Needless red tape slammed
Highland Council’s handling of a community application for a small amount of grant money for local Lochaber groups is now being blamed for damaging the relationship between local Lochaber council officials and the communities they serve.
The blistering condemnation came from John Fotheringham, chairman of Spean Bridge, Roy Bridge and Achnacarry Community Council, in the yearly chairman’s address to the community council’s annual general meeting on Tuesday night.
Mr Fotheringham reminded those attending the AGM that in last year’s chairman’s report he had identified the fact that, despite the community council’s willingness to engage with many private and public bodies over issues of local concern, they had not reciprocated and this had led to a sense of frustration for the community council.
And Mr Fotheringham said the situation had not improved during the course of 2018.
‘Bodies like Highland Council, who profess to want to embrace local democracy, have at the same time thwarted the very principle they seek to address,’ he said in reference to the recent budget decision to slash community council funding by more than 50 percent.
Mr Fotheringham singled out the recent row before Christmas when the community council’s application last year for £1,000 from the local authority’s Ward Discretionary Fund was refused.
The community council
intended to distribute the cash in small grants to local community groups for such activities as children’s Christmas parties.
That refusal followed a knockback the previous year for another application.
In his address at Tuesday night’s meeting, which was held in Kilmonivaig Church hall, Mr Fotheringham explained that after the rejection of the 2016/17 financial year application, an appeal saw it agreed that Highland Council ward managers would review the process and issue new guidelines.
‘A year has now elapsed without any update, but Highland Council rejected this year’s application on the grounds of insufficient information to allow proper monitoring of public money,’ said Mr Fotheringham. ‘A Freedom of Information inquiry revealed no such monitoring took place prior to the conclusion of the event when we could provide the required information.’
The refusal and subsequent row led to the community council lodging a formal complaint with the Public Services Ombudsman.
Mr Fotheringham continued: ‘The cost of the needless bureaucracy to uphold a misguided decision has not been quantified but undoubtedly squandered scant public resources and damaged the relationship between ward manager’s staff and ourselves.’
Mr Fotheringham said the slashing of community council administrative grants was a ‘direct attack’ by Highland councillors and officials on those who sought to make a difference to their local communities, under the guise of addressing austerity. Asked after the meeting
if he felt concerned that a community council in his area felt so aggrieved by its alleged treatment by Highland Council, Mr Henderson, who chairs Highland Council’s environment, development and infrastructure committee, said it was not a situation he was happy with.
‘Of course I am saddened that a community council feels that way. We don’t want community councils to feel under-valued as they have a very important role to play in our local communities.’
After the meeting, Mr Fotheringham said Spean Bridge, Roy Bridge and Achnacarry Community Council was not alone in its frustrations. He added: ‘This was a kick in the teeth from Highland Council for our community. I sense a growing feeling among Highland community councils that they feel under-valued by certain elements at Highland Council.’