ÓûÂþɬ

New figures published by Skills Development Scotland show that 93.9% of young people in ÓûÂþɬ are currently in education, employment or training, putting the area in 5th place out of all 32 Scottish local authorities. The Annual Participation Measure reports on the economic and employment activity of 16-19 year olds in Scotland and is the source of the Scottish Government’s National Performance indicator. This year’s figures show a 0.4% rise in ÓûÂþɬ compared with 2021 and a jump from 10th to 5th in the national table.

Did you know you can vote in council elections if you’re 16 or over? There is an opportunity to have your say in who represents your community with a council by-election in the Kintyre and the Islands ward, where there is a vacancy for one councillor to sit on ÓûÂþɬ Council. Six candidates are standing for election - they are listed below in alphabetical order by surname:

Replacing street lights and columns is part of an ongoing commitment to reduce carbon emissions, improve efficiency and create a climate friendly ÓûÂþɬ. Work is underway to upgrade lighting columns and street lights as part of a £740,000 Street Lighting Improvement programme. At the same time, work to replace standard bulbs with low energy LED lights will complete across Oban, Lorn and the Isles, as part of a £3.9 million LED Replacement Luminaires programme.

Work is progressing to deliver a £15.5 million programme of investment for ÓûÂþɬ Council’s ports and harbours in 2022/23.A report to today’s meeting of the Harbour Board provides an update on these infrastructure and passenger-service improvement initiatives. The council runs 39 ports and harbours. Its Asset Management Plan covers a rolling 10 year period, and includes initiatives in progress as well as projects in development.

11,000 tonnes of salt, 31 frontline vehicles and a dedicated team monitoring winter conditions – all part of the council’s 2022/23 winter plan to keep ÓûÂþɬ moving. The £2.12 million plan will help keep 750 miles of priority routes open for business and treat footpaths where there is heavy snow or persistent freezing conditions. It outlines priorities and resources required throughout the winter months through to spring. Councillor Andrew Kain, Policy Lead for Roads and Transport:

Ongoing regeneration across ÓûÂþɬ is helping to attract more people and jobs and make towns and villages more attractive places to live, work and visit. ÓûÂþɬ Council is delivering a programme of investment across 18 large-scale projects worth £35 million to the area. The council is committing over £5 million and working with partner organisations and external funders to lead on a range of projects to deliver community benefits and help attract further investment.  Projects include:

Ulva Primary School has received gold accreditation in UNICEF UK’s Rights Respecting School programme. UNICEF is the world’s leading organisation working for children and their rights. The Rights Respecting Schools Award is presented to schools that show commitment to promoting and realising children’s’ rights and encouraging adults, children and young people to respect the rights of others in school. Assessors visited the school, where they spoke with staff and pupils and highlighted the following strengths:

Do you want to make sure your community’s voice is heard where and when it matters? If you care about your community and want to get more involved in local life, why not consider standing for election to your local Community Council? Community Council elections will take place across ÓûÂþɬ in October 2022. Taking part in these elections - whether as a voter or a candidate - gives you opportunities to have your say in local representation and community life.

Six candidates are standing for election to represent the Kintyre and the Islands ward on ÓûÂþɬ Council. The Notice of Poll (the list of election candidates) has now been published and can be found, along with a list of polling stations within the ward, on the council’s website at Notice of poll and situation of polling stations By Election 29 Sept 22 (argyll-bute.gov.uk)

A further ten schools in ÓûÂþɬ have achieved accreditation for their achievements in developing nurturing cultures in their school communities, bringing the total number of accredited schools in the area to 18. The accreditation is part of the Council’s, ‘Our Children, Their Nurturing Education (OCTNE) Strategy’, and aims to ensure that children and young people have the emotional support they need to thrive.