On the issue of future models, like many authorities, Moray Council is divesting a lot of its assets to communities and is already experiencing quite different models, depending on the nature and drive of particular communities. In some cases, a community association takes the asset, in others, it is a social enterprise, and in others it is another body or vehicle that was set up for a specific purpose. It would be difficult for a local authority to deny that a hybrid approach is relevant, given that that is what we are experiencing on the ground.
I mentioned the Tomintoul and Glenlivet model. The trust represents 300 members and has submitted a £3.6 million bid for National Lottery funding to regenerate Tomintoul and the wider community, which is in one of our most remote areas. That is a good example of how that model can be made to work.
The funding issue is a real moot point. We have two extremes in Moray. First, we have the estates. One of the farmers I spoke to mentioned his concerns about the long-term nature of estate management. He reckoned that, realistically, farming needs tenancies of a minimum of 15 years, and the funding to go with that. In the context of the wider public funding constraints that everyone is aware of, that is not a point that I can address, but clearly it has to be addressed. That perhaps points to the retention of national expertise and a national body.
The second extreme in Moray relates to a small commercial harbour that, as I mentioned, we are very keen to develop as an operations base and for management purposes. It has the potential to create 200 jobs, which is quite a big deal for Moray, given that there are probably only about 10 employers of that size in the area. Part of the sea bed is owned by the Crown Estate, but we know that there is significant private investment interest in the development. If we can release that asset—and we are having constructive discussions with the Crown Estate at the moment—we can lever in private funds.
It is not all doom and gloom, but I have highlighted a moot point that is important, particularly for the farming sector. I hope that the committee will take it away.