Following today’s Statutory General Meeting of Orkney Islands Council, the appointments of Convener and Vice Convener and Chairs of Committees have been made.

Orkney Islands Council is calling for nominations from representatives of churches or denominational bodies to stand on the Council’s Education, Leisure and Housing Committee for the next five years.

With the Council’s Alternate Weekly Collections pilot starting shortly, households in Holm and Kirkwall South are being reminded to make sure they are ready for their new waste collection arrangements.

Church Road in Stromness will be closed from today (May 14) until May 25 to enable the completion of the current phase of the repaving works.

The summer edition of the transport guide for Orkney will be available from May 17 from Travel Centres, OIC Customer Services and on the Council's website.

The deadline for nominations from people wanting to stand for their local Community Council has been extended until 5pm on Monday May 28.

The Stromness Registration Office will move on Thursday May 17 from its current location at the Old Ferry Terminal building to the Stromness Library in Hellihole Road.

Three popular walking areas in Stromness are getting path improvements thanks to additional ‘Kick Start Kirkwall’ funding secured by the Council late last year.

Applications have opened for positions on the body in Orkney which gives advice on local licensing issues.

A special meeting on North Ronaldsay this Friday May 11 at 7pm will give the community the opportunity to talk about ambitions for boosting their island’s sustainability, and discuss the Development Trust’s development plan for the island which is being finalised with help from the Council.

Following news today (May 4) from the Scottish Government announcing Serco as the preferred bidder for the new Northern Isles Ferry Contract, Orkney Islands Council has moved to seek further details on the service.

KGS music teachers and pupils are celebrating a successful year with several pupils having represented Orkney recently at a national level in music ensembles and training courses, and achieving some of the highest grades possible in their chosen instruments.

‘Ness of Brodgar: The Heart of Neolithic Orkney’ is a chance to find out more about the archaeological site that everyone it talking about.

Three pupils from Orkney have been awarded a prestigious science grant to help them carry out research projects this summer.

A new timetable will be introduced at Kirkwall Grammar School in the summer following a consultation exercise earlier this year.

Orkney Islands Council is to seek a new tenant for the factory unit in Stromness previously used by the Orkney Herring Company.

The taskforce set up after Orkney Meat Limited announced its decision to cease trading is considering ways it can support efforts to get a short term solution in place – to allow a continued supply of locally-produced meat to the county’s butchers, wholesalers and other customers.

With the Community Council elections due to be held shortly after the Local Government Elections, the Council is issuing a reminder for anyone interested in standing that nominations will close on May 8.

With over 3200 people across Orkney about to receive their postal ballot packs, the Council is issuing a reminder to everyone voting in the Local Government Election on May 3 to ensure they number candidates in order of preference on their ballot paper.

A leaflet outlining the next steps in the finalisation of Orkney’s Local Development Plan, including a consultation which will run from May 7 to June 11, will be delivered to every household in Orkney from April 30.

Final advice has been issued for people who need a proxy vote for the May 3 Local Government Election.

Wednesday 18 April is the cutoff for registering to vote or for arranging a postal vote.

Wheelie bins are being delivered to the homes that will help pilot plans by Orkney Islands Council for an alternate weekly waste collection. 

Young people in Orkney are being urged to take part in this year’s Council elections on May 3.

A delegation representing Orkney Islands Council and renewables developers will be at Holyrood on Wednesday (April 18) when the Scottish Parliament debates proposals for grid transmission charges from the energy regulator Ofgem.

A development brief for the planned Enterprise Area at Hatston will be published for a six week period of consultation from April 19 to May 31 2012.

Orkney Library and Archive has been shortlisted for the Library of the Year award run by industry specialists The Bookseller.

With Bag the Bruck 2012 coming up on the weekend of Saturday 21 and Sunday 22 April, Environmental Concern Orkney (ECO) is celebrating its 20th year of Bag the Bruck by producing a new online leaflet about tackling marine litter in Orkney.

Visitors to Stromness will benefit from free parking in Stromness town centre for the next six Saturdays whilst the final stage of the town’s repaving work is completed.

Over 3000 voters have now registered for a postal vote in Orkney - those who would also like to vote by post are being reminded that if they wish to use a postal vote to take part in the local council elections on May 3 then they must apply to do so – application forms are not being sent out automatically.

Orkney Voters have just a few days left to make sure they can have their say in the Local Government Election on May 3.

Voters have just a few days left to make sure they can have their say in the Local Government Election on May 3, no matter where they may be on election day.

People who live in Orkney’s isles communities are being urged to make sure they can vote in the Council election on May 3.

Orkney Islands Council has published a comprehensive guide to Orkney’s arts community for public comment.

An open morning is to be held at Braeburn, the new health and social care facility in St Margaret’s Hope, on Saturday April 14 between 10am and 1pm.

Orkney Islands Council’s Trading Standards is warning the public to be on their guard against scammers attempting to extract personal bank account details for unscrupulous purposes.

Groups wanting to set up special community transport initiatives are invited by Orkney Islands Council to apply for funding from the Community Transport scheme.

A long weekend of ancient axemaking and other prehistoric craft demonstrations will take place this Easter at the Tomb of the Eagles, supported by the Scapa Flow Landscape Partnership Scheme and Orkney Islands Council.

Voters in Orkney’s island communities are being reminded to make sure they apply for a postal vote before April 18 for the May 3 Council elections.

Orkney Islands Council has published a draft housing development brief for the semi-rural area in Stromness known as Eastbrae for public consultation.

Orkney Islands Council has re-opened its Community Development Fund (CDF) today (April 2) to new applications, with a further £1M available to local community projects.

Community Councils in the North Isles have been informed of a further change to the Orkney Ferries timetable on the day of the Orkney stage of the Olympic Torch Relay.

Orkney Islands Council is consulting on draft planning guidance aimed at helping to generate more affordable housing in the county.

Orkney Islands Council is seeking feedback on future planning guidelines for fish farming in Orkney.

The list of polling stations for the Local Government Election on May 3 in Orkney is available on the Council website.

The full list of candidates who have come forward to stand in the Local Government Election in Orkney on May 3 is now available on the OIC website.

The Business Gateway in Kirkwall has announced the winner of their Orkney Business Survey prize draw.

Orkney’s largest school plans to introduce a new timetable later this year after conducting a consultation on the proposals.

Around 80 S1 pupils from Stromness Academy will have the chance to try their hand at some traditional building skills next week with help from Orkney College, local contractors, Historic Scotland and the Stromness Townscape Heritage Initiative.

Nominations close in under a week for anyone wanting to stand for election as an Orkney Islands Councillor on May 3.

The final pieces of steel have been lowered into place at Orkney’s newest arts facility.

Orkney Islands Council has completed the recruitment process for its new senior management structure.

Orkney Islands Council is extending several consultations on proposed traffic regulation orders, to help generate a clearer idea of community feeling on the plans.

The torchbearers chosen to represent Orkney Islands Council when the Olympic Flame arrives in the county in June are international athlete William Sichel and Orkney hockey team captain Inga Kemp.

Orkney is one of the first local authorities in Scotland to meet the historic 2012 homelessness commitment – with ten months still to go until the new legislation comes in to force.

Orkney Islands Council and partners wish to thank everyone who attended the recent Youth Work Information and Training Day in the Kirkwall Town Hall.

Work has started on a pilot survey of traditional buildings in Birsay as part of a project to compile a Local List of all important built structures across Orkney.

Poll cards will be arriving through Orkney letterboxes over the next couple of days for all those eligible to vote at the Local Government Elections on May 3.

The route the Olympic Flame will take during its time in Orkney was revealed today with the help of one of the specially selected torchbearers – former PE teacher and athlete Wilma Taylor.

Orkney’s Community Planning Partnership has agreed to take small business concerns about public sector procurement to the Scottish Government.

The first video to appear on Orkney Islands Council’s website provides advice to anyone thinking of standing in May’s local government elections.

Proposals to make some vacant Sheltered Housing properties at Rae’s Close in Stromness available for use as supported housing for people with particular needs will be considered by Full Council later this month.

The official Notice of Election has been published today (13 March) and nominations for the May 3 Council elections open tomorrow (Wednesday).

Isles residents who are on the Council’s Concessionary Travel Scheme for older and disabled people will soon be using ‘smart cards’ to claim their travel concessions from the Council.

Ten pupils from across Orkney travelled to Aberdeen recently to take part in a programme aimed at helping young people develop a Glasgow 2014 festival in their school communities.

Orkney is again being bombarded with scam letters, this time purporting to be from private investment managers claiming that the recipients could be entitled to millions of dollars thanks to their surname.

Orkney Islands Council is holding another information evening on March 19 for anyone interested in standing for the May 3 Local Government Election.

Orkney Islands Council has published its Annual Performance Report for 2011.

With Local Government elections on May 3 drawing ever closer, the Electoral Registration Officer in Orkney is urging residents to make sure they have secured their right to vote.

Orkney residents are being warned about bracelets that contain poisonous red and black Jequirity beans.

Scapa Flow Landscape Partnership Scheme is seeking public responses to a plan to provide a viewpoint and seat along the route of the footpath in fields belonging to Orkney Islands Council on Brinkies Brae in Stromness. 

School pupils in Orkney will soon be equipped with the skills to cycle safely on the road thanks to a successful bid by Orkney Islands Council for £9,300 of funding from Cycling Scotland.

The Scottish ETV Working Group met with the Secretary of State for Scotland this morning (Thursday) to discuss options for the continuation of emergency towing capabilities around the Northern and Western Isles.

As the final round of Stromness THI conservation grants opens, town has been highlighted by Historic Scotland as a conservation success story.

St Andrews Primary is hosting a special visit from Scottish children’s author Lari Don on March 19 at 7.00pm thanks to help from the Scottish Book Trust.

Orkney Islands Council is taking to the streets with the first electric vehicle of its kind in Scotland.

Businesses are being asked about their future prospects in the biggest survey of its kind to be run in Orkney.

Orkney Islands Council is holding an information evening on March 5 for anyone interested in standing for the May 3 Local Government Election.

A Scottish Government team will be holding a public meeting in Orkney at the Stromness Academy on March 12 to gather feedback for a nation-wide study of remote and rural education.

A Scottish Government team will be holding a public meeting in Orkney at the Stromness Academy on March 12 to gather feedback for a nation-wide study of remote and rural education.

A group of KGS pupils have taken a close up look at their new school under construction.

A special event in the Kirkwall Town Hall on Saturday February 25 will showcase activities and services available for young people in Orkney.

Proposed transmission charges outlined by Ofgem will disadvantage the UK’s islands and Orkney’s renewables future, says OIC in its response to a consultation by the national energy regulator.

Four drilling rigs are in the county to drill boreholes for the ground source heating system at each of the new schools being built as part of Orkney Islands Council’s Schools Investment Programme (SIP).

A selection of households in Orkney are set to help pilot the Council’s plans for alternate weekly collections – rubbish collected one week, recyclables the next.

Recent Drawings by Rik Hammond is a collection of abstract drawings that challenge the viewer to use their own imagination to interpret the images on display.

Orkney Islands Council has agreed to award a contract for the work involved in the Stromness Pierhead Regeneration Project.

Orkney householders were amongst the most responsive in Scotland following a recent radon testing campaign run in the county by the Health Protection Agency (HPA).

Orkney Islands Council today (Thursday 9 February) agreed a £1.9 million savings target for the next financial year – considerably less than the £4 million originally anticipated.

The Electoral Registration Officer in Orkney is urging voters in the isles who have not returned their postal vote application forms issued in mid December to do so as soon as possible.

Orkney Islands Council is looking for input from the public on two important local housing issues.

Huge beams were lowered into place this week at the new pool being constructed as part of Orkney Islands Council's Schools Investment Programme.

The Orkney Public Partnership Forum is linking with NHS Grampian as part of the Board’s formal consultation on proposed changes to the maternity service in Grampian.

Orkney Islands Council’s Stromness Customer Services Office (formerly known as the Stromness Cash Office) will be moving from the Old Ferry Terminal Building, Ferry Road, Stromness to the Northlink Terminal Building, Stromness, KW16 3BH on Wednesday 15 February 2012.

From Monday February 6 the rules change over what can be done to alter houses and flats without needing planning permission.

The 2010-11 Annual Report of the Orkney Child Protection Committee is now available on the Committee’s website, available through the Orkney Islands Council homepage.

Orkney Community Planning Partnership has expressed opposition to proposals to give the Royal Mail greater freedom to set prices for postal deliveries.

Orkney voters are being urged to check they are registered to vote ahead of the council elections across Scotland on May 3.

Agatha Christie’s murder-mystery, The Body in the Library, will find a new audience this week when the story is told – a tiny chunk at a time – through Twitter.

Orkney Islands Council’s Policy and Resources Committee has agreed to recommend a £1.9 million savings target for the next financial year – considerably less than the £4 million originally anticipated.

The number of cruise liners set to visit Orkney over the next two seasons has already topped 100.

People with an interest in independent advocacy are being urged to help shape the future of the service in Orkney over the next three years.

Three more local projects have been granted support from the latest round of LEADER funding.

A report highlighting the exceptional quality of cultural life in Orkney is to be shared with communities across Scotland delivering arts and heritage activities.

A consultation starts today on plans to change the weekly timetable at Kirkwall Grammar School.

Orkney Islands Council is urging parents to carry out checks on their child’s car seat after a study found the majority of seats were incorrectly fitted.

Around a dozen people from Flotta are keeping local traditions alive by learning the skills involved in spinning, knitting and dying their own textiles.

Orkney Islands Council has welcomed an announcement by the Government agency Transport Scotland on refit arrangements during NorthLink Ferries’ refit period.

An innovative scheme that uses money recovered from criminals to help finance projects for young people is looking for applications for funding from Orkney.

The Convener of Orkney Islands Council has welcomed a decision by Shetland Islands Council not to make any contribution towards the costs of chartering the CalMac ferry Hebridean Isles to cover the Pentland Firth route while the NorthLink ferry Hamnavoe is in dry dock.

Orkney Islands Council and Shetland Islands Council have made a joint call to the Scottish Government to provide a replacement vessel which fully meets the requirements of both communities during NorthLink’s dry dock period.

Orkney Islands Council’s Trading Standards Service is warning consumers that a scam involving home computers is targeting Orkney residents once again, with over 10 reports received by the team in the last two days.

Twelve new Council homes in St Mary’s will be on show at an Open Day on Friday January 13 from 11:30am to 2.30pm.

Orkney Islands Council’s Trading Standards team is warning the public to be on their guard against the latest scam involving phone calls from individuals claiming to be from the Office of Fair Trading in London.

A new leaflet aimed at helping to protect adults from abuse is published this week.

Tributes have been paid following the death of the Stromness and South Isles Councillor John Eccles.

Care staff with a variety of skills from across Orkney have been training for a new way of caring for people in the community.

Twelve new Council homes in St Mary’s will be on show at an Open Day on January 13 from 11:30am to 2.30pm.

OIC has called for recognition of the huge potential in Scotland’s island communities to generate green energy on behalf of the UK - in response to grid charging proposals published by Ofgem.

Orkney Islands Council’s Trading Standards Service is repeating it’s warning to members of the public not to fall for emails claiming to be from Orkney residents alleging they have been mugged in Madrid, left without money or passports, and desperate for financial assistance to get home.

A floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel is due to arrive in Orkney waters between Christmas and New Year.

A group of young writers brought together with help from local authors, the Orkney Library and Archive and funds from Awards For All will have the chance to put together an anthology of their work in 2012.

Orkney Islands Council has sold its property at Ayre Mills.

The Orkney Community Plan was approved by the Orkney Community Planning Partnership at a recent meeting.

The Orkney Community Plan was approved by the Orkney Community Planning Partnership at a recent meeting.

A new £5.5m marine renewables support base in Stromness has moved a step closer following confirmation today that Orkney Islands Council has been granted £1.815m towards the project from the European Regional Development Fund.

The new synthetic grass pitch in Stromness is undergoing final touches this week and will be open for bookings from January 5.

A lighting upgrade in the St Magnus Cathedral to help cut costs has shed new light on the beauty of the building.