Caithness people ‘have the ability and determination to pull things back’
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The trend towards centralisation of services is "detrimental in every way" to Caithness and is contributing to depopulation, according to local campaigner Iain Gregory.
There are concerns that neglect of the county by governments and the local authority could threaten the long-term sustainability of the county, he said – but he maintained that a 21st-century "Caithness Clearance" need not be inevitable.
"We have a hugely skilled and capable population, we have the ability, and we have the determination to pull things back," Mr Gregory declared.
He was speaking to the Caithness branch of u3a (University of the Third Age), part of a UK-wide network of learning groups for those no longer in work.
Mr Gregory is co-founder of Caithness Roads Recovery (CRR), vice-chairman of Caithness Health Action Team (CHAT) and secretary of Thurso Community Council. He is a former police area commander for Caithness and Sutherland.
His talk at Thurso West Church hall was entitled The Future of Caithness.
He referred to the book Calum's Road, by Roger Hutchinson, and how, as the authorities had failed to build a road to his community on the island of Raasay, Calum MacLeod had done so single-handedly.
"It was clear to me that Calum realised that for a community to survive, to prosper and to thrive, essential services must be maintained, and that a proper road was vital to attract and retain residents," Mr Gregory explained.
He also touched upon the history of parliamentary and local government representation in Caithness and claimed that the introduction of Highland Council in 1996 marked "the end of real local control".
He went on: "In 2024 we form a tiny part of one vast Westminster parliamentary constituency – set to get even bigger – and we are also only a part of a ridiculously large Scottish parliamentary constituency. Surely, at the very least, we should have an MSP for Caithness and Sutherland – and preferably one for Caithness alone.
"Our schools, our hospitals, our public facilities all require substantial inward investment. Services such as the police have seen closures of local offices, and the roads infrastructure – think of Calum – is collapsing around us.
"The constant desire to centralise everything in the urban centres is detrimental in every way, and this is reflected in the projected depopulation figures for the county. The population of Caithness is projected to fall by more than 2100 from 25,242 at the end of 2018/19 to 23,060 by 2029/30."
Mr Gregory showed a copy of the Scottish Government’s 95-page Addressing Depopulation Action Plan, which fails to include a single mention of Caithness or the 110-mile section of A9 trunk road from Inverness to Thurso.
He asked: “Are we facing a 21st-century Caithness Clearance? Is it the end?
“It certainly need not be. We have a hugely skilled and capable population, we have the ability, and we have the determination to pull things back.
"CRR campaigns for roads investment because collapsing roads are simply a symptom of the underlying malaise, and we are now tackling any number of social issues.
"CHAT, and other dedicated campaigners, are prepared to stand and fight for the county, and the answer is in our own hands. Use our skills, lobby politicians, and remember – we have the ultimate power to force change.
"We are the voters and we can make it very clear to politicians of all parties that we love this county, and we will fight for it, because Caithness matters."
Mr Gregory's talk was followed by a question-and-answer session.
