Latest News

Orkney Islands Council has made the above-named Order under Section 62 of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 to ensure the safety of the public and road users during the Remembrance Day service and wreath laying ceremony in Broad Street, Kirkwall.

Orkney Islands Council has appointed a new Chief Executive to lead the organisation.

The B9052 (at Graemeshall) will be closed from tomorrow, from Churchill Barrier No. 1 to the Holm war memorial, for the remainder of this week to enable the Council to carry out emergency works on the sea wall to reinstate blocks that have moved in recent bad weather. School transport and public bus services will be unaffected.

Members of the Orkney Local Emergency Co-ordinating Group have praised the “community spirited Team Orkney effort” during today’s extreme flooding conditions across the county.

OLECG – which includes a broad range of organisations such as the Council, emergency and public services, transport providers, the utilities and voluntary sector – convened at short notice to review the fast-paced flooding situation affecting many areas throughout Orkney.

It’s been full steam ahead for the Council’s third new tug - Freyja of Scapa - since the vessel was cleared for service on Friday (28 October) by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA).

Following a successful MCA inspection and transfer to the UK flag, the 32-metre vessel made her way to her home base of Scapa on Saturday morning to prepare for the first operation – a ship-to-ship transfer between the Eagle Blane and the Front Polaris, which got underway on Sunday evening.

Orkney Islands Council’s Housing Services Annual Report 2021-2022 has been published and details a strong performance across a number of areas.

The Annual Report looks at how the service is performing in comparison to the previous two years and against similar local authorities – Shetland and Highland - and the Scottish average using national performance measures.

Orkney Islands Council’s animal welfare team is urging all bird keepers to be aware of their obligations following confirmation of cases of bird flu in Firth over the weekend.

Updated charges are due to come into force this week (1 November) for local drivers using the Council’s Electric Vehicle charging infrastructure in the county.

Hallowe’en may be fast approaching, but the news we have to share is far from ghastly….in fact it’s positively spooktacular!

We all know a healthy and filling breakfast can set you up for the day, so Orkney College UHI is now offering all its students the opportunity to boost their brainpower by starting the day with a free breakfast in the college canteen.