Caithness parking charges

Two interesting stories in the Groat.

1) http://www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk/...s-09112017.htm

2)http://www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk/...t-10112017.htm

HIGHLAND Council is still facing a £400,000 shortfall in income from car parks

.......yet happy to spent £890,000.00 on art that (hopefully) most of us will never see unless you appear in Inverness court or prison. HCC could easily redistribute this money despite their claim they have to spent 1% of build cost on 'public' art.

Can we all request a tour of the prison to see 'our' art?

Ps well done to Jamie Stone for bringing this up

That's the problem with having separate budgets instead of just spending on what is needed. I'm sure we can all think of better things to spend this money on when the Council is so deep in debt. Public bodies don't seem to know the difference between want and need.

Bit worried about charging for parking in Wick car parks though when parking on the streets is such a problem and we need more people to use the car parks. Navigating the bend with the traffic lights by the market place is bad enough for cars and must be a nightmare for large vehicles with selfish drivers parking wherever they feel like. What happened to walking?

We are required to spend 1% of prison construction budget on art? What an excellent rule: perhaps there is still a glimmer of humanity and culture left in British society.
That aside, if Wick were going to charge for parking, they might as well nail the plywood over their shop windows now...

Thurso has had no new investment for years, a lot of shops closed, all Highland Council seam any good at is collecting our money, and dumping their rubbish up here, and making new silly by-laws that they can charge us for, and in return we get useless councillors that collect there wages and nod there heads for more money for Inverness. Its time Caithness had its own council again and some decent people on it, who are not Highland puppets.

I agree 100% regarding the parking issue in Wick needing addressed asap but what i don't agree with is HC trying to fill their gap in funds by sucking money out of Caithness when the area clearly needs more funding. The only thing that will happen up here is nobody will use the parks if a charge is applied then the already crazy parking situation will just get out of control. Double yellow lines i hear you say? great, then that will probably kill some of the barely surviving business on the high street/bridge street in Wick. If and when they do this, then obviously the money will go towards filling the hole in the fininces but you can guarantee not one single penny of it will come back into Caithness as there will be more "urgent" projects in Inverness requiring spending on.

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Originally Posted by Goodfellers

.......yet happy to spent £890,000.00 on art...

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Would be interesting to know just what "Art" they got for that much?

Did they support local artists?

Would be interesting to know just what "Art" they got for that much?

Did they support local artists?

Yes, I wondered this too.

Surely someone on here is willing to commit a small misdemeanour then report back on the art situation? I does seem odd that public art is only accessible to anyone convicted of a crime.

I bet the parking charges will be brought in by HC hoping to cash in on the success of the NC500 and completely forgetting about the locals and their needs, then I wonder how many HC councillors in Inverness know where Wick or Thurso is.

I expect there will be a new rush of enthusiasm for jury service down there!

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Originally Posted by Goodfellers

Two interesting stories in the Groat.

1) http://www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk/...s-09112017.htm

2)http://www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk/...t-10112017.htm

HIGHLAND Council is still facing a £400,000 shortfall in income from car parks

.......yet happy to spent £890,000.00 on art that (hopefully) most of us will never see unless you appear in Inverness court or prison. HCC could easily redistribute this money despite their claim they have to spent 1% of build cost on 'public' art.

Can we all request a tour of the prison to see 'our' art?

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There may be some confusion arising from this post.

If you read the item carefully you will see the person from Highland council Scott Dalgarno is from the Highland council Planning office. He is commenting on the planning application. It is not Highland council putting up the building but merely enforcing the regulations. It is Scottish Prison Service that is putting up the new prison and being required to pay for public art. So Highland council has no control over the fact that this percentage of the project is required to be spent on art.

There is another art project in Inverness that Highland council is putting in 14%of the money and the rest is from the Inverness Common Good fund and Creative Scotland - see https://www.highland.gov.uk/rivernessart It is often the case that putting up certain amount of money fro projects levers in higher amounts. Often Inverness Common Good Fund gets confused with Highland council money as Highland council operates the fund on behalf of the residents there. Yes, Inverness is lucky to have this fund that is in addition to any other spending. It derives most of its income from the ownership of the Victorian Market in the city. Highland councillors are merely trustees and cannot move the money for any other purposes and it must be used to benefit citizens of Inverness.

As to arts spending generally you will find there have been reduction in that area also in recent years along with may other areas of public spending and there are no easy decisions trying to balance art against other sections of spending especially as it often affects total spend that in turn affects business and tourism.

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Originally Posted by Alrock

Would be interesting to know just what "Art" they got for that much?

Did they support local artists?

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Investing in artwork which is likely to gain in value is something an organisation with funds can do.

Throwing subsidies at pot-walloping hippies is another matter.

On the first Art money from he prison etc I doubt if they have even gone out to tender for it yet. Then is usually competitive tendering and the idea to be assessed. It can come from any artists that submit their plans and ideas for the work - so if you mean local then possibly.

The River Ness Art project shows the artist selected is Annie Catterell. Get Googling to find out more................

Not impressed with new road signs with the gaelic names on who will benefit from that,

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Originally Posted by pig whisperer

Not impressed with new road signs with the gaelic names on who will benefit from that,

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Sign manufacturers.