Making the best use of Nairn's Common Good Assets: "We need a system that is open, transparent and honest " - Video

Alastair Noble discussing the potential for Nairn's Common Good Fund, how things are different in Inverness and what we need to do to make the most of our Common Good assets.

Incidently the Common Good Fund will be on the agenda of the Nairn Badenoch and Strathspey Committee meeting in the Courthouse tomorrow Tuesday at 10.30 a.m. More details in previous Gurn article here. 

Here are the figures that the Councillors are recommended to "receive".

One of our regular readers has read the figures presented for the meeting and wonders why the Common Good pays out £10,825 "Rent, Rates and Insurance", insurance of course being necessary but our correspondent asks what the Common Good pays rent and rates on? A further question is suggested by our reader who goes on to demand:  "What are the specific figures for rental and other income," our correspondent would like to see a breakdown of who pays what to the Common Good. Another point is does the income from rental etc, not really cover the cost of the maintenance of the Common Good? 

This observer notes that the Sandown Lands are valued as a £10,000,000 asset on those figures - but if the community wanted to keep all or part of it green then isn't that value academic? Perhaps serious students of these matters may also wish to browse the document that will come before the committee tomorrow.

In relation to Common Good campaigns across Scotland, Andy Wightman has published an excellent article which compares the successful Berwick upon Tweed Common Good fund with others in the Borders area of Scotland. His article is here "Scotland’s oldest and wealthiest burgh is thriving (in England)."