Also in the news / Flood plan, student award, teaching talks and more…
SHETLAND Islands Council has published its updated Local Flood Risk Management Plan, covering the period from 2022-2028.
The Shetland plan now provides greater local detail on how actions will be delivered including who will lead them and how they will be coordinated with other organisations.
It has been informed by a public consultation and identifies local actions at the following locations:
- Lerwick – South Burn of Gremista flooding at culverts
- Scalloway – Main Street flooding from combined effects of rainfall and high tides
- Vidlin – Breaking waves and spray over the road causeway
- Walls – Coastal flood risk to houses
- Cunningsburgh – Flood risk to buildings and the A970 from the burn at the “North Brig”
- Cullivoe – Coastal flooding of the road near Stonganess
Dennis Leask, who chairs the council’s development committee, said it is “vital that we continue to reduce the risk of any such future [flooding] events and improve Shetland’s ability to manage and recover from any events which do occur”.
LOCAL marts auctioneer Ellis Mutch has been awarded the M J Thomson Memorial Prize for being the top graduating student in Scotland.
Originally from Aberdeenshire, Mutch recently graduated with a certificate in higher education in professional studies in livestock market operations and management from Harper Adams University.
“I put a lot of work in, I learnt a lot and I am proud to have passed the course with an A and now be an F.I.A qualified auctioneer,” he said.
“Being awarded with the top student in Scotland prize is a wonderful reward for the hard work over the past four years.”
FURTHER “constructive” discussions have been with teaching unions regarding an improved pay offer, according to the Scottish Government – but the EIS has contested this view.
There have already been a couple of strike days from teachers across Scotland, and Shetland faces a further day on 6 February.
Commenting following Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT) talks with teaching unions and COSLA on Friday, Scottish education secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said she hoped the latest discussions would “continue to progress towards a compromise to ensure a sustainable deal for all involved.”
But Des Morris from the teaching union EIS said: “It is disingenuous and unacceptable for the Scottish Government and COSLA to continue to misrepresent negotiations as positive and constructive.
“The cold, hard truth is that, despite all their public claims of ‘working tirelessly’ and ‘turning over every stone’ to reach agreement, their entrenched position and refusal to offer any compromise at all leaves teachers, children and young people, and their parents facing the prospect of continuing and escalating strike action in Scotland’s schools.”
A SERIES of taster events will be held next month to mark the one year anniversary of Bigton’s community venue Hymhus opening.
A number of groups meet in the ex-church, such as mak and yak and Bigton singers, and between 6 and 12 February folk can sample tester sessions. More information can be found here.
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