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����ֱ�� has a budget gap of £7.9million to fill when it meets to set its budget on Thursday, February 21. The Scottish Government’s funding allocation to the council means in effect another 1.6% reduction in funding for core services in 2019/20. This follows savings of £51m over the past 9 years.

����ֱ�� has signed up to a cutting-edge wireless network system that can send data between wireless devices and businesses and organisations without the need for cellular or Wi-Fi. The IoT Scotland ‘Internet of Things’ network was launched today (Friday, February 8) by Glasgow-based Boston Networks. IoT Scotland will provide a wide area wireless sensor network for applications and services to collect and send data from devices, supporting businesses to develop new and innovative applications and change the way they work.

Today (Tuesday 5 February) is Safer Internet Day and school pupils across ����ֱ�� and Bute will be taking part in a number of activities to promote this year’s theme of consent online. 

We all know ����ֱ�� and Bute produces some of finest whisky in the land, and now two local distilleries are taking their work to the fictional world of Westeros. Lagavulin and Oban Distilleries have tied in with HBO’s phenomenally successful TV show Game of Thrones and feature in Diageo’s Game of Thrones Single Malt Scotch Whisky Collection. Eight malts have been created for the collaboration, representing the ‘houses’ featured in the show, as well as The Night’s Watch.

, a new website to promote living and working in ����ֱ�� and Bute, has been launched. This builds on the very successful #abplace2b which is being used by the council, its partners and members of the public on social media to direct positive national and international attention to ����ֱ�� and Bute.

Hermitage Academy has become the first school in Scotland to gain national accreditation with Investors in Young People.  This accreditation framework recognises organisations that are committed to recruiting, retaining and developing their young workforce; it acknowledges them as an employer of choice, providing practices that have positive outcomes for young people.   Roseanne MacKay, Depute Head at Hermitage, led the school through the process.  

A group of 15 pupils from Kirn Primary School have recently returned from a successful exchange trip to Germany.   Kirn was paired with Hardenberg Gymnasium in Fürth as a result of a long standing exchange programme that’s been in place between the German school and Dunoon Grammar, for more than 30 years.   The exchange was an opportunity to strengthen the link between the two areas, and the Kirn youngsters were partnered with German students the same age as them.  

Meet Julie-Anne McDermid. Julie-Anne is a support practitioner with Carrgomm in ����ֱ�� and Bute, providing support to those who need it.   “No two days are ever the same working with Carrgomm,” she said. “Because our work is person-centred, our days are all dictated by the outcomes of the people we work with and these vary widely from person to person.  

Primary six pupils at Colgrain Primary got the opportunity to find out what it takes to be a real scientist when they received a special video message from Dr Suzanne Maclachlan from the Oceanography Centre in Southampton.    

Thank you to all the members of the public, Council staff and school pupils from across ����ֱ�� and Bute who did their bit for local communities at Christmas, by collecting food bank donations throughout the whole of December.