To date over 14,000 households have made payment for their brown bin collections and it is anticipated this figure will rise as we near the deadline for applications. The Highland Council's new brown bin collection service is due to start on 3rd July 2017.
Today we were called twice by people saying they were the Utilities Registration Service. Sounds official but it's not.
Hard-pressed households face a further squeeze on their family budgets when the latest increase in the government's Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) to 12% comes into effect on 1 June, only eight months after it rose to 10%. The tax is payable on most general insurance policies including home, motor, pet, private medical insurance, and cash plans taken out by individuals, as well as commercial insurance taken out by businesses.
North Highland College UHI are inviting applications for the Engineering and Construction Employability Essentials summer programme. The course is now in its fourth year and run in conjunction with Skills Development Scotland.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (May, 30th) sold 4 prime cattle. Prime bullocks (2) averaged 221.0p (+3.8p) and sold to 222.0p per kg and £1,320.90 gross.
Figures compiled by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) show that businesses and communities supported by the development agency achieved a strong performance in 2016/17 despite uncertain economic conditions. Investments by HIE during the year supported businesses and social enterprises across the region to create or retain 1,688 full time equivalent jobs in the region, 169 of these in fragile areas.
A new three-year partnership agreement between North Highland College UHI and Nigg Skills Academy has been signed to deliver engineering skills and qualifications to the Ross-Shire area at their academy in Nigg. Nigg Skills Academy works with employers and industry bodies to deliver engineering skills to meet today's industry demands, has established a memorandum of understanding with North Highland College UHI to continue to provide opportunities for those seeking careers within the engineering and energy industry.
Scotland has achieved the lowest risk level status available for Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE). Notification of the risk classification upgrade to negligible risk status was confirmed by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) in Paris.
Cold Call Control Zones is an initiative that tackles doorstep crime by encouraging residents to say "No" to unwanted doorstep traders. This is done through the introduction of street signs and double sided door stickers within a zone and the education of local residents in how to deal with a doorstep trader.
A report published this week by the Institute for Government suggests that many UK civil servants are earning just below average earnings. The report sets out clearly the earnings in different departments.
The value of fish landings is at a record high, having increased by 29% to £563 million in 2016, according to the latest statistics published by the Scottish Government. The increase was mainly driven by a 41% increase in the value of landings for pelagic fish like herring and mackerel.
STATEMENT on behalf of the Highlands and Islands Local Resilience Partnership. Following the announcement by the Prime Minister of the UK Terror Threat level being increased from 'Severe' to 'Critical' on Tuesday 23 May 2017, the multi-agency members of the Highlands and Islands Local Resilience Partnership met on Wednesday 24 May 2017.
The Thurso branch of Clydesdale Bank closed on Thursday 23 May 2017. This was one of 40 branch closures.
Overnight surfacing improvements worth £300,000 are due to get underway on the A9 Cromarty Bridge starting later this week. The improvements will involve resurfacing almost the full length of the A9 Cromarty Bridge with a high performance road surface, designed to make the bridge smoother for motorists and more resilient to harsh conditions.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (May, 24th) sold 294 store cattle. Bullocks (154) averaged 251.4p and sold to 339.4p per kg for a pen of 218kg Simmental crosses from Proncy Farm, Dornoch, and £1,200 gross for a 585kg Simmental cross from 87 Torrobole, Lairg.
The newly launched NKT purpose-built vessel left Abrdeen Harbour on Saturday in preparation for its maiden project to install two subsea power cables connecting Caithness to Moray. The NKT Victoria, which has just arrived following its maiden voyage from Sweden, is being used to lay 113km of high voltage direct current (HVDC) subsea cable across the Moray Firth as part of Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks' £1.1bn Caithness-Moray transmission project.
Small to medium enterprises (SMEs) working in the aquaculture supply chain in the Highlands and Islands can now apply to a £1 million innovation fund, which has opened for applications. Announced in March the 30-month pilot programme, Accelerating Aquaculture Innovation (AAI), is led by HIE, and delivered in partnership with Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC).
Scotland experienced a 6% surge in visitors from overseas in 2016, new figures show. Statistics published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) today highlight an additional 155,000 overseas visits were made to Scotland last year compared with 2015, strongly supported by a rise in the number of tourists from North America.
New research has found that the general public is supportive of ambitious plans by the Scottish Government to restore Scotland's peatlands - which benefits water quality, wildlife and carbon storage. The large scale national survey was led by a team of researchers at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), the James Hutton Institute and the University of Leeds.
The Highland Council has elected Councillor Margaret Davidson as Council Leader at its meeting today, 18 May 2017. Councillor Alasdair Christie was elected Depute Leader and Councillor Bill Lobban was elected Convener of the Council.
