It has emerged that thousands of pounds could be saved by budget-strapped Highland Council every year if it made more use of video conferencing facilities already installed at venues across the region.
Limited use is currently made of tele-conferencing which allows councillors in farareas of the Highlands to participate in meetings from local venues.
Several members made a reference to the technology when asked by the Press and Journal last week whether they pay for their lunches when attending meetings at the authority’s Glenurquhart Road headquarters in Inverness.
The council’s latest estimate for budget savings next year is £41million, in the wake of the chancellor’s autumn statement and it is openly considering all possibilities. A public consultation is underway.
Many of the 80 councillors clock up a high mileage to attend meetings at various venues, including the authority’s Inverness HQ for strategic committees and full council meetings.
Some face a round trip of well over 200 miles to represent their constituents at such meetings. Some stay overnight and charge for the accommodation costs in their expenses.
A spokeswoman for the council confirmed that there have been “very few occasions” when video-conferencing has been used at full council.
The links are available at council premises in Fort William, Dingwall, Wick, Golspie and Portree.
Eben Wilson, director of the watchdog group, Taxpayer Scotland, said: “Every council needs to innovate to push costs out of their operations.
“To have this equipment lying idle shows a lack of concern for taxpayers. We’d like to see better leadership than this.”
SNP group deputy leader, Richard Laird, doubted that it would be practical to use the facility for a full council meeting attended by up to 80 members, but added it would work for others.
He said: “There’s already an option for councillors to video-conference into any meeting of the council if they choose. It seems an obvious way to reduce costs.”
Council leader Margaret Davidson said: “We’re doing this all the time and will be moving to do more.”