A Strong Team to represent the whole of the Highlands.

Liberal Democrats secure new deal for Highland Council

Highland Liberal Democrat Group have formally announced their participation in a new 'rainbow' coalition - consisting of 20 Liberal Democrats, 30 Independents and seven Labour councillors - as the new Administration.

Commenting on the new arrangements, Lib Dem Group Leader and new Administration Leader Cllr. Michael Foxley said: "Our priorities for the new Administration will include the environment, local appointments and the decentralisation of decision-making.

"It was very important to make sure we have a strong team which will lead the council through to the end of its term.

"This is an exciting new partnership which commits itself to working towards greater decentralisation of political decision-making within the council.

"We will work closely together as a team as there are very difficult budgets ahead over the next two years."

Key Liberal Democrat priorities include:

• greater decision-making taken at the lowest possible level to the areas affected
• planning & licensing committees electing their own Chairs
• a review of the Programme for Administration to reflect housing and environmental issues
• the election of the Provost of Inverness by local Inverness councillors, rather than the whole Council.

In addition, the traditional remit of Convener has changed to represent the Highlands in a civic role, in addition to chairing key Council meetings. A new post of (political) Leader - undertaken by Cllr. Foxley - has been established to lead the new Administration.

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Liberal Democrat

Highland Council Manifesto

 

A bright future for the Highlands – a green and thriving place, for young and old Highlanders, for urban and rural Highlanders – based on Liberal Democrat principles of local accountability

 

Our five key pledges are to:

·         A greener Highlands

·         A thriving, sustainable Highland economy

·         The Highlands for older people

·         The Highlands for children and families

·         A locally accountable Highland Council

 

Highland Liberal Democrats believe that this year’s elections offer an historic opportunity to give new leadership to the Council and greater democratic accountability to the people of the Highlands. A strong group of Highland Liberal Democrats will work closely together to deliver our priorities and give direction to council staff.

 

Highland Liberal Democrats will create a sustainable and “greener” Highlands  – leading the way by example, dealing with the major issue of waste reduction and disposal, reducing carbon emissions and participating in the development of appropriate renewable energy. The major challenge of climate change will continue and our greatest priority is that we contribute to the global effort to minimise its effects and plan for the Highlands against that background of change, striving to preserve our landscapes and biodiversity. There will be more severe weather events, changes in sea level and temperatures, changes in the growing season – all of which will change our environment and how we live in it. Our Council will produce a Climate Change Strategy and every Council plan and policy will be assessed against it. In power we will:

 

1. Produce and implement a climate change strategy for the Highlands
2. Increase the percentage of domestic waste recycled to a minimum of 40% by 2010 and work towards kerbside recycling across Highland
3. Increase recycling of waste from Council offices to a minimum of 50% by 2010
4. Promote local solutions to waste management and so reduce trucking of waste to landfill outwith Highland
5. Increase maintenance of drainage systems and introduce measures to ensure a rapid response to the effects of severe storms and flooding
6. Make every school an ’eco-school’ by 2010, so as to educate a generation better able to deal with the effects of climate change, and pilot ‘carbon neutral’ communities.

 

Highland Liberal Democrats will organise the next Highland Council to make a greater contribution to an economically sustainable Highlands. We need the necessary housing, health services and infrastructure but we also need a more dynamic business sector and effective working between the Council and the private, voluntary and social enterprise sectors. In power we will:

 

7. Increase the decentralisation of Council services to support employment in communities throughout the Highlands
8. Provide more affordable housing, for sale and rent (with local letting initiatives where appropriate), by increasing the quota of affordable houses in all new developments across the Highlands, where there is demonstrated local need; seek new powers to increase tax on ‘holiday homes’, using the additional revenue for affordable housing; support Community Land Trusts and develop a policy on housing the Highland workforce
9. Promote Inverness as the vibrant capital city of the Highlands, with structures for effective decision making and with agreed standards of service appropriate to a major regional city
10. Support a public transport network to meet the needs of people across the Highlands to access work and leisure, at the times that they need
11. Build on the Scottish Year of Highland Culture in 2007 to promote awareness of the traditional and contemporary cultures of the Highlands – with continued strong support for Gaelic language and culture – as the basis for improved long term support of Highland culture and of Highland tourism

 

Highland Liberal Democrats will make the next Highland Council the council for an older Highlands. There has to be a rebalancing of expenditure within the Council and a clear commitment to providing the levels of home care and support necessary for the future. But this is not just about the provision of services to older people. We need to create a society which makes use of the skills of older people and allows transfer of these skills to younger people. In power we will:

 

12. Increase the budget for home care to meet the projected needs and promote the building of ‘extra care’ sheltered housing
13. Improve integration of Council and NHS services for older people
14. Work with organisations representing older people and carers to produce a Charter for service standards – making it clear what every older person in the Highlands can count on from their Council - and to combat ‘ageism’ in all employment sectors.

Highland Liberal Democrats will make the Highlands a place for young people and families – both encouraging our young people to stay or return and welcoming new people to the Highlands. We are committed to making the Highlands a child-friendly place and to seeing young people as the solution not the problem.  In power we will:

 

15. Build, refurbish or extend 11 schools and develop an ambitious education capital programme for 2011-16
16. Commit fully to the  successful development of a University of the Highlands and Islands and assist in working towards university status for the institution
17. Create safer communities, for young and old people, by expanding the community warden scheme and by slowing down traffic and creating more Home Zones in residential areas
18. Establish more recreational and sporting activities for young people and create opportunities to engage their enthusiasm, creativity and energy

The next Highland Council must be fully committed to local democracy and accountability – we will make the new multi-member wards work effectively, devolve budgets to local level where possible, and restore local democracy by promoting councillors in the role of scrutinising the public sector as a whole in the Highlands. In power we will:

 

19. Make the Council more efficient by spending less on management and more on front line services – especially road maintenance – and allocate resources across the Highlands according to need rather than historic patterns of expenditure
20. Give the public the ability to contact the Council ‘out of office hours’, improve handling of complaints and raise standards of consultation by ensuring better feedback to the public

 

Highland Liberal Democrat councillors will represent the needs of the Highlands and support their colleagues in the UK and Scottish parliaments in campaigns for: