Guidance on Bilingual Signs
The Highland Council is to produce guidelines on the implementation of its policy on Gaelic/English signs as contained in its Gaelic Language Plan.
Temporary Closure Along Part of Harbour Road
To allow Network Rail to carry out essential maintenance at Millburn Level Crossing in Inverness, The Highland Council is advising drivers that part of Harbour Road will be closed to traffic this weekend.
Refurbishment Work to Start At Telford Centre, Fort Augustus
A refurbishment of the Telford Centre in Fort Augustus is due to start next week. The £1.1m project will see the upgrading of the residential accommodation and improved facilities for everyone who uses the centre.
City Sewer Collapse Update
The Highland Council has taken action to assess the extent of the problem caused by the collapse of a sewer buried under Market Lane in Inverness.
Working Together To Improve City Bus Services
A very constructive and positive meeting between members of The Highland Council's Inverness City Committee and representatives from Stagecoach Bluebird took place on Monday at the Town House.
Council delight at reprieve for 151 Highland Payphones
The Highland Council is delighted that BT has reponded to Council and community objections and retained 151 payphones proposed for removal in the Highlands.
Rural Kerbside Recycling – Wheelie Bin Roll Out begins in Caithness
Over the next few weeks residents in rural Caithness can expect to take delivery of a new blue-lidded wheelie bin for their recycling waste.
Exhibition with a difference for Inverness
Inverness Museum and Art Gallery and "Random Acts of Writing" (RAW) magazine present an art exhibition with a difference during November.
Images of China To Tour Highland Galleries
An exhibition of photographs taken in China by Eve Arnold is about to start touring the Highlands.
Planned strike action affecting School Bus Transport cancelled
The Highland Council has just been advised that the planned Stagecoach Bluebird strike scheduled to take place tomorrow (Thursday 30) has been cancelled so all school bus transport will operate as normal.
Outcome of Credit Crunch Seminar
The seminar held today in Inverness on tackling the Highland housing crisis during the credit crunch brought together key players from all sectors with an interest in Highland housing issues.
Promoting Careers in Health to Highland Pupils
A two day convention promoting careers in health for young people takes place this week in Inverness and over 200 S4 pupils from across the Highlands are expected to come along to find more out about working in medicine and other health professions.
HMie Report on Roy Bridge Primary School
Roy Bridge Primary School was inspected in June 2008 as part of a national sample of primary and nursery education.
Bellfield Park play equipment go ahead
Members of The Highland Council’s Inverness City Committee have agreed to spend £120,000 on updating the play equipment at Bellfield Park, Inverness, and work will begin immediately.
Council completes speed reduction measures at Skye Schools
From Monday 3rd November, part-time 20 mph speed limits will come into operation for children’s’ safety at Kilmuir, Knockbreck and Staffin Primary Schools.
Charities to Benefit from Winter Festival Advent Calendar
24 charities operating in the Inverness area are each to receive £100 from the first Winter Festival to be held in Inverness, through the introduction of a giant advent calendar, which will be projected on to the walls of the Inverness Museum and Art Gallery.
Inverness Leisure Update
James Martin, General Manager at Inverness Leisure said, “Works in relation to re-opening the facilities are now well underway and I am pleased to say that we are now starting to see some real progress.
Top Public Conveniences in the Highlands
The Highland Council has been singled out for praise by the Westminster Local Government Committee because of the high quality of its 135 public toilets.
Convener Welcomes Prison Investment in the Highlands
The Highland Council Convener Councillor Sandy Park has welcomed the proposed investment by the Scottish Prison Service in the Highlands, by replacing Porterfield Prison, Inverness.
Temporary Closure of Great Glen Way section
The Forestry Commission Scotland has been working closely with Great Glen Way, Transport Scotland, TranServ, The Highland Council, and local community groups and other stakeholders to undertake timber harvesting along the north side of Loch Ness.
Library Survey
The public is being asked to help The Highland Council improve its library service.
Stimulating the housing market
The Highland Council is holding a Credit Crunch seminar next week to see what can be done to stimulate the housing market locally and ensure that the Council meets its target for the provision of new private and affordable housing.
Food for Thought at Council Conference
The Highland Council is hosting a conference next month which aims to support and promote the wider use of local food, products and services.
Big Hearted Highland Businesses Are Warned About School Scams
The Highland Council is warning Highland businesses not to be duped after complaints that several companies have received bogus high pressure sales telephone calls requesting them to sponsor leaflets, booklets and other materials for their local schools.
Economic developments at Kinlochbervie Harbour
A £120,500 plan to develop a new pontoon system at Kinlochbervie Harbour is to go ahead following funding approval from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) and Highland Council.
ASDA Inquiry Postponed
A planning inquiry into the joint planning application by Asda Stores Ltd and Elphinstone Ltd for a retail store at Slackbuie, Inverness, was postponed shortly after it opened at Inshes Church, Inverness today (Monday) at the request of the applicants.
‘Ri Chèile’ Event In Inverness
Two weeks ago a group of Gaelic speaking teenagers visited the Town House, Inverness as part of the annual international Fòram Cainte ‘Ri Cheile’ organised by Comunn na Gàidhlig in Scotland and Gael Linn in Ireland.
Highland Junior Golf Championships at Spey Valley
A total of 60 young golfers took part in the sixth Highland Junior Golf Championships held at Spey Valley Golf Course, Aviemore, on Thursday 16 October.
Highland Archaeology Festival Ends With ‘Whats New In Highland Archaeology’ Conference
Highland Archaeology Festival will end with a flourish this weekend (18th & 19th October) with a two day conference entitled ’What’s New in Highland Archaeology’ at the Waterside Hotel, Ness Walk, Inverness.
Gaelic Chairman Welcomes Strengthening of Nova Scotian Links
A commitment by the Nova Scotia Government to continue and strengthen its formal arrangement with The Highland Council has been welcomed by Councillor Hamish Fraser, Chairman of the Council’s Gaelic Committee.
Community Transport Fund - Applications Sought
The Highland Council is inviting applications from voluntary groups to operate community transport projects.
School Meals for Primary 1-3
The Highland Council wishes to work with the Scottish Government to ensure that free school meals for pupils in Primary 1 -3 can be introduced from August 2010.
Temporary Closure of Glenurquhart Community Library and Craigmonie Centre
Due to electrical works being carried out in Glenurquhart High School, the Community Library and Craigmonie Centre will close tonight (Tuesday 14 October) at 6pm and will remain closed all day on Wednesday 15th October.
Road widening works on Telford Street update
Road widening works relating to the new ALDI store on Telford Street, Inverness will continue beyond the initial programmed construction period of 3 weeks.
Highland Council and Tesco Extra provide help for the homeless
People attending The Highland Council’s Homeless Day Centre at Waterloo Place, Inverness have been receiving help from a money management course co-ordinated by the Council and supported by Tesco.
Council puts the brakes on traffic speed around 3 more schools
Motorists are being advised that The Highland Council has introduced reduced speed limits around three more Highland schools.
Time Travel Fortnight At Inverness Museum and Art Gallery
This October break something exciting is happening at the museum in the heart of Inverness. Neolithic music, Redcoats and Jacobites are only some of the things waiting to be discovered by young visitors and their families.
Update of progress to re-open the Aquadome in Inverness
Following on from the fire which occurred in one of the plant rooms at Inverness Leisure on 13th September 2008, James Martin, General Manager at Inverness Leisure commented, “Works in relation to re-opening the pools are now well underway.
Bringing it all together – the Highland Wiki Competition
The Highland Council is seeking help from the public to create the name for a proposed new Highland WIKI – an interactive database of Highland-based groups, clubs and societies. Driven by Highland Libraries in partnership with the voluntary sector, the WIKI will provide a Highland-wide resource for community information.
New Kerbside Recycling Collections for Rural Areas in Caithness
The Highland Council has invested in a new vehicle and crew to expand the recycling routes in the far north. Caithness will be the first area in the Highlands to receive the Council’s new kerbside recycling collection for rural areas.
A9 Longman Roundabout Resurfacing
Scotland TranServ are advising motorists of a disruption to traffic movement which is necessary to allow them to resurface the A 9 Longman Roundabout, Inverness. The works will commence on Monday 20 October and continue for four nights, between 8 pm – 6 am.
Fire Damages Hall at Inverness High School
Inverness High School will remain closed today (Thursday) and tomorrow (Friday) as the result of a fire which badly damaged the main hall of the school.
Inverness school rewarded for international excellence
Cauldeen Primary School, Inverness, has won a prestigious International School Award for its outstanding work in bringing the wider world into the classroom.
Council and Constabulary clamp down on unlicensed tattooists
The Highland Council’s Environmental Health Service and Northern Constabulary have launched an investigation into unlicensed tattooists working within the area and the tattooing of young people under the age of eighteen.
Brora Environmental Improvements
The Highland Council’s Planning and Development Service are working with community representatives in Brora on developing improvements to the streetscape in the vicinity of Fountain Square and Gower Street.
Books are the Booty! Highland Libraries prepare for a swashbuckling National Bookstart Day!
Pre-school children, parents and carers are being invited to take part in National Bookstart Day on Friday (10 October) at a range of pirate-themed events in Highland Libraries.
Highland pupils take up Lake Malawi rowing challenge
Pupils at a West Coast high school will be taking part in the Row Lake Malawi challenge this Friday (10 October).
Road widening works on Telford Street
Road widening works relating to the new ALDI store on Telford Street, Inverness will continue beyond the initial programmed construction period of 3 weeks.
Big Draw Workshops at Highland Museums
Myths, legends, crofting, fishing and early school years are just some of the themes which will inspire workshops in Gairloch and Strathpeffer during the October holidays. Children and families will have the chance to take a closer look at the collections of Gairloch Heritage Museum and the Highland Museum of Childhood as part of a Big Book project developed to celebrate the Big Draw, the National Campaign for Drawing.
Inverness Car Boot Sale Suspended
Charity car boot sales, held on Sundays at The Highland Council car park at Glenurquhart Road, Inverness, are being suspended with immediate effect.
Highland Archaeology Fortnight: Slochd to Sluggan guided walk with Council Ranger
The Highland Council’s Countryside Rangers will be leading a guided walk on Tuesday (14th October 2008) along one of General Wade’s roads from the Slochd to Carrbridge via Sluggan Bridge from 10.30am till 3pm.
Working together to benefit the Highlands and Islands
The Highlands and Islands Convention was welcomed to Inverness today (Monday) by Councillor Sandy Park, Convener of The Highland Council, who stressed the importance of working together with the Scottish Government to deliver good quality services to local communities and sustain and enable communities in the Highlands and Islands to flourish.
Funding needed to pay for free school meals for P 1-3 pupils
The Highland Council estimates that the provision of free school meals to all Primary 1 -3 pupils from August 2010 will cost more than £2 million per year.
Formal Opening of Drummuie, Golspie
The Highland Council’s new flagship offices for East Sutherland will be formally opened tomorrow (Friday) – 104 years to the day after Sutherland Technical School opened its doors to its first residential students.
Benefit backdate rules to change
People who may be entitled to a range of benefits are being reminded that rules about getting backdated benefit are set to change from Monday (6 October), with the maximum period for back payment reducing from a full year to just three months for pensioners and to six months for working age claimants.
Turning City Centre Eyesore into "Crowning Glory"
An unusual challenge has been thrown open to the public this week as part of the Inverness Old Town Art and City Centre Streetcape projects. The invitation is for inspiring ideas to turn the Crown Road Wall (below Stephen’s Brae) from an eyesore into a “crowning glory”.
Highland Trading Standards welcome new doorstep selling rules
Cooling off periods and cancellation rights have been simplified for doorstep selling rules by new legislation which takes effect from 1st October 2008.
The 2009 Neil Gunn Writing Competition is Launched
Highland school children and adults from across the Highlands and beyond are being asked to get creative and put pen to paper for the launch of the 2009 Neil Gunn Writing Competiton.