Road condition reports by The Highland Council's Community Services for the morning of Thursday 7 December 2017 are as follows: Caithness and Sutherland: Most roads are affected by snow and ice. Treatment in progress.
The high winds during Storm Caroline today have caused some damage to part of the roof of the Wick campus gym, causing the metal flashing around a roof light to become detached. The school was already closed to pupils today due to the adverse weather.
Council road budgets have been cut by 21% since 2012 which is having a serious detrimental effect on Scotland's road network, says a UNISON report released today (Friday 8 December 2017). UNISON Scotland's report, Road to Nowhere, consulted council road teams across Scotland including: road workers, engineers, technicians, team leaders and managers.
Following the high winds forecast and experienced this week due to Storm Caroline, The Highland Council is encouraging landowners to check trees and vegetation near to public roads which may have been damaged. Roads affected by fallen trees this morning were near Beauly; Achnagarron near Invergordon and Lochaber which staff are clearing.
Wick Campus, including Wick High School, Newtonpark Primary School and High Life Highland Leisure facilities will remain closed on Friday 8 December 2017. The closure is due to high winds during Storm Caroline today which caused some damage to part of the roof of the Wick campus gym, causing the metal flashing around a roof light to become detached.
The Highland Council expresses its deep disappointment at the news of further branch closures by the Royal Bank of Scotland. Leader of the Highland Council Margaret Davidson said: "This will cause real difficulties for many customers and small businesses.
MORAY Council's budget proposals are now publicly available for viewing and comment. The savings, which have been suggested to balance the 2018-19 budget, are expected to save the council £6.7 million.
Highland consumers who have lost money to a scam involving payment through Western Union wire transfer between 1st January 2004 and 19th January 2017, are being encouraged by Highland Council Trading Standards to file a claim for a refund with America's Federal Trade Commission in a bid to get some or if not all of their money back. In January 2017, Western Union agreed to pay $586 million for turning a blind eye to scammers and other criminals who used its service to trick customers into paying for bogus prizes, loans, jobs, discounted products and other financial rewards in exchange for money upfront.
Councils are showing increasing signs of financial stress and face even tougher challenges ahead, says the Accounts Commission. In its annual financial overview published today the local authority watchdog says funding has reduced while costs and demands have increased, and more councils are using reserves to fund services.
This item is from Eann Sinclair's blog but it really needs an item on its own - This week: Scottish Provincial Press continues its impressive run of Energy North supplements under Alan Hendry's editorship: this month it carries a further mix of stories on key projects and issues such as Beatrice Offshore Windfarm (with Wick Harbour Authority's Willie Watt calling its lease agreement with BOWL "the best news Wick harbour has had in 100 years"). Go to page 8 in the magazine to read how transformational the news is for Wick harbour, the town and the county of Caithness.
Royal Bank is to close 62 Royal Bank of Scotland and 197 Nat West branches. The Wick branch is one on the list.
Weeks commencing 20th and 27th November 2017 Energy & business services: Delighted to hear that SeaCat Services, the operators of the crew transfer vessels that will support both construction and operations work for the Beatrice Offshore Windfarm (BOWL) project, had a good level of interest at its recruitment event in Wick last week. SeaCat is seeking suitably qualified candidates for roles such as Master, Mate and Deckhand, and I understand that several applications are now being taken forward.
A new residential music studio in the Outer Hebrides is set to capitalise on its scenic location and high-end technology to attract both UK and international recording artists. Black Bay Studio has opened for business on the island of Great Bernera just off the west coast of the Isle of Lewis.
It has never been more important for businesses in the Highlands and Islands to target global markets, writes Martin Johnson, HIE's head of international trade and investment. At the same time global markets have never been more accessible to the region, so we are in a good place.
Greater security for tenants and safeguards for landlords. The biggest change to the private rental sector in a generation will mean tenants have more security and stability coupled with better safeguards for landlords, lenders and investors.
Highlands and Islands Regional MSP, Rhoda Grant has hit out at the decision by RBS to close a further 62 branches in Scotland. Rhoda Grant said "I understand that banks are coming under pressure due to reduced customer footfall with the onset of online banking and telephone banking becoming more popular.
Two more companies have been welcomed on to the European Marine Science Park (EMSP), a development by HIE at Dunstaffnage near Oban. Aquaculture firm, Fusion Marine Ltd, and ALIenergy (Argyll, Lomond and the Isles Energy Agency) have recently moved into the Park's Malin House.
The Scottish Parliament has approved the Gender Representation on Public Boards (Scotland) Bill in principle after a stage one debate. The bill sets an objective for public boards that 50% of their non-executive members are women.
Team will champion Scottish businesses abroad. SCOTLAND is extending its worldwide business reach this St Andrew's Day, with the appointment of a team of trade envoys to champion international trading.
The annual cost of the clinical negligence for trusts has quadrupled over the last decade—£0.4 billion in 2006-07 to £1.6 billion in 2016-17—taking already scarce resources away from frontline services and patients. Despite long-standing concerns about these predictable rising costs, the government has been disappointingly slow and complacent in its response.