Dingwall and Seaforth councillors approved winter road plans, welcomed record-low housing repair times, and highlighted funding for accessibility improvements and local community projects.
Vital preparations to keep local roads safe this winter have been approved, alongside news of record-low council housing repair times and significant funding boosts for community-led initiatives across the Dingwall and Seaforth ward.
Winter Service Plan approved
At today’s meeting of the Dingwall and Seaforth Area Committee, Councillors approved the Winter Service Plan for 2026/27. The plan secures essential gritting routes, gritter deployment schedules and local salt stocks to ensure the area’s road network remains resilient to extreme winter weather.
A focus of this year’s winter planning is the promotion of the Council’s Winter Resilience Scheme, which empowers communities to take a direct role in local winter safety. Under this initiative, local communities can submit applications via their Community Council to carry out footway gritting within an agreed area. The Highland Council supports these volunteer efforts by providing salt, grit, grit bins, scrapers, and reflective safety vests. It acts as an invaluable partnership to provide an enhanced, localised level of service to residents.
Communities can find out more about the Winter Resilience scheme on our website.
Housing Repairs Improvements
In addition to winter planning, the Committee welcomed a major milestone in local housing services.
Performance figures for the first quarter of 2026/27 (1 April to 30 June 2026) revealed that the average time to complete non-emergency council housing repairs in the Dingwall and Seaforth area has fallen to just 6.4 days. This represents a big improvement from previous quarters, comfortably beating the Council’s target of 8.9 days and surpassing the national Scottish Housing Network benchmark of 8.6 days.
Local accessibility also received a major financial boost, with the Committee highlighting the approval of £75,443 in Scheme of Assistance Housing Grants. These funds have been directly invested in helping residents maintain their independence through home adaptations, including the installation of stairlifts, level access showers, and access ramps.
Local groups receive funding support
The meeting also noted crucial funding support approved since the last session through the Ward Discretionary Budget, totalling £2,949 for grassroots groups:
- £1,000 to Dingwall Community Council for the “Dingwall in Bloom” floral plantings;
- £999 to the Dingwall Youth Forum to upgrade dedicated spaces for young people in Dingwall Town Hall;
- £500 to the Jame Support Group to help advertise monthly mental health support meetings in Dingwall; and
- £450 to Maryburgh Community Council for local “Maryburgh in Bloom” initiatives.
Dingwall Common Good Fund update
Members noted that the Dingwall Common Good Fund continues to be managed responsibly, with monitoring demonstrating a stable and encouraging position and remains well placed to meet its planned commitments while supporting the long-term care and management of assets that are held for the benefit of the local community.
Chair of the Dingwall and Seaforth Area Committee, Councillor Graham MacKenzie said: “The decisions taken today represent a balanced and proactive approach to both community resilience and long-term investment. By approving our Winter Service Plan early, we are ensuring our roads are as safe as possible before severe weather sets in. Furthermore, the outstanding performance in our Housing repairs, delivering non-emergency repairs in an average of 6.4 days, demonstrates our team’s commitment to providing excellent, responsive services to our tenants.”