Rising vandalism repair costs for Highland Council
Schools and public toilets were among site targeted
- Published
Highland Council has spent more than £100,000 on vandalism repairs in the last three years, according to figures obtained under Freedom of Information (FoI).
Schools, public toilets and play parks were among the sites damaged.
The total amount of money had increased year-on-year with £27,000 being spent in 2022-23, £38,000 in 2023-24 and £41,000 for 2024-25.
The local authority's communities and place committee was told on Thursday that the council was working with police but no-one had been convicted so far.
The committee heard that Inverness' Charleston Academy had required more than £16,000 of repairs in the last three years followed by Inverness High School with more than £9,000.
Liberal Democrat councillor Alex Graham said he was "surprised and shocked" by the severity of the issue within his Inverness West ward.
He hoped that making the information public would help reduce the problem.
Nine spots across the city and surrounding area were targeted every year since 2022-23, including the Victorian Market, Smithton Primary School and Whin Park.
The number of reported incidents at public toilets almost doubled in the last two years - with 10 recorded incidents of vandalism reported within Inverness last year compared to six in 2023-24.
Badenoch and Strathspey Conservative councillor John Bruce asked if anyone had been held responsible.
Council officials confirmed no convictions had been made so far.
Police Scotland said it had carried out additional patrols and urged anyone with concerns about vandalism to contact the force on 101.