Balintore/Hilton Community Council falls into abeyance following resignations, but member vows to continue relaying vital Covid-19 coronavirus information through roles in other local community groups
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VITAL Covid-19 information will continue to be relayed to residents in the Seaboard villages despite the collapse of the community council, a member has vowed.
Balintore/Hilton Community Council fell into abeyance last week after resignations took the membership below 50 per cent.
This rendered the council non-quorate, and it cannot re-convene until after Highland Council organises new elections.
With vital local authority functions currently focussed on the coronavirus lockdown, there are fears that this could take longer than normal.
But a member of the now-defunct community council has pledged to continue getting in touch with people "to ensure you get the information required whilst Covid-19 is ongoing".
Norma Balfour, speaking on behalf of the community council, said: "The work that has been carried out with Covid-19 under the auspice of the community council, Seaboard Hall and Tain & District Development Trust will continue through the Seaboard Hall. Basically I will change hats from secretary of Balintore/Hilton Community Council (BHCC) to working with the team at the Seaboard Memorial Hall as one of its long standing directors."
Her remarks were made in a post to the community council's Facebook page. In the post, she said: "It is with the utmost regret that I find myself having to write this post.
"BHCC has from today gone into abeyance. This means that we no longer have the required community councillors to enable us to continue to function.
"Unfortunately, we cannot rescind resignations to form our group, this must now go to election. Elections will not happen until after Covid-19 and I am sure will be low on the list of priorities for Highland Council once things start to return to normal.
"Sadly this will be the last post to the BHCC Facebook page, it has become a source of information, posts and comments within our community, which from the huge number of hits and comments has been a great success in getting information out to you all.
"I thank you for your tremendous support, fun, laughter, and seriousness when required.
"Through this page I have chatted with so many of you privately and otherwise. Lets not lose that contact. I will message those that I still need to get in touch with through your phone contact or by using Whatsapp to ensure that you get the information required whilst Covid-19 is ongoing."
She added: "Thanks is extended to our chair, Sandra Skinner, treasurer Brian Gallagher and community councillors Alastair Gill and Leighanne Hodgkin for their support to the community over the last number of years/months.
"We will return – stronger than ever. Be safe all."
Highland councillor Fiona Robertson said the news was a blow for the community, especially in the current lockdown, but she added that a lot of its roles would likely continue through other groups in the interim until elections can finally be organised.
The Tain and Easter Ross councillor said: "I'm disappointed that it has to go into abeyance, especially at this time when [the community] really do need it. But that said, the people on the community council are also on other groups like the Seaboard Hall and they are very proactive and doing lots of things like meals-on0wheels.
"So I think that lot of work the [community council] does will continue to be done by other groups."
