In my latest newsletter there’s an update about plans for what would be the largest community land purchase in Scottish history and news of how council officers tried to extend the commercial grass cutting contracts across the Highlands without approval from councillors. You can read it in detail here.
Congratulations to the team at Strontian Community School Building Limited as their hard work and compelling case for a new community built, and owned, primary school in the village has received backing from council officers. The Highland Council has published their final consultation report on the proposals for a new school ahead of an…
There are some really important meetings coming up next week to discuss how local residents can get involved in a bid for the community to own the Rio Tinto estates, so that the land is owned by the people who live here, not by a multinational company with remote shareholders. The new East Lochaber and…
In a significant u-turn the council has confirmed that it will reverse a cut in funding Additional Support Needs in primary and secondary schools across the Highlands. This follows a backlash from councillors, parents and teachers, as new funding allocations for individual schools were announced earlier this month. Whilst this is good news, as the…
Whenever there is disruption to the Corran Ferry, because of bad weather or an accident nearby on the A82, Lochaber residents inevitably turn to the council for information. After the last major disruption, I asked for a review of how the council communicates service information, because of complaints from local communities. That review is ongoing,…
In my latest E-newsletter, there’s information about a chance for communities to grab a share of £30,000, as councillors set aside part of their ward discretionary budget for residents to decide how it should be spent. There’s an update on work being done to improve information for motorists and peninsula communities when there is significant…
Last week, work started on the renovation of the derelict Fort William Secondary School building at the West End entrance to the town. The work will see the building transformed over the next year into a new council headquarters. Transferring council staff from numerous town centre buildings to this new centre, will enable the council…
If you live in the Claggan area, there’s an opportunity to be part of a new Resident’s Association aimed at providing a stronger voice on local issues, putting on community events and enabling the community to apply for lottery funds for local projects. There’s a public meeting on Thursday 30th June in the offices of…
£30,000 is up for grabs in a new participatory budgeting fund launched by Lochaber councillors this week. Instead of only councillors deciding how their ward discretionary budget is spent, we’ve set aside this substantial proportion for local residents to decide during a public vote in September. This follows a successful pilot last year when young…
The first edition of my new regular e-newsletter has now pinged its way into inboxes across Lochaber. You can read about opposition to plans, put forward by some Inverness councillors, who want to waste money on a “tilting pier” on the River Ness. There’s an update on efforts to tackle the anti-social behaviour problem caused…
You would think, after previous public outcries about short-notice overnight road closures on the A82 that BEAR Scotland would be particularly attuned to local opinion by now. How wrong! Instead they come up with a plan for overnight closures on the A82 through Glencoe in the week running up to the Pre-65 Trials and the Six Day Trials.…
Many people will know about the ward discretionary fund, a pot of money given to ward councillors that local groups and organisations can apply to for financial assistance. Every year we assist a wide range of local projects, from local events to village maintenance schemes. This year we have decided to change how we operate…
