The Highland Council in Scotland has announced that plans to restore First World War memorials in the local authority in time for the Centenary of the outbreak of the First World War will no longer go ahead.
The Highland Council’s Transport, Environment and Community Services Committee (TEC) announced last year that the 173 First World War memorials under its jurisdiction would be restored by August 2014.
The restoration is expected to cost £303,000.
Today, it was announced that a four year programme to restore the memorials would replace original plans, with all restorations being completed by November 2018.
The Highland Council stated that it would “consult with local communities to agree a programme of war memorial refurbishment between 2014 – 2018”.
Councillor Graham Phillips, Chairman of the Council’s TEC Services Committee, said: “We had hoped the improvement programme could be completed by November 2014 but the funding will now be spread over the four years which mark the centenary of World War I”.
“Given that the memorials bear the names of servicemen and women who fell between 1914 – 1918 and in other wars, it is entirely appropriate that the work is spread over a four year period, with all works completed by November 2018″.
Source: Highland Council press release
Date of press release: 19/09/2013
Images courtesy of the Highland Council
Posted by: Daniel Barry, Centenary News