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Information issued by NHS Highland 17 June 2021  Following our communication on the 16 June, there has been a further increase in cases of COVID-19 across Argyll and Bute with 32 cases identified since yesterday. Multiple schools have been affected and businesses have had to close.

Information from NHS Highland

Oban Airport is now providing AVGAS fuel via a self-fuel station located at the south side of the Main Apron. The current price is £1.81 per litre, including VAT. Pilots can pay at the external card reader next to the pump. Any updates on the price of fuel will be posted on the Airport’s website, Home - Oban & The Isles Airports (obanandtheislesairports.com), and social media.

The council has commissioned a flood study for Rothesay to further investigate and understand the flood risks. The study will include a review of the existing flood protection scheme, which will investigate how water seeps and pools behind the seawall. There will also be consultation with Scottish Water about how their local systems operate. We will also be looking at how local properties can withstand flooding incidents. From 21 June, we have commissioned consultants, Aspect, to carry out a topographical survey which will include checking property threshold levels.

Plans to refurbish Salen and Port Charlotte Primary Schools are moving ahead, with the contract for the works being awarded to two Argyll and Bute companies. TSL has been awarded the contract for the £1.3million project at Salen Primary on Mull, while MacLeod Construction Ltd will undertake the £450,000 project at Port Charlotte Primary on Islay.

Boundaries Scotland has submitted its final proposals, for councillor numbers and wards for Argyll and Bute, to the Scottish Parliament for agreement. You can read more on its website: 2019 Reviews of Electoral Arrangements | Scottish Boundary Commission (boundaries.scot)      

School attendance and exclusion rates among Care Experienced Children and Young People have fallen over the last 12 months, as a result of a number measures put into place by Argyll and Bute Council. The council was awarded a grant of £122,400 from the Scottish Attainment Challenge Care Experienced Children and Young People Fund 2020/21, to help increase flexible approaches to learning in schools and create a better understanding of the impact of trauma amongst staff.

Child poverty in Argyll and Bute is slowly falling according to new Scottish Government figures. At a meeting of Argyll and Bute Council’s Community Services Committee, members were presented with the second annual review of Argyll and Bute’s Child Poverty Action Plan for 2020/21, which showed that 3,000 children and young people in Argyll and Bute were experiencing child poverty in 2019/20 compared with 3,056 in 2018/19.

Teachers and social work staff in Argyll and Bute have been undergoing training to become more trauma aware in order to help support children and young people affected by adversity and traumatic experiences. Argyll and Bute Council is one of just three local authorities selected by the Scottish Government to take part in the pilot trauma training programme.

Argyll and Bute Council proposes an extensive programme of community engagement to discuss and develop innovative ways to ensure sustainable management of rural schools. Schools in Argyll and Bute face a unique set of challenges, including rural settings, declining populations, and competition for resources. But the region’s schools also enjoy a unique set of advantages, being leaders in digital access, outdoor learning, and engagement with their individual school communities.