The Highland Council has considered Audit Scotland's report on Local Government in Scotland, Challenges & Performance 2018. Audit Scotland recognises that councils will continue to face difficult decisions with limited resources.
The work of the Redesign Board has been considered by Council today. The Redesign Board is fundamentally changing the way the council does things.
The Highland Council has today agreed to lead the way in reducing the impact of plastic on our vast coastline. Highland Council has a coastline of almost 4,500 km and is the local authority area with the longest coastline in the UK.
The annual Local Scrutiny Plan (LSP) 2018/19 for Highland Council was considered by Council today (10 May 2018). The plan is based on a shared risk assessment undertaken by representatives of all the scrutiny bodies who engage with the council and shows no additional scrutiny is required of the Council during 2018/19.
Highland Council has today (10 May) strongly welcomed proposals from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service which will transform the way the service operates across Scotland. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service are currently consulting on a range of proposals that will change the way they operate in communities across Highland.
Don't let the grass grow under your feet - order your 2018/19 garden waste permit by 3rd June. Highland Council Garden Waste Permits are now available to order for the 2018/19 Permit Season.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (May, 9th) sold 545 store cattle. Bullocks (288) averaged 241.4p and sold to 306.1p per kg for a 245kg Limousin cross from Brae, Strathoykel and £1,250 gross for a 555kg Limousin cross from Castlecraig, Nigg.
Reids of Caithness of Thurso has taken a top prize in the 2018 Scottish Baker of the Year Awards. Their prize was presented by Mich Turner MBE at a glittering ceremony hosted by Scottish Bakers, the association that supports and promotes the interests of Scottish bakers across the country.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (May, 8th) sold 30 prime cattle. Prime Bullocks (6) averaged 226.1p (-3.9p) and sold to 246.0p per kg and £1,376.85 gross.
A fund, which supports the introduction of new walking and cycling infrastructure, will be more than doubled, Transport Minister Humza Yousaf has announced. £36m will be available through the Community Links Fund in 2018/19, the highest amount since it was launched in 2010.
Health Secretary Shona Robison has put in place additional scrutiny around NHS finances in Scotland. The Scottish Government will provide monthly information on NHS Boards financial performance to the Scottish Parliament following the boards first submissions for this financial year, which are due in June.
More than half (53%) of Highlands and Islands businesses plan to take on new staff in the coming year, and most plan to recruit them from within the region, new research has revealed. Over 1,000 firms took part in the latest quarterly business panel survey carried out by Highlands and Islands Enterprise in February.
RSA Scotland: quarterly national accounts show need to tackle modern economic insecurity. Previously unpublished Scotland breakdown figures, from an RSA/Populus survey published in February on economic insecurity, reflect Scotland's household economic insecurity challenge as revealed in today's quarterly national accounts [see below].
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts, (May, 2nd) sold 613 sheep of all classes. Lambs (284) sold to £84 gross for a pen of Cheviots from 6 Aird, Ardvasar.
Usdaw, the trade union for Lidl staff, is continuing the long-running campaign for recognition with three further campaign days this week on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, at distribution centres across the UK in: Exeter (Devon), Enfield (North London), Wednesbury (West Midlands), Aycliffe (County Durham), Belvedere (South East London) and Runcorn (Cheshire). Paddy Lillis - Usdaw's General Secretary Elect says: "Lidl has now responded to our reasonable requests for initial talks about recognising Usdaw as the union for Lidl staff, with a firm ‘thanks, but no thanks'.
The Deputy Leader of The Highland Council, Cllr Alasdair Christie has welcomed the creation of the Police Scotland National Database Enquiry Unit (NDEU) in Inverness with the new service starting today (1 May 2018). The NDEU will support operational policing by undertaking live time database checks for frontline officers across the North and East of Scotland.
The £315 million Inverness and Highland City-Region Deal is already benefiting the Highlands and supporting the area's drive for economic prosperity. Economy Secretary Keith Brown was given an update on the current investment during a visit to Inverness to meet council officials and see some of the projects benefiting under the deal.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (May, 1st) sold 3 prime cattle. Prime Bullocks (1) averaged 230.0p (N/C) and sold to 230.0p per kg and £1,403.00 gross.
Scottish farmers are being encouraged to work closely with retailers to accurately record how much food goes to waste and help ensure that more fruit and vegetables make their way along the supply chain. The recommendation follows newly published research by Scotland's Rural College (SRUC), which shows many farmers do not see food waste as a major concern and therefore have difficultly estimating levels of loss.
The Leader Councillor Margaret Davidson and Chief Executive, Steve Barron of The Highland Council have written to employees with a reassurance of commitment to EU national members of the workforce. Chief Executive Steve Barron said: "In the context of ongoing Brexit negotiations between the UK Government and the EU, we recognise that this could be an uncertain and unsettling time for many staff who could be affected by the outcome.
