Dingwall, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (December, 20th) sold 133 lots of Christmas poultry. Oven ready turkey (82) averaged 282.3p per lb and sold to 413.0p per lb for a 14.5lb bird from Balnakyle Farm, Aberlour, and £60 gross six times for birds from No 1 Achavandra, Dornoch, Kinloss Farm, Elgin and Balnakyle Farm.
Survey seeks tenants’ views on council homes Tenants of council houses in the Highlands are being asked for their views on the services provided by The Highland Council, as their landlord. The Council is offering ten £50 vouchers in a free prize draw for those tenants who respond by the deadline of 13 January 2014.
Tributes were paid at the full meeting of The Highland Council on Thursday 19th December 2013 to Neil Gillies, Director of Transport Environmental and Community Services, who is retiring on 31 January next year after 35 years service. Convener Councillor Jimmy Gray and Councillor Graham Phillips, Chair, TEC Services, praised Mr Gillies for his leadership and dedication as director of a crucial frontline service.
Week Commencing 16th December 2013 Energy & Business Services: As apprentices on the North Highland College engineering programme go out into work placements during Year 2 of their course, the attached video highlights student views on the course and the lessons they have learned to date from their experiences in the workplace. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3vgSxfzJFQ Tourism, Food & Drink: Caithness Horizons in Thurso celebrates its 5th birthday this month, and it was good to meet this week with directors, staff and local stakeholders to commemorate this milestone.
Scottish Hydro Electric Power Distribution (SHEPD) engineers have been working since the early hours to repair damage to the electricity network in the north of Scotland following the high winds. Good progress continues to be made with power restored to over 8,000 customers overnight and throughout today.
Highlands & Islands (Labour) MSP Rhoda Grant backs SSPCA warning that pets should not be seen as cute gifts to give just at christmas, but they are for all year round and for the life of the pet. SSPCA Chief Superintendent Mike Flynn said, "Every year we stress that pets should never be bought on a whim or given as surprise gifts, but some people clearly aren't getting the message.
The Highland Council has agreed to freeze the Council Tax for a seventh successive year and confirmed a budget of £563.697 million for 2014-15. The Council Tax bands are: Band A: £775.33; Band B: £904.56; Band C: £1,033.78; Band D: £1,163.00; Band E: £1,421.44; Band F: £1,679.89; Band G: £1,938.33; Band H: £2,326.00.
The Highland Council is to write to the UK Government seeking a change to licensing law to prevent over-provision of betting shops in a local community. Members unanimously supported a motion proposed by Councillor Richard Laird, Inverness Central, that the Council should make representations to the UK Government requesting that it amend the 2005 Gambling Act to re-introduce over-provision as grounds to refuse an application and to permit limits on the number and type of gaming machines permitted in a premises or area.
Detailed proposals to realign The Highland Council’s Service management teams into 5 directorates – from the existing 7 – achieving savings of £350,000 per year and delivering more customer-focused services were unanimously accepted at today’s Council meeting. The 5 Directorates will be: · Care and Learning · Finance · Corporate Development · Development and Infrastructure · Community Services The changes will be implemented in two phases.
Opportunities for local contractors to renew existing applications or apply for construction works with Highland Council. The Highland Council is currently in the process of renewing and reviewing its Contractors Framework agreement, which may be used by Services within the Council for selecting contractors to carry out construction works covering reactive day to day repairs, general maintenance works and minor projects up to the value of £50,000.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (December, 17th) sold 58 prime cattle. Prime bullocks (18) averaged 231.6p (-1.2p) and sold to 239p per kg thrice for a 625kg Limousin cross from Findon Mains, Culbokie, a 640kg Charolais cross from Udale, Poyntzfield, and a 675kg Limousin cross from Wester Craiglands, Fortrose, and £1,613.25 gross for a 675kg Limousin cross from Wester Craiglands.
In the run up to Christmas, The Highland Council’s Planning and Development Service is getting tough over the display of unauthorised posters and placards near the roadside in the Beauly, Muir of Ord, Dingwall, Tore and North Kessock areas as it deems them to be an eyesore and a serious hazard to road users. Similar action will take place in other parts of The Highland Council area during 2014.
In an interim report published today, Monday 16 December 2013, the Commons Scottish Affairs Committee calls on the Coalition Government to repeal the Bedroom Tax. While this is being considered, the Committee calls on the Government to suspend application of the Bedroom Tax for all those tenants to whom a reasonable alternative offer cannot be made.
Week Commencing 9th December 2013 Energy & Business Services: Partnership representatives held a business breakfast event in Aberdeen this week. HIE’s Roy Kirk and June Love, together with Stephen Sutherland (JGC Engineering Services), Willie Watt (Subsea 7) and Debbie Gray (North Highland College), met a group of business leaders to promote the area as an attractive place from which to do business.
Homes to benefit from hydro pump storage flexibility. Energy Minister, Fergus Ewing has today granted planning consent for a hydroelectric pumped storage generating station at Coire Glas, near Spean Bridge.
Craig Harvey (21) from Wick in the Highlands, has been crowned Scotland’s top Civil Engineering Apprentice of 2013 at the annual SBATC Apprentice of the Year awards. The title was presented to Craig at a special ceremony held on Tuesday 10th December at the Scottish Parliament.
Detailed proposals to realign The Highland Council’s Service management teams into 5 directorates will be presented for approval to the full council meeting on Thursday (19 December). At its last meeting on 24 October, the Council agreed to reduce the number of Services from seven to five, delivering savings of £350,000 per year.
UK Government urged to act quickly to end ‘culture of exploitation’. Enterprise Minister Fergus Ewing today called on the UK Government to bring forward plans to introduce a cap on the cost of payday loans.
DINGWALL, Dingwall and Highland Marts Ltd., (December, 11th) sold 109 weaned calves and store cattle, 57 adult head of breeding cattle and 78 OTM cattle. Bullocks (62) sold to 309.1p per kilo for a 220kg Limousin cross from 13 Inverbreakie Drive, Invergordon, and £1,040 gross for a 455kg Charolais cross from 16 Balvaird, Muir of Ord, and a 480kg Saler cross from Druminlochan, Feshiebridge.
The Highland Council is being asked next week to freeze the Council Tax for a seventh successive year and confirm a budget of £563.697 million for 2014-15. The Council Tax bands would remain: Band A: £775.33; Band B: £904.56; Band C: £1,033.78; Band D: £1,163.00; Band E: £1,421.44; Band F: £1,679.89; Band G: £1,938.33; Band H: £2,326.00.
