Fort William common good register approved

Common Good Funds in Scotland originated in the 15th century and are the assets and income of some former burghs. They represent a substantial portfolio of land, property and investments and by law continue to exist for the common good of the inhabitants of the former Burghs to which they relate.

Although the assets listed on the register remain the property of Highland Council, they must be held in a separate common good fund account which will result in income reductions for the council’s General Fund whilst at the same time, continued support will be required to help maintain the assets.

This position, however, will need to form part of careful forward planning to allow the Fort William Common Good Fund to accumulate adequate balances, discharge its asset duties, whilst ensuring the maintenance of common good properties are still supported appropriately.

The asset register is a fluid document, and properties can be added and removed as circumstances arise.

Since the consultation period, the land beside Craigs Burial Ground has been identified as common good and included on the asset register.

In line with governance procedures when managing common good assets in Highland, the Fort William CGF will be managed by the Area Committee.

However, an acknowledgement of the decision should also be reported to a future Highland Council meeting to reflect the fact that every elected member of the council is a custodian of all common good funds in Highland.

The finance service will be instructed to proceed with setting up the Fort William CGF account.

This will be in line with other common good funds in Highland with processes and procedures implemented for reporting and monitoring purposes.

Given that at least one property has been identified to date as income generating (West End Car Park), quarterly monitoring of the fund will be reported to the Area Committee.

An annual review and budget setting is unlikely to take place initially, until such time the fund has been established for at least 12 months.