Manifestos are easy to publish and difficult to deliver. I am very aware of that as we launch Highland CIC’s new manifesto. The Highlands has seen many strategies over the years. Some have delivered progress, but too often the benefits of major economic change have not been felt meaningfully in the communities that live and work here.
This manifesto comes from a very simple question: who benefits?
The Highlands is at the heart of the UK’s energy transition. We produce a significant share of the country’s renewable energy and host major transmission infrastructure. We are central to Scotland’s ambitions around clean energy, climate resilience and sustainable tourism. Yet we still see fuel poverty, high energy costs, outward migration of young people and fragile rural services, especially in social care.
One of the greatest economic opportunities in generations is happening here, but the benefits are not being felt in the way they should be. In some cases, they are contributing to a growing sense of polarisation within communities. They are not addressing the scale of the underlying challenges we face, not because the opportunity isn’t there, but because the system as it stands does not allow them to.
To be clear: we support renewable development. I live and work in Strathdearn, a community that has seen first-hand the positive impact renewable energy can bring and the strength of leadership required to turn that into lasting local benefit. It shows what is possible when development and community ambition are aligned.
Over the past five years, what I have seen is that the Highlands do not lack leadership. Across the region there are strong and committed initiatives in housing, poverty reduction, skills development, community development, childcare, environmental restoration, climate change and tourism. Communities are stepping forward, businesses are investing and public sector partners are working hard to respond.
But too often these efforts remain isolated. They are not consistently connected in a way that reflects how communities actually live and experience change.
Communities do not organise their lives around policy areas or funding streams; instead, they experience the combined impact of these issues simultaneously.
The result is a lack of shared vision and collective ambition, shaped by individual priorities and disconnected investment. That is what we are seeking to change, bringing alignment around a common purpose and a more coordinated approach to delivery.
That is what this manifesto is about: a more coordinated regional approach that connects energy development, community wealth building, housing, skills and tourism.
Central to this is a Highland Regional Sustainable Investment Plan – aligning public, private and philanthropic funding behind a vision and ambition and shared priorities, and ensuring more of the value created in the Highlands is retained here, leaving a lasting legacy for future generations.
This is also about fairness. The Highlands is helping to deliver Scotland’s energy transition and climate targets. It is only reasonable that the communities hosting this infrastructure see long-term benefits, but it is equally important that communities without that proximity are not left behind. That means thinking differently about how investment and sustainable development work together, bringing partners across sectors together to align effort and impact.
What gives me optimism is that the partnerships to do this already exist, and that through the CIC’s extensive engagement there is a shared ambition for the Highlands: to be an enriching place to live, work and visit, set within a dramatic natural environment, powered by energy innovation and sustained by thriving communities.
The lack of joined-up thinking is creating systemic challenges, and it is time for change. Communities do not experience life in silos they feel the combined pressure of housing, costs, climate and services all at once.
The transformation in economic development already underway must be matched by a transformational approach to sustainable development, aligning effort around what matters most.
By putting communities at the centre and restoring our natural environment, we can better direct investment and maximise impact. This is about confident communities shaping their future and reshaping the systems around them.
The Highlands has the opportunity to lead through two defining pillars – the growth of the energy sector and the evolution of our tourism economy. This is an opportunity that community leaders across the Highlands, through Highland CIC, are already building and shaping. Together, they can position the region as a place of international leadership in sustainable development, while shifting tourism from a high-volume, low-value model to one based on conscious travel and long-term value.
The scale of change now underway means we cannot afford to get this wrong. The decisions we make now will shape the Highlands for decades to come.
This manifesto is a call to action – to realise the full potential of energy and tourism, and to ensure every community shares in the benefits. If the Highlands are helping to power the country’s future, we also have the opportunity to redefine what sustainable development looks like in practice creating a legacy of prosperity, resilience and pride in this place.
I’d urge those reading this to take a look at the Highland CIC manifesto, share it with colleagues and associates, or get in touch if you or your organisation would like to be part of this work – there is much to do.
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