What a week! It’s been glorious, there is nowhere better than Argyll and Bute when it’s like this. Amazingly, it’s coincided with a week when I’ve been out and about.
The Council Leader and I have been to Strathpeffer for the Convention of the Highlands and Island, and to Bute and Dunoon for Here to Hear you community engagement events.
The Convention of the Highlands and Islands (COHI) is a forum established by the Scottish Government to strengthen collaboration and dialogue between national and local government, public agencies, and community representatives across the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, chaired by Kate Forbes, the Deputy First Minister. It’s main aims are to promote sustainable economic and social development in the Highlands and Islands and to ensure that the unique needs and opportunities of the region are fully understood and addressed in national policy. At this meeting, the main topics were potentially transformational economic projects for the region and digital connectivity.
We discussed a Highlands and Islands Regional Economic Partnership study that highlights 251 planned development projects in the economic pipeline. Read more about the regional transformational opportunities (RTOs). Together they represent a potential total investment value for Argyll and Bute of up to £14.61bn, and could bring around 1,700 jobs at the peak of construction and development.
In terms of digital connectivity, we continued to lobby for equitable roll out for our area. The switch off for the RTS (Radio Teleswitch signal) network was also the subject of discussion. RTS controls lots of electricity meters in the Highlands and Islands, they are often used to control storage heaters and access to more affordable tariffs. If you do have an RTS meter, you need to get it replaced before switch off starts at the end of June. If this impacts you, find out more here – Replacing your Radio Teleswitch electricity meter | Ofgem
Rothesay and Dunoon were the locations for this round of Here to Hear you events, and the Leader and I were able to combine these with visits to a range of local businesses and community groups. I was blown away by the energy, enthusiasm and positivity from all those we visited. The photo was taken at Brandanes Barbers on Rothesay. The important work now is to think about everything we’ve heard and consider how we can work differently in the future to support this local effort as part of our longer term planning.
Finally, I’d like to highlight Sip-sational from Dunoon Grammar. The pupils behind Sip-sational who sell reusable water bottles, are finalists in the Young Enterprise People’s Choice Award. This is a fantastic achievement but they need your help to win. You can read our press release about the team. Please follow the link below to vote for Sip-sational.
Have a lovely weekend and enjoy the sun.
Pippa
