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����ֱ�� 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.

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;

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.

����ֱ�� 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.

����ֱ�� and Bute Registrars are putting on a free Wedding Showcase, in collaboration with HLCC Events, at the Civic Centre on Sunday 22 March, from 12.00-4.00pm, to help Helensburgh and Lomond couples who are planning their special day. The event brings together 32 of the best local vendors under one roof and is the ideal place to not only get great ideas but to potentially book everything you need for your big day. Helensburgh and Lomond Civic Centre is itself a fantastic, central venue to not only hold the ceremony, but to also celebrate the wedding reception.

The deadline is looming for any employers who would like to take the opportunity to recruit and train employees through the ����ֱ�� and Bute Employer Recruitment and Training Incentive (ABERTI). ABERTI is run by ����ֱ��’s Employability Team, under the new No One Left Behind employability delivery model. The scheme is aimed at helping people aged 16 to 67 years who are facing many barriers, to enter into sustainable employment.

“We must keep fighting for ����ֱ�� and Bute. Everyone who cares about ����ֱ�� and Bute must continue striving for the successful future it deserves and can achieve.” These were the words of ����ֱ��’s Leader on the day the Council set its budget for 2020/21. Councillor Aileen Morton said:

The Leader of ����ֱ�� has welcomed an additional £954,000 from the Scottish Government for island ferry services. Councillor Aileen Morton said: “����ֱ�� delivers a number of services other councils don’t have to, for example ferry services. We have been doing a lot of work therefore to raise awareness of ����ֱ�� and Bute’s unique challenges with decision-makers.

A world-wide audience heard about ����ֱ�� and Bute’s potential as a centre of seaweed farming excellence earlier this week at the Scottish Seaweed Industry Association (SSIA) conference in Oban. Members of the Economic Growth Team presented the council-commissioned Seaweed Farming Feasibility Study which sets out a template for setting up and running a seaweed farming business from conception right through to selling products to consumers. The report was produced by the SAMS Research Service (SRSL) and funded by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF)

The Leader of ����ֱ�� has thanked members of the public for their help in making budget decisions. Councillor Aileen Morton said: “We would love to be able to do everything our communities want us to do, and to have everyone satisfied with the decisions the council makes about its budget.