Highland Council to consider impact of EU Referendum result for Highland

27th June 2016

The HIGHLAND Council is to bring a paper to its meeting on Wednesday which will allow members to discuss possible impact of Thursday's vote for the UK to leave the EU.

Leader of the Council, Councillor Margaret Davidson said:

"The result of the referendum on Thursday will have considerable consequences for us all over the coming months and years. We will be working as a Council to explore what this decision might mean for the Highlands and how we can best respond to that.

"I would like to give reassurance to the many European people of different nationalities who live and work in the Highlands, that they are welcome and their contribution to the Highlands is very much valued.

"These are very uncertain times and we will be setting up a group of Members and Officers to gather information, to look at impact analysis and scenario planning and to develop contingency plans. We will need to take soundings about what will be likely to happen in particular to current European funding commitments in the short and medium term future."

She continued: "In the meantime, we must remain positive. Council business and services will continue as usual and we will endeavour to provide as much stability as we can during the uncertain times ahead."

The figure for EU investment in the Highland Council area is in the region of around £80m-100m pa. The largest element is Common Agricultural Payments followed by the European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund.

 

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