News Archive

15/8/2017 : Advisory / Counseling Services

 
Scottish Expertise Goes On Show At World's Biggest Aquaculture Technology Fair

Twenty-three Scottish companies are travelling to Norway this week to highlight the country's expertise at the world's largest aquaculture technology exhibition.  Aqua Nor 2017 gets under way in Trondheim on Tuesday (15 August 2017), and runs until Friday (18 August 2017).  

15/8/2017 : Auctioneers

Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd - Sale 15 August 2017

DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (August, 15th) sold 31 prime cattle.   Prime bullocks (2) averaged 226.0p (-5.1p) and sold to 226.0p per kg and £1,254.30 gross.  

15/8/2017

Highland MSP Concerned By Time It May Take To Address Kessock Bridge Congestion Issue

Highlands & Islands Regional MSP David Stewart recently asked the Scottish Government by what date the Kessock Bridge Flyover in Inverness will be complete.  In his response the Transport Minister Humza Yousaf advised that £109 million of the £315 million Inverness and Highland City Regional Deal will be made available by the Government to deliver the grade separation of the A9 and A82 Longman roundabout and the A9/A96 Inshes to Smithton link road.  

15/8/2017

 
M8 Journeys Cut By 20 Minutes

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has officially opened the £500 million M8 M73 M74 Motorway Improvements Project, saving motorists up to 20 minutes on journey times.   The project, including the new seven mile stretch of the M8 motorway, aims to tackle congestion problems in central Scotland and is the first part of a combined £1.7 billion investment by Transport Scotland in the roads network.  

15/8/2017

Intergenerational Training Course for Trainers and Practitioners

Tuesday 12th September 2017, 10:00am - 4:00pm at Brora Village Hub, Muirfield Road, Brora, KW9 6QY (£40) Generations Working Together is excited to be visiting Brora to deliver our intergenerational training course which is open to anyone who would like to learn more about intergenerational work and how to use an intergenerational approach.   Please note the price of £40 will include 4hrs CPD accreditation and a training pack.  

14/8/2017 : Local Authority

 
A Warm Highland Welcome For Probationer Teachers

One hundred and forty two probationer teachers who are on the Teacher Induction Scheme and a few probationer teachers on the Flexible Route were recently welcomed to the Highlands (on Friday 11 August 2017) at an induction course held in Smithton Free Church Hall.   Bill Alexander, Highland Council's Director of Care and Learning welcomed the probationers saying: "It's really good to see so many young people starting their careers in education here in the Highland and I wish them all well.  

14/8/2017 : Local Authority

Developer Contributions for Schools to be reviewed

The Council is to review developer contributions for schools in the Inverness area.   Taking account of the forecasted phasing of housing sites, school roll forecasts indicate that Primary Schools in Inverness are under pressure and require significant additional capacity to support growth.  

11/8/2017 : Local Authority

 
Highland Council assurance on Concerns About Wick Campus

Highland Council has written to the Wick Stakeholder Group, Wick High School Parent Council and Newton Park Primary School Parent Council to provide a statement of assurance regarding the new Wick Campus facility.  The letter states: We refer to discussion at recent Wick stakeholder group meetings, at which a request was made for the Council to provide a statement of assurance regarding the new Campus facility, and to address media reporting and local concerns over recent months.  

11/8/2017 : Advisory / Counseling Services

Caithness and North Sutherland Regeneration Partnership - Update

Weeks commening 31st July and 7th August Energy & business services: As I highlighted recently, the company behind the proposed floating offshore windfarm demonstrator off the coast near Dounreay recently went into into administration.  Administrators French Duncan have opened a "data room" for potential buyers.  

11/8/2017

£4.4 Million Announced For Energy Efficiency Projects Across Scotland

Councils will share £4.4 million to improve energy efficiency in homes, businesses, public buildings and community projects.   15 local authorities will use the funding to deliver innovative ways to reduce emissions and tackle fuel poverty.  

10/8/2017 : Local Authority

Plan for free public Wi-Fi to be rolled-out across the Highlands

Members are to be asked to approve proposals to expand the Inverness and Highland City-Region Deal funded free open public Wi-Fi system to 14 towns across Highland.   Town centres recommended for the free Wi-Fi programme are Alness, Aviemore, Dingwall, Dornoch, Drumnadrochit, Fort Augustus, Fort William, Invergordon, Nairn, Portree, Tain, Thurso, Ullapool and Wick.  

10/8/2017 : Local Authority

Tain and Easter Ross By-election date confirmed

Candidates wishing to stand at the by-election being held in The Highland Council's Ward 7 - Tain and Easter Ross - have until 4 pm on Monday 28 August to complete and submit their nomination forms.   The by-election is being held on Thursday 28 September following the resignation of Cllr Jamie Stone (Liberal Democrat) who has stepped down and taken up his seat in Westminster following the UK Parliamentary Elections held in June.  

3/8/2017

 
HMS Queen Elizabeth in Pentland Firth

Naval aviation pioneer remembered 100 years on The Royal Navy pilot who completed the first ever aircraft landing on a moving ship is to be remembered in Orkney on the 100th anniversary of his landmark achievement.   On 2 August 1917, Squadron Commander Edwin Dunning landed a Sopwith Pup on the deck of HMS Furious in Scapa Flow at the dawn of carrier aviation.  

3/8/2017

Cairngorm Mountain Clear Up Works To Begin

Major clear up works on Cairngorm Mountain, to notably improve the appearance of the Mountain to visitors when not covered in snow, are due to get underway this month (August).   Share Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) has awarded a contract to Aviemore based civil and environmental engineering firm, McGowan Limited.  

1/8/2017 : Local Authority

Leader to raise concerns about the police control room with Chief Constable

Leader of The Highland Council, Margaret Davidson will be meeting with Chief Constable Phil Gormley tomorrow.   Councillor Davidson will be raising the issue of the future of the Police Control Room and Police Scotland's plans for the National Database Enquiry Unit (NDEU).  

1/8/2017

Marine Scotland Seafarers Set To Strike Over Pay Cut

Marine Scotland seafarers are set to take industrial action over a series of dates in August 2017.  The action follows a collapse in negotiations with the Scottish government who decided to press ahead with an imposed pay cut.  

27/7/2017

 
Scotland's NHS Needs Better Workforce Planning

Spending on staff in Scotland's NHS is increasing and overall staff numbers are at their highest level ever but there are urgent workforce challenges, and the Scottish Government and health boards have not planned effectively for the long term.   In the first part of a two-stage audit on workforce planning in the NHS in Scotland, Audit Scotland focuses on clinical staff in hospitals and other secondary care settings.  

25/7/2017

Dounreay Tri - Floating Wind Turbines Company Goes Into Administration

The company behind the floating wind turbine project for the Pentland Firth - Dounreay Tri has gone into administration according t details on Companies House web site.   the company registered as French Duncan Llp, 133 Finnieston Street, Glasgow, G3 8HB was listed in administration proceedings earlier this month (4 July 2017).  

25/7/2017

 
30th Licensing Round welcomed by Oil & Gas UK

Oil & Gas UK has today welcomed the announcement by the Oil and Gas Authority that it has launched its 30th Offshore Licensing Round focusing on mature areas of the UKCS.   Oil & Gas UK's upstream policy director, Mike Tholen said: "The launch of the 30th Offshore Licensing Round offers companies the exciting opportunity to bid for fresh acreage and an interesting inventory of yet to be developed discoveries.  

25/7/2017

 
Brexit: Farm Animal Welfare - Report Published

The EU Energy and Environment Sub-Committee today publishes its report on Brexit: farm animal welfare.  The report follows up on some themes identified and explored in the Committee's recent report Brexit: agriculture.