Strengthening the Highlands
The new Administration of The Highland Council today (Thursday) unveiled their programme of action for the next three years.
Kirking of the Council
The Kirking of the Council - a tradition dating back about 400 years – will be held in Inverness on Sunday 7 September.
Council Underlines Green Credentials
Thanks to a programme of installations of solar water heating and solar electrical generation, ground source heat pumps, wood fuelled (biomass) boilers and wind turbines at its highest energy consuming buildings, The Highland Council is well on its way to meeting its target of producing 4,000 kilowatts of renewable energy by 2010.
Young Highland Fiddlers To Meet Up in Ullapool
The first Ullapool Fiddle day will take place on Thursday 4th September in the MacPhail Theatre, Ullapool High School and around fifty pupils from Badenoch, Strathspey, Ross-shire and Sutherland are expected to take part.
Delivering Better Public Services in the Highlands
A plan of action to deliver better public services in the Highlands, in keeping with the priorities of the Scottish Government, was launched today (Tuesday).
Doors Open Days 2008
Members of the public are being invited to take part in Doors Open Days 2008 which takes place over four weekends in September. All participants can gain free access to wide range of buildings, both old and modern in the Highlands.
Craig MacLean Leisure Centre celebrates first anniversary
To celebrate the first anniversary of the opening of the Craig MacLean Leisure Centre in Grantown on Spey, a Health and Fitness Fayre has been organised for Saturday 30th August from 11am to 3pm.
Village Development is Focus for Culloden and Ardersier Ward Forum
Village development is the theme of the next Ward Forum for Culloden and Ardersier, which will be on Tuesday 9 September at the PACE Hall, Ardersier, starting at 7.30 p.m.
What Bat is That? Nocturnal Nature Detectives Wanted In Wester Ross
Three nocturnal events have been organised by The Highland Council’s Wester Ross Ranger, Lindsey Duncan dedicated solely to finding out more about those mysterious creatures of the night, bats.
Art Workshop For Young People To Produce Creative Portraits
Young people aged between 12 and 15 years old are being invited to take part in a special workshop at Inverness Museum and Art Gallery where they will have the chance to use film and sound equipment to design creative portraits.
Exhibition Of Contemporary Hand-Made Artist’s Prints To Tour the Highlands
Highland Print Studio, in collaboration with The Highland Council’s Exhibitions Unit has put together an exhibition of contemporary artwork celebrating the diversity of work that can be created using traditional printmaking techniques.
Industrial Action
Services provided by The Highland Council have been disrupted today (Wednesday 20) by industrial action, which is part of nationwide action by Unite the Union, GMB and Unison members in respect of the National Pay Award.
Council Backs Highland RFC’s First Development Officer
The Highland Council has helped fund the appointment by Highland Rugby Club of a development officer, who will more actively grow rugby across all ages.
Latest Strike Action - Wednesday 20 August 2008
Services provided by The Highland Council will be disrupted on Wednesday 20 August as the result of industrial action, which is part of nationwide action by Unite the Union, GMB and Unison members in respect of the National Pay Award. The Council will endeavour to keep disruption to a minimum. However, a number of Council services will be affected.
Caithness Seal Workshop
Caithness Countryside Volunteers enjoyed a workshop on Seals last weekend (Sunday 17th August) held at Waterlines Heritage Centre, Lybster.
Chance To Learn About Salmon, Eels, Lamprey and other Fish of the Conon River
Do you want to learn to tell the difference between a salmon and a sea trout parr or to find out what a lamprey looks like and what it is?
One-way System Introduced at River Side, Inverness
From Monday 18 August, a traffic order comes into effect in Inverness which introduces, on a permanent basis, a one-way system at Ness Walk, Ardross Terrace and Little Kenneth Street.
Change of date for Evanton hall meeting
The date for one of the public meetings to discuss communities in Easter Ross taking over their local halls has changed. The meeting scheduled to take place at Diamond Jubilee Hall on Wednesday at 7.30pm has been changed to 7.30pm on Monday 1 September.
One Year Milestone For Ward Forums
Residents living in both the Cromarty Firth and the Tain and Easter Ross Wards are invited to attend their Ward Forums next Thursday (28 August).
Back to school with an EMA
Young people in the Highlands who have decided to stay on at Secondary school are being reminded by The Highland Council’s Education, Culture and Sport Service that it’s not too late to apply for an Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA).
Back to school slowly at Ross School
Motorists are being advised by The Highland Council that part time 20mph speed limits will come into place tomorrow (Tuesday 19th August) at Marybank Primary School when the new term starts.
Highland Council offers a taste of traditional music
A traditional music open evening and taster session for adults and children in the Inverness area will take place on Tuesday 26 August from 7pm to 8:30pm in Crown Primary School.
Free school meal for every Highland P1 pupil
To encourage the new intake of primary one pupils to eat healthy school lunches, The Highland Council’s Education, Culture and Sport Catering Service is repeating its offer of one free lunch voucher to every Primary 1 pupil in the region.
Probationer teachers welcomed in the Highlands
Councillor Bill Fernie, Chairman of The Council’s Education, Culture and Sport Committee and Hugh Fraser, Director of Education, Culture and Sport welcomed 109 probationer teachers, who will be working in Highland schools in the new session, at their induction day in Inverness last Friday 15 August.
Council objects to proposed removal of 151 Highland Payphones
The Highland Council is objecting to the removal of 151 of the 192 payphones proposed for removal in the Highlands by BT.
Strike Action – Wednesday 20 August 2008
Services provided by The Highland Council will be disrupted on Wednesday 20 August as the result of industrial action, which is part of nationwide action by Unite the Union, GMB and Unison members in respect of the National Pay Award.
Disruption at Cauldeen Primary School
Overnight flooding has caused significant damage to Cauldeen Primary School, Inverness.
Public Toilets Programme
Four Highland communities are set to benefit from the replacement of their public toilets in a phased way over the next four years.
Campaigning for a Fairer Deal on Fuel
The Highland Council is backing the re-establishment of an inter-council action group to press for a fairer fuel deal for rural communities.
Roundabout Sponsorship Agreed
Highland Councillors have approved the general principle for introducing roundabout sponsorship in Inverness within 40 mph (or lower) speed restriction zones – subject to safeguards relating to road safety and the nature of the sponsorship.
Euro Funding Bids for Lifeline Road
Bids are being made to attract £250,000 worth of European funding to upgrade three “lifeline” Highland roads.
New Session Heralds the Opening of Four New Schools
Four schools will open their doors for the first time next week as 32,163 Highland primary and secondary pupils begin the new school session.
Views sought on race equality
People in the Highlands are being asked for their views on race equality.The Highland Council is working in partnership with other local public agencies to find out if people feel they are being treated fairly or if they experience discrimination because racial grounds or their ethnic background.
Parents Advised of Possible Disruption at Highland Schools
Parents of pupils at Highland schools are being advised that industrial action proposed by trade unions representing support staff may disrupt schooling on Wednesday 20 August.
Forest felling operations at Smithton
Motorists and pedestrians in the Murray Road and Tower Road area of Smithton, Inverness are being advised that forest felling operations by Scottish Woodlands will take place next week starting on Monday 18th August.
Campaigning For Improved Communications
Members of The Highland Council's Planning, Environment and Development Committee have pledged their support to continue campaigning, in partnership with other agencies, to ensure the development of excellent digital communications throughout the Highlands.
Temporary closure of Dingwall Leisure Centre
Members of the public are being advised that Dingwall Leisure Centre will be closed to all customers from Monday 18th August and will re-open at 7am on Thursday 21st August.
Head of Internal Audit and Risk Management
The Highland Council has appointed Nigel Rose as its Head of Internal Audit and Risk Management.
Council introduces Historic Environment Record
An online database of over 50,000 historic buildings and archaeological sites across Highland was launched today (13 August) at The Highland Council’s Planning, Environment and Development Committee.
Caithness Heat and Power Appoints New Chairman
The new Board of Caithness Heat and Power Ltd - the innovative wood-fired combined heat and power enterprise at Wick - has appointed Highland Councillor David Henderson as its new Chairman.
Leader of Administration Underlines Commitment to Care Homes
The Leader of The Highland Council’s Administration, Councillor Michael Foxley, has underlined the 100% commitment of the Administration to build five new care homes.
Council offers Easter Ross halls to communities
Six communities in Easter Ross are being given the chance to take over halls currently in the ownership and operation of The Highland Council.
Council Youth Tent hailed Bella success
A Youth Tent set up at Belladrum Festival by The Highland Council has been hailed a success for the second year running.
Evening walk at Abriachan
An evening guided walk is being planned in Abriachan this weekend on Saturday 16 August from 8 -10pm when members of the public will get the chance to meet dusk and night time creatures with Highland Council’s Countryside Rangers.
Family adventure at Glenmore
An exciting, fun family adventure is being planned in Glenmore this weekend (Sunday 17 August) when members of the public can step back in time and experience how their Celtic ancestors lived.
Whale disposal completed
The Highland Council has confirmed that the carcass of a whale that beached itself at Alturie Point near Inverness was totally removed from site last night (Thursday 7 August, 2008) by 7pm.
Council plea for greater investment in Affordable Housing
The Highland Council is urging the UK and Scottish Governments to invest more on affordable housing in the Highlands.
Council to call on Scottish Government to discuss Gaelic issues
The Highland Council is to press for a meeting with Scottish Government Ministers to discuss completing bilingual signage of the trunk road network and in particular the A9. The Council will also raise concerns about the national issues of Gaelic teacher recruitment.
Managing the Pressures of the Education, Culture and Sport Budget
Members of The Highland Council’s Education, Culture and Sport committee have been assured that urgent management action is being taken to check the impact of pressures on a number of fronts in the Education, Culture and Sport revenue budget.
ECS Committee Confirms Teacher-Pupil Formula
The current formula used in Highland primary schools for allocating teachers to pupils is to be maintained to ensure fairness across the region and to ensure prudent management of budgets.
Capital programme to be reviewed by New Administration
One of the first changes of the new Highland Council Administration will be to review the capital programmes of two of its biggest spending services, and over the next few months, produce an ambitious 10-year programme.
Highland Council to design care homes in-house
Members of The Highland Council’s Housing and Social Work Committee yesterday (Wednesday 6 August) agreed to procure 5 new care homes using its own in-house design team and a traditional competitive tendering procedure.
Site for new homelessness centre to be sought by Highland Council
The Highland Council is to seek a new site within Inverness for a dedicated Housing and Health Advice Centre for the homeless which will be linked to affordable housing.
Council cracks down on tenants' gas safety checks
Highland Council house tenants could be charged £120 if they do not allow access for an annual gas service and safety check in their homes.
Scottish Qualification Results 2008 – Highland
Highland pupils have once again done well in their Scottish Qualification Authority exams.
Council Called in to Dispose of Dead Beached Whale
The Highland Council is in discussion with contractors and partner agencies to discuss the most effective and appropriate way to dispose of the carcass of a 40 ft sperm whale beached at Alturlie Point, east of Inverness.
Full steam ahead for UK's first Eco Housing Fair
The Board of the Highland Housing Fair, the UK’s first eco housing fair planned for Inverness in August 2009, has moved the event to 2010.
Tours of Inverness Town House get go-ahead
Public tours of The Highland Council’s Town House could soon be starting with a pilot programme in autumn 2008 and a wider programme of tours starting in 2009.
Decision deferred on site for Three Graces
The decision on a site for the Three Graces Statues (Faith, Hope and Charity) was deferred by members of The Highland Council’s Inverness City Committee yesterday (04 August 2008).
Scottish Government’s Cabinet Meet in Inverness
The Scottish Government’s Cabinet met today (Tuesday) in the same Inverness room where Lloyd George held his Cabinet in 1921.The historic gathering of the UK Cabinet on September 7, 1921 was convened by Prime Minister Lloyd George and resulted in the “Inverness Formula”, which paved the way for the treaty which created the Irish Free State. It remains the only Cabinet meeting of the UK Government to be held outside London.
New Provost of Inverness appointed
Highland Councillor Jimmy Gray for the Inverness Millburn Ward was today appointed (Monday 4 August 2008) as chairman of The Highland Council’s Inverness City Committee which carries the role of Provost of Inverness.
Freedom of Caithness Conferred on Prince Charles
Prince Charles, the Duke of Rothesay, said he was "flattered" after receiving the Freedom of Caithness from The Highland Council at a ceremony in Wick today (Monday).
Council Offers Accommodation Solution for HMRC in Wick
The Highland Council has offered HM Revenues and Customs in Wick a solution, which they hope will help retain 23 quality jobs in the Caithness town.
New Administration of The Highland Council
A new Administration to run The Highland Council was confirmed today (Friday 1st August, 2008).