A leading councillor blasted Highland Council for pushing through decisions without local input at a meeting.
Lochaber Area Committee chairman Andrew Baxter slammed the authority for trying to make key decisions about almost £200,000-worth of funding on Lochaber without referring to the local members.
Mr Baxter said: “I called a meeting as a special area committee after I heard that decisions on our area would be made at an Inverness committee with no reference to the this committee.
“We take localism seriously and we should be making the decisions about how money is spent in Lochaber, at this meeting.
“I am amazed that this decision was going to be made without hearing local members views. It is elitism believing that only people in Inverness can make decisions.
“I found it incredible that we are not allowed a say in how money, that is to be allocated to the town, was to be spent.
“It continues to amaze me that there are people in Highland Council that can not see south of Fort Augustus.”
Councillor Allan Henderson, chairman of Highland Council’s development and infrastructure committee, hit back at Mr Baxter, saying the council was in no way elite.
He said: “Every single committee on Highland Council has representation from across the council area, and in no way is it elite.
“This decision would have come to the infrastructure committee for scrutiny and decision making, and anyone could have made a comment or talked at the committee.
“I don’t think anyone has sat down and tried to exclude anyone from these discussions, and I don’t think you need to call it elite.”
After a short debate between councillors, projects that will receive funding were prioritised as: Up to £70, 000 to the Thomas Telford Marina project in Corpach, up to £55,000 for the car park adjacent to the Co-op in Caol and £30,000 or more for an all-weather canopy for Cameron Square.
Town centre public realm improvements in Fort William will receive any remaining funds.
