Highland Council moves to ensure vital European funding
13th August 2013
Members of The Highland Council’s Planning, Environment and Development (PED) Committee have agreed the Council’s response to the Scottish Government’s first stage consultation on the Scotland Rural Development Programme (SRDP) for 2014 – 2020.
The Council anticipates a more detailed second stage consultation in the autumn 2013 from the Scottish Government. Members of the Council’s PED Committee will have an opportunity to contribute further on the shaping of the 2014 – 2020 SRDP.
Leader of The Highland Council, Councillor Drew Hendry said: “We have to continuously engage with the European Union to ensure that they understand our unique needs for flexibility. Getting it wrong could cost us 10’s of millions of pounds. Getting it right could be a massive boost to the economy and to Highland communities. This affects our villages and towns across our entire region and has a direct impact on jobs and our ability to maintain and develop our economy.
“The Highland Council is determined to make sure that we are stating our case directly with Europe with the Scottish Government and UK Government and through Cosla along with our partners in the Highlands & Islands European Partnership to make sure that opportunities are gained and not lost.”
Council Leader Hendry is Chair of the Highlands and Islands European Partnership; Sole UK representative to the European Union Political Bureau of the Committee of the Regions; and he also represents COSLA on the Council of the European Municipalities and Regions.
Related Businesses
Related Articles
At the Highland Council Economy and Infrastructure Committee. (Thursday 2 May 2024) Members had the opportunity to review the work the Council is doing to progress active travel and improve road safety before approving the next steps.
At the meeting of the Economy and Infrastructure Committee members had the opportunity to review the last two years of the Community Regeneration Funding Programme before agreeing changes to how the 2024/25 programme will be delivered. Committee Chair, Cllr Ken Gowans said: "Following a successful two years, it is a good time to review what has gone well and what can be done better so we can continue to build on success, and seamlessly move the focus onto how best to support the delivery of projects." "With 279 live projects and over £6million of committed funds still to be claimed, there is no doubt as to the value and impact of the programme's potential.
The Highland Council's In-House bus service pilot project was launched in January 2023. The success of its first year of operation in delivering savings and creating a valued and reliable service was highlighted at today’s Economy and Infrastructure Committee.
Members of Highland Council's Economy and Infrastructure Committee today (2 May 2024) approved the local authority's draft Ecology Strategy and Action Plan which will now move forward to an 12-week public consultation. The Ecology Strategy sets out an ambitious set of actions to tackle biodiversity loss and address the ecological emergency.
Economy and Infrastructure Committee members today (2 May 2024) agreed to direct £100K from the Council's share of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) to fund a new staff training programme at the Inverness Castle Experience. The funding will enable the project team to provide specialist visitor attraction training to young people identified through partners at Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) and the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI).
The Housing and Property Committee met on Wednesday 1 May 2024 and noted the Housing Service performance report 2023/24 that met the agreed priorities and associated initiatives in the Local Housing Strategy 2023-2028. The report highlighted a number of achievements in 2023/24 in increasing housing supply.
Kate Lackie, Malcolm MacLeod and Allan Gunn have been appointed as Assistant Chief Executives with The Highland Council. Convener of the Council, Cllr Bill Lobban said: "I am delighted to say that Kate Lackie, Malcolm MacLeod and Allan Gunn have been appointed as Assistant Chief Executives with The Highland Council.
As intimated in Highland Council's budget plan, a new senior management structure is to be implemented following approval by Council 14th March. It reconfigures the senior management team into two layers, rather than three and brings Highland Council into line with other benchmarked authorities.
Today, Morrison Construction introduced some of their local apprentices who are working on the UK Governments' Levelling Up Funded refurbishment project at the Northern Meeting Park in Inverness. All these apprentices have been recruited from the Highland area.
The by-election to elect a councillor to represent Ward 19 - Inverness South on The Highland Council has been won by Duncan Cameron McDonald - Independent who was one of the eight candidates who contested the vacancy. Voters in the ward went to the poll yesterday (Thursday 11 April) and the by-election count was held this morning in The Highland Council Headquarters in Inverness.