Annual Report 2023/24 - Locality Plan Activity Update
Islands with Small Populations Locality Plan - Activity 2023/24
Community representatives and partners came together in June 2023 to review progress against the Locality Plan for 2020/23. This also provided an opportunity for relationships between service providers and communities, to be strengthened, particularly following the constraints of the pandemic. A representative of the Scottish Government’s Islands Team was able to hear directly from islanders on the impact of the National Islands Plan.
During the autumn each island community reviewed service issues and set out their development aspirations, supported by their Community Involvement and Development Officer (CIDO) from the Council’s Community Planning and Development Team.
This resulted in a Second Locality Plan. The focus is on:
- Resolving outstanding service issues;
- A step change in opportunities for development, supported by partners; and
- A change in approach to delivery.
Instead of the Strategic Delivery Group, issues and challenges are now reported directly to Management and Leadership Team, within their role as Programme Board for Place-Based Approaches, and each island community will be visited by a representative of this Team on a six monthly basis. The purpose of these visits is to support the outcomes in the Locality Plan.
The Second Plan will deliver on some particular themes, including:
- Community Resilience
- School Estate
- Eco-tourism
- Transition to Net Zero
- Community Maintenance Post.
The Plan was signed off by partners and communities during March 2024.