News

Councillor Aileen Morton, Leader of Argyll and Bute Council:   "We share the frustration of our communities and businesses that yet again the Rest is closed along with the Old Military Road. The Scottish Government has committed to finding a permanent solution to this ongoing issue but what is needed now is a date for that permanent solution to start.  

Letter for parents of pupils of Kilcreggan Primary School from NHS Highland's Health Protection Team   Dear Parents at Kilcreggan Primary School,   The NHS Highland Health Protection Team (HPT) have been advised that there has been a confirmed case of COVID-19 in one of the staff at the school.  

This is the message from Argyll and Bute Council to visitors following a rise in campers and touring motorhomes to the area.

The council has again made a successful application for grant funding to upgrade roads used for timber extraction, this year receiving £1.227M from the Scottish Timber Transport Scheme (STTS). This was reported to members of the Environment, Development and Infrastructure (EDI) Committee at today’s meeting (Thursday 10 September).

Members of the Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee on Thursday (10 September) approved the 2020-2021 Winter Service Policy which sets out priorities for treatment and pre-treating routes ahead of winter hazards. Winter stand-by arrangements operate from Friday 30 October 2020 until Friday 16 April 2021. The programme is similar to previous years with the inclusion of additional guidelines for using vehicles safely, to protect against COVID infection.

Now businesses are back at work, procurement is underway for two multi-purpose vehicles that can clear out drainage channels during wet weather, and act as back up for breakdowns or in extreme snowy weather in the winter. As there are already two such vehicles in the fleet, the two new vehicles, once purchased, will mean there will be one sited in each of Argyll and Bute’s four areas. A programme of channel cleaning can then be set up and delivered over the year, mitigating weather-related damage and climate change.

People living in the Burgh of Oban are being invited to apply for funding from the town’s John of Lorn Bequest. When John McDougall, MRCVS passed away in 1947, he bequeathed money to what was then known as Oban Town Council. This money was to be used to benefit poor people living in the area, and was to be distributed in whichever manner the town council deemed best.

The impact that COVID-19 has had on the council’s carbon emissions includes a 90% reduction in business mileage as non-essential travel was suspended, an estimated 8% drop in annual fuel and water/waste water costs for buildings, and a higher spend locally through a new procurement quick quote scheme. This was reported to the Climate Change Environmental Action Group this week as part of a paper on the effects of COVID-19 on climate change.

Letter from NHS Highland to parents of pupils at Lochgilphead Joint Campus  Dear Parents of pupils at Lochgilphead Joint Campus,     The NHS Highland Health Protection Team (HPT) has been advised today that there has been 1 more confirmed case of COVID-19 at the school in an S5 pupil. This makes a total of 2 confirmed cases.  

In the run up to this year’s virtual Doors Open Days in Argyll and Bute, a free webinar will be held on 13th September aimed at tenement property owners who are looking for advice on any topic relating to maintaining their property. The webinar includes a live Q&A where audience members can ask a panel of experts about any repair problems.