Scottish Parliament
No scheduled business
UK Parliament
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Aberdeen City Council
A meeting of the Operational Delivery Committee takes place this afternoon.
Aberdeenshire Council
No scheduled business
News/consultations/funding
- Final Call for Submissions – Closing today. A96 Consultation - In August 2021, the Scottish Government and Scottish Green Party Parliamentary Group agreed a Cooperation Agreement and a shared policy programme. As part of this shared policy programme, various agreed principles regarding investment in the transport network were set out. In relation to the A96, the Scottish Government committed to take forward a transport enhancements programme on the A96 corridor that will improve connectivity between surrounding towns, tackle congestion and address safety and environmental issues. These issues include: the bypassing of Inverurie (and other towns), targeted road safety improvements (i.e Oyne Fork), the development of an A96 “Electric Highway” and bus prioritisation measures. Transport Scotland is seeking a better understanding of how the A96 corridor is used, particularly given the changes to everyone’s lives due to Covid-19 pandemic, and the extent to which the climate emergency makes a difference to how people travel on the A96 in the future. They have launched an online consultation which is seeking views on existing issues along the A96 corridor, and the kind of opportunities that could be realised in the future. For more information on the details of these proposals please see here or to go directly to the survey click here.
- Two consultations on Delivering Scotland’s circular economy are now live. The Route Map to 2025 and beyond
consultation lays out the Scottish Government’s proposals for a strategic plan to deliver Scotland’s zero waste and circular economy ambitions, and invites views on the priorities and actions required to reach the proposed waste, recycling and emissions reduction targets . Meanwhile, the proposals for a Circular Economy Bill consultation seeks views on the Scottish Government’s proposals for legislation to develop Scotland’s circular economy to benefit the environment by cutting waste and carbon emissions, enhance the economy by improving productivity and opening up new markets, and to reinvigorate local communities by providing more local employment opportunities. The Bill looks at four areas: Strategic Interventions; Reduce and Reuse; Recycle; and Littering and Improving Enforcement. Closing date for both consultations is 22 August 2022.
- Low Emission Zone Support Fund for Businesses - Eligible Scottish micro businesses and sole traders can apply for up to £2,000 to take older, more polluting vehicles off the road and move towards cleaner transport options. This is for operating vehicles that are not compliant with the Low Emission Zone (LEZ) standards, in Scotland’s 4 largest cities. More information can be found here.
- A92 (S) Bridge of Don to Bridge of Dee Multi-Modal Transport Study - Aberdeen City Council is undertaking a Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) based appraisal of options for improving transport connections, in particular public transport and active travel (walking, wheeling and cycling) along and across the A92 corridor (Anderson Drive and the Parkway) between Bridge of Don and Bridge of Dee. More information can be found here.
- Sustainable Tourism Certification Scheme discounted membership offer – Through this scheme, 3 sustainable tourism certification scheme providers are offering a £500 discount on fees for tourism businesses in Scotland that join their certification schemes before March 2023 (or until all funding is used up). The providers are EarthCheck, Green Key and Green Tourism. The discount will mean eligible tourism businesses will get membership for the first year either discounted or even free, depending on the certification fees. The discounts are limited, and will be provided on a first come, first served basis. The funding for the scheme was provided through the Sustainability Certification Scheme Fund for Tourism Recovery, launched earlier this year by VisitScotland as part of the Destination Net Zero Programme. It provided grant funding to certification providers to support tourism businesses to recover from the impacts of COVID-19 in a sustainable manner. For more information, please see here
- Low Carbon Manufacturing Challenge Fund – The Fund is for any company with a manufacturing base in Scotland that wishes to pursue business growth by developing low carbon products, processes, or services. More information can be found here.
- Bring it Back Fund – Grants available to organisations in the UK with innovative projects to increase the take-up and remove barriers for reusable packaging in the food and drink sector. More information can be found here.
- Support for fishing and coastal communities – a new round of funding to support fishing businesses and wider marine organisations in coastal communities is open for applications. More information can be found here.
- Electric Vehicle Charge Point Tourism Recovery Fund - The Electric Vehicle Charge Point Fund provides a one-off payment to tourism businesses in Scotland to help cover the cost to install an electric vehicle charge point. For further information or to apply please click here.