Councillors Give Green-light For Full Development Of Highland Investment Plan

3rd July 2022

Members of full Council, who met yesterday - Thursday, 30 June – were presented with a report on the UK Government's Shared Prosperity Fund and provided with an update on the process currently underway to develop a Highland Investment Plan which will determine how the funding may be used locally.

A financial allocation of £9,445,515 has been awarded to Highland Council over a three-year period, which runs from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2025.

The fund is designed to deliver on the UK Government’s commitment to level-up the whole of the UK. The focus is placed on a ‘levelling up opportunity and prosperity as well as overcoming deep-seated geographic inequalities.

The Shared Prosperity Fund is one part of this Levelling Up agenda and succeeds the old EU structural funds.

The fund has four objectives:

boost productivity, pay, jobs and living standards by growing the private sector;

spread opportunities and improve public services;

restore a sense of community, local pride and belonging; and

empower local leaders and communities.

With the proposed approach now agreed by Highland Councillors, work will progress in drawing up a finalised investment plan for submission to the UK Government by 1 August 2022.

To assist with the preparation of the investment plan, the Council have been in active discussion with internal colleagues and external partners as they seek to map current activity and identify how best the fund could be used.

There are key themes which are being established in line with the investment plan requirements. They are grouped across the three investment priorities:

- Communities and Place,

- Local Business Investment,

- People and Skills (with Multiply sub-theme).

Detailed interventions being worked up will be based around several themes which reflect business and community needs and opportunities as highlighted in the following priority objectives:

Communities and Place

To strengthen social fabric and foster a sense of local pride and belonging

To build resilient, healthy and safe neighbourhoods

Supporting Local Businesses

Create jobs and boost community cohesion

Promote networking and collaboration

Increasing private sector investment in growth-enhancing activities

People and Skills

Boost core skills and support adults to progress in work

Reduce levels of economic inactivity

Supporting people furthest from the labour market barriers to work

Supporting local areas to fund gaps in local skills provision

Chair of the Economy and Infrastructure Committee, Cllr Ken Gowans, welcomed the funding. He said: "Over £9.5m from the Shared Prosperity Fund will provide a significant boost to local communities, businesses and skills development. There is an opportunity for local design and delivery, within the parameters set by the UK Government, to decide how best the fund can be used locally for maximum effect, through a Highland Investment Plan."

 

Related Businesses

 

Related Articles

1/9/2026 : Local Authority

What Changes in Highland Today? New Rules for Private Hire Drivers and a Fresh Garden Waste Year

For most people in Highland, 1 September is simply the start of another month.  But today also marks the beginning of two changes introduced by Highland Council which will affect different groups of residents.  

Yesterday : Local Authority

 
Candidates for Highland Council Ward 3 Wick and East Caithness By-Election confirmed

Following today’s deadline for nominations, The Highland Council can confirm the details of the 5 candidates that are standing in the Ward 3 Wick and East Caithness by-election.  There are 5 candidaes.  

31/8/2026 : Local Authority

Head Teacher at Thurso High School, outlined measures that have helped improve educational outcomes

Highland Council’s strategy to raise attainment in the region is making good progress, with encouraging early data emerging from this year's examination results.   Last week councillors on the education committee noted the work undertaken in Highland Council's Education and Learning Improvement Plan (ELIP) and the associated Raising Attainment and Achievement Strategy (RAAS).  

28/8/2026 : Local Authority

Council Funded Advice services assist 25,000 customers and exceed £30.3 million in financial gains

Almost 25,000 customers were assisted by the Council’s Welfare Support Team and Citizens Advice during 2025/26 for support with welfare, debt and housing issues.   As a result, financial gains for clients exceeded £30.3 million, representing a £18.84 return for every £1 allocated to these services by the Council.  

28/8/2026 : Local Authority

 
Do We Need a New Kind of Cemetery? Could Highland's Greenspaces Help Make Funerals More Affordable?

There may be no more appropriate time to ask Highland Council whether we need to rethink the way we remember those who have died.   The Council has just launched a six-week consultation on its draft Greenspace Biodiversity Management Strategy 2026-2030.  

26/8/2026 : Local Authority

The Triple Squeeze: Energy, Mortgages and Council Tax — How Much More Can Households Take?

There is a point at which individual increases in household costs stop being individual problems and become something much bigger.   A £100 increase in the annual energy bill may be manageable.  

24/8/2026 : Local Authority

Thurso Schools: Public Meeting and Statutory Consultation – Key Dates

Highland Council has now formally launched its statutory consultation on proposals to replace Thurso High School and reorganise primary school provision in the town.   The consultation concerns the proposed relocation of Thurso High School, Pennyland Primary School and Miller Academy Primary School to a new education campus based around the existing Thurso High School site and the proposed Community Point of Delivery.  

21/8/2026 : Local Authority

Public consultation to help shape future policy protecting Highland's dark skies

Councillors have approved the launch of a public consultation on draft guidance aimed at reducing light pollution across the Highlands, supporting environmental protection, public wellbeing and the area's internationally recognised dark skies.   Members of the Economy and Infrastructure Committee yesterday (Thursday 20 August) agreed to publish the draft Reducing Light Pollution: Good Practice Guidance for consultation, once minor clarifications are included, giving residents, communities, businesses and developers the opportunity to help shape future policy.  

21/8/2026 : Local Authority

Highland bus service improvement plans

The Highland Council's Economy and Infrastructure Committee has endorsed plans to launch a 12-week public consultation on a proposed Highland Bus Service Improvement Partnership (BSIP), giving communities, passengers and stakeholders the opportunity to help shape the future of bus services across the region.   The consultation will seek views on draft proposals developed by The Highland Council in partnership with HITRANS and bus operators to improve the operational performance, accessibility, attractiveness and consistency of bus services across Highland.  

19/8/2026 : Local Authority

Demand for social housing remains high across Highland Butit is part of a biggr Scottish Problem

Demand for social housing across the Highlands remains high, with almost 8,826 households on the Highland Housing Register (HHR).   Housing and Property Committee Chair, Cllr Glynis Campbell Sinclair, said: “The demand for social housing across Highland remains significant and continues to outstrip the number of homes available in many areas.