DAVID RICHARDSON: Highland Council has a role to play for businesses and communities to capitalise on opportunities
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
A sweeping statement, but Inverness has fared differently to much of rural Highland in recent years, the former growing as both an economic powerhouse and population centre, and much of the latter struggling demographically and failing to fulfil its economic potential.
Inverness’s population growth comes from the strength of its economy, while rural Highland’s economic weakness is partly the result of working-age population decline – the inability to meet employers’ needs for staff.
The First Minister recently named ‘equality, opportunity and community’ as his ‘Missions for 2026’, and staff in our public agencies continually strive to improve the lot of rural Highland, locally and regionally.
However, when doing so there is a noticeable tendency for ‘community’ and ‘businesses’ to be placed in separate silos, as though they are mutually exclusive. Why?
If strong and sustainable communities are rooted in strong, sustainable economies, why suggest that small communities and small businesses are somehow separate?
Many of the Highlands’ most successful communities are driven by groups containing a heavy component of businesspeople (active and retired), and they also work closely with local businesses. Sharing visions and working together to make things happen is what it’s all about.
However, this only works up to a point – the public sector must be added to the mix for best results, and Highland Council has a vital role to play as an enabler.
By investing comparatively small sums, it can enable businesses and their communities to make the most of their opportunities.
Take two examples: When the public toilets in Golspie remain locked because a vandalised £2000 door hasn’t been replaced, what impact does it have on visitors’ desires to stay and spend money? And, in a staffing crisis, why would Highland Council risk making parents working in the public and private sectors give up work by forcing Dornoch Primary’s after-school childcare charity to close? (Reduced core funding and rent increased from zero to £17,000 in two years.)
An outcry might have resolved matters temporarily, but responsible, joined-up thinking it ain’t!
