The Highland Council is to seek the views of local communities on a proposal to establish a Gaelic Medium catchment area for Bun-sgoil Ghàidhlig Loch Abar. The change is being proposed in line with Statutory Guidance on Gaelic Medium Education.
BEAR Scotland to undertake repairs and resurfacing with additional funds from Transport Scotland. BEAR Scotland is undertaking an essential programme of works across trunk roads in the North West of Scotland to address the accelerated road surface deterioration caused by recent winter weather conditions, where the freeze and thaw cycle has weakened the carriageway.
In response to the decision by the US to impose tariffs on washing machines and solar panels Dr Fragkiskos Filippaios, Reader in International Business at Kent Business School at the University of Kent, has provided the following comment. 'Recently, the US administration decided in favour of the introduction of trade barriers on the imports of washing machines and solar products.
Tighter squeeze on councils. Councils are showing increasing signs of financial stress and face even tougher challenges ahead, says the Accounts Commission.
Clackmannanshire Council must take urgent and decisive action to sort out its financial problems, says the Accounts Commission. In a new report published today, the local authority watchdog highlights serious concerns about the council's financial position as it faces making savings of £29 million over the next three years out of an annual budget of £118 million.
Uncertainty over funding from Highland council. Caithness Horizons, which tells the story of the county of Caithness from 416 million years ago to the present day, has deleted its manager post and cut its curator's hours from 40 to 20 hours a week in anticipation of funding cuts.
Highland council have announced ahead of the budget on 15th February 2018 that there will not be cuts to additional support needs (ASN). Several protests erupted after budget papers were leaked showing cuts.
A global software development business with its technology hub based in Orkney is moving to larger premises. Kyloe is set to double its staff in the next few years and has secured £191,250 investment from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) to help it move to a more suitable premises.
A Shetland boat building and engineering company has increased its workforce and is set to expand internationally as orders for workboats grow. Six new jobs have already been created at Malakoff Ltd after opening a new site earlier this year at Greenhead Base in Lerwick.
A £60m fund to keep Scotland at the forefront of low carbon innovation is now open for applications. The Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme (LCITP) will fund large scale projects which support the ambitions of the Scottish Government's new Scotland's Energy Strategy, which was published in December 2017.
Due to current pressures on school rolls and following an analysis of school roll forecasts, The Highland Council is ‘capping' or limiting school rolls and reserving places in some Primary Schools in Inverness for the 2018/19 academic session (beginning August 2018). The schools affected are Kinmylies Primary, Duncan Forbes Primary, Smithton Primary, Hilton Primary, Holm Primary, Lochardil Primary and Milton of Leys Primary.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (January, 23rd) sold 21 prime cattle. Prime bullocks (1) averaged 209.0p (+0.9p) and sold to 209.0p and £1,295.80 gross.
Watching RBS executives appear before the Scottish Affairs Committee and defend their decision to close a third of all branches in Scotland, it was hard to know whether to laugh or cry. How many times have officials from this state owned bank sat before Parliamentary Committees and, with straight faces, defended the indefensible? This is just one more instance, relatively small in the scheme of things, of the fundamental and the ever-widening disconnect between the citizen and our system of free market capitalism.
Scottish Local Authorities received 17,797 applications for homelessness assistance during the six months April to September 2017, 2% higher compared to the same period during 2016. However when looking over the whole of the last 12 months, there has been a smaller 0.3% (118 applications) annual increase from 34,746 applications in the 12 months to end September 2016 to 34,864 applications in the 12 months to end September 2017.
A new independent scrutiny body that will hold Scotland's social security system to account is to be created by the Scottish Government. Amendments to legislation currently going through Parliament would create a new Scottish Commission on Social Security that would independently scrutinise the new social security system and ensure it lives up to expectations, according to Social Security Minister Jeane Freeman.
Membership of the Single Market and Customs Union will mitigate the damaging effects of Brexit, External Affairs Secretary Fiona Hyslop has said ahead of visiting Brussels. Following the publication of Scotland's Place in Europe: People, Jobs and Investment the Cabinet Secretary will meet MEPs and EU ambassadors in Brussels to set out the Scottish Government's position on Brexit.
Scotland will push ahead with a deposit return scheme for drinks containers and is calling on the UK Government to match its ambition, Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham has said. Ms Cunningham has already pledged that Scotland will back the EU's vision to phase out single use plastics by 2030 and urged the UK Government to do the same - "Brexit or no Brexit." Earlier this month, the Scottish Government became the first UK administration to announce plans to ban the use of plastic cotton buds, one of the items most often washed up on beaches.
More than 2,500 people take up Scottish Universal Credit choices The rational for introducing Scottish Universal Credit (UC) choices will be outlined by Social Security Minister Jeane Freeman when she gives evidence to the House of Commons Work and Pensions Committee inquiry into the roll-out of UC. Over a seven week period 5,800 new applicants in full UC service areas were offered the Scottish UC choices.
Highland Council's Trading Standards team is reporting mixed findings from the age restricted sales test purchase programme it recently carried out in the Inverness and Easter Ross areas. During the recent exercise, while a total of 13 retailers correctly refused to sell, one business premises failed to prevent fireworks being sold to a young test purchase volunteer.
A Which campaign is highlighting the threat to Free cashpoints. Recent Which? research has identified more than 200 communities in Britain have poor access to free (or any) cashpoints.