SNP rejects referendum…. but only on the break-up of Highland Council

Highland councillors have again rejected an attempt to simply look at the size of the local authority area after a proposal from an opposition councillor to give the public their say. The move may well come back to haunt those councillors who voted it down as they are responsible for removing local voters from having a direct say in how they are governed. It may also be seen as the death blow to the hopes the council can be perceived as a “listening” council. It comes amid questions about “the effectiveness, accountability and local responsiveness of the Highland Council in its current structure” following a series of high-profile failures going back years. The motion tabled by Skye Councillor Ruraidh Stewart asked for the following: • To hold an advisory referendum on the future structure of local government in the Highlands. • That the people of the Highlands be asked: Yes or No – “should the Highland Council be reorganised into smaller local authorities?” • That ballot should take place alongside the next local government elections, to ensure maximum participation and to minimise additional costs. • Results will be published on a ward-by-ward basis as well as for the Highlands as a whole. • That officers be instructed to prepare the necessary arrangements and report back on the practical steps required to give effect to this advisory referendum. He said: “My ask is one simple thing: To give the people of Highland the right to decide if this vast authority from Caithness to Lochaber, from Nairn to Skye should remain as one or whether parishes should return to smaller, more local councils closer to the communities they serve. “This is not the first time such a proposal has been brought to this chamber: in each of the last two council terms similar motions were narrowly defeated. “Each time arguments were strong on both sides, each time the division in this chamber mirrored the division in our communities. “And each time we made the same mistake: believing that this question could be settled by councillors alone; now I think that moment has passed. “The decision should no longer rest with a few dozen members here in Inverness – I think it should rest with the people of the Highlands. “And that is why I propose this motion, not to break-up Highland Council but to give it back to the people of the Highlands.” The economy and infrastructure chairman and Inverness South councillor Ken Gowans countered with an amendment complimenting the council on its work. It stated: “This council reaffirms its commitment to resilience, economic sustainability, and equitable support for all communities across the Highland region. “We recognise the vital role Highland Council plays in delivering essential services and infrastructure, supported by revenues derived from concentrated tax bases. “These revenues are crucial in reflecting the social values and aspirations of our region, enabling the provision of services such as education, health and social care, infrastructure maintenance, and significant capital investment.” It then went on to highlight the delivery of “key strategic projects” that include “the Corran Ferry replacement, Naver Bridge, Uig Linkspan, the school capital programme, and future investment in Green Freeport.” Except the Corran Ferry cash came from the UK government’s levelling up fund, the school capital programme is paid for by council tax hikes and debt and the council does not invest heavily in the freeport as that comes from the private sector or government. The amendment continued claiming that as “one of Scotland’s largest local authorities” its “scale provides political influence and economic leverage at both Scottish and UK levels”. Cllr Gowans said: “Do you really think, Cllr Stewart, that the people of the Highlands would welcome having to pay and have that burden to spend on that instead of on services? “And we have to consider the economies of scale, which is absolutely critical, because it is not just about how we share things across Highland - such as the 7000km of our road network. “How on earth would a small council in a place like Portree manage to do all of its roads which is getting the benefit of the council tax from Highland, but it is also about how we share services across council areas.” Councillor Andrew Baxter referred back to a previous vote in 2021 on looking again at the size of the council and how members of the current political administration voted. “I would refer you to the minutes of the meeting because that motion had some interesting people voting for it - Councillor Bremner (current council leader), Councillor Brown (leader of Inverness), Councillor Knox, Councillor Graham Mackenzie (chair of communities and place), and Councillor Rosie,” he said. “They all voted, along with me, for the proposition to ask the Scottish Government to review Highland Council boundaries and then last year [at the previous vote] we watched them do the complete opposite. “So what has changed? What has changed is that they are now in administration. And I also look back at what we actually agreed. “An amendment put forward by Councillor Finlayson (chair of education) and it said that the council agrees to engage with the wider public on what basis Highland Council area could be adjusted to improve local democracy - did that happen? No.” Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.