Archive News

Orkney Islands Council understands and shares the Scottish Government’s concerns relating to the latest developments with the COVID 19 Virus and the continual need to review the prevailing circumstances across the Country and for each Council area. However, there currently remains no recorded COVID cases in Orkney. Accordingly, the Council believes that a bespoke Orkney response can be accommodated for the lead up to Christmas and for the New Year based on the prevailing data and science for the operation of our internal ferries and the return to school arrangements.

Orkney Islands Council is carrying out road works on Pickaquoy Road near the Co op supermarket on Monday 11 January and Tuesday 12 January 2021, between 09:00 and 16:00 each day.

We can now reveal that the most popular name choices for girls and boys in Orkney during 2020.

Orkney Islands Council is contacting families, carers and staff about current plans for opening schools in January after the Festive Season break.

Orkney Islands Council has advised the Scottish Government of concerns about the impact of Level 3 Covid-19 restrictions on local ferry services and communities – and how it is addressing these.

Following the recent Scottish Government announcement that Orkney will move into Level Three for a three-week period from 26 December 2020 – 17 January 2021, there will unfortunately be some changes to festive and day-to-day arrangements across Orkney’s Sport and Leisure facilities.

Staff at Orkney Health and Care have helped leading children’s charity Action for Children distribute grocery vouchers to vulnerable families and young children in the county ahead of Christmas.

Orkney Islands Council is opening temporary skips for paper and metals recycling over the festive period.

Orkney Islands Council is advising the Travel Centre in Kirkwall will close at 5.30pm on 23 December 2020 and re-open at 9am on 5 January 2021, due to recent antisocial behaviour at the facility.

Orkney Islands Council is contacting people across the county to invite them to become part of its public consultation group.

Orkney Islands Council is supporting a national campaign aimed at encouraging people to come forward as carers and claim the support they are entitled to.

Orkney Islands Council has published information on bus timetables over the upcoming festive period.

Orkney Islands Council is advising it has been unable to collect any refuse in Westray today (15 December), due to the breakdown of the collection vehicle.

Orkney Islands Council is renewing pleas to the community to not leave general waste at the newly re-opened recycling facilities in St Margaret’s Hope and Cursiter. 

A leaflet aimed at encouraging local people to pay special attention to their mental wellbeing this winter is launching this week.

Orkney Islands Council has published festive season arrangements for the upcoming Christmas and New Year period.

This includes changes to refuse and recycling collections, and emergency out-of-hours contact details.

The information can be viewed on the Council's Festive Arrangements page - or by clicking on the banner at the top of the Council's homepage.

The information was also published in the Orcadian newspaper on 10 December 2020.

Orkney Islands Council is inviting applications for its Culture Fund aimed at supporting cultural activity in Orkney.

An online exhibition – 'Orkney: Between Islands' – has just been launched as part of the Between Islands project.

Here’s an update on recycling collection arrangements for the week ahead – from Monday 14 December.

Applications are invited to the Community Transport Grant Scheme for 2021/2022.

Orkney Local Emergency Co-ordinating Group (OLECG) met on Monday 7 December and set up a small cross-agency working group to come together to support NHS Orkney with the COVID-19 vaccination programme that started this week.

Orkney Islands Council has welcomed news that the Scottish Government has taken a definitive stance that Higher and Advanced Higher exams will not go ahead this year and will be replaced instead by an assessment model based on teacher judgement and evidence of pupils' attainment.

The model for a “future-proofed” 40-place care facility to replace St Rognvald House in Kirkwall has now been approved this week by the Integration Joint Board (IJB).

Orkney Islands Councillors have agreed to continue to financially support Orkney hosting the International Island Games despite their postponement to 2025.

Orkney Islands Council is advising members of the public that the path to the Brough of Deerness has had to be closed following a significant slip of land.

North Isles Councillor Heather Woodbridge has been appointed to sit on several committees.

Christmas will come early for many of Orkney’s most vulnerable families with a £200 direct payment to those children receiving free school meals - £100 from the Scottish Government COVID Hardship Payment and a further top up payment of £100 thanks to an Orkney Islands Council grant agreed by Councillors today (Tuesday).

Congratulations to Orkney Islands Council for achieving the Food for Life Served Here Bronze award for their primary and secondary school meals service!

Parts of Orkney Islands Council’s online services will experience disruptions on Saturday December 12.

The Scottish Government has called in the ‘Orkney’s Community Wind Farm Project – Hoy’ planning application for determination.

Here’s an update on recycling collection arrangements for the week ahead – from Monday 7 December.

The Council’s Roads Services team will be carrying out maintenance works on the main (A965) Kirkwall to Stromness road - at Finstown - over the next couple of weeks.

A bit of Christmas sparkle should lift the spirits of visitors to The Orkney Museum during December.

Orkney Islands Council’s Housing Services Annual Report 2019-2020 has been published and details a strong performance across a number of areas.

Orkney Islands Council is advising mechanical issues have impacted the collection of refuse between Finstown and Kirkwall today (Thursday 3 December).

Orkney Islands Council is advising motorists that black ice alerts remain in place for the rest of today (Thursday 3 December) and into the small hours of tonight.

The Council is warning motorists of the risk of black ice on roads in the first icy blast of the season - and offering some advice for drivers.

Orkney is once again leading the drive to net zero and supporting UK government plans for a green industrial revolution with the launch of new green energy services.

The recycling centre at Cursiter Quarry will re-open on Tuesday 8 December.