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Argyll and Bute Council has set a budget that freezes council tax in 2021/22 and invests millions in helping local people, businesses and the area as a whole to move on from the impact of covid-19. Council Leader, Councillor Robin Currie said: “We are investing nearly £6.8 million to help Argyll and Bute keep going and keep growing. This budget takes on the unprecedented day-to-day and longer term challenges of living through a worldwide pandemic.

Car parking and new visitor facilities on Mull, and a new road on Kerrera will benefit from a share of £600,000 announced by Argyll and Bute Council. This investment comes from the council’s share of Scottish Crown Estate funding, intended to deliver benefits for coastal communities based on four key priorities: the environment, community, climate change and economic development. Councillor Rory Colville, Policy Lead for Roads and Infrastructure said:

There’s just a few days left to register to vote for people living in the Isle of Bute or Helensburgh and Lomond South council wards, where by-elections will take place on 18 March. It’s never too early to register to vote, but the deadline for these local elections is Tuesday 2 March – so, if you want to have your say in who represents your community, it’s worth taking a few minutes to make sure you can take part.

  The fund is open to any small businesses and the self-employed based in Argyll and Bute who have suffered from the impacts of the pandemic and who have been ineligible for any COVID-19 related business support funds launched since 1 October 2020.   Applicants must:

Campbeltown has won Scotland’s most improved place in the 2020 SURF Awards. The award recognises best practice in community regeneration and is the result of an extensive regeneration programme by Argyll and Bute Council and its key partners.  The appearance and vibrancy of Campbeltown’s town centre has been significantly improved with investment of £13 million to repair over 40 buildings, improve shopfronts and deliver parallel projects. They include: 

Candidates standing for election in Bute and Helensburgh and Lomond South have now been confirmed. Argyll and Bute Council is holding by-elections in two wards – Ward 8, Isle of Bute and Ward 11, Helensburgh and Lomond South – which each have a vacancy for one councillor. In Ward 8, Isle of Bute, the candidates are (in alphabetical order):

A replacement road must be agreed, planned, contracted, constructed and opened by May 2026 at the latest. This is the joint message sent by Argyll and Bute’s Council Leader, and MSP, to the Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Islands and Connectivity, Michael Matheson, in response to the publication of an update to the Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR2) earlier this month. Cllr Robin Currie, Leader of Argyll and Bute Council, and Michael Russell, the region’s MSP have written to the Cabinet Secretary reiterating the need for key actions to be progressed swiftly:

Home testing will be available for staff and senior pupils required to return to school when restrictions are relaxed, with plans progressing for test kits to be freely available. With a return to school for some pupils being considered at a national level, Argyll and Bute Council is working with the Scottish Government to put in place a testing programme for staff and pupils without the symptoms of coronavirus. This is to enable those affected to self-isolate as quickly as possible and reduce the risk of passing on the virus.

Argyll and Bute Council’s Leader, Councillor Robin Currie, and Chief Executive, Pippa Milne, have formally signed up to the Scottish Government’s Household Recycling Charter and Code of Practice on behalf of the council. This continues the council’s strong commitment to reducing its carbon emissions and tackling climate change. Argyll and Bute already complies with the majority of the essential requirements outlined in the charter’s Code of Practice.

Argyll and Bute Council will carry out essential maintenance works to the Craignure linkspan over the weekend of Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 March 2021 as part of its cylinder refurbishment programme. Ferry sailings over the weekend will be limited to a restricted passenger only service and those that will be running are: 13.15/17.00 departing Craignure on Saturday 6March; and09.15/13.15/17.00 departing Craignure on Sunday 7 March.Please check the CalMac website for up-to-date information.