Extra town centre funding for Wick and Thurso

Highland Council announced yesterday that extra funds are being made available across the region that will benefit Wick and Thurso.

The Caithness Committee will receive £56,104 for both towns that has been made available from the Scottish Government to boost town centres – the decision on how this will be spent being taken at a local level by area committee members.

The council has been allocated an additional £1,066,000 ring-fenced to stimulate local construction activity and support employment across Highland.

The grant expenditure must be complete by March 2021 and, in line with the council’s area based approach to the delivery of this fund, the committee when it met yesterday agreed that area committee members will make the decision on how their allocated share of the additional funding will be invested.

Chair of the Economy and Infrastructure Committee, Councillor Trish Robertson said: “This extra funding is very welcomed at a time when our town centres need more support than ever before and so does our construction sector which will have a positive knock-on effect on local communities.

“However, all projects have to be completed, or at least contracts signed, and work started before the end of March next year so it is key that members and communities work together to quickly identify potential projects to ensure we make the most of this opportunity.”

Using methodology used by the Scottish Government when allocating the funds to the council, the area breakdown for this addition funding is as follows:

• Caithness Committee – £56,104 for Thurso and Wick
• Badenoch and Strathspey Area Committee – £112,208 for Aviemore, Grantown-on- Spey, Kingussie and Newtonmore
• Black Isle, Dingwall and Seaforth Committee – £196,364 for Conon Bridge, Maryburgh, Dingwall, Muir of Ord, Avoch, Fortrose, North Kessock
• City of Inverness Area Committee – £253,468 for Beauly, Drumnadrochit, Ardersier and the Balloch, Culloden, Smithton, Milton of Leys and Westhill areas of Inverness
• Easter Ross Area Committee – £140,260 for Alness, Evanton, Invergordon, Balintore, Tain
• Isle of Skye and Raasay Committee – £56,104 for Broadford and Portree
• Lochaber Committee – £84,156 for Banavie, Corpach, Caol and Fort William
• Nairnshire Committee – £28,052 for Nairn
• Sutherland Committee – £84,156 for Brora, Dornoch and Golspie
• Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh Committee – £56,104 for Strathpeffer and Ullapool

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