Car Clubs Help The Highland Council Drive Ahead
2nd June 2018
The Highland Council, in partnership with Enterprise Car Club an E-Car Club, have recently launched car clubs at multiple Council offices throughout the region. The scheme's newest location, Fort William, is being launched on 4th June 2018 and will form part of a 6-month pilot.
The Council recently undertook a review its grey fleet, where staff and Members use their own cars to deliver services, and this review identified that the car club model would be an appropriate way to reduce both costs and risk to the organisation.
Staff from the Council's Climate Change team and Travel Desk have been working closely with two car club operators - Enterprise Car Club and E-Car Club - to pilot the car club model at key sites within the Council’s estate. The purpose of the pilot is to displace costly grey fleet and car hire journeys by rolling out car club vehicles, initially at the locations detailed below:
• Highland Council HQ, Inverness – 5 cars (Enterprise Car Club)
• Charles Kennedy Building, Fort William – 2 cars (E-Car Club)
• Camaghael Hostel, Fort William – 1 car (E-Car Club)
• County Buildings, Dingwall – 3 cars (E-Car Club)
• Drummuie, Golspie – 3 cars (E-Car Club)
The overall objective is to create an easily accessible, self-serve alternative to private vehicle use at locations where significant levels of grey fleet mileage and car hire originate.
Chair of the Council’s Environment, Development & Infrastructure Committee, Councillor Allan Henderson, said: "We are delighted to see car club vehicles being rolled out at offices throughout the region. Our staff cover a huge geographical area in delivering services to the people of Highland, and by providing them with safe, modern, low-emission vehicles, we are helping them to do that without having to rely on their own cars."
He added: "The Highland Council is committed to creating sustainable transport in the region, and car clubs are an excellent way of reducing vehicle numbers on our roads, as well as harmful emissions. We very much hope that this pilot is a success and that we can have a wider roll out of the scheme towards the end of the year."
Keith Stark, Scotland Manager at Enterprise Car Club, said: “Enterprise has been renting cars in Highland for many years, and we are absolutely delighted to now have the opportunity to extend that service to The Highland Council. The service will provide flexibility to Council staff to rent a car either by the hour or by the day, right on their doorstep, whenever they need it, and will mean that many staff can now get to work by alternative means, knowing that they have cars available to book at a moments’ notice.”
Malcolm McRobert, Locations Manager (Scotland) at E-Car Club, said: “The Highland Council has recognised that car clubs can provide an efficient, cost effective and low carbon means of delivering services to the people of Highland. E-Car Club are pleased to be helping deliver the Council’s vision at various locations including Dingwall, Fort William and Golspie, and we’re confident that staff will soon see the benefits of the car club model over using their own vehicles.”
Related Businesses
Related Articles
The information provided is a summary of reports from operational staff and is intended to give a general indication of typical conditions in each area at a point in time. It is not intended to imply that any individual route is entirely snow and ice free and drivers must be aware that conditions can change rapidly and make their own assessment of conditions for travelling.
The information provided is a summary of reports from operational staff and is intended to give a general indication of typical conditions in each area at a point in time. It is not intended to imply that any individual route is entirely snow and ice free and drivers must be aware that conditions can change rapidly and make their own assessment of conditions for travelling.
The information provided is a summary of reports from operational staff and is intended to give a general indication of typical conditions in each area at a point in time. It is not intended to imply that any individual route is entirely snow and ice free and drivers must be aware that conditions can change rapidly and make their own assessment of conditions for travelling.
Households across Scotland have received £4.1 billion in relief since the Council Tax Reduction scheme was introduced in 2013. People on low incomes are eligible for the benefit if they live in Scotland - there is no equivalent in England where most councils require each household to contribute a minimum amount of council tax, irrespective of ability to do so.
The Highland Council is preparing to carry out improvement works in Thurso at Ormlie Road and at The Mall riverside path adjacent to Janet Street. The scope of works on Ormlie Road will include junction improvements between Castlegreen Road and Juniper Drive with new drop kerbs and tactile paving and some surface repairs.
A Highland-wide partnership launched earlier in 2024 to support people on their journey towards, into and within employment is looking forward to a New Year in 2025 full of exciting opportunities designed to help hundreds more people across the Highlands unlock their work potential. Work.
The Highland Council is delighted to share that its Energy Efficient Scotland: Area Based Scheme has won the Outstanding Project Award at the Scottish Green Energy Awards. Described by Scottish Renewables as a "pioneering clean power scheme", this £7 million project demonstrates the incredible impact that can be achieved through combined public and private sector investment.
The ambitious yet focused ‘Highland Investment Plan' is committed to addressing our asset challenges over the next twenty years. By using a place based approach, to ensure a more integrated community offering through the creation of new community facilities.
Applications to the Inverness Winter Payments Scheme, which is fully funded by the Inverness Common Fund, have already been awarded to 1,035 eligible households within the 7 specified Inverness Wards. Leader of Inverness Area, Councillor Ian Brown said: "Since the Scheme was opened to applications for this winter, already £114,885 has been awarded to people who live in the eligible Wards of Aird and Loch Ness, Inverness West, Inverness Central, Inverness Ness-side, Inverness Millburn, Culloden and Ardersier and Inverness South Wards.
The first Highland-wide virtual jobs fair held last month has proved to be a hit with participants and businesses. The week-long virtual event, which was delivered by the Local Employability Partnership for the West - The Highland Council, Skills Development Scotland, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Department for Work and Pensions, Developing the Young Workforce and UHI North West and Hebrides was timed to coincide with Scottish Careers Week 2024.
