Trust assisted
The SIC this week stepped in to support Shetland Amenity Trust to the tune of £285,000 for its architectural heritage programme after the charitable trust said it was currently unable to afford any additional burdens.
Members of the council’s infrastructure committee unanimously agreed to stump up the grant on Tuesday after hearing that failure to do so would have led to compulsory redundancies at the amenity trust.
Head of finance Graham John-ston indicated that funding could be found from the 2009/10 reserve fund spend because a contingency budget provision was included.
Concern has previously been raised about the amenity trust’s habit of asking for more of Shetland taxpayers’ money as “crisis management” and, although there were no objections in this instance, councillor Gussie Angus did talk of the need for a “realisation” from such organisations that the council’s budget is heavily constrained too.
The programme is designed to protect and restore Shetland’s architectural heritage and encourage the use of traditional building methods and materials.
