Ross councillors question use of £100k poverty funds
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ROSS-SHIRE councillors have put on hold a plan to spend nearly £100,000 hiring three people to deliver "confidence building courses" for job-seekers.
The Ross, Cromarty and Skye area committee were being urged by officials to plough nearly £100k of the council’s £130,000 Deprived Area Fund to pay three youth worker salaries.
The workers would roll out the training programme to 150 people from deprived parts of Dingwall, Alness, Invergordon and Tain from a base in Alness.
An officer’s report to the committee which met at the Dingwall County Buildings yesterday (Wednesday) said the project would tackle deprivation and inequalities by providing learning opportunities that would increase the skills and confidence of young people and adults and boost their chances of getting into work or training.
However, councillors were frustrated by the lack of detail in the officer’s report and they refused to make a decision on the day.
They said the report failed to explain what the impact, if any, could be on other highly-valued community projects currently supported by the deprived area fund, which was set up by the council in 2013 to give opportunities and run courses in communities with pockets of poverty.
There was particular concern that money could be stripped from youth workers who currently run clubs in Alness and Tain.
Cromarty Firth councillor Carolyn Wilson told the council’s employability officer Bob Mackinnon that there were too many unanswered questions in his report for councillors to do anything other than defer their decision.
"We do not know whether our youth worker posts are going, staying or if this will be duplication," said Cllr Wilson.
"All this confusion could have been avoided by a bit of discussion and consultation. You’ll never learn."
Mr Mackinnon insisted there would be "no duplication" but councillors insisted shelving the plan for a fuller report was the practical way forward.
Councillor Wilson added: "The work that the youth work team in Alness do is recognised by the police. Crime figures will back up the work that they do and we as members are very proud of the achievements that they have made in supporting young people and keeping them out of trouble. Reading this report is the first time I knew there was going to be changes. We never even had a briefing."
