News

Councillor Aileen Morton, Leader of Argyll and Bute Council, welcomed the announcement in today's UK Budget that civil service jobs are coming to Scotland. Councillor Morton said: “This is good news but could be great news if the UK and Scottish Government commit to a proportion of these jobs coming to the West of Scotland where the population is falling.

Pupils at Clachan Primary are celebrating after the school received its seventh Eco-Schools Green Flag.  Run by Keep Scotland Beautiful, Eco-Schools is the largest sustainable schools programme in the world and encourages young people to take steps to ensure we look after our environment. Clachan Primary signed up to the scheme 16 years ago and since then it has gone from strength to strength, with the school introducing a number of initiatives to become more eco-friendly.

A number of shopfronts in Campbeltown look set to benefit from a makeover as a result of funding from Argyll and Bute Council’s Shopfront Improvement Scheme.  More than 20 shops in the town centre have been awarded grants from the scheme to enable them to make external improvements, with work having recently started at McLean Place in Main Street - one of the first properties to benefit. 

Argyll and Bute Council is leading the way when it comes to phasing in 1140 hours of Early Learning and Childcare (ELC), with 76% of settings now delivering the additional hours. A total of 70 childcare settings and 14 childminders in the area are already offering 1140 hours and, as a result of the expansion work that has been done to date, 74.3 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) posts have been created.

Easdale Primary School’s Pre-5 unit has received a glowing report from the Care Inspectorate. Inspectors found that staff provided the children with warm, nurturing and responsive care that supported their wellbeing and development, and praised the way in which they had developed trusted, loving relationships with the children. The children who attend the unit were found to be confident about expressing their thoughts, views and feelings, and making choices and decisions about what they wanted to do throughout the day.

Making best use of technology available is changing the way the council delivers roads and infrastructure services, protecting travellers and staff, reducing carbon emissions, and saving time and money. The Economic Development and Infrastructure Committee heard on Thursday 5 March how technology is providing and processing data that helps deliver front line services. Electronic ticketing on council run ferries lets people book on line or by mobile phone app;

Argyll and Bute residents are now using a range of digital options to check when their bins are due to be uplifted, helping the environment by significantly cutting down on paper, and also making financial savings. Previously 48,000 paper calendars were delivered to homes throughout the area. This year, anyone who was unable to make use of the internet to check when their bins would be uplifted was able to request a printed calendar. Just over 3000 people took up the offer.

Work to re-align the junction at Barmore and Garvel Roads in Tarbert, funded through the council’s £3million Tarbert and Lochgilphead Regeneration Fund, is now complete. These improvements have made it easier for vehicles to enter and exit Garvel Road in all directions, while also improving visibility and safety at the junction. And as a result, in February, Tarbert Harbour Authority (THA) was able to start work on its proposals to construct a new car park, with a further £105,000 regeneration funding.

The planned capital roads programme for 2020/21 includes an allocation of £1.96m for Oban, Lorn and the Isles. The programme will focus on a mix of carriageway resurfacing schemes that deliver the best value for money for the roads’ network. It does not simply concentrate on roads in the worst condition, but also treats roads at an earlier stage to prevent them deteriorating further.

The planned capital roads programme for 2020/21 includes an allocation of £784,000 for Helensburgh and Lomond. The programme will focus on a mix of carriageway resurfacing schemes that deliver the best value for money for the roads’ network. It does not simply concentrate on roads in the worst condition, but also treats roads at an earlier stage to prevent them deteriorating further.