Scott Maclennan
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scottmaclennan.bsky.social
Scott Maclennan
@scottmaclennan.bsky.social
440 followers 330 following 28 posts
Political reporter in the best beat in the world (the Highlands) for The Inverness Courier, and five others
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Reposted by Scott Maclennan
andydixon1.bsky.social
I'm a great believer that FOIs can lead to great articles because they help inform the public on matters organisations might prefer us not to know about.
@scottmaclennan.bsky.social

www.inverness-courier.co.uk/news/number-...
Number of Highland Council officials getting £60k or more a year rockets by five times in six years
New data reveals pay costs to the local authority rose from £6.7m to £32.5m a year.
www.inverness-courier.co.uk
May 2, 2025 at 6:21 AM
scottmaclennan.bsky.social
Fergus Ewing to stand down as SNP MSP in 2026 as the Inverness and Nairn MSP says he ‘cannot defend the record of the SNP Government’ but leaves door open to run as an independent:

www.inverness-courier.co.uk/news/fergus-...
BREAKING: Fergus Ewing to stand down as SNP MSP at the next election ‘with great sadness’
The Inverness and Nairn MSP leaves door open to run as an independent but says he ‘simply cannot defend the record of the SNP Government’.
www.inverness-courier.co.uk
March 21, 2025 at 12:07 AM
scottmaclennan.bsky.social
This is a development that could be seriously consequential:

www.inverness-courier.co.uk/news/scottis...
Scottish Parliament told Highland Council ‘botched’ a child protection probe at north school
A petitions committee hearing accepted calls for an inquiry into how public bodies ‘mishandle’ such concerns.
www.inverness-courier.co.uk
February 6, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Reposted by Scott Maclennan
peternimmo.bsky.social
And if you tick here, Bernstein, you get the 99p Inauguration Sale Subscription Offer
Dustin Hoffman (as Carl Bernstein) holding a piece of paper which Robert Redford (Bob Woodward) points to in the Washington Post newsroom. From the film All The President's Men Advert for the Washington Post 99p Inauguration Sale subscription offer)
January 20, 2025 at 11:51 AM
Reposted by Scott Maclennan
markmclaughl1n.bsky.social
The number of pupils who receive help with exams has increased sixfold, leading to claims that parents are “gaming the system” by saying that their children have special needs.

Exclusive in @thetimes.com

www.thetimes.com/article/eb84...
Parents claim children have special needs to ‘game’ exam system
There were nearly 39,000 requests for assistance last year, up from less than 6,400 in 2005
www.thetimes.com
January 20, 2025 at 8:56 AM
Reposted by Scott Maclennan
severincarrell.bsky.social
"Disclosures given to the tribunal revealed that the Metropolitan Police, again acting on behalf of the PSNI, obtained more than 4,000 text messages and phone communications belonging to Mr Birney, Mr McCaffrey and more than a dozen journalists working for BBC Northern Ireland’s Spotlight programme"
hleehurley.com Lee Hurley @hleehurley.com · Dec 17
The Detail editor Trevor Birney and former Detail journalist Barry McCaffrey have made British legal history today after a tribunal ruled against two police forces which spied on them.

www.thedetail.tv/articles/jou...
Journalists call for public inquiry after landmark tribunal rules against PSNI and Metropolitan Police
The Detail editor Trevor Birney and former Detail journalist Barry McCaffrey have made British legal history today
www.thedetail.tv
December 17, 2024 at 11:52 AM
scottmaclennan.bsky.social
I've been covering Highland Council since 2018 and this was by far the worst debate I've witnessed. It was ill-tempered, partially factual and the council opted to do nothing:

www.inverness-courier.co.uk/news/educati...
Education debate degenerates into mudslinging at Highland Council
A bid to improve information triggered a furious reaction from administration councillors.
www.inverness-courier.co.uk
December 17, 2024 at 7:21 AM
Reposted by Scott Maclennan
creatorbluesky.bsky.social
Beautiful Solar eclipse, see from LEO 😍 Did you see it?
December 16, 2024 at 10:10 AM
scottmaclennan.bsky.social
Since 2016 Highland Council has been at or near the bottom of primary school attainment and in the bottom third for S3 attainment. On one measure in one year since 2016 the region met the national average. Time councillors did something:

www.inverness-courier.co.uk/news/parents...
Parents say they have ‘lost faith’ as Highland Council remains below average in education league tables
The council insists that it is one of most improved local authorities in Scotland.
www.inverness-courier.co.uk
December 13, 2024 at 6:47 AM
Reposted by Scott Maclennan
neilmackay.bsky.social
Or artists (Hitler)

Or journalists (Mussolini)

Or trainee priests (Stalin)

Or soldiers (Amin/Franco/Pinochet)

Or shoemakers (Ceausescu)

Or lawyers (Robespierre)

Or teachers (Pol Pot)

Or really any job frankly…

So shall we consign this to utter bollocks clickbait pointless braindead nonsense?
December 10, 2024 at 1:12 PM
scottmaclennan.bsky.social
The light this morning was exceptionally beautiful, almost Tupelo Pink
December 11, 2024 at 10:29 AM
Reposted by Scott Maclennan
strathspeyherald.co.uk
Highland Council poised for 35% tax raid on household budgets over 5 years despite a large increase in Scottish Government funding

www.strathspey-herald.co.uk/news/highlan...
Highland Council poised for 35% tax raid on household budgets over 5 years
That is despite a large increase in Scottish Government funding announced in the draft budget.
www.strathspey-herald.co.uk
December 11, 2024 at 10:07 AM
scottmaclennan.bsky.social
Highland Council lost just under £714,000 on scheme to revamp one Inverness street that was eventually cancelled after the Court of Session ruled it 'unlawful'. Normal?

www.inverness-courier.co.uk/news/highlan...
Highland Council lost £713k of taxpayers’ money on the failed Academy Street project
The costs were just released after a question from Conservative group leader Ruraidh Stewart.
www.inverness-courier.co.uk
December 11, 2024 at 10:26 AM
scottmaclennan.bsky.social
“Break up Highland Council, I have had enough of it – I want to bring back local democracy" - so says the Provost of Nairn. He is one of half a dozen councillors saying the council's structural problems can't be overcome:

www.inverness-courier.co.uk/news/i-want-...
‘I want to bring back local democracy to Nairn, it is long overdue,’ Nairn Provost backs Highland Council break-up
Nairn’s Provost wants to see the break-up of Highland Council in a bid to “bring back local democracy to Nairn”.
www.inverness-courier.co.uk
December 10, 2024 at 11:11 AM
scottmaclennan.bsky.social
In what has been an unusually fraught budget setting season Highland Council has unveiled its thinking that it needs a 35% tax raid on households over the next 5 years:

www.inverness-courier.co.uk/news/highlan...
Highland Council poised for 35% tax raid on household budgets over 5 years
That is despite a large increase in Scottish Government funding announced in the draft budget.
www.inverness-courier.co.uk
December 10, 2024 at 10:58 AM
Reposted by Scott Maclennan
jamesmcenaney.bsky.social
Here's one representation of the current state of additional support needs in Scottish schools.

This week @heraldscotland.bsky.social is running a special on the issue.

You can find all the stories here: www.heraldscotland.com/news/2478010...
December 9, 2024 at 9:53 PM
Reposted by Scott Maclennan
dtgregg.bsky.social
Welcome Cllr Mackie!
https://www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk/news/lib-dems-in-highland-council-score-another-new-member-in-str-368257/

If you're also looking for a new political home, joining the Lib Dems is just £15 a year https://libdems.my.salesforce-sites.com/LiberalDemocrats/NewMemberLocal
Lib Dems in Highland Council score another new member in Struan Mackie
The change comes after the former group leader resigned from the Conservatives two months ago.
www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk
December 6, 2024 at 2:53 PM
scottmaclennan.bsky.social
Is this the beginning of end (the actual, real life, no nonsense end) of Highland Council the most ridiculously over-sized local authority in Europe?

www.inverness-courier.co.uk/news/leading...
Leading councillors call for ‘break-up of Highland Council’ - so is it still fit for purpose?
The move to ‘better serve’ the north follows Kate Forbes’ call to dismantle the local authority.
www.inverness-courier.co.uk
December 6, 2024 at 2:55 PM
Reposted by Scott Maclennan
niallfh.bsky.social
@ionamjmacdonald.bsky.social Was it you or Hector who started this one off? 👀
December 5, 2024 at 9:49 AM
scottmaclennan.bsky.social
I wonder why a financially pressed enterprise agency is 'deeply disappointed'? That is correctly poured millions into the project? That one of those at Orbex called this a win-win?
December 4, 2024 at 1:48 PM
scottmaclennan.bsky.social
Scoop by my colleague Caroline McMorran. After the UK and Scottish Governments invested millions in developing the Sutherland spaceport Orbex have paused development, favouring Shetland - a huge blow to the Highland economy:

www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk/news/sutherl...
Sutherland Spaceport to be mothballed as Orbex makes shock announcement about move to SaxaVord
Orbex is halting construction work on the £20 million spaceport which received a £14.6 milllion public investment package.
www.johnogroat-journal.co.uk
December 4, 2024 at 10:45 AM
scottmaclennan.bsky.social
FOI reveals Highland Council has only managed to build an additional 15 classrooms using developer contributions in the last five years despite sitting on more than £13 million of payments from 941 housing projects:

www.inverness-courier.co.uk/news/reveale...
REVEALED: Number of new classrooms created using money for housing projects
Freedom of Information requests discovered the sums the council has received from developers, the total spent, as well as where it was spent.
www.inverness-courier.co.uk
December 3, 2024 at 9:23 AM
Reposted by Scott Maclennan
andydixon1.bsky.social
Working for a local newsbrand is all about making a difference to our communities.
Sure, we can tell folk what's going on day-in and day-out but having a platform to help people is powerful.
#GiveBloodSaveLives
December 1, 2024 at 8:10 PM
Reposted by Scott Maclennan
anneapplebaum.bsky.social
People are often surprised when I tell them this: both Twitter and Facebook/insta/threads are now specifically engineered to downgrade, hide, suppress real journalism. If this platform is different, that's a huge change
November 27, 2024 at 6:22 AM
scottmaclennan.bsky.social
Former Highland Council staff say they were ‘intimidated’ to repay wages they got despite leaving the local authority. Auditors found the council paid hundreds of thousands of pounds to ex-employees because they didn't check who worked for them:

www.inverness-courier.co.uk/news/former-...
Former Highland Council staff say they were ‘intimidated’ after being paid despite leaving
One of them was told to attend a meeting for an interview with council investigators ‘under caution’.
www.inverness-courier.co.uk
November 27, 2024 at 12:35 PM