News

A talented young pupil from Rhu Primary School has had her art work put on display at a prestigious exhibition in the Tannahill Centre in Paisley. Rosa McLeod, of primary five, was selected as a runner-up in the prestigious John Byrne National Drawing Competition, beating off stiff competition from more than 7,000 entrants.

Children and young people in Argyll and Bute are benefitting from trusting relationships and feel their voices are heard and their opinions valued. This was just one of the strengths highlighted during a recent joint inspection by the Care Inspectorate, in partnership with Education Scotland, Healthcare Improvement Scotland and HMICS. Inspectors looked at the impact Argyll and Bute’s Community Planning Partnership is having on the lives of looked after children and young people in the area, and those for whom the partnership has corporate parenting responsibilities.

  A new trial to pay for parking by debit and credit card, and contactless payment, is now available in car parks in Helensburgh and Dunoon. The new machines can be found at Helensburgh Pier Car Park and Argyll Street Car Park, Dunoon. Cash payments are still accepted. This is another step towards providing more choice and convenience when paying for parking. The suite of services includes paying by mobile and a range of parking permits, including the new weekly and monthly permits on trial in the Oban, Lorn and the Isles area.

Graham Hatton, from the council, and PC Ben Rusden, from MAKI Police, (second and far right) have been explaining to colleagues from Dumfries and Galloway how organisations in Argyll and Bute work together to tackle livestock worrying and prevent further cases happening. The methods used by our local police and council have been highlighted as a way forward for other local authority areas in Scotland.

Provost Len Scoullar gave his support at the launch of this year's Highlands and Islands Music and Dance Festival. The fetsival takes place in Oban from Friday 3 May to Sunday 5 May and tickets can be purchased at http://www.obanfestival.org/ This year the Festival celebrates its 36th anniversary and the event was celebrated in a Civic Reception hosted by Provost Scoullar in the Regent Hotel this week.

Lochgilphead’s historic town centre has been handed a £1million boost in the shape of a grant from Historic Environment Scotland (HES). The funding, part of the HES’s Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS), will see Lochgilphead benefit from similar CARS projects that have improved Campbeltown, Inveraray, Dunoon and Rothesay.

Despite budget cuts, the council works hard to maintain cemeteries and to respect the areas. We have selected to use weedkiller as strimming grass and weeds can damage memorial stones and tributes set out by families for their loved ones. While we were carrying out this work in Barone Road Cemetery, Bute, a broken piece of equipment meant that more ground was sprayed than intended.

124 bags of litter were cleared from one of Scotland’s most scenic tourist routes last week during a two day spring clean. Staff from Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority joined forced with a team from Argyll & Bute Council to tackle roadside litter head on and carry out a litter pick on the A82. Armed with litter pickers and safety gear, the group covered the busy stretch of road between Duck Bay and Luss.  Just some of the items that were cleared from the area included furry dice, underwear and, unfortunately bottles and bags filled with human waste.

Cardross Crematorium has reopened following five weeks of major refurbishment work. In what is the first major renovation work at the crematorium since it was built in the 1960s, access has been improved both externally and inside the chapel area. The route from the carpark to the chapel has been levelled to make wheelchair access easier, with no steps to navigate. Also, access for funeral directors and their staff has been improved inside the chapel area. Flooring inside the chapel has also been restored, and improved toilet facilities installed.

A new trial scheme offering weekly and monthly permits for off-street parking, at a discounted cost, starts on 1 April 2019 in the Oban, Lorn and the Isles area and will run for the next 12 months. If successful, the pilot will be rolled out across the whole of Argyll and Bute. In the meantime, parking permit arrangements throughout the rest of the area remain unchanged.