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It was a special day for ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and Bute Councillor Donnie MacMillan today (Friday) when he was presented with the British Empire Medal. Councillor MacMillan was elected to ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and Bute District Council in 1980 and has been elected continuously ever since.  He has served on almost 50 committees and agencies, and is extremely well-know in the community, attending numerous local events.

National Foster Care Fortnight starts this Monday and to mark the occasion ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ is hosting a series of information events to help raise the profile of fostering in the area. The annual campaign, which runs from 13 to 26 May, is organised by the Fostering Network and is the UK's biggest foster care awareness-raising campaign.

¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ is boosting local business and reducing food miles with sustainable school dinners, receiving a national award for their work putting local food on school lunch plates. ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ has once again been recognised for offering fresh, healthy and sustainable school lunches, receiving the Soil Association Scotland’s Bronze Food for Life Served Here award for the seventh year running. 

The subsidised air services from Oban to Coll, Colonsay and Tiree will continue after ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ agreed an interim contract with Hebridean Air. Hebridean Air Services Limited will continue to operate the flights from 16 May, while the council now undertakes the evaluation stage of the procurement process for a new four-year contract. The deadline for tenders being submitted for the second round of procurement passed on 2 May.

Pupils and staff from Dunoon Grammar’s business and computing department made their voices heard when they were invited to take part in two prestigious, international forums. The first event took place in San Jose, California, where leading American entrepreneurs met at a week-long ‘Unreasonable Futures’ conference to discuss innovation.

A Scottish Government report has highlighted that ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥â€™s planning service continues to provide a high quality service to businesses and residents. The council submitted its 2017-2018 Planning Performance Framework (PPF) to Scottish Ministers and maintained the previous year’s high standard by scoring 11 green ratings across 15 areas of the service measured. The service is shown to be performing well against national statistics and key performance indicators.

Got five minutes? Register to vote before it’s too late to take part! There are only a few days left to register to vote to take part in the European Parliamentary Elections. Voters in ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and Bute will join others across the country on 23rd May to elect six Members of the European Parliament (MEP) to represent the Scotland region. But, if you want to take part, you must be registered to vote. The deadline for registration is Tuesday 7th May – just a few days away.

The head boy and girl at Dunoon Grammar set a great example of how leadership is being strengthened at all levels across ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and Bute’s schools, when they chaired a meeting of the council’s Full Community Planning Partnership. Before the meeting began, S6 pupils Rhonan Colquhoun and Lauren Keith spoke highly about their time at Dunoon Grammar and the work the school does to support pupils and integrate with the local community.

An event will be held in Lochgilphead next month to ask for comments on the Lochgilphead Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan, and to outline proposals for a Lochgilphead Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS). As a council, we are required to periodically review our conservation areas. An appraisal of Lochgilphead’s conservation area has therefore been carried out, and members of the public are invited to comment on the result of this work – the draft Lochgilphead Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan.

Tha Comhairle Earra-Ghàidheal is Bhòid air pìos fearainn a thoirt do sgoil-àraich ann an Eilean Bhòid a leigeas leotha leudachadh air an t-seirbheis aca agus barrachd àiteachan ann an cùram-chloinne a stèidheachadh do dh’òigridh an eilein.