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Highland: what’s happening where you live

What the council itself has published on the five things it most shapes for a household: homes, getting about, the bill, the local environment and schools. Each line is quoted from the council’s own document, with the link. This page says what was decided or proposed; it never says whether it was right.

Read on 25 September 2026. Councils publish at different rates and in different places, so “nothing found” means nothing found, not nothing happening.

The Highland Council: Scottish unitary authority (unitary), Scotland. GOV.UK lists it as a unitary council. ONS code S12000017.

Council plan · Budget · Meeting papers · Councillors · Register of interests · Consultations

Do it online

The council’s own service pages as listed by GOV.UK’s Local Links Manager (Open Government Licence), refreshed weekly; the same list of everyday services, in the same order, for every council, in GOV.UK’s wording.

Housing

Highland Council says it anticipates 24,000 new houses will be required in Highland over ten years.

“It is anticipated that 24,000 new houses will be required in Highland in the next ten years.”

The Highland Council, 27 June 2024. Read 25 September 2026. Not a Local Development Plan target: this is the council's 'Highland Housing Challenge' figure (based on an updated Housing Need and Demand Assessment). Highland has no single current council-wide LDP housing target; the new Highland Local Development Plan is at 'Call for Ideas' stage (extended to 20 November 2026, per council news 15 Sep 2026: https://www.highland.gov.uk/news/article/17473/help-shape-highland-s-future-call-for-ideas-extended-until-november). Area plans (IMFLDP2, CaSPlan, WestPlan) carry their own housing land requirements.

Transport

Highland Council has proposed a draft traffic order adding waiting and loading restrictions in Fort William and Mallaig.

“The proposed Order will introduce new waiting and loading restrictions in Fort William and Mallaig.”

The Highland Council, 24 September 2026. Read 25 September 2026. Variation Fifteen Order 2026 (Draft); documents available for inspection 28 August to 18 September 2026. The same page also records an off-street parking order made on 18 September 2026 (in force 5 October 2026). Date is the page's 'Page last modified'.

Traffic and highways orders published in The Gazette (last four months) Updated automatically

The Gazette, the official public record (Open Government Licence). Titles are the orders’ own names. Councils outside London usually publish these in local newspapers instead, so an empty list here does not mean no orders were made.

Council tax

Band D council tax set by Highland for 2026–27: £1,633.99 a year. Excludes water and sewerage charges.

Every band
Highland: council tax by band, 2026 to 2027
BandA year
A£1,089.33
B£1,270.88
C£1,452.44
D£1,633.99
E£2,146.88
F£2,655.23
G£3,199.90
H£4,003.28

Source: Scottish Government, Council Tax by band 2026-27 (Open Government Licence).

Your own bill depends on your band and any discounts or reductions.

Highland Council agreed a 7% Council Tax increase for 2026-27 (Band D council tax £1,633.99).

“A 7% increase in Council Tax – 5% to support the delivery of core services like education, roads, housing and social care, and 2% of ring-fenced funding for The Highland Investment Plan, the Council’s £2.1 billion, 20-year programme of capital investment in schools, infrastructure, and community facilities.”

The Highland Council, 5 March 2026. Read 25 September 2026. Band D figure from the council's charges page (https://www.highland.gov.uk/council-tax/council-tax-scottish-water-charges/2): 'Council Tax: £1,633.99' under Band D, 2026 to 2027. Budget papers: https://www.highland.gov.uk/meetings/meeting/5315/highland-council (5 March 2026).

Environment

Highland Council's Net Zero Strategy includes a route map to net zero by 2045, with interim cuts of at least 75% by 2030 and 90% by 2040.

“Our strategy includes a route map to Net Zero by 2045.”

The Highland Council, 19 March 2026. Read 25 September 2026. Same page lists the interim targets: 'reduce emissions by at least: 75% by 2030 90% by 2040'. Date is the page's 'Page last modified'.

Education

Highland Council is consulting on a proposal to discontinue education at Knockbreck Primary School, Isle of Skye (consultation 2 September to 30 October 2026).

“We are seeking the views of local communities on a proposal to discontinue education at Knockbreck Primary School, Isle of Skye, and reassign the school catchment area to Dunvegan Primary School.”

The Highland Council, 16 September 2026. Read 25 September 2026. Other current school consultations on the same page: relocation of Thurso High School, Pennyland Primary School and Miller Academy Primary School; relocation of Plockton Primary School (19 August to 9 October 2026).

What the council plans to spend, 2026–27

The budget for each service, as Highland reported it to the Scottish Government. The same headings, in the same order, for every council in Scotland.

Highland: budget by service, 2026 to 2027
ServiceBudget
Education£399.6 million
Culture and related services£21.7 million
Social work£232.4 million
Roads and transport£45.1 million
Road bridgesnone budgeted
Environmental services£36.8 million
Building, planning and development£2.7 million
Central services£11.8 million
Housing (outside the housing revenue account)£22.1 million
Trading services−£4.6 million
Total net revenue expenditure£767.7 million

Net revenue expenditure: spending less the service’s own income.A minus figure means the service’s income is budgeted to be more than its spending. “None budgeted” usually means another body runs that service here. Source: Scottish Government, Local Government 2025-26 Provisional Outturn and 2026-27 Budget Estimates: revenue workbook (Open Government Licence).

Life in Highland: the official facts

Facts about the people who live here: their pay, homes, health and more, from official statistics. They describe the place, not you, and every council gets the same list. Each shows when it was measured.

Show the figures for:

Showing: Highland.

People living here
237,260 people 30 June 2025 · Office for National StatisticsAn official estimate of everyone who lives in the area, in the middle of the year.
Typical age
48 years 30 June 2025 · Office for National StatisticsHalf the people who live here are younger than this and half are older.
Money to live on, per person, per year
£24,917 2024 · Office for National StatisticsAverage household income per person after taxes, with benefits added: what people have to spend or save.
Typical weekly pay, before tax
£612 30 April 2025 · Office for National StatisticsFor employees who live here: half earn more than this each week, half earn less.
Children growing up in poverty
14.2% April 2024 to March 2025 · Department for Work and PensionsThe share of children under 16 in families on low incomes once housing costs are paid.
People claiming unemployment-related benefits
2.2% 2025 · Office for National StatisticsThe share of people aged 16 to 64 claiming Jobseeker's Allowance or Universal Credit while looking for work.
Average price of a home
£224,574 August 2026 · HM Land RegistryThe average price of a home here in the month shown.
Years in good health: women
62.0 years 2022 to 2024 · Office for National StatisticsHow many years a girl born here can expect to live in good health, at current rates.
Years in good health: men
61.0 years 2022 to 2024 · Office for National StatisticsHow many years a boy born here can expect to live in good health, at current rates.
Greenhouse gases, per person
9.6 tonnes per person 2024 · Department for Energy Security and Net ZeroEmissions from the area in a year, shared out per resident, in tonnes of carbon dioxide or its equivalent.
Homes and businesses that can get the fastest broadband
63.3% 1 January 2026 · OfcomThe share of addresses that can get gigabit broadband (1,000 Mbps).
Public chargers for electric cars
386.9 per 100,000 people 1 July 2026 · Department for Transport, sourced from ZapmapPublic charging points at all speeds, for every 100,000 people.
Businesses trading here
9,440 businesses 2024 · Office for National StatisticsBusinesses with sales or staff in the year.

More figures for Highland from the ONS

Gathered by the Office for National Statistics in Explore Local Statistics (Open Government Licence), refreshed daily. Some figures aren’t published for every nation, so the list can be shorter outside England.

Who runs the council

74 seats in 2026. Run by: a coalition or arrangement of SNP and independents. Open Council Data (public domain).

Councillors by party: Independent / Other 27, Scottish National Party (SNP) 19, Liberal Democrats 16, Conservative and Unionist 6, Scottish Green Party 3, Labour Party 2, Vacant 1.

Next scheduled council election: 6 May 2027.

All 74 councillors, by ward
  • Chris Ballance (Scottish Green Party) — Aird and Loch Ness
  • David Fraser (Independent / Other) — Aird and Loch Ness
  • Emma Knox (Scottish National Party (SNP)) — Aird and Loch Ness
  • Helen Crawford (Conservative and Unionist) — Aird and Loch Ness
  • Bill Lobban (Independent / Other) — Badenoch and Strathspey
  • John Bruce (Conservative and Unionist) — Badenoch and Strathspey
  • Muriel Cockburn (Scottish National Party (SNP)) — Badenoch and Strathspey
  • Russell Jones (Independent / Other) — Badenoch and Strathspey
  • Lyndsey Johnston (Scottish National Party (SNP)) — Black Isle
  • Morven-May MacCallum (Liberal Democrats) — Black Isle
  • Sarah Atkin (Independent / Other) — Black Isle
  • John Grafton (Liberal Democrats) — Caol and Mallaig
  • Liz Saggers (Conservative and Unionist) — Caol and Mallaig
  • Sammy Cameron (Independent / Other) — Caol and Mallaig
  • John Edmondson (Liberal Democrats) — Cromarty Firth
  • Richard Cross (Independent / Other) — Cromarty Firth
  • Sinclair Coghill (Independent / Other) — Cromarty Firth
  • Tamala Collier (Scottish National Party (SNP)) — Cromarty Firth
  • Glynis Sinclair (Scottish National Party (SNP)) — Culloden and Ardersier
  • Morven Reid (Independent / Other) — Culloden and Ardersier
  • Trish Robertson (Liberal Democrats) — Culloden and Ardersier
  • Angela MacLean (Liberal Democrats) — Dingwall and Seaforth
  • Graham MacKenzie (Scottish National Party (SNP)) — Dingwall and Seaforth
  • Margaret Paterson (Independent / Other) — Dingwall and Seaforth
  • Sean Kennedy (Independent / Other) — Dingwall and Seaforth
  • Leslie-Anne Niven (Scottish National Party (SNP)) — East Sutherland and Edderton
  • Richard Gale (Liberal Democrats) — East Sutherland and Edderton
  • Vacant (Vacant) — East Sutherland and Edderton
  • Christine Gillies (Independent / Other) — Eilean á Chèo
  • Drew Millar (Scottish National Party (SNP)) — Eilean á Chèo
  • John Finlayson (Independent / Other) — Eilean á Chèo
  • Ruraidh Stewart (Conservative and Unionist) — Eilean á Chèo
  • Andrew Baxter (Liberal Democrats) — Fort William and Ardnamurchan
  • Kate Willis (Scottish Green Party) — Fort William and Ardnamurchan
  • Matthew Prosser (Liberal Democrats) — Fort William and Ardnamurchan
  • Thomas MacLennan (Independent / Other) — Fort William and Ardnamurchan
  • Kate MacLean (Scottish National Party (SNP)) — Inverness Central
  • Michael Cameron (Scottish National Party (SNP)) — Inverness Central
  • Michael Gregson (Labour Party) — Inverness Central
  • David Gregg (Liberal Democrats) — Inverness Millburn
  • Ian Brown (Scottish National Party (SNP)) — Inverness Millburn
  • Isabelle MacKenzie (Conservative and Unionist) — Inverness Millburn
  • Alasdair Christie (Liberal Democrats) — Inverness Ness-side
  • Andrew MacKintosh (Labour Party) — Inverness Ness-side
  • Jackie Hendry (Scottish National Party (SNP)) — Inverness Ness-side
  • Andrew Sinclair (Independent / Other) — Inverness South
  • Duncan Macpherson (Independent / Other) — Inverness South
  • Duncan McDonald (Independent / Other) — Inverness South
  • Ken Gowans (Scottish National Party (SNP)) — Inverness South
  • Alex Graham (Liberal Democrats) — Inverness West
  • Bill Boyd (Scottish National Party (SNP)) — Inverness West
  • Ryan MacKintosh (Scottish Green Party) — Inverness West
  • Barbara Jarvie (Conservative and Unionist) — Nairn and Cawdor
  • Laurie Fraser (Independent / Other) — Nairn and Cawdor
  • Michael Green (Independent / Other) — Nairn and Cawdor
  • Paul Oldham (Scottish National Party (SNP)) — Nairn and Cawdor
  • Hugh Morrison (Independent / Other) — North, West and Central Sutherland
  • Marianne Hutchison (Scottish National Party (SNP)) — North, West and Central Sutherland
  • Michael Baird (Independent / Other) — North, West and Central Sutherland
  • Connie Ramsay (Liberal Democrats) — Tain and Easter Ross
  • Laura Dundas (Independent / Other) — Tain and Easter Ross
  • Maureen Ross (Independent / Other) — Tain and Easter Ross
  • Karl Rosie (Independent / Other) — Thurso and Northwest Caithness
  • Matthew Reiss (Independent / Other) — Thurso and Northwest Caithness
  • Ron Gunn (Liberal Democrats) — Thurso and Northwest Caithness
  • Struan Mackie (Liberal Democrats) — Thurso and Northwest Caithness
  • Chris Birt (Scottish National Party (SNP)) — Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh
  • Isabelle Campbell (Independent / Other) — Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh
  • Liz Kraft (Scottish National Party (SNP)) — Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh
  • Patrick Logue (Liberal Democrats) — Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh
  • Andrew Jarvie (Independent / Other) — Wick and East Caithness
  • Jan McEwan (Liberal Democrats) — Wick and East Caithness
  • Raymond Bremner (Scottish National Party (SNP)) — Wick and East Caithness
  • Willie MacKay (Independent / Other) — Wick and East Caithness

Each councillor’s register of interests is on the council’s own site, linked rather than summarised, because summarising means choosing. Councillors from Open Council Data as recorded after the May 2026 elections; a by-election since then may have changed one seat. Attendance and allowances are not shown.

This council’s meeting papers could not be read automatically (the site blocks or did not answer), so decisions and motions are not listed here; the meeting papers hold them.

Write to your councillors → WriteToThem (mySociety) finds them from your postcode; nothing is sent through this site.

Cite this page

Harvard style. Every figure on the page also names its original source, which is usually the better thing to cite.

Every council page has the same five headings in the same order. Sources are the council’s own publications and official statistics. Council list: mySociety, UK Local Authorities (CC BY 4.0) and WhatDoTheyKnow authorities (CC BY-SA 4.0); council websites, tiers and service links: GOV.UK (Open Government Licence); codes: ONS Code History Database (Open Government Licence). Corrections: hello@whatsittome.org.