MAGNUS DAVIDSON: Putting the 'Highland Problem' into perspective
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
With the population of the region on the rise, Caithness and Sutherland still face a daunting drop in the decades ahead, but Magnus Davidson sees hope
The ‘Highland Problem’ appears to have concluded. New statistics from the National Records of Scotland now show that the population of the region has grown 22 per cent over the last 40 years and two per cent over the last 10.
Inverness has been a city, and a fast growing one at that, for more of my life than not. We don’t quite have the 20th-century metropolis once envisaged from Nairn to Tain, but growth in the Inner Moray Firth area has shown it’s well on its way.
The Kessock Bridge recently marked its 40th anniversary and the Black Isle, where I originally hail from, for better or worse, is now suburbia.
But for many communities in the Highlands, the problem is far from over. Last week another newspaper ran a series on depopulation, and we were all reminded of the stark challenge facing Caithness.
Forecasted population loss over the next 20 years exceeds any other county in the region at over 21 per cent for a 25-year period between 2016 and 2041. Sutherland is set to lose 12 per cent of its population over the same period.
Still, comparatively poor infrastructure, depopulation and ageing demographics threaten our communities. Only high unemployment has been abated, but at times replaced with poor employment as the economy shifts to low-wage seasonal tourism.
The tourism industry has certainly shown benefit for population in places like Skye, but at what social and environmental cost?
Other ‘fragile’ areas of the Highlands and Islands are also set to lose people. The region has been described as the “man on Scotland’s conscience”, that is not quite the case any more – we are now looking at the children and grandchildren on Scotland’s conscience as the issue has grown into something more localised and generational.
This is not a lament for rural communities. This is just reality. Forecasts are forecasts and yet we find ourselves lucky with the tools on our doorstep to deal with the issue.
First and foremost, people. The spread of names making an impact is inspirational. People like Frances Gunn from Tongue, fighting for her corner of Sutherland and community, or Finlay MacLennan promoting the virtues of community ownership in the Western Isles, or the team from North West 2045 I saw putting their case to the government minister Mairi McAllan in Helmsdale last month.
Our very own Eann Sinclair, with an acute and pragmatic understanding of the area, remarked that “we are all on the same page at the same time at the moment” when it comes to depopulation.
In Caithness I am lucky enough to work with countless individuals and community-rooted organisations working tirelessly for the better of our county. Last summer I worked with Caithness Voluntary Group to record and analyse how the community responded to the Covid pandemic, with countless examples of individual and collective efforts that kept our county going. That kind of response can and should be channelled into our depopulation challenge.
In Thurso, the success of the Community Development Trust is apparent across the multitude of buildings and spaces turned over to socially growing assets. Joan Lawrie and the team deserve a special award for finding 48 hours in a day out of 24.
On an economic front, the Caithness and North Sutherland Regeneration Partnership knuckle into the formidable task of dealing with the Dounreay Dilemma, a finely balanced task of ensuring there is a skilled workforce for safe and successful decommissioning, with new jobs at the other end.
The University of the Highlands and Islands is the greatest success of the region in the last 30 years. UHI North Highland is in the process of modernising itself into a future-proof tertiary institution with a planned merger with UHI West Highland and UHI Outer Hebrides.
It can be difficult to explain from the inside out, but this is a well needed development and will show that the north and west Highlands and Islands can lead the whole university into the reform.
I am often found espousing the natural capital of the region, especially here in Caithness, but reflecting on the last couple of years the real potential lies with the people who work tirelessly for their communities.
That I am writing this column at home in the north Highlands, working in the north Highlands, having studied in the north Highlands proves, at least to myself, that we could one day see a true end to the ‘Highland Problem’.
- Magnus Davidson is a researcher based in Thurso.
- What do you think? Send your letters to editor@nosn.co.uk
