CARLOWAY ESTATE TRUST - THE CARLOWAY COMMUNITY (18)

We await with considerable interest news of whoever will be appointed to the temporary 2-year post of Local Development Officer for the  Dalmore to Garynahine area as envisaged and advertised by Carloway Estate Trust on their website.  The post is being funded by HIE - it has to,  as Carloway Estate Trust is skint.

But,  as always,  it is not as straightforward as that.   The post will commence on 01 April and the appointee 'will coordinate and support the efforts of a local development group ..... to integrate all local voluntary and community-based actions in order to support the wider aims of the community'.  What the 'local development group' is it doesn't say and neither does it say what those 'wider aims'  actually are.  These are serious and basic errors.

So,  from Dalmore to Garynahine,  we now have (1) Carloway Community Association (2) Carloway Community Council (3) Breasclete Community Association (4)  Breasclete Community Council and (5) Carloway Estate Trust all operating in the area. A bit overcrowded one might think.

We pose three questions for now (a) has 'integration' been authorised by those other bodies - or has the Trust simply assumed a takeover (b) are we going to see friction at some stage among those five organisations and (c) who will decide ultimately what the 'wider aims' of the community actually are - remembering,  of course,  that the Carloway Community  is much greater than Carloway Estate?

Those matters should have been addressed prior to any application for the post and,  as usual,  the cart has come long before the horse.  Whoever is appointed will need a great deal of luck - and the wisdom of Solomon.