Members at today's (4 May 2023) Economy and Infrastructure Committee reviewed and approved the next steps for the future of Highland Council's three airfields. The report highlights that current resource committed to the operation and maintenance of the airfields at Ashaig in Skye, Dornoch and Plockton is not sufficient to meet all of the maintenance liabilities and legal requirements.
Highland Council today agreed to allocate a further £7.7 million to the roads capital budget taking the total to over £20million. For the £7.7m strategic allocation, the Service was asked to produce a further list of road surface treatment schemes, utilising engineering judgement and local knowledge to determine which projects were to be included.
The decisions today at Highland Council for Ward 20 may soon affect other areas and so anyone renting property may wish to keep up to date if already letting or planning to do so. On Thursday 4 May 2023 Highland Council's Economy and Infrastructure Committee meeting, Members agreed to the commencement of the Badenoch and Strathspey (Ward 20) Short Term Let Control Area (STLCA) and a formally established date of the 18 June 2023.
Businesses in the Highlands and Islands operating in tourism, creative industries and food and drink processing, can now apply for grants of up to £150,000 to help them reduce the environmental impacts of their operations. The £2m Green Grants Fund, launched today (Thursday 4 May) by Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), is also available to social enterprises in any sector.
Members of The Highland Council's Economy and Infrastructure Committee were today (Thursday 4 May) given an overview of the employability services delivered by the Council and its partners, and approved priorities for the coming year. Members heard that during 2022-23 The Council's Employability team, together with public, private and third-sector partners delivered a suite of activity across Highland, supporting 680 people of whom 257 gained employment as a result.
Over the last two days, Highlands and Islands Labour MSP Rhoda Grant has made impassioned pleas against the SNP's roughshod approach to imposing Highly Protected Marine Areas on coastal communities. Even a few SNP members spoke against the government legislation being imposed.
Highlands and Islands Labour MSP, Rhoda Grant, has called on Highland Council to rethink the recent decision to defer the replacement of the 140 year old Naver Bridge in north Sutherland. Mrs Grant has been contacted about the concerns locally surrounding the safety of the current bridge with additional fears that if it is allowed to deteriorate further, any potential closure would adversely affect communities who would face using an alternative route which would be both time consuming and costly for local residents.
Members of the Flow Country partnership are at the early stages of creating a Green Finance Initiative, looking at ways the peatlands can provide financial benefits to local communities. Flow Country partnership members are hosting a series of drop-in sessions and are inviting people to join them to discuss green finance and peatland restoration.
Sutherland Council Members have approved £698.6k worth of funding bids aimed at supporting economic regeneration and sustainable development across the area. Communities were invited to apply for Community Regeneration Funding, an umbrella term for accessible funding streams which comprise of the Highland Coastal Communities Fund and the Place Based Investment Programme.
As the festive season approaches The Highland Council would like to encourage households and businesses to consume responsibly and reduce the waste they create at Christmas. Every year the Council sees a large increase in waste generated over the festive period.
The Council Administration's Programme for 2022 - 2027: "Our Future Highland" has been agreed by Members at today's Council meeting. The programme has a focus on being ambitious for the future and maximising the opportunities and the resources we have to improve the quality of life for people in the Highlands, with sustainability a key theme throughout.
New offer to make climate-friendly energy improvements simpler. As of today it will be simpler and more affordable for people to install climate-friendly heat and energy efficiency measures in their homes.
Highland Council and SSE Renewables are joining forces to help Highland households facing extreme fuel poverty make energy saving adaptations to their homes. The Cost-of-Living Crisis is having a devastating impact on households across Highland.
A second referendum on independence for Scotland is off the cards for now, following a decision by the UK supreme court that the Scottish government could not call a vote without the cooperation of the UK government. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has nevertheless vowed to continue pursuing an independence agenda.
Following reports of significant food hygiene and animal welfare concerns at Caithness Free Range Eggs Ltd, Lochquoy Farm, Caithness, the Highland Council's Environmental Health Service and the Animal Plant and Health Agency (APHA) commenced a joint investigation in 2017. The lengthy investigation uncovered numerous and serious breaches of animal welfare and food safety legislation which led to a report being submitted to the Procurator Fiscal's Office.
Students will be hit harder by the cost-of-living crisis than previously thought. Poorest students will be more than £1,000 worse off than in 2020-21.
A group of companies that have been trialling a four-day working week have recently reported increased revenue, with fewer employees taking time off or resigning. While it's easy to understand the effects of a shorter week on worker wellbeing, the positive effects on company earnings and productivity may be more of a surprise - but research backs this up.
A report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies by David Pillips ,Associate Director. Scotland's underlying deficit is falling fast as the UK's is rising due to oil and gas revenues - but this isn't forecast to last.
Organised by Scottish Renewables, the annual awards celebrate the achievements of a wide range of organisations and individuals involved in the renewable energy sector. The winner of the Best Community Project was Aros an Rubha.
This Christmas, the Environment Agency is sharing 24 simple steps that we can all take to make more sustainable choices. At this time of year around 30% more waste is generated.
