Highland Councillors Launch A New 5 Year Programme - Our Future Highland 2022-27

8th December 2022

The Council Administration's Programme for 2022 - 2027: "Our Future Highland" has been agreed by Members at today's Council meeting.

The programme has a focus on being ambitious for the future and maximising the opportunities and the resources we have to improve the quality of life for people in the Highlands, with sustainability a key theme throughout.

Leader of The Highland Council, Cllr Raymond Bremner said: "The development of our Programme is set against a backdrop of the deepest financial crisis in decades. This limits our spending power and our Programme has to be affordable - however, every challenge in life presents opportunities and that's why we want to be ambitious in establishing the foundations of a brighter and more sustainable future for our communities, particularly our younger generation.

"Our vision is of a Highland which is a centre for global renewable energy, making the most of our natural resources. This will help to achieve a better, brighter future for all, with the investment, jobs, infrastructure, and prosperity which would stem from this.

"The next few years will not be easy, but we are committed to working together with our communities, our partners and businesses for the future Highland we all want to live in."

The priorities for the Council are highlighted under 5 strategic outcomes:

A Fair and Caring Highland - Working together to improve quality of life and opportunities for Highland people.

Resilient and Sustainable Communities - Helping our communities to be prosperous, sustainable and resilient, making a positive difference to the lives of people.

Accessible and Sustainable Highland Homes - Build houses to support communities and economic growth.

A Sustainable Highland Environment and Global Centre for Renewable Energy - Accelerate our response to the climate and ecological emergency. Make the most of the financial and environmental opportunities arising from the huge renewable energy potential in the Highlands.

A Resilient and Sustainable Council - Work with partners to address service delivery challenges with a positive approach to change.

Convener of The Highland Council, Cllr Bill Lobban said: "It was important that when developing this programme, considerations were given to the views of the Highland people as well as the significant national and global challenges that continue to impact on our Council and our communities. I would like to thank everyone who participated in this process, especially the children and young people who shared with us their hopes and ambitions, so we can work together to achieve a shared vision of Highland in the coming years."

A draft Corporate Plan has also been agreed at today's meeting. The plan provides the measures and actions required to deliver and monitor the Programme.

Read the full Future Highland programme paper
HERE
Pdf 33 pages

The full agenda from the meeting on 8 December 2022 can be seen at https://www.highland.gov.uk/meetings/meeting/4718/highland_council

A full webcast of the meeting is available at https://highland.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/689432
The meeting lasted over 5 hours but you can jump to any paper you are interested in.