Attainment at Highland schools is improving, shaped by strategic changes and a targeted plan of action. Today (Wednesday 25 February) Highland Council's education committee discussed the latest attainment update, which showed the progress being made in meeting the crucial targets of raising attainment and reducing the poverty related attainment gap.
Work is progressing on ambitions to deliver flexible, high-quality early learning and childcare for remote and rural communities in Highland. Today (Wednesday 25 February 2026) members of the council's education committee were given an update on the Early Learning & Childcare Project, which forms part of the council’s wider delivery plan.
As of late February 2026, The Highland Council hasn't yet officially announced a specific council tax increase level for the 2026-27 financial year, and there's no widely reported draft percentage figure like some other Scottish councils have published. However, there are indications and discussions that give a sense of the thinking ahead of the formal budget decision.
As council tax rises once again loom across Scotland, the familiar warnings are rolled out: there is no alternative. Councils, we are told, must either raise taxes or cut services.
In 2025, The Highland Council launched The Reuse and Repair Fund, with members agreeing to secure £500,000 across a two-year period for community groups across Highland. Round 1 of the fund is now closed, with 12 projects across Highland securing funding, totalling £272,366.
The next meeting of the Education Committee of Highland council on 25th February will discuss the next steps moving towards a new school. When might the it all be ready so we looked at how the Wick High school campus progressed below for comparison.
The Highland Council's Economy and Infrastructure Committee has given support to progress to public consultation on two proposed Short Term Let Control Areas (STLCAs), reflecting the differing pressures on housing in Inverness City and across rural Highland communities. The decision to do so is based on growing numbers of residential dwellings being converted to short term lets, alongside Housing Market Area assessments that indicate market pressures, higher house prices, limited affordability, and higher proportions of sales to buyers from outwith the area.
The Highland Council's Economy and Infrastructure Committee has approved all recommendations relating to the 2026/27 Roads Capital Programme, confirming a total investment of £21.55 million to maintain and improve the region's road network. Members agreed the full package of measures set out in the report, including the breakdown of the Roads Capital Budget, specific contingency funded projects, future programme governance and indicative Area allocations.
The Highland Council has published its Access Ranger Annual Report for 2025, highlighting the extensive work carried out by the Ranger team across the area between June and October 2025. The report provides a detailed overview of patrol activity, visitor behaviour trends, and the ongoing challenges facing some of the Highland's most visited rural areas.
The Highland Council's Economy and Infrastructure Committee has today (Thursday 12 February 2026) approved a Local Transport Delivery Plan that will support the Highland Local Transport Strategy 2025-2035 in future policy for all modes of transport across the region. The Delivery Plan sets out how the vision will be achieved and includes priority actions that will guide how the Council maintains, manages, and improves the transport system across Highland over the next decade.
Members of The Highland Council's Economy and Infrastructure Committee have welcomed a report outlining the strong progress, substantial cost avoidance and continued development of The Highland Council's in‑house bus service since its establishment in January 2023. The report presented to the committee earlier today (Thursday 12 February) highlights major growth in the service, which has expanded from an initial fleet of 10 vehicles to 25 vehicles now delivering a mix of school transport contracts, public bus routes and low‑cost education hires for trips and activities.
The Inverness Castle Experience was officially opened today (Monday 9 February) by Kate Forbes, Deputy First Minister of Scotland, and Kirsty McNeill, UK Government Minister for Scotland, marking completion of a landmark City Region Deal project. The £47 million investment has transformed Inverness Castle into a world class visitor attraction for the Highlands, which will strengthen the regional economy, support jobs, and generate an estimated £13.9 million in net annual expenditure.
Let's work together to create opportunities that make a real difference for our young people. The Highland Council is delighted to announce that we will be hosting Paid Summer Placements again in 2026, as part of our commitment to supporting young people in gaining valuable work experience.
Members of Highland Council's Climate Change Committee have welcomed continued progress across a wide range of projects within the Council’s Net Zero Programme. At the meeting held on Wednesday 28 January, Members received updates on delivery across the Sustainable Travel and Built Estate & Energy workstreams, highlighting tangible progress in reducing emissions, improving operational efficiency, and delivering long term financial savings.
An update on Homelessness Statistics covering 1 April to 30 September 2025 has been released today. Over that period: There were 20,643 applications for homelessness assistance.
When Highland Council transferred responsibility for leisure, culture and community learning services to High Life Highland (HLH), the move was often presented as a way to protect valued local services from the worst of council budget cuts. By placing libraries, leisure centres, swimming pools and cultural provision into a charitable trust, the council could take advantage of tax reliefs, external funding opportunities and more flexible operating arrangements.
When budgets tighten in Highland Council, cuts tend not to fall evenly. Some services are much more exposed than others because of how local government funding rules work and because of Highland's geography.
Highland Council faces a set of financial pressures that are both familiar across Scottish local government and uniquely intensified by its geography, population size, and historic investment choices. While headline debates often focus on council tax rises or total debt levels, the real impact of financial tightening is felt in how different services are protected, redesigned, or reduced over time.
Highland Council's high debt connects to local services and council tax, in practical, day-to-day terms. Council debt doesn't pay for services directly — but it affects them.
At Housing & Property Committee (Wednesday 28 January 2026), The Highland Council reported a strong performance across several key housing indicators, including a reduction in households in temporary accommodation, improved repairs times, and the lowest level of rent arrears in three years. New figures show that the number of homeless households living in temporary accommodation has fallen to 421, the lowest level recorded since The Scottish Government introduced this measure in April 2016.