Labour's Rhoda Grant says the Scottish Government needs to sit up and take notice as public unrest about the rural health service sweeps across the Highlands and Islands. Two public health protests are being held at the weekend, one organised by CHAT in Caithness supporting Thurso's Dunbar Hospital and Wick Town and County Hospital and the other by SOSNHS Skye.
Following the collapse of a 15 metre section of road at Soldiers Rock on the Knoydart peninsula late on Tuesday 24 October, work is progressing on repairing the landslip on the single track road. A full inspection of the affected road has been carried out and a Highland Council engineer will be on site on Wednesday this week to carry out preliminary work before detailed survey work is carried out on Friday.
The next stage in plans for reducing train journey times between Scotland and England have been announced by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. Addressing an audience of business leaders in Newcastle, the First Minister confirmed that feasibility studies were being commissioned to identify options to help improve train journey times, capacity, resilience and reliability on services between Scotland and England.
Pressure on pay packets leaves workers open to Yuletide crime. Theft and fraud in the workplace rises in December as workers turn to crime to help fund their seasonal celebrations.
The Highlands and Islands Tourism Awards 2017 Winners were announced at the Drumossie Hotel on Friday 3rd November. 55 finalists were vying for the awards, which celebrate and recognise the best places to eat, drink and enjoy the area's scenery, hospitality, wildlife, history and culture.
Crown Estate Scotland has committed to launch a new scheme that will enable local authorities, development trusts and other bodies to apply to manage assets in their local area. The business, which manages land and property including seabed, foreshore, rural estates and more, has appointed Argyll-based Sarah Brown to develop new ways of giving local communities more control over decisions regarding Crown Estate Scotland assets.
Scotland's Chief Statistician today published statistics on school pupils and college students supported under the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) programme in the academic year 2015-16. EMA provides financial support for young people from low-income households to overcome financial barriers to participate in appropriate school or college courses or an Activity Agreement.
Crown Estate Scotland - the body that manages leasing of the seabed - is to start discussions with industry, government and interested organisations to prepare for potential new offshore wind leasing. A range of agencies, NGOs and marine sectors will be involved in informing the approach to leasing, with a view to ensuring new projects can start to operate from the late 2020s and beyond.
Week commencing 30th October 2017 Energy & business services: The operators of the Moray (East) Offshore Windfarm development (also known as "Moray 1") have announced this week that MHI Vestas has been awarded the contract to supply and install up to one hundred 9.5MW turbines for the development. The Vestas brand will be familiar to many through its use in onshore wind turbines: as previously highlighted here, the Beatrice Offshore Windfarm consortium will be using Siemens turbines.
A massive, 20,000 tonne vessel, the Seahorse is carrying thousands of tonnes of crushed stone from Norway for covering newly-laid cables off Caithness's Coast. The 163 metre long vessel's destination is given as Smith's Bank, the name of a once-prolific fishing ground in the Inner Moray Firth,, SE off Wick, where the Beatrice offshore oil-farm is now under construction.
Increasing number of nurses and midwives leaving profession ‘highlights major challenges faced by health and care sectors' New figures published today by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) show that there continues to be an increase in the number of nurses and midwives leaving its register over the last 12 months. In July, the NMC released figures which showed that for the first time there were more nurses and midwives leaving the register than joining it.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (November, 2nd) sold 3,224 store sheep. Lambs (2239) averaged £41.26 and sold to £88 gross for a Texel cross from Wester Raddery, Fortrose.
Rhoda Grant MSP is encouraging the people of the Highlands & Islands to make sure they have their say on the future of the bus pass in Scotland. Despite promising to protect the pass in their 2016 manifesto, the SNP Government has cut £9.5 million from the bus pass budget and are consulting on the future of the scheme.
Resident's from across the Highlands have provided positive feedback to the council's latest Citizen's Panel survey. Each year the panel of just over 2300 adults are asked for their views on the performance of the council and to provide information on their attitudes to a range of issues affecting them, their families and their neighbourhoods.
The Bank of England's Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) sets monetary policy to meet the 2% inflation target, and in a way that helps to sustain growth and employment. At its meeting ending on 1 November 2017, the MPC voted by a majority of 7-2 to increase Bank Rate by 0.25 percentage points, to 0.5%.
Highland Councillors and members of the public will be joining parades and services to mark Armistice Day (Saturday 11 November) and Remembrance Sunday 12 November throughout the Highlands at various locations. Caithness and Sutherland On Remembrance Sunday 12 November: Remembrance week arrangements for the Wick, Canisbay and Latheron Districts Saturday, 11th November 2017 10.45a.m.
Highland Community Planning Partners have confirmed that they are now ready to receive a number of Syrian refugee families to Dingwall in the next few months. A group of officers and volunteers from The Highland Council, Police Scotland, NHS Highland, and Highland Third Sector Interface are working together to put preparations in place for housing, education and health support for the families.
Following the decision of a Member recruitment panel today, Derek Yule has been appointed to the role of Depute Chief Executive which he will undertake alongside his new role of Director of Corporate Resources. Highland council have taken the opportunity to further reduce management level staff by combining two roles to make further savings.
Weeks commencing 16th and 23rd October 2017. Energy & business services: It was great to be invited this week to take part in a visit to the area by Japanese nuclear industry and government representatives.
The £2.6bn investment in Beatrice Offshore Windfarm Limited (BOWL) is one of the largest private sector investments ever in Scotland, nearly twice the investment of the £1.35bn Queensferry crossing. Once fully operational in 2019 this project, will see 84 wind turbines that will be able to generate enough to power up to 450,000 homes.