News / In brief for 18 June 2010
Grass cut
SHETLAND Islands Council is to scrap its free grass cutting service for private and council tenants next year in a bid to save around £100,000.
The SIC’s services committee heard on Thursday that the service for private householders had been oversubscribed after the door closed on the scheme, leaving 60 households without access.
Councillors debated whether to increase funding this year to help those left out and to raise the threshold to save money next year.
However members finally decided to stop paying for the service altogether next year, not provide any more funding this year and instead to look for external funding from the likes of Shetland Charitable Trust to step in and help.
Delayed payments
COMPUTER problems are delaying government subsidy payments to farmers, according to Shetland MSP Tavish Scott.
Mr Scott said on Thursday that he was raising the matter with rural affairs secretary Richard Lochhead after being contacted by a Shetland farmer who was told his payments had been held back because of computer problems.
“Clearly cash flow is of vital importance to the viability of a crofter or farmer’s business and the late payment of grants or other support funding can cause real problems,” Mr Scott said.
“It is therefore important that government support funding from SRDP schemes such as the Crofting Counties Agricultural Grant Scheme, the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme and Rural Priorities reaches the bank accounts of crofters and farmers as quickly as possible.”
He called for an alternative system to be put in place to avoid any repetition of the delays.
IT warning
SHETLAND police are warning local people to watch out for phone calls from a man claiming to be an IT consultant requesting remote access to their home computers.
Several local people have received such calls, and the police said it was dangerous as such a move would allow them access to private personal data.
“Unless you have requested this action then you should at no time give authorisation for someone to remotely access your computer or divulge any personal details,” a spokesman said.
Lifeboat visit
THE NEW chief executive of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution Paul Boissier visited Shetland this week for the first time.
On Thursday Mr Boissier and his wife Susie stepped into the Aith lifeboat station and onto the Duke of Kent lifeboat, accompanying the crew on a training exercise.
Afterwards he presented a gold badge to Dave MacFarlane and a silver badge to James Garrick for their services to the lifeboat.
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