Highland Council launches area-based funding community consultation
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A NEW community engagement exercise to ask people's views on how they would like to see area-based funding being prioritised has been launched by Highland Council.
The project also aims to identify which types of community projects they would like developed in their local area.
The local authority is responsible for the delivery of several external funding streams and, as part of its commitment to localism, where possible these funds are devolved to area committee level.
Chair of the council's economy and infrastructure committee, councillor Ken Gowans is encouraging people to take part.
He said: "Highland is home to diverse communities, each with their own unique aspirations and challenges, and an amazingly strong community and voluntary sector. Making funding streams available at a local level recognises this diversity and allows for locally appropriate solutions to be developed and supported. This consultation will be a chance for communities to let us know what is important to them so that funds can be directed where they are needed most."
The community consultation will be open from August 3 until August 31, 2022 via this link: engagehighland.co.uk.
Cllr Gowans added: "The last few years have presented new challenges and as ever in Highland communities have come to the fore in developing innovative projects that help to alleviate these challenges.
"We want to hear from you about what is important to you and what you want to see the funds in your area directed to for the coming year. The consultation has been designed to be user friendly and I hope people of all ages will take this opportunity to have a say in how money is spent in their area."
The consultation is being run by the community regeneration team who will also be contacting third sector organisations across Highland to provide them with a consultation toolkit so that they can run their own engagement sessions if they wish.
Information gathered through the overall consultation will inform how funds such as the Highland Council Coastal Communities Fund and the Place Based Investment Programme are delivered over the next year. It is also hoped that by making the results of the work publicly available it will become a useful evidence base for community groups applying for the funding.
For further information or to request a paper copy of the consultation toolkit including survey, please contact Highland Council at communityregenerationfund@highland.gov.uk.
