¹ú²úÊÓƵ

Delivering medical equipment, transporting patients to hospital, transferring school pupils and welcoming tourists are just some of the critical roles air services play across Argyll and Bute. ¹ú²úÊÓƵ operates the West Coast Air Service linking Coll, Colonsay, Tiree and Islay to Oban. A new consultation is asking communities and businesses to help shape the future of this service ahead of awarding a new contract.

Residents and visitors will soon be able to enjoy new and improved facilities as the £1.5 million transformation of Lochgilphead’s Front Green nears completion. ¹ú²úÊÓƵ is leading the transformation project that includes a new public square, a long held community aspiration. The square will be available to hold public events. One of the first events is likely to be the community organised Lochgilphead Celtic and Pictish Festival. Children don’t have long to wait to try out the new play park. There is a range of new equipment to play on, including:

A community orchestra, youth café and LEGO club are just some of the projects to benefit from this year’s ¹ú²úÊÓƵ’s Supporting Communities Fund. The fund is available to a range of community organisations including voluntary, charities and social enterprises. In total £90,000 of funding will benefit 47 projects, delivering vital support and activities in their communities.

¹ú²úÊÓƵ’s ongoing work to develop nurturing cultures across its school communities has been highlighted in Education Scotland’s National Health and Wellbeing Review. The review was carried out by HM Inspectors and explores a range of approaches taken by local authorities to support the health and wellbeing of their young people, including â€˜Our Children, their Nurturing Education’ – a strategy created by ¹ú²úÊÓƵ’s education service to ensure children and young people have the emotional and psychological support they need.

Hermitage Academy has received gold accreditation from Investors in People, making it the first school in Scotland to gain national recognition at bronze, silver and gold levels. Investors in People is an international accreditation awarded to organisations that demonstrate a commitment to their employees, and to creating a great workplace experience for everyone. Assessors from Investors in People carried out a visit to Hermitage in January this year and praised the school’s continued commitment to engage and develop its young workforce.

Lismore residents today welcomed the arrival of a new passenger ferry. The Lady of Lismore arrived at Port Appin after a journey of 302 nautical miles from Pembrokeshire. ¹ú²úÊÓƵ awarded the £500,000 contract, funded by Transport Scotland to Mainstay Marine Solutions.

The full list of candidates standing for election to ¹ú²úÊÓƵ has now been published. The Notice of Poll for the Scottish Local Government Elections on 5th May 2022 can be found on the council’s website. In Argyll and Bute, people will elect 36 councillors to represent the area’s 11 council wards.

Local communities should be involved in putting excess council resources to good use – this is the key recommendation from an investigation into why materials including Gaelic books were put in a skip during the clearance of a council office. Findings from the investigation found that resources from the Council’s Education Office in Oban had in many cases been re-distributed across council services. Reasons for there being exceptions to this include: -          The council has moved to using on-line Gaelic dictionaries so requires fewer paper versions

¹ú²úÊÓƵ's Empty Homes Team has picked up the highly sought after ‘Outstanding Team Award’ at this year’s Scottish Empty Homes Awards. The awards recognise and celebrate the outstanding work and achievements of individuals and organisations in reviving empty homes across Scotland. The Council has enjoyed previous success at the awards and had five entries shortlisted as finalists this year, including two out of the three finalists in the Best before/after and Best Old Wreck categories.

¹ú²úÊÓƵ’s Local Housing Strategy (LHS) has been formally launched following approval by the Scottish Government. The strategy outlines the Council’s vision and investment priorities for the area’s housing sector over the next five years, and received praise from the Scottish Government for demonstrating extensive engagement with a wide range of communities, community groups, and stakeholders.