Social Value Ideas for Highland Council

External review of licensing

The Council agreed to seek an external review of Highland Council licensing arrangements in response to the public confidence crisis. Members framed the review as a way to strengthen governance, exami…

“Members, we have the greatest opportunity of progressing an action that will not only substantiate the existing and normally excellent licencing proce…”

Premises licence granted for Bistro

The board approved a premises licence application for Highland Base Camp Bistro in Fort William. The application was within policy, had no objections or representations, and was supported by the licen…

“Gender Item 8 .1 is the application for the grant of a premises licence for Highland Base Camp Bistro, Sheraton Retail Park, Lockie Bridge, Fort Willi…”

Standby Pay Policy Revised

The council approved a revised standby policy to remove the 10% deduction, pay overtime for all time worked during standby, and update guidance for consistent implementation. The changes aim to create…

“The current standby arrangements were found to be increasingly difficult to sustain and that's due to challenges in filling roles and rotors and conce…”

Mileage Rate Increase Adopted

The council will align mileage rates to the HMRC increase from 45p to 55p per mile, backdated to the start of the 2026/27 tax year. Officers estimated this will add around £150,000 pressure to service…

“So members, this report follows the announcement in May by HMRC of new approved mileage allowance payments, with the standard rate increasing from 45p…”

Beauly-Peterhead line objection

The council agreed to maintain objection to the proposed 400kV overhead line from Beauly to Peterhead, with officers recommending seven grounds of objection covering EIA scope, ecology/ornithology, la…

“So the decision of SBAC today will finalise the Council's position for the purposes of the PLI. We'll go through the routing in more detail later in t…”

Objection to SSEN OHL diversion

The committee resolved to object to the proposed Bewley-Denny overhead line diversion because of traffic routing concerns, inadequate environmental assessment for the wider project, and unresolved acc…

“This application is for the diversion of 1 .7 kilometres of the Bewley Denny overhead line under section 37 of the Electricity Act. It is recommended …”