For several years, I have been asking the Highland Council to accept responsibility for the section of trees that are in their ownership along Wades Road. This was a result of several complaints from nearby residents, concerned about the loss of light to their properties, the risk of damage from wind-blown branches or trees and…
Two parallel universes must exist in the council chamber in Fort William, as the press department sanctioned version of proceedings at the local area committee meeting differs from my experience of the same meeting. An important item on the agenda was the agreement of a set of priorities for Lochaber. These include things like the…
Some people could ask is a stone wall really that important. Others would suggest the council shouldn’t spend money on replacing like for like. That was pretty much the attitude of my councillor colleagues when I tried to persuade them to replace the wall at this historic graveyard with another stone wall. Yet, one councillor told…
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,…
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…
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.…
Anyone driving along the A82 between Glencoe and Ballachulish at the moment would have noticed all the scaffolding up around the slate arch just before the turn-off into Blalchulish village. It’s part of a £277,000 restoration project with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund, The Highland Council and Historic Environment Scotland (formerly Historic Scotland). The…
Lochaber Voice 