Holyrood Notebook: Tenancies work is beginning to bear fruit in Caithness
I was pleased to note the action Highland Council have been taking to address sustainable tenancies in Caithness is beginning to bear fruit. The council’s void-plus policy has been trialled in Caithness in areas where there had been difficulty in re-letting void council housing.
The essence of the scheme is to make improvements to the empty properties that will enhance their appeal to prospective tenants who have expressed an interest in living in that part of Caithness.
Of the properties improved and let so far, all the tenants have expressed satisfaction with the quality of their new homes. This type of innovative scheme of bringing empty properties back into use is exactly the kind of approach required to encourage people to move into Caithness and address the population challenges.
Linked to this is the recent approval by Highland Council of the £2.1 billion 20-year Highland investment plan which will see Thurso be one of the locations for a Community Point of Delivery (POD) as part of the new Thurso High School development.
This campus development is a key part of the place-based review focused on improving the quality of life in Thurso and Caithness. I think we can all agree that it is badly needed, the challenge will be ensuring that the council moves from talking a good game and actually kicks the ball.
Consultations are important for including local views on the future, but we have seen far too often delays and disappointments.
I wish the council well on these ambitious plans but will be keeping a close eye on whether these good intentions turn into something concrete and positive for the county.
Of more concern to me is the current consultation by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) on their plans for the future of this vital public service. Like so many public services under the SNPs poor governance the SFRS is now under huge pressure to deliver a safe service now and plan to be able to do so in the future.
Alarmingly the service has seen 1200 firefighter jobs lost to cuts imposed by the SNP since 2010. I have heard from the Fire Brigade Union (FBU) what the plans will mean for Highland. It is an alarming picture. Less firefighters have led to an inability to fully staff all shifts in the main station in Inverness.
The rural stations which rely on local retained part time staff and volunteers are under even more pressure. The rural stations are not being maintained adequately with many having no decontamination facilities for staff to use after incidents, poor levels of equipment and crumbling buildings all contribute to an unacceptable working environment for the firefighters.
There are many other areas of major concern, and I have lodged a series of parliamentary questions to obtain a factual perspective on the condition of the Fire and Rescue Service in the Highlands and Islands. There is no doubt this is a service that has been badly let down by the SNP.
- Rhoda Grant is a Scottish Labour MSP for the Highlands and Islands.