Easter Ross Committee awards funds towards play parks and Cromarty-Nigg ferry initiatives

The Highland Council’s Easter Ross Area Committee today approved funding for three community initiatives.

The funding will see:

• Up to £12,000 from the Cromarty Firth Place Based Investment Fund to fund the costs of a part time temporary post via Highlife Highland for a play officer to support the development of a new approach to play areas; and
• Up to £20,000 from the Tain and Easter Ross Place Based Investment Funds in order to support cost effective investment into key play areas with this investment to be informed by community discussions and aimed at minimising ongoing maintenance and play chip requirements

In addition, £2,500 will be allocated each from the Cromarty Firth and Tain and Easter Ross wards towards the Council’s contract for the Nigg – Cromarty Ferry route to avoid a fare increase at a rate above the current CPI index in 2021/22.

The Black Isle Ward members have already supported an allocation of £5,000 from their Ward Discretionary Budget, and the additional funding from both the Cromarty Firth and Tain and Easter Ross wards will meet the remaining gap.

Chair of the Easter Ross Committee, Fiona Robertson said: “The importance of play to children, particularly after the restrictions they have faced due to COVID is widely recognised.  This funding is aimed at addressing children’s health and wellbeing via play and bringing back into use play equipment that has been temporarily closed off due to safety issues as quickly as possible.

“The additional funding for the Cromarty-Nigg ferry will help support the local economy and encourage tourism in the Easter Ross area.”

The Highland Council allocated a £100,000 Place Based Investment Fund to each ward for the 2021/22 financial year as part of the budget agreed in March 2021.  This fund is intended to enable a flexible local response to address the 4 harms of COVID which are identified as direct health harms, health impacts not directly related to COVID, societal and economic impacts.

You can watch the full Easter Ross Area Committee here: