Community Council Elections 2023 - Opportunity To Be The Voice Of Your Community
4th September 2023
From Monday 4 September, nominations are invited from people seeking election to all Community Councils. This is your chance to help represent the views of your community to The Highland Council and other public agencies.
Community Councils are voluntary organisations that act as a voice for their local area. They express views and concerns of local people within their area across a wide range of issues such as new buildings and roads to local services and facilities. They also have legal duties: by law, The Highland Council must consult with Community Councils on planning and licensing applications in their area.
In some areas, Community Councils receive Community Benefit money from windfarm projects which they can reinvest in the community. Others are involved in setting up Community Development Companies which can lead on larger scale projects to improve the area.
Community Councils also work to make positive changes in their local communities. Some Community Councils have worked to improve patient transport, dental services and care services as well as looking at ways to improve their environment for the good of the community and visitors to the area.
The Highland Council is responsible for running the Community Councils election, which must be held every 4 years. The maximum membership of each of the Highland Community Council's is determined by the population it serves and varies from 7 to 13 members.
The notice of Election and Online Nomination Form to be completed for candidates wishing to serve their local Community Council's in the Highlands for the next four years is published on our website at www.highland.gov.uk/ccelections.
Those wishing to stand as a Candidate must be 16 years of age, be a reside within the Community Council boundary and must be a registered voter. Please contact the electoral registration office on 0800 393783 or email ero@highland.gov.uk to check if you are a registered voter.
The deadline for submitting nomination papers online is 12noon on Tuesday 3 October 2023.
Guidance and full details on the role of a community council is available from the Council’s website at www.highland.gov.uk/ccelections
The statements of persons nominated for each Community Council will be published thereafter by Wednesday 4 October 2023.
A postal ballot will be held in instances where the number of nominations exceeds the maximum membership. Ballot papers will be issued by post on Tuesday 31 October 2023 and must be returned no later than 12noon on Monday 27 November 2023.
Related Businesses
Related Articles
Yesterday, Thursday 16 May, representatives from the tourism sector in the Highlands gathered in Inverness to take part in a Sustainable Tourism Strategy Workshop hosted by The Highland Council. The meeting, which was well attended with representatives from across Highland and different interests, follows the launch of the Council's public consultation on its Draft Sustainable Tourism Strategy.
First Minister John Swinney has confirmed the opening of a £1.5 million fund to support councils in removing the impact of school meal debt from families across the country. Mr Swinney said this commitment will help ensure no child is penalised for struggling to pay for school meals as a result of the cost of living crisis.
Todays Audit Scotland report Local government budgets 2024/25 reveals how dire council budgets are. This makes many more cuts in services likely in coming years.
At the Highland Council Economy and Infrastructure Committee. (Thursday 2 May 2024) Members had the opportunity to review the work the Council is doing to progress active travel and improve road safety before approving the next steps.
At the meeting of the Economy and Infrastructure Committee members had the opportunity to review the last two years of the Community Regeneration Funding Programme before agreeing changes to how the 2024/25 programme will be delivered. Committee Chair, Cllr Ken Gowans said: "Following a successful two years, it is a good time to review what has gone well and what can be done better so we can continue to build on success, and seamlessly move the focus onto how best to support the delivery of projects." "With 279 live projects and over £6million of committed funds still to be claimed, there is no doubt as to the value and impact of the programme's potential.
The Highland Council's In-House bus service pilot project was launched in January 2023. The success of its first year of operation in delivering savings and creating a valued and reliable service was highlighted at today’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee.
Members of Highland Council's Economy and Infrastructure Committee today (2 May 2024) approved the local authority's draft Ecology Strategy and Action Plan which will now move forward to an 12-week public consultation. The Ecology Strategy sets out an ambitious set of actions to tackle biodiversity loss and address the ecological emergency.
Economy and Infrastructure Committee members today (2 May 2024) agreed to direct £100K from the Council's share of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) to fund a new staff training programme at the Inverness Castle Experience. The funding will enable the project team to provide specialist visitor attraction training to young people identified through partners at Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) and the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI).
The Housing and Property Committee met on Wednesday 1 May 2024 and noted the Housing Service performance report 2023/24 that met the agreed priorities and associated initiatives in the Local Housing Strategy 2023-2028. The report highlighted a number of achievements in 2023/24 in increasing housing supply.
Kate Lackie, Malcolm MacLeod and Allan Gunn have been appointed as Assistant Chief Executives with The Highland Council. Convener of the Council, Cllr Bill Lobban said: "I am delighted to say that Kate Lackie, Malcolm MacLeod and Allan Gunn have been appointed as Assistant Chief Executives with The Highland Council.