Pride in Place – Appointment of board and boundary change

9th November 2026

Co-Chairs Frances Gunn and Ian Ross are delighted to announce the new members of the Neighbourhood Board for the Pride in Place Programme.

The Neighbourhood Board brings together an exceptional range of skills, experience and local knowledge from across Sutherland. Members have deep roots in communities, ensuring there is representation across the entire county.

Collectively, board member expertise covers a range of different areas and key priorities. This includes education, transport, community development, land management, housing, culture and more. Members have extensive experience of delivering projects, managing public funding, and the combination of expertise and lived experience provides a unique insight into the opportunities and challenges facing communities.

The first Neighbourhood Board meeting took place on 26 October 2026. Key discussions focused on the proposed boundary change and the development of a communications strategy.

Board members shared a clear commitment to ensuring that the programme takes an inclusive, county-wide approach, recognising both the strengths and challenges faced by communities across sutherland. There was strong support for building on existing partnership working and complimenting the significant work already being undertaken. The board’s immediate next steps are to submit a boundary change request to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to seek approval to widen the programme area across the county.

Co-chair, Ian Ross said: “The neighbourhood board is committed to make a strong case to the UK Government to extend the programme boundary to cover the whole of Sutherland. This would create an opportunity to deliver significant long-term benefits across the county, while working collaboratively with other funders and partners to address priorities identified by local communities.”

Alongside this, The Neighbourhood Board is developing a communications strategy to ensure openness and transparency with the residents.

Co-Chair, Frances Gunn said: “Keeping communities informed about the fund, the decisions being made and the opportunities available is essential. Pride in Place is a community-led programme, and we are committed to ensuring local people remain at the heart of its delivery.”

Neighbourhood board members:

Frances Gunn - Co-Chair
Ian Ross - Co-Chair
Joyce Campbell
Fiona MacKenzie
Karina Ross
Catherine Brown
Neil MacDonald
Christine Ross
Frank Roach
Ronnie MacRae
Rachel Skene
Christian Nicolson
Marianne Hutchison Cllr
Richard Gale Cllr
Jamie Stone MP
David Green MSP