Agendas, reports and minutes

A Special meeting of the Highland Council will be held in the Council Chamber, Council Headquarters, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness on Thursday 13 February 2025 at 2pm.

Webcast Notice: This meeting will be filmed and broadcast over the Internet on the Highland Council website and will be archived and available for viewing for 12 months thereafter.

You are invited to attend the meeting and a note of the business to be considered is attached.

Yours faithfully

Stewart Fraser 
Chief Officer - Legal and Corporate Governance

Business

1. Calling of the Roll and Apologies for Absence
Gairm a’ Chlàir agus Leisgeulan

2. Declarations of Interest/Transparency Statement
Foillseachaidhean Com-pàirt/Aithris Fhollaiseachd

Members are asked to consider whether they have an interest to declare in relation to any item on the agenda for this meeting.  Any Member making a declaration of interest should provide some information on the nature of the interest and leave the meeting at the appropriate time.  Advice may be sought from officers prior to the meeting taking place.

3. Notices of Amendment
Brath Atharrachaidh 

There is circulated an extract of the Minutes of the Meeting of the Housing and Property Committee of 29 January 2025.  

With reference to these Minutes, the following Notice of Amendment has been received in accordance with Standing Order 13 –

“We the undersigned, being Elected Members of the Highland Council, hereby seek alteration of the decision of 29 January 2025 by the Housing and Property Committee to increase Council House 2025/26 rents by 8% by deleting expenditure line for Capital Investment Funded from Current Revenue £1.346 million, relating to “additional  funding for capital investment in energy efficiency and external fabric from rent increase”, and make corresponding reduction in House Rents Income to £69.717 million.  Reducing the rent increase for 25/26 to approximately 6%”.

Signed:    Mr A Graham          Mr A Baxter          Mr M Reiss          Mr R Gale      
                Dr M Gregson          Mr R Stewart       Mr A Christie       Mr M Baird      
                Mrs A MacLean        Mrs J McEwan     Mr J Edmondson   Mrs L Saggers      
                Mrs I MacKenzie      Mr J McGillivray   Ms M MacCallum    

In this connection, there is re-circulated Report No HP/01/25 by the Assistant Chief Executive – Place.

4. Membership of Committees etc
Ballrachd Chomataidhean msaa 

The Council is advised that Mr S Coghill has joined the Highland Alliance and the political make-up of the Council is now as follows:-

SNP – 21 / Highland Independent – 16 / Scottish Liberal Democrats – 15 / Highland Alliance – 8 / Scottish Conservative and Unionist – 6 / Scottish Green Party – 4 / Labour – 2 / Alba – 1 / Non-Aligned - 1.

The formula in respect of the number of places on Strategic Committees remains the same, 6/4/4/2/2.