Latest News

The Council has been trialling a new gritter tracker system that could give folk in Orkney an extra tool to help them plan their journey in wintry conditions.

The roads team were provided with a couple of demo devices – coincidentally timed to perfection with the arrival of the recent snowfall!

The Orkney Youth Conference, organised by the Council’s Youth Services team, has brought together young people from across Orkney to take part in workshops and hear from keynote speakers on a range of issues.

Over 500 folk have had their say on travel habits in Orkney through the Orkney Travel Matters survey – and the feedback has been exceptional. But we’d love to hear from more households.

An update on road works underway or soon to start in the county - for the week beginning 20 March 2023.

An Armed Forces Community Covenant is a voluntary statement of mutual support between a civilian community and its local Armed Forces Community.

The Orkney Armed Forces Community Covenant was signed by The Orkney Partnership in 2012 and it gave a commitment to ensuring appropriate support for Armed Forces personnel and their families in health and wellbeing, learning, housing, employability services, and a joined up approach between those support services. You can read more about that below.

The Covid Recovery Fund for Culture, provided by Orkney Islands Council, is now open to applications from local arts and heritage organisations.

Are you entitled to free ferry travel through the Older and Disabled or 16-18 year old national concessionary schemes?

Do you receive paper ferry vouchers providing you with 2 free return trips from Orkney to the mainland? 

Marking Young Carer’s Action Day, teenage carers in Orkney are being urged to check if they are eligible for a payment worth nearly £360 annually.

Young Carer Grant is a Scottish Government benefit available to young people aged between 16 and 18 who are caring for someone who receives a disability benefit for an average of 16 hours a week.

Shapinsay residents are reminded wheelie bin collections start next Wednesday, 22 March.

We have been asked to share that the Orkney Library & Archive has been selected as one of the first in Scotland to host a ‘Lend and Mend Hub’, as part of a trailblazing pilot project helping to tackle the cost-of-living crisis.

Managed by the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC), Orkney Library & Archive will build on its current offering to introduce a ‘Lend and Mend Hub’, giving the community free access to repair, reuse, rent and upcycle everyday items, to help keep items in use for longer, rather than them being thrown away.