Playpark renovation boost in store for Easter Ross Highland Council ward
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WORK to save a number of Cromarty Firth ward council playparks that have “gone to rack and ruin” could begin in spring.
That’s the hope of Councillor Maxine Smith, who has campaigned on the issue after agreement at last week’s Highland Council Easter Ross committee, on allocating Covid-19 ward discretionary funds to support new equipment.
Cllr Smith and fellow Cromarty Firth colleague Pauline Munro successfully pushed the case for playpark maintenance.
During the first lockdown, Scottish Government gave money to areas of greater social deprivation to assist with Covid food banks and efforts to help people during the pandemic. The Cromarty Firth area was awarded nearly £30,000.
During the pandemic, a number of local shops and supermarkets chipped in with donations to divide among towns helping ease the burden.
The councillors took a new motion to the full council to ask for each ward to decide on what it wanted to spend any leftover Covid response money on. The importance of replenishing some playparks “that are going to rack and ruin in Evanton, Alness and Invergordon” was agreed, Cllr Smith said.
Some match funding has been secured from Kiltearn Community Council and applications are being made for wind farm community funding.
Cllr Smith said: “This means we can make a start in the spring on bringing some of them up to a usable state again for children to get playing in once the Covid lockdown is lifted.”
She said the removal of a playpark budget in a previous round of council cuts “much to my despair and dismay” resulted in many being left “in an awful state.”
Next steps to progress the work will include confirmation of available match funding, the type of equipment to be installed based on the available budget and consideration of ongoing maintenance.
A consultation with amenities staff and the public will also need to take place.
Chairwoman of the Easter Ross area committee, Cllr Fiona Robertson, said: “We are delighted to be able to progress this proposal which is sure to lift the spirits of the community during what has been an extremely difficult time for everyone.
“Health and wellbeing are at the very centre of this proposal, and anything which promotes physical activity following a period of lockdown and the ill-effects that has had on children’s mental health must surely be welcomed.”
