Highland Council Hosts KIMO UK Meeting

20th September 2023

The Highland Council hosted this year's annual general meeting for KIMO UK as outgoing Chair, Cllr Trish Robertson, passes the baton to her successor.

KIMO UK works to unite local governments to prevent pollution and protect, preserve and enhance the seas and coastal waters of the North-East Atlantic and Baltic regions. The flagship project ‘Fishing for Litter' works through many of our ports and harbours across the UK via the Fishing for Litter project.

The Fishing for Litter project contributes towards a reduction in marine litter and plastics that are harmful to marine life. The scheme achieves this by partnering with ports and harbours across the UK to provide waste disposal facilities for the vessels using them. This summer, engagement with local fisherman and the wider Skye community took place which resulted in new waste disposal facilities being implemented at several harbours.

Delegates also attended a site visit hosted by the Marine Conservation Society to learn about the efforts of the Dornoch Environmental Enhancement Project (DEEP) to deliver oyster restoration within the Dornoch Firth.

At the meeting, chairing duties were passed to Cllr Heather Woodbridge of Orkney Islands Council.

Cllr Ken Gowans, Chair of The Highland Council's Economy and Infrastructure Committee said: "We were delighted to host this event and to welcome delegates to what was a very successful day. I wish Heather all the very best in her new role as Chair."

Cllr Trish Robertson, Chair of The Highland Council's Audit and Scrutiny Committee said: "I wish Deputy Leader of Orkney Isles Council Heather Woodbridge well in taking over Chair duties for the coming year. It is very inspiring to see the brilliant work delivered by DEEP, but discussions around the pollution issues in our coasts and seas just shows there is much work still to be done."

Cllr Heather Woodbridge, newly appointed KIMO UK Chair said: "Thanks to Trish Robertson for all her hard work as chair of KIMO UK over the last year. I am delighted to continue forward as chair of KIMO UK working with Mark Dixon of South Ayrshire Council as UK Vice Chair. It's great to see new members around the table today and we look forward to growing the membership to help meet the challenges faced by our marine environment in the future."

KIMO is a network of local governments, working together for healthy seas, clean beaches, and thriving coastal communities.
With over 80 member municipalities in eight countries, we represent more than five million citizens in Europe.

KIMO stands for Kommunernes International Miljøorganisation (Local Authorities International Environmental Organisation) and was founded in Denmark in 1990. Our mission is to prevent pollution and to protect, preserve and enhance the seas and coastal waters of the North-East Atlantic and Baltic regions.

Our members work to find, implement and share positive solutions. We believe that through cooperation and collaboration, we can tackle the most pressing challenges facing the marine environment. Together, we are a powerful voice that influences decision makers at regional, national and international levels.

More information on the work of KIMO UK can be found on their website at www.kimointernational.org