“Size of the Highland Council suits nobody” says MSP

Highlands MSP Emma Roddick has renewed calls for smaller council areas as she pressed the Minister for Parliamentary Business on whether he felt the Highland Council could be considered a “local” authority.

The Highland Council is the largest of all council areas in Scotland, covering roughly one-third of the country, and a review of its wards recently failed to pass through Parliament with many raising concerns that rural areas were being short-changed in terms of representation.

Roddick said:

“The Highland Council area is simply too large and therefore does not serve rural or urban communities within it as well as it could or should. It’s no wonder that Boundaries Scotland have been unable to come up with suitable ward boundaries for it – there’s no logical reason Applecross should be within the same local authority as Merkinch.

“It is my strong belief that smaller councils are the only way to go to ensure that the needs of people within the Highlands are met.

“Nobody can reasonably claim that the Highland Council is a genuinely “local” authority and I will continue to press for a solution.”