Highland Council leader: ‘We are working together to deliver the best we possibly can’
Highland Council leader Raymond Bremner has stressed the importance of looking at solutions over funding for local authority services “rather than constantly complaining or blaming the Scottish Government”.
He was responding to concerns raised by fellow Caithness member Matthew Reiss, who claimed that years of cuts were pushing the council “towards the brink” and claimed communities in the north were being put “at a massive disadvantage”.
Councillor Reiss (Thurso and Thurso and Northwest Caithness) is part of the Highland Alliance group of independent councillors.
Councillor Bremner is an SNP member for Wick and East Caithness.
He pointed out: “The council’s administration is not a single-party administration. It is made up of the SNP and the Highland Independent group who corporately work together to deliver the best they possibly can for the people of the Highlands.
“Whilst both governments in London and Edinburgh have made no secret of the financial challenges that face them, the council’s administration has recently launched the Highland Investment Plan.
“That plan will see the biggest financial investment in the Highlands from a single programme in the history of Highland Council. As part of the programme, there is now a way forward to see what could replace the current high school in Thurso given the recent issues with HAC [high alumina cement].
“It will also see a sustained increase in funding for roads over the next 23 years of approximately £400m. I would suggest, politely, that isn’t the sign of a council on ‘the brink’ but a council that is going to deliver where governments are having to make difficult funding decisions.
“I’ve recently met with local amenity officers and housing officers in respect of solutions to any grass-cutting challenges.
“Funding is available to tackle areas of grass-cutting challenge through the housing environmental budget. The spending of that budget is determined by local members.
“In ward three [Wick and East Caithness], some of the local members have been out and about reviewing some of their areas with a view to how that environmental budget could be spent this year, and tackling some of the overgrown areas is one of the options that remains open to us. I would suggest this is also an option for Councillor Reiss in his ward.
“The council also purchased five brand new bagging mowers in the last two years. They can be deployed in any area of the Highlands where there is a need – they have recently been used in Caithness.
“This followed previous underinvestment where the council’s bagging mowers were beyond reasonable repair or had to be hired in. That was also after the council brought in a cut-and-no-lift policy over seven years ago because of funding pressures at that time.”
Councillor Bremner added: “There are challenges facing all councils across Scotland and the UK as a whole, regardless of their population density or distribution. Highland Council is not unique in that but we have been clever and creative about how to help ourselves and many councillors across the chamber continue to look at solutions rather than constantly complaining about the problem or blaming the Scottish Government.”