Week 3
Still busy ... and my first council meeting
It’s been another busy week.
On Monday I met with St Ninian’s church to talk about their future plans. On Tuesday we had training at Highland Council HQ on Infrastructure, Environment & Economy during which among many other things I learned that the council maintains 6,700km of roads and 3,337 bridges, parapets and other structures, and considers over 5,000 planning applications per year.
On Thursday we had the first meeting of full council where we formally elected Bill Lobban as Convener, Raymond Bremner as Leader of Council, and Alasdair Christie as Leader of the Opposition. We also elected the members of the Licensing Committee (which is responsible for licencing of things like houses in multiple occupation and taxis) and the Licensing Board (liquor and gambling) and your new councillor was elected to both.
Then on Friday your four ward councillors had an introduction to more local matters like the Nairn Common Good at the council’s offices in the high street.
Short term lets
I’ve had some questions, arising from last week’s post, about licensing of short term lets aka holiday homes and I think it’s worth pointing people to my post where I talked about the party’s local manifesto. I said there:
The Scottish government has passed legislation to allow local authorities to license short term lets - aimed particularly at AirBnB properties. This is currently being trialled in Badenoch and Strathspey ward but, if it's successful, I can see it being rolled out the west coast wards and also to Nairn & Cawdor.
That remains where we are on this but if and when there’s a discussion at council about whether it should come to this ward then I will be seeking your views.
More funding opportunities
I am trying to alert you to funding opportunities for organisations you may be involved with as soon as they arise and we have two this week:
Regeneration Capital Grant Fund
The fund, which is delivered in partnership with the Scottish Government, supports locally developed regeneration projects for communities, helping with job creation and support, and in building sustainable communities. As ever the timescale is short and they’re looking for expressions of interest by 9th June. Go here to download the paperwork you need.
Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund
This is now live with £2m available for projects taking place between October 2022 and December 2023. Apparently this round will prioritise projects already included the Highland Strategic Tourism Infrastructure Development Plan but others can come in should they be able to demonstrate they will contribute to a more strategic network of facilities. I can provide contact details for this if it’s of any interest to you.
Dates for your diary
This week is the Queen’s platinum jubilee and there are various events going on through the week, especially on Sunday, 5th June when there’s the Jubilee Picnic in the Park in Viewfield. For more details visit this Nairn BID page.
Nairn West and Suburban Community Council meets on Monday night at 7pm at the Community Centre, and that meeting is open to all as usual. See their web site for the agenda and minutes of the last meeting.