News

There are just a few days left to register to vote and make sure you can take part in the UK Parliamentary Election on 12 December.  The deadline to register is 26 November and, if you’re not already registered but want to take part in next month’s election, you will need to take action. The same deadline of 26 November applies to anyone wishing to apply for a postal vote. You can also nominate someone else to cast your vote on your behalf – a proxy vote. There is a little more time to apply for a proxy vote – the deadline for these applications is 5pm on 4December. 

From Monday 2 December, householders and businesses on Mull and Iona will no longer have to put recyclable material into separate plastic bags before it goes into blue bins. Putting the recyclable material directly into the bins reduces the amount of single use plastic going into the waste stream. It is also more convenient for customers, by cutting down on time and effort. There is no change to the materials collected and no change to the frequency or days of collection.

The deadline for applications to this year's Argyll and Bute Youth Awards has been extended until next Saturday (30 November). If you know a young person aged between 11 and 25 who is truly inspirational, now is your chance to let them know how great they are by nominating them.

The next in the series of public consultation drop-in events is being held at the Rockfield Centre, Oban, on Thursday 28 November as part of Argyll and Bute Council’s Local Flood Risk Management Plan. Representatives from Argyll and Bute Council and flood defence experts will be at the Rockfield Centre to answer questions. The event comprises “drop-in” sessions from 12.30-3.00pm and 6.00-8.00pm. There will be presentations, followed by question and answer sessions, at 1.00pm and 6.30pm.

A small number of changes have been made to polling stations in Argyll and Bute for the forthcoming UK Parliamentary Election on 12 December. While changes like this are avoided if at all possible, timescales and other factors on this occasion mean that some changes have been necessary. In making alternative arrangements, issues like accessibility have, as always, been very carefully considered and every step taken to minimise as far as possible any impact on voters.

Argyll and Bute Council’s annual Early Years Conference in Dunoon has been hailed a roaring success. ‘We Are Connected, Curious and Creative!’ was the theme of this year’s event, and delegates travelled from throughout Scotland to attend.

Argyll and Bute Council is urging people only to buy salmon from a reputable source. Twenty tonnes of salmon has gone missing following an accident on the A82 near the Bridge of Orchy where a lorry overturned. This salmon may have entered the food supply chain. It is potentially unsafe to eat and should not be consumed. At the time of the accident the salmon was head on and gutted and of various sizes. It had not undergone processing. There is a possibility it is has been contaminated and may not have been subject to the required chilled conditions.

People across Argyll and Bute are being urged to make sure they register to vote in next month’s UK Parliamentary Election, before the 26 November deadline. Voters in Argyll and Bute will join others from across the country on Thursday 12December to elect one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent the Argyll and Bute UK Parliamentary Constituency at Westminster. 

A £200,000 renovation of Inveraray’s Category A-listed Avenue Screen has been completed. Scaffolding, which was first erected at the site in January, has been removed and the finishing touches have been made to the work, which saw the Avenue Screen’s cement render removed and replaced with traditional lime render. Work was also carried out on the famous archway’s gates.

Councillors have approved a potential total grant of £847,507 for repairs to three tenement buildings in Dunoon’s town centre Conservation Area. Bute and Cowal Area Committee recently approved grants for repairs to properties on Argyll Street as part of the Dunoon Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS). The grants will help fund the comprehensive repair of the three large buildings, which are in significant need of repair. The work will safeguard these three prominent, historic properties and enhance the look and feel of Dunoon’s main shopping street.