Highland Council Leader responds to cost of living crisis announcements

The Leader of the Highland Council responded to today’s announcements from the UK Government on support for the energy and cost of living crisis.

Cllr Raymond Bremner, said: “I welcome any support for people and businesses struggling to pay their bills. We are facing the biggest cost of living crisis in decades. The details are yet to emerge, but what’s on the table will still leave families and businesses with huge increases in their costs over the coming weeks and months and our young people and future generations will be paying the cost of this for many years to come.

“This is a bigger emergency than even the pandemic, with an immense risk to lives and livelihoods.

“This is also a cost crisis for local authorities. We are facing the same pressures in the cost of energy, pay, construction, transport, goods and services. We are already doing many things to help communities with the cost of living crisis, within the powers we have. We will also be bringing a paper to Council on 22 September on the cost crisis.

"This will set out our responsibilities as a Council, how we plan to address the current situation, and what we can potentially and practically do right now to provide support to communities, as well as signposting further work to understand how we can best direct our resources, which will come to committee in October.”

Council papers will be published on 16 September.

A new webpage is being developed which will set out all help, support and advice for the cost of living crisis.