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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 51�Թ����App 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 51�Թ����App and Bute Council’s Local Flood Risk Management Plan. Representatives from 51�Թ����App 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 51�Թ����App 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.

51�Թ����App 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.

51�Թ����App 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 51�Թ����App 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 51�Թ����App and Bute will join others from across the country on Thursday 12December to elect one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent the 51�Թ����App 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 51�Թ����App 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.

A traditional shopfront in Rothesay will be brought back to its former glory thanks to a grant of more than £50,000. Councillors on the Bute and Cowal Area committee recently approved the release of £51,680 from the Rothesay Townscape Heritage fund to support the full-scale repair of the shopfront at 19a, 19b and 20b Argyle Street in the town. Additionally, committee members were updated on the award of £78,066 for shopfront work to be carried out on 69-71 Montague Street in Rothesay.