Shetland school graded satisfactory by inspectors following visit
Nesting Primary School on Shetland has been graded satisfactory by inspectors following a visit in the summer.
Shetland Islands Council
Bosses cut back on expenses claims at north councils and health boards
The top council and NHS officials in the north and north-east slashed their total expenses bill by more than £11,000 last year.
Damaged window forces Shetland school shut for rest of week
A Shetland school will be shut to all pupils and staff for the rest of the week to allow a broken window to be fixed.
By-election to be held on Shetland after recently-elected MSP resigns as councillor
Lerwick South residents will be asked to cast their votes again soon after newly-elected MSP Beatrice Wishart resigned as a councillor.
Fresh row over Up Helly Aa equality as group clashes with council
The group campaigning for women to be allowed into Lerwick Up Helly Aa squads has clashed again with Shetland Islands Council (SIC).
Sportswear ‘drop box’ scheme relaunched in Shetland
Shetland Islands Council is relaunching its sportswear drop box scheme for a third year.
Clean energy pledge: Foula folk accept the challenge
Residents of one of Britain’s most remote inhabited islands have stepped up efforts to move towards a cleaner energy system.
Warning issued after rogue traders found to be operating in Shetland
A warning has been issued to residents in Shetland following reports of rogue traders.
Shetland Islands Council fails for the ‘first time in a long time’ to recruit supply teacher
The bank of primary school teachers in the isles appears to be running dry after Shetland Islands Council failed for the “first time in a long time” to recruit to a temporary classroom job.
Passengers evacuated off Shetland ferry service following engine room fire
Passengers on board a Shetland Ferry have been evacuated after a fire broke out in the engine room.
Group campaigning for gender equality in Lerwick’s Up Helly Aa event says issue can ‘no longer be swept under the carpet’
The group campaigning for gender equality in Lerwick Up Helly Aa says the issue can “no longer be swept under the carpet” after Shetland Islands Council (SIC) launched its own investigation into whether its involvement with the fire festival breached equality law.
Shetland Islands Council loans local business £300,000 for housing project under pilot scheme
Shetland Islands Council has approved a loan of £300,000 to building firm BA Builders to allow for new homes to be constructed in rural areas.
Number of schools on Western Isles has halved since 2001
One school has been shut down in a north or north-east community every two months on average during the public spending squeeze in the last decade.
Councils aim to make extra £1bn to plug funding gaps
Local authorities in the north and north-east will soon be raising more than £1 billion each year in extra revenue as they hike charges and fees to help plug funding gaps.
North councils have axed almost 5,000 full-time jobs during spending squeeze
In the first part of this week’s P&J series on local government finance, Calum Ross today finds out how council workforces have shrunk in recent years.
Senior officials discussed moving the proposed site of the UK’s first spaceport
Top officials have discussed moving the proposed site of the UK’s first spaceport, it can be revealed.
Better connection on the way for the North Isles
Shetland Islands Council has secured almost £2million funding to extend their existing fibre network on the two most northerly isles in the UK.
North and north-east taxpayers foot the bill for £125,000 of council flights
Taxpayers have paid out hundreds of thousands of pounds to send councillors and officers to far-flung locations such as Florida, Greenland and Slovenia in the past two years.
Funeral poverty fears as further hike planned to ‘scandalous’ charges
As part of the P&J’s week-long series on the challenges grieving families face when a loved one dies, Calum Ross today investigates the soaring cost of funerals.
Revealed: Dozens of local cemeteries on the brink of running out of graves
Graveyards are on the brink of running out of space for new burials in dozens of communities across the north and north-east, it can be revealed.
NHS waste from across north Scotland being sent to Shetland for incineration
Shetland Islands Council is incinerating hundreds of tons of NHS clinical waste from health boards across Scotland – including the Highland and Grampian – to help ease a national backlog.
Highland Council spends £1.2m on ‘gagging orders’
Cash-strapped Highland Council has splashed out almost £1.2million on “secret settlements” with staff – sparking calls for greater scrutiny of public funds.
Shetland hit by more scam bank calls
Trading standards officers in Shetland have issued a warning after the islands have been hit by another wave of scam bank calls.
Major refurbishment of Shetland’s ferry linkspans to begin next year
A major project will begin next year to replace all of Shetland’s ferry linkspans.
Road closure in Shetland as repair works underway
Shetland Islands Council has announced work has begun to bring about temporary repairs to a sea wall in Lerwick in the wake of recent storm damage.
Big Lottery fund to provide helping hand to Shetland residents
A representative from the Big Lottery Fund is to provide some vital advice to Shetland residents eager to raise some money towards their next project.
Concern over ‘vast disparity’ in classroom assistant numbers
Concerns have been raised after new figures exposed a “vast disparity” in the number of classroom assistants in schools across Scotland.
Travelodge’s attempts to build hotel in Lerwick rejected by local authority
Travelodge’s attempts to build a hotel in Lerwick in partnership with Shetland Islands Council (SIC) have been rebuffed by the local authority.
Fair Isle plane suffers engine failure shortly after take-off
A pilot has been praised for his quick thinking when a council plane was forced to turn back to Fair Isle after suffering engine failure shortly after take-off.
Shetland space centre plans win ‘highly significant’ backing
Shetland has moved a major step towards hosting its own space centre – just days after plans for a satellite-launching site in Sutherland won backing.
Bus and ferry timetable changes to cost Shetland Islands Council £47,000
Altering bus and ferry times to make them fit better around the new school timetable will cost Shetland Islands Council around £47,000 a year.
Shetland names 10 projects for growth
Ten projects which could generate more than 600 jobs through increased productivity and economic growth have been identified by Shetland Islands Council (SIC) ahead of negotiations with government on securing an islands deal.