Firstly, a big thank you to all who took the time to complete the recent Ullapool Community Trust (UCT) Community Survey.
We had 304 completed responses from a cross section of the community which included both those living in Ullapool itself and those from further afield.
The main aim of the survey was to find out the areas that are the most important to you. This will inform where we will concentrate our focus and resources over the coming 12 – 18 months.
Please click on the link below to see the full results.
The Results
In summary, the three topics that people were most concerned about were Affordable Housing, Employment and Training, and Sustainability, Environment and Climate Change.
Affordable Housing
The lack of affordable housing was by far the number one issue cited by local residents. There were many comments that supported this, and it was felt to be particularly relevant for young people. Many respondents made the link between the lack of housing, access to secure well-paid jobs, and the dependence of the local economy on tourism.
Employment and Training
The seasonal nature and quality of available work and reliance on the tourism sector are all a cause for concern. There were comments however highlighting that there is currently a shortage of workers to fill available jobs.
Sustainability, Environment & Climate Change
The three most pressing problems where people want to see action locally on are: single use plastics, facilities for sustainable tourism and fuel poverty/energy efficiency.
You also considered Health and Wellbeing and community transport other important areas.
Next steps
We will be using our Annual General Meeting in November to discuss the community priorities and our strategy for 2022 based on the feedback you have provided. We will concentrate our resources, where our remit allows, on those issues you care about most.
The UCT is managed and run by a volunteer board and two part time employees. Our resources are very limited but we are fortunate to have a dedicated team who believe that by working together, we can make a positive difference to our community.
We are always keen to have new members join us, either on a working group or on the board. If you are interested in getting involved, we’d love to hear from you. The more of us there are, the more we can do for our community.
Do you care about the issues highlighted in the Survey?
- UCT Affordable Housing Working Group: we are working alongside other organisations such as the Lochbroom Community Council, Highland Council and the Community Housing Trust to find possible solutions to the problem.
- Environment & Sustainability Working Group: this group has recently been involved in putting together a bid for grand funding from the National Lottery. If successful, the project will take action on single use plastics, reuse/repair activity and food waste reduction. We are always keen to have new members and new voices to bring about positive change to these and other issues.
- Employment & Training: If this is an area that matters to you, please get in touch. We will be looking at how UCT can work with others in our community to develop opportunities and new ideas.
If you would like to get involved in any of these groups or the running of the Trust then please email us on info@ullapoolcommunity.org