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From Monday 2 December, householders and businesses on Mull and Iona will no longer have to put recyclable material into separate plastic bags before it goes into blue bins. Putting the recyclable material directly into the bins reduces the amount of single use plastic going into the waste stream. It is also more convenient for customers, by cutting down on time and effort. There is no change to the materials collected and no change to the frequency or days of collection.

There are just a few days left to register to vote and make sure you can take part in the UK Parliamentary Election on 12 December.  The deadline to register is 26 November and, if you’re not already registered but want to take part in next month’s election, you will need to take action. The same deadline of 26 November applies to anyone wishing to apply for a postal vote. You can also nominate someone else to cast your vote on your behalf – a proxy vote. There is a little more time to apply for a proxy vote – the deadline for these applications is 5pm on 4December. 

A small number of changes have been made to polling stations in ����Ů�� and Bute for the forthcoming UK Parliamentary Election on 12 December. While changes like this are avoided if at all possible, timescales and other factors on this occasion mean that some changes have been necessary. In making alternative arrangements, issues like accessibility have, as always, been very carefully considered and every step taken to minimise as far as possible any impact on voters.

The next in the series of public consultation drop-in events is being held at the Rockfield Centre, Oban, on Thursday 28 November as part of ����Ů��’s Local Flood Risk Management Plan. Representatives from ����Ů�� and flood defence experts will be at the Rockfield Centre to answer questions. The event comprises “drop-in” sessions from 12.30-3.00pm and 6.00-8.00pm. There will be presentations, followed by question and answer sessions, at 1.00pm and 6.30pm.

������ is urging people only to buy salmon from a reputable source. Twenty tonnes of salmon has gone missing following an accident on the A82 near the Bridge of Orchy where a lorry overturned. This salmon may have entered the food supply chain. It is potentially unsafe to eat and should not be consumed. At the time of the accident the salmon was head on and gutted and of various sizes. It had not undergone processing. There is a possibility it is has been contaminated and may not have been subject to the required chilled conditions.

����Ů��’s annual Early Years Conference in Dunoon has been hailed a roaring success. ‘We Are Connected, Curious and Creative!’ was the theme of this year’s event, and delegates travelled from throughout Scotland to attend.

People across ����Ů�� and Bute are being urged to make sure they register to vote in next month’s UK Parliamentary Election, before the 26 November deadline. Voters in ����Ů�� and Bute will join others from across the country on Thursday 12December to elect one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent the ����Ů�� and Bute UK Parliamentary Constituency at Westminster. 

A £200,000 renovation of Inveraray’s Category A-listed Avenue Screen has been completed. Scaffolding, which was first erected at the site in January, has been removed and the finishing touches have been made to the work, which saw the Avenue Screen’s cement render removed and replaced with traditional lime render. Work was also carried out on the famous archway’s gates.

As we all prepare for the cold weather, the council has taken delivery of 17 new vehicles to join its fleet of winter maintenance vehicles that will treat 52% of our road network when dangerous conditions are forecast. To mark the arrival of the new vehicles, primary school children throughout ������ and Bute have been invited to think up a name for one gritter in each of the four local administrative areas. The winners will see their chosen name on a plate on the side of the vehicle. The competition closed on 5 November.

A traditional shopfront in Rothesay will be brought back to its former glory thanks to a grant of more than £50,000. Councillors on the Bute and Cowal Area committee recently approved the release of £51,680 from the Rothesay Townscape Heritage fund to support the full-scale repair of the shopfront at 19a, 19b and 20b Argyle Street in the town. Additionally, committee members were updated on the award of £78,066 for shopfront work to be carried out on 69-71 Montague Street in Rothesay.