OIC News
Orkney’s electors are being asked to complete their annual Electoral Registration Household Enquiry Form.
Scaffolding is being put up ahead of work to replace fascia, soffit and barge boards fitted at Papdale Halls of Residence in Kirkwall.
Elections for Orkney’s 20 Community Councils are now underway.
Orkney Islands Council has published the results of its latest staff survey.
With pupils returning to school on Tuesday, the chair of the local Road Safety Forum is reminding local drivers to be extra vigilant on the roads.
Ever wondered what’s involved in wildlife recording? Head along to a ‘Bio Blitz’ in Happy Valley this Saturday 19 August.
A scheme aimed at helping local artists and craftspeople take their creative and business ideas to the next level is open again for applications, following renewed backing from Creative Scotland.
An initiative to promote the safe use of gas in homes and businesses is being undertaking by Orkney Islands Council’s Environmental Health Team.
There will be road closures in Stromness on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday next week to enable road repairs to be carried out.
Pupils across Orkney will today (Tuesday 8 August) be receiving their examination results from the Scottish Qualifications Authority.
The Council is advising householders to think ahead to winter – with funding available to keep homes warm and cut fuel bills.
Orkney Islands Council has welcomed the announcement by the Scottish Government of £1.7 million in funding towards a major upgrade of the harbour at Pierowall in Westay.
The first aircraft landing on the deck of a moving ship was marked today (Wednesday 2 August) in Orkney – with the Royal Navy’s latest aircraft carrier forming an impressive background to the centenary commemoration.
The Royal Navy’s new aircraft carrier is expected to visit Scapa Flow tomorrow (Wednesday 2 August) – 100 years to the day since a plane landed on the deck of a moving ship for the first time.
A new memorial to pioneering pilot Edwin Dunning will be unveiled in Orkney tomorrow (Wednesday 2 August).
Work on a major renovation of the Scapa Flow Visitor Centre and Museum in Lyness looks set to start in spring next year.
The Heritage Lottery Fund has advised Orkney Islands Council that a grant of up to £1.155 million has been approved for the project.
Are you struggling to keep your home warm during the colder weather? Would you like to cut your household fuel bills?
Three archbishops and nine bishops are about to undertake an historic pilgrimage to Orkney to mark the 900th anniversary of the death of St Magnus.
Landowners in Orkney are being invited to put forward possible sites for a substantial wind energy project.
The Royal Navy pilot who completed the first ever aircraft landing on a moving ship is to be remembered in Orkney on the 100th anniversary of his landmark achievement.
A century-old brochure marking the launch of HMS Vanguard is just one of the items on display at the Orkney Museum telling the story of the life and tragic sinking of the vessel 100 years ago.
Orkney’s Road Safety Forum is calling for parents to visit a free car seat clinic in Kirkwall next week, to help combat common mistakes.
A new project that will enable users of Orkney Health and Care’s Lifestyles Service to participate in creative workshops and create a lasting work of art has received funding through the Orkney LEADER programme.
Kirbuster Museum, an historic farm steading dating from as early as 1595, is celebrating thirty years as a Council-run museum this weekend.
Have you been out on a walk lately and spotted an unusual creature or plant that you didn’t recognise?
The new Leaders of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Orkney Islands Council and Shetland Islands Council yesterday reaffirmed their commitment to the Islands Bill at a meeting of the Islands Strategic Group chaired by Humza Yousaf, Minister for Transport and the Islands.
The Council’s ‘Team Stromness’ scheme – a regeneration effort spanning the last ten years – has been shortlisted in this year’s Scottish Awards for Quality in Planning.
Feedback is invited following a review of the Orkney’s core paths network.
The massive loss of life when a Royal Navy battleship was blown apart at Scapa Flow was remembered today (Sunday 9 July), exactly 100 years since disaster struck HMS Vanguard.
Orkney’s newly elected Councillors have started the budget planning process in preparation for considerable financial challenges in the year ahead.
Orkney Islands Council is managing its investments well, according to a recent report considered by the new Council
Orkney Islands Council has taken over ownership of a Pelamis marine energy device for a nominal sum.
Feedback will be invited from Monday (10 July) following a review of the Orkney’s core paths network.
Musicians from the Royal Marines will make a poignant return visit to Orkney this weekend, where they will play at a special concert as part of the HMS Vanguard commemorations.
Two of Orkney’s Councillors have been appointed to senior roles within CoSLA, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities.
A specially designed anchor has gone on display in Orkney to help mark the 20th anniversary of Aberdeen-based charity Friends of ANCHOR.
The Orkney Library and Archive is looking to hear the views of local folk about the services they provide.
A new public consultation group is about to provide feedback for the first time.
Scottish Ministers advised all local authority verifiers on 29 June 2017 that the planned changes to building warrant fees will apply from 1 July 2017. Consequently charges for all building warrant related applications received on or after 1 July 2017 will be calculated in accordance with the revised Fees table.
Forty descendants of men who died aboard HMS Vanguard will lay wreaths above the wreck next month to mark 100 years since the ship went down.
The award of £330,000 from the Scottish Government towards an initiative to help Orkney’s young people find fulfilling jobs and careers has been welcomed today (Monday 26 June).
Nine community projects across Orkney have recently benefited from funding from Orkney’s LEADER fund.
Former residents gathered this week to mark seven decades since the opening of Orkney’s original school hostel.
The possibility of creating a large scale wind farm as an important source of income for Orkney is to be investigated fully by the Council.
The winners have been announced of a competition offering a guided tour and lunch aboard the Queen Elizabeth cruise ship during a visit to Orkney in July.
A plan that will guide development activity in the Pentland Firth and Orkney waters has picked up a prestigious national award.
Orkney Islands Council has launched two new services to help raise awareness of recycling in Orkney.
The launch has been announced of a major new community archaeology research and training project in Orkney.
Leader of Orkney Islands Council, James Stockan, has welcomed the publication of an Islands Bill by the Scottish Government.
A library created by children in 1860s Orkney is challenging ideas of stiff Victorian upbringings and childhoods confined to nurseries.
Orkney will welcome Royal visitors later this week when Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway travel to the islands to mark the 900th anniversary of the death of St Magnus.
Orkney Fair Trade Group is celebrating the county’s renewed accreditation as a Fairtrade Zone – a region where Fairtrade is widely sold, promoted, supported and understood.
Eight lucky people will get the chance to tour the Queen Elizabeth cruise ship when it is in Orkney on Friday 7 July.
Scottish Liberal Democrats candidate Alistair Carmichael has been re-elected to serve as MP for Orkney and Shetland.
An iconic and rare wooden racing boat once at risk of ruin has been brought back from the brink in Orkney, following eighteen months of painstaking restoration by a dedicated team of volunteers.
Business Gateway Orkney are to run two drop in sessions in Stromness this summer.
Two centuries of everyday moments captured by people around the world is on show in Kirkwall and Stromness libraries, in a collaboration with London-based artist Dylan Stone.
Commemorations will be held this summer to mark the huge loss of life when a Royal Navy battleship was blown apart while at anchor at Scapa Flow in Orkney.
Organisations across Orkney will come together over next week (28 May to 3 June 2017) to raise awareness of dementia within the local community.
The multi-agency Orkney Local Emergency Co-ordinating Group (OLECG) has met after the terrorism threat level in the UK was raised to critical.
Councillors and council staff joined people across the UK in observing a minute’s silence at 11 this morning as a mark of respect following the Manchester terrorist attack.
Postal voting packs for the forthcoming UK Parliamentary Election on 8 June will start arriving through Orkney letterboxes from today (Tuesday 23 May).
Poll cards will be arriving through Orkney letterboxes this weekend for all those eligible to vote at the forthcoming UK Parliamentary General Election on 8 June
Education Scotland has published the findings of an inspection visit to Evie Community School.
Westray residents have the opportunity to find out more about results of a survey last winter into health and care services on the island, at a drop in event on Tuesday (23 May).
An event is being held in Orkney on Friday 19 May looking at redesigning community justice and how it can help improve the community and lives within that community.
Elected Members have appointed Orkney Islands Council's Convener, Leader and Depute Leader.
Orkney Islands Council is advising of a temporary closure of its Shore Street car park (also known as the Waterfront East car park) for a period of around 10 weeks, starting 1 June, to enable construction of the next stage of the Kirkwall Flood Prevention Scheme, around the Kirkwall Pier entrance and the Shore Street car park.
A new course in hospitality designed for people with learning difficulties is launched tomorrow (16 May 2017) by Orkney College UHI.
Poll cards for the Parliamentary General Election will be sent out from Monday (15 May), hot on the heels of last week’s Orkney Islands Council elections.
The Council has secured funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for a project to delve into the landscapes, seascapes and places where the Magnus story unfolded.
Six candidates have put their names forward to stand for the Orkney and Shetland constituency in the UK Parliamentary Election in June.
Orkney’s marine energy sector will have a strong presence at a major renewables industry event that gets underway in Glasgow today (Wednesday, 10 May).
Orkney Islands Council is advising of road works planned to start on Pickaquoy Road on Monday 15 May, in the vicinity of the junction with Tesco.
A poem by Orkney school pupil Erin Dundas portraying the grief stricken aftermath of the Battle of Jutland has been read out an event in London whose attendees included the Vice Chief of Defence Staff, General Sir Gordon Messenger, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer Phillip Hammond.
Orkney Islands Council is advising drivers of planned maintenance on the Old Finstown Road starting today (Monday 8 May).
A total of 18 candidates were elected across the five contested wards: Kirkwall East, Kirkwall West and Orphir, West Mainland, East Mainland, South Ronaldsay and Burray and North Isles.
The Notice of Election for June’s General Election has been published today.
Returning Officer for Orkney, Alistair Buchan, has formally declared the result of the uncontested election in the Stromness and South Isles ward.
Orkney Islands Council’s Elections team is reminding local voters with a postal vote that their completed votes must be returned to the Council by 22.00 on polling day.
From Tuesday May 2, the Council's recycling centres will change over to summer opening times.
The Council is advising that 3D scanning of the First Churchill Barrier will now start on Friday 28 April, when suitable weather conditions are forecast.
There will be no refuse collections on the May Day Holiday, Monday 1 May 2017. Chinglebraes Waste Transfer Station, Bossack Landfill Site and all the recycling centres will be closed.
A reminder that ‘first hour free’ parking ends soon, with summer tariffs starting on Monday 1 May in Council carparks in central Kirkwall and Stromness.
Ernie Skea from Orkney Islands Council’s Community Learning and Development Team has been recognised for his work helping the county’s young people make a difference to the lives of their peers.
The counting of votes for the Orkney and Shetland Constituency in the upcoming General Election will take place in Orkney.
Senior pupils at Orkney’s two biggest secondary schools have been busy over the last few months preparing themselves for the local elections on May 4.
With two weeks to go until the local council elections, Orkney Islands Council’s elections team is reminding voters to check where their polling station is
There will be delays and disruptions on the Churchill Barrier Number 1 in coming weeks as a 3D survey of the road surface gets underway from Wednesday 26 April.
Orkney Islands Council is encouraging local groups to apply for funding from a national youth work fund.
Events this Easter weekend to launch a programme commemorating the martyrdom of St Magnus 900 years ago look set to create a fitting tribute to Orkney’s very own saint, with some activities already fully booked.
Orkney Islands Council is seeking feedback after publishing a draft strategy for addressing fuel poverty in the county.
The Easter message of hope and renewal as experienced by wounded WW1 soldiers will be showcased this Saturday at the Kirbuster Museum.
A ten pence increase in the price of school meals in Orkney will come into effect later this month.
Orkney Islands Council and Scapa Flow Asset Management Limited have signed an agreement providing access to the wartime oil tanks at Lyness.
Orkney Islands Council’s Marine Services team has launched a new Twitter feed to keep local folk up to date with changes to cruise ship comings and goings this summer.
Temporary road signs will be installed next week advising a 40mph speed limit on the first Churchill Barrier.
A two hour guided walk around the former Royal Naval Base at Lyness starts from the Scapa Flow Visitor Centre and Museum at 11:00 every Tuesday from 4 April onwards.
Thirty eight candidates have put themselves forward for election in Orkney for the local Council elections in May.
The St Magnus Lane public toilets in Kirkwall will open again later this week.
Work to renew an historic property in the centre of Kirkwall starts soon, with the helping hand of a heritage scheme supported by Orkney Islands Council.
Orkney has the highest food safety standards in Scotland according to a recent survey by consumer group Which?.
Prospective candidates in the forthcoming local council elections have until Wednesday to officially put their name on the ballot paper - and are being urged not to leave it until the last minute.
The Council’s Trading Standards Service is advising the public of bogus calls being received by local households, claiming residents are due a rebate of their Council Tax.
Pupils at the Hope School have been lending a hand to the local MacMillan charity.
Two families from war-torn Syria are starting to build a new life in Orkney.
Around 9,000 people visited Kirkwall last year specifically to see the Weeping Window display at St Magnus Cathedral, according to a recent report.
Pupils at Stromness Academy are gearing up for the forthcoming local council elections by taking part in a series of activities as part of the national ‘Ready to Vote’ campaign.
Polling cards will be arriving through Orkney letterboxes over the next couple of days for all those eligible to vote at the forthcoming local council elections on May 4.
Draft planning guidance for aquaculture activity in the county is being published by Orkney Islands Council this week for public consultation.
Local people are being asked for their opinions on priorities for achieving a more sustainable future for Orkney’s energy supply, as part of a consultation being run by Orkney Islands Council.
Orkney Islands Council is reminding local residents who would like to join Orkney Opinions – but have not yet returned their membership survey - to do so by the end of this week.
Following queries from the public the Council’s Trading Standards Service is reminding consumers of their rights when buying goods or services at their doorstep.
Orkney Islands Council is advising that recycling collections could be affected by the strong winds forecast for tomorrow (Tuesday 14 March).
Young people and mental health will be the focus of a youth arts performance event at the Orkney Arts Theatre next Saturday night (Saturday 11 March).
The starting pistol for this year’s local council elections will be fired on Monday 13 March when the Notice of Election is published.
Orkney Islands Council has published its latest Annual Performance Report.
Relive the martyrdom of St Magnus this Easter on the isle of Egilsay – 900 years after the legendary event took place.
Pupils at Kirkwall Grammar School are to go on a health kick, as they take part in the school’s annual Health Week (6 – 10 March).
Orkney Islands Council is supporting a national campaign aimed at giving old mobile phones and gadgets a new lease of life.
Orkney Islands Council is getting in touch with people across the county to invite them to become part of a new public consultation group.
Comments received during the Boundary Commission for Scotland's consultation on initial proposals for UK Parliament constituencies have been published for a four-week period of public scrutiny and further feedback.
Orkney Islands Council is urging local folk to give unwanted items a second chance this spring, as part of Pass It On Week (March 11-19).
St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall will be lit blue and green on Friday night (3 March) – Fairtrade’s trademark colours.
Elected Members have set Orkney Islands Council’s budget for the next financial year.