Highland Council residents can now apply for Council Tax discounts and exemptions and report change of circumstances online with the launch of new online forms on the Council's website. The new forms allow customers to complete online rather than by paper when applying for council tax discounts/exemptions and to report changes that may impact on their council tax, housing benefit or council tax reduction.
Statement from the Electoral Reform Society. To read the full report [1] and a briefing with all the report's findings, see the link in the notes [2] The Electoral Reform Society will release a major new report on the House of Lords this Sunday - the first piece of research on Britain's upper chamber since the General Election.
The PFR stone table with the inscription 'Out of Caithness to the World' will become the centre piece of the NDA Archive when it opens its doors in 2017. Construction of the new facility has begun at Wick and was officially opened by David Flear, Dounreay Stakeholder Group chairman, when he cut the first turf at an opening ceremony in August.
Week Commencing 10th August 2015 Tourism, Food & Drink There has been further excellent media coverage this week of the North Coast 500 route following triple cycling world record holder Mark Beaumont's amazing non-stop circumnavigation of the route. We watched him flash past us in Thurso on Tuesday morning on his way to completing the journey in 38 hours! As recently reported the route has been voted one of the world's top six tourist drives.
The Highland Licensing Board is advising people who have had their personal licences revoked that rules have changed and they may now be able to reapply. Since December 2014 The Highland Licensing Board has had to revoke a number of personal licences where the licence holder failed to comply with the mandatory refresher training requirements.
LEADER of The Highland Council, Margaret Davidson met with Her Majesty's Inspector of Constabularys in Scotland (MHICS), Mr Derek Penman, today to discuss the Inverness Police Control Room. She said: "I would like to thank Mr Penman for taking time to come to Inverness and listen to the concerns of the Highland Council.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (August, 12th) sold 12,971 store lambs at their annual district sale to average £50.31 (- £4.11 on the year). Cheviot wedder lambs (5,865) averaged £48.33 (-£4.00) and sold to £58.00 gross from Heatherlea, Ardgay.
Tuesday 11th August saw local group No Limits Caithness visit the Museum for a morning packed with Viking activities with Curator Joanne Howdle, or Thordis Eiríksdóttir as she is fondly known to local groups and schools. The group helped the Museum to hit the half million visitors mark and to celebrate they were presented with a special cake made in the Museum's cafe.
New locations announced as three million UK superfast broadband milestone is reached. More than 10,000 homes and businesses in Caithness can now access next generation fibre broadband through the Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband (DSSB) roll-out.
The Highland Council is introducing further new materials to the blue bin recycling service at the end of August. Following on from the recent introduction of aerosols, envelopes and cardboard food and drink cartons, from Monday 31st August residents will also be able to recycle plastic pots, tubs and trays.
Highland Council welcomes confirmation of the Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) by Scottish Ministers which will enable the West Link to go ahead. The Highland Council has today been advised that Scottish Ministers have confirmed the Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) promoted in respect of the West Link road project.
Discussions on the Glen Roy National Nature Reserve with Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) and Lochaber Geopark Association, which raises awareness of geology, are continuing. The site was originally acquired in 1970 to protect it against proposed tree planting, as at the time Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) legislation was weaker than today.
The average monthly spare cash for households in Scotland is £454, far higher than the UK average of £381. With an average monthly income of £1,989, people in Scotland have 23% (or £454) left as spare cash each month - the highest in the UK, ahead of Wales (£415) and 10% more than those living in the East Midlands, the highest in England, who have 22% or £395 spare cash left each month.
Have your say on Pilot Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters Marine Spatial Plan. A consultation is being launched on a plan that will be used to guide development activity in the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters.
Pulteneytown People's Project is contracted to deliver The Employability Fund Programme for Skills Development Scotland (SDS). The purpose of the programme is to prepare people for employment or further training opportunities in their chosen work interest area, by supporting them to improve their knowledge and basic skills required for their chosen sector. The programme focuses on work-based knowledge, skills and experience to be gained both within our training centre and on work placements, with any relevant training needs being addressed as per each participant’s individual training plan.
Scotland's Shadow Minister for Transport Mr David Stewart, Labour MSP for the Highlands & Islands constituency, has made a fact-finding visit to community-owned Gills Harbour on the shores of the Pentland Firth's Inner Sound. There he was shown around by three officers of Gills Harbour Ltd (GHL), the Canisbay company that owns and operates the Scottish Mainland's most Northerly port.
Scottish colleges offering land-based education and training must engage more effectively with industry, schools and the wider community to ensure the sector's growing employment needs are met, according to a new report, published today (06.08.15). Greater engagement would make colleges more aware of employers' demands for robust skills training to ensure learners are equipped with the abilities they value, says the National Strategy for Land-based Education and Training.
Weeks commencing 27th July and 3rd august 2015 Energy & Business Services Further good coverage this week for the ongoing activity at Scrabster Harbour, which has had a record month for Oil & Gas traffic through the port. This increased level of business for Scrabster Harbour Trust is also having a welcome impact on Wick John O' Groats airport, which oil & gas crews are using for crew transfers.
A ceremonial turf cutting ceremony marked the official start of building work on the new archive that will store nuclear records from across the UK. David Flear, chairman of the Dounreay Stakeholder Group, dug into the ground at the Wick site where the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority's Nuclear Archive will start to take shape over the next 12 months.
Opportunity, quality of life and strong community links have been cited as some of the positive reason young people are choosing to stay in the Highlands and Islands. This is according to a new report on the recent Young people and the Highlands and Islands: Attitudes and aspirations study commissioned by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).
