Tick-tock tick-tock... frustration at delay to Thurso clock repairs after offer from Vulcan
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Efforts to get Thurso's town clock back working are being stymied by Highland Council's failure to take up an offer to have the repairs done for free, it is being claimed.
Apprentices at Vulcan are prepared to manufacture and install the necessary replacement parts.
But the offer has so far not been taken up, Thurso Community Council heard at their meeting last week.
The landmark clock, which sits above St Peter's and St Andrew's Church, has not worked since the start of the year.
Parish minister Rev David Malcolm said the gearing mechanism behind the main clock face "is in bits".
He said: "The problem we have is that it is so old, it's very difficult to source the parts. In the meantime, I've been getting a lot of e-mails and people stopping me in the street asking what is wrong with the clock."
Mr Malcolm stressed that the church does not own the clock, which was gifted to the community by Sir Tollemache Sinclair in the late 19th century.
Following previous gremlins with the mechanism, Highland Council agreed to take on the maintenance of the clock.
Mr Malcolm said he was delighted when the offer was made by the apprentice craftsmen at the MoD site to get the clock back working.
"I thought Christmas had come early," he said. "But Highland Council were hesitant to take up the offer.
"They said they would keep trying to source the parts."
Mr Malcolm said the commander at Vulcan has since got in touch to again offer its assistance.
"I have passed that on to the council," he said. "As it stands, they haven't taken that up. I find it frustrating."
Community councillor Billy Sinclair believed it is a no-brainer.
"Why can't they just say to Vulcan 'thank you very much'?
"We seem to have a win-win situation with the council being the stumbling block in the whole situation."
Colleague Bert Macleod added: "There must be some reason why they are looking a gifthorse in the mouth. Why would they object to Vulcan doing the work?"
Thurso Highland councillor Ron Gunn agreed that it would make sense to take up the offer from Vulcan.
Mr Malcolm said: "We wouldn't get a better engineering team than the one at Vulcan and they want to do something for the community."
A Highland Council spokesman said: “We are investigating ownership of the clock locally as it is not on Highland Council’s asset register.”
