Caithness not getting 'a fair deal' from Highland Council, says Thurso community councillor
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Caithness is not getting "a fair deal" from Highland Council, according to a Thurso community councillor.
Billy Sinclair says the local authority has a revenue budget of £650 million and argues that as Caithness has 10 per cent of the Highland population it should get around £65 million. "Are we getting it?" he asked at the most recent community council meeting.
Mr Sinclair pointed out that Orkney, with a similar population, gets £100 million, which is £35 million more.
"I have been trying to find out how much money is spent in Caithness but have been failing. Is over £5 million being spent in Caithness every month? I can't see it if that is the case," he said.
Mr Sinclair urged local Highland councillors to find out the answer to his questions. "Are we getting a fair deal? I don't think we are. We need to find out where the money is being spent," he said.
Mr Sinclair, who would like to see Caithness have its own council as it did in the past, added: "The way forward for Caithness is backwards."
Thurso and Northwest Caithness Highland councillor, Karl Rosie, said it is "a complex issue" but expressed "serious doubts" about the far north having its own local authority and argued that when Caithness had its own council it was not "a utopia".
"We have to work with the situation we are in," he said.
Mr Sinclair claimed the argument is about how power and resources are controlled and maintained the area has to "try and do something about it".
Cllr Rosie said he has "no argument about that" but said: "Be careful what you wish for," to which Mr Sinclair responded: "At least, if we made mistakes they would be our mistakes."
Earlier, Cllr Rosie pointed out that over £3 million has been allocated to over 94 projects by the Highland Coastal Communities Fund.
He explained that the fund is designed to support economic regeneration and sustainable development around coastal areas in Highland. The money is derived from net revenue generated by the Crown Estate’s marine assets in Scotland.
Each year, local authorities are allocated a proportion of these profits from the Scottish Government. Highland Council has received over £3 million to date. The fund launched in November 2020.
Cllr Rosie said funding of up to 100 per cent is possible but generally, grant awards of between £5000 and £100,000 are considered. Applications can be made by constituted community groups, local authorities or other public sector bodies, charities, voluntary groups and social enterprises, co-operatives and community ownership initiatives and development trusts. Money can be made available for a wide range of projects from local sports facilities to community halls.
Among Caithness bodies which have benefited are the Pulteneytown People's Project, the Dunnet Forestry Trust, the Caithness Voluntary Group and the Thurso Community Development Trust.
