‘Tain Royal Academy Community Complex (TRACC) deserves share of £20m government windfall’
CAMPAIGNERS battling to ensure Tain doesn’t lose access to the area’s only swimming pool are staking a claim to a share of a multi-million-pound windfall.
Last week, the Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, announced that the Highlands would be one of 12 local authorities in Scotland to receive a share of £280 million for 14 different locations..
The funding is part of the UK government’s Pride in Place programme, which targets areas that could benefit most from funding for a variety of regeneration projects.
The funds will be released over ten years to revitalise high streets and town centres, preserve local heritage, provide housing, create jobs, and boost productivity and skills.
Campaigners working to secure the future of closure-threatened Tain Royal Academy Community Compex (TRACC) were quick to state their case.
All options put forward for the future of the facility - including the gym and fitness classes - have been met with strong objections by the local community.
A steering group has been set up to try and find a way forward following a well-attended public meeting.
Tain and Easter Ross councillor Laura Dundas said: “The announcement that Highland Council are to receive £20m targeted at improvements backed by local community is an exciting announcement and we have still to wait to hear what the finer details are.”
Dundas and fellow ward councillor, Maureen Ross, both members of the TRACC Campaign Steering Group, immediately contacted Malcolm Macleod the assistant chief executive of place at Highland Council and lodged a request that TRACC be considered.
Cllr Dundas said: “TRACC is a massive project, and it would tick every single box of what has been announced so far.
“TRACC addresses the community wellbeing for all ages across so many services and not just for Tain and the rest of Ward 7 but well beyond these boundaries.”
She said the area “needs to be building up our infrastructure not losing it”, adding: “We need to be matching economic growth with the right infrastructure, which means all those proposed new homes which will go up in Tain with families working in the area will have a modern fit for purpose community centre with swimming pool.”
In a separate appeal, Easter Ross MP Jamie Stone, whose hometown is Tain, said of the cash announcement: “After years of SNP centralisation, I will do all I can to help the Scotland Office and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government understand that this investment in the Highlands needs to reach the communities beyond Inverness to support areas that have been neglected by the Scottish Government."
Starmer said: “This is a huge investment, but what matters most is who decides how it’s spent: the neighbours, volunteers and parents who know their communities best – the people with real skin in the game.”
Do you agree that TRACC fits the bill and deserves financial help? Email hector.mackenzie@hnmedia.co.uk or leave a comment.