News

Rapid coronavirus (COVID-19) testing is available now in Helensburgh for people without symptoms.  The community testing initiative aims to drive down local COVID-19 rates and transmission by identifying positive cases more quickly, as people can spread the virus to others before symptoms appear. Residents who don’t have any of the three COVID symptoms (a new continuous cough, temperature, loss or change in sense of taste or smell) are encouraged to get tested.

“Argyll and Bute Council will join the National Day of Reflection on March 23 to mark the anniversary of the start of the Covid-19 lockdown. As a mark of respect to all those who have lost their lives, the council will light up buildings in the area and join the minutes silence at midday.

Argyll and Bute Council can advise that following discussion with CalMac Ferries, re-surfacing works planned for last year at Port Askaig will now take place from Monday 19 to Wednesday 28 April. This  means there will be changes to the CalMac ferry timetable, to and from Islay.The work, which will be carried out in-house by Argyll and Bute Council, was postponed last year because of COVID-19 restrictions. The areas being resurfaced include the marshalling area, through lanes and exit lane.

The results are now in for the two by elections held on 18 March.  In Ward 8 – Isle of Bute, Liz McCabe (Independent) was elected at Stage 5, by single transferrable vote. The percentage poll was 42.4%.   In Ward 11 – Helensburgh and Lomond South, Gemma Penfold (Scottish Conservative and Unionist) was elected at Stage 1, by single transferrable vote. The percentage poll was 41.8%. Full results for Ward 8 - Isle of Bute

Issued by Historic Environment Scotland   Four historic communities across Scotland will benefit from a combined investment of £4,502,575, Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has announced today (Wednesday 17 March).   The funding, awarded as part of the Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS), will be shared between four Conservation Areas to help them regenerate and attract further investment in the future: £762,101 will be invested in Dumfries; £1,113,949 in Dunbar; £1,240,000 in Helensburgh; and £1,386,525 in Stirling.  

Parents and staff from schools on Mull and Iona teamed together to put a smile on the faces of every child and young person on the islands after a difficult year. Led by Dervaig Primary School’s Parent Council, the group received £5,000 from the Mull Waterfall Fund to do something special for every young person in the area, from new born babies to school leavers – a total of 529 people.

The Scottish Parliamentary Election takes place on Thursday 6th May 2021. Everyone in Scotland is represented by eight Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) - one constituency MSP and seven MSPs for the larger region in which they live. For voters living in the Argyll and Bute constituency, this means they will be asked to elect one Constituency MSP and one Regional MSP for the Argyll and Bute area within the Highlands and Islands Region.

Polling stations are safe places to vote and while there are options like postal or proxy votes, some people will still prefer to cast their vote in person. People will see some changes at polling stations – all designed to ensure that voters can comply with Covid-19 restrictions like social distancing. There may be separate doors to enter and leave the polling place, and a one-way system marked out to follow once inside.

Argyll and Bute Council has made significant progress in recruiting and delivering a counselling service for children and young people in the area. The council was awarded £286,000 through the Scottish Government’s 10 year Mental Health Strategy to provide the service over the last 12 months, and a further £377,000 has been allocated for each of the next three years.

Argyll and Bute Council is committed to ensuring that the rights of children and their families continue to be heard. At a meeting of today’s Community Services Committee, members heard about the work already carried out by the council over the last three years to give children and young people a voice, and its plans to expand this. During the last three years, Argyll and Bute Council has: