InvernessCountsInverness, in numbers.Local help →Inverness · Scotland
Highland council area. Every figure carries its own date.
Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats drawn from the available evidence. These are analytical judgements, not an official council assessment. Where a national comparison is available, lower housing costs, lower reported poor health and higher qualification shares are treated as relative strengths; this does not prove affordability or service quality.
strength
The Castle Experience has officially opened, and refurbished Bught Park and Northern Meeting Park have reopened.
These are completed local assets. Their benefit to residents depends on access, programming and maintenance as well as visitor numbers.
What could help →weakness
The average home price is £221,000 (July 2026) in Highland council area. This is about £25,000 higher than the Scotland average for the same month.
Housing costs matter most alongside earnings and the number of affordable homes available. A local average cannot tell us whether a particular household can afford its home.
What could help →opportunity
Harbour Road’s initial worker accommodation and its intended permanent housing are different delivery stages.
Proposed response: publish the hand-back conditions and next planning steps so temporary capacity is not mistaken for permanent affordable homes.
What could help →opportunity
31.2% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or higher (20 March 2022) in Highland council area. People aged 16+ with a degree or higher ranged from 21.3% in Cromarty Firth to 41.3% in Black Isle — a gap of 20 percentage points.
Qualifications show one part of the skills available locally. They do not show whether people have secure jobs or work that uses those skills.
What could help →opportunity
Recorded-crime figures cover the whole Highland council area; they do not identify individual wards.
These are police-recorded crimes under Scottish counting rules. They cannot be ranked alongside the mapped incidents shown for other UK nations.
What could help →opportunity
3 named local projects or plans have official evidence in this collection.
A published plan makes responsibilities and intentions easier to inspect. It does not prove that funding is secured or that promised benefits have arrived.
What could help →The evidence gathered here does not yet support a distinct finding in this category.
| Evidence and response | Who could lead | Related published plans |
|---|---|---|
| Make reopened landmarks and parks useful for local peopleInverness Castle Experience: Official opening reported. Bught Park and Northern Meeting Park improvements: Refurbished parks officially reopened. | Highland Council; operated by High Life Highland; Highland Council | |
| Keep the route from worker housing to permanent homes visibleFunding agreement announced 28 April 2026; initial worker-accommodation lease described as five years. | The Highland Council, SSEN Transmission and Balfour Beatty | |
| Make room for homes people can affordThe average home price is £221,000 (July 2026) in Highland council area. | The housing and planning authorities, housing associations and developers | |
| Connect local skills to local opportunities31.2% with a degree or higher; 20 March 2022. People aged 16+ with a degree or higher ranged from 21.3% in Cromarty Firth to 41.3% in Black Isle — a gap of 20 percentage points. 20 March 2022; 21 of 21 current wards have comparable figures. | Employers, colleges, universities and the relevant skills authority | |
| Target safety work where problems repeatUse the dated, complete periods shown in Crime and safety; keep anti-social behaviour separate. | The local police force, council community safety team and relevant services | No reviewed project is linked yet. This remains a proposal, with funding and delivery to establish. |