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*OIC News - Do not use* archive from April 2021
Phased re-opening of Bossack under way

With the grass-cutting season upon us, the Council is pleased to announce the phased re-opening of the Bossack Household Waste Recycling Centre on Tuesday 11 May.

30 April 2021
Fereday Awards Ceremony held online – winners announced

A virtual awards ceremony was held this week to celebrate the efforts of S2 pupils from Stromness Academy and Kirkwall Grammar School who took part in the Fereday Prize for a Local History Investigation.

30 April 2021
St Andrews artwork lights up the Kirkwall Lifeboat Station

Primary 1 children from St Andrews Primary School were delighted to see their lifeboat artwork framed and displayed on the Kirkwall Lifeboat Station wall.

30 April 2021
Customers invited to share Planning Service experiences

The Council’s Planning Service has launched a customer satisfaction survey to allow users of the service to share their experiences.

30 April 2021
May Day Monday tip reminder

Orkney Islands Council has issued a reminder that Cursiter Household Waste and Recycling Centre (HWRC) will be closed this coming Monday (3 May), for the May Day public holiday.

30 April 2021
The latest news on our loos!

Almost all public toilet facilities throughout Orkney are open and we have a dedicated web page for you to access further information – Council's web page on public toilet facilities

 

29 April 2021
Bus contracts awarded

Orkney Islands Council has awarded contracts for public bus and school transport services in the county for the next several years.

29 April 2021
Grenade discovery - advice for residents and drivers

The multi-agency Orkney Local Emergency Co-ordination Group (OLECG) met this evening in response to the discovery of a grenade near the Orkney Research and Innovation Campus (ORIC) in Stromness.

27 April 2021
Summer car parking fees and fee increase reminder

The council is reminding drivers that the ‘first-hour free’ parking run by the Council over the winter ends on 30 April, when OIC carparks in central Kirkwall and Stromness revert to summer tariffs (from and including 1 May).

27 April 2021
Vandals target Dingieshowe toilets

The Council is carrying out urgent repair works at Dingieshowe public toilets in Deerness after part of the facility was vandalised at the weekend.

26 April 2021
Election Day – what to expect

Everyone is encouraged to vote in the Scottish Parliament election on 6 May – and this year folk are reminded that there will be some additional safety measures in place due to COVID-19 for those choosing to cast their vote in person.

26 April 2021
Plans for a community park at Papdale move a step closer

Plans are progressing for an exciting development within the Papdale area of Kirkwall which could see an area of green space transformed into a community park for all ages and abilities.

26 April 2021
Smooth operator - Thor of Scapa assists with reinstallation of tidal turbine

One of the Council’s new tugs – Thor of Scapa – assisted in the smooth reinstallation of a tidal turbine at the European Marine Energy Centre Fall of Warness test site this week.

26 April 2021
Scottish Parliament election – postal votes advice

Local electors are encouraged to return postal votes in plenty time for the Scottish Parliament election in May.

More than a third of the 17,668 people on the Electoral Register in Orkney have registered to vote by post – 6,098 in total (34.5%). The number of electors who’ve applied for a postal vote has gone up by 1,793 since December 2020.

26 April 2021
COVID-19 restrictions Sport and Leisure facilities update

With restrictions due to ease during May, Orkney’s Sport and Leisure Team have updated how this will impact on their activities and facilities in the county.

Orkney will continue to be in Level 3 COVID-19 restrictions until 16 May, and from the week commencing 17 May Orkney will enter Level 2.

After a careful review of Scottish Government, sportscotland and Governing Bodies of Sport guidance, as well as current facility usage figures, the following facilities and activities will continue to be affected:

23 April 2021
Recipe for success – Orkney’s lockdown food boom

The Council’s Environmental Health team have been dealing with a boom in food business – with the number of new catering start-ups almost trebling during the COVID-19 lockdown year.

23 April 2021
Cathedral lights up for Care Experienced day

Orkney's iconic St Magnus Cathedral will shine in gold, pink and blue on Friday (30 April) as part of the first International Care Experienced Day of Remembrance, a day aimed at marking the contribution and experience of looked after people in communities around the world.

23 April 2021
Coronavirus business support update

Local businesses who have been impacted by coronavirus may still have options open to them for financial support, despite some national schemes coming to an end as restrictions ease.

23 April 2021
ReFLEX Orkney project launches carbon calculator

The ReFLEX Orkney project has launched a new carbon calculator to help the Orkney community estimate its carbon footprint and monitor it over time.

23 April 2021
Scottish Parliament election - voting by proxy

Electors are reminded that the deadline to apply for a proxy vote is less than a week away.

21 April 2021
Westray waste collection to resume tomorrow

Some Westray residents are being asked to re-present bins again tomorrow, Wednesday, today's refuse truck had to return to mainland Orkney as it was full, leaving 70 properties uncollected.

20 April 2021
Visitor management group meets – joint press release

Organisations involved in visitor management in Orkney have met in preparation for the easing of travel restrictions later this month.

19 April 2021
Bids invited for new community support fund

Organisations in Orkney with innovative ideas for local investment are invited to bid for support from a new fund.

15 April 2021
Postal votes arriving soon

People across Orkney are encouraged to look out for their postal votes next week.

15 April 2021
Free training for landlords

A free course for landlords will run in Orkney later this month aimed at ensuring they know how to register and how to comply with their obligations to tenants.

13 April 2021
Orkney schools to return full time after the Easter holidays

Following the First Minister’s recent announcement, all secondary and primary pupils in Orkney will return to full-time, in-person and face-to-face learning following the Easter break on Monday 19 April.

13 April 2021
Vote deadline fast approaching

Residents must ensure they are on the Electoral Register by midnight on Monday 19 April if they wish to vote in the upcoming 6 May Scottish Parliament election.

12 April 2021
Gritter breakdown

The Westray gritter lorry has suffered a breakdown and will unfortunately be out of action over the weekend.

10 April 2021
Remembering a Royal tour of Orkney

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh visited Orkney on 12 August 1960, an event covered by around 70 reporters from national newspapers and the BBC.

09 April 2021
Death of His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh

It has been announced by Buckingham Palace that His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh has passed away peacefully this morning at Windsor Castle.

Convener of Orkney Islands Council, Councillor Harvey Johnston, expressed his deepest sympathies to Her Royal Highness Her Majesty the Queen and The Royal Family.

09 April 2021
Partnership seeks views on community priorities

The Orkney Partnership is seeking views from the public on what priorities it should concentrate on in the year ahead.

08 April 2021
Refuse collection disruptions in Shapinsay - 7 April

Orkney Islands Council is advising residents in Shapinsay that refuse collection crews were unable to collect from all households today, April 7, due to mechanical issues with the refuse lorry.

07 April 2021
Hazardous and icy road conditions set to continue tomorrow 7 April

Orkney Islands Council is warning of continued hazardous road conditions overnight tonight (6 April) and into tomorrow, 7 April, including ice.

06 April 2021
Model boat donation prompts Orkney Museum appeal

A recent donation to the Orkney Museum has prompted staff to appeal for any information that could help identify the mystery model boat builder.

06 April 2021
Disruption to waste and refuse collections - 6 April

Orkney Islands Council is advising of disruptions and cancellations to waste and recycling collections in the county today (6 April) as a result of the current bad weather.

06 April 2021
Murray’s walk raises just under £2k for RNLI

Papdale Primary School’s Murray Budge was joined by his classmates and a few school staff on the final stretch of his month-long walking fundraiser for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) on Wednesday 31 March.

06 April 2021
More snow forecast - black ice risk tonight

A Met Office Yellow Warning for wind and snow remains in place for Orkney - with frequent snow and hail showers, accompanied by a very strong northerly wind, forecast throughout the day.

05 April 2021
Weather turning colder - black ice risk

Orkney Islands Council’s Roads is reminding drivers of expected wintry road conditions over coming days.

04 April 2021
Orkney’s vision for children and young people

Colleagues from health, social care, education services, the police, the third sector and others from the Community Planning Partnership have been working together with children and young people to help us plan our vision and our services to support all children and young people.

02 April 2021
Black ice and snow ahead

Orkney Islands Council is advising of the potential for black ice on the county's roads throughout next week, starting Sunday (4 April) night.

02 April 2021
Strong scorecard for Orkney's adult social care services - but more work needed with unpaid carers

Orkney is among the top performing counties in some aspects of health and social care in Scotland, it was heard yesterday (Thursday 1 April 2021) as Councillors considered a national ‘benchmarking’ report of services for adults.

02 April 2021
Evie school bairns help bring a little Easter cheer to Smiddybrae

The children of Evie School have been helping put a “spring in the step” of the residents of Smiddybrae House and the wider community with some Easter artwork.

02 April 2021
Warning from police ahead of lambing season

Police in Orkney are urging dog owners to be aware of the law and act responsibly around livestock ahead of start of the lambing season.

01 April 2021
Easter Monday tip reminder

Orkney Islands Council has issued a reminder that Cursiter Household Waste and Recycling Centre (HWRC) will be closed this coming Monday (5 April), for the Easter Monday public holiday.

01 April 2021
Postal vote reminder

The Council’s Election Team has issued a reminder that the deadline to apply to vote by post in May’s election is coming up fast – it’s 17:00 on Tuesday April 6.

01 April 2021
Lockdown Learning – the art of science

Teachers in Orkney are continuing to find new and innovative ways to ensure engagement with senior pupils who remain in school part-time.

01 April 2021
Spring into brighter days with community learning

The Council's Spring 2021 programme of community learning courses will open for bookings on 8 April.

01 April 2021

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