Latest News

Today (28 April) is International Workers' Memorial Day. Held every year,, International Workers' Memorial Day sees the trade union movement remember all workers who lost their lives to workplace illness or injury, highlighting their commitment to fighting to keep workers safe.

Here’s the latest round-up of roadworks underway or soon to start around Orkney, from Monday 1 May 2023.

Scottish Water are currently working on the A960 in Toab, vehicles will be controlled by traffic lights until the works are complete. 

The Selbro Resource Centre is reopening for Wednesday drop-in sessions from next week.

The jointly funded Council and NHS Orkney facility, based at Scotts Road, Hatston, will be open for the drop-in sessions on a Wednesday from 2pm-4pm, starting on Wednesday 3 May.

The centre is for people who have difficulties managing their daily living activities and could benefit from the use of assistive equipment to help them manage more independently

It’s that time of year again, when we move into the summer opening hours for the Household Waste and Recycling Centres.

From Monday 1 May the opening hours will be:

Hatston – Monday closed. Tuesday-Friday 11am-6.45pm. Saturday and Sunday 9.30am-4.45pm

Hoy is set to enjoy a visit by champion cyclist and Olympian Sir Chris Hoy this weekend (29 April).

The Council is advising of changes to public transport and to Scapa Flow Museum opening times as a result of the ‘Hoy on Hoy’ events this Saturday (29 April 2023).

There’s still time to get your application in for the Council’s Cost of Living £200 grant before the closing date of Sunday 30 April.

The Council’s Service Manager (Improvement and Performance), William Moore, said: “We are delighted to have had 2,500 households in Orkney benefit from the payment, meaning half a million pounds of additional money potentially circulating within the local economy.

“We have received some wonderful feedback from grateful families who shared their stories publicly.

Unpaid carers in Orkney are being encouraged to attend a unique event in the county during May that will look at the key challenges they face on a daily basis – and, crucially, the support available to them and those they care for.

The Orkney Carers’ Conference at the Pickaquoy Centre on Thursday 18 May is believed to be the first of its kind in Scotland, and possibly the UK, and will place the needs and challenges of community heroes providing vital, voluntary care for others in Orkney, front and centre. The invite to attend is for people who look after a friend, neighbour or relative, young carers, and those working with unpaid carers.

Folk in Orkney have driven home their message re the car park machine key pads being a bit of a nuisance when it comes to entering vehicle registration details.

The Council has listened and this week the key pads are being removed – so there’s no longer any need to enter a vehicle registration when getting a ticket.

The engineer is making the changes to the machines this week. If your visit coincides with this happening and you can’t get a ticket, don’t worry, but please we ask that you stick to the one-hour free rule – or get a ticket once the machine is running again.

Chair of the Independent Ferries Community Board, Angus Campbell, will be in Orkney on Wednesday 3 May to listen to people’s views on the Scottish Government’s Project Neptune and the future of external ferry services. 

As well as meeting with local Councillors, external transport forum stakeholders, and Stromness Community Council, there will be a drop-in session for residents from 4pm-5pm on at the St Magnus Centre, Kirkwall.