A Realistic Future Model for Public Services in the Highlands

23rd March 2026

If the Highlands is to navigate the next decade without sliding into a quiet, unmanaged decline, it needs a new model for public services and one that reflects the region’s geography, its demographics, and the financial constraints shaping every decision. The old model, built around a large workforce, a wide estate of local offices, and a service structure designed for a very different era, is no longer sustainable.

But the alternative is not simply a thinner version of the same thing. A realistic future model must be reshaped from the ground up, not trimmed at the edges.

The starting point is honesty. The Highlands cannot deliver the same pattern of services as an urban council, because the conditions are fundamentally different. Distance, sparsity, ageing populations, and the sheer cost of maintaining buildings across hundreds of miles make the traditional model impossible to sustain. A future model must begin by acknowledging that the region needs a different settlement — not as a political argument, but as a practical necessity. Without that recognition, every year becomes another exercise in patching holes and stretching staff until something gives.

A realistic model would accept that the workforce will be smaller, but it would also ensure that the staff who remain are deployed where they make the greatest difference. That means shifting away from the current pattern of silent attrition, where posts disappear simply because they are vacant, and towards a deliberate, planned workforce strategy. Instead of losing staff by accident, the region needs to decide where staff are essential, where roles can be redesigned, and where technology can genuinely support delivery without becoming a barrier. This is not about replacing people with machines; it is about using limited staff in the most effective way.

The same principle applies to buildings. The Highlands cannot maintain a sprawling estate of small offices indefinitely, but the answer is not to close buildings quietly and hope mobile vans will fill the gap. A future model would involve a clear, region‑wide plan for a smaller number of well‑equipped hubs, supported by mobile and digital services that are designed around community needs rather than imposed as a cost‑cutting measure. Mobile services can work — but only if they are predictable, reliable, and integrated into a wider system that still offers face‑to‑face contact where it matters. Communities need to know what will remain, what will change, and how they will access services in the new landscape.

Digital services will inevitably play a larger role, but digital cannot become a substitute for access. Too many Highland residents lack reliable broadband or confidence with online systems for digital‑only to be a viable model. A realistic future would blend digital convenience with human support — for example, local digital access points staffed by community workers, or mobile units that offer both face‑to‑face help and online access. The goal is not to push people online, but to ensure that digital tools expand access rather than restrict it.

In health, the future model must confront the reality that the NHS cannot recruit its way out of the current crisis. Rural dentistry, GP coverage, and community nursing will not return to the levels of the past. Instead, the region needs a model built around continuity, prevention, and local resilience. That means strengthening community‑based care, expanding the role of allied health professionals, and ensuring that routine care is delivered as close to home as possible. It also means being honest about what cannot be delivered locally, and ensuring that travel for specialist care is supported rather than simply expected.

Crucially, a realistic model for the Highlands must recognise the central role of communities themselves. Not as unpaid replacements for public services, but as partners in shaping how services are delivered. Community organisations, development trusts, and local volunteers already fill gaps that would otherwise leave rural areas stranded. A future model would support these groups with funding, training, and long‑term stability, rather than relying on them as a last resort. The Highlands has a long tradition of community resilience; the future model should build on that strength without exploiting it.

Underlying all of this is the need for a new financial settlement for rural Scotland. The current funding formulas do not reflect the true cost of delivering services across vast, sparsely populated areas. A realistic model would involve multi‑year funding, rural weighting, and recognition that “per‑head” calculations penalise regions where distance and geography multiply costs. Without such a shift, every redesign will be a temporary fix rather than a sustainable solution.

The future of Highland services will not look like the past. It will be smaller, more flexible, more mobile, and more reliant on technology. But it can also be more honest, more coherent, and more aligned with the realities of the region. The choice is not between the old model and decline; it is between decline and a new model that accepts the constraints and builds something fit for the Highlands as they are today.

A realistic future is possible — but only if the region stops pretending that the old model can be stretched any further, and begins the difficult but necessary work of designing a new one in the open, with communities as full partners rather than passive observers.

See Also
The Quiet Unravelling of Public Services in the Highlands