New council leader pledges to support jobs

THE new man at the helm of Highland Council has pledged that supporting jobs and helping employers is vital to the authority and is already in action.

Freshly elected council leader Drew Hendry formally took up the reins of power after a council meeting in Inverness last week.

The SNP group leader will head up the new regime for the next five years in a controversial rainbow coalition with the party’s previous political opponents the Liberal Democrats and Labour, who ran the last administration with the Independents.

The three parties joined forces in the council’s first full political alliance and shut out the Independents, who had been expected to lead a new coalition because they had 35 councillors, the largest total of any group.

Councillor Hendry said the coalition had been working hard since joining forces to agree on a "progressive programme" of policies. A revamp of the current set-up — where most meetings are centralised and decisions taken in Inverness – is one pledge with a year-long pilot of a resurrected area committee structure.

A new Caithness and Sutherland area committee will be given more powers, including the ability to make decisions on road investment, resources and "economic development decisions".

He said the latter power could be connected to major developments sited locally, such as Global Energy Group’s plans to create 2000 jobs and a service hub for the renewable energy industry at Nigg.

"There are general developments which are very important, like Nigg for example which would have an impact on Caithness and Sutherland," he said. "It will be an opportunity to see decision making locally. The people that I have been speaking to have been delighted that we are doing this and the general feeling is that it is long overdue."

The rainbow coalition will also set up a community challenge fund for local groups to bid into and introduce a "living wage" of about £7.20 an hour for up to 300 lowly paid council workers.

Councillor Hendry will be assisted by Lib Dem David Alston who has become depute leader and Labour’s Jimmy Gray, the former Inverness Provost, who is the new convener.

Councillor Alston (Black Isle) nominated Councillor Hendry for the leader’s job at the meeting last week and described him as "dedicated and hard working".

Independent Ross-shire councillor Fiona Robertson proposed veteran colleague Alasdair Rhind. She said he was the "people’s choice" and had the "moral authority" to carry out the role. However, 44 councillors to 32 voted for Councillor Hendry.