Members of the Highland Council Resources Committee have noted research showing the benefits of being online and the work being done by the Council to promote digital inclusion. Research shows that across the UK 89% of adults have access to the internet at home, however 17.9% of people in the Highlands never use the internet.
Two projects have been approved for capital discretionary funding by the Councils Resources Committee. Members approved a contribution of £100,000 over 2 years towards the Falls of Shin Community Project, subject to full a funding package being in place.
The Highland Council has approved funding of over £250,000 for projects across the region that will improve transport links, reduce carbon emissions and save the Council money. The funding comes from Highland Councils Carbon CLEVER capital budget, which has supported a wide range of projects over the past 18 months, including the upgrading of streetlights in Highland to LEDs, improved cycling facilities, the installation of biomass boilers, and a grant fund which has allocated funding to more than ten community projects which reduce carbon emissions.
A new store for higher activity waste at Dounreay is making progress with the award of three contracts. AMEC Foster Wheel has been awarded a 12 month contract for the design and safety case of the store, developing the concept into a fully detailed manufacturing design with a combined safety case submission.
Weeks Commencing 9th and 16th November 2015 Energy and Business Services: Later this month there will be an event in Wick for local companies interested in opportunities in the offshore wind market. As a leading company in the development, construction and maintenance of offshore wind farms, DEME Group is preparing new projects and contracts in the rapidly expanding UK offshore wind market.
Hand-crafted in the far North of Scotland, Holy Grass Vodka, is the latest release from the multi-award winning Dunnet Bay Distillery in Caithness. It features the unusual botanical Holy Grass (or Anthoxanthum nitens ), once discovered on the banks of the nearby Thurso River by Robert Dick.
The UK Governments ongoing changes to welfare, which began in 2010, will substantially reduce the amount of benefits paid to households and families. The Council continues to voice concerns about the impact that Universal Credit, and in particular the payment of housing costs, is having on Highland tenants and landlords alike.
The Highland Council will issue invitations to tender for the construction of West Link Stage 1, (Dores Road to the A82) and Canal Parks Enhancement Project, to eight contractors tomorrow, Friday 20 November 2015. A number of contractors expressed an interest and the eight contractors have been selected to submit tenders following a pre-qualification process.
The Highland Council is inviting the public to submit written representations to the Council about proposed changes to public entertainment licensing activities. All representations should be made to the Council by Friday 18 December 2015.
Affordable homes to tackle housing shortage. Housing Minister Margaret Burgess has today pledged to invest £3 billion to deliver 50,000 new affordable homes over the next five years.
Review groups report recommends increases to wildlife crime penalties. Scotlands Environment Minister Aileen McLeod today welcomed the publication of a report examining the penalties available for wildlife crime offences.
Highland Council graduate research assistant Marcia Rae has been investigating the presence of amphibians in Inverness Sustainable Urban Drainage (SuDS) ponds and the results will be presented at the first ever Inverness SuDS Conference on Friday 27th November 2015. This Conference will be the first of its kind in the Highlands and aims to ensure that urban development is designed for maximum benefit to local residents and wildlife.
Scotlands business sector meet to debate bolstering cyber resilience. A new strategy providing a framework to help build a cyber-resilient Scotland has been launched by Deputy First Minister John Swinney at the National Economic Forum in Edinburgh today.
1.8 percentage points drop in gender pay gap over the year. Scotland has seen a drop of 1.8 percentage points in the gender pay gap over the year, with the figure for 2015 standing at 7.3 per cent.
Certainty needed on RHI. Scottish Energy Minister Fergus Ewing is campaigning for Scottish businesses who are losing out due UK Government indecision on the future of the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI).
Proposals to make Porcine Epidemic Diarrhoea a notifiable disease in Scotland. Views are being sought on whether the pig disease Porcine Epidemic Diarrhoea (PED) should be classed as a notifiable disease in Scotland.
Leader of The Highland Council, Councillor Margaret Davidson has welcomed the level of public engagement that is helping the local authority plan to deliver its services through more localised decision making. The Highland Council approved a localism action plan at its meeting of the full Council on 29 October 2015 that will start to map out how to deliver decentralised decision making powers to local communities.
DINGWALL, Dingwall and Highland Marts Ltd., (November, 12th) sold 1,983 store sheep. Lambs (1,149) sold to £75 gross for Mule ewe lambs from Lower Gaich, Dulnain Bridge.
With the approach of winter householders are reminded that Garden Waste Collections will cease for a period of 3 months from the end of November. There will be no brown bin collections in December, January or February.
Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission (SHE Transmission) has completed its £94m project to refurbish the 275 kilovolt (kV) overhead line on the main west to east transmission route from Beauly via Blackhillock to Kintore. The 157km line was originally constructed in the early 1960s, spans the three local authority areas of Highland, Moray and Aberdeenshire, and is supported on 476 towers.