Between Covid recovery, the cost of living crisis, war in Ukraine and the death of the Queen, 2022 had a lot going on.
So much so, that the word “unprecedented” has started to ring as a cliché.
Yet 2023 won’t be a walk in the park either. Like councils all over the UK, Highland faces a battle to nail down its budget and maintain its services.
On top of that, it needs a new chief executive to get the job done.
Here are the 10 big challenges facing Highland Council in the year ahead.
1. Slashing the capital plan
Councillors recently admitted that they can’t afford their £1 billion capital plan. With costs shooting up by 20-40%, many projects will have to be scaled back or cut completely. This has potential to spark a huge row as members fight for their own patch.
2. Protecting jobs
With a revenue budget gap of £40.9 million, Highland Council is undertaking a huge workforce review. It’s put a freeze on recruitment and admits it will most likely have to shed 500 jobs through natural wastage. However, administration leaders say they’ll do everything in their power to prevent redundancies.
3. Recruiting a new chief executive
There may be a recruitment freeze, but the council still needs to find a new boss. Highland Council recently advertised for an interim CEO, and will soon begin the search for a replacement for Donna Manson.
4. Closing all but five key offices
Highland Council has around 50 small administrative centres scattered across the region. Now, in a bid to save £1 million and modernise its estate, the council is looking to focus all its office work around five key hubs. This involves a big operation to move staff and then sell, transfer or demolish unwanted buildings.
5. Repairing council homes
With its housing budget in the red and contractors hard to come by, councillors recently agreed to pause all non-emergency repairs on its council houses. However, neglect could lead to a bigger repair bill down the line. Then there’s the small matter of rolling out much-needed heating, insulation and double glazing across its older stock to deal with the cost of living crisis.
6. Review of residential childcare
Highland Council’s health and social care committee wants to stop spending so much money on children’s homes, and target that money on early intervention instead. This makes sense, but closing children’s homes is a difficult and sensitive job – as the recent controversy around Wick’s Avonlea has shown.
7. Rubbish challenges for Highland Council
Highland Council has set ambitious climate change targets and is committed to sending less waste to landfill. This includes more household recycling, and reducing the size of household rubbish bins. While it will frustrate some households, the council hopes it will encourage a change of mindset.
8. Funding deal for nurseries
The closing months of 2022 were dominated by a big row over how much Highland Council pays its partner nurseries. Nurseries accused the council of “ghosting” the consultation process and keeping national funding for itself. The council eventually agreed a small interim rate increase, but a wider review of the funding deal is underway.
9. School performance
Last year, the council faced heavy criticism for landing at the bottom of the league table for primary school literacy and numeracy. The Highlands was also underperforming in exam results. The latest data suggests it’s made a big step in the right direction, but education chairman John Finlayson says the improvement journey must continue.
10. And then there’s roads
This wouldn’t be a Highland Council challenges list without an honourable mention for roads. Last Christmas, new figures emerged showing that 39% of Highland roads are in need of repair. Now, a potentially harsh winter will only add to the council’s pothole woes. And with every council department asked to cut its budget by 15%, there could be more trouble ahead.
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