51�Թ����App

A team of hard-working staff from 51�Թ����App and Bute Council and Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority are taking part in a two-day litter pick along the A82 today and tomorrow (Thursday 28 and Friday 29 March). Starting at Duck Bay this morning, the team will make their way up towards Tarbet, collecting discarded rubbish along the major tourist route.

A talented young artist from Dunoon Grammar School has won a national award for a piece of artwork she created to make a stand against racism.   S1 pupil Khiara Dominick fought off stiff competition from thousands of entries across Scotland to win the S1-3 category in Show Racism the Red Card’s annual creative competition.   Joined by her family, Khiara attended a prestigious award ceremony at Hampden Park to collect her prize.  

This week we're celebrating the work our social work teams do on a daily basis in order to protect vulnerable people in our communities. Take 79-year-old Anne for example….   Anne lives alone in a small island community and liked to keep her money in her handbag, instead of putting it into a bank.  

Community groups wanting to build affordable homes in 51�Թ����App and Bute will now be able to benefit from the council’s Strategic Housing Fund.   At a recent meeting of 51�Թ����App and Bute Council, members agreed to extend the funding criteria to include community groups, as well as registered social landlords, providing they secure a Rural Housing Fund and/or Islands Housing Fund grant from the Scottish Government.  

UPDATE 3 July 2019: The completion date for these works has been amended to Monday 22 July, and the amended timetable will remain in place until then.   Work to protect the long-term integrity of the quay wall at Rothesay Ferry Terminal is now due to begin next month.

A new quick, simple way to pay for parking, wherever you are, is available in 51�Թ����App and Bute. PaySmarti is a fully digital, modern way to pay for parking through a simple phone call, using a debit or credit card, and give your car registration and location. Each purchase of parking time is automatically updated on the warden’s handheld computer leading to reduced errors, fewer appeals and lower costs.

Today is World Social Work Day so, to celebrate the wide range of services that our social work teams provide, we’re dedicating this whole week to them.   We caught up with Ann Martin who is a Through Care After Care Social Worker in 51�Թ����App and Bute, working with young care experienced people and key partner agencies to make life better for our young people.  

A total of 37 empty homes were brought back into use in 51�Թ����App and Bute from April through to December last year – exceeding 51�Թ����App and Bute Council’s annual target of 25.   At a meeting of the council’s Community Services Committee today (Thursday) members also heard how there have been 62 affordable houses completed during the third quarter of the year.   Twenty of these homes are in Bowmore, Islay; 16 are in Lochgilphead; and 26 are in Succoth. A further 41 homes are due to be completed by the end of next month.  

Young people in 51�Թ����App and Bute are achieving well in literacy and numeracy according to figures published by the Scottish Government.   The Scottish Government collects data every year which details pupils’ achievements in reading, writing, listening and talking and numeracy. These are known as ‘Achievement of Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) Levels’ and focus specifically on pupils in P1, P4, P7 and S3.  

51�Թ����App and Bute Council’s Special Projects and Estates teams are continuing to investigate the commercial potential of three Oban car parks after a number of developers declared an interest in them.   Albany Street, Tweeddale Street and the Esplanade car parks were marketed by the council last year, inviting interested parties to come forward and explore commercial opportunities, while maintaining or improving parking provision within the town.