OIC News
Feedback is invited on plans to increase or bring in new charges for a number of services provided by Orkney Islands Council.
Orkney College UHI is due to welcome a new principal next year.
Seven young people from Orkney will travel to Glasgow this weekend for discussions with young people from Shetland on what they’d like to see included in ‘Islands Deal’ proposals – agreements with Scottish and UK governments about investment in their island communities.
Two additional creative arts opportunities have been announced for the new Balfour Hospital.
A fund aimed at supporting farm diversification projects in Orkney has opened again for a final round of applications.
Orkney Islands Council has secured funding worth £119,000 towards a marine environment project.
This Saturday (8th December) sees the opening of a new exhibition at the Orkney Museum, Tankerness House, Broad Street, Kirkwall.
The café at Kirkwall Town Hall and Community Centre has switched to using eco-friendly packaging for the food and drinks it offers.
Orkney Islands Council’s Marine Services and Orkney College UHI’s Maritime Studies Department have teamed up to deliver a new Marine Engineering course at the ‘Nav School’ in Stromness.
Orkney Islands Council is to delay its annual Christmas tree collection dates for properties within the 30mph town speed limits until February.
Shapinsay Primary are finalists of the Sunday Mail sportscotland Scottish Sport Awards, in the School Sport Award category.
Ten young people from Orkney will hop on board a specially chartered flight this week, to join peers from island communities in Shetland and Western Isles at a special Parliamentary Reception hosted by the three islands MSPs to mark Scotland’s Year of Young People.
Orkney Islands Council is launching a waste and recycling Advent Calendar this year aimed at sharing some fun ideas and tips on how to recycle more for a lower-waste Christmas.
Orkney Islands Council is inviting applications for its Culture Fund which is aimed at supporting cultural activity in Orkney.
Access to the countryside will be under discussion at a conference in Orkney later this week.
A deal has now been signed for a new pilot launch for Orkney Islands Council's Marine Services.
An offer by Orkney Islands Council to purchase the islands of Faray, Holm of Faray and Red Holm has been accepted.
Orkney Islands Council is carrying out further repairs this Saturday 24 November to a vital fibre optic link which was damaged on 5 November. The work will take place between 10:00 and 16:00 and will make permanent the emergency repairs put in place in the immediate aftermath of the incident.
Orkney is getting into the festive spirit as the tree lighting season gets underway from this Saturday (24 November).
Orkney Schools Concert Band are progressing to the National finals of the Scottish Concert Band Festival, following a golden performance last Sunday night.
Orkney Islands Council has put forward measures to bolster the Crown Estate Bill during a key stage of its progress through the Scottish Parliament.
Orkney is forging new links with Scandinavian and Arctic states as the Islands Council prepares for the impact of Brexit on the county.
The new Kirkwall Harbour flood prevention scheme will be tested during an exercise next week.
The Council’s Marine Services team has released their Annual Report for 2017/18 – and it shows that Harbours activity and income is in very good shape.
Proposals are being invited for the main entrance area within the new Balfour Hospital and Healthcare Facility in Kirkwall, Orkney.
Orkney’s first ever Tourism Week is set to take place later this month, with the aim of informing and inspiring both local tourism businesses and the wider community.
Residents and businesses in Westray and Shapinsay are being reminded that changes to their recycling and refuse collections start next week (week starting Monday 19 November).
A joint project between Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles is one of the latest community projects to secure support from Orkney Islands Council’s LEADER fund.
Pictures of the islands by two pioneering photographers are to go on show at the Orkney Museum in Kirkwall.
A shuttle bus service will operate on Sunday 11 November to help people attend the Armistice Day event at Scapa Beach.
This year’s Remembrance Sunday, November 11, marks the centenary of the Armistice that brought to an end to the hostilities of the Great War. A special programme of events will mark the day.
Orkney Islands Council is advising customers in Kirkwall West and Kirkwall South (Area 2) whose recycling was not collected yesterday (Tuesday 8 November) that they can present their bins again this Friday 9 November.
Orkney Islands Council is dealing with an incident that has created major IT problems at many of its facilities.
Orkney Islands Council is carrying out important maintenance work on its electrical vehicle charging points recommended by engineers.
A courageous Orkney soldier who lost his life during the First World War has been chosen as the face of Armistice commemorations in the islands.
The walls of Orkney’s St Magnus Cathedral were transformed this evening as the internationally significant building became the canvas for a short film marking the centenary of the end of the First World War.
A recent Freedom of Information request asked for a breakdown of the expenses claims made by the chief executives of a number of public sector organisations over the last three years.
A special fund to help retell the remarkable tale of the scuttling of the German fleet in Scapa Flow almost 100 years ago has been launched by Orkney Islands Council.
One of the best known portraits of George Mackay Brown has been returned to its former glory and has gone on show in Orkney once again.
Details on how local people can get involved in the Pages of the Sea event taking place on Scapa Beach on Armistice Day have been announced.
Flagstone repairs are due to be carried out in Stromness this coming week (22 to 26 October) - leading to sections of the street being closed whilst the work takes place.
A collaborative public artwork created by adults with learning disabilities, professional artists and local community groups in Orkney will be unveiled on Monday (October 22).
Orkney Islands Council has welcomed an invitation to further develop plans for local decision making on seabed leasing in the waters around the county.
An event takes place this week to help people in Orkney make the most of the internet.
On 11 November 2018, the public is invited to gather on Scapa beach for an informal, nationwide gesture of remembrance for the men and women who left their home shores during the First World War.
A programme of events in Orkney to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War has been announced.
The HMS Royal Oak Roll of Honour has gone back on display at St Magnus Cathedral after conservation work to repair damage to the book.
Orkney Islands Council is advising the public there will be widespread disruption and outages to IT and telephone systems this weekend across all Council offices and facilities, as work to install vital new equipment at the core of the OIC network takes place.
Orkney Islands Council has launched a survey into the county’s recycling provision for householders.
Orkney Islands Council is relaunching the Abattoir Challenge Fund.
Local people are being asked to keep an eye out for disadvantage in all its guises this Challenge Poverty week.
Next Saturday (13 October) sees the opening of the first autumn/winter 2018 exhibition at the Orkney Museum, Tankerness House, Broad Street, Kirkwall.
The first phase of work to make safe headstones found to be in a dangerous condition has been completed at four kirkyards in Orkney.
Isles residents with more than one car can now have two vehicles linked to books of travel tickets issued by Orkney Ferries.
Public views are being sought on Orkney Islands Council's strategy for bringing empty homes back into use.
The Council's Orkney Library and Archive team have been in the news again - this time for their tweet about a centuries-old item in their care which documents the selling of a piece of land for 'five crowns/krona and two ky' (cattle) in 1402.
Two schools in Orkney have been recognised this week with a prestigious national award from SportScotland for innovation and achievement in delivering physical education and extra-curricular sport.
Two projects have been awarded funding from the local LEADER fund - with time is running out for other projects looking to secure support from the fund.
Parking is free once again from October 1 for the first hour at a number of town centre car parks in Orkney.
Tackling plastic pollution will be top of the list of topics taken to the public this Recycling Week by the Council’s waste team.
Orkney Islands Council Leader, James Stockan, is to meet with senior Scottish Government ministers over the next couple of weeks to discuss a range of issues around Orkney's internal and external ferry services.
Orkney's annual 'Meet the Buyer' networking event takes place on 10 October.
Orkney Islands Council and Orkney Blide Trust are appealing to members of the public for their help reporting vandalism, following recent damage at Tankerness House Gardens.
Extra land is being made available to encourage further business activity at Hatston Pier in Orkney.
A new coastal flood warning service for Orkney is launched today (Tuesday 18 September).
Reminders have been sent to households in Orkney that have so far not returned this year’s Electoral Registration forms.
Two local young people have been selected to sit on a national panel designed to ensure young peoples' voices are heard as part of the ongoing Brexit negotiations.
St Magnus Cathedral, one of Orkney’s best-known landmarks, is set to become the canvas for a short film as part of events to mark the armistice of the Great War.
The Council is reminding the public of the risks of dumping explosives following discovery by staff of 26 marine distress flares at St Margaret’s Hope household waste and recycling centre.
Diversions and changes to public bus timetables will be in place from this Monday (10 September) while vital road work is carried out by the Council on Junction Road and New Scapa Road in Kirkwall.
Orkney Islands Council and West Side Cinema have secured strategic support from Film Hub Scotland to continue to develop film exhibition and community cinema provision in the county.
Feedback received during the Council's recent 'Community Conversations' consultation meetings has been published today (Tuesday September 4) by the Council.
Visitors to St Magnus Cathedral in Kirkwall can now access a handy app providing an audio-visual guide to the iconic building.
Orkney Islands Council is urging local people to see if they can help complete a photographic collection of all Orcadian service personnel killed during the First World War, as the centenary of the end of the conflict draws near.
The Red Ensign flag will fly this Monday 3 September over the Town Hall in Kirkwall as Orkney Islands Council joins UK-wide events in recognition of the nation's merchant seafarers.
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.