Lib Dem MSP hopeful David Green urges Highland Council to halt ‘damaging’ motorhome pass scheme amid fears it is unfairly undercutting local operators

Highland Council should halt the motorhome pass scheme and instead engage with local businesses to ensure campsites and caravan parks have a level playing field for which to compete, an MSP hopeful has said.

David Green, the Scottish Liberal Democrat candidate for Caithness, Sutherland, and Ross, has written to the local authority to share concerns raised with him by local residents and businesses.

He is not the first, both MSPs Edward Mountain and Fergus Ewing have both spoke out on it so far but their pleas fell on deaf ears.

The motorhome scheme allows overnight parking from 22.00 to 08.00 at designated car parks across the Highlands with free daily access to showering and changing in any High Life Highland leisure location.

And it has not been a success. It missed its £500,000 revenue target by £480,000 while at the same time sparking an outcry from local campsite and caravan park operators about unfairly undercutting them as they have less legal and financial burdens.

Those campsites and caravan parks, most of whom are small family-owned businesses, warn they are being squeezed out by competition from council car parks that allegedly do not comply with safety regulations, hurting their livelihoods.

Despite these concerns - and the revelation that only took in £20,000 in its first financial year - the SNP-Independent administration intends to stick to its guns.

This latest intervention follows a bid by Cllr Richard Gale, Chairman of Sutherland County Committee, who put forward a motion last month to prevent motorhomes from using council car parks at Golspie and Durness overnight.

It was hoped a ban would encourage campervans and motorhomes to use nearby privately-run campsites with dedicated facilities, but the SNP-Independent administration blocked the move.

Cllr Richard Gale explained: “The move was in response to several complaints over littering, dumping of waste and anti-social behaviour. Overnight restrictions already exist in parts of the Highlands, such as Carrbridge, so it is disappointing that the same rules are being denied for Sutherland.”

Mr Green said: “Small and medium enterprises, often family run businesses, are essential to creating jobs locally.

“We should be doing all we can to support them, not least given the backdrop of Covid-19 and the increase in national insurance contributions.

“Instead, we hear concerns that the Highland Council is effectively driving business away from local campsites and caravan parks. Serious questions need to be answered, not least concerning safety regulations but also complaints about littering.

“Business owners have shared with me a sense of feeling that decisions are being imposed on them, not made with them, both with this scheme and the proposed visitor levy. That simply isn’t on.

“The SNP-Independent administration should halt this motorhome pass scheme and instead engage with local businesses to ensure campsites and caravan parks have a level playing field for which to compete.”

Lynn and Darren Redfern of Dornoch Caravan and Camping Park have been vocal since the scheme was introduced about the harm it can do local operators by driving down demand.

“Back in 2022, when we first heard of plans to open council car parks to overnight parking, campsite owners met with Highland Council,” they said.

“Given many of the proposed car parks were within a few metres of a campsite, we urged the council not to introduce such a scheme so close to our businesses.

“We knew then the damage it would do to both our business and the local environment. We were not wrong. These car parks are unregulated and fail to meet basic health and safety requirements.

“These unsupervised locations offered by Highland Council have become a free for all and all sorts of negative behaviour now occurs on a regular basis. Moreover, the bottom line is this; our businesses cannot compete with a free alternative on our doorstep.”

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