Calls for change in funding allocation as Nairnshire found to be ‘missing out’
Nairnshire is missing out when it comes to the allocation of funding that could be used to improve communities.
That is the view of local Highland councillors and the area’s community councils, who are calling for a rethink of the way Highland Council distributes Community Regeneration Funding.
The matter was raised by Nairn West and Suburban Community Council (NWSCC) in a letter sent to councillors in April after the Nairn area received just under £74,000 in funds for 2024, compared to £659,000 for Sutherland, £528,000 for Inverness and £540,000 for the Lochaber area.
It wasn’t just in the total amount received that Nairn appeared to be missing out either as it also received the lowest share per head of population - amounting to just £5,70 while the next lowest on that measure was the Black Isle on £9,20 and the highest was Sutherland, on £52.10.
In a joint statement, chairmen of NWSCC, Kevin Reid, and Nairn River Community Council, Hamish Bain, said: “Nairn’s community councils have long called for a fairer share of Highland Council funding for Nairn. We are pleased that a Highland Council sub-committee will soon review allocation methodologies and we support our councillors arguing for more equitable distribution.
“The Coastal Communities Fund allocation methodology, based on relative lengths of coastline, resulted in Sutherland receiving over £600k for 2023/24 and Nairn £10.5k, despite similar populations, and this needs to be changed.
“Importantly, our town’s population is concentrated along its short shoreline, exposing us to real climate change issues, and a fairer allocation of coastal community funds may finance coastal erosion projects. Improved funding may also be used for projects outlined in the draft Local Place Plan to support the aspirations for Nairn.”
Money for the Community Regeneration Fund comes from different sources: the Community-Led Local Development Fund (for which Nairn is not eligible), the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, the Highland Coastal Communities Fund (CCF) and the Place-Based Investment Fund.
The coastal communities fund and the place-based programme are annual funding streams, with allocations made to Highland Council by the Scottish Government.
Local area committees are then awarded a proportion of this annual allocation based on Scottish Government formulae.
Now an upcoming meeting of the council’s economy and infrastructure committee, expected to take place on August 27, will see Nairn representatives make the case for change.
Chairman of the Nairn area committee, Councillor Michael Green, said: “Because of the way funds are structured, Nairn has been put at a serious disadvantage. It‘s not a level playing field.
“I will be seeing relevant officers ahead of that meeting to make the point that the current configuration in the way the money is distributed is very much skewed against Nairn.
“It tells you that the formula isn’t working for us. There is so much money available but so little reaches Nairn, and there is the requirement here for a variety of projects.”
At the most recent area committee members discussed coastal erosion on Central Beach and issues arising from damaged rock armour at the Links, as well as ongoing problems climate change will bring.
Cllr Green said, while coastal community funding could support some short-term management of the issue, there needs to be a long-term plan and serious capital investment from the Scottish Government.
He said: “The amount of money that’s required to address coastal erosion will not be addressed by the Community Regeneration Fund alone - it will need serious capital investment. It’s a longer-term project, the money to address it has to come from the central government, and it needs to be higher up on the agenda.”
A Highland Council’s community regeneration team’s spokesperson said: “The formulae for distribution of the Highland Coastal Communities funding was discussed and approved by Members at a full Highland Council committee in September 2020, minutes from the meeting are available online on The Highland Council website.
“The Community Regeneration Fund Strategic sub-group will meet to review the formulae for distribution of HCCF ahead of the release of the next tranche of funding. Currently no date has been set for this meeting.”
