Town House bid rejected by City of Inverness Area Committee at Highland Council as further expenses said to be needed to "future-proof" city landmark
A BID to bring Inverness Area Committee meetings back to the Town House was rejected after councillors clashed on whether the building was fit for purpose.
The building, which recently saw a multimillion-pound investment for external renovation, would need more than £82,000 to mirror the facilities allowing for hybrid meetings which are in place at the Highland Council’s headquarters in the city’s Glenurquhart Road – where the meetings of the committee were moved in June after in-person meetings resumed.
At a meeting on Monday, former Inverness Provost Alex Graham (Lib Dem) put forward a motion to see the committee going back to the historic building for its meetings, highlighting concerns the committee would risk losing its identity.
The bid was rejected after Inverness city leader Ian Brown had the casting vote following an 11-11 split.
SNP councillor Emma Knox raised accessibility concerns over issues posed by the historic building’s structure for people with mobility and sensory impairments.
She said: “I would argue that the Town House is not fit for holding meetings. The building is notoriously difficult to get around.
“The majestic central stairway, which is a thing of beauty, is however an accessibility nightmare.
“I can’t believe we are seriously considering spending that amount of money to enable us to continue meeting at the Town House for the sake of tradition and history when we are at the same time today considering whether to increase winter payments so that vulnerable people can heat their homes.”
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SNP councillor Michael Cameron was also opposed to the motion on the grounds that the system at the Town House would not be suitable for hybrid working.
He said: “It’s not about where we sit, it’s about the decisions we make. There may be questions on why did we spend so much money on the building which didn’t end up in something that is acceptably accessible and technologically accessible.”
Independent councillor Duncan Macpherson and Labour councillor Andrew Mackintosh argued the decision to move to the HQ was made without consultation.
Cllr Mackintosh said: “We are the only area committee that does not meet in a building within the area.
“Inverness has a long history of democracy and meeting in the Town House, and I would like this to continue, especially when the meeting place was changed without consultation.”
Councillors Bet McAllister (Labour) and Isabelle MacKenzie (Conservative) supported the motion highlighting the need to future-proof the building to keep it open in years to come.
The further investment proposed included £75,160 to incorporate microphone and voting system installation as well as a public webcast system, with an annual £6851 investment needed for ongoing maintenance.
Councillor Brown said: “I can’t remember reading the paper which said that this building [HQ] is no longer Inverness. This is still Inverness, we are not abandoning anywhere.
“This is the biggest area committee in the Highland Council so they deserve the best we can get.
“The Town House has not been future-proofed, and to get this committee to run properly would require a further expense.
“Everyone here will know that having a meeting on Teams from the Town House is embarrassing, it doesn’t work, and we wouldn’t have the number of people here today without it.
“To me, in these hard times, how anyone can justify this expense to mirror what we already have here doesn’t make sense.”