achieving impact with community benefit
DESCRIPTION
Achieving Impact with Community Benefit. Where is the Money Going. Ardgay, Sutherland David Hannah Community Council Panel Member. WINDFARM ACTIVITY IN THE NORTH HIGHLANDS OF SCOTLAND. WHERE DOES THE BENEFIT COME FROM?. IN THE BEGINNING - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
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Achieving Impact with Community Benefit
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Where is the Money GoingArdgay, Sutherland
David HannahCommunity Council Panel Member
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WINDFARM ACTIVITY IN THE NORTH HIGHLANDS OF SCOTLAND
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WHERE DOES THE BENEFIT COME FROM?
IN THE BEGINNINGDevelopers just told us what we would be
getting – no consultation and no options
PROGRESSNow when developers are planning to invade
our community they come and talk to us, negotiate with us and seem to be more
flexible about what ‘Benefit’ means to them & us.
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Wind Farms & DevelopersBeinn Tharsuinn - 20Achany - 19Rosehall - 19Sallachy - 22Glen Morie - 42Dalnessie - 27Coire na Cloich - 13Glen Cassley - 26Braemore - 25Beinn nan Oighrean - 2
SSESSEE.ONWKNAESSSERock by SeaSSEWind Prospect Developments
LtdRock by Sea
Operating - Proposed
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From the previous slide you will have seen that
there are/proposed over 200 turbines for our area
and we anticipate some £1 million every year for
the next 25 years in community benefit, if they all
go ahead, and we expect to be a very wealthy
community.
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BALANCE SHEETBENEFIT – INCOMEBeinn Tharsuinn (6
years)£104,953.15
Achany – (4 years)£380,000.00
Rosehall – (1 year only)£61,132.50
GRANTS – AWARDEDArdgay locally£95,456.03
Ardgay, Bonar Bridge & Lairg£315,066.43
Ardgay, Bonar Bridge & Lairg£59,271.37
Some of the balances are future committed funding where grants are
given over 2 or 3 years
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WHO BENEFITTEDVillage HallsCommunity Council
NewsletterCommunity WoodlandsYouth Development GroupLearning CentreDevelopment WorkersGolf ClubPrimary School Parent
CouncilVoluntary Groups Christmas Lights
Apprenticeship SchemeFoundation Scotland
Administration CostsCitizens Advice BureauOld Peoples CentreCommunity Care ForumNew FuturesAngling ClubFootball ClubRoyal British Legion
ScotlandArchaeology Group
Most of us did – in some way or another
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APPRENTICESHIP SCHEMEPOTENTIAL
EMPLOYERSGarageJoinerBuilderElectricianPlumberEstatesFisheries Trust
YOUNG PEOPLEUnqualifiedEarly leaversNo opportunitiesNo industryNo prospectsNo moneyPoor transport
linksScheme costs to date £55,826.23 5 Apprentices with 3 more due to start work this year
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What has been achieved in Ardgay and the Kyle of Sutherland and what we have learned during the process
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GOOD THINGS•Many of the smaller groups and organisations which were awarded grants would not have been able to continue, and progress.
•Funding has helped them to grow and recruit new members because of what they asked for grants for.
•In many cases the money has been used as partnership for other applications for funding.
•Sometimes the grants helped to keep people in employment long enough to access more finance, or to complete a project.
•Money will keep coming for the next 25 years, and we are setting up an endowment trust to make sure it will continue.
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SOME BAD THINGSPeople have become dependent on grants and stopped fundraising for themselves.
Groups and organisations ‘expect’ that they will be bailed out if they don’t have sufficient reserves to carry out projects to completion.
Other people outwith our community are jealous and accuse us of ‘rich’ discrimination because we have wind farms and they don’t.
Local authorities are always looking for ways to cut their funding to us because we are getting community benefit, and they are not getting a cut.
Developers make contracts to get them through Planning – then try to renege on them, or plead for a reduction until they are in profit.
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NOWAs Windfarm ‘Experts’ we are now a bit wiser
in progressing enquiries and applications from developers.
We get commitments before agreeing not to object, although individuals can and still do our community accepts the general policies that say we need alternative energy.
Having established precedents we are looking for the maximum achievable benefit in exchange for loss of our natural and spectacular scenery.
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WHAT NEXT?We continue to work with our neighbours to ensure
there is no reasons to form individual agreements.Developers are ‘expected’ to offer more than
recommended, either in profit share or other benefits and they are encouraged to support local employment.
By setting up endowment trusts we will secure future funding for our communities when new technology supercedes wind farms.
Through support from Foundation Scotland and groups like us across Scotland we lobby the Scottish government to set out consistent policies for both communities and developers.
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THANK YOUThat concludes my small presentation thanks
for listening and if you have any questions I’ll try to respond now, but if I can’t give you the
answer I’ll find it and let you have it later.
WE HAVE PLANTED THE SEEDS
NOW LET US REAP THE HARVEST