Councillors have decided to patch up the ailing Whalsay ferry infrastructure in the hope that external funding becomes available in the distant future for fixed links to all the large islands.

I was disgusted to hear that the councillors had decided to push ahead with a tunnel option for Whalsay, even after getting advice from chief financial official Graham Johnston that there was not likely to be any public money available to build tunnels in the foreseeable future.

Charges for children to receive music tuition will be introduced after all at the start of the new school term because councillors opted today to overturn an earlier decision to delay their imposition, prompting SIC culture spokesman Rick Nickerson to resign from his role.

Housing in the areas of Hoofields in Lerwick, Brae and Virkie is set to go ahead even though there is no guarantee of government funding, it emerged at a meeting of the Full Council today. The meeting heard that 76 properties in Hoofields, 10 in Brae and four in Virkie will be built.

The semi-finals of senior football’s Manson Cup see Scalloway taking on Spurs at Fraser Park on Friday evening and Whalsay hosting Whitedale at Harbison Park on Monday.

Spurs maintained their unbeaten record in senior hockey’s Association Rosebowl league with a single-goal win over Juniors, while Burra, Delting and Juniors picked up victories.

The Big Lottery Fund today launched a new multi-million pound fund to help disadvantaged communities across Scotland with the help of Isobel Holbourn of the Foula Electricity Trust.

As a member of the public attending both days of the Accounts Commission hearing I would like to say how impressed I was with the professional way the panel directed questions and insisted on direct answers from the named witnesses.

With the world financial climate still precarious and likely to be in this state for some time – probably years – to come, our charitable trust is still considering not only investing a large chunk of our oil funds into a giant windfarm, but plans to borrow further hundreds of millions to fund it.

The council and residents of the west and central Mainland already know that no other existing school or even a new Anderson High can provide the educational opportunities and environment that they have at Scalloway Junior High School. Both the council and residents know that their sums do not warrant closing what is a thriving and successful school.