ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº

Education Scotland has endorsed a professional teacher programme that was created by a team of education staff from ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº Council. Jay Helbert, head teacher at Inveraray Primary, worked with colleagues to create a unique programme to support teachers in developing their own teaching practice through exploring their current methods and results, analysing literature and looking at good practice in other settings. This enables them to then create a personal and departmental action plan for improvement.

ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº residents have the opportunity to make their homes warmer, more energy efficient and so save money, thanks to the Scottish Government’s Energy Efficient Scotland: Area Based Scheme. The Scottish Government has awarded ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº Council £1,673,832 to help residents make energy efficiency improvements to their properties. These include external/internal wall insulation, underfloor insulation, cavity wall insulation and loft insulation. The programme is available to:

Letter from NHS Highland Health Protection Team Dear Parents at Hermitage Academy,  The NHS Highland Health Protection Team (HPT) has been advised that there have been 2 confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection in pupils at Hermitage Academy school. One pupil is in S2 and the other in S4. The 2 affected pupils were last in school on Friday 28th August. 

The council’s Planning Service is focused on ensuring that ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº is open for business and supporting economic growth by offering the high-quality service demanded by business and residential customers. That’s the message the service gave to the Scottish Government when it presented its 2019-2020 Planning Performance Framework (PPF) Annual Report for scrutiny and scoring.

A new procurement initiative from ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº Council is set to benefit communities looking for help with projects in their local area. The new process enables contractors and suppliers appointed by the council to choose from a list of proposed community benefits, that community groups have identified, as part of the tender.

Education staff, pupils and parents across ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº were today praised for their commitment and ability to adapt to change during lockdown, when the council’s Community Services Committee approved the annual Education Plan for 2020/21. Prepared in line with the requirements of the Standards in Scotland’s Schools etc. Act 2000, the plan brings together a range of information about the work of the service for parents, pupils, staff, carers and communities.

Owners are being urged to register their fishing vessels as food businesses, and have them inspected by ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº Council, before 31 December 2020 so they can continue to export to the EU post Brexit. If vessel owners fail to meet this requirement, they will not be permitted to export their catch, either directly or indirectly, to the EU from 1 January 2021. This is becoming urgent, because of the 200 fishing vessels in ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº, less than half have registered as food businesses to date.

Specialist contractors are on site and work is well underway on the £200,000 project to upgrade the lighting, including additional performance lighting, around Dunoon bandstand. With completion just a few weeks away, ducts are in place and the lighting columns and cabling will installed by the end of this week. The next step will be to put finishing touches to the blockwork paving, including power washing and spraying for weeds. Work on the colour-selectable lighting for Castle Gardens will start on 31 August.

Following pressure from communities and ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº Council, Scottish Government has committed to finding a permanent solution for the Rest and Be Thankful. This step in the right direction is welcomed and the council urges further commitment to the urgent delivery of a solution. Michael Matheson MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity, made the announcement at the A83 Taskforce group today, convened at the request of the council, with cross party support from local parliamentarians.

Positive progress has been made in achieving a number of the outcomes set out in the 2017-2020 ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº Children and Young People’s Service Plan (CYPSP). At today’s meeting of ÄÛ²ÝÓ°Ôº Council’s Community Services Committee, members approved the third annual review of the plan, and were updated on the good practice to date.