Members agree Highland Council's new Community Wealth Building Strategy
15th March 2024
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.
Community Wealth Building provides an alternative approach to economic development and a practical response that aims to keep wealth within a local area.
It is often described as a people centred approach to economic development and aims to ensure every area and community can participate in, and benefit from, economic activity.
Chair of Highland Council’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee, Cllr Ken Gowans, said: "The Council administration’s ‘Our Future Highland’ programme places people at its very heart, and through community wealth building we can bring people together to promote wellbeing, reduce inequalities, and deliver improved outcomes for people in Highland.
"Our approach will allow us to be ambitious in establishing the foundations of a brighter and more sustainable future for our communities, particularly our younger generation."
Officers have reviewed the approaches taken elsewhere in the country to consider best practice and have been supported in considering what work is already underway in Highland and the opportunities to progress Community Wealth Building, through the Centre for Local Economic Strategies.
The draft strategy sets out a 3-year vision for taking forward and embedding the Council’s approach to Community Wealth Building. The proposed vision for the strategy is that the Council will: Retain greater wealth and maximise spending within and for the communities of the Highlands.
It is proposed this is delivered through five key objectives that align with the five pillars of community wealth building.
These are:
Objective 1: Spending - using public spend to deliver community benefit, fair work and build local supply chains.
Objective 2: Fair Employment - ensuring the workforce are in well paid jobs that benefit from an effective voice, security, and flexibility.
Objective 3: Land and Property – ensuring that communities maximise benefit and generate wealth from local land and property.
Objective 4: Financial Power – ensuring that the flows of wealth generated within the local economy works for the wellbeing of communities and businesses.
Objective 5: Inclusive Ownership – stimulating the development and growth of locally owned enterprises that generate community wealth.
Under each objective, the draft strategy outlines areas of work that already support Community Wealth Building across Highland and proposed areas for development.
Following consideration of the draft strategy, a 12-week period of public consultation will take place and run from April until June 2024. The consultation will seek views on the draft strategy, including proposed vision and areas for development.
Full details of the draft strategy can be seen under Item 14 of today’s report to Council at Appendix 1. https://www.highland.gov.uk/meetings/meeting/4950/highland_council
Related Businesses
Related Articles
The information provided is a summary of reports from operational staff and is intended to give a general indication of typical conditions in each area at a point in time. It is not intended to imply that any individual route is entirely snow and ice free and drivers must be aware that conditions can change rapidly and make their own assessment of conditions for travelling.
On 27 November 2024 the Community and Places committee will consider a report on play parks in Highland. 94 play parks across Highland including 26 in Caithness are scheduled to close over 5 years.
The information provided is a summary of reports from operational staff and is intended to give a general indication of typical conditions in each area at a point in time. It is not intended to imply that any individual route is entirely snow and ice free and drivers must be aware that conditions can change rapidly and make their own assessment of conditions for travelling.
On Thursday the 21 November 2024, the Education Committee will be presented with an Education Trust Fund report that asks Members to approve the formation of an Education Trust Fund Sub Committee. There are significant funds held by The Highland Council in trust for the educational benefit within different communities.
At the Economy and Infrastructure Committee on Thursday 14 November 2024 councillors adopted an ambitious action plan to tackle biodiversity loss and support a nature-positive Highland. The Council's Ecology Strategy and Action Plan Strategy sets out and defines a series of key actions and activities that will assist the Council to deliver positive action to tackle biodiversity loss and start to address the ecological emergency for the benefit of its environment, economy, and communities.
The Highland Council's Economy and Infrastructure Committee have approved the rural Housing Supplementary Guidance which will now be used to inform all planning advice and decisions. Chair of the Committee, Councillor Ken Gowans said: "Following the decision by members today, I am pleased that we now have a positive, clear and consistent basis for considering and determining rural housing planning applications across the whole of the Highland Council area.
New guidance to support schools and organisations working with children and young people to develop comprehensive anti-bullying policies and improve behaviour and relationships has been published. ‘Respect for all' includes updates for staff on how to deal with specific incidents of bullying, including online bullying.
The Vice Chair of the Caithness Committee, Councillor Struan Mackie has expressed his delight at the number of worthwhile local projects that have benefitted from Ward Discretionary Funding in this financial year. All Council Wards receive a discretionary budget, and it is for Ward Councillors to consider what they wish to commit funds to, in line with Highland Council objectives and outcomes.
The Caithness Committee have agreed to adopt the modified Core Path Plans for Caithness. At their meeting yesterday members had the opportunity to discuss a report that summarised the review of The Highland Council Core Paths Plan in Caithness.
On Thursday 14 November 2024, Members of the Economy and Infrastructure Committee will be presented with a new Sustainable Tourism Strategy 2024-2030 and asked to note and agree recommendations which include adopting the new Sustainable Tourism Strategy. Also an agreement to amend the strategy to accommodate consultation feedback on the Visitor Levy Scheme.
