News

Argyll and Bute Council has been ranked the number one UK local authority for high performance and low cost of our Information and Communication Technology (ICT) service. The 2019 Socitm Benchmarking Report reveals Argyll and Bute Council ranked third best for ICT performance with the third lowest cost. Combined, those results put us at number one against 104 other councils in Britain. Socitm is the Society of Information Technology Management, a professional body for digital and IT leaders who deliver services for public benefit.

It's week four of the council's A to Z of services and today we're looking at... P is for Planning Fiona Scott is a Planning Officer based in Oban. Her job involves handling planning applications and engaging with development proposals all the way from the initial idea to completion.

Q is for Qualifications Earlier on in our A to Z of council services, we told you about ‘Growing Our Own’ – a scheme aimed at giving people opportunities to build rewarding careers with the council. With this in mind, we thought we’d use the letter Q to focus on Qualifications. Meet Rhian McCuaig. Rhian works as a Digital Marketing Apprentice with the council’s Communications Team and has just passed her year-long Digital Communication apprenticeship in less than 7 months!

Parents in Argyll and Bute are being invited to find out whether or not they are eligible for help towards the cost of their children’s school uniform and free school meals. Since 2015, all pupils in primaries one to three are entitled to a free school meal, however, children in primary four and above need to pay unless their parents meet the criteria set out by the Scottish Government.

Following the announcement by Boris Johnson of growth deal funding for Argyll and Bute, Leader of Argyll and Bute Council, Councillor Aileen Morton said: “We have worked hard to develop and promote a rural growth deal that will transform Argyll and Bute’s natural resources into long term success for the area, and into drivers for growth in the UK and Scottish economies. "We are ambitious for Argyll and Bute, and we have strong local backing for this deal.

Oban Airport is owned by Argyll and Bute Council and is a vital social and business hub for the area. The airport offers scheduled flights to Coll, Tiree, Colonsay and Islay, and enables island pupils attending Oban High to access a fast and efficient mode of transport to and from school. The airport serves around 3,000 passengers each year and, in addition to scheduled flights, is a popular destination for private pilots and charter flights alike.

The council has responsibility for a variety of marine services across Argyll and Bute, including seven main piers and harbours. Vicki McKenzie is the harbour master at Oban North Pier and pontoons. Talking about her role, Vicki said: “I love the variety that my job offers. The North Pier and pontoons are really busy throughout the year, with both commercial and leisure traffic. We see a lot of cruise ships coming in too, as well as a lot of large commercial vessels.

The council’s Regulatory Services team sometimes receives complaints about neighbourhood noise. This can be anything from dogs barking and frequent late night parties, to noise from pubs and televisions turned up too loud.

The biggest single social housing development in Argyll and Bute for decades was given the thumbs up by the Housing Minister this week. Kevin Stewart MSP, Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning, visited Dunbeg to see the completed Kirk Road and Dunbeg phase 3 development that is under construction. He met with council officers, elected members, and housing association and contractor representatives.

Subsidised air services from Oban to Coll, Colonsay and Tiree have been secured for the next four years after Argyll and Bute Council awarded a new contract to Hebridean Air. It follows the announcement in May that an agreement had been reached with Hebridean Air Services Limited to continue to operate the flights on a temporary basis, while the council carried out a procurement process for a new four-year contract.