Inverness City Committee Minutes 8 February 2010

Agenda

Minutes of Meeting of the Inverness City Committee held in the Council Chamber, Town House, Inverness on Monday, 8 February 2010 at 10.00 a.m.

Present

Provost J Gray
Mr R A C Balfour
Mr I Brown
Miss J Campbell
Mrs H Carmichael
Mr A Christie
Mr P Corbett
Mr J Crawford
Mr N Donald
Mr J Ford
Mr A Graham
Mr D Henderson
Mr D Hendry
Mr J Holden
Mr J Finnie
Mr D Kerr
Mrs B McAllister
Mr K MacLeod
Ms P Munro
Mr F Parr
Mr R Pedersen
Mr H Wood
Mr R Wynd

In Attendance:

Mr W Gilfillan, Corporate Manager, Inverness, Nairn and Badenoch & Strathspey
Mr D Haas, Inverness City Manager/Clerk
Mr R Evans, Area Roads and Community Works Manager
Mr C Kemp, Integrated Transport Manager
Mr I Murray, Head of Community Learning and Leisure
Mr D Wilby, Senior Leisure and Learning Officer
Mr G Reynolds, Recreation Officer (Events & Promotions)
Mr C Stephen, Ward Manager, Culloden and Ardersier and Inverness South
Miss M Macleod, Senior Administrative Assistant
Miss K Armstrong, Administrative Assistant
Mrs A MacNeill, Senior Public Relations Officer

Also In Attendance:

Chief Inspector A MacLean, Inverness Area Commander, Northern Constabulary
Ms S Christie, Commissions Manager, Inverness Old Town Arts
Mr Mike Smith, Inverness BID Manager

Provost J Gray in the Chair

Business

1. Apologies for Absence

Apologies for absence were submitted on behalf of Mrs M Davidson, Mr T Prag and Mrs G Sinclair.

2. Operation Respect – City Centre - Evaluation

There had been circulated Report No. ICC 01-10 dated 3 February 2010 by the Inverness City Manager and the Inverness Area Commander updating Members on the progress made in developing Operation Respect – City Centre, for the Winter Festival period for 2009/10 together with detail in relation to evaluation.

The Inverness City Manager commented that Operation Respect was an excellent example of partnership working between all the organisations involved. The evaluation information would enable partners to more effectively target areas of concern.

Chief Inspector MacLean summarised the Northern Constabulary Results Analysis detailed in Appendix 1.

The aims of Operation Respect had been to:

maximise public safety through prevention and enforcement activities;
provide additional foot patrol units; and
provide early intervention with issues of anti-social behaviour, shoplifting and alcohol related crime.

Although Operation Respect – City Centre 2009 had not resulted in a decrease in the number of incidents reported in comparison to 2008, there had been a decrease in the number of crimes reported. There had also been a significant reduction in the number of incidents reported on Saturdays over the festive period when increased Police patrols and other initiatives such as Street Pastors and the safe zones were operating.

Chief Inspector MacLean also noted that two licensed premises had made use of metal detectors at their doors and there had been no knives or dangerous weapons detected.

Members expressed their gratitude to all the partners involved in the success of Operation Respect and thanked Chief Inspector MacLean for the very detailed analysis provided by Northern Constabulary as part of the evaluation process. The following queries were raised:

had Safeinverness and the Shopsafe initiative been partners in Operation Respect;
what was the overall budget for the Operation;
had the bad weather affected the number of incidents;
was there evidence of a displacement of crime to other areas of the City;
had the alcohol bylaw relating to drinking in public places been used over the period;
had Community Beat Officers from areas outwith the City Centre been taken off their Beats to cover patrols in the City;
when would a Community Officer for the Kinmylies area be appointed; and
given the high cost per head for the free bus service would Officers consider putting this service out to tender next year to ensure that competitive prices are being offered by the bus companies.

In response, Chief Inspector MacLean and the City Manager confirmed that:

Safeinverness had played an integral role in this year’s Operation Respect, having co-ordinated the Bus and Taxi Marshalls and the BID Security Task team;
the police worked with the Shopsafe initiative;
the costs for Operation Respect had been detailed in the report to City Committee on 14 December 2009 and was on target to be within budget;
as a result of poor weather conditions there had been a reduction in the number of people coming into the City Centre;
there had been increases in the number of incidents reported, particularly in Merkinch, Raigmore and Dalneigh Beats, whilst the Crown Beat, which neighbours the City Centre, had seen a significant reduction in incidents over last year;
the Bylaw had only been used in one incident and this was an issue being addressed by a review of the Bylaw;
the City Centre had its own Community Beat Officers who were used as part of Operation Respect patrols and only marginal use had been made of Officers from other areas;
it was hoped that the appointment of a new Community Beat Officer for Kinmylies would be made within the next few weeks;
Officers would be meeting with Stagecoach to discuss the viability of running this service at other times of the year and to look at ways of developing and improving it; and
comments relating to the cost of the bus service had been noted and would form part of the discussion with Stagecoach.

Thereafter the Committee NOTED:

the evaluation of the effectiveness of Operation Respect – City Centre for 2009/10; and
that a further report would be submitted to the next City Committee, on 19 April 2010, proposing a plan for co-ordinating the delivery of community safety across the City for 2010/11.

3. City Service Delivery – Roads and Community Works Progress Report

There had been circulated Report No. ICC-02-10 dated 27 January 2010 by the Area Roads and Community Works Manager highlighting progress and plans for Roads & Community works activities in the City, including details of:

the winter maintenance service provided over the Festive period; and
the measures put in place to curb expenditure on street cleaning.

The Area Roads and Community Works Manager gave a presentation about the extreme weather conditions experienced across the Highlands over the Christmas and early New Year period and detailed the impact it had on TEC Services within the City.

Members were unanimous in the appreciation expressed for the dedication and commitment shown by all the Council staff and volunteers who had worked tirelessly throughout this period to ensure that access roads were kept as clear and safe as possible. They also noted the co-operation of the public who had shown patience and understanding over a very difficult period.

Members also commented on specific issues as follows:

the initial response to the weather conditions appeared to have been slow;
discussions with Officers, prior to the bad weather, about the potential hazard caused by overhanging trees in the South Loch Ness area had not been addressed and fallen trees had caused major problems on the roads in that area;
road drainage problems in some areas, particularly in rural areas, made driving conditions very dangerous with hard packed ice adding to the danger;
local communities had worked hard to help themselves in clearing roads and paths but would have benefited from earlier intervention by the Council eg. Grit boxes being filled and snow shovels being made available;
protocol for snow clearance, especially around schools, had worked very well;
with people not travelling into Inverness, local villages had to handle increased traffic and there appeared to have been low priority given to these areas;
potholes had developed in many roads and the public should be made aware that full repairs cannot be made until weather conditions improve and the temperature rises;
a collapsed wall, causing stones to fall on the grass verge, on the B862 Holm-Foyers road, continued to be a danger to drivers and needed to be cleared as a matter of urgency;
Community Councils and others within each community could be encouraged to create registers of volunteers to help out when required eg. 4x4 drivers;
an audit of grit bins was required;
the Council should look at improving the ways it organises communication opportunities, in particular, how it provides non emergency information to the public, particularly making better use of the council website;
an audit of new build and hilly areas as well as those areas identified by Ward Members as requiring priority (such as cul de sacs) when snow clearing was required;
with an ongoing change in the balance of care, and more people being cared for within their own homes, all Services would have to look at how they develop and identify priorities;
gritting maps should be provided on the website for public information; and
a formal thank you from the City to all volunteers would be appropriate.

The Area Roads and Community Works Manager (ARCWM) thanked Members for their positive comments regarding the work carried out by staff and volunteers over the Festive period and these comments would be conveyed to staff.

The ARCWM confirmed that all comments and issues raised by Members would help to inform the current review of the operational services delivered by TECS during that period.

The ARCWM then responded to specific comments as follows:

although snow had been forecast, TECS had not been given prior warning of the amount and length of time the snow lasted for;
a press release had been issued reminding landowners of their responsibilities in relation to the management of trees. If landowners did not maintain them appropriately, TECS could carry out the necessary work and charge them accordingly;
permanent repairs to potholes would not start before March due to low road temperatures;
grit bins did get emptied quickly and it is a constant challenge to keep them filled up; and
self help and community engagement was very important and is worth promoting, particularly when it comes to clearing the footpaths and roads, which are not top priority.

The Provost noted the difficulty in identifying all members of the public who had volunteered during this period. Officers would be looking at ways of including additional volunteers into the Community Dinner invitations later in the year.

In relation to other matters, Members welcomed the Roads and Community Works Progress Plan and highlighted some issues and queries they would like to see addressed, as listed below:

the inclusion of water course inspections within the report;
half yearly updates on cleaning routines at Ward level;
who did TECS tender to for the Aviemore floral displays;
a clear message going out to dog owners regarding dog littering;
enforcement should be given a much higher priority;
clarification on the Service Level Agreement between TECS and BID;
who’s responsibility were the floral displays outside the Victorian Market;
clarification on the protocol for repairing and replacing play equipment, particularly in relation to the Cannich play area;
high profile enforcement for littering offences;
with reference to recent works at the Lentran Bridge, improved community engagement when making changes to roads/bridges was needed; and
ongoing maintenance of old gravestones in Tomnahurich Cemetery to ensure public safety.

Officers noted Members concerns and responded that;

they would review the report format and try to split it between Ward and City issues;
they would establish who was responsible for the floral displays in Aviemore;
a baseline Service Level Agreement was in place with BID and that the Roads and Community Works Manager would be meeting with the BID Manager to confirm the details of it, including specific responsibilities such as the Victorian Market;
enforcement is high priority and officers would continue to deliver this as robustly as possible;
a meeting had already been arranged with necessary partners to discuss ways of tackling litter and dog fouling offences; and
a report is carried out on play areas on a regular basis and this does identify any health and safety issues, however clarification will be sought on the Cannich situation.

The Committee NOTED:

the ongoing operational reviews described in section 2 of the report;
the information provided about the four week extreme weather event just experienced;
that the measures implemented to curb over-expenditure on Street Cleaning had been effective;
that the overall Roads and Community Works expenditure for INBS is expected to be as budgeted; and

AGREED that:

officers would look at ways of including additional volunteers into the Community Dinner invitations later in the year.

4. Inverness City Street Scene Update

There had been circulated Report No. ICC-03-10 dated 28 January 2010 by the Director of Transport, Environmental and Community Services and the Inverness City Manager summarising the main points from the City Street Scene Stakeholders Meeting held on Monday 25 January 2010 and updating Members on progress with the actions.

Some Members questioned whether the City Street Scene Stakeholder’s Working Group was an efficient use of Officers time and suggested that the issues addressed at these meetings could be discussed at Central Ward Business Meetings. The City Manager confirmed that now the new Roads and Community Works Manager was in place they would review how best to deal with ongoing issues.

Members discussed specific snagging issues around the City and, in response, Officers confirmed that:

the issues with the traffic light sequence at Huntly Street and Bridge Street had been noted and were being moved forward but any changes did have to be incorporated into works on Huntly Street and light sequences at Castle Street;
the light suppliers were trying to resolve the bridge light problems but access was currently being hampered by high river levels;
the lighting section was reviewing cost effective replacements for the pea lights along the river;
the Inverness Old Town Art (IOTA) steering group was working closely with TECS to find the best solution for the Crown Road retaining wall and artists had been identified to start work once the facings were in place;
Cllr Campbell’s specific concerns regarding the commercial bins in Baron Taylor Street were noted;
TECS were responsible for cleaning oil spills; and
the Street Scene snagging repairs were ongoing and due to be completed in June 2010.

The Commissions Manager for IOTA then updated Members on the various arts projects taking place around the City and showed a short film on the recent ‘Getting Up – Window on the City’ project.

Members were very supportive of the positive use of empty shop units and noted the challenges experienced in putting together the project in such a short timescale. The Commissions Manager also noted Members comments regarding:

the initial lack of interpretive material to explain the artwork;
the shelf life of some of the artwork and vandalism to it;
the use of particular images which might scare younger children;
whether it was ‘eco friendly’ to show videos on loop throughout the night; and
making better use of schools to help produce art work for projects.

The Committee NOTED the minutes of the Street Scene Stakeholders group and the key actions from the meeting and AGREED that:

a list of all outstanding snagging and the actions being taken be provided to the Central Ward Members;
the City Manager review the ongoing requirement for the City Street Scene Stakeholders Meeting; and
the IOTA Manager identify and remove any vandalised temporary artwork.

5. Inverness Events Funding for Financial year 2010/11

There had been circulated Report No. ICC-04-10 dated 27 January 2010 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport inviting Members to consider Inverness events funding for financial year 2010/11.

Members were very supportive of the recommendations in the report and were gratified that the future management arrangements would be investigated at a very early stage. There was some concern that the Inverness Events might be contained within a Highland-wide Trust. The current Events and Festivals Working Group ensured tight governance over the budget worked extremely well in managing the events on behalf of the City Committee.

Some Members did express concern that:

the Events and Festivals Working Group had not been consulted regarding the content of the report and its recommendations;
there was a lack of clarity as to the relationship between the Inverness City Committee and the Education, Culture and Sport Committee now that the budget for Inverness events was to come entirely from the Common Good Fund; and
there was no criteria for the selection of charities and many smaller charities could be omitted.

The Provost apologised for the lack of consultation with the Events and Festivals Working Group in the preparation of the report and assured them that a meeting would be arranged to brief them on all the implications arising from the outcome of the ECS and City Committee recommendations.

The Committee NOTED:

that the ECS Committee agreed that the Inverness City Committee’s preferred option for future management arrangements for events in Inverness being operated through the establishment of a company be investigated as part of the actions arising from the report at a very early stage; and

AGREED:

to allocate £300K from the Inverness Common Good Fund for events in 2010/11, noting the risks associated with Highland Games event;
the draft programme contained in paragraph 3.1 and that significant alterations be reported to the Inverness City Committee for approval;
to the Highland Games being staged at the Northern Meeting Park in 2010;
that consideration be given to supporting a charitable event as part of the Winter Festival Ceilidh Trail, subject to the usual applications process being applied in accessing support from the Common Good Fund; and
that a briefing would be arranged with the Chief Executive, Provost, Corporate Manager, INBS, Inverness City Manager and the Events and Festivals Working Group to discuss the next stages in the development of Inverness events.

6. Inverness Town Twinning - Update

There had been circulated Report No. ICC-05-10 dated 28 January 2010 by the Inverness City Manager updating Members on the progress made on developing our twinning links with an emphasis on education and economic development. Particular attention was drawn to the progress made with regard to schools and the forthcoming seminar.

In discussion Members suggested that they would like to see the development of links with towns and cities from the emerging World, such as Africa or India or from areas where commercial links would benefit the City.

The Committee AGREED the proposals for the seminar and NOTED progress with town twinning between the City of Inverness and Augsburg, La Baule and St Valery en Caux, as well as the developments to further promote town twinning.

7. Inverness Common Good Fund

7.1 Inverness Common Good Fund: Revenue Monitoring Statement 2009/10

There had been circulated Report No. ICC-06-10 dated 25 January 2010 by the Inverness City Manager setting out the revenue monitoring position for the period to 31 December 2009 and showing the actual expenditure to date.

The City Manager updated Members on proposals to attach an additional condition to all Common Good Fund Grants.

The grant would be valid for six months from the date of award. If the recipient had not reported back, with all necessary evidence of expenditure within that time, then the offer would be withdrawn and referred back to the Donations Working Group. However, the Donations Working Group could, at its own discretion, extend the time period, if deemed necessary and requested by the applicant. This condition would be applied to awards made from 1 April 2010 and would not be applied retrospectively to awards.

The City Manager confirmed that all unpaid 2009/10 awards were being followed up and evidence requested to allow payment before the end of the financial year.

From 1 April 2010 Common Good Fund grant reports to the City Committee would provide Members with information on the percentage contribution from the Common Good Fund in relation to the overall application budget.

Members approved the new condition proposed for grant awards and the enhanced reporting format.

Some Members also requested an overview of all awards made to the Inverness BID Co. from the Common Good Fund with an analysis of how the money has been spent.

The Committee NOTED the contents of the report and AGREED that:

from 1 April 2010, all awards made from the Common Good Fund would only be valid for a period of six months, unless otherwise approved by the Donations Working Group up to an absolute maximum of twelve months; and
a further report would be submitted to City Committee on 19 April 2010 providing Members with details of all grants made to Inverness Bid Co. from the Common Good Fund.

7.2 Inverness Common Good Fund Budget 2010/2011

There had been circulated Report No. ICC-07-10 dated 28 January 2010 by the Inverness City Manager inviting Members to set a revenue budget for the City of Inverness Common Good Fund for the financial year 2010-2011. It clarified:

anticipated income (primarily from tenancy rentals);
the consequences for putting a freeze on income from rentals through suspending rent increases; and
proposed expenditure, split into essential (for maintenance of buildings and the provision of basic services) and a number of items of additional expenditure.

The City Manager summarised the report and asked that Members ensure they considered all the implications when making a recommendation on whether or not to freeze rents for this coming financial year.

Members in favour of the rent increase freeze detailed their reasons as follows:

it would show a willingness on the part of the City Committee to recognise the financial difficulties being experienced by local businesses, albeit on a limited scale;
businesses in the City Centre had lost revenue over the previous weeks due to the poor weather conditions;
fuel and delivery costs had increased over the past year;
this was the hardest time of year for businesses to make money;
the levy charges from BID was increasing businesses outgoings; and
it would be a way of encouraging businesses into the City Centre.

Members against a freeze in rent increases detailed their reasons as follows:

only a limited number of businesses would benefit due to the timing of lease agreements for individual properties which could not be interfered with;
taking a ‘broad brush’ approach without looking at individual circumstances could mean that businesses not suffering financially would benefit; and
as Trustees of the Common Good Fund the Committee is responsible for ensuring as much income as possible is generated for the broader social benefit of the people of Inverness.

The Committee AGREED:

not to recommend to the Council that a freeze on rent increases be implemented for financial year 2010/11 because:

the impact would be limited and restricted;
the Common Good Fund has been used, and members will continue to be given the opportunity to use it, for benefits which are broader in effect and give more long-term sustainable impact;
there is not enough justification to act to restrict the potential income to the Common Good Fund, noting that Members are under a duty to give prime consideration to achieve best value for the investments;

Members then discussed the proposed budget with inflationary increases for 2010/11 noting requests:

that the Civic Hospitality Working Group receive a more detailed breakdown of expenditure for Civic and Conference Hospitality; and
that the lighting section be more imaginative in the choice of any new Christmas lights.

The Committee AGREED:

to approve the Common Good Fund budget for 2010-2011 detailed in paragraphs 7 & 8 of the report noting that the budget for Inverness Winter Festival would be £300,000 and renamed the ‘Festivals Budget’, following the decision taken by the City Committee under Agenda Item 5; and
to provide the Civic Hospitality Working Group with a detailed breakdown of expenditure for Civic & Conference Hospitality.

7.3 Grant Street Park Update

The Committee RESOLVED in terms of Section 50A(4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 that public be excluded from the meeting for Item 7.3 on the grounds that it involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 6 and 7 ( of Part 1 of Schedule 7A of the Act).

Mr P Corbett and Mr K MacLeod declared a financial interest in this item as shareholders in Clachnacuddin Football Club (1990) Ltd and left the meeting.

There had been circulated Report No. ICC 08/10 dated 28 January 2010 by the Inverness City manager updating members on developments with regard to Clachnacuddin Football Club (1990) Ltd (in Administration) and noting those circumstances gives the Committee options for taking matters forward.

The Committee AGREED to proceed as recommended in report.

7.4 Donations Working Group – Applications for Funding in excess of £5,000

There had been circulated Report No. ICC-09-10 dated 29 January 2010 by the Inverness City Manager giving details of applications to the Donations Working Group for support from the City’s Common Good Fund where, if granted, the amount awarded would exceed £5,000, together with the homologation of two grants.

7.4.1 Blythswood Care – Highland Food Bank

Provost Gray declared a non financial interest in this item as a family member was a volunteer with the organisation but, having applied the test outlined in Paragraph 5.18 of the Councillor’s Code of Conduct remained in the meeting.

£5,000 sought towards the cost of running the Highland Food Bank which provides emergency supplies of non-perishable food to local people who find themselves in crisis.

The Committee AGREED to award £5,000.

7.4.2 Inverness BID Ltd

£36,000 sought towards the cost of installing floral displays for 2010 throughout the City Centre.

Members were keen to ensure that the services provided by Inverness BID, which were part funded by the Common Good Fund, were providing best value for money and called for a more detailed report to the City Committee on all BID projects funded by the Common Good Fund.

The Committee AGREED to award £36,000 with a further report being submitted to Inverness City Committee on 19 April 2010 updating Members on the future plans for BID.

7.4.3 Inverness BID Ltd on behalf of Safeinverness

£21,870 towards the costs of Safeinverness.

Some members were concerned at the lack of detailed information provided to the Committee given the amount requested in this application.

Mr J Gray, seconded by Mr A Graham MOVED that the Committee AGREE to award Safeinverness £21,870 as per the application.

Officers reminded Members that the City Committee had, at the inception of BID, agreed to fund it on a project to project basis rather than provide core funding, which helped to ensure more control of the use of Common Good Funds.

As an AMENDMENT Mr B Wynd seconded by Mr D Kerr MOVED that the Committee DEFER the application on the grounds that the Committee had not been provided with sufficient information to be able to make a decision.
On a vote being taken by a show of hands, the results were as follows:

FOR THE MOTION 11 votes
FOR THE AMENDMENT 9 votes

The MOTION was therefore carried and the Committee AGREED to award £21,870 with a further report being submitted to Inverness City Committee on 19 April 2010 updating Members on the future plans for BID.

7.4.4 Homologation of Highland Rugby Club award.

The Committee AGREED to homologate the decision taken by the Inverness City Manager, in consultation with the Donations Working Group, to award £1300 to the Highland Rugby Club towards the cost of an S1/S2 rugby gathering on the day of the Scotland U20 v France U20 International Rugby Match (Friday 5th February 2010).

7.4.5 Homologation of Scottish Rugby Union award.

The Committee AGREED to homologate the decision taken by the Inverness City Manager, in consultation with the Donations Working Group, to award £175 to the Scottish Rugby Union towards the cost of a pipe band to play at the Scotland U20 v France U20 International Rugby Match (Friday 5th February 2010).

8. Minutes

8.1 Inverness City Committee

The Committee NOTED the Minutes of the City Committee held on 14 December, 2009.

8.2 Inverness Partnership

The Committee APPROVED the Minutes of the Inverness Partnership held on 19 November 2009.

The meeting closed at 4.15pm