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On Saturday 7 September, The Parliament Project and the YWCA – Young Women’s Movement - are gathering 400 women for a dynamic day at the Scottish Parliament, to explore their paths to elected office and participation in democracy. To help women from across the country participate, live screenings of the event will be hosted by four local authorities, including ����ֱ�� and Bute. The screening will happen in the Council’s Chambers in Lochgilphead. Participants will be able to:

We employ 845 full time equivalent primary and secondary teachers throughout our schools to ensure our children and young people are equipped to achieve success in life. Paul Gallanagh is just one of those teachers who is dedicated to going the extra mile to help deliver the council’s vision that together we will realise ambition, excellence and equality for all. Paul is the Principal Teacher of Business and Computing at Dunoon Grammar School and has led pupils to win a huge array of awards in recent years, as well as national recognition from industry leaders.

R is for Regeneration. Colin Fulcher is the Project Officer for Rothesay Townscape Heritage. “Having been born and raised in Rothesay, as the Project Officer for Rothesay Townscape Heritage, it gives me a great sense of pride to be managing a project that is helping to make an improved and lasting difference to the town centre," he said. "My job involves initiating, developing and implementing projects from inception to completion, all with a goal of regenerating the town centre.

Ann Martin is a Through Care After Care Social Worker in ����ֱ�� and Bute, working with young care experienced people and key partner agencies to make life better for our young people. Ann supports vulnerable young care experienced people to remain in their current placement/home after they turn 16 and, if appropriate, their 18th birthday, under the Scottish Government’s Staying Put Initiative (2011).

����ֱ�� has been ranked the number one UK local authority for high performance and low cost of our Information and Communication Technology (ICT) service. The 2019 Socitm Benchmarking Report reveals ����ֱ�� ranked third best for ICT performance with the third lowest cost. Combined, those results put us at number one against 104 other councils in Britain. Socitm is the Society of Information Technology Management, a professional body for digital and IT leaders who deliver services for public benefit.

It's week four of the council's A to Z of services and today we're looking at... P is for Planning Fiona Scott is a Planning Officer based in Oban. Her job involves handling planning applications and engaging with development proposals all the way from the initial idea to completion.

Q is for Qualifications Earlier on in our A to Z of council services, we told you about ‘Growing Our Own’ – a scheme aimed at giving people opportunities to build rewarding careers with the council. With this in mind, we thought we’d use the letter Q to focus on Qualifications. Meet Rhian McCuaig. Rhian works as a Digital Marketing Apprentice with the council’s Communications Team and has just passed her year-long Digital Communication apprenticeship in less than 7 months!

Parents in ����ֱ�� and Bute are being invited to find out whether or not they are eligible for help towards the cost of their children’s school uniform and free school meals. Since 2015, all pupils in primaries one to three are entitled to a free school meal, however, children in primary four and above need to pay unless their parents meet the criteria set out by the Scottish Government.

Following the announcement by Boris Johnson of growth deal funding for ����ֱ�� and Bute, Leader of ����ֱ��, Councillor Aileen Morton said: “We have worked hard to develop and promote a rural growth deal that will transform ����ֱ�� and Bute’s natural resources into long term success for the area, and into drivers for growth in the UK and Scottish economies. "We are ambitious for ����ֱ�� and Bute, and we have strong local backing for this deal.

Oban Airport is owned by ����ֱ�� and is a vital social and business hub for the area. The airport offers scheduled flights to Coll, Tiree, Colonsay and Islay, and enables island pupils attending Oban High to access a fast and efficient mode of transport to and from school. The airport serves around 3,000 passengers each year and, in addition to scheduled flights, is a popular destination for private pilots and charter flights alike.