Lorna Simpson is named Participation Officer of the Year

6th December 2018

Photograph of Lorna Simpson is named Participation Officer of the Year

A Highland Council employee, nominated by the tenants she works with, has scooped a national award.

Lorna Simpson from Wick has been a Tenant Participation Officer with The Highland Council for the past ten years, covering Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross. Throughout that time she has worked tirelessly to involve tenants in the Housing Service.

She has mentored tenants, individually and in groups, to give them the confidence and knowledge to actively participate and engage with the Highland Council to influence decision making in the housing service.

In 2013, the Caithness, Sutherland and East Ross Forum, locally known as the Brora Forum, was formed The aim of the Forum is to bring together tenants from right across the north Highlands to discuss housing issues and to feed back their views on a variety of issues.

Lorna has put a huge amount of work into sustaining this Tenant Forum. She works with the tenant groups and the interested tenants on a very regular basis to give them the information and the skills to participate fully in the discussions held at the Forum. She works with them to increase their confidence and understanding of housing issues - eight of the Forum members have gone on to sit on Highland Council's strategic groups. Lorna has also arranged workshop sessions for the Forum members on subjects like the Housing Revenue Account and the Capital Investment programme.

Winning the award reflects the high esteem Lorna is held in by the tenants she works with who put her forward for Participation Officer of the Year at the TPAS Scotland annual awards.

The Council's Principle Tenant and Customer Engagement Officer Mandy Macleman said: "Lorna's tenacity, patience and support has been inspirational to the tenants she works with. She has worked with some tenants for years to bring them to a level of knowledge and understanding which enables them to engage with the Highland Council over very complex issues. With tenants who are new to this type of engagement she will work with them for as long as it takes until they are comfortable and confident and ready to fully engage."

Lorna’s award was presented at the 2018 TPAS Scotland Annual Conference in the MacDonald Aviemore Resort by Still Games’ Isa and Tam (Jane McCarry and Mark Cox). These National Good Practice Awards recognise the passion, acknowledge the dedication, and celebrate the achievements of tenants and staff from throughout Scotland.

 

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.