Also in the news / LPA board, ordnance found, GP recruited and more…
COASTGUARD rescue teams from Mid Yell, Walls, Lerwick and Sumburgh were sent to suspected ordnance reported to have come ashore near Grimister in Yell on Thursday morning.
It is thought that the ordnance could be a mine.
The coastguard rescue teams will monitor the object until an explosive ordnance disposal team arrives, which is expected to be this weekend.
A Royal Navy spokesperson said: “We can confirm that a Royal Navy bomb disposal team from HM Naval Base Clyde are travelling to Shetland at the request of the coastguard following the discovery of an item of suspected ordnance.”
THERE has been success in recruiting an associate GP at the Hillswick Health Centre – nearly two years after the post was first advertised.
Dr Susan Bowie, who runs the surgery there, said she was delighted to have finally made the appointment – with the new staff member set to start later this year.
Read more about the struggles to recruit here.
JOHN Henderson was returned as chair of Lerwick Port Authority for another year at the organisation’s AGM earlier this month.
Colin Nicholson has also been returned as deputy chair for the same term. Existing members John Henderson and Steven Hutton were reappointed to the board following the annual appointments process.
Members also welcomed Ryan Stevenson’s appointment to the board.
All will serve three-year terms until July 2027. Retiring from the port authority board is Ella Hunt at the end of her three-year term.
UNITED Living Group’s energy subsidiary has been awarded contracts for the construction of a new gas pipeline at Sullom Voe Terminal.
Managing director at United Living Infrastructure Services Conor Bray said: “We are delighted to be working with Camm-Pro and EnQuest on this gas pipeline design and construction project, which demonstrates United Living’s position as a major player in critical energy infrastructure projects in the UK.”
LOCAL accountant Martin Tregonning has raised concern over a new form of email fraud which has started doing the rounds.
It involves a fake email from HMRC asking the recipient to log into their Government Gateway account or risk losing access.
Tregonning said: “This is a particularly calculated ‘phishing’ attack as it is well timed with the public starting to think about their Self-Assessment for the last tax year, and many parts of the HMRC services are so complex that it is believable.
“Combined with the difficulty in reaching anyone via the HMRC Helplines, the risk is that many people will fall victim.”
The advice from Tregonning is to always be sceptical of unexpected emails from HMRC, banks or other institutions, to double check the email address to make sure that the email is really from the organisation it is claiming to be.
People can also speak to organisations like Trading Standards or Citizens Advice Bureau.
HOUSEHOLDERS in parts of Shetland are being asked to give their views on what would help make the islands’ population sustainable as part of a new research project.
The project is part of an investigation into the changing population dynamics facing island communities and what role policy and place-based interventions can play to help create and maintain healthy and balanced populations in Shetland and other Scottish island communities.
It is being run by Marcus Craigie, a PhD student based at the University of Aberdeen.
“By 2043, all Scottish island local authorities are projected to see a decrease in their population, but the rate of decline will vary. In Shetland, the projected decline between 2018 and 2043 is -6.13 per cent,” Craigie said.
“The challenges and opportunities associated with retaining existing residents and attracting new and returning residents – for example, transport, housing and jobs – are often discussed in a very general way.
“These factors, in reality, are geographically nuanced. To successfully apply policy for population change, we need to move away from a one-size-fits-all approach and understand our island communities’ individuality.”
Craigie, who grew up in Orkney, will arrive in Shetland in August to spend four weeks distributing and collecting surveys to every household in Unst, Bressay, Burra and Trondra, and Walls and Sandness.
The areas in which research will be undertaken were selected in consultation with key stakeholders in Shetland and are designed to represent different population trajectories across the islands.
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