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¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥â€™s work in supporting refugees into employment has made the final shortlist for the 2019 COSLA Excellence Awards. The ‘Supporting our Refugees into Work’ programme is one of three finalists in the Tackling Inequalities and Improving Health category for the COSLA Excellence Awards, which celebrate the very best in Scottish local government.

Work has started on the £1.4m re-development of the council’s Jackson’s Quarry Roads Depot in Oban. This work will allow all essential operational services for Oban, Lorn and the Isles to be delivered from one single, main site. Everything is scheduled to be complete by the end of the year. Luddon Construction Ltd is the main contractor and will be using local subcontractors throughout the project. The local economy will be further boosted by workers using local accommodation. There will also be employment for one, local unemployed person during the contract.

¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥â€™s Policy Lead for Education is urging parents to find out if their child qualifies for free schools meals.   Councillor Yvonne McNeilly said: “We all want the best start in life for our children and young people, both in terms of their health and education.   “Evidence shows that school meals can help do this, by improving general health and helping to tackle health inequalities.

Unfortunately we've now come to the end of our A to Z of council services, so we're finishing with..... Z is for Zero Waste At the heart of ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥â€™s proposed waste strategy is the waste hierarchy focussed on preventing waste in the first instance. If and when waste is created, next priority is preparing it for a reusable purpose, followed by recycling or other recovery method. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle!

Roanna Clark works with the council’s Community Learning Team. Talking about her role, she said: “I work with various groups and individuals of all ages to engage them in learning, personal development and active citizenship. “We want our young people to thrive and go on to positive destinations in life and the support we offer is mainly focused on disadvantaged or vulnerable individuals and groups, with the aim of bringing about change in their lives and their communities.

¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and Bute has secured £1.7m of the Scottish Government’s Timber Transport Fund.  The council has been successful in getting the largest share of the government's £6.6m fund which is earmarked for projects that minimise the impact of timber lorries in its rural road network. The £1.7 million allocated to our local projects means that every £1 spent by the council has been almost doubled by the Scottish Timber Transport Fund (STTF). Total spend for timber roads’ improvements, including the council’s investment, will come to more than £2.7 million.

¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and NHS Highland in ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and Bute have brought together all health services and all adult and children/families social work services, as the Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP). Luanna Lamers is the Senior/CT Radiographer at Oban, Lorne and the Isles Hospital. Providing 24/7 services to outpatients, inpatients and people attending the hospital’s A&E department, Luanna and her dedicated colleagues work hard to ensure people receive the highest quality of care.

W is for Website Lorne MacBrayne is the council’s Website Manager. It’s vital that members of the public have easy access to council information and services, and behind the scenes Lorne and his team are hard at work ensuring this happens.

The majority of pupils in ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and Bute are celebrating today, having gained the qualifications they were hoping for.  Nationally there has been a reduction in pass rates and we are analysing what this means for young people in ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and Bute. A report will be put to Community Services Committee later in the year. The council’s Policy Lead for Education, Councillor Yvonne McNeilly, said:

Fiona Anderson is a Special Projects Officer in the council’s Governance and Law Team, but during elections she takes on another important role, dealing with postal votes. Fiona said: “We work closely with the Electoral Registration Office in Campbeltown and issue postal voting packs to around 12,000 people.