Minutes of Meeting of the Resources Committee held in the Council Chamber, Council Headquarters, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness on Wednesday, 18 February 2009 at 10.30 a.m.
Present:
Mrs C Wilson, Mr M Rattray, Ms L Munro, Mr D Bremner, Mrs D MacKay, Mr R Greene, Mr P Cairns, Mr I Renwick, Mr A Henderson, Mrs H Carmichael, Mrs M Davidson, Miss J Campbell, Mrs P Munro, Mr P Corbett, Mr N Donald, Mr J Finnie, Mr B Wynd, Mr F D S Black, Mr G Rimell, Dr M E M Foxley.
Non-Members also present:
Mr G Farlow, Mr R Rowantree, Mr D Mackay, Mr J Rosie, Mr W Fernie, Mr G Smith, Mr R Coghill, Mr J McGillivray, Mr W J Ross, Mrs I Campbell, Dr A Sinclair, Mrs J Urquhart, Mr R Durham, Mrs A MacLean, Mrs I McCallum, Mr B Clark, Mr H Wood, Mr J Gray, Mr G Marsden, Mr D Fallows.
Officials in attendance:
Mr A Geddes, Depute Chief Executive, Ms M Morris, Assistant Chief Executive, Mr S Barron, Director of Housing and Property, Mr G Westwater, Head of Construction, Housing & Property Services, Mrs C McDiarmid, Head of Policy and Performance, Chief Executive’s Servicem Mr D Robertson, Head of Accounting, Finance Service, Mr B Williams, Head of Corporate Finance, Finance Service, Mr D Lamont, Head of Exchequer, Finance Service, Mr J Batchelor, Head of Personnel, Chief Executive’s Service, Mrs V Nairn, Head of E Government, Chief Executive’s Service, Mr J Grieve, IS Client Manager, Chief Executive’s Service, Mr A Williams, Health & Safety Manager, Chief Executive’s Service, Ms E Barrie, Personnel Manager, Chief Executive’s Service, Mr I Hargrave, Corporate Manager (Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross), Mr G Summers, Principal European Officer, Chief Executive’s Service, Mr G Watson, Community Development Manager, Education, Culture & Sport Service, Mrs K Zoryk, Senior Personnel Adviser, Chief Executive’s Service, Mrs S McKandie, Policy & Development Manager, Finance Service, Mr R Hartland, Head of Planning & Building Standards, Planning & Development Service, Ms A Villegas, Sustainable Development Officer, Chief Executive’s Service, Mr A Maguire, Head of Housing Development & Estates, Mr J Allison, Principal Administrator, Chief Executive’s Service, Mr A MacInnes, Administrative Assistant, Chief Executive’s Service.
Mrs C Wilson in the Chair
An asterisk in the margin denotes a recommendation to the Council.
All decisions with no marking in the margin are delegated to the Committee.
1. Apologies for Absence
Apologies for absence were intimated on behalf of Mrs K MacNab, Dr D Alston, Mr J Ford and Mr S Park.
2. Central Services Revenue Budget Monitoring
There had been circulated Reports by the Chief Executive and Depute Chief Executive which provided the Revenue Budget Monitoring Statements for Central Services for the period to 31 December, 2008.
i. Chief Executive’s Service Report No. res-01-09
ii. Finance Service Report No. res-02-09
The Committee APPROVED the terms of the reports.
3. Property Revenue Maintenance Budget
There had been circulated Report No. res-03-09 dated 10 February, 2009 by the Director of Housing and Property Services which set out the current position with regard to the component parts of the 2008/09 Property Revenue Maintenance Budget. It also noted progress in developing projects for inclusion in the Property Revenue Maintenance Programme for 2009/10.
In discussion, reference was made to structural survey information relating to Primary Schools in the Inverness area which had been presented at a recent meeting of the Inverness City Committee, but which was now 6 years old and it was suggested that this type of information should be far more up to date and part of planned maintenance. Reference was also made to building defects at Thurso High School and clarification was sought as to whether this building had been subject to any survey. In response, it was advised that condition surveys were carried out on all schools on a regular basis and thereafter structural surveys were prioritised and carried out on those buildings where the greatest need for such a survey was identified.
Thereafter, the Committee
i. NOTED the current position with regard to the progress with the 2008/09
Property Revenue Maintenance Budget;
ii. APPROVED the transfer of funds from within other Housing and Property
Service controlled Revenue Budgets (where an under-spend was projected)
should this be required to ensure that day to day and engineering repairs
were maintained at an appropriate level;
iii. NOTED that a detailed Revenue Maintenance Programme for 2009/2010
would be reported to Committee on 15 April, 2009 for approval;
iv.AGREED that work should be undertaken to provide up to date information
on structural surveys of buildings; and
v.AGREED that clarification be sought as to whether a structural survey had
been undertaken on Thurso High School to identify remedial works which
were required.
4. Revenue Monitoring
i. Corporate Revenue Monitoring Statement
There had been circulated Report No. res-04-09 dated 9 February, 2009 by the Depute Chief Executive which presented the revenue budget monitoring position for the period to 31 December, 2008 and the projected year end position.
Having heard that clarification would be sought for Councillor I Renwick as to whether the Council was contributing any funding towards the road work at Ben Aketil, the Committee AGREED the Revenue Expenditure Monitoring Statement for financial year 2008/09 as at 31 December, 2008.
ii. Request for Supplementary Estimate
There had been circulated Joint Report No. res-05-09 dated 21 January, 2009 by the Depute Chief Executive and Director of Planning and Development which sought consideration of a request from the Planning and Development Service for a supplementary estimate of £0.758m in 2008/09.
It was advised that pressures created by a drastic fall in income from planning and building warrant fees as a result of the general economic downturn could not be fully contained within the overall Planning and Development Service and therefore additional resources were required.
Following consideration, the Committee APPROVED a supplementary estimate of £0.758m to the Planning and Development Service.
5. Corporate Capital Monitoring Statement – General Fund and HRA Capital Programme
There had been circulated Report No. res-06-09 dated 9 February, 2009 by the Depute Chief Executive which provided an overview of the General Fund and HRA Capital Programmes for the period to 31 December, 2008 and the projected year end position.
Following consideration, the Committee:
i. AGREED the financial position of the General Fund and HRA Capital
Programmes as at 31 December, 2008; and
ii. AGREED that £0.300m be transferred from the discretionary fund to the
Chief Executive’s service programme for video conferencing equipment
(£0.110m) and Caithness Horizon’s (£0.190m).
6. Capital Monitoring Statement for Chief Executive’s Service
There had been circulated Report No. res-07-09 dated 9 February, 2009 by the Chief Executive which set out the current Capital Budget position for the Chief Executive’s Service for the period to 31 December, 2008.
The Committee AGREED:
i. the Capital Monitoring report; and
ii. to fund £0.189m of the overspend on the Caithness Horizons project from
slippage in the Chief Executive’s Capital Programme in the current financial
year and the remainder of £0.190m from the Capital Discretionary Fund.
7. Property Capital Monitoring Statement
There had been circulated Report No. res-08-09 dated 2 February, 2009 by the Director of Housing and Property which set out the current position with regard to the 2008/09 Property Capital Programme.
During discussion, it was confirmed that the information previously requested by Councillor I Renwick in relation to the Police House in Uig, Isle of Skye, would be provided as soon as possible.
Thereafter the Committee;
i. NOTED the current position with regard to budget allocation and progress
with the 2008/09 Property Capital Programme; and
ii. APPROVED the allocation of £86,000 towards amenity block improvements
at the Inverness Travelling People’s site.
8. Development of UHI Centre for History, Dornoch
There had been circulated Report No. res-09-09 dated 14 January, 2009 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport outlining planned developments at the UHI Centre for History in Dornoch which would make a substantial contribution to the economy of the area and recommended that the Council contribute £200k to the capital development from the uncommitted Capital Discretionary Fund, subject to remaining funding being secured.
Following consideration, the Committee:
i. NOTED the UHI Centre for History’s plans for development, subject to a
successful application for ERDF and other funding;
ii. AGREED the commitment of £200k in the current financial year (2008/09)
from the uncommitted Capital Discretionary Fund, subject to conditions to
be agreed by the Depute Chief Executive and Head of Legal and Democratic
Services; and
iii.NOTED the opportunities offered by the UHI Centre for History in
implementing the Council’s Archive Strategy and other potential links.
9. Tain Common Good Fund application – Tain Rose Garden
There had been circulated Report No. res-10-09 dated 10 February, 2009 by the Corporate Manager (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) which referred to an application to the Committee on 3 December, 2008 for £26,000 from the Tain Common Good Fund towards developing the Tain Rose Garden. Due to a change in circumstances, the Committee was asked to approve a further £27,658 because of increased costs.
The Committee APPROVED the additional sum up to a maximum of the £27,658 applied for by the Tain Initiative Group for the Rose Garden Project.
10. Treasury Management: Summary of Transactions
There had been circulated Report No. res-11-09 dated 15 January, 2009 by the Depute Chief Executive which provided details of the Treasury Management transactions undertaken for November and December, 2008 which were submitted in compliance with CIPFA’s Code of Practice on Treasury Management and the Council’s approved Financial Regulations.
The Committee NOTED the terms of the report.
11. Treasury Management Strategy Statement 2009/10
There had been circulated Report No. res-12-09 dated 3rd February, 2009 by the Depute Chief Executive which advised that the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) Code of Practice on Treasury Management in Local Authorities required the Council to set out its treasury management strategy for borrowing and investment for the forthcoming financial year.
It was suggested that the outlook for the Retail Price Index should be included in future strategy statements for general information.
Thereafter, the Committee:
i. APPROVED the Treasury Management Strategy Statement for 2009/10;
ii. NOTED the Prudential Indicators for 2008/09 – 2011/12 as detailed in
Appendix 1 of the report; and
iii. AGREED that the outlook for the Retail Price Index be included in future
strategy statements.
12. Finance Service Quarterly Performance Report
There had been circulated Report No. res-13-09 dated 3 February, 2009 by the Depute Chief Executive which provided details of the 2008/09 Finance Service performance to the quarter ending 31 December, 2008. The report contained information on the Accounts Commission’s Statutory Performance Indicators for Finance Benefits Administration and Payment of Invoices and compared, where possible, the current year figures for the same quarter of the last financial year 2007-08.
The Committee NOTED the contents of the report.
13. Engagement with the EU: Annual Report for 2008 and forward look for 2009-2011
Declaration of Interest
Mr A Henderson declared a non-financial interest in this item as a Member of the Mallaig Harbour Authority, but having applied the test outlined in paragraph 5.18 of the Councillor’s Code of Conduct, concluded that his interest did not preclude his involvement in the discussion.
There had been circulated Report No. res-14-09 dated 30 January, 2009 by the Chief Executive which advised that in keeping with the Council’s Programme commitment to maximise the benefit from the European Union, activity in 2008 was reported and areas for improvement were identified. Members were asked to consider the priority areas for continued engagement with the EU to 2011. Priorities agreed would then focus effort to achieve the greatest impact on funding for the region, the EU networks to participate in and in positioning the region within the EU post 2013 when the current programmes ended.
In discussion, Members generally welcomed the report and the action proposed to focus effort to achieve the greatest impact on funding for the Council. There was a need to engage more effectively with the EU and share good practice with the Council’s partners on EU matters, and the need for a co-ordinated approach to achieve greater funding, both with partners and at a political level. Further, there was a specific request for more information in relation to the Trans national Project, which it was agreed would be provided.
Thereafter, the Committee NOTED:
i. the Annual Report for 2008 and the improvement actions identified; and
ii. that information on Trans national Projects would be provided to Councillor A
Henderson as requested at the meeting.
The Committee APPROVED:
i. the strategic priorities for the Council’s engagement with Europe, focusing
on: improving infrastructure for equality of access to services in rural and
remote areas; the renewable energy and small business sectors of the
economy; tackling poverty, supporting people into work and social inclusion;
managing the environment through climate change, access to the
countryside and maritime policy; with community development and
sustainable communities as cross cutting priorities;
ii. steps to increase take up of EU grants by focusing on priorities, introducing
new systems of supporting staff to design projects and make successful bids
and aligning the Council’s budget process better with EU funding
opportunities; and
iii.The proposals for strengthening the Council’s influence in the EU by
identifying the right EU, national and regional networks to be engaged in,
based on priorities and the post 2013 period, with regular feedback to all
Members on this activity and in arranging more regular liaison with MSPs, MPs
and MEPs. An early meeting with the MEPs following the election in June,
2009 would be arranged.
14. Progress Report on Implementing the Energy Management Performance Plan
There had been circulated Report No res-15-09 dated 11 February, 2009 by the Head of Policy and Performance which reported on progress being made in meeting the targets set out in the Energy Management Performance Plan up to the end of Quarter 2, 2008/09. It highlighted the issues faced with current monitoring mechanisms and recommended the monitoring of trends over time and total progress to date, in place of comparing performance across the same quarters in two separate years.
In discussion, it was felt that, for information purposes the work of the Climate Change Working Group should be reflected in the report in future. It was also suggested that a briefing on energy conservation should be provided. There was an increasing gap between Highland Council’s projected carbon emissions and that required through the Climate Change Bill and significant work was required to close this gap. Also, it was advised that, as some outlying schools had their heating controlled from Inverness and there could be a big difference in temperature between the two areas, this devolved expenditure should have the appropriate devolved budget to match.
Further, it was queried as to whether wind measurements were taken at proposed locations for wind turbines and it was also suggested that it would be useful to have a graph which showed how much energy was provided by the different renewable energy sources so that over time the profile could be seen of where the Council obtained this energy and what changes in use were being realised.
Thereafter, the Committee AGREED to reporting performance by trends throughout the year from 2005, rather than comparing quarterly performance between years; and NOTED:
i. that while energy use and C02 emissions had reduced from the 2004-5
base-line, performance between April and September, 2008 showed an
increase in use and emissions compared to the same period in 2007.
Explanations for the increase included estimated billing, variations in school
closure dates and colder weather conditions;
ii. the progress in installing renewable technologies in Council sites and in
encouraging behavioural change through awareness raising, energy labelling
and buildings certificates;
iii. that the Council was one of three Councils in Scotland with Carbon Trust
Standard Accreditation for measuring, managing and reducing CO2 emissions
and compared favourably with other Councils from the Audit Scotland
energy unit;
iv.that emissions reductions targets required to be re-set given Government
targets and that further information would be brought to Committee;
v. that the information requested by Councillor R Coghill at the meeting in
relation to the appraisal undertaken prior to investment in wind turbines
would be provided in due course; and
vi.that consideration would be given to providing a briefing for Elected
Members on Energy Conservation.
15. Supporting Employees Experiencing Domestic Abuse Policy and Management Guidelines
Declaration of Interest
Mrs A MacLean declared a non-financial interest in this item as a Director of Ross-shire Women’s Aid but, having applied the test outlined in paragraph 5.18 of the Councillor’s Code of Conduct, concluded that her interest did not preclude her involvement in the discussion.
There had been circulated Report No. res-16-09 dated 6 February, 2009 by the Assistant Chief Executive which recommended the introduction of the Supporting Employees Experiencing Domestic Abuse policy and management guidelines as an employment policy which addressed the requirements within the Violence against Women Strategy 2008 and set out an action plan for implementation.
In discussion, Members expressed their support for the policy and management guidelines in what was a very serious and difficult problem to address. While most domestic violence incidents were perpetrated by men against women, abuse by women against men also occurred and it was suggested that a lot of such cases went unreported, given the difficulties men felt in coming forward in these situations. It was also felt that most domestic violence was linked to alcohol abuse which should be borne in mind and that abuse was not always of a physical nature. Specifically, it was felt that Occupational Health Services should be added to the list of support services dealing with domestic abuse and that, in relation to Guidance for Managers in implementing the policy, it was suggested that the words “should not” be replaced with “must not”.
Thereafter, the Committee APPROVED the introduction and implementation of the Supporting Employees Experiencing Domestic Abuse Policy and action plan, subject to the following changes:
i. that Occupational Health Services be added to the list of support services
dealing with domestic abuse; and
ii. that the Guidance for Managers and Staff in implementing the policy, be
amended to replace the words “should not” with “must not”.
16. Additional Investment for Money Advice and Welfare Rights Services
Declarations of Interest
The following Members declared non-financial interests in this item but, having applied the test in Paragraph 5.18 of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct, concluded that their interests did not preclude their involvement in the discussion.
Mr I Renwick – Member of Skye and Lochalsh Citizen’s Advice Bureau
Mrs A MacLean – Member of Ross-shire Citizen’s Advice Bureau
Mrs D MacKay – Director of East Sutherland Voluntary Advice Services
Mr G Farlow – Member of North and West Sutherland Advice and Information Services
There had been circulated Report No res-17-09 dated 3 February, 2009 by the Chief Executive which advised that the Council’s Programme had a commitment to increase the support for Money Advice and Welfare Rights services in the Highlands by providing additional funding of £100,000. The report outlined current provision of advice services and set out proposals to increase the level of provision across the Highland area which had been developed with the involvement of the Independent Advice sector, Officers from the Chief Executive’s, Finance and Housing Services and were aligned with actions in the Recession Action Plan.
In discussion, the extra funding for Money Advice services was welcomed and it was suggested that a progress report should be brought back to Committee advising of the extra income accrued for clients as a result of this extra funding. Reference was made to the lack of accommodation for Advice and Information Services staff and, in this respect, they had been advised that they could use Council Service Points for surgeries. However, it was understood that they would be charged for using Service Points, and therefore some discussion on this issue with Officers would be welcomed.
Thereafter, the Committee:
i. NOTED the changing context for Welfare Rights and Money Advice services,
with increased take-up of services noted in 2008 compared to 2007 and
that this area of service would be part of the Council’s Recession Action
Plan; and
ii. AGREED that:
- £66,361 be apportioned to increase capacity in the Council’s in-house team from 2009-10 onwards (with the gradings to be confirmed as part of the job evaluation process and that recruitment proceed and be reported retrospectively in the staffing report in April 2008);
- £42,648 be apportioned to increase contact time in the third sector providers described in Paragraph 5.3.2 from 2009-10 onwards and included in Service Delivery Contracts;
- additional funding of £47,281 be made available in 2008-9 to provide training and an employment advisor post in the third sector, sourced from the under spend in the Chief Executive’s Service; and
- a progress report be submitted to Committee in 6 months time on the extra income accrued for clients as a result of this extra investment in Money Advice and Welfare Rights services.
17. The Highland Council – Annual Health and Safety Report 2007-2008
There had been circulated Report No res-18-09 by the Assistant Chief Executive which outlined the Council’s Health and Safety performance for the period 1 April, 2007 to 31 March, 2008 and included statistical information relating to accidents and incidents reported to the Council’s Health and Safety Team during that period.
Reference was made in particular to the accidents/incidents reported in the Badenoch and Strathspey area which were low apart from a high number of incidents recorded in Social Work Services and it was agreed that information on this would be provided to the Local Member.
Thereafter, the Committee NOTED:
i. the contents of the Annual Health and Safety Report and details of the
accident statistics for the period 1 April, 2007 to 31 March, 2008; and
ii. that information relating to accidents and incidents reported for the Social
Work Service in Badenoch and Strathspey be provided to the Local Member
18. Corporate ICT Contract: Service Continuation
There had been circulated Report No. res-19-09 dated 9 February, 2009 by the Head of E-Government which provided an update on the contractual requirements required to manage the transition between the current corporate ICT contract and the new corporate ICT arrangements. The Council required to formalise a service continuation to ensure that the ongoing operational ICT requirements linked to the requirements of the ICT procurement project and the new ICT arrangements which would be put in place.
Following consideration, the Committee:
i. NOTED the work ongoing to agree a service continuation under the existing
contractual provisions;
ii. APPROVED the costs and funding associated with the service continuation
as outlined in Section 3 of the report;
iii. AGREED the creation of the earmarked reserve to pay for the cost of the
service continuation referred to in Paragraph 3.2; and
iv.NOTED the timescale for the service continuation as outlined in Section 4 of
the report.
19. Fujitsu: Performance Report
There had been circulated Report No. res-20-09 dated 22 January, 2009 by the Information Systems Client Manager which summarised the performance of the IS Partnership with Fujitsu Services during the period October to December 2008.
In particular, it was advised that Web VPN Services (by which Members gained access to e-mail) was particularly erratic at weekends and in this respect, there was currently no measure of the availability of VPN Services. In response, it was advised that restoration times for VPN Services would be investigated.
Thereafter, the Committee NOTED the contents of the report and that clarification be sought on the availability and restoration timescales of Web VPN Services.
20. Customer Services Charter Mark Assessment
There had been circulated Report No. res-21-09 dated 21 January, 2009 by the Head of E Government which provided an update on the results of the Cabinet Office external Chartermark Assessment of the Council’s Customer Services function. It was advised that, in November, 2008, the Council had undertaken the most recent Chartermark assessment and had demonstrated significant progress with compliance of all services achieved.
Members welcomed the report and in particular it was suggested that consideration should be given to Tenant’s Group Inspections of Service Points as a way of improving performance as tenants would be good judges of the quality of service when accessing services.
The Committee NOTED:
i. the 2008 Chartermark Assessment report;
ii. the development of the customer services function and plans for the future;
and
iii. that consideration be given to Tenant’s Group Inspections of Service Points
as a way of improving customer services.
21. Consultation on Draft National Elected Member Development Strategy for Scottish Local Government
There had been circulated Report No. res-22-09 dated 30 January, 2009 by the Assistant Chief Executive which presented the Council’s proposed response to the consultation from the Improvement Service on the Draft National Elected Member Development Strategy for Scottish Local Government.
The strategy had been drafted to set out a framework through which enhanced, more focused and more structured support arrangements could be put in place for Elected Members in leading Local Government through a period of considerable change.
The Council’s proposed response broadly welcomed the aims and outcomes of the strategy, especially the opportunity for national and regional support and effective use of resources through collaboration. However, the response also identified the need to be cautious with regard to setting up additional assessment and audit frameworks and that the strategy should recognise the requirements for delivering and recording Elected Member training and development under the Local Governance Act 2004 and the remit of the Scottish Local Authorities Remuneration Committee.
Following consideration, the Committee APPROVED the proposed response from to the Improvement Service’s consultation on the Draft National Elected Member Development Strategy for Scottish Local Government.
22. The Scottish Government’s Hub Initiative
There had been circulated Report No. res-23-09 dated 10 February, 2009 by the Director of Housing and Property which provided information on the Scottish Government’s Hub Initiative and an update on the Council’s involvement to date. The hub initiative was designed to enhance the delivery of local services and improve procurement of physical assets through strategic public/private sector partnering.
The Committee:
i. NOTED progress towards the establishment of a Northern Hub company and
that the Council was involved and had submitted a letter of intent to
participate; and
ii. AGREED to the Council’s involvement to the extent to which it had already
committed to date.
23. Job Evaluation/Equal Pay
Declarations of Interest
The following Members declared non-financial interests in this item in view of family members being employed by the Council but, having applied the test in Paragraph 5.18 of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct, concluded that their interests did not preclude their involvement in the discussion.
Mr M Rattray, Mr J Finnie, Mr P Cairns, Mrs A MacLean, Mr G Farlow, Mr G Rimell, Mr D Fallows and Mr R Greene.
There had been circulated Report No. res-24-09 by the Assistant Chief Executive which provided an update of the key decisions which had been taken by the Modernising Employment Sub-Committee and of Job Evaluation and Equal Pay progress.
It was confirmed that Job Evaluation letters had now been issued to all employees. The Council was also seeking to introduce a new set of harmonised terms and conditions of service. The Council and the trade unions had until 31 March, 2009 to reach a collective agreement, otherwise the matter would require to be reported back to the Modernising Employment Sub-Committee.
It was also reported that Equal Pay signing sessions had been running smoothly and further signing sessions had been scheduled for February and March, 2009. Regular meetings were continuing to take place with the trade unions on Job Evaluation, Equal Pay and conditions of service.
The Committee NOTED the progress of Job Evaluation and Equal Pay.
24. Amendments to Organisational Structures/Establishments
There had been circulated Report No. res-25-09 dated 9 February, 2009 by the Assistant Chief Executive which recommended amendments to organisational structures/establishments as a consequence of proposals from Service Directors.
Concerns were expressed regarding the deletion of the 0.5 FTE post of Substance Misuse Officer in the Social Work Service Youth Action Team (Inverness, Nairn and Badenoch and Strathspey) as it was felt this post provided a much needed service and would send out the wrong signal to the public and the Council’s partners who had undertaken a tremendous amount of work in this area. While it was understood that the intention would be for the work of this post to be carried out in other ways, and that there would be no diminution of service delivery, it was nevertheless felt that a decision to delete this post should be deferred until Members had received a briefing on the work being carried out to tackle substance and alcohol abuse.
Reference was also made to the recommendation that a new post of Senior Transport Officer be created in the Integrated Transport (Public Transport) Section. It was felt that there was a lack of progress in the whole area of Integrated Transport and there was a need for a co-ordinated approach to address this and it was suggested that a meeting be arranged with the Director of Transport, Environmental and Community Services to address the concerns raised.
Thereafter, the Committee AGREED:
i. the new posts in the Planning and Development Service detailed in Section
2.8 of the report and that authority be delegated to the Assistant Chief
Executive and the Head of Personnel to evaluate the grades for these new
posts under the new scheme;
ii. to defer the deletion of a vacant 0.5 FTE post of Substance Misuse Officer
from the Social Work Service Youth Action Team (Inverness, Nairn and
Badenoch and Strathspey) pending a Briefing Paper on Substance & Alcohol
Misuse to Members;
iii. the amendments to the staffing establishment and other staffing changes
as detailed in Section 2 and Appendix 1 of the report;
iv.that a meeting be arranged with the Director of Transport,
Environmental and Community Services to discuss Councillor G Farlow’s
concerns regarding Integrated Transport (Public Transport); and
v. the trends of posts shown in Appendix 2 of the report.
25. Big Lottery Fund Consultation Response
There had been circulated Report No. res-26-09 dated 6 February, 2009 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which provided a draft response to a consultation exercise by the BIG Lottery Fund on the development of its strategic policies for 2009-2015.
It was advised that some key points in the response were that BIG should continue to provide 60 – 70% of its funding to voluntary and community sector organisations after the current guarantee ran out in 2012; there were a number of ways in which BIG could distinctively add value to the Scottish Government’s agenda; a number of changes should be made to the “Investing in Communities” approach; and Single Outcome Agreements and Community Planning Partnerships were the main structures which could, and should, be used as an indication of local needs and priorities.
Whilst generally supportive of the proposed response, Members suggested that, in relation to the Social Enterprise sector, the response should be much more supportive of this sector. Further, there was no mention of the replacement of the Scottish Land Fund which provided money for community land buy outs and it was vital that this Fund be replaced.
Following consideration, the Committee AGREED the Council’s response to the Big Lottery Fund consultation exercise, subject to the response being amended to reflect the following points:
- the response should be more supportive of the Social Enterprise sector; and
- the need to replace the Scottish Land Fund for community land buy outs was vital.
26. National Pay Award
There had been circulated Report No. res-27-09 by the Assistant Chief Executive which recommended that the Committee agree to implement the Scottish Joint Council 2009 pay award in the absence of a national agreement.
It was reported that, based on the advice issued by COSLA and the payments being made by other Councils, it was reasonable for Highland Council to proceed with paying the 2.5% increase for 2009/10.
* The Committee APPROVED the implementation of the 2.5% pay award for all staff for the year 1 April, 2009 to 31 March, 2010.
27. Minutes of Meetings
The Committee APPROVED the following Minutes of Meetings which were circulated for confirmation:-
i. Joint Consultation Group – Minute of Meeting of 12 December 2008;
ii. Central Safety Committee – Minute of Meeting of 12 December 2008;
iii. Investment Advisory Group – Minute of Meeting of 16 January 2009;
iv. Early Retirement Sub-Committee – Minute of Meeting of 14 January 2009;
v. Appeals Committee – Minute of Meetings of 5 December 2008, 12 December 2008, 9 January 2009 i, 9 January 2009 ii, 23 January 2009, 30 January 2009;
vi. Modernising Employment Sub-Committee – Minute of meetings of 12 December 2008 and 16 January 2009; and
vii. ICT Procurement Working Group – Minute of Meeting of 28 January 2009;
28. Exclusion of The Public
The Committee RESOLVED that, under Section 50A(4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, the public be excluded from the meeting during discussion of the following items on the grounds that they involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 6 & 9 of Part 1 of Schedule 7A of the Act.
29. Property Transactions Monitoring Report
There had been circulated to Members only Report No. RES/28/09 by the Director of Housing and Property which advised on sales targeted for completion within the financial year 2008/09 and summarised progress together with details of the Property Account property transactions approved by the Head of Housing Development and Estates.
The Committee NOTED progress on property sales with anticipated settlement within financial year 2008/09 and the Property Account transactions approved by the Head of Housing Development and Estates.
30. Property Transactions
There had been circulated to Members only Report No. RES/29/09 dated 9 February, 2009 by the Director of Housing and Property seeking approval to the renewal of the lease of Balmacara House, Kyle, to the Ministry of Defence; the renewal of the Council’s lease of Offices at Station Road, Dingwall; the purchase of land comprising of the Greenhill Salt Store Depot in Tore and the sale of Unit 2, Dingwall Business Park to the existing tenant.
Following consideration, the Committee AGREED :
i. that the lease of Balmacara House, Kyle to the Ministry of Defence be
renewed for a further period of 5 years, on terms and conditions to be
agreed by the Director of Housing & Property;
ii. that the Council’s lease of offices at Station Road, Dingwall be renewed for a
further period of 15 years, on terms and conditions to be agreed by the
Director of Housing and Property;
iii. the purchase of the Greenhill Salt Store at the sum detailed in the report
and on terms and conditions to be agreed by the Director of Housing and
Property; and
iv.the sale of Unit 2, Dingwall Business Park, Dingwall to Edinburgh Smoked
Salmon Company Limited at the sum detailed in the report and on terms and
conditions to be agreed by the Director of Housing and Property.
The meeting ended at 1.10 p.m.