War commemoration granted funding

Orkney Islands Council are to set aside £50,000 to contribute to the total anticipated costs of the World War One commemorations in the county, which begin next year.

The decision to put aside the funding was made at a meeting of the council’s Policy and Resources committee on Tuesday, November 26.

The report that came before councillors stated that the local authority would draw the money from their predicted underspend on their General Fund Services in 2013 and 14 with the sum providing funding for the full five-year period of the commemorations, which run until 2019.

Commemorations events are to take place throughout Scotland with Orkney also having a local programme of commemoration events. Specifically, a commemoration of the Battle of Jutland is to take place in the county in May 2016.