August/September 2023
😀A big hello from all the current Marybank, Scatwell and Strathconon Community Council members – Julie Crombie, Christine and Kenny MacKintosh, Nick Murray, Lynsey Stewart and Eilidh Thomson.
We would like to reach out to you for two reasons -
- We need your help.
- We’d like to hear your views.
We all helped re-establish this area’s Community Council in 2022 after it folded during the Covid pandemic and nearly didn’t re-start – Highland Council had to advertise it twice to ask for new members unless it would fold completely. We are all unpaid volunteers and really just want to try and help our communities thrive, prosper and grow. So far, we have -
- re-established our Community Council.
- are in the process of installing a new noticeboard for Scatwell to help communication; we have utilised our FB and website to help with this too.
- have opened a new bank account and ironed out all the banking problems – thank you Nick for all your patience and perseverance with this.
- have facilitated the first meeting to explore the potential for a development trust and will continue to develop this.
- made a positive step helping the over 65’s in our area with 2 rounds of funding to help with the cost of living; which in turn has helped 3 local businesses; we also have just extended this voucher scheme to help households with children 16 and under. With plans underway to secure future funding we can help with the cost of living for those who need it most in our area.
- campaigned for mobile phone/ connectivity in the area around Scatwell to be improved and hopefully this will show results shortly with plans in place for more mast provision in the area.
- delivered Defibrillators to 2 of our local halls and offered training for these devices.
- attended meetings with representatives of the NHS and the Dingwall Medical Practice to ensure our voice is heard regarding medical and emergency provision in our area.
- continued to report road issues and many potholes have been fixed due to Christine’s tireless emails to HC - thank you.
- responded to planning applications and continue to call for the need for more housing and other amenities in our area.
- continued to promote the windfarm benefit schemes with our residents and have taken steps to raise engagement with these schemes and promote and facilitate microgrants within our community area.
- monitored and discussed new forestry creation schemes in our area and continue doing so.
- We are also currently dealing with some huge new proposed developments which will affect our area for the considerable future - SSENs proposed overhead pylon 400 kV route from Spittal to Beauly. There are also 4 proposed new windfarms which will affect our area: the Fairburn Windfarm ‘Extension’ and windfarm proposals for near Dingwall, Garve and Tarvie. As well as this a new windfarm has just been given the go ahead by the Scottish Government near Glascarnoch – the Kirkan windfarm.
We need your help especially with this last point – we are here to represent your views as much as possible, so we need to know what you think.
You could let us know in several ways -
- Come along to our meetings – members of the public are always welcome. The next CC meeting is scheduled for 26 September 2023, 19.00h, at Fairburn Hall in Marybank
- Email us – msscc-IV67@outlook.com
- Contact us through our Facebook page –
https://www.facebook.com/msscouncil?locale=en_GB
- Place a letter/ note into our new community letterboxes which are placed beside our Community Council noticeboards – at Marybank Primary School; Curin noticeboard; Strathconon noticeboard and soon Scatwell CC noticeboard.
- http://www.community- council.org.uk/marybankscatwellandstrathconon/?fbclid=IwAR1a_FY2gfJFS1yHJAGAkIgNYn68M1l-HAG0mDZ--lY_JJF0pNYw3M0uQFc
The funders of our voucher schemes would like feedback from you on how valuable this help has been for you. This will help to provide proof that this help is needed/ valued and appreciated and hopefully help secure future funding. So, if you haven’t already done so, please get in touch! Each response is most appreciated.
Finally and most importantly, Highland Council will be holding new Community Council Elections this Autumn – this is your chance to come on board and help our beautiful, rural Community Council area. Currently we only have 4 elected and 2 co-opted members, and we really need more members. We are eligible for a maximum of 8 elected members. Should there be any vacancies up to a further 2 members can be co-opted. Generally speaking, a few more helpers would really be appreciated. All you need is to be able to spare a few hours each month (on average we hold 6 meetings per year) and have an interest in helping and supporting our local area. All your views/ comments/ideas matter and if you live in our CC area, we would love to have you on board to help.
Nominations open on Tuesday 5th September 2023 until Tuesday 3rd October 2023. Notices/ timetable of elections will be published in the local press and on the Highland Council webpage. We will also post this information on our CC website/ FB and noticeboards.
If you would like some more information on Scottish community councils why not look here - https://www.communitycouncils.scot/ or if you would like to help but aren’t sure why not talk to one of us to see what’s involved. Eilidh and Julie live near Marybank; Christine and Kenny in Scatwell; Nick in Curin and Lynsey in Strathconon and we can all be contacted through the Community Council email address.
WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU.
JUST GET IN TOUCH/ FLAG US DOWN IF YOU SEE US ON THE ROAD! 😀