HIE Approved Funding

[Droopy]

It's easy to be critical of those in 'Ivory Towers' and in light of the current threads concerning business and businesses in Caithness I wanted to see for myself where exactly HIE and more specifically 'The Caithness and Sutherland Business Office' are allocating the money they receive from HQ in Inverness.

Here's the link for information for the last couple of years

.http://www.hie.co.uk/about-hie/where...g/default.html

Im not quite sure what to make of it to be honest, there are lots of fundings for particular events they organise which are questionable what use they were, however they do have a specific title but other funding is more vague. What for example is 'Specialist Contract Advice' payments in Jan'11 and Nov'11 for £50k and £177k respectively? Who is receiving nearly quarter of a million pounds from the Caithness and Sutherland office for advice that the great and the good from within the Caithness office arnt able to provide? If an engineering company receives funding, the company is named, if a produce company gets brand awareness or marketing funding, it is named.....why not the people or companies that give specialist advice.....why the vagueness?

There are things from every months approval report that caught my eye, Oct '12 for instance has £100k to a renewable directory which I've never heard of, £23k to fund a feasibility study on Huna Mill (is this report available anywhere)..? and the best of all, £5k for a 'North Highland Symposium' (drinks party)....

I appreciate HIE don't have magic wands and I'm trying not to be cynical, but reading through the monthly lists it does seem like it's a bit of a trough for their own noses, and doesn't do anything to dispel the reputation they have of being as much use as 'A harbour in Halkirk'.

I think it's time for the HIE, Council, Councillors, MP, MSP, Chamber etc to stop the public funded propaganda old boy back slapping and get up to the table and be counted. Spend money on events that will help businesses of Caithness not just events that are put on by one quango so that all the other quangos attend to boost numbers, which leaves the few private business people who attend coming from the event shaking their heads convinced never to return to another waste of time and money.

Some local businesses never need money but yet are the most successful......can't HIE speak to them and get some 'Specialist Advice'?...or is that not how it works in quango world?.......

[Droopy]

Here's another interesting one, it seems if you add 'renewables' to the company name along comes £28k.....this company has only had £100 in an account for three years going by their available company accounts, and is classified as 'dormant' and again has a director whos registered in England....

http://www.hie.co.uk/common/handlers...5-96710a302eb9

I found a link to Scotflow Technoligies (not renewables) 1 page website but won't post it here, but it would be very interesting to know what HIE's vision is for this renewable energy company in the run up to the wind down and loss of 2000 jobs at Dounreay.

[Droopy]

Thought I'd post the following links as I'm bemused as why hoover nozzles are classed as renewables?
This isn't a witch hunt, all the links are available on the Internet and the youtube film has been posted by the company itself.

This company secured funding of £28,000 from HIE under Scotflow Renewables Ltd, yet there is no mention of renewables either on the company website below:

http://www.scotflow.com

Or the youtube video here:

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7v1h_xP...%3D7v1h_xPIbCA

This is the tip of an HIE iceberg, check out the HIE Twitter page, it's a right laugh, all they seem to be able to do is arrange cupcake and social media workshops in village halls and cafes. Is it not obvious that the only companies that have all day to tweet, don't have any work to do...it's unbelievable. Yet they give the ability to be able to tweet or facebook top priority.


There should be the equivilant of a Parlimentary Inquiry in to this absolute shambles full of cronyism, nepotism and self appointed elitism.

[rob murray]

It's easy to be critical of those in 'Ivory Towers' and in light of the current threads concerning business and businesses in Caithness I wanted to see for myself where exactly HIE and more specifically 'The Caithness and Sutherland Business Office' are allocating the money they receive from HQ in Inverness.

Here's the link for information for the last couple of years

.http://www.hie.co.uk/about-hie/where...g/default.html

Im not quite sure what to make of it to be honest, there are lots of fundings for particular events they organise which are questionable what use they were, however they do have a specific title but other funding is more vague. What for example is 'Specialist Contract Advice' payments in Jan'11 and Nov'11 for £50k and £177k respectively? Who is receiving nearly quarter of a million pounds from the Caithness and Sutherland office for advice that the great and the good from within the Caithness office arnt able to provide? If an engineering company receives funding, the company is named, if a produce company gets brand awareness or marketing funding, it is named.....why not the people or companies that give specialist advice.....why the vagueness?

There are things from every months approval report that caught my eye, Oct '12 for instance has £100k to a renewable directory which I've never heard of, £23k to fund a feasibility study on Huna Mill (is this report available anywhere)..? and the best of all, £5k for a 'North Highland Symposium' (drinks party)....

I appreciate HIE don't have magic wands and I'm trying not to be cynical, but reading through the monthly lists it does seem like it's a bit of a trough for their own noses, and doesn't do anything to dispel the reputation they have of being as much use as 'A harbour in Halkirk'.

I think it's time for the HIE, Council, Councillors, MP, MSP, Chamber etc to stop the public funded propaganda old boy back slapping and get up to the table and be counted. Spend money on events that will help businesses of Caithness not just events that are put on by one quango so that all the other quangos attend to boost numbers, which leaves the few private business people who attend coming from the event shaking their heads convinced never to return to another waste of time and money.

Some local businesses never need money but yet are the most successful......can't HIE speak to them and get some 'Specialist Advice'?...or is that not how it works in quango world?.......

'A harbour in Halkirk'....brilliant lol lol lol