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Do you live in the Isle of Bute/Helensburgh and Lomond South area? Are you passionate about your local community as well as the wider ����ֱ�� and Bute area? You may well be interested in standing for election to ����ֱ��. The council currently has vacancies in two of its wards – Ward 8, Isle of Bute and Ward 11, Helensburgh and Lomond South. Following publication of the official Notice of Election on 8th February, nominations are now open for people who want to stand for election in either ward.

The Scottish Government Minister for Local Government and Housing, Kevin Stewart, has thanked the council’s planning service for continuing to operate during the Covid-19 pandemic and has noted the role that the planning services will play in Scotland’s green recovery. His comments came as part of feedback on ����ֱ�� and Bute’s 2019-2020 Planning Performance Framework (PPF), the annual performance scorecard that all local authorities submit to the Scottish Government. Across the 13 performance indicators assessed, 10 were rated ‘green’ and three ‘amber’.

Parents and carers across ����ֱ�� and Bute are being thanked by the Council for their home learning efforts during lockdown. The Council’s Policy Lead for Education, Councillor Yvonne McNeilly, said: “As we approach the February break, I want to take a moment to thank parents and carers for all their patience, huge effort and understanding while our schools have been closed during lockdown.

Scottish Government funding is now available to island businesses currently living under level 3 restrictions. The Island Equivalent Payment recognises that while some islands are facing lower restrictions, there is still a significant impact as a result of COVID-19.  

����ֱ�� has secured a major boost for the local economy that will help support regeneration and employment projects. The money from the Scottish Government’s Regeneration Capital Grant Fund (RCGF) will help deliver three key initiatives:

����ֱ��’s Policy Lead for Education has welcomed a report from HM Inspectors of Education (HMIE) which provides a national overview of remote learning across Scotland. This report was developed to learn what is working well, identify challenges, and look at what further assistance is required to continue to improve the delivery of remote learning to young people.

Achaleven Primary has been awarded its eighth Green Flag by Ecoschools Scotland. Pupils have been working hard to incorporate environmental matters into everyday life, not only in the school, but also in the local community and beyond.

Issued by sportscotland    Clubs, communities, and leisure trusts across Scotland have received a great start to the new year thanks to more than £1.25million in investment from sportscotland’s Sport Facilities Fund. Two projects in ����ֱ�� will benefit from £200,000 of the funding, which is made possible thanks to National Lottery players, who raise £30 million each week for good causes across the UK.

The council is developing new policies on the best way to manage cemeteries throughout the area in the coming years and we would like to hear your views. It is really important to take steps now to ensure that options are available for people when they need them in the future. ����ֱ�� and Bute has 131 Cemeteries spread throughout its communities, however 67 cemeteries are now closed to the sale of spaces. Community volunteers, in a small number of areas, support council services by maintaining local burial grounds. Similar initiatives would be welcomed elsewhere.

A group of creative pupils from Hermitage Academy received a top award for their skills in building an underwater vehicle. Hermitage was one of 15 schools selected to take part in SUBS in Schools – a new initiative run by Engineering in Motion (EIM), and backed by the Royal Navy, based around the four STEM subjects - Science, Technology, Engineering and Technology.