End of Term Highlights
2021
Ferry and road funding
The Council secured additional funding of £7.7m towards Orkney’s internal ferry services to enable a reduction in fares, and year-round Sunday sailings. We continue to argue the case with the Scottish Government regarding funding for replacement vessels.
Delivering the draft Scottish Budget, Finance Secretary Kate Forbes said Government funding for local ferry operations in Orkney and Shetland would increase by £7.7 million in 2021-2022.
This would ensure that the Council is fully funded to run the internal ferry services during the year ahead.
It would also allow the introduction of further all-year-round Sunday services and a Road Equivalent Tariff (RET) fare structure on Orkney’s inter-island ferry routes.
The budget setting process also saw an additional £2.1m set aside by the Council for road improvements in the county.
More social housing
Orkney’s latest social housing development was officially handed over to the Council by its building contractor.
The £4.7m, 32-property development at Carness Road in Kirkwall, is a mixture of flats and bungalows – with five of the properties being used as supported accommodation for households with particular needs and a support base.
All properties have been built to meet the latest energy efficiency standards, with PV panels on the roof and additional insulation, with the building work carried out by local firm R Clouston Ltd.
As part of the project, new footpaths have been added to provide connectivity to the existing footway network on Carness Road, Weyland Bay and Islands View Road, as well as new streetlighting.
A second phase of the project will deliver a further eight 2-bedroom properties and six 3-bedroom properties.
Orkney Islands Council’s House Build Programme has delivered 230 new homes in the county since 2011 with funding coming from the Council’s Housing Revenue Account, the Strategic Reserve Fund and grant funding from the Scottish Government.
New roadway
Bignold Park access roadway opened. Fully funded by OIC and project managed by Orkney Agricultural Society, it was completed in less than three weeks and ahead of schedule.
The first phase of the new roadway goes from the Pavilion to the bottom gate at Meadowbank, with further sections via the old hockey building and east side of the football pitch being included.
The new roadway links up the main entrance on Bignold Park Road, to the housing area in Meadowbank, providing walking links to two of Orkney’s biggest schools and nearby housing away from busy roads.
Orkney Islands Council agreed to fund construction costs up to a maximum of £76k.
The work was carried out by local contractor Eoin Muir Plant Hire to high quality specifications.
Childcare and schools
The Council delivered on 1,140 early learning and childcare funded hours with around 460 children able to benefit. The Council also reopened schools in Flotta and North Ronaldsay.
Up to 360 children in Orkney were able to benefit from 1,140 hours of funded early learning and childcare (ELC) from August, with this figure increasing to 460 following the January and April intakes.
The Council’s ELC service worked hard to deliver the Scottish Government commitment.
Available to all three and four-year-olds, as well as eligible two-years-olds who need it most, the move will save families childcare costs of around £4,900 per child each year.
Recovery Projects
Orkney Islands Council's Elected Members approved funding towards a suite of projects aimed at supporting Orkney's recovery from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The £8.25m fund will be used to address a number of the Council's recovery objectives and pressure points - helping to alleviate service delivery constraints, improve future efficiency, cut carbon emissions and stimulate economic recovery.
Projects to benefit from the £8.240m Covid recovery pot include £500,000 towards an island and rural housing fund, £500,000 towards footpath, core path and cycleway improvements, £500,000 towards the replacement of playpark equipment and £500,000 towards road surface water maintenance work.
£300,000 will be set aside to support Orkney's wide variety of festivals, musical events and cultural organisations - who have been severely impacted by the effects of the pandemic.
Two larger projects could see a new salt barn for Cursiter Quarry, with £1m allocated towards a Kirkwall Town Centre Regeneration project, similar to the Stromness Pierhead Project that was undertaken a number of years ago.
Other areas to receive funding include schools’ furniture and fittings, update of IT equipment and software in schools and Council facilities, a ground source heat pump at Orkney Library and the replacement of Council plant and vehicles.
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