19th September 2026
It has been another busy week in Caithness, with several stories that are likely to have a longer life than the normal local news cycle.
Healthcare, sewage, renewable energy, rural crime and the forthcoming Wick and East Caithness by-election have all been making headlines.
Although these may appear to be separate issues, together they say something about the pressures and opportunities facing Caithness.
Healthcare reform raises old concerns
One of the biggest stories for the future is the Scottish Government's plan to reorganise the NHS.
The Government has announced plans to replace Scotland's 14 territorial health boards with two larger strategic health boards as part of a wider programme of public service reform.
The stated objective is to reduce duplication and make public services more efficient, with more resources directed towards frontline services.
But the proposal has immediately raised questions in areas such as Caithness.
The further services are concentrated, the more important it becomes to ask how decisions will be made and how accessible services will remain for people living a long distance from major centres.
The debate is particularly relevant in the far north because healthcare is already spread over a large geographical area and patients often have to travel considerable distances for specialist treatment.
Caithness Health Action Team chairman Ron Gunn has called for local communities to have a strong voice in the process.
The Government says it is consulting widely with NHS boards, local authorities, communities and other organisations before the detailed changes are developed.
For Caithness, the important issue will be whether reform produces better services or simply moves more decision-making away from the communities affected.
Sewage becomes a Thurso issue
The other story that has attracted attention well beyond Caithness is the continuing concern about sewage entering the sea around Thurso.
The North Shore Surf Club has reported that some children's lessons have been cancelled because of concerns about water quality.
The club says people have experienced illness after entering the water and is calling for better monitoring and clearer warnings so that people can make informed decisions about whether to go into the sea.
The matter was raised at the Scottish Parliament this week by Caithness, Sutherland and Ross MSP David Green.
The Scottish Government pointed to the £2.7 billion invested by Scottish Water in maintaining and improving Scotland's public sewer system over the past 20 years.
It also explained that combined sewer overflows are designed to prevent sewage systems becoming overwhelmed during heavy rainfall.
SEPA has advised people to avoid bathing for the first day or two following heavy rain because of the increased risk of pollution.
But the local concern remains.
Thurso East is a recognised surfing destination and the sea is becoming increasingly important to both tourism and recreation.
The question is therefore not simply whether the sewer system is operating within the rules.
It is whether people can have enough information about water quality to use the coast with confidence.
Olrig wind farm moves another step
The proposed Olrig Mains Wind Farm has also been back in the news.
The developer has made changes to the proposal, including reducing the maximum turbine height from 200 metres to 180 metres.
The proposals have nevertheless continued to attract opposition from people concerned about the impact on the Caithness landscape.
A further consultation event is due to take place at Castletown Drill Hall on 8 October.
This is another example of the dilemma facing the county.
Caithness is becoming increasingly important to Scotland's renewable energy plans. Wind, transmission infrastructure, batteries and other energy developments could bring significant investment.
But there is a growing local debate about the balance between national energy requirements and the impact of individual developments on communities and landscapes.
The question of what Caithness receives in return for hosting infrastructure is likely to become increasingly important.
Rural crime causes concern
Another issue this week has been vandalism.
There have been reports of damage in several parts of Caithness, including an incident involving the Pilot House area in Wick.
The issue has prompted calls for greater police resources to tackle rural crime and anti-social behaviour.
For a small community, vandalism can have a surprisingly large impact.
There are fewer facilities and often fewer resources available to repair damage, while public spaces can be important meeting places for communities.
The debate is therefore about more than individual incidents. It is also about whether rural areas have sufficient policing and preventative services.
The Wick and East Caithness by-election approaches
The political story that will increasingly dominate the local agenda is the Ward 3 by-election.
Polling takes place on Thursday 1 October.
Five candidates are standing:
Dave Buchanan, Independent;
Julie Calder, Scottish Liberal Democrats;
John Glen, SNP;
Charlotte Gibson, Scottish Conservative and Unionist;
and Iain Richmond, Reform UK.
The election follows the resignation of Councillor Willie Mackay.
The successful candidate will join the three existing councillors representing the four-member Wick and East Caithness ward.
The by-election comes at an interesting time for Highland Council.
The authority is dealing with significant financial pressures while also facing possible changes to the structure of local government and wider public services.
For voters, therefore, the election is not simply about party politics.
Issues such as healthcare, roads, housing, economic development, town-centre regeneration and the future of Wick are likely to be important considerations.
Local government itself is changing
Behind many of these stories is a much larger question about how Highland Council and other public bodies should operate.
The Scottish Government's wider reform programme includes changes to local governance and social care as well as the proposed NHS restructuring.
Highland Council's own leadership is seeking discussions with the Scottish Government about the funding of services in the Highlands.
That matters particularly in Caithness because providing services across a huge geographical area costs money.
A service that might be relatively inexpensive to provide in a densely populated city can be considerably more expensive when the population is spread across hundreds of square miles.
This is one reason why the argument over centralisation versus local decision-making is unlikely to disappear.
The bigger picture for Caithness
Looking back over the week's stories, there is a common thread.
Caithness is being asked to accommodate change.
There are enormous opportunities in energy, infrastructure, tourism and environmental projects.
But there are also pressures on housing, healthcare, transport, policing and local government.
The sewage story provides another example. Caithness has a natural asset in its coastline, but maintaining that asset requires infrastructure capable of dealing with the demands placed upon it.
The renewable energy debate presents a similar challenge. Caithness can make an important contribution to Scotland's energy system, but local communities want to know what that contribution means for them.
And healthcare reform raises the most basic question of all: how do you provide good public services in a large rural area without decisions becoming increasingly remote?
These are not questions that can be answered in a single week.
But they are becoming increasingly important.
For Caithness, the next few years could bring more investment and more change than the county has seen for decades.
The challenge will be making sure that change produces lasting benefits for the people who already live here.