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Published: 15 March 2022 Proud to support Scotland’s Census.Scotland’s Census is the official count of every person and household in the country.It usually takes place every 10 years. The census asks questions about people’s age, sex, home and living situation, employment, education and qualifications, as well as ethnicity. Every household in Scotland must complete the census and by doing so are helping to shape Scotland’s future.Completing the census is important because the answers provide the Scottish Government, and many other service providers with the data they need to make important decisions that affect people’s lives and their communities. These decisions include how money will be spent on important services like education, housing, healthcare, roads and railways, and so much more.From the end of February, households began to receive a letter with instructions on how to complete their census online.Census Day is 20 March but you can fill it in as soon as you have received your letter. Just make sure you answer questions with information that will be correct on 20 March to ensure that we have a snapshot of the nation on this day.Go to census.gov.scot or call the free helpline on 0800 030 8308 for help and guidance on the questions, or if you need support to fill it in.Click here to complete your census online. You will need the Internet access code from your census letter.

Broadband Voucher Scheme

Now that the Scottish Government has announced the Reaching 100% (R100) scheme for fibre broadband, the UK Govenment Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme is no longer available in most areas in Scotland.It has been replaced by the Scottish Broadband Voucher Scheme (SBVS). The SBVS will provide two distinct levels of subsidy:A voucher worth up to £5,000 to help deliver a permanent broadband connection to those properties for which there is no roll-out of superfast broadband planned.A voucher worth up to £400 to help deliver an interim connection to those properties for which there is roll-out of superfast broadband planned, but not until after the end of 2021. Properties in more difficult-to-reach locations may be eligible for an additional subsidy of £250.More details are available at: https://www.scotlandsuperfast.com/how-can-i-get-it/voucher-scheme/Most addresses in Borgue that are not already connected to fibre broadband fall into the second category above. The Borgue area is planned to be covered by the R100 programme but installation will not take place until ''after 2021'' which probably means that it could be well into 2022 before fibre broadband is available here.In the meantime there is the option of taking out a contract for a 4G mobile broadband hub. if you are in an area that has a 4G mobile signal. These are available from several vendors, including BT and EE and will typically cost around £30 per month. A few properties in the Kirkandrews area have installed these and are seeing download speeds of around 20 Mbps which is a big improvement over the broadband service through the telephone lines. If the 4G signal is weak, it is possible to get an external antenna installed to improve the signal.