Better Conversations Better Outcomes: Reflections on Community Meetings in Sutherland – John Sturrock

“There are existential threats, combined with existential opportunities”
“If we work together, we shall achieve and do so much more”
“I fear we could drown in money and die for want of services”
“We need more than football tops and flower-pots from renewables”
“In Scotland, we seem to be very stuck; centralisation has failed us”

Introduction
Over one week in March 2025, my economist colleague Charlie Woods and I were privileged to act as facilitators of “town hall” meetings in a number of communities in various locations in east, north and west Sutherland. The meetings, which were held under the auspices of Voluntary Groups Sutherland, were enhanced by more intimate 1:1 sessions and other meetings with small groups.

The inspiration for the meetings came from an initiative which I led back in 2017 entitled the Better Conversations Bus Tour, during which I had visited many of the towns and villages on the route of the North Coast 500 to explore with local people how to engage more effectively with each other on difficult issues. That initiative was supported by UHI, NC500, HIE and others.

On this occasion, HIE were again involved, along with a local network of development trusts and community groups in Sutherland. The aim was to support local people, community groups, development trusts, clubs and other organisations to achieve better outcomes for their community by providing the tools to:

• have better conversations about local issues
• enhance personal relationships and ways of working together
• discuss difficult matters in constructive ways and find common ground.

There was a personal element for me. I have a real affection for the north of Scotland, having travelled in the area regularly for over 40 years since meeting my wife, whose family comes from (and still live in) Caithness.

Reflections
The observations at the top of this article capture some of what we heard. The following paragraphs summarise the key outcomes.

1. Many local folk spoke of their strong affection for where they live, including the outstanding natural environment, and of a collective desire to focus on helping communities to survive,  improve and thrive. The exceptional commitment of many people became clear, often giving up hours each week, usually in voluntary activities, and providing essential support and services in often remote towns and villages. There are many groups in each area and a multitude of activities are offered, often overcoming serious logistical challenges. While it is recognised that most people are doing their best and want to make a difference, with a desire to enhance the work of existing organisations and address shared issues, resources are seriously stretched.

• Across the area, certain common themes emerged: poor communication, lack of coordination, confusion, fear of speaking out, misunderstandings, resistance to (and fear of) change, the dynamics of small groups, an “us v them” mentality, volunteers and paid staff/professionals with different views and approaches, leadership issues and serious concerns about depopulation and loss of services.

• To create positive change, there seems to be a need for more strategic planning, collaboration, and a clearer understanding of roles among the many organisations. Over-bureaucratic approaches at regional and central governmental level, stultifying initiative and holding up progress, is also perceived as an issue. Delivery of public services in these areas may need a root and branch review. Action not words, delivery not rhetoric, is what is sought. Further enabling – and trusting – local communities to make and take decisions for themselves, based on their own experiences and knowledge, would seem to be a key part of this.

• That communities and groups need to find more ways to work together, rather than independently, and to focus on long-term solutions rather than short-term fixes, seems clear. It is also clear that leveraging financial resources effectively, particularly from the many emerging and existing renewable energy projects, could provide very significant opportunities for sustainable growth and improvement in public services. Indeed, these could underpin transformational projects and service delivery, especially if community benefits are substantial and not just tokenistic as they have tended to be in the past.  There are opportunities to share intelligence and ensure mutual gains through cooperative and coordinated bidding, rather than competition for limited resources. These are in many ways tipping point times for these communities.

We identified four specific themes:

Community Collaboration:

• Across various areas, there is a strong need for better cooperation and understanding between community councils, development trusts and other local organisations, to maximise impact and achieve common goals.
• Mapping of all projects, funders and community groups, and their roles and responsibilities, seems essential, not least to reduce the tendency to fall back on “egos, logos and silos” as one community leader described it. Transparency and openness across the board seems essential.
• Streamlining and coordination of groups, pooling resources and knowledge (for example in purchasing power for projects such as housing), inclusion rather than exclusion, elimination of unnecessary duplication, would seem valuable.
• The future of many communities depends on working together for the common good, with a common plan and united vision. The whole will definitely be greater than the sum of the parts.

Leadership and Governance:

• There are numerous leadership and governance challenges, including conflicts among individuals (often with strong personalities), lack of resources, and issues regarding accountability.
• Proper professional governance and strategic planning are essential for long-term success. Community Councils are often seriously under-resourced and inexperienced to undertake the work expected of them, in distributing funds and particularly in relation to planning matters. This can seriously undermine local democracy, which is amplified when central government ignores local decisions. Strong cohesive community leadership (and guidance) is essential going forward.

Communication and Trust:

• A recurring theme is the need for improved communication, trust-building, and respectful and honest dialogue between stakeholders, especially when tackling community development issues. People want to be able to engage in frank “adult conversations” without fear.
• The time wasted on sometimes toxic squabbles can have a significant impact on staff in organisations and on achieving outcomes when resources are already stretched.
• (Re-)building relationships and communication channels is hard work but the benefits will be substantial.  Enabling people to thrive and feel valued and affirmed, recognising the network of connections, inter-dependence and reciprocity, can make a huge difference.
• It should be a priority to address these issues in each community.

Depopulation and Sustainability:

• Many areas face challenges with already low population density, fragmented communities, depopulation, ageing populations, and crumbling services. Some people, often those most active, many with two jobs, are “worn out and burnt out”. Finding volunteers for many roles in communities is becoming ever harder.
• Effective planning and leveraging financial resources are critical to overcoming these hurdles and ensuring sustainable community growth. It is essential to develop the vision to use new funding opportunities to attract and retain a younger economically active population, who are at present less inclined to remain as care and other key services are reduced or withdrawn.
• Involving younger people and widening conversations to explore different backgrounds, perspectives, and experiences will be valuable.

Conclusion
Overall, there are real opportunities to build more sustainable and economically viable communities in Sutherland. Some steps to build on the meetings and continue the conversations have already been taken. That said, there are considerable challenges to overcome.  We hope that these reflections, which have been shared with all those who participated, might stimulate further thought and action.

Footnote:
Since writing this, I have become aware of the Highlands & Islands Regional Economic Partnership Report on Regional Transformational Opportunities which suggests, among other things, the potential of £100bn of investment in the Highlands & Islands over the next 15 years. The Report states that “The scale of opportunity for the Highlands and Islands has never been greater and is supported by policy drivers regionally, in Scotland and at the UK level.” What struck me was the apparent disconnect between the Report’s aspirations and the reality of what is actually happening on the ground in many places.

This is perhaps illustrated in another recent Report, by North West 2045, a local initiative in Sutherland and Coigach, who say that “communities are threatened by fundamental challenges of extreme population sparsity and chronic depopulation. Houses are unaffordable to most local people; school rolls are falling and jobs are scarce”. The Report is “a stark warning about the future of some of Scotland’s most remote mainland communities” and a call for “an urgent rethink in how policy, service design and spending are designed and delivered for areas experiencing chronic depopulation.”

The need for joined up thinking – and action – seems clear.

John Sturrock KC is the Founder and Senior Mediator, Core Solutions