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The journey votes from Gigha make to be counted sparked interest again today/on Friday. Charles Reppke, Returning Officer for 51�Թ����App and Bute’s European Election, became the centre of tourist attention when he took to the sea to collect Gigha’s ballots. Charles, who has been key in organising 51�Թ����App and Bute’s elections for more than 20 years, said:

A talented team of pupils from Hermitage Primary School took second place in the Scottish European Educational Trust’s National Euroquiz Final of 2019. The event was held in the Debating Chamber of the Scottish Parliament and saw the Hermitage youngsters battle it out against St Mary’s Primary School of Duntocher in what was a nail biting final round. Hermitage fought hard but were pipped to the winning post by St Mary’s.

Kilcreggan Primary School’s Pre-5 Unit has received a glowing report from the Care Inspectorate, having been graded as ‘good’ in every category. Inspectors found that staff were welcoming, kind and caring, and took time to listen to the children. Open-ended questions were used to encourage pupils to problem solve, and Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies (PAThS) were in place to empower children to make positive choices through social and emotional learning.

Overall spend on roads, lighting, piers and harbours capital investment on Islay and Jura will be in the region of £1.6 million during 2019-20. Over 1000 tonnes of bituminous surfacing material will be used to resurface roads and footways on the islands. Where possible, local materials are being sourced for surfacing and repairs. This brings financial benefits to the local economy, saving money on haulage and freeing up valuable space on local ferries.

School pupils from across 51�Թ����App and Bute came together to celebrate diversity and equality when they took part in Oban’s first ever Pride Parade on Saturday.   The youngsters were representing an LGBTQI+ group which has been established by 51�Թ����App and Bute Council’s Education Services as part of its commitment to embed a culture and ethos of inclusion and equality.   Young people travelled from as far afield as Dunoon and Campbeltown to attend the event, and met at Oban High for breakfast before marching to Station Square to join the main parade.  

Congratulations to Dunbeg Primary on gaining its seventh Green Flag from Eco Schools. The school's clans have been working hard on addressing a range of topics as part of their clan activities, resulting in a positive impact on sustainability at a local and even global level. #abplace2b

Welcome to 51�Թ����App and Bute Council’s weekly news round-up.  Thank you for reading it. If you have ideas on how we could make it more useful for you, we’d love to hear them. Please let us know by emailing press@argyll-bute.gov.uk Greenlight for Target road junction work

The council’s Planning, Protective Services and Licensing Committee has approved new guidance to help with assessing applications for Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) across 51�Թ����App and Bute. The new, non-statutory guidance was put together following public consultation. There are four key principles: Support getting the right number of HMOs in the right places; Ensure they are of good quality and properly maintained; Manage the impacts on local amenities; and

Pupils from Kilcreggan Primary School have received a prestigious Young Reporters Scotland award in recognition of their creative reporting on environmental issues. The pupils were presented with the accolade as part of the Young Reporters Scotland 2019 competition - which encourages young people to share their voice on sustainability subjects through film, writing and photography. The initiative provides a platform for participants to investigate and report on the subjects they are passionate about and increase their knowledge and awareness of environmental topics.

From Tuesday 28 May, householders and businesses on Islay and Jura will no longer have to put recyclable material into separate plastic bags before it goes into blue bins. There is no change to the materials collected and no change to the frequency or days of collection. From now on plastic bottles, tubs and trays, tins, cans and empty aerosols go straight into the blue bin.