Members at next week’s meeting of full Council will consider new income generation options

Members of Highland Council will next week consider innovative approaches to generate additional income to maintain public services. 

The Council is facing a £62m budget deficit and officers presented income generation options to Redesign Board last week which agreed to recommend these to members at next week’s meeting of Highland Council. 

The recommendations will focus on three key areas in which income generation can grow. 

Current levels of income, not including Council Tax, equate to 8% of Highland Council’s budget. A strategy to increase this is one way to sustain levels of service and support essential redesign activity and initial responses to the Council’s Budget survey and simulator supports this as an approach. 

Highland Council Leader, Cllr Raymond Bremner, said: “There are considerable opportunities to derive more income to support the overall work of Highland Council to sustain both communities and important services to people. 

“There are a few ways in which this can be achieved: by reviewing the rates of existing fees and charges; and considering mechanisms to derive more income from tourism and opportunities to raise revenues from renewable energy and new technologies.”