Also in the news / Drug drivers, fixed links consultation, volunteers sought, wind farms petition and more …
SEVEN people in the Highlands and Islands region – including in Shetland – were arrested and charged with drug driving over the weekend.
Local officers in the Highlands and Islands, along with colleagues from the road policing unit, stopped 156 vehicles in connection with road traffic offences.
Police Scotland’s chief superintendent Rob Shepherd said: “As we approach the summer months and improving weather, we see more people out and about using our roads.
“Road safety is the responsibility of every road user and so it goes without saying that it is the responsibility of every police officer and not just roads policing officers.”
THE PROJECT looking at the future options for connectivity between Shetland’s islands is moving to its next phase, following a recent series of public drop-in sessions.
Shetland Islands Council said the next stage of the project is to set transport planning objectives and a long list of options for each individual island, focused on the problems which have been identified by the community.
Options for ferry, harbour and, where appropriate, fixed links will be set out. Fixed link proposals for Bressay, Fetlar, Unst, Whalsay and Yell will be included at this stage.
A strategic business case will be presented to Shetland Islands Council this summer, and elected members will be asked to make decisions on which of the options from this long list should go forward for more detailed appraisal in an outline business case (OBC).
Further engagement with communities will take place during the development of the OBC.
Moraig Lyall, who chairs the SIC’s environment and transport committee, said: “I’d like to thank everyone who came along to the drop-in events, and those who participated in our earlier survey. We have now received an enormous amount of valuable information which will be vital in making progress in our work to improve our transport links in the future.
“The feedback which we’ve received, and the further questions which people brought to the events, are very helpful in contributing to the ‘case for change’, which is part of the business case we’ll put to the UK and Scottish governments for future investment.”
SCOTLAND’s national charity supporting people affected by crime is searching for volunteers to help victims and witnesses in Shetland.
Victim Support Scotland (VSS) is on the lookout for anyone who can offer at least four hours per week and feels they can make a difference.
Volunteers will provide vital emotional and practical support to the people who need it most in their own community.
For more information on Victim Support Scotland’s volunteer recruitment campaign and volunteering opportunities, visit here. www.victimsupport.scot/volunteertoday
THE Scottish Parliament’s petition committee will consider mandatory share ownership of wind farms when it meets on Wednesday morning (2 April).
The petitioner Karen Murphy, from Kintyre, is calling for a new statutory right for impacted communities to be offered a share in renewable energy developments.
They want to see a “coherent political response” which enables communities to own 15 per cent of new wind farms.
Data supplied by the East Kintyre Renewable Energy Group (EKREG) show that in Denmark 67 per cent of onshore wind is co-owned by citizens through shared ownership, while German communities benefit from owning 50 per cent of onshore wind.
In Scotland, only 0.2 per cent of onshore wind is co-owned by communities, despite the Scottish Government having set an ambition in 2017 that “by 2020, at least half of newly consented renewable energy projects will have an element of shared ownership”.
Morven Lyon from Scottish Community Coalition on Energy said: “Community shared ownership of renewables is essential to a just transition, as it empowers communities by providing them with greater control, enhancing financial resilience, and promoting sustainability.”
PUBLIC Health Scotland is encouraging everyone offered a Covid-19 vaccine this spring to “come forward, get vaccinated and stay protected – because COVID-19 hasn’t disappeared”.
Last summer in Scotland, there were more than 10,000 reported cases of Covid and over 4,000 people hospitalised.
This year’s spring vaccination programme is focused on protecting those most vulnerable to Covid-19.
This includes older adults in care homes, people aged 75 and over, and those with a weakened immune system, as they are at greater risk of illness from Covid-19.
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