21st March 2026
Members of the Corporate Resources Committee have welcomed a progress update report on the Council's Future Operating Model (FOM), including confirmation of an additional £500,000 investment in the Programme which was approved earlier this month. At the meeting, members also agreed the Programme's next steps as it moves further into delivery.
The Big picture
Highland Council is changing how it delivers services through something called the Future Operating Model (FOM).
The goal is to make services:
Easier to access
More efficient
Fairer across communities (especially rural areas)
What's been approved
£500,000 already agreed in 2025
Another £500,000 just approved
Total new funding: £1 million
This money is being used to move from planning into real delivery.
Key action: mobile service units
One of the biggest concrete steps is creating a mobile service delivery unit.
What that means in practice:
A travelling council service (like a van or pop-up office)
Goes out to communities instead of people travelling long distances
It will help people with:
Housing support
Council tax issues
Benefits advice
Welfare checks
What the council is trying to achieve
Better access (especially rural areas)
People won’t need to travel as far
More face-to-face help locally
Earlier intervention
Spot problems sooner (e.g. debt, homelessness risk)
Connect people to help before things get worse
Reduce inequality
Help people who struggle with:
digital access
Transport
Make services more inclusive and consistent
Working differently
The council is also changing how it operates:
More collaboration with:
Other public services
Third-sector organisations (charities, community groups)
Better use of buildings and resources
New ways of working internally
#Staffing changes
Recruiting specialist roles to support the programme
Focus on:
Internal coordination
External engagement with communities and partners
Financial aim
The programme is expected to:
Improve efficiency
Help the council manage long-term budget pressures
#Where things stand now
Funding is secured
Recruitment is underway
Delivery phase has started
In short: this is no longer just a plan — it’s being actively rolled out.
Highland Council is:
Investing £1m into service reform
Launching mobile, localised services
Shifting toward early intervention and partnership working
Aiming to make services more accessible, efficient, and financially sustainable
Is it likely to actually work in practice (there are some pros and potential risks).
On paper this kind of reform sounds great, but whether it works depends on execution. Here’s a balanced, realistic take on the strengths and risks of Highland Council’s plan.
What this plan gets right
Mobile services are genuinely useful in Highland
Highland is:
Very rural and spread out
Has transport and access challenges
Bringing services to people (instead of the reverse) is a practical, proven idea.
Likely impact:
Better uptake of support (especially benefits & housing help)
Fewer people "falling through the cracks"
Focus on early intervention is smart
Catching problems early (e.g. rent arrears, debt, vulnerability):
Costs far less than dealing with crises later
Reduces pressure on:
Temporary housing
Social care
Emergency services
This is one of the strongest parts of the plan.
More joined-up services
Working with:
NHS
Charities
Community groups
This can reduce duplication and make services feel more seamless for users.
Where it could struggle
£1 million isn’t a lot
For a region as large as Highland:
£1m is relatively small
Especially once you factor in:
Staff salaries
Vehicles and running costs
Programme management
Risk: good pilot, but hard to scale meaningfully
Mobile units can be limited
They sound great, but in practice:
Can only be in one place at a time
Weather, geography, and distances matter in Highland
Demand might exceed capacity
Risk: expectations > actual coverage
Staffing challenges
They’re recruiting specialist roles, but:
Public sector recruitment can be slow
Rural areas often struggle to attract staff
Retention can be an issue
Risk: delays or under-delivery
“Transformation” is hard to deliver
Big organisational changes often face:
Internal resistance
Slow cultural change
Coordination issues between departments
Risk: the vision is strong, but execution becomes fragmented
Savings may take time (or not fully appear)
The council expects efficiency savings, but:
Early intervention savings are long-term and indirect
Upfront costs can outweigh short-term gains
Risk: financial benefits are slower or smaller than hoped
Overall
Likely to succeed at:
Improving access to services locally
Helping vulnerable residents earlier
Testing new ways of working
Uncertain on:
Delivering large-scale cost savings
Reaching all communities consistently
Sustaining impact without further funding
This is a sensible, modern approach to public services — especially for a rural area like Highland.
But realistically:
It’s more likely to be a useful improvement than a complete transformation, unless more funding and capacity follow.
The full update report presented to members is available to view here: https://www.highland.gov.uk/download/meetings/id/86591/13.%2520Future%2520Operating%2520Model