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High Life Highland membership cost to rise


By Staff Reporter- NOSN

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THE price of the High Life membership which gives access to facilities such as gyms and swimming pools is set to rise following the local authority's cut in funding for High Life Highland (HLH).

The increased charges, which will apply from April 1, will add £1 to the High Life family membership card and 60p for individual card holders.

High Life Highland said prices were static for the last three years for individual members and for the last two years for family membership.

The charity, set up by the council in 2011 to run leisure and cultural services, said its savings target for 2019/20 is more than £1.3 million.

It said this was made up of a reduction in management fee from the council of £410,000 as well as the national pay negotiations for the approximately 1200 staff HLH employs.

A spokesman said the outcome of the national pay negotiations coming into force on April 1, together with increases in the minimum wage, is an increase of £870,000 to the HLH staffing budget.

He said: “In order to meet the savings target whilst minimising the effect on services, a wide range of income generation options and efficiencies have been implemented. Increasing prices has been necessary, to avoid closure of facilities and services.”

The boss of High Life Highland will retire from the charity’s top job in the summer.

Chief executive Ian Murray has been at the helm since its inception.

His current salary is £85,912.

Chief executive Ian Murray.
Chief executive Ian Murray.

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