Also in the news 2 November 2026

SCOTTISH Greens are calling for Orkney and Shetland to be included in Scotland’s £500 million Just Transition Fund.

Highlands and Islands MSP Kristopher Leask has urged Scottish ministers to end the islands’ exclusion from the fund, warning that workers must not be left to pay the price of an unmanaged transition.

The party said this would unlock investment in jobs and sustainable industries as island communities face declining oil and gas employment.

The Scottish Government’s 10 year Just Transition Fund supports Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire and Moray, but does not extend to Orkney and Shetland.

Leask said Orkney and Shetland had helped power Scotland for decades.

“The workers and communities who made that possible deserve investment in their future, yet they are being excluded from a fund designed to support precisely that.

“The redundancies at Sullom Voe underline why we cannot afford to wait. Orcadians and Shetlanders deserve secure, well-paid jobs that will sustain their communities for decades to come.”

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Green councillor Alex Armitage added that the fund “could kickstart the development of existing and new industries that could sustain jobs, communities and our environment for many decades to come”.

A LOCAL councillor says it is “disappointing” that two Westside chapels seem to have been put up for sale without any consultation with the community.

Liz Peterson said the congregations in Culswick and Westerskeld, and the people living in the area, have put in “many hours maintaining the buildings, and the fittings within”.

“People feel a sense of ownership towards these chapels, and belonging within them, so it’s sad to find out that they are to be sold without first exploring options with the community,” the Shetland West councillor added.

The two Methodist chapels recently went on the open market, prompting two public meetings to be organised for the coming days.

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UNION Unite says that a pay deal for Loganair cabin crew only came about because its members were prepared to walk out on strike.

Workers last week agreed to accept a backdated two-year pay deal, ending the threat of industrial action on Loganair flights.

Approximately 80 cabin crew based out of Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, City of Derry, Isle of Man and Southampton airports will receive an eight per cent increase on the basic pay level.

However Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said the pay offer only came about because workers were ready to strike to “get what they deserved”.

“It’s a good deal which will significantly lift the take-home pay of the cabin crew,” she said.

TASTE of Shetland is hosting two ‘winter warmers’ events this week celebrating local food and drink.

The first event takes place at Whiteness and Weisdale Hall on Tuesday, followed by the Carnegie Hall in Sandwick on Wednesday. Doors open at 6pm, with demonstrations beginning at 6.30pm.

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Each evening will feature live cooking demonstrations, stallholders, soup and bannocks, and plenty of opportunities to meet some of Shetland’s producers.

Demonstrations will include Mel Todd making a Palestinian lamb dish, and Kirsten Williamson cooking slow-cooked beef cheeks, on Tuesday night.

The following evening in Sandwick will see Marian Armitage prepare slow-cooked Bressay pork with bere berry risotto, while Jenny Watt will make two desserts.

Stallholders including Scoop, Land of Ayana, Wastside Goat Dairy, Sound Butcher and Scalloway Meat Company. Tickets cost £5 for adults and £2 for bairns.