep clean started on Monday morning and will be completed on Friday 31st May 2019.
Re- opening on the horizon for Caithness. Highland Council's Care Learning and Housing Committee today agreed a package of revenue and capital funding which is a major milestone towards the re-opening of Caithness Horizons, Thurso.
Apprentices Mechanics excel with Moray Firth Training. Seven of our apprentices studying with Moray Firth Training have reached the end of their third year in style! The team have taken 11 exams each over the last 2 years with 79 distinctions (over 80%), 9 merits and 3 passes in total between them.
The national expansion of funded Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) hours will see entitlement for three and four-year-olds and eligible two-year-olds increased from 600 to 1,140 hours per year from August 2020. Every setting in Highland is being considered and assessed in preparation for full roll out in August 2020.
The Highland Council's new Education Transformation programme is taking shape with various initiatives put in place to deliver better educational outcomes for young people, as detailed in a presentation to the Care, Learning and Housing Committee today (29 May 2019). The Education Transformation programme has the dual purpose of improving outcomes for all children and young people whilst ensuring that resources are used wisely and efficiently.
Highland Council is to seek the views of local communities on a proposal to establish a Gaelic Medium catchment area for Mount Pleasant Primary School. The change is being proposed in line with Statutory Guidance on Gaelic Medium Education.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (May, 29th) sold 124 store cattle. Bullocks (63) averaged 212.5p and sold to 256.7p per kg for a 335kg Blonde D'Aquitaine cross from Penick Farm, Auldearn, and £1,010 gross for a 48kg Shorthorn cross from Craigroy, Edderton.
More public sector land has been released to people who want to become farmers. Around 6,400 hectares of land has been made available from public bodies such as Forestry and Land Scotland, Crown Estate Scotland, Scottish Water, Highland and Islands Enterprise, East Lothian and Highland Councils.
Manufacturing businesses will be able to improve their productivity and upskill their workforce with support from a £14 million fund. The Advancing Manufacturing Challenge Fund, which has scope to increase up to £18 million depending on demand, will invite public bodies, academic organisations and charities to enhance their existing equipment and training services with funding distributed through a competition.
The Highland Council has secured a £3.5m interest-free loan from Salix Finance to invest in energy efficiency measures across the Council estate. The loan, which is the largest Salix has awarded in Scotland, match-funds the Council's self-financing investments in energy efficiency to create a £7 million Energy Efficiency Fund.
Highland Council area result of 2019 European Parliamentary Election count. The Local Returning Officer, Donna Manson has declared the result of the European Parliamentary Election for the Highland Council counting area in the Electoral Region of Scotland.
The Scottish Government is being urged to step up its support for the restoration of scheduled air services operating from Ashaig Airport, Broadford, Skye by providing additional funding and asking Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd to take over the lead role in delivering the project. The call comes from the Skye Airport Working Group, which comprises representatives of The Highland Council, who own the airport, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and HITRANS, the regional transport partnership for the Highlands and Islands.
Social enterprises are to benefit from £5 million of new funding to enable them to access free specialist business advice. The service gives one-to-one advice and workshops on specialist topics such as start-ups, business planning, marketing and pre-investment support.
Caithness based chartered surveyor Peter Body has been designing, manufacturing and project managing self-build homes for 35 years. And, according to him, this experience can be distilled into just two pieces of advice to self-builders - keep it simple and think fabric first.
FORT WILLIAM, Dingwall and Highland Marts Ltd., (May, 24th) sold 123 store cattle, 5 adult head of breeding cattle, 12 OTM cattle and 746 sheep. Bullocks (61) averaged 215.6p and sold to 295.8p per kilo for a pair of 240kg Charolais crosses from Moy Farm, Banavie, and £980 gross a 520kg Limousin cross from Balmaglaster, Spean Bridge.
Scotland's population growth has slowed and net migration decreased over the past two years, according to population estimates from the National Records of Scotland. Statistics published today show the number of non-British nationals living in Scotland remaining stable, ending the period of growth following the EU expansion.
