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From October 2018, ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ will no longer charge burial and cremation fees for children and young people under 18 years old. This puts in place national guidance agreed by the Scottish Government and COSLA and will provide consistency across Scotland as to when the charges for adult burials are levied. Currently, ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and Bute does not charge burial and cremation fees to children under the age of 16.

¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ will ask the public what their priorities are for its work, in preparation for meeting a gap in its funding in 2019 currently estimated to be around £2.5 million. Councillor Aileen Morton, Leader of the Council explained: â€œThe majority (80%) of the council’s funding comes from the Scottish Government. We won’t know how much our funding settlement is until the end of the year, but have to set our budget in February 2019.

Pupils from across ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and Bute have an active role in creating their school lunch menus and young people from Lochgilphead Primary were only too happy to show off the delicious food on offer during a visit by the council’s policy lead and depute policy lead for education.  

The time has come for us to refresh the music played down the telephone line when people are on hold with our Customer Service Centre – and ideally we want it to be music created by a resident of ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and Bute. While we strive not to keep anyone on hold at all, there are busy times when callers may need to wait for their call to be answered. We’d like to hear from local musicians and composers who would be interested in having their music used for this purpose. What we’re looking for is:

Work on the £14million refurbishment of Rothesay Pavilion is ramping up, with the building on track for a 2019 opening. Progress is being made on construction of a new main roof for the building, while internally main contractor CBC have installed elements of the new café and the Pavilion’s new ground floor exhibition space. Also on the ground floor, the new club and venue areas are being created. Full details on progress at the site can be found in a report presented to the Bute and Cowal Area Committee this month.

The new bin collection day calendars are being sent out to households across ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and Bute. There is no change to the days bins are emptied, or how often. The new calendars are to replace the existing ones, which are due to run out.

Oban High has teamed up with a secondary school from Norway to look at what can be learned from the sharing of best practice across education systems for pupils aged 16 years and over. The school’s head teacher, Peter Bain, has also been selected to lead an international project on behalf of The Scottish College for Educational Leadership (SCEL).

People in Campbeltown are being invited to have their say on design proposals that have been developed to help minimise the risk of flooding in the town. Since the previous public consultation event in February 2018, ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥, in partnership with AECOM, has looked at a number of design options to reduce flood risk.   

¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥â€™s Policy Lead for Housing has welcomed the news that people in Scotland who want to build their own homes will now be able to apply to a £4 million self-build loan fund. The scheme is funded by the Scottish Government and was established following a successful pilot project by the Highland Small Communities Housing Trust.   Councillor Robin Currie said: “The launch of this fund is fantastic news for people living in ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and Bute.  

The deadline for applications to the PGDE STEM Teacher Induction Programme has been extended until Wednesday 26th September. Also, applicants who don’t possess a 2:1 honours degree will be considered for entry depending on their previous experience and knowledge and understanding.   This 18 month scheme is a great opportunity to study to become a teacher in ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and Bute, whilst spending substantial time in class under the guidance of a mentor.