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����ֱ��’s Housing Services Team brought a total of 55 empty homes back into use last year- double the annual target.    This was just one of the team’s successes highlighted at today’s Community Services Committee.   

Air quality in ����ֱ�� and Bute is very good with low pollution indicators, a major factor for the wellbeing of its residents and visitors. The Planning, Protective Services and Licensing Committee heard this good news on 22 August 2018.

The council’s Planning Service is focused on ensuring that ����ֱ�� and Bute is open for business and supporting economic growth by offering the high-quality service demanded by business and residential customers. That’s the message the service gave to the Scottish Government when it presented its 2017/18 Planning Performance Framework (PPF) Annual Report for scrutiny and scoring.

Talented young people from four different island communities in ����ֱ�� and Bute have joined forces to create a unique Gaelic comic book which celebrates the area’s rich culture and heritage.   The comic, “Na Gaisgich” was written by primary seven pupils from Islay, Jura, Mull and Tiree as part of a transition project for going into secondary school.   The pupils were all learning Gaelic as a second language at school and were able to create the comic as a result of funding from the Scottish Government.  

Tha daoine òga, tàlantach bho cheithir dhiofar eileanan ann an Earra-Ghàidheal is Bòd air tighinn còmhla gus comaig Ghàidhlig a chruthachadh a tha a’ togail air cultar is dualchas làidir na sgìre.   Chaidh a’ chomaig, “Na Gaisgich”, a sgrìobhadh le sgoilearan air clas 7 sa bhun-sgoile à Ìle, Diùra, Muile agus Tiriodh mar phàirt de phròiseact a chuidicheas clann a tha a’ gluasad bhon bhun-sgoil chun na h-àrd-sgoile.

����ֱ�� is holding a recruitment fair in Oban next month to showcase the variety of cleaning and catering jobs that are currently available in the area.   The event will take place on 19th September in Lorn House, from 10am until 3pm.  

Upgrade work to improve the lifts at Rothesay Ferry Terminal is currently programmed to begin in October of this year subject to procurement and off-site fabrication of materials by the Council’s contractor. The council has commissioned Stannah Lift Service Ltd to carry out almost £100,000 of upgrades to the lifts, based on recommendations made by an independent specialist hired to identify the best way forward.

Councillors today approved a plan that will enhance ����ֱ�� and Bute’s accessibility and appeal as a location for filming. With recent productions such as Hollywood blockbuster Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and upcoming big screen movie Love Me To Death having been filmed in ����ֱ�� and Bute, the spotlight is on the area as a desirable location for film crews from around the world.

More than £150,000 of funding is to be made available to businesses in ����ֱ�� and Bute over the next three years. A surplus of £154,700 has been left following the closure of the West of Scotland Loan Fund (WSLF), and this money will now be set aside to boost small to medium enterprises (SMEs) in ����ֱ�� and Bute.

The council has agreed to release funding of £25,000 for research into the possibility of creating a seawater intake pipe pumping system that could eventually serve a new aquaculture hub in Machrihanish.