Council Commits More Funding For Community Projects
The Highland Council has made a short and long term commitment to fostering community projects.
It is to allocate £900,000 over the next two years to deal with the backlog of replacing play equipment and upgrading surfaces in Council-owned play areas as well as providing matching capital funding for appropriate community play and skateboard projects.
It is also to spend £150,000 annually to support the maintenance and ongoing costs of community projects, supplementing existing Council funding streams, and to examine how best to provide insurance cover for community projects, which are supported or endorsed by the Council.
Meeting in Inverness today (Thursday), The Council agreed the spending plans as it adopted a new corporate policy governing community projects, which will allow Council staff to be more responsive to a wide range of community initiatives, ranging from village hall developments and play areas and skateboard parks to the construction of new slipways and footpaths.
Convener Councillor Alison Magee warmly welcomed the adoption of the new policy and a firm commitment to supporting important community projects.
She said: "We are aware that this is a very important issue in our communities and I am delighted that we will now be better able to engage with local community projects to more successfully enable project development and sustainability."
A report considered by the Council highlighted the lack of investment in Council-owned play areas. Independent annual inspection indicated that 94 of the 402 Council play areas required equipment or surfacing to be replaced.
In agreeing a corporate policy governing community projects, the Council will: -
At the same meeting, the Council welcomed the progress being made in developing a Play Strategy for the Highlands. The policy aims to promote the Highlands as a child/family friendly environment and to encourage community involvement in the development and maintenance of play environments. It also aims to ensure that: -
Young people are involved and consulted in all areas of play development.
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