Gaelic signs price row

The steam train arrives at Wick.

A QUOTE for providing an English/Gaelic sign for a local village has reignited the controversy over Highland Council’s bilingual policy.

The central belt-based firm priced the dual-language sign as 80 per cent more expensive than a like-for-like replacement. The differential led to a renewed call to reinstate the Caithness opt-out from the blanket council directive.

The English-only sign for Milton, near Wick, was priced at £473, compared to £849 for the larger dual-language version.

As it transpired, a replacement was not needed as the original sign, which had been demolished by a car, was later found in a field, relatively undamaged

The design for the dual-sign of Milton and Baile A Mhuilinn has therefore been mothballed.

Thurso councillor Donnie Mackay yesterday claimed the council does not have a mandate for its policy in Caithness.

Shocked to learn of the £376 difference in the quote, Mr Mackay said it undermined the claims made by those who promoted the policy that there was little extra cost ?involved in erecting bilingual ?replacements.

“I’m dead against them,” he said. “To be honest we’re not a Gaelic county and we would rightly face an outcry from local people if they went up here, especially when money is so tight.

“If they want them in areas like Skye and Lochalsh and Lochaber and Sutherland, then fair enough, but leave Caithness alone.”

Prior to the centralisation of the council’s administration, the then Caithness area committee had an opt-out from the council’s bilingual sign policy.

Gaelic promotional body Bòrd na Gàidhlig was surprised by the differential in the quote.

Chief executive John Angus MacKay, said: “The question of costs are a question for the council’s own tendering process and whether they were getting best value from their supplier.

“It does seem strange that the cost of erecting the bilingual sign was almost four times [£131 compared to £38] as much as the erection costs of the other signage.

“The question of value is another matter altogether as the bilingual signs will offer visible evidence of the area’s unique cultural heritage and have a positive impact on improving the tourism experience people have when they visit the Highlands.

”Bilingual signs give an added dimension which more than justifies some additional cost.”

A council spokesman yesterday said bilingual signs are part of the council’s commitment to the Gaelic plan. He said the policy only applied when signs needed to be replaced through damage or age.

The spokesman said: “The council is well aware of the sensitivity over bilingual signage, given the constraints on public spending.

“At Milton, we were pleased to replace the damaged sign at minimal cost.”

He added: “There are currently no plans to replace any other sign in Caithness.”

The spokesman was unable to say whether the quote was representative of the extra cost of bilingual signs.

He said: “In replacing place-name signs, the council has a clear bilingual policy and we would not, ordinarily, seek a quote for an English-only sign.

“Instead we would seek a competitive tender based on a bilingual design that we would provide.”