Highland Council launches new platform to improve online engagement

22nd June 2026

Photograph of Highland Council launches new platform to improve online engagement

The Highland Council has today (Monday 22 June) launched a new online engagement platform which will transform how residents, communities and visitors engage with consultations.

The easy-to-use platform allows anyone to quickly see what projects and proposals are open for consultation and engagement. For registered users, there are interactive mapping and voting capabilities as well as a mechanism for the vital ‘feedback’ loop, to find out what has been agreed and why. People can also set up alerts, so they receive automatic notifications when any consultations are launched in a particular geographic area or on a topic, they are particularly interested in.

Chair of The Highland Council’s Communities and Place Committee, Councillor Graham MacKenzie, said: “The launch of our new engagement platform marks an important step forward in how we listen to and engage with our communities. The platform makes it easier for residents to have their say, share their ideas, and help shape the decisions that affect their lives. We’re committed to making consultation more accessible, transparent and inclusive, ensuring every voice can be heard.”

The first consultation to go live on the platform is about travel between Inverness and the Central Belt.

The Council is inviting residents across the Highland area to share their views on longer-distance travel from Inverness, including how they currently make journeys to places such as Perth, Edinburgh and Glasgow. A short survey is available which should take no longer than 10 minutes to complete. The survey will help the Council to understand what would make these journeys easier, more convenient and better connected in the future.

Cllr MacKenzie added: “I encourage people to register on the new platform as this will allow them to sign up for alerts about the consultations that are most relevant and important to them and to view online and in-person engagement events at a glance.

“Although the new platform will be a fantastic addition to our consultation tools, it does not fully replace other forms of engagement such as drop-in sessions and focus groups. Our Participation and Engagement Strategy consultation showed that people want to influence and shape the decisions that affect them and so we will continue to utilise all forms of engagement to ensure communities have the confidence and means for early engagement and to encourage community involvement wherever possible.”

The new platform can be viewed at www.engage.highland.gov.uk.

However, any current or ongoing consultations can still be viewed at https://www.highland.gov.uk/consultations-complaints-compliments/consultations

 

Related Businesses

 

Related Articles

Today : Local Authority

Almost £500,000 awarded to community transport groups across the Highlands

Community transport groups across the Highlands have been awarded grants totalling £498,000 to support local transport services in 2027/28.   The grants will support 34 community transport providers, including seven new recipients, whose services play a vital role in helping people access services, connecting communities and addressing local transport challenges.  

11/11/2026 : Local Authority

High Life Highland Shows What Can Be Achieved: £43 Million in Council Savings While Expanding Services Across the Highlands

Highland Council is facing continuing financial pressures, with difficult decisions about services, staffing, facilities and future investment.  Yet one organisation delivering a substantial range of council services appears to have found a way of expanding its reach while reducing its reliance on council funding.  

11/11/2026 : Local Authority

Highland Education Budget: A Modest Overspend Hides Some Much Bigger Financial Problems

Special schools, pressure on individual school budgets, delayed savings and growing costs of additional support raise questions about how sustainable Highland Council's education finances really are.   At first glance, Highland Council's latest Education and Learning budget monitoring report might not appear particularly alarming.  

11/11/2026 : Local Authority

 
Rewiring Government: Could Scotland Be Heading for Its Biggest Public Sector Shake-Up in Generations?

Dame Antonia Romeo, the UK's Cabinet Secretary, has delivered a speech setting out plans to fundamentally change the way government operates.  Her message is that traditional government structures, departmental boundaries and bureaucratic procedures are no longer suitable for the challenges facing the country.  

10/11/2026 : Local Authority

Inverness and Highland City-Region Deal delivers £412.98 million investment across the region

The Inverness and Highland City-Region Deal has delivered public and private investment across the Highlands totalling £412.98 million, according to its 2025/26 Annual Report, supporting major investments in housing, tourism, innovation, and infrastructure.   Highlights from the 2025/26 Annual Report include the start of the Corran Ferry Infrastructure Improvement project, the completion of 234 affordable homes across Highland communities, and the opening of The Inverness Castle Experience, which has welcomed more than 107,000 paying visitors since opening.  

9/11/2026 : Local Authority

Wind Farms, Councillors and Freedom of Speech: Is Scotland's Planning System Silencing Local Dissent?

The growing number of wind farm developments across the Highlands has created an increasingly difficult question for local democracy.  How far can elected councillors go in expressing concerns about renewable energy developments before they risk being accused of bias and excluded from decisions affecting their own communities? That question has now been brought into sharper focus by Highland councillor Matthew Reiss, who has approached the Ethical Standards Commissioner seeking clear guidance on councillors' conduct when publicly expressing views about renewable energy.  

7/11/2026 : Local Authority

Are Chromebooks Taking Over Our Classrooms? Highland Schools Face Questions About Digital Learning

The use of Chromebooks, laptops and other digital devices in schools was once widely regarded as an important step towards modernising education.  Giving every pupil access to technology promised to improve learning, widen access to information and prepare young people for a world increasingly dependent on digital skills.  

6/11/2026 : Local Authority

Secret HQ Move: Is Highland Council Chasing Savings or Just Shuffling the Deck?

A storm is brewing behind closed doors at Glenurquhart Road.  Recent private discussions have revealed plans for Highland Council to potentially abandon its historic headquarters and relocate to Great Glen House, the current £13 million base of NatureScot.  

5/11/2026 : Local Authority

Committee to consider 1 April 2027 start date for Short-Term Let Control Areas

Members of The Highland Council’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee will be asked to agree that Short Term Let Control Areas (STLCAs) for Inverness City and Highland Rural come into effect from 1 April 2027.   The recommendation to the Committee follows the decision by Scottish Government Ministers on 26 October 2026 to approve designation of the STLCAs, which are an important tool to manage future loss of housing stock, support sustainable communities and balance housing needs with the visitor economy.  Chair of the Council’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee, Cllr Ken Gowans, said: “Following Scottish Government approval, the Council can now move forward with implementing these STLCAs, which will help us strike a better balance between supporting tourism growth and protecting much-needed housing for local people.  

6/11/2026 : Local Authority

Key decisions made to improve Highland Bereavement Services

Members of the Communities and Place Committee have made key decisions that will improve affordability and choice within Highland bereavement services at Inverness Crematorium; and introduce stronger governance and transparency for charitable funding applications through the crematorium metal recycling scheme.   Members also approved the adoption of a standardised burial management plan across Highland which will ensure compliance with new national burial management legislation.