Highland Council approves £2 million investment in environmental and community services

As agreed at The Highland Council’s budget meeting on Thursday 6 March, more than £2 million has been approved for investment in environmental and community services throughout the Highlands including a community development fund, a community-focused operating model, Access Rangers and grass cutting maintenance.

Councillor Bill Lobban, Convener of Highland Council, said: “These investments reinforce our commitment to working with communities to create a resilient, sustainable and nature-positive Highland. By investing £1.105 million in environmental services and £1 million in a development fund and community-focused operating model, we are developing innovative ways to design and deliver services that will have a positive impact on those living in the Highlands.”

An investment of £0.500 million has been committed for the establishment of a ‘Repair the Highlands Challenge Fund’.  This fund will be open for communities to bid into and is broadly designed to enable them to develop schemes to improve approaches to recycling and re-use.  The fund will span the next two financial years to give groups time to grow support for local proposals in respect of reducing residual waste and in turn increasing re-use, repair, recycling and upcycling.

£0.500 million is also being invested in a community-focused operating model that will result in more integrated local services and the creation of 10 new jobs by supporting the devolution of council functions to local communities.

Leader of Highland Council, Councillor Raymond Bremner, said: “We believe our communities should shape the future operating model of Highland Council and this investment will support the devolution of autonomy and resources to local communities whilst creating more integrated services and better coordination in providing an improved community offering.

“The ‘Repair the Highlands Challenge Fund’ is underpinned and supported by the Council’s existing Net Zero and Community Wealth Building strategies.  Our investment here will have a positive impact upon re-use, repair, recycling and will additionally support capacity building and the retention of wealth within local Highland communities, with a particular focus on those on lower incomes.”

An investment of £0.655 million in the Highland Council’s Access Rangers service will secure 18 posts for the seasonal Access Ranger service in 2025-2026. The service was established in 2021 to engage with visitors to the Highlands whilst patrolling visitor sites, carrying out maintenance and informing and educating people about environmental issues.

Agreement was also secured for £0.450 million to be invested in grass cutting maintenance which will support a more integrated approach to improving community amenity facilities whilst addressing biodiversity challenges and increasing seasonal jobs.

Chair of the Communities and Place Committee, Councillor Graham MacKenzie said: “Over the past four years, the presence of our Access Rangers has helped to protect the environment and encourage responsible visitor behaviour throughout the Highlands. This has had a positive impact not only on the environment, but also on rural communities. By communicating to visitors that we all have an important role to play in looking after our beautiful landscapes, we hope that the Access Ranger service will continue to help protect our outdoor spaces and ensure they can be enjoyed by visitors and local communities now and in the future.

“Similarly, the investment in improving grass cutting facilities supports the enactment of our Ecology Strategy which helps us strike the balance between providing essential community amenity services and tackling biodiversity loss. This funding allows us to improve amenities for grass cutting in our communities and better manage Council-owned land for the promotion of wildlife and flora. We must deliver positive action for the benefit of environment, economy and communities with the aim of creating a sustainable and nature-positive environment in the Highlands.”