Postal Ballot Result

At 2 PM on Monday the 28^th of February, in the Coigach Community Hall Achiltibuie, Mr John Bruce, the Area Administrator for Ross and Cromarty, assisted by two lady members of the lunch club, conducted the official count of the ballot papers returned to his office by the members of the wider Coigach / Drumrunie Community.

401 ballot papers were posted out to the members of the community. 204 (51%) were returned. 62% of the returned papers were in favour and 37% were against. 2 envelopes contained 2 returns (4) votes, allegedly some of the Directors had aired prior knowledge of this happening, even though the sealed envelope containing the ballot papers were first opened at the count, which raises the question, was a deliberate mistake made?

The statistical result is that 32% of the members of the community balloted are in favour of continuing with the application to the Minister for the Community Right to Buy the Drumrunie Forest estate and 9% are against. 59% did not return the ballot papers.

The Community’s response has been reduced from 54% of the members polled in favour of registering an interest, to 32% of the members polled, in favour of a buy out.

The ballot result will be communicated to the Minister at SEERAD who then has until the 23^rd of March 2005 to decide whether the Community Body will be granted the right to buy the land known as Drumrunie Forest Estate.

The Assynt Foundation based in Lochinver is also awaiting the Minister’s decision on their application for the right to buy the same estate, the outcome will be a sort of “judgement of Solomon” by SEERAD, and also unique so far in the Scottish Land Reform process.