Leader of The Highland Council writes letter to support Fort George
18th September 2016
Leader of The Highland Council, Margaret Davidson (Independent Councillor) has written to The Rt Hon Michael Fallon MP, Secretary of State for Defence, to express her concerns about the future of Fort George.
In her letter she said: "I am deeply concerned at the continued uncertainty around the future of Fort George as an active military barracks.
“While I accept that the Ministry of Defence needs to ensure that it has an estate that is appropriate to its needs, it also must ensure that it not only has an adequate military presence across the whole of the United Kingdom, but is also visible across the whole of the United Kingdom.
“Fort George is the last army barracks in the Highlands with a permanent battalion assigned to it and it is of huge symbolic importance. If the Ministry of Defence are to maintain a footprint across the whole of the UK, it is difficult to see how this can be achieved by entirely removing the army presence in the Highlands.
“If the army is to remain relevant with continued high levels of public support, it needs to retain a visible presence within communities. The Army needs to be seen as part of the society it is there to protect. It is therefore imperative that Fort George is retained as an active military barracks.
“Fort George also hosts the Inverness Training Centre comprising ranges and training areas which to quote the Defence Training Estate Scotland “are ideal venues for battalion-level training, and are used in conjunction with training exercises elsewhere in the Highlands". In addition the wider Highlands also offers a superb environment for infantry training and Special Forces training with its coastal and marine environment and its physically challenging terrain.
“I will be making this case directly to the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and Minister for Defence Veterans, Reserves and Personnel Mark Lancaster when I meet him next month.
“I would also welcome the opportunity to engage with officials in the Defence Infrastructure Organisation on the future of the wider Highland defence estate.
“The Highlands of Scotland have had a long association with the armed forces and have served the Crown loyally for many years and it would be a sad day indeed if the Ministry of Defence were to withdraw from the Highlands.
“I do very much hope that in conducting this review you would bear these points in mind.”
Related Businesses
Related Articles
Today, Morrison Construction introduced some of their local apprentices who are working on the UK Governments' Levelling Up Funded refurbishment project at the Northern Meeting Park in Inverness. All these apprentices have been recruited from the Highland area.
The by-election to elect a councillor to represent Ward 19 - Inverness South on The Highland Council has been won by Duncan Cameron McDonald - Independent who was one of the eight candidates who contested the vacancy. Voters in the ward went to the poll yesterday (Thursday 11 April) and the by-election count was held this morning in The Highland Council Headquarters in Inverness.
The Technology Placement Programme offers funding to businesses in the Highland Council area to cover up to 70% of the cost of employing a student or graduate. The Technology Placement Programme offers funding to businesses in the Highland Council area to cover up to 70% of the cost of employing a student or graduate.
Following the success of its Business Digital Grant scheme launched last year, The Highland Council is delighted to announce further funding. This is to help Highland companies access digital support alongside other business growth support.
The Highland Council is delighted to confirm a highly successful second year for Public Service Obligation (PSO) flights between Wick and Aberdeen. The period from April 2023 to March 2024 has seen a substantial increase in passenger numbers, with several months seeing over 1,000 passengers using the service, and overall the service has seen year on year growth of 25%.
Members of Highland Council, who met on Thursday 14 March 2024, approved a corporate Digital Ambition, which has been designed to deliver significant organisational change across Council services, recognising the current priorities within the organisation. The Strategy, which is embedded within the wider Council Delivery Plan, has been developed to focus attention and resources on areas of change which will deliver the greatest benefit to the Council.
The Council remains committed to supporting mentoring in our schools, including the support that is currently delivered through the MCR Pathways programme. Highland Council is currently undertaking a review of Employability Support provided by a number of different council services and how these relate to the work carried out by external partners and in our schools.
Highland Council members have considered and agreed a revised draft Highland Outcome Improvement Plan. The partnership plan has been reviewed and updated by the Community Planning Partnership.
Members at today's (14 March 2024) meeting of The Highland Council agreed the local authority's new draft Community Wealth Building Strategy. They were also asked to note that a period of public engagement on the draft will now begin, with a final strategy returning to full Council for consideration in September.
Plans to invest up to £60m new Capital in Highland roads and infrastructure have been approved by Members at the Council meeting on 14 March 2024. The decision will see an additional £40m Capital investment in roads and transport infrastructure.
