Dear Community Group/Community Council/Colleagues,

Welcome to The Highland Council’s fortnightly briefing containing information about support, resources, and events for local communities.

If you have anything you wish to be included in a future briefing, please contact [email protected]

To join the mailing list for this briefing please complete this short survey: https://forms.office.com/e/rSS3hXbGTa

Funding 

• SCVO  is a key source of funding information for the third sector.
• HTSI Funding Support and Advice
• Youth Work Grants & Funding Directory
• Get Grants – provides practical support, training, and advice relating to fundraising.

Community Training, Events, & News

• Opportunity for people in the Highlands to comment on Boundaries Scotland revised constituency boundaries for the Scottish Parliament
• Highland Place Standard survey  – Anyone who lives, works, visits, or invests in Highland, has an opportunity to share your experiences by taking part in the Highland Place Standard survey. The information you provide will help us in shaping future plans, including the next Local Development Plan. The anonymous survey runs until the end of May and can be completed as an individual or as part of a group.
• Development Plans Newsletter 2024 – This newsletter provides:
  • Updates on our four current local development plans, and gives the latest timings on the new, single Highland Local Development Plan (HLDP), including the evidence gathering, monitoring, and consultation that will be carried out to inform the new Plan.
  • Information about the recently launched bespoke ‘place standard tool’, which is for use by anyone, to input to the HLDP and other workstreams of the Council, and which is being promoted as a key way of gathering people’s lived experience from across and around Highland. The Highland Place Standard Survey will be open until the end of May 2024.
  • An updated Participation Statement, based on the findings from the survey in our 2023 Newsletter, and gives details of our new onlineParticipation Statement feedback form that will remain open on an ongoing basis should anyone wish to feedback on our Participation Statement going forward.
  • Also viewable from this Facebook post
• Recruitment of Highland Youth Convener 2024-25 – attached is the advert and specification for a 12-month contract for the role of Highland Youth Convener. The role will involve helping make the voices of young people I the Highland heard on the issues affecting them. Closing date for applications is 9^th May.
• Children in Scotland Learning Portal – this new online learning portal aims to support practitioners working across children’s services with a wide range of free courses.
• Waverley Care Training Highland – There are a range of training opportunities designed to support professionals with their knowledge and confidence around key sexual health topics.
• Highland Carers Professional Network – This network is for those who support Carers to come together to collaborate, strengthen partnerships, share ideas, problem solve, and ensure Carers are supported. The meetings are held quarterly, next occurring in late May in venues across the Highlands.
• Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport Newsletter – included is information about what is a Green Freeport, the opportunities it can bring, as well as dispelling myths around the project.
• Welcome Book for Armed Forces Families – Pupils from Armed Forces Families at Raigmore Primary School have co-produced a wonderful ‘Welcome Book’ for new primary aged pupils from Armed Forces Families arriving in the Highlands.
• Suicide Intervention and Prevention Programme – This programme will run throughout May and is for anyone who wants to be able to help someone who might be at risk of suicide.
• Planet Youth Newsletter April – topics include free course on raising teens with confidence, moving from primary school to secondary school, and risk-taking behaviours in teens.

Welfare & Poverty Reduction

• Highland Whole Family Wellbeing Programme – This platform is intended to share information about anything relating to holistic family wellbeing and support.
• Cost of living support – Highland Council webpages on support and information to help with the cost of living.
• Help during the cost-of-living crisis – Scottish Government advice and information.
• CAB Energy Advice – Citizens Advice Bureau offer free, impartial energy advice to householders. They provide advice to help reduce household energy use, save money, and understand energy bills and support householders to manage energy debt. This can be done in person, over the phone or by video call. 0800 028 1456 will bring you to an interactive service which will connect you to the relevant service or you can enter your postcode here to find your local Citizen Advice bureau.
• Armed Forces & Veterans: Education, Health & Housing – Information to support and signpost Highland’s Armed Forces Community:

Mental Health & Wellbeing

• NHS Highland Mental Wellbeing – a collection of resources and signposts to help people of all ages to look after their own mental wellbeing. Register for the event by following the link.
• Cost of living crisis and your mental health
  Many people are feeling the strain as the cost of living continues to increase.  This resource provides information on how you can maintain your mental wellbeing at this time, alongside information on how to manage your money as bills rise.

Community Safety and Resilience

• Highlands and Islands Climate Hub – Empowers community-led climate action.
• https://ready.scot/ – Tips on steps you can take to prepare your home, family, and business for emergencies.
• Met Office Weather Warnings – https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/uk-warnings#?date=2022-11-04
• Met Office Weather Ready https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/weather/warnings-and-advice/weatherready 
• Scottish Flood Forecasting – Provides up to date information on when and where flooding is expected to occur over a three-day period.
• Floodline Scotland https://floodlinescotland.org.uk/ 

Unless related to the business of The Highland Council, the views or opinions expressed within this e-mail are those of the sender and do not necessarily reflect those of The Highland Council, or associated bodies, nor does this e-mail form part of any contract unless so stated. 
Mura h-eil na beachdan a tha air an cur an cèill sa phost-d seo a’ buntainn ri gnothachas Chomhairle na Gàidhealtachd, ‘s ann leis an neach fhèin a chuir air falbh e a tha iad, is chan eil iad an-còmhnaidh a’ riochdachadh beachdan na Comhairle, no buidhnean buntainneach, agus chan eil am post-d seo na phàirt de chunnradh sam bith mura h-eil sin air innse.

Dear friends of Aldourie PS

Aldourie Primary pupils, parents and staff, both past and present are warmly invited to our fundraising afternoon tea party on Sat 11th May from 2-5pm. Invite a few pals and look out your summer dresses! We will have a raffle, some optional fun and games  which will cost a pound to enter). A chilled glass or two of Prosecco or wine (over 18s only) will be waiting for you with some tasty sausage rolls, sandwiches, scones, pancakes and delicious home baking.  If you wish bring a pretty tea cup, saucer and side plate and see if you win our prettiest cup title and prize.  

The tea party is to raise funds for Aldourie PS 150th birthday celebration on Fri 21st June, 1.30pm-5.30pm. Further notice about this next event will be shared nearer the time but do keep the date free!!

Tickets, £15 each, are available from the school office by contacting: [email protected] or phone 01463 751272.

It would be great to rekindle past friendships and make some new ones too!

Kind regards

Louise  

If you know someone to who this may apply please pass on this message and encourage them to register.

Community Toolkit

Dear Simon Disruption to essential services like electricity can sometimes happen and it affects our everyday lives. For some, a power cut can be worrying or difficult. Acknowledging the pivotal role that Community and Parish Councils play in achieving better outcomes for communities and widening the safety net of care around them, we are asking for your help in reaching people who may need extra support during power cuts.   We are Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN), we operate the electricity network in your area. We keep the lights on, TVs running, and homes and businesses heated for 3.9 million customers, with 99% reliability throughout the year. Your residents may not be aware that extra advice and support is available for when there is an interruption to the power supply. By informing your residents of the Priority Services Register this will enable them free access to:      Our dedicated Priority Services line is available 24 hours a day.  We’ll contact you, or your nominated contact if we need to switch off your power to carry out essential maintenance.  We offer a password service where you can agree a password to use when dealing with SSEN staff. That way we can look after your personal safety and home security.  When we are aware of an unplanned power cut affecting your home, you will receive proactive updates 24 hours a day.   We will contact you regularly to confirm the details we hold for you are correct and if we do not hear back from you on these occasions, we will only keep your data for 5 years.        What is the PSR and who is eligible?    The Priority Services Register is a free UK-wide service which provides extra advice and support, including when there’s an interruption to your electricity, gas or water supply. You are eligible for free PSR services if you:   Use medical equipment reliant on electricity or water. Are blind or partially sighted.  Are deaf or hard of hearing. Are of pensionable age. Have a disability. Live with children under five. Have a chronic illness. Have anxiety, depression or any mental health condition. Loss or impairment of smell. Need documents translated into another format or language. Temporarily need extra support. Everyone has different needs. Contact your distributor to discuss your requirements.     What resources are available to promote the PSR?   By promoting the Priority Services Register with your residents you will be helping our welfare teams provide extra support to where it is needed most during a power cut. The toolkit has been designed to help you have conversations about what the PSR offers, how it can make a difference to your residents and provide peace of mind during power cuts. You will find the following resources within the toolkit:   Information you can copy and paste into your newsletters, emails, information sections on your websites and discussion points for team meetings or coffee mornings.  Posters  Social media assets  Links to helpful advice   We appreciate some of your residents may not be in our license area, however by signposting them to our registration pages (for Scotland and England) customers can enter their postcode which will direct them to the right utility to register.   If you have any queries regarding the PSR, please contact us on [email protected].   Whether through email, newsletter, coffee morning or via social media channels, we hope that this pack supports you to have conversations about the benefits of the Priority Services Register. Thank you for helping us to provide extra support to the communities you serve.      Yours sincerely,  Customer Vulnerability Team

This is a policy statement and relates to the Official Statistics Publication for Scotland – Scottish Waste From All Sources 2022 published at 9.30am on Tuesday 26 March 2024.

Highlights are:

• Scottish recycling rate reaches all time high as Scottish households, businesses and public services recycle 62.3% of all waste in the latest data (2022) from Scotland’s environmental watchdog, SEPA. 
• The recycling rate increased 5.3% from the 57.0% rate in 2021 – reflecting economic recovery from the pandemic and an increase in the proportion of construction and demolition material recycled. 
• Scotland continues to reduce its reliance on landfill – with only 23.2% of all wastes ending up in landfill – an all-time low. 
• Supporting the shift from landfill is the small but important role played by energy from waste (incineration) facilities, which saw an 8.3% increase in Scottish waste being treated by incineration in 2022. 

Scots are recycling more than ever before as the nation’s recycling rate hits an all-time high in data released by Scotland’s environment watchdog, SEPA. 

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) have published the Scottish Waste From All Sources 2022 Official Statistics, which provide details on waste from Scottish households, businesses and public services.  

Scotland generated 10.16 million tonnes of waste, with 62.3% recycled – the highest recycling rate recorded since the start of the current series in 2011. 

This data reflects the increase in the proportion of construction and demolition waste, as the construction industry rebounded following the pandemic. 

Scots also continued to reduce their reliance on landfill – with 23.2% of all wastes ending up in landfill, for an all-time low figure of 2.30 million tonnes.  

Supporting the shift from landfill is the small but significant role played by energy from waste (incineration) facilities, which saw an 8.3% increase in Scottish waste being treated by incineration in 2022. 

Vicki White, Head of Materials at SEPA said:

“The fact that Scots are recycling more than ever before is great news, with our highest recycling rate on record. The latest data not only shows we’re recycling more and landfilling less, but also that Scottish businesses are continuing to respond to consumers who are continuing to call for less waste and greater resource efficiency.  

“Whilst its clear there’s more to do, this latest data is both encouraging and a key milestone in our journey to a more resource efficient, net zero economy.” 

A key to driving Scotland’s recycling performance is the construction and demolition sector, which saw a further recovery from the pandemic in the latest SEPA data. 

The sector has been boosted by innovation and investment by businesses such as Scottish specialist recycler Brewster Brothers. The company, based in Livingston, won the Scottish Government and SEPA backed Scottish Vision in Business Awards Scotland (VIBES) Circular Scotland Award in 2023.  

The company, which takes construction, demolition and excavation waste from the construction sector and recycles it before selling it back to the construction industry, has invested in new capacity to meet market demand for high quality recycled aggregate products with assistance from Scottish Enterprise’s Green Jobs Fund. 

Scott Brewster, Managing Director of Brewster Brothers, said:

“Scotland’s construction sector recognises that recycling waste and re-using high quality recycled sand and gravel is not only the right thing to do environmentally and socially, but it makes sense economically too.  

“A key to supporting Scotland’s construction sector is modern, efficient and effective recycling infrastructure across Scotland. At Brewster Brother’s we’re committed to that journey, investing in Scottish infrastructure that has diverted over 1.3 million tonnes of waste from landfill and produced about a million tonnes of recycled aggregates to date. It’s a real Scottish success story that has plenty of capacity to grow further, given over a quarter of waste soils (excavation waste) still ends up in landfill.”

Regards

Peter

Peter Finnie | Public AffairsScottish Environment Protection Agency

SEPA launch consultation on review of areas most at risk of flooding across Scotland.

First let me apologise for a second communication in as many days and because I will also be communicating with you shortly with Official Statistics on Waste From All Sources – which may be of interest to Community Councillors.

The designation of Potential Vulnerable Areas (PVAs) is a SEPA science and evidence-led process and feedback from public partners and local communities is key to making sure all relevant impacts are taken into consideration.

Your views and the views of your community on the proposed PVAs will inform essential future flood risk management work so we can improve flooding resilience together and best prepare for a changing climate.

You can help with this SEPA consultation by sharing this message and our asset below, and available through this link, on your social media and with local community/interest groups.

PVAs are areas where significant flood risk exists now or is likely to occur in the future and are used to identify locations where a partnership approach may be required to resolve widespread and often complex flooding issues.

They inform Scotland’s Flood Risk Management (FRM) Plans and Local Flood Risk Management Plans and become the focus of FRM actions, helping responsible authorities to prioritise investment and coordinate actions to reduce the impacts of flooding on communities.

Identifying PVAs is an essential part of protecting people, properties, businesses, communities, infrastructure, and our environment, with an estimated 284,000 homes, businesses and services across Scotland currently identified as at risk of flooding.

This winter, SEPA issued a record number of regional Flood Alerts and local Flood Warnings to the public. A total of 720 messages were sent between 1st September 2023 and 16th February 2024. The previous record of 714 was set over autumn and winter 2015/16.

Siobhan McNulty, Flood Risk Planning Manager at SEPA, said: “Scotland is witnessing an increasing number of extreme weather events and flooding presents a growing threat to our communities.

“It is vital we work together with partners and communities to identify the areas most at risk so we can work together to increase Scotland’s resilience to flooding. PVAs are the first step in this process.”

Informing Scotland’s flood risk management process

Since PVAs were first identified in 2011, SEPA have worked together with partners including local authorities and Scottish Water to plan and deliver actions to manage flood risk in the places where it is needed most.

Based on the National Flood Risk Assessment, PVAs are updated and published by SEPA every six years as required by the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009. The designation of PVAs takes into consideration past, current and future flood risk from rivers, the sea and surface water using recorded events, observations and strategic flood modelling.

SEPA are now consulting on proposed updates to PVAs for 2024. The review will focus on smaller, community-based target areas set within wider zones of influence to provide clearer information on how flood risk is tackled in Scotland.

Once the PVAs are formally designated by Scottish Ministers, SEPA will then prepare FRM plans to set objectives and actions for reducing flood risk. The local FRM plans published by each lead local authority will then provide more detail, including timescales and funding. 

Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Net Zero and Energy Màiri McAllan said: “Managing our exposure to floods and their impacts is a significant and growing challenge as climate change brings more severe and frequent flood events.

“Improving resilience to flooding is a priority for the Scottish Government, so I welcome the launch of this consultation and I encourage all parties with a potential interest to engage with it.”

Helping communities at greatest flood risk

One community that has historically suffered from flooding is Stonehaven, which has been designated a PVA since the first cycle in 2011.

Several actions have since been identified and delivered through flood risk management plans developed by SEPA and Aberdeenshire Council, with input from the Stonehaven Flood Action Group and the wider community.

These include the completion of the Stonehaven Flood Protection Scheme which is designed to protect against flooding from the Glaslaw Burn and the River Carron, and benefits around 370 homes and businesses by reducing fluvial flooding. Other actions that have been delivered for Stonehaven are a new coastal flood warning system, updated coastal flood hazard maps and the completion of the Stonehaven Bay coastal flood study.

Cllr Alan Turner, Chair of Aberdeenshire Council’s Infrastructure Services Committee, said: “I was delighted to see the completion of the Stonehaven Flood Protection Scheme. This demonstrates real progress being made to mitigate flooding impacts in the town.

“The scheme was built following consultation and engagement with the residents, businesses, and the Stonehaven Flood Action Group. That entire process started with a PVA assessment, where coordinated actions were established through PVA recommendations.

“A PVA designation is an invaluable aid – firstly in the understanding of potential impacts of flooding and secondly through the implementation of tangible solutions which will provide reassurance to communities.”

Have your say on PVAs

While the designation of PVAs is a science and evidence-led process, feedback from public partners and local communities is key to making sure all relevant impacts are taken into consideration.

Siobhan McNulty said: “Whether you have previously been affected by flooding or have concerns about potential future impacts for your home, business or community, we want to hear from you.

“Your views on the proposed PVAs will inform essential future flood risk management work so we can improve flooding resilience together and best prepare for a changing climate.”

You and your communities can respond to the consultation on PVAs via Citizen Space until 24 June 2024.

Regards

Peter

Peter Finnie | Public AffairsScottish Environment Protection Agency
	44 (0)7787669459
	[email protected]
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