Orkney Islands Council (OIC) is embarking on an extended programme of community and stakeholder consultation to help it address the challenges that Orkney Island residents, and people coming to Orkney to work or study in the future, are facing in relation to access to housing.

Orkney Islands Council is honing in on housing pressures by launching an enhanced programme of research through community and stakeholder engagement.

An Orkney Islands Council contingent has 'lit a fire' under the issue of the funding of a replacement internal ferry fleet as they attended the first ferry taskforce meeting in Edinburgh.

As part of the Environmental Impact Assessment, a second public exhibition event will take place in Orkney in early February for people interested in finding out more about proposals and Environmental Impact Assessments for the Scapa Deep Water Quay and the Orkney Logistics Base at Hatston, ahead of formal planning applications by the Council’s Harbour Authority.

Any pupils who were born between 01/10/2006 and 28/02/2007 may be eligible to apply for an Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) of £30 per week if their household income is below the threshold. Thresholds are £24,421 for households with one dependent and £26,884 for households with two or more dependents.

Residents in Orkney who are eligible for free ferry vouchers but who have moved in the last 12 months are urged to contact the Council’s transportation team as soon as possible to ensure their vouchers are delivered to the correct address.

What was the purpose of the report?

The OIC Unison branch commissioned an independent report in January 2022 to get feedback from staff on the Council’s Social Work service.

A number of new Head Teacher appointments have been made across Orkney Mainland schools.

Papdale Primary School is welcoming Emma Billington as Head, while Katie Lucas this week took over at St Andrews (Monday 30 January) and Cathy Mackenzie is the new Head Teacher leading the Hope, Burray and North Ronaldsay.

Moving to Orkney with his family for a “unique role in a unique location” demonstrates the commitment that Orkney Islands Council’s new Chief Executive is making to the community that he is now serving.

Fife-born Oliver Reid comes to the county with 30 years’ experience of local authority working and says there’s no other place that he would rather be to begin the next chapter of his career and leading an organisation for the first time.

Orkney Islands Council is issuing a final call for people with relatives buried in the county’s cemeteries to check whether memorials important to them have been identified as dangerous and in need of repair.