OIC News
An oil painting which at one time adorned the walls of the canteen at the Royal Navy Base in Lyness has been selected to be restored via public donations.
Free sanitary products are to be made available in Orkney's schools from the first day of the new school term (Tuesday 21 August).
The new community learning guide for Autumn 2018 is now available.
Residents in Orkney are being encouraged not to lose their voice on matters that affect them by completing and returning their annual canvass form to the Electoral Registration Office as soon as possible.
The Council is advising that King Street in Kirkwall will be closed to traffic from tomorrow morning (Wednesday 15 August) for essential work to take place.
Car park attendants in Orkney are trialling the use of personal video cameras as a safety measure.
The UK President of the Royal Town Planning Institute is to visit Orkney next week to see for himself the award-winning regeneration work carried out in Stromness.
Orkney Islands Council has today (August 8) welcomed the news that thay have secured £670,000 from the European Regional Development Fund for a low carbon travel project in Stromness.
The Council is advising households with private water supplies that help is available if these run dry.
Pupils across Orkney are today (Tuesday 7 August) receiving their examination results from the Scottish Qualifications Authority.
A scheme aimed at helping local artists and crafts people take their creative development and ideas to the next level is open again for applications, following renewed backing from Creative Scotland.
Orkney Islands Council is asking Orkney households to take it all the way when it comes to putting their bins out.
The Council is seeking feedback on plans to charge for the use of community school kitchens for a number of events.
Visit our Waste team at the Shows this year for a chance to win a 'Green Johanna' hot composter and food waste digester.
The Council is reminding people in Westray that the refuse collection postponed on Tuesday will be taking place tomorrow (Thursday 26 July) instead.
Surface dressing work on the county's roads has finished for 2018.
The final major piece of work to ready the buildings at the Scapa Flow Museum for redevelopment will get underway this week.
Due to mechanical issues the refuse collection in Westray is being postponed.
Surface dressing is due to take place on Monday 23 July in Holm, on the Greenwall Road and then the Woodstock Road.
The offices currently used by NHS Orkney are to provide a base for Voluntary Action Orkney following the opening of the new hospital in Kirkwall.
Surface dressing work in Hoy has been completed today (Thursday 19 July).
The multi-agency Orkney Local Emergency Co-ordinating Group (OLECG) met today (Thursday 19 July) in response to the grounding of the freight vessel MV Priscilla on a skerry in the Pentland Firth.
Surface dressing is due to take place on Thursday and Friday this week (19 and 20 July) on a section of the B9047 (the main Moaness - Lyness - Longhope road) from the Hoy Hotel to just past the School (Hoy and North Walls Community School).
Surface dressing is set to continue tomorrow (Wednesday 18 July) on the B9047 (the main Moaness - Lyness - Longhope road) on a 1km section either side of Lyrawa Bay in North Hoy.
Surface dressing will take place in Hoy this week, with full road closures in place while work is carried out.
Local emergency services are assisting this years' campaign urging local people to get their children's car seats checked in light of startling national and local statistics.
No surface dressing is planned for Friday or Monday (13 and 16 July).
The Council is seeking to appoint a suitably qualified and experienced consultant to assess the impact of a major redevelopment of the Scapa Flow Museum at Lyness in Hoy.
Surface dressing is planned for tomorrow (Thursday 12 July) on the B9067 (the Pierowall to Kirbest road) between Gairy and the junction at Tufter (known locally as ‘Tifter’).
Surface dressing will start in Westray tomorrow, Wednesday 11 July, on the main Pierowall to Rapness road.
There will be no surface dressing on Tuesday 10 July as the team prepare to carry out work in Westray.
We will provide a further update tomorrow.
Orkney will host the 2023 Island Games after all 24 member islands of the International Island Games Association (IIGA) voted unanimously to award the event to the county.
Experienced people with a wide range of skills in the UK energy sector are invited to apply to the post of Chair of the new Orkney Research and Innovation Campus (ORIC).
The Islands Bill has received Royal Assent and become an Act of the Scottish Parliament.
Surface dressing continues tomorrow (Saturday 7 July) in Holm, on the road from Hurtiso to Warthill, where short signed diversions will be in place.
A century of tradition has come to an end inside Kirkwall’s St Magnus Cathedral with the cathedral clock having been wound by hand for the very last time (Thursday 5 July).
Surface dressing will begin tomorrow (Friday 6 July) in South Ronaldsay, on a small side road around half a mile from St Margaret’s Hope.
A consultation event is being held this Tuesday (10 July) to gather views on the Scottish Government's consultation on the 'Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing’ (EESSH) post 2020.
Surface dressing will continue on Thursday 5 July in South Ronaldsay, on two stretches of the road from St Margaret’s Hope to Hoxa.
There has been a change to the surface dressing work planned for today.
Surface dressing takes place on Wednesday 4 July in Holm, on the road from Hurtiso Farm to Warthill. Short signed diversions will be in place.
Surface dressing is set to take place on Tuesday 3 July on two sections of the Tankerness Hall. The road will be closed in both directions while the work is carried out, with short signed diversions in place.
Surface dressing work will resume on Monday (2 July) on the main road in Evie (the A966 from the 30mph sign at the cemetery to the Old Evie School). The road will be closed in both directions.
Orkney Islands Council Leader James Stockan has expressed concern that cheaper ferry fares are not being introduced on routes between Orkney and the Scottish mainland.
Staff at Stromness Academy are appealing to local families to check their bookshelves at home - to see if there are any school books lurking there.
No surface dressing is planned for Thursday and Friday (28 and 29 June) this week.
A temporary exhibition on the wartime history of Scapa Flow is due to open at the Hoy Hotel in Lyness on Saturday (30 June).
Everyone in Orkney should keep their Eyes Open for children at risk during the school holidays.
The issue of parcel surcharging has long been a bone of contention for many internet shoppers. However, consumers across the United Kingdom, and especially those living in Northern Ireland and the Highlands and Islands of Scotland are now set to benefit from the launch of a new website which provides a one stop shop to acknowledge these concerns.
Surface dressing work will continue tomorrow (Wednesday 27 June) on the main road in Evie (the A966 from the 30mph sign at the cemetery to the Old Evie School) and the road will be closed in both directions.
Surface dressing work will continue tomorrow (Tuesday 26 June) on the main road in Evie (the A966 from the 30mph sign at the cemetery to the Old Evie School) and the road will be closed in both directions.
Orkney has the highest food safety standards in Scotland, according to a recent survey by consumer group Which?.
An electronic magnifier has been presented to the Warehouse Buildings in Stromness to help people with a range of visual impairments.
Conservation work is to be carried out to repair damage to the HMS Royal Oak Roll of Honour.
Two anti-aircraft guns from the Scapa Flow Museum at Lyness are being transported to a new home in Dumfries.
Orkney’s Community Planning Partnership is to push Scottish and Westminster Governments for faster progress on the roll out of improvements to broadband coverage and speeds for Orkney’s most remote areas.
A consultation on Orkney Islands Council’s Sheltered Housing service remains open until the end of June.
Orkney’s Community Planning Environment Partnership is seeking public views on the latest version of its Orkney Local Biodiversity Action Plan.
The Council will be continuing surface dressing in the Wald Road and Hinderayre Road area of Evie and Rendall from Monday 18 June, moving onto Gorseness Road over following days.
Recycling collections in the linked South Isles are to be cancelled next week to allow Council crews to be diverted to grass cutting duties in the area’s kirkyards.
The Council will be carrying out surface dressing for a short time tomorrow (Saturday 16 June) in Orphir in the Kirbister/Waulkmill area between the track west of Waterfold and the junction with the Germiston Road at the Kirbister Loch end.
Deputy First Minister John Swinney MSP today (Friday 15 June) performed the official opening ceremony at Orkney’s newest school.
Kirkwall's Bridge Street will be closed to traffic this Monday (18 June) as Orkney Islands Council carries out some temporary repairs.
The Orkney community is being asked for input into future public bus services for the county, ahead of preparations by Orkney Islands Council for the next contract period.
A new cardboard recycling container is now in operation at the Council’s household waste and recycling centre (HWRC) at Cursiter Quarry in Firth.
Work on headstones found to be in an unsafe condition is about to begin at kirkyards in Orkney.
Surface dressing will be carried out tomorrow (Friday 15 June) on the A964 Kirkwall-Houton-Stromness road on the stretch from Houton to Clowally.
Orkney Islands Council is asking for views on a possible change to the way its houses are let.
June is this year’s Scams Awareness month and the Trading Standards team at Orkney Islands Council is reminding people to be on their guard for scams which can target all age groups.
Due to the weather conditions forecast for tomorrow, surface dressing work is not expected to take place on Thursday 14 June.
Tomorrow (Wednesday 13 June) will see surface dressing starting on the A964 (main Kirkwall/Stromness to Houton road), from Houton to Nealand Kennels.
A co-ordinator has been appointed to take forward the work of the Orkney Community Justice Partnership.
Surface dressing work will continue in the Bay of Skaill/Skara Brae area, on the B9056 between the B9057 (the Loch of Skaill) and Quoyloo Road before moving onto the B9055 between Aith and Queena.
An unusual Kirkwall landmark has been given a bit of TLC as part of the Council's ongoing work on Kirkwall's harbour front.
Free business workshops are being held in Orkney next week to help small businesses polish up on their tendering skills when dealing with public sector bodies such as the Council.
Road maintenance works are due to be carried out on Stromness' main street from next week (11 June - 15 June).
The Council will be carrying out surface dressing in the Bay of Skaill and Skara Brae area on Thursday and Friday this week.
A new Chief Officer has been appointed for Orkney Health and Care, the Integration Joint Board that commissions and oversees community health and social care services in the islands.
People living in Orkney’s North and South Isles are being encouraged to contribute ideas as part of the community conversations initiative.
Surface dressing will be taking place on the A965 - the main Kirkwall to Stromness road - from Binscarth Farm to Germiston Road, over the course of Tuesday (5 June) and Wednesday (6 June) this week.
The Council is advising that surface dressing will take place on Monday 4 June on the Bigswell Road in Stenness.
Orkney Islands Council is looking to recruit Head Teachers for two distinct local schools.
The Council is advising that surface dressing road works will be carried out in two areas tomorrow (Friday 1 June):
Following an ongoing safety review of the county's cemeteries, Orkney Islands Council is urging local folk to check on their relatives headstones.
Orkney Islands Council has welcomed the outcome of today’s Islands Bill debate in the Scottish Parliament as an historic and momentous day for Scotland’s island communities.
Orkney Islands Council is urging local residents to share ideas on reducing their plastic footprint, as part of activities to mark World Environment Day on 5 June.
Are you a volunteer in youth services, or looking to obtain formal youth work qualifications for work you are already doing? Orkney Islands Council in conjunction with Youth Scotland have launched a rare opportunity for local people to gain a formal youth work qualification - for free.
Orkney Islands Council is urging householders to check if they could be eligible for funding to help keep their homes warm and cut fuel bills.
The Council is asking MSPs to support measures to bolster the Islands Bill during a key stage of its progress through the Scottish Parliament.
A talk taking place in Birsay next month will tell the story of an important research and archaeology project carried out as part of the Magnus 900 commemorations.
Surface dressing of the county’s roads continue next week across several locations in Orkney.
Orkney Islands Council's ‘Team Stromness’ scheme – a regeneration effort spanning the last ten years – took the top award at last night's Royal Town Planning Institute’s (RTPI) Awards for Planning Excellence.
Council Leader James Stockan has welcomed an announcement by Transport and the Islands Minister Humza Yousaf on how the next Northern Isles ferry contract will be awarded.
Five community engagement events are to be held across the Orkney mainland and linked South Isles next month as Orkney Islands Council continues to tackle its ongoing budget challenge.
The Council's surface dressing works will move onto Back Road in Dounby tomorrow (Thursday 24 May), starting in the morning.
Orkney Islands Council is planning to carry out some road maintenance and flag repairs on Albert Street and Bridge Street, Kirkwall, tomorrow (Thursday 24 May) and Friday.
Drivers are advised surface dressing works by Orkney Islands Council will get underway again from the middle of next week (21 – 25 May).
Council Convener Harvey Johnston has described yesterday's Norwegian Constitution Day celebrations as ‘magnificent’.
There will be changes to public bus Service 9 (Kirkwall Town Service) and Service 7 (Stromness and Kirkwall to Birsay via Dounby) later this week as the Council's surface dressing work begins from Thursday 17 May.
Drivers are advised surface dressing works by Orkney Islands Council will start tomorrow, Thursday 17 May
Orkney Islands Council has welcomed the official launch of the BIG HIT hydrogen project.
Visitors from Norway will travel to Orkney to take part in the annual celebrations for Norwegian Constitution Day on Thursday 17 May.
The Council is suspending the introduction of a savings measure which reduced the number of free return trips for eligible passengers using Dial-a-Bus to 12 per year.
Drivers are reminded to check for road closures and diversions that could affect them when surface dressing work starts in Orkney this week.
Pupils from St Andrews Primary School enjoyed a visit to the Council Chamber in School Place last week.
Dog owners are being reminded to keep their dogs under control when near livestock.
Road surface dressing will bring road closures and bus service changes across Orkney. With road surface dressing due to start later this month, the Council is advising the public of how they can keep updated on road closures and bus service changes which might affect them.
A consultation on Orkney Islands Council’s Sheltered Housing service is now live.
P5 Pupils from Glaitness School have teamed up with ‘weel-kent’ local illustrator, Britt Harcus to launch a new book exploring the unique history and heritage of Kirkwall – through the eyes of an inquisitive curlew.
Orkney Islands Council is reminding the public that Council offices will be closed on Monday, 7 May for the ‘May Day’ public holiday.
Two new awards of funding will help support a major redevelopment project at the Scapa Flow Museum.
Orkney Islands Council is seeking views on design for housing in the countryside.
Road works on Junction and New Scapa Road will pause for the summer as the Council gears up for its annual surface dressing.
The next phase of a project looking at how a large scale wind farm could generate significant income and community benefit for Orkney has been announced at a public meeting in Hoy.
Orkney Islands Council’s Trading Standards team is warning local consumers and businesses about the increased use of ‘number spoofing’ by scam callers, following an increase in local residents reporting suspicious calls.
Prehistoric pottery is the focus of the Orkney Museum’s summer exhibition for 2018.
The Council's Marine Services have appointed port planning specialists to prepare a masterplan for Orkney Harbour areas.
A consultation is planned on how the Council best delivers its sheltered housing service in future.
An update from the Council will be provided for residents of Hoy and Walls on a project looking at how a large scale wind farm could serve as an important source of income and community benefit for the county.
The section of Junction Road between the Junction Road mini roundabout and Union Street re-opened to traffic this morning, 24 April.
Preparations are in place for the arrival of the largest cruise ship to visit Orkney.
The ‘first hour free’ parking run by the Council over winter ends on 1 May when Council carparks in central Kirkwall and Stromness revert to the summer tariffs.
A series of community conversations will be held later this year on Orkney Islands Council’s current and future spending plans.
Orkney Islands Council, alongside Police colleagues, are appealing to residents in the Kirklands Road and Quoybanks Cresent area of Kirkwall to be careful when they are parking, following issues with the town bus accessing the area.
The Council has held further discussions with businesses affected by road works on Junction Road in Kirkwall.
Orkney Islands Council is holding a recruitment event this month.
An event is being run in Hoy next month to provide an opportunity for the local community to find out more about some of the health and wellbeing support and services currently available in Orkney.
Diversions and changes to public bus timetables will be in place from this Monday (16 April) while vital road work is carried out by the Council on Junction Road and New Scapa Road in Kirkwall.
A recent dog mess campaign created by pupils at Papdale Primary School appears have had the desired effect – with a 43% decrease in complaints to Environmental Health about dog fouling immediately after the campaign launched.
An exhibition of artwork created by the users of Orkney Health and Care’s Lifestyles Centre opens next week (Friday 13 April).
A redevelopment project is about to get underway at the Ness Campsite in Stromness.
Orkney Islands Council is inviting feedback on a plan for how Kirkwall could develop in future that has emerged from an ideas-gathering exercise held earlier this year.
Orkney Museum will be showing an exhibition of new work by three local artists this month.
Ingrid Budge, Alan Watson and Rebecca Marr will exhibit together for the first time in a show they have called ‘Lift’.
The title, an Orkney dialect word for sky, reflects their shared interest in Orkney skies and clouds. The exhibition opens on Saturday 7 April.
Temporary traffic lights will be in place in Kirkwall from Wednesday 4 April at the mini roundabout where Pickaquoy Road joins Junction Road.
The closure of Scapa Flow Visitor Centre and Museum is to be extended into 2019.
Due to the Easter Monday holiday, the Council Offices will be closed from 17:00 on Friday 30 March until 09:00 on Tuesday 2 April 2018.
A ten pence increase in the price of school meals in Orkney will come into effect in April.
Orkney's council-operated airfields have been shortlisted for a national award.
Two important documents relating to how the Council procures goods and services have been published on the Council website this week.
The Principals of three of Scotland’s universities have been looking at new opportunities for collaborative working during a two-day visit to Orkney.
The Council is reminding the public of the risks of dumping potentially explosive material.
Orkney Islands Council has welcomed the announcement that they have secured funding from the National Lottery for a £4.5m North Isles Landscape Scheme.
A £5.39 million construction contract has been awarded for the development of a new Research and Innovation Campus in Orkney.
More than 110 tanker operations have taken place in Scapa Flow over the past 12 months – the highest figure recorded for many years.
An event highlighting the valuable work carried out by social workers takes place in Kirkwall next week.
Independent charity Arts & Business Scotland will visit Orkney later this month as part of a series of special events across the Highlands and Islands to promote greater collaboration between local cultural organisations and the local business community.
Orkney Islands Council has published a reviewed Core Paths plan for public comment, following feedback gathered over the last several months.
The Council is advising that a collection point for glass bottles and jars from commercial businesses will no longer be available at Cursiter Quarry from Thursday 15 March.
Orkney Islands Council is working with partners in seeking amendments to the Islands Bill for the next stage of its progress through the Scottish Parliament.
The resurfacing works on Junction Road, Kirkwall planned to start on Monday (12 March) as advertised in yesterday’s Orcadian have had to be cancelled.
Hand over your under-loved musical instruments for the benefit of young musicians in the county, as part of national Pass It On Week.
Visitors to Hatston tip will be asked to take a second look at what's in their boot - as part of next week's national re-use event 'Pass It On' week.
Orkney Islands Council has welcomed news that energy supplier Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) has formally submitted a ‘Needs Case’ to energy regulator Ofgem for a new transmission link for Orkney.
Temporary displays of items from the Scapa Flow Visitor Centre and Museum have been set up in Kirkwall while the facility undergoes a major refurbishment.
Orkney Island Council is reminding drivers to be vigilant and take extra care in the current cold conditions.
Orkney is set to tap into a wealth of expertise and experience when the second Orkney Business Festival gets underway in three weeks’ time.
Orkney Islands Council is advising that essential maintenance work is set to take place on Victoria Street in Kirkwall next week (Monday 26 February 2018 to Friday 2 March 2018).
Orkney Islands Council has published its Biodiversity Duty Report for 2015 to 2017.
Elected Members have set Orkney Islands Council’s budget for the next financial year.
Orkney youth worker Maureen Herdman has received the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award for Youth Work’ at the National Youth Work Awards 2018 run by YouthLink Scotland.