EFFORTS to secure urgent debates at both Holyrood and Westminster on the impact of major energy infrastructure in the Highlands has received cross-party support at a convention.
A convention of community councils organised by Aird and Loch Ness councillor Helen Crawford (Conservative) was held at the Kingsmills Hotel in Inverness on Tuesday.
It follows a meeting in June, where more than 50 community councils came together to demand a pause on energy infrastructure projects across the Highlands.
The convention, representing more than 72,000 people, is collectively calling for an immediate pause on major energy applications until their cumulative impact can be fully assessed.
The groups stress they are not against renewables, but are seeking further investigation into the impact on the Highlands.
Scotland’s Energy Secretary Gillian Martin and the UK Government’s Energy Minister Michael Shanks turned down the invitation to attend.
MPs and MSPs from the SNP, Labour, Conservatives and LibDems attended, alongside several Highland councillors.
The political representatives were as follows:
- Angus Macdonald MP (LibDems)
- Douglas Ross MSP (Conservative)
- Edward Mountain MSP (Conservative)
- Emma Roddick MSP (SNP)
- Fergus Ewing MSP (Independent)
- Graham Leadbitter MP (SNP)
- Jamie Halcro Johnston MSP (Conservative)
- Jamie Stone MP (LibDems)
- Maree Todd MSP (SNP)
- Tim Eagle MSP (Conservative)
- Torcuil Crichton MP (Labour)
The 11 representatives signed a statement which laid out two intentions.
The statement reads: "We, the undersigned Highland MSPs and MPs:
- Recognise and value local democracy and the pivotal role of all out Community Councils in ensuring that democracy is respected, and
- Undertake to do all that we can across our representative parties to secure urgent debates at both Holyrood and in the House of Commons at Wednesday on the attached Unified Statement of the Highland Convention of Community Council dated 14th June 2025."
Highland councillor Crawford, who is chairwoman of the community council convention, is a former lawyer and has said parliamentary debates would force ministers to defend policies.
"This is a way to get ministers to address the issues when they previously have not," Crawford said following the signing.
"Of course not everyone shares the same view, but this is a growing movement because people want this and need this conversation to happen.
"The statement is not perfect. But it’s a real attempt to address where the whole process has gone wrong and, let me be frank, this is not simply a local failure, it’s a national failure to address what’s going on.
"This clearly needs to go to Westminster and it needs to go to Holyrood."
