A bid to break up Highland Council falls short by just four votes instead members agree to a consultation to consider how to work towards 'the most localised form of democracy possible'
A bid to break-up Highland Council into a series of smaller and more representative local authorities amid rising public disquiet about services had failed.
Thurso and Northwest Caithness Councillor Struan Mackie had tabled a motion calling for a Scottish Government review effectively calling for the local authority to be divided into more localised bodies.
It sought to respond to issues such as the perceived overbearing influence of Inverness and the drain on resources and effort put into developing the city at the expense of investment in time, money and effort elsewhere.
The motion stated: “The regionalisation of councils has been a failed experiment and a singular unitary authority for the Highland region does not, and has not, served the people of the Highlands effectively and fairly.
“Within housing, school estates and road infrastructure; the growth of the City of Inverness and the surrounding commuting areas calls for an expansion of current provision.”
“In most of our rural areas, local representatives fight for the mere retention of such services and seek to reverse the trend of population decline.
“Although the matter was raised directly at Holyrood in the context of a dedicated local authority for the City of Inverness, this Council believes that a holistic review of the local authority area is required to create representative and effective Councils for all areas of the Highland region.”
SNP Cllr Derek Louden who represents the Tain and Easter Ross Ward said he sympathised with many of the sentiments expressed in the original motion but called for changes that were accepted by Cllr Mackie.
Cllr Louden sought to add: "The council therefore asks the Scottish Government and the Minister for Parliamentary Business to review the existing Highland Council area, with the view to returning to more localised authority areas, and to conduct research into how a form of municipal government, such as those present elsewhere in Europe, could work for the Highlands and Scotland in future."
Instead, by a majority of just four votes, members backed an amendment by Skye Councillor Calum Munro for a review and engagement exercise “to consider on what basis the existing Highland Council area could be adjusted to improve local democracy.”
His amendment stated: “The council will engage with the wider public in the Highlands, staff and unions, and other relevant stakeholders to consider on what basis the existing Highland Council area could be adjusted to improve local democracy.
“To this end a review will be conducted which covers strategic, operational and community desired outcomes. This review would also seek to establish a strategy to ensure an equitable allocation of local government funding comes to Highland and which would take factors such as rurality, poverty, economic development etc. into account.
“The aim would also be to promote more place-based decision making supported by necessary resources with the view to establishing the most localised form of democracy possible.”
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