LOCAL NEWS NOVEMBER 8 2023

 

Second homes face council tax increase

Second homes could face double the rate of council tax under new legislation by the Scottish Government

The draft plans have been laid before the Scottish Parliament.

If approved, local authorities would be able to apply the council tax premium on homes that are not used as a main residence.

A second home Is classed as any home that is not used as someone’s primary residence but that is occupied for at least 25 days in a year.

As of the end of September 2022, there were 24,287 second homes in Scotland

Data Published by the Scottish Goverment in 2019 showed that the city of Edinburgh and the Highlands accounted for 50.5 per cent of active Airbnbs across the country.

In the report, Skye was third only behind Edinburgh City Centre and Leith Walk for the number of Airbnbs by council ward with 1,083 of 5,813 dwellings listed as holiday lets.

Wester Ross, Strathpeffer, and Lochalsh was the sixth highest with 725 from Its 6,756 dwellings.

Raasay power outage: working ongoing says SSEN

Work is ongoing to restore the main supply of electricity to Raasay whose residents have been effected by a power Cut since 5pm on Monday.

The island’s 192 properties have been impacted by a network fault.

Mobile generators supplied by Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks have been in operation since Tuesday lunchtime and have restored power.

A spokesperson for SSEN Distribution told Radio Skye that its teams are continuing to investigate the cause of the outage.”

New NHS scheme to support armed forces and veterans

A new health care initiative to support armed forces personnel and veterans has been launched by the Scottish Government

NHS Highland was involved in the development of the training programme and one of our GPs was one of the first to test it out during the trial phase.

The scheme will also advise on how to use the Armed Forces Covenant most effectively.

A spokesperson for NHS Highland said that Armed Forces and Veterans community – from serving personnel and their families in to our veterans and their families were very important and they are proud to serve those who serve and have served.

Skye resident Jack MacFarlane served as Warrant Officer in the Royal Air Force (RAF), speaking to Radio Skye as part of programme for Remembrance Sunday, he said the number of veterans across the island has been greatly underestimated by the local health authority.

NHS Highland have advised people to inform their medical surgery if they or a family member have served in the armed forces so that the person in question’s medical note can be amended.

The spokesperson added that that it was important GPs were aware of this information so they may be better able to use the Armed Forces Covenant to support access to treatment for injuries or conditions that are linked back to military service or provide advice on organisations that may be able to provide support for those that require it.

Balmacara’s Old Mill Hall gets £1,300 fashion show boost

A charity fashion show has helped to raise more than £1,300 towards the renovation of a historic building in Lochalsh

The event was a collaboration between the clothes and household boutique shop Home in the Highlands and the Friends of the Old Mill Hall and the Balmacara Community Trust.

The fashion show was held at the Balmacara Hotel in aid of the Village’s Old Mill Hall.

The Friends of Old Mill Hall thanked everyone for their involvement and said the funds raised were another positive step as the group works towards saving the important heritage building.

Competition to design new football club kit

Skye and Lochalsh Female Football Club has launched a design competition for its logo and strip.

The club which formed in October is seeking entries for its first-ever kit with a signed Inverness Ladies football top and a ball on offer for the winning designer.

primary pupils can submit entries using the design kits supplied to their school, while Portree High pupils can collect a design kit from Roddy Macleod at the school.

Other entries can be submitted through the Skye and Lochalsh Female Fc social media page or by emailing Slffc@hotmail.com by Thursday 16th November.

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