Social work award for Tracey Taylor The "outstanding leadership skills" of a Highland children's centre manager have been recognised with an award. Tracey Taylor, Unit Manager of The Highland Council's Wick Children's Centre, was highly commended in the "Residential Care Worker of the Year" category of the annual awards held by the British Association of Social Workers in Scotland.
Scotland's Chief Statistician today published Scottish Local Government Financial Statistics 2008-09. The publication includes key statistics on Scottish Local Authority income and expenditure, outstanding debt and local taxes.
More homes planned despite UK squeeze on public finances More than 7,000 homes are planned to be approved for rent or low cost ownership in the new financial year 2010-11, backed by £471 million from the Scottish Government. The Affordable Housing Investment Programme includes plans for over 1,700 new council houses, bringing the total to over 3,000 this year and next.
The coldest winter in the Highlands since 1962 has resulted in an estimated overspend on The Highland Council's Transport, Environmental and Community Services budget by £1.497 million (2.2%) by the end of the financial year. Figures presented to the Council's TEC Services Committee have shown that the Highland Winter Maintenance budget is estimated to be overspent by £2.276 million by the end of the financial year.
The creation of a Flood Team of six staff has been welcomed by members of The Highland Council's Transport, Environmental and Community Service Committee. Members of the TEC Services Committee welcomed the allocation of around £240,000 per year from the Scottish Government to set up a dedicated Flood Team within the Council.
A campaign aimed at encouraging Highland householders to reduce, reuse and recycle their waste has received continued support from members of The Highland Council's TEC Services Committee. Commending the efforts of a six-strong team of waste awareness staff Councillor John Laing, Chairman of the Council's TEC Services Committee said: "Our officers do a magnificent job educating people of all ages about how to deal with their waste.
New facilities to recycle household batteries are now in place at all Recycling Centres across Highland. AAA's normally used for TV remote controls and AA's used for many children's toys, as well as mobile phone, camera and electronic batteries are just some of the types suitable for this latest service.
A map showing the footprint of windfamrs in Scotland is available at Scottish Natural Heritage web site - http://www.snh.org.uk/strategy/renewable/sr-rt01.asp An update is added every six months. The site points out that the map may not always be up todate..
Creative approach to funding will reap long-term rewards Scotland's land reform legislation is ensuring the long-term sustainability of communities the length and breadth of the country. More than 60 communities bodies have submitted over 112 applications to purchase land and almost 80 applications have been approved since the Land Reform Bill was passed in 2004.
The Leader of The Highland Council's Administration has given a categorical assurance that the only work currently being carried out on the future of Council care homes is a review of the business case for building care homes at Burnside/Ach an Eas, Inverness, Muir of Ord, Fort William, Tain and Grantown. This work is scheduled to be completed by the end of this month and the aim is that a report is taken to the full council on 13 May.
'Waters' fund for wave and tidal deployment launched A new £12 million Scottish Government fund to support the deployment of wave and tidal energy devices has been unveiled. The Wave and Tidal Energy: Research, Development and Demonstration Support fund - to be known as WATERS - will support the testing of new wave and tidal prototypes in the seas around Scotland.
Pelamis Wave Power Ltd (PWP), the Edinburgh based developers of the Pelamis wave energy converter, have been named as the technology supplier for three major offshore wave energy projects in the world's first seabed leasing round off the north coast of Scotland. The three Pelamis projects which were successfully awarded lease options from The Crown Estate in the UK's first marine energy leasing round include: - A 50MW offshore wave project with E.ON UK, off the west coast of the Orkney Islands, and - A 50MW offshore wave project with Scottish Power Renewables, also off the west coast of the Orkney Islands, and - A third 50MW wave farm site off the north coast of Sutherland being developed by PWP themselves.
WORLD'S FIRST WAVE AND TIDAL ENERGY LEASING ROUND TO POWER UP TO THREE QUARTERS OF A MILLION HOMES Simultaeous Annoucments Made In Wick, Kirkwall and Edinburgh Today Tuesday16 March 2010 The Crown Estate has announced the names of the successful bidders for the world's first commercial wave and tidal leasing round, for ten sites in Scotland's Pentland Firth and Orkney waters. The 1.2 GW of installed capacity proposed by the wave and tidal energy developers for 2020, 600 MW each from wave and tidal, is four times the peak output of Dounreay power station.
The Highland Council has warmly welcomed the announcement today (Tuesday) that Caithness and North Sutherland is to benefit from the award of the first round of marine and tidal energy leases in the Pentland Firth. A council delegation was in Wick for the announcement of the leases, with a simultaneous announcement being made in Orkney.
Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) is primed and ready to support engagement between developers and local suppliers after The Crown Estate reveals at midday today (Tuesday, March 16) which companies have been granted leases to generate marine energy in the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters. The successful bids have been selected by The Crown Estate from 42 applications put forward by 20 developers keen to install commercial scale energy generators in some of the most promising seabed sites in Europe.
The Highland Council has now signed a major new contract with Fujitsu for Information Communication and Technology Services over the next five years. The £66 million contract will take effect from1 April.
Apprentice Day is running next Wednesday (17 March 2010) giving young people from all over the Highlands the chance to play the "Apprentice" by shadowing senior officials within The Highland Council and partner organisations, Northern Constabulary, Highland and Islands Fire and Rescue Service and NHS Highland. This year, the fifth year of the event, HM Prison Service and Cairngorms National Park Authority and two of the Highland Council's Children and Young People's Champions, Councillor Jaci Douglas and Councillor Linda Munro are also getting involved.
Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) is extending a pilot programme which is successfully developing the leadership skills of contact centre staff across the region. Key employers like BT, with centres in Thurso, Alness and Fort William, Capgemini in Inverness and Nairn, TalkTalk in Stornoway, Intelenet UK in FortWilliam, HeroTSC in Aviemore, and Vertex in Dingwall and Forres have joined together with HIE to develop their team leaders.
Members of The Highland Council's Housing and Social Work committee have welcomed the Council's Consultative Draft Local Housing Strategy for 2010 - 2015. At committee this week they agreed to a further and final consultation with stakeholders and the public over a six week period with a final update report and changes recommended to the strategy coming back to committee in May 2010.
Fifty five new homes could be built in the Highlands if The Highland Council is successful with a £1.65 million funding bid to the Scottish Government. Members of the Council's Housing and Social Work Committee have agreed that the Council will submit a bid to the Scottish Government for its third round of funding to support new council house building.
