SCOTT MURRAY: Let us work together to benefit Inverness amid fears of 'a real gap' with Highland Council
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Leading businessman Scott Murray explains why he is setting up the Inverness City Alliance in an attempt to connect out-of-touch authorities with locals and address the needs of ‘the people of Inverness in their entirety’
An old African proverb says: “If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.”
This is also a quote coined in a particularly memorable episode of BBC’s The Thick of It. For those unaware, it stars Peter Capaldi as Malcolm Tucker acting as the Prime Minister’s chief enforcer in this hilarious satire of politicians and their advisers.
It has proven surprisingly accurate with its similarities to real-life political scandals. What inevitably ensues is that the group of otherwise intelligent, forward-thinking, passionate people, succumb to party politics and the lure of personal advancement – their aspirations to be good public servants become nothing more than a distant memory.
One cannot help but to draw parallels with the current state of life in Scotland and the Highlands in particular.
On a national level, the absurdity of a coalition agreement that diverts hundreds of millions of taxpayer pounds into Sustrans to be wasted on lavish cycling schemes that few want and almost nobody uses, rather than being invested in improving the safety of killer roads like the A9 and A96, is something most residents of the Highlands are unlikely to forgive or forget.
And as for our local politicians, their choices of recent years to prioritise deeply unpopular vanity projects such as riverside “art” over filling in potholes or pedestrianisation plans over upgrading schools will surely be remembered the next time we are all invited to judge their performance at the ballot box.
Maybe we can’t be trusted with such weighty decisions. Maybe we are seen as a community of dullards that don’t know what’s good for us, and need to be ‘telt’? Or maybe, just maybe, the current priorities of politicians are simply out of touch with the priorities of the general public.
Over 5000 people signed a petition to remove the bollards from Academy Street. They were ignored. Some 75 per cent of city centre businesses surveyed by Inverness BID last month oppose the recently proposed ‘Plan B’ for Academy street. To date, they have also been ignored.
I don’t know what the rationale could possibly be behind ignoring the majority of tax paying stakeholders, but the fact remains we are being ignored, and a real gap is growing between us, the people of Inverness, and those we elect to represent us.
At a time when the economy is fragile, our great local small businesses are vulnerable, the cost-of-living crisis is everyone’s priority, and trust in politicians has never been lower, it is vital that we try to close that gap and work together, aligning the priorities of politicians and people for successful outcomes that can be supported by the majority.
We must find better ways to work together collaboratively for an Inverness future that provides more benefits than negatives, that is developed from the start with meaningful consultation rather than being presented as a ‘fait accompli’ and that truly works to better both the lives and livelihoods of everyone.
So with that in mind, I want to roll up the metaphorical mosquito net and try to make a difference. Along with a number of other stakeholders, we are launching the Inverness City Alliance, a group of concerned local businesses, groups, and users of our city centre.
I want to openly invite council members to engage with us, and anyone else who wants to, to formulate a vision and a plan developed from the ground up to make our city centre a place we can all be proud of.
I am not going to vilify council members. They are human, they have passion, and they want what they feel is best for the city. Their ultimate goals appear aligned with everyone else’s – we want to see a successful and prosperous city that attracts tourists and investment, and that is there for our children, grandchildren et all to enjoy for generations to come.
So let us work together to deliver something we can all be proud of, and that can benefit the people of Inverness in their entirety.
