Week Commencing 24 February 2014 Energy & Business Services: There have been some pieces of news this week relating to Atlantis Resources, the company that now owns tidal developer Meygen. It has been awarded €7.7M in EU funding through the 7th Framework Programme to support the design, installation and operation of its bigger 1.5MW tidal turbine the AR1500 at the Meygen site in the Inner Sound of the Pentland Firth.
Carolyn Wilson, leader of the Independent opposition group on the Highland Council has raaised the stakes in the campaign to save Highland council service points. The SNP led adminstration passed proposals to close 23 service points in Highland at the meeting of the Finance Housing and Resources committee on Wednesday 26th February 2014.
The first residential course for the ScotGrad Graduate Placement Programme in the Highlands and Islands took place this week. The 18 graduates who attended the tailored business skills course are employed to work on innovative projects by organisations across the area.
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Police Scotland Highland and Islands Division will be carrying out test purchasing operations in the Caithness and Sutherland areas of the Division in the forthcoming weeks. The scheme consists of a fully briefed teenager (under 18 years of age) entering licensed premises under controlled conditions and in line with agreed guidelines to purchase alcohol.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (February, 26th) sold 40 registered Cheviot females and Blackface females at its Harbro sponsored show and sale. The Cheviot judge Mr A.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts, (February, 26th) sold 2,247 sheep of all classes. Lambs (1,456) averaged £58.27 and sold to £86 gross for Beltex crosses from Brabster Farm Cottage, Wick.
The Police and Fire Services Highlands and Islands Chairs Network is adding its voice to calls to retain the Fire Control Room in Inverness. The group has been meeting in Lerwick today, discussing plans which would see the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service reduce the number of control rooms for the whole of Scotland to three, based in Johnstone, Edinburgh and Dundee.
AIM listed Atlantis Resources Limited has today announced that it has successfully secured €7.7 million in grant funding from the European Commission’s Seventh Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development. The EC funding will support deployment of multi tidal-turbine arrays at the business’ MeyGen tidal energy site and will be supported by DHI, Royal HaskoningDHV and the University of Edinburgh.
The Local Government Boundary Commission For Scotland have issued the following statem,ent regarding the latest review of boundaries and councillor numbers. We started our Fifth Reviews of Electoral Arrangements on 21 February 2014.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (2014 February, 25th) sold 64 prime cattle. Prime bullocks (38) averaged 211.5p (-3.5p) and sold to 224p per kg and £1,653.60 gross.
The Highland Council’s recycling team is reviewing the operation of its network of 21 recycling centres to encourage the public to make a bigger effort to separate waste that can be recycled from waste that cannot. The Council wants to increase the amount of material recycled and at the same time reduce the amount of waste sent to landfill.
Tomorrow, Tuesday 25 February at 2.30pm in Committee Room 6 the Scottish Affairs Committee will take evidence from the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers and Unite the Union. The Scottish Affairs Committee has heard evidence that companies are using “zero hours” contracts when there is not a justifiable business need, leading to unnecessary insecurity, lack of opportunity to access finance, mortgages or even rental housing, and loss of important employment rights.
Highlands & Islands Food & Drink: A cause for celebration as 2014 awards open for entry. Closing Date for entries - Wednesday, 23rd April 2014 Organisers of the Highlands & Islands Food & Drink Awards (HIFDA) are starting 2014 on an upbeat and positive note as they prepare to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the prestigious awards.
SSE has pulled the plug on its 27-turbine Dalnessie and 12-turbine Fairburn 2 wind farms in the Scottish Highlands because they are “no longer financially viable”...............The utility is currently running the rule over its offshore wind portofolio with the outcome of that process to be unveiled in March. Full article.
RBS and NatWest extend services to customers through the Post Office. From later this year, NatWest and RBS personal and business customers can make deposits or pay in cheques at any of the Post Office’s 11,500 branches Customers can already withdraw cash, and check their balance NatWest and RBS are extending the services personal and business customers can use through the Post Office from later this year to include pay-ins of cash and cheques.
Members of the licensed trade in the Highlands are being reminded of the need to undergo refresher training to ensure they retain their personal licences - and the authority to sell alcohol on their premises. Personal Licences are issued for a period of 10 years.
Seven new projects totalling £800,000 of expenditure on repair and replacement works in seven Highland primary schools have been approved by members of The Highland Council’s Adult and Children’s Services Committee. The new projects, which will be funded from the Council’s Education, Culture and Sport capital programme will be completed in the financial year 1 April 2014 – 31 March 2015.
Up to 25 job opportunities will be available to young Gaels over the summer months as a result of a longstanding partnership between Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and Comunn na Gàidhlig (CnaG). The job opportunities will be available through the Students Summer Placement Scheme, which offers Gaelic-speaking students placements with businesses and organisations where Gaelic is the language of the workplace.
The initial success of an advertising campaign to recruit supply teachers for Highland Council schools has resulted in the local authority running a second recruitment campaign. Members of the Council’s Adult and Children’s Services committee were today (19 February) informed that a recruitment campaign using advertorials in local and national newspapers in December 2013 attracted expressions of interest from 52 teachers.
