Creatives in Badenoch and Strathspey and the wider Highlands could be paid a guaranteed basic income if proposals for the measure are agreed.
Councillor Michael Gregson (Labour, Inverness Central) has put forward a motion to today’s full meeting of Highland Council for a basic income for artists working in the region.
Councillor Gregson, as part of his motion, states that a pilot scheme on similar lines was launched in Ireland in 2021 and found that for every €1 invested, €1.39 was contributed to the wider economy.
The scheme, he said, would allow artists more time to focus on their creative output instead of having to work multiple jobs to support themselves.
It comes as Inverness-Highland has been listed as one of nine areas to be shortlisted for the UK City of Culture title in 2029.
Should the motion be agreed, the council will ask the newly formed Scottish Government and stakeholders to help set up the scheme and identify resources and cost implications.
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