Highland Council agree programme as SNP and Independents seek to reconcile ambition with cash
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
The SNP-Independent administration of Highland Council has finally published and agreed its programme for council until the next elections.
The programme sets out the political ambitions of those leading the council but it also has to fit with national Scottish Government policy, statutory obligations on local government and available funding.
It was developed by a group of councillors led by the leader Raymond Bremner and the Convener Bill Lobban, alongside them were Cllr John Finlayson, Cllr Ken Gowans, Cllr Derek Louden, Cllr Liz Kraft, Cllr Michael Green and Cllr Calum Munro.
Related Content:
- Highland Council administration keen to hear from residents as it develops new council programme
- Families and businesses still face huge increases in their costs, says council leader Raymond Bremner
There was also a degree consultation carried out which heard the views of 805 people involved 89 community groups, 23 councillors but it attracted just 300 responses from members of the public compared to 393 from council staff.
Ultimately it established five strategic priorities, as follows: “A Fair and Caring Highland” that aims to work together to improve the quality of life and opportunities for Highland people.
The second is “Resilient and Sustainable Communities” which seeks to help communities to be prosperous, sustainable and resilient, making a positive difference to the lives of people.
Third, is the long-held goal of accessible and sustainable Highland homes which effectively wants to build enough houses to support communities and economic growth.
Fourth, a “Sustainable Highland Environment and Global Centre for Renewable Energy” which wants to accelerate the council’s response to the climate and ecological emergency while making the most of the financial and environmental opportunities arising from the huge renewable energy potential in the region.
Finally, to create a “Resilient and Sustainable Council” which will see the local authority “work with partners to address service delivery challenges with a positive approach to change.”
