51³Ô¹ÏÃâ·ÑApp and Bute Council has approved a grant of up to £145,000 for new worker accommodation on Islay to help address the ongoing housing emergency.
The grant from the Strategic Housing Fund will see an NHS property in Bowmore brought back into use for Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) staff delivering vital care services on the island.
The HSCP had previously raised concerns that health and social care services were being impacted significantly on Islay due to lack of housing options for staff and highlighted that they might have difficulty recruiting workers to live on the island to provide care in the community.
The Strategic Housing Fund grant, which will be match funded by the NHS, will enable the HSCP to bring an NHS owned empty building – a former dental surgery in Bowmore - back into use.
The two-bedroom property will provide accommodation for HSCP staff or workers from partner organisations to deliver health and social care services on the island.
Councillor Jim Lynch, Policy Lead for Education:
“When the Council declared a housing emergency in 2023, one of the main issues identified was the lack of worker accommodation that had potential to seriously impact on both the local economy and the delivery of essential health and social care services for our local communities.
“Awarding the grant, we can offer an innovative and cost-effective approach to an issue which is a key concern within 51³Ô¹ÏÃâ·ÑApp and Bute’s wider housing emergency. As the former dental surgery in Bowmore is surplus to NHS Highland’s requirements, it can now be redeveloped for the provision of HSCP worker accommodation to help address the urgent shortage of housing on Islay for HSCP staff.â€
The Council created the Strategic Housing Fund to support priority projects emerging from the Local Housing Strategy. Addressing the severe shortage of worker housing is a key element of the strategy.
