Community councils in Nairn welcome findings of Scottish Public Service Ombudsman (SPSO) after complaint upheld against Highland Council on handling of town centre deal
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In a full response to the Scottish Public Service Ombudsman’s findings into how the Highland Council reached a decision to build offices and town centre housing on the King Street car park in Nairn, local community councils have described the process as a “stitch-up”.
In their reply to the outcome of a year-long inquiry by the government watchdog the Nairn River Community Council and Nairn West and Suburban Community Council issued a joint statement following the publication of the Ombudsman’s report into the way the council handled the allocation of Scottish Government Town Centre Funding to support the new CAB office in a town centre development with a block of flats.
In its findings, which have been seen by the Courier, the Ombudsman’s office says the local authority failed to follow appropriate processes when making decisions regarding the allocation of the funding. And Highland Council has been told it must apologise to the complainant for its failings.
The community councils accused the Nairn Area Committee of taking decisions behind closed doors and not giving other organisations a chance to apply for nearly £200,000 in funding.
In a joint statement, they said: “We welcome the Scottish Public Service Ombudsman’s (SPSO) findings and decision in relation to the Highland Council’s decision-making, funding and delivery of the town centre housing/offices building.
“The Ombudsman’s verdict is unequivocal. Highland Council got it wrong. The conclusions echo very closely the comments and objections originally raised by local community councils and others – which were ignored and dismissed at the time by Highland Council.
“This outcome shows that those local concerns were fully justified, and that it was right to submit a formal complaint to the SPSO.
“We believe those responsible ought to be held accountable for the failings now identified.
“This is not a minor oversight or a matter of procedural detail. It was not an error by a single individual. There was a systemic failure.
“The council did not comply with its own rules. Those who took the decisions on the spending of a substantial town centre fund allocation in Nairn were neither open nor transparent.
“In plain language, what happened in Nairn was a stitch-up, decided and delivered behind closed doors.
“We believe that those who did not comply with proper procedure and those who are responsible for, or sought to excuse, the shortcomings identified by the SPSO, ought to be held directly accountable for those failures.
“Without such accountability, it is difficult to see how public trust in the integrity of the council’s decision-making can be restored.”
Highland Council has until March 10 to submit its apology to the complainant.
A council spokesman said: “The council does not accept the SPSO’s findings with regard to this matter and will be submitting a formal appeal.
“The council will not comment further until that process has concluded.”
Ombudsman upholds complaint by Nairn community councillors
