Portree ranked second to worst in Highland Council town report
Written by MartyM on 22 February 2023
A Skye Councillor has slammed the Highland Council as being no longer “fit for purpose” after Portree was found to be the second to worst town in the region in a new report.
Councillor Stewart’s damning assessment came as the Highland Council published it latest Town Centre Health Check report this week which ranked the Skye capital as the second to worst town in a list of 14 places assessed by the local authority last year.
Only Wick scored lower than the Skye capital which received a total score of 30 from 55 in the Highland Council’s Town Centre Health Check conducted in 2022.
Fourteen town centres, in addition to Inverness, which are in the Highland Council’s local development plans, were selected for health checks on the basis of either having populations greater than 3,000 people or for their importance in a local context
The town centre health checks reports are calculated use 11 indicators which consider accessibility, community, property, activities and the physical environment.
On scale from one to five – one being the lowest grade and five being the highest, Portree received a score of one, very poor, for pavements and streets, with potholes, cracks, uneven surfaces and weeds highlighted in the report.
It has also been graded poorly on parking, pedestrian friendliness, public transport, cycling facilities, links – all two out of five.
However, it was given four out of five for open space and green infrastructure, tourist appeal and its evening economy.
Radio Skye approached all four Skye and Raasay councillors for comment on the findings of the report.
Councillor Stewart said that while he was disappointed by the results, he believed that news “should not come as a surprise to islanders” and argued that Skye and Raasay have been “continuously short-changed by the Highland Council.”
The Conservative members went on to say: “We have consistently been overlooked when it comes to providing adequate funding and resources, our communities deserve better, and I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure that the needs and concerns of Skye are heard and those in the administration are held to account.
He contended that the report was “further proof if further proof is required that the Highland Council in its current form is not fit for purpose, and added: “I will continue to advocate for the break up for the Highland Council which is the only way to ensure a fair deal for our remote and rural communities.”
In its report, the Highland Council states that Portree is highly reliant upon the tourist industry, with one report indicating that visitors contributed over £211 million to the local economy, pre-pandemic.
However, fellow islands councillor, John Finlayson told Radio Skye that the report “reinforces the need for additionality to be directed to rural towns which clearly have different challenge to many others around the Moray Firth area.”
He said: “Despite the fact that Skye is Scotland’s second busiest visitor attraction and Scotland’s second biggest island, we do not get the investment that is needed, and the recent bad news in terms of the Portree harbour levelling pp bid, and also the distribution of cash to island authorities and none to Skye shows that there needs to be a change of thinking at all levels of government.
Councillor Drew Millar also expressed his disappointment at the report but was keen to commend the work being carried out by the Portree and Braes Community Trust around the Skye capital.
Picking up on his colleague Councillor Finlayson’s point, Mr Millar said that Portree harbour had lacked investment for many years and that it was a big blow that the bid to transform the asset had been rejected.
However, he said there was an opportunity to submit another bid, and added that the Highland Council had also pledged money for improvements to the harbour.
Addressing Councillor Stewart’s premised about the break up of the council, Councillor Millar said: “It is very well for some politicians to call for change, but they don’t have any substance in their claim that we are suffering.
“The Highland Council is a big local authority, and there is nothing to suggest that we would be better off out of it.”
Mr Finlayson concluded by saying that local members will look at the findings of this report and then make representation about what should happen next.
Fort William was credited as being the top Highland place of the 14 visited in the this week’s report, receiving 50 marks out of 55.
In 2018, Portree finished bottom of the Highland towns assessed receiving a mark of just 26 out of 50.
Highland Council Town Health Check report
1. Fort William – 50/55
2. Alness – 45/55
3. Beauly – 45/55
4. Brora – 45/55
5. Nairn – 44/55
6. Dingwall – 42/55
7. Dornoch – 42/55
8. Thurso – 42/55
9. Golspie – 40/55
10. Ullapool – 38/55
11. Invergordon – 34/55
12. Tain – 34/55
13. Portree – 30/55
14. Wick – 29/55
Article by Adam Gordon.
