The Scottish Government will provide £100,000 (€116,000) to councils to help deter seagulls ahead of a summit in Inverness on Tuesday. The funding, provided by NatureScot, will cover deterrents such as lasers, noise devices, roof spikes and netting to prevent nesting. Agriculture Minister Jim Fairlie will chair the gathering, which brings together council officials, NatureScot, waste management firms, community groups and others to discuss the disruption gulls can cause and how it can be addressed.

The government said the meeting will enable practical solutions to be shared, gaps in current policies identified and a coordinated approach to gull management developed, with litter management highlighted as a key factor in attracting birds. It noted that NatureScot can issue control licences where public safety is at risk, and stressed the aim of preventing issues next year with extra support, while ensuring measures are tailored to local circumstances to make urban areas less attractive to gulls. NatureScot chair Professor Colin Galbraith said the birds have adapted to food shortages and climate change by frequenting towns and cities, and that the funding would help councils develop proactive, collaborative plans balancing conservation with any necessary control.

The move follows a clash in Holyrood this week that led to a ministerial resignation. Tory MSP Douglas Ross had raised the issue in the parliament, delaying the final vote on the justice reforms legislation. Former parliamentary business minister Jamie Hepburn said he had fallen short of his personal code of practice and resigned, while denying an assault allegation.