Council slated in Christmas party cash row

SPEAN Bridge senior citizens group has opted not to buy presents for elderly residents this year, instead choosing to use the cash to help fund Christmas events for primary and nursery youngsters, after Highland Council was slammed for playing ‘Scrooge’ by refusing to fund the events.

The local pensioners’ festive season generosity emerged during a discussion at the recent December meeting of Spean Bridge, Roy Bridge and Achnacarry Community Council.

For the last few years, the community council has successfully applied for £1,000 under Highland Council's ward discretionary fund which it then distributed to smaller local groups. But despite there being no problem with the community council obtaining the cash in previous years, this year Highland Council has said ‘bah, humbug’ and refused the community council’s application.

As well as Spean Bridge Senior Citizens, other groups losing out on the £100 or £200 festive cash gifts are Roy Bridge Senior Citizens, ABC Group, Spean Bridge Primary School and Nursery, Braes Beavers and Spean Bridge Toddlers Group.

At the community council’s December meeting last week, chairman John Fotheringham did not hold back in his condemnation of Highland Council.

‘Every year for the last four years, the community council has applied for, and received, money to give to small local groups for Christmas parties,’ said Mr Fotheringham.

‘Our treasurer Brian Donald has faithfully kept every receipt from all these events, but when he offered these to Highland Council, he was told it did not need to see them.

‘Now we are being told that because these small groups and organisations aren’t constituted or don’t have bank accounts, Highland Council won’t give us the money to pass on to them.’

Highland Council’s position is that, because the community council had been applying on behalf of others, it meant the local authority was unable to scrutinise the spend effectively.

‘If groups are unconstituted then it does raise a concern in terms of how the money is being paid out, as to have a bank account most groups would require a constitution,’ a Highland Council official informed community councillors last month.

‘The advice we have received from our finance section is quite clear that this does not allow effective scrutiny of public money.’

But community councillors were incensed that it appeared Highland Council no longer trusted them. Mr Fotheringham pointed out that while the Spean Bridge area has 18 per cent of the population in the Caol and Mallaig ward, it only received £1,200 last year out of the £33,000 available in the ward discretionary fund.

‘It seems like there is one rule for one community and one rule for another. It is totally unfair,’ he said. ‘The fund mechanism is clearly broken and it’s high time they did something about it. I think we need to formally write and lodge a complaint with Audit Scotland.’

Mr Fotheringham’s comments were echoed by other community councillors, including secretary Dana MacLennan and treasurer Brian Donald.

‘We as the community council have a constitution. So, basically, this is Highland Council saying it doesn’t trust us,’ said Ms MacLennan.

Mr Donald added: ‘We’re talking about hundreds of people and kids here. I just can’t get my head around the fact Highland Council expects us to go back to these small groups and say ‘sorry, but it’s been turned down.’

Mr Fotheringham concluded: ‘I have to say people in this village have put Highland Council to shame. The senior citizens have decided to give money they received to the nursery and primary school rather than buy Christmas presents for elderly residents because the ‘Scrooge’ council turned us down.’