Nwicker60
18-Dec-13, 10:45
Caithness Courier headlines for December 18, 2013
A CALL was made yesterday for the directors of Home Aid Caithness and Sutherland to resign, after an employment tribunal found a former manager of the charity’s Thurso shop was unfairly dismissed. Stephen Lay, who was accused of inappropriate behaviour towards female staff, claimed the allegations were made by an employee and volunteer in “a malicious attempt” to get him sacked.
TWO Aberdeen oil companies are “seriously” interested in setting up bases in Caithness and could make a decision about the move in the first half of next year. That was said yesterday by Eann Sinclair, the programme manager for the Caithness and North Sutherland Regeneration Partnership the body spearheading the drive to offset the jobs going, as Dounreay runs down.
THE first two low-level waste vaults at Dounreay cost more than was estimated, it has been confirmed. But total expenditure on the project has “come in lower” than forecast, according to Nigel Lowe, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s head of programme at Dourneay.
THE new quay at Scrabster was completed within budget despite “significant slippage” in the construction phase. The latest redevelopment of the port cost £17.4 million against the budget of £19.3 million reported William Calder in his final annual report as chairman of the Scrabster Harbour Trust. He said the aim of the new quay was to deliver a step change in the infrastructure available at the port, especially with regard to the oil/gas and marine renewable sectors.
WORK is under way to upgrade four exchanges in the far north so they can accommodate superfast broadband. The assurance was given to Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross MP John Thurso by Brendan Dick, the managing director of BT Scotland. The work at the exchanges at Wick, Thurso, Melvich and Helmsdale will continue throughout next year and into the spring of 2015, the Lib Dem MP was told.
A HIGHLY controversial plan to cut the school day in the Highlands is back on the agenda as the region’s local authority faces up to £80m million worth of budgets cuts. Highland Council’s ruling coalition had controversially suggested reducing timetables by 30 minutes per day in 2011, in a bid to save an annual £3.2 million but scrapped the idea after uproar from parents. However, it has now emerged senior council bosses have held talks about resurrecting the proposal plus merging more schools at the authority faces up to an £80 million hole in its budget between 2015 and 2019.
HEALTH and safety has “gone out the window” so far as the low level waste dump at Dounreay is concerned. That is the claim, made by local resident Deidre Henderson at last week’s meeting of Dounreay Stakeholder Group. Ms Henderson, who chairs Buldoo Residents Group said: “We hear about improvements in health and safety at the site, but as far as we can see, that’s gone out of the window regarding the low-level waste site”.
A CALL was made yesterday for the directors of Home Aid Caithness and Sutherland to resign, after an employment tribunal found a former manager of the charity’s Thurso shop was unfairly dismissed. Stephen Lay, who was accused of inappropriate behaviour towards female staff, claimed the allegations were made by an employee and volunteer in “a malicious attempt” to get him sacked.
TWO Aberdeen oil companies are “seriously” interested in setting up bases in Caithness and could make a decision about the move in the first half of next year. That was said yesterday by Eann Sinclair, the programme manager for the Caithness and North Sutherland Regeneration Partnership the body spearheading the drive to offset the jobs going, as Dounreay runs down.
THE first two low-level waste vaults at Dounreay cost more than was estimated, it has been confirmed. But total expenditure on the project has “come in lower” than forecast, according to Nigel Lowe, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority’s head of programme at Dourneay.
THE new quay at Scrabster was completed within budget despite “significant slippage” in the construction phase. The latest redevelopment of the port cost £17.4 million against the budget of £19.3 million reported William Calder in his final annual report as chairman of the Scrabster Harbour Trust. He said the aim of the new quay was to deliver a step change in the infrastructure available at the port, especially with regard to the oil/gas and marine renewable sectors.
WORK is under way to upgrade four exchanges in the far north so they can accommodate superfast broadband. The assurance was given to Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross MP John Thurso by Brendan Dick, the managing director of BT Scotland. The work at the exchanges at Wick, Thurso, Melvich and Helmsdale will continue throughout next year and into the spring of 2015, the Lib Dem MP was told.
A HIGHLY controversial plan to cut the school day in the Highlands is back on the agenda as the region’s local authority faces up to £80m million worth of budgets cuts. Highland Council’s ruling coalition had controversially suggested reducing timetables by 30 minutes per day in 2011, in a bid to save an annual £3.2 million but scrapped the idea after uproar from parents. However, it has now emerged senior council bosses have held talks about resurrecting the proposal plus merging more schools at the authority faces up to an £80 million hole in its budget between 2015 and 2019.
HEALTH and safety has “gone out the window” so far as the low level waste dump at Dounreay is concerned. That is the claim, made by local resident Deidre Henderson at last week’s meeting of Dounreay Stakeholder Group. Ms Henderson, who chairs Buldoo Residents Group said: “We hear about improvements in health and safety at the site, but as far as we can see, that’s gone out of the window regarding the low-level waste site”.