Highland Council splashes £2600 on robes in the middle of the cost of living crisis
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IN the midst of a financial crisis Highland Council has splashed out thousands of pounds on new robes for the city provost.
It is understood that the decision was taken by council officers working at an operational level so that they fit the city’s civic leader, Councillor Glynis Sinclair.
News of the development is contained within the minutes of matters relating to the Inverness Common Good Fund, in a discussion to which the public were not admitted. The papers stated: “The city area manager also informed members that adjustments had been made to the arrangement of the robes, at a cost of £2600, so the Provost could continue to represent Inverness.”
In 2015 Cllr Sinclair expressed dissatisfaction with use of the fund to pay for robes, describing the practice as “archaic.”
The Provost traditionally wears the robes on formal ceremonial occasions such as the annual Kirking of the Council.
Queried about the spending at a time when the council is facing a range of financial challenges, a Highland Council spokesperson said: “In line with the election of every new Provost, consideration was given to the available Provost robes. When members decided to appoint Councillor Glynis Sinclair as Provost of Inverness and Area, the same consideration was applied.
“It became clear that a new robe was required to ensure that the Provost could properly represent the city at all civic events.
“Accordingly, an investment was made in the sum of £2600 in order to ensure the Provost had an appropriate robe to represent the people of the city at high-profile prestigious events.”
In September council leader Raymond Bremner reported the local authority was facing a potential overspend of £9.6 million against the current year’s revenue budget and a forecasts budget gap of £40.9 million for 2023/24.
Asked about her earlier opposition to use of the fund for robes, Cllr Sinclair argued that she has already sought to save cash by refusing to have traditional provost’s lamp posts installed at her home – priced at between £2500 and £3500.
“Becoming the Provost of Inverness is something I am immensely proud of and I respect and appreciate the many traditions that accompany this role,” she said.
“However, I have made a moral and economic decision not to honour one such tradition, the installation of two street lights which are normally fitted at the entrance to the Provost’s home and paid for by the Common Good Fund.
“I live in a rural setting, with no street lighting, and I believe the money which would have been spent on this should be used in a way that will represent greater common good for our communities.
“We are in the middle of a cost of living crisis and it would be wholly inappropriate for me to agree to something many people would – quite rightly – see as unnecessary and wasteful.”
Once the lamp posts have been installed they remain at the property throughout the provost’s tenure, with one removed when their term is over.
This means only one new lamp post needs to be purchased when a new provost is appointed, costing approximately £2500.
However, if the property is rural and no street lighting exists, the costs of fitting could rise to around £3500 with a new connection required from SSE plus associated civil work around the installation.
