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The council has responsibility for a variety of marine services across ����ֱ�� and Bute, including seven main piers and harbours. Vicki McKenzie is the harbour master at Oban North Pier and pontoons. Talking about her role, Vicki said: “I love the variety that my job offers. The North Pier and pontoons are really busy throughout the year, with both commercial and leisure traffic. We see a lot of cruise ships coming in too, as well as a lot of large commercial vessels.

The council’s Regulatory Services team sometimes receives complaints about neighbourhood noise. This can be anything from dogs barking and frequent late night parties, to noise from pubs and televisions turned up too loud.

The biggest single social housing development in ����ֱ�� and Bute for decades was given the thumbs up by the Housing Minister this week. Kevin Stewart MSP, Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning, visited Dunbeg to see the completed Kirk Road and Dunbeg phase 3 development that is under construction. He met with council officers, elected members, and housing association and contractor representatives.

Subsidised air services from Oban to Coll, Colonsay and Tiree have been secured for the next four years after ����ֱ�� awarded a new contract to Hebridean Air. It follows the announcement in May that an agreement had been reached with Hebridean Air Services Limited to continue to operate the flights on a temporary basis, while the council carried out a procurement process for a new four-year contract.

Did you know that the council deals with licences for a variety of things? From driving a taxi, busking and erecting scaffolding to selling alcohol, running a pet shop and window cleaning. Susan Mair is the council’s Legal Manager. Talking about taxi operator licences in ����ֱ�� and Bute, she said: “Before anyone becomes a taxi driver there are a number of requirements that must be met. Our priority is to ensure that all these are in place before the applicat...ion is considered.

We've now entered week three of our A to Z of council services and what better way to start it than by paying tribute to our hardworking catering staff. Our primary schools menu is revised twice a year and is designed in consultation with the children through pupil focus groups. This helps to ensure they have a say in the menu choices and get an understanding of the importance of having a balanced diet.

����ֱ��’s gritter drivers cover a total of 1,430 miles of roads during the cold winter months in order to keep motorists safe using both ploughs and salt spreaders. The Council is responsible for in excess of 1400 miles of local roads in ����ֱ�� and Bute with BEAR Scotland maintaining the trunk roads on behalf of Transport Scotland.

Did you know that our roads, communications and web teams work in partnership to provide you with the latest travel information for ����ֱ�� and Bute? The council website has a dedicated section with links to a variety of sources which will tell you about any current/planned road works in the area, travel and weather disruptions, road closures, and links to the area’s road cameras to enable you to see current road conditions. This information is also posted on our Weathering the Storm Facebook page and service disruptions can be heard over the phone by dialling 01546 60404040.

  FareShare is a charity that works to ‘fight hunger and food waste’ by distributing food that would otherwise go to waste. It works in towns and cities across the UK. ����ֱ��, with the Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP), is gathering information to help FareShare support organisations in ����ֱ�� and Bute to distribute food.

What location on Bute best promotes the island as a great place to live and work? ����ֱ�� is planning to commission photos to promote Bute and is asking local people for their views on which locations best represent the island. The photos form one element of the ‘Choose Bute, Love Bute’ campaign, due to be launched in August. The campaign is part of the council’s work to address ����ֱ�� and Bute’s falling population, by showcasing the area as a great place to live and work.