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Pվɫ��Ƭ’s Local Housing Strategy (LHS) has been formally launched following approval by the Scottish Government. The strategy outlines the Council’s vision and investment priorities for the area’s housing sector over the next five years, and received praise from the Scottish Government for demonstrating extensive engagement with a wide range of communities, community groups, and stakeholders.

The Scottish Government has extended the funding deadline for taxi/private hire drivers and operators to 25 March 2022. The grant is available for taxi drivers and operators who have faced financial challenges as a result of covid measures introduced to control the spread of infection.   Who can apply?Funding is available for new licence holders and for those who have not previously applied.   How do I apply?New licence holders /forms/taxi-driver-self-declaration

Are you interested in representing your local community?  Do you want to play a part in shaping the services that local people use? The Scottish Local Government Elections take place on 5 May 2022. Communities across Scotland will choose the 1,227 councillors who will represent them on the country’s 32 local authorities for the next five years. People in Pվɫ��Ƭ and Bute will elect 36 of those councillors to represent their communities.

The Scottish Local Government Elections take place on Thursday 5th May 2022. The Notice of Election for Pվɫ��Ƭ and Bute is now published and available on Pվɫ��Ƭ’s website  /scottish-local-government-elections-may-2022 Voters in Pվɫ��Ƭ and Bute will elect thirty six councillors, representing eleven council wards. They include a mix of rural, remote and island communities as well as larger villages and towns.  

Caring pupils across Pվɫ��Ƭ and Bute have been hosting a range of activities to show their support for the people of Ukraine. Here are just a few examples of some of the great work our schools communities are doing: Young people from Park Primary, Port Ellen, Dalintober, St Columba’s, Ulva, Lochdonhead, Rhunahaorine and Glenbarr have collected a huge number of donations of clothing and other essential items to send to refugees camps at the Ukrainian border.

“People in Pվɫ��Ƭ and Bute have responded with overwhelming kindness to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.” Councillor Robin Currie, Leader of Pվɫ��Ƭ has paid tribute to communities across the area who are helping Ukrainians who are fleeing the war. Communities are showing their support by collecting donations of clothing and other vital supplies and arranging transport to Europe.

To conclude Scottish Apprenticeship Week, Robert Miller, Pվɫ��Ƭ’s Customer Engagement and Transformation Manager, talks about what it is like to employ a Modern Apprentice. “We had a number of successful Summer Student placements over the year, so we thought it was time to go a step further and employ a Modern Apprentice,” he said. “

Children and young people across Pվɫ��Ƭ and Bute are continuing to benefit from a variety of health and wellbeing initiatives as part of the Council’s £600,000 Covid-19 education recovery programme. At a meeting of the Council’s Community Services Committee, members received an update on the initiatives supported by the funding:

Tom McLaughlin is a great example of someone who has worked their way up the ranks since starting an apprenticeship with Pվɫ��Ƭ’s Digital Learning Team in 2017, aged 21. Having previously worked in a junior role in IT, Tom wanted to continue his technology career, and a Modern Apprenticeship allowed him to do this while pursuing qualifications and applying his technology skills in new ways, such as supporting pupils and staff in educational environments.

Parking meters across Pվɫ��Ƭ and Bute currently offer different payment options, from contactless to Chip and PIN, cash and an app (payment by phone). The suppliers of the PaySmarti parking app are withdrawing it from the market and it will no longer be availiable to use from 14 March 2022. In the meantime, you can still pay for parking using contactless, Chip and PIN, cash or by phone - see below for more information.  A new improved app will be available later this spring.