The Highland Council Leader Councillor Michael Foxley has joined in the welcome of the 11th hour decision by the UK Government to offer a three-month reprieve for the two emergency towing vessels based at Stornoway and Shetland while work continues on finalising a new longer-term contract. The tugs, owned by a private company, JP Knight and on contract to the Maritime Coastguard Service, were due to have been withdrawn from service on Friday 30 September.
Changes to unfair dismissal rules which could save nearly £6 million a year for British business have been announced today by Business Secretary Vince Cable and Chancellor George Osborne. Today's decision will see the qualification period for the right to claim unfair dismissal extended from one to two years.
A £50 million Global Research and Technology Hub is announced today by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The Hub will connect UK researchers and businesses working to commercialise the Nobel Prize winning super strong material graphene.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (September, 30th) sold 8,980 store lambs including 1,087 sheep on behalf of Lewis Livestock Producers. Lambs (7,673) averaged £44.55 and sold to £78 gross for Cheviot ewe lambs from Inver Croft, Tain.
For the first time the range of stunning landforms hidden beneath Scotland's seas has been highlighted in a new report published by Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). As part of a project to identify marine habitats of high conservation value, earth science experts have prioritised 34 key geological and geomorphological areas of national and international interest on the Scottish seabed.
Road conditions The Council's aim is to help keep you safe on the roads, whether you are driving or walking. We shall take such steps as we consider reasonable to prevent the formation of snow and ice to the endangerment of vehicles and pedestrians.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (September, 29th) sold 5,478 breeding and store sheep. Gimmers (1,094) averaged £108.96 and sold to £146 gross for Texel crosses from Greenacres, Barbaraville.
The Highland Council is responsible for 4,200 miles (6,700km) of roads. The Council's winter roads maintenance budget for 2011/12 is £4.7 million.
High Life Highland takes over community learning and leisure services From Saturday (1 October 2011) High Life Highland, an arms length company with charitable status, takes over the management and delivery of community learning and leisure services from The Highland Council. More than 1,000 staff working in adult learning, archives, arts, leisure facilities, libraries, museums, outdoor education, sport and youth work will transfer from the employment of the Council to the new company.
FUSION'S ANNUAL CONFERENCE ADDRESSES ISSUES RISING FROM THE RECESSION THURSDAY 17th November 11am - Friday 18th November 2011 Kingsmills Hotel, Inverness "The economy will only recover if we all work together," says Mark Sutherland-Fisher, chief executive of Fusion, the organisation set up to link rural entrepreneurs in Scotland. "Fusion was built on the triumvirate of the private sector, the public sector and the academic/social enterprise sector.
Candidates considering serving on their local Community Council for the next four years are being reminded that the nomination deadline for election is only one week away. To be able to stand for election, candidates must return their nomination forms to The Highland Council by 4 pm on Tuesday 4 October.
Tourism businesses in the Highlands are being given the opportunity to sign up for a new workshop to help them capitalise on an expected 30 per cent growth in the mountain-biking market over the next five years. Tourism Intelligence Scotland (TIS) and Developing Mountain Biking in Scotland are working in partnership to host two half-day mountain biking workshops for tourism and cycling businesses, based around the intelligence and practical ideas highlighted in TIS's 'Mountain Biking Tourism in Scotland' guide.
Week commencing 19th September: Energy: Together with Simon Coles in his role as Inward Investment manager on secondment to HIE I met with two representatives from a major UK company seeking to develop its involvement in the renewables industry. We were able to show them several key local facilities, and introduce them to several local companies.
DINGWALL, Dingwall & Highland Marts Ltd., (September, 27th) sold 41 prime cattle. Prime bullocks (23) averaged 200.6p (+5.2p) and sold to 216p per kg and £1,483.90 gross.
The Leader of The Highland Council, Councillor Michael Foxley has called on the Scottish Government to devolve the management of the Crown Estate's property and revenues to as local a level as possible. In giving evidence to the Scottish Parliament Committee on the Scotland Bill concerning the Crown Estate, Councillor Michael Foxley argued that devolution needed to mean giving powers to local authorities in the Highlands and Islands and to local harbour trusts as well as land under community ownership, such as Eigg.
Speakers from four partnership organisations will be talking at a Symposium during Highland Archaeology Festival on how archives can assist archaeology. Organised by The Highland Council, Workers' Educational Association (Scotland), The Waterways Trust Scotland, and Archaeology for Communities in the Highlands, the one-day symposium is on Monday 10 October from 10am to 4pm at the Highland Archive Centre in Bught Park, Inverness.
The Highland Council has awarded new public transport contracts which will run from 1 January 2012 until December 2016. This involves 92 public transport contracts, of which 38 include provision for school transport.
As a result of a test-purchase exercise undertaken across the Highlands that used the services of a young volunteer, The Highland Council Trading Standards has recently issued two fixed penalties for under-age sales of cigarettes. The £200 penalties, which were new sanctions introduced by Scottish legislation earlier this year, were issued to the shop assistant who made the illegal sale and to the company operating the shop premises.
HIE investigates impact of community business in the Highlands and Islands Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) is investigating the role of community run businesses - in a bid to see how the wider Scottish economy might benefit. HIE, which has a unique role as a social and economic development agency, has for over 40 years recognised the importance of social enterprise to the economy.
From 1st October 2011 consumers in Scotland face fresh restrictions on how they can buy alcohol and the way in which promotions are advertised. The new rules are the result of changes introduced by the Alcohol (Scotland) Act 2010.