Caithness & North Sutherland Fund's latest grant assessment round has awarded over £17k to community projects throughout the Caithness & North Sutherland area. The Caithness Broch Project was granted £10,000 towards costs of holding a Caithness Broch Festival, consisting of a programme of participative archaeological activities that will be held throughout the year focusing around two selected Caithness broch sites.
The agriculture sector in Scotland is showing signs of growth as famers successfully navigate uncertainties linked to currency fluctuations and future subsidies, analysis by Clydesdale Bank shows. The farming sector in Scotland saw a drop in Total Income from Farming from £775 million in 2014 to £653 million in 2015.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (June, 21st) sold 139 store cattle and 12 adult head of breeding cattle. Bullocks (73) averaged 249.1p and sold to 381.8p per kg for a 110kg Limousin cross from 1 Kilbride, Broadford, and £1,230.00 gross for a 630kg Saler cross from Milton Farm, Aberarder.
The Leader of The Highland Council has written to HMICS to express concerns regarding a potential change to the creation of a single National Database Enquiry Unit (NDEU) for the whole of Scotland, based in Inverness. Leader of the Council, Margaret Davidson said: "I have written to the Mr Penman HMICS to express my concerns regarding the proposed changes to the Inverness Police Control Room.
HMICS PUBLISHES Thematic Inspection of the Scottish Police Authority - Phase 1 Review of Openness and Transparency. A review by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS) into the openness and transparency of the way that the Scottish Police Authority conducts its business has concluded that there is a need for the Authority to genuinely engage with its stakeholders and listen to the views of those with an interest in the policing of Scotland.
The Highland Council's People Committee has agreed membership of the Council's new Adult Services Development and Scrutiny Sub-Committee. The Adult Services Development and Scrutiny Sub-Committee will ensure specific consideration is given to the delivery of adult social care services, as part of an integrated approach to all community care services, and will oversee on behalf of the People Committee, the commissioning of social care services for adults from NHS Highland.
A new bridge is to be installed linking the north end of Inverness Campus with Inverness Business and Retail Park. The bridge will cross the main Inverness-Perth railway line and enable access for pedestrians, cyclists and buses.
Scrabster and Lossiemouth harbours have secured funding through the Highland & Moray Fisheries Local Action Group (FLAG) to install new pontoons to cater for the increasing demand for berthing space. Lossiemouth also received funding towards an innovative dredging system to allow regular dredging to be carried out ensuring the pontoons will be accessible at all times.
A bill to replace Air Passenger Duty in Scotland has been passed by the Scottish Parliament. The Air Departure Tax (Scotland) Bill sets the structure of the new tax and how it will be collected and managed by Revenue Scotland.
All information released by the Scottish Government in response to FOI requests will be published online from 3 July, in line with a commitment to open and transparent government. Information released in response to FOI requests will be made available on https://beta.gov.scot as requests are answered, allowing anyone to search and access this information.
Rod Mackenzie has been appointed as Convener of the Crofting Commission by Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing. A life-long crofter, Mr Mackenzie is one of the six commissioners recently elected to the board by crofters from across the Highlands and Islands.
More than 20 academics, policy-makers and stakeholders from across Europe are in Inverness this week to share ideas on policies to help small to medium enterprises (SMEs) become more globally competitive. The ‘EU Clusters3 Interregional Conference and Workshop' has been organised by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and takes place at Eden Court from 19 to 21 June.
The first meeting of a Ministerial Working Group, convened to examine building and fire safety regulatory frameworks, has taken place this week. The meeting was chaired by Communities Secretary Angela Constance with Housing Minister Kevin Stewart and Community Safety Minister Annabelle Ewing.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (June, 20th) sold 18 prime cattle. Prime bullocks (10) averaged 221.1p (-3.2p) and sold to 228.0p per kg and £1,412.55 gross.
The Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Marine Spatial Plan (PFOW MSP) has won the Excellence in Plan Making Practice category at the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Awards for Planning Excellence 2017. The awards were held in London on 15 June.
Date and chance to walk the new bridge confirmed Economy Secretary Keith Brown today revealed the date the Queensferry Crossing will open to traffic Details of an opportunity for the public to walk across the new bridge were also announced. On a visit to the Forth Replacement Crossing construction site today, Mr Brown explained the process for opening Scotland's newest icon.
A specialist centre to develop new manufacturing processes for lightweight materials for the aerospace and automotive industries is to be set up as a first step towards creating a National Manufacturing Institute for Scotland. The First Minister announced today that the £8.9m Lightweight Manufacturing Centre, being set up in the former Doosan Babcock facility in Westway, Renfrew, will support highly skilled jobs and help place Scotland at the forefront of lightweight manufacturing.
The North Coast 500 (NC500) tourist route, launched in 2015, has had a positive impact on both visitor numbers and business trade. This is according to a new report commissioned by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).
Greater direct control of funding by schools will help improve education, Deputy First Minister John Swinney said as he called for parents, teachers and young people to have their say in revamping the way schools are funded. Speaking the day after he announced sweeping new powers for schools, Mr Swinney said it was crucial that funding decisions are taken by those who know children best and know where the funding will have the biggest impact.
Companies looking for significant investment will now be able to access an additional £200 million through the Scottish-European Growth Co-investment Programme. The Programme is the first part of the Scottish Growth Scheme, a £500 million financial package backed by the Scottish Government, to help businesses thrive and grow.
