News

More than 6000 premises in the Helensburgh and Lomond area have been connected to the new hybrid fibre broadband network over the last six years thanks to the Scottish Government’s Digital Scotland Superfast Broadband programme. And 65% of those premises have taken up the service, compared to 55% elsewhere in Scotland, showing that there is a real demand for digital infrastructure here in Argyll and Bute. The majority of the 6181 premises which have been connected can access Superfast Broadband with speeds greater than 30Mbps.

The Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee has agreed its standard Winter Service Policy, which will keep Argyll and Bute moving throughout the winter of 2019/20. This is a demand-led service, dependant on the severity of the winter conditions. Council has approved an additional £500,000 to take into account previous overspends and so meet the range of tasks met as part of winter maintenance, including road gritting. The extra funding will also help improve resilience within communities during winter conditions.

Argyll and Bute Council’s Waste Strategy Consultation attracted almost 1000 responses, with 96% agreeing that ‘reduction, reuse and recycling’ is the best method of managing waste. The feedback gathered over the course of the six-week consultation has been used to develop the updated Argyll and Bute Council Draft Waste Strategy, which can be viewed online at http://bit.ly/2mcLiKU

Good practice from across the Environment Development and Infrastructure department is supporting the council’s ambitions to create a diverse and thriving economy and safer, stronger communities. A report considered by the Environment Development and Infrastructure Committee today (12 September) set out key progress achieved to date including:

When Karen Adams visited Dunoon with her colleagues she didn’t just fall in love with the area, she also fell in love with the man who was to become her future husband. Karen was working as a PE teacher in her home town of Stranraer when she went on a trip to Benmore Outdoor Centre with her fellow teachers. “The instructor was from Stranraer and his mum was part of the group I was in. We hit it off straight away and we’ve now been together for ten years, and married for six ,” she said.

A group of staff and pupils from Dunoon Grammar School participated in a national mental health conference in Glasgow last week. The event was organised by See Me – an organisation established to help end the stigma often associated with mental health – and gave young people from across Scotland the opportunity to get together and share ideas of how they have been working to combat mental health discrimination.

The council has introduced new, simple to use on-line information services which allow house holders to check their next bin collection day on the website. The Bin Collection Day Lookup on the council works equally well on PCs or mobile devices. In addition, customers who have enrolled in the council’s personalised My Account online service will automatically see their next bin collection day each time they logon.

It's no secret that local authorities across Scotland are facing difficult times recruiting teachers. That's why, over the next few weeks, we will be looking at what makes being a teacher in Argyll and Bute so special and why you should consider working with us. Take Peter Bain for example... Peter has been the head teacher at Oban High School for 11 years, but his duties recently stepped up a gear when he took on the additional responsibility of an island school.

The catchment area for St Columba’s Primary School in Oban is to be widened. The decision was made at today’s meeting of Argyll and Bute Council’s Community Services Committee, and comes as a result of a formal request made by St Columba’s Parent Council. St Columba’s is the only denominational school within 80 miles of Oban, but the current catchment area only covers Oban and Dunbeg. By expanding this, the school will now cover the same mainland catchment area as that of Oban High School.

Tha Comhairle Earra Ghàidheal is Bhòid a’ dèanamh adhartais is i a’ lìbhrigeadh a Plana Gàidhlig. Chaidh fios a chumail ri buill den Chomataidh air Seirbheisean Coimhearsnachd air an obair a rinneadh gu ruige seo leis a’ chomhairle agus a com-pàirtichean is iad a’ brosnachadh ìomhaigh na Gàidhlig agus a’ toirt ionnsachadh is cleachdadh na Gàidhlig am feabhas. Thuirt an Comhairliche Robin MacMhuirich: “Tha mise fìor thoilichte leis an adhartas a th’ ann gu ruige seo airson builean a’ Phlana Ghàidhlig againn a choileanadh.