Sustainable Communities

| Care in the Community | Sustainable Communities |  A Clean Environment |
| A Planned Culture of Enterprise and Growth | A Skilled and Confident Highlands |
| Arts, Heritage, Culture and Sport | Gaelic Language | Improved Transport and Connectivity |
| Children and Young People | Corporate Objectives for The Highland Council |

The Need for More Housing

With a growing population and the continued trend towards smaller household size, there are now more than 96,000 households in the Highlands, an increase of 7.5% between 2001 and 2006.  An undersupply of housing is evidenced from relatively high house price increases, with prices increasing by 40% for new build housing and 33% for previously owned houses.

There are growing waiting lists for affordable rented housing with more than 11,000 households currently on the Council housing list.  Levels of homelessness have increased. In 2006-7 more than 2,000 households approached the Council for help; and more than 1,000 were provided with temporary accommodation.

Between now and 2011 we will:

1. Continue to engage with Scottish Water and others to ensure that lack of infrastructure does not hold up housing and other developments.
2. Work with the Scottish Government, local partners and the private sector to enable 6,000 new houses, with appropriate amenities, to be built in the Highlands over the next four years.
3. Ensure that as part of this 2,000 affordable houses for rent and low cost home ownership are built over the next four years.

Campaigning for Sustainable Post Office Network

We will continue to lead the fight to retain a sustainable local post office network and universal postal service that meets the needs of Highland communities. The Post Office network is under review by the UK Government with a programme of closures to be implemented by 2009.  Closures identified for the Highlands will be announced in January next year.  We will make sure the Government’s criteria for closure are applied properly and we will work with Post Offices Limited to minimise any negative impact on communities and find ways for postal services to be provided through new outreach services.  We will lobby against any disproportionate closures compared to other areas.

Community safety and public protection

Sustainable communities are safe communities and where people do not live in fear or suffer nuisance. The Highlands have among the lowest crime rates in the UK, other than for offences related to alcohol misuse and unsafe driving.  Working with Northern Constabulary and other partners in the public and voluntary sectors, we have identified the following priorities:

• Tackling alcohol misuse which contributes to antisocial behaviour.
• Encouraging responsible driving in Highland communities.
• Improving and sustaining the environmental quality of the Highlands (focusing on dog fouling, litter, noise, neighbour complaints, abandoned vehicles and fire setting).
• Tackling inequalities by working with specific communities more likely to be affected by antisocial behaviour.
• Zero tolerance of violence against women.
• Providing criminal justice services to support the courts and community sentences. 
• Protecting children from harm.
• Dealing with youth offending.
• Monitoring and supervising sex offenders.