Kids after-school activities under threat across the Highlands due to council cuts and price hikes
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The domino effect of Highland Council price hikes to rent its buildings for activities is placing jobs, access to music and sport lessons and the health and well being of some of the poorest children at risk.
All across the region, volunteers and charities ranging from the smallest to the largest have spoken out about having to find new venues while “the very existence” of some organisations is in question.
In its annual budget the local authority was forced to make massive savings of £54 million and increase prices on some areas in an effort to safeguard services but only now is the true extent of that becoming clear.
In response, four councillors, shocked at the impact in their wards, tabled a motion to offer volunteer and charitable organisations a 50 per cent discount on rents – but yesterday the SNP-Independent administration deferred the decision.
No debate frustration
Sutherland Cllr Richard Gale led the charge against the price rises after organisations like childcare charity Allsorts faced a £17,000 annual bill for facilities and the local Feis was expected to pay £800 a day.
He said he was frustrated it had not been discussed: “The motion was stopped from being debated at full council due to a perceived financial impact from the proposal, it was therefore passed to the corporate resources for a financial assessment before coming back to full council on June 29.
“So it is still a live motion but deferred until it is considered at corporate resources. As a result, I will be calling for a suspension in letting fees pending the outcome of the debate in June.”
The consensus in the voluntary and charitable sector appears to be that the charges to use playing fields, schools and other facilities outside school hours are completely untenable and alternatives need to be found.
His fellow Liberal Democrat, Cllr David Gregg, who is also a doctor, spoke about how previously Drakies Primary School Football Club in Inverness had free access to Millburn Academy in Inverness under the Highlife Highland Active Schools Scheme.
“Highland Council have implemented charges for hiring their pitches outside school hours, which they have passed onto Highlife Highland,” he said.
“For the Drakies Primary School Football Club, this is effectively going to mean a charge of £3600 for the year which was previously free if child numbers stay the same.
“They can’t afford to subsidise any of that so the full costs will be passed onto families.
“I worry these charges will put off the poorest children in my ward from accessing sport, which will worsen inequality and lead to poorer health.”
Pressure on charities like High Life Highland
Even one of the north’s largest charities High Life Highland (HLH), which is the council’s own at arm’s reach leisure provider, will have to raise the cost of music lessons substantially to meet rental costs.
It is understood that HLH has moved as many activities into its own buildings in a bid to save cash instead of paying council rent hikes but where the charity does not have a suitable building.
Figures closely involved with the Highland music scene like MacGregor’s Bar owner and chairwoman of Visit Inverness Loch Ness Jo de Sylva also noted that at least one music teacher was set to lose their job due cuts.
“The very core of artistic expression in the Highlands is in great jeopardy,” she said.
“When I look around Inverness and see vanity projects that have had hundreds of thousands spent on them, then look at the value placed on music tuition I despair that we have lost any understanding of how important music is to our children, our culture and our day-to-day lives.”
One mother who did not wish to be named expressed her shock at the changes, saying: “Music should be freely available to all children. To increase costs of music lessons will immediately exclude swathes of children whose families will not be able to afford to pay for the lessons.
“Rising costs will mean that some children will never have the chance to fulfil their musical potential or even to have the opportunity to find out what it is to play a musical instrument. This increase will mean that less affluent families will be denied the same chances as those that are more fortunate. It should be accessible to all.”
Highland Council refused to say whether any staff were going to lose their jobs, a spokesperson said: “The Highland Council does not routinely employ teachers on short-term contracts on an ongoing basis.
“There is a requirement to employ teachers on a temporary basis to cover specific circumstances, such as maternity cover or other short-term vacancy requirements. However, these posts are advertised as such and have a fixed end date.
“The council’s budget strategy sets out a balanced approach to address the £49.2 million budget gap. However, the core staffing formula which is used across our schools remains.”
