Highland Council Minute

Agenda

Minutes of Meeting of the Highland Council held in the Council Chamber, Council Headquarters, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness on Thursday, 28 June 2012 at 10.30am.

Mr K MacLeod opened the meeting with prayer.

1. Calling of the Roll and Apologies for Absence
A’ Gairm a’ Chlàir agus Leisgeulan

Present:

Dr D Alston, Mr R Balfour, Mr B Barclay, Mr A Baxter, Mr D Bremner, Mr I Brown, Ms C Caddick, Mrs I Campbell, Miss J Campbell, Mrs H Carmichael, Mr A Christie, Mr B Clark, Dr I Cockburn, Mr R Coghill, Mr J Crawford, Mrs M Davidson, Mr N Donald, Ms J Douglas, Mr A Duffy, Mr D Fallows, Mr G Farlow, Mr B Fernie, Mr J Ford, Mr C Fraser, Mr H Fraser, Mr L Fraser, Mr J Gordon, Mr B Gormley, Mr K Gowans, Mr A Graham, Mr J Gray, Mr M Green, Mr R Greene, Mr A Henderson, Mr D Hendry, Mr E Hunter, Mr D Kerr, Mr R Laird, Mr B Lobban, Mr C Macaulay, Mrs L MacDonald, Mr N MacDonald, Mr J McGillivray, Mrs D Mackay, Mr D Mackay, Mr W MacKay, Mr G MacKenzie, Mr A Mackinnon, Ms A MacLean, Mr T Maclennan, Mr A MacLeod, Mr K MacLeod, Mrs B McAllister, Mrs I McCallum, Mr D Millar, Mr H Morrison, Ms L Munro, Mr B Murphy, Mr F Parr, Mrs M Paterson, Mr G Phillips, Mr T Prag, Mr M Rattray, Mr I Renwick, Mr A Rhind, Mr G Rimell, Mrs F Robertson, Mr J Rosie, Mr G Ross, Mr R Saxon, Dr A Sinclair, Mrs G Sinclair, Mrs J Slater, Ms M Smith, Ms K Stephen, Mr J Stone, Mrs C Wilson

In Attendance:

Chief Executive
Depute Chief Executive/Director of Housing and Property
Assistant Chief Executive
Director of Education, Culture and Sport
Director of Planning and Development
Director of TEC Services
Director of Health and Social Care
Director of Finance
Corporate Manager

Mr J Gray in the Chair

Apologies for absence were intimated on behalf of Mr M Finlayson, Ms G Ross and Mr H Wood.

Preliminaries

Prior to the commencement of the formal business, the Convener made reference to the major events which had recently been held in the Highlands, including the World Mountain Bike Championships, Rockness, the Curtis Cup and the Olympic Torch Relay, and paid tribute to all those directly involved in making these events a real success for the area.

Reference was also made to the visit of the Dalai Lama, which had been very successful and had attracted a large number of people to Inverness, and to the Scottish Open Golf Championship which was to be held during July.

2. Declarations of Interest
Foillseachaidhean Com-pàirt

The Council NOTED the following declarations of interest:–

Item 8: Mr D Fallows, Mrs J Douglas, Mr G Rimell, Mr D Kerr, Mr G Farlow and Mr A Duffy (Financial) and Mr G Farlow (Non-financial)

Item 12: Mrs J Douglas (Financial)

Item 15: Mrs C Wilson, Mrs J Douglas, Mr K Gowans, Mr D Millar, Mr F Parr, Mr M Rattray and Ms M Smith (Non-financial) and Mr K Gowans (Financial)

Item 16: Mr G Phillips (Non-financial)

3. Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme – Gold Award Presentation
Sgeama Duais Diuc Dhun Eideann – Toirt Seachad na Duais Oir

The Council was advised that, as part of the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme, eighteen young people from across the Highlands had received the Gold Award in the current year.

In this regard, and following a summary of their achievements, the Convener presented Gold Award badges to the ten recipients who were present at the meeting:

Lewis Macleod, Martha Menzies, Alexander Mount, Catriona Knott, Emma Grant, Fiona Hunter, Kathleen Scott, Suzie Love, Eilidh Black and Aimee MacDonald.

4. Confirmation of Minutes
Daingneachadh a’ Gheàrr-chunntais

(i) There had been circulated for confirmation the Minutes of Meeting of the Council held on 31 May 2012 which were APPROVED - subject to the following:-

Item 4: Committee Structure

It was AGREED that the request made by Ms J Douglas at the previous meeting for a diagram to be produced for communities to visually clarify how the new City/Area Committee structure would work should be progressed as soon as possible.

Item 9: Highland Licensing Committee and Highland Licensing Board

It was confirmed that Mrs Glynis Sinclair had previously been appointed to the Licensing Committee and the Licensing Board. She had also subsequently been appointed to the Board of Governors for Eden Court. However, due to licensing regulations, she had been unable to take up membership of both the Licensing Board and Eden Court and, following consultation, had elected to stay on the latter and to withdraw from both the Licensing Committee and Licensing Board.

On that basis, nominations had been sought from the Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey area for the vacant place on the Licensing Committee and it was confirmed that to date only one nomination had been received for Mrs Liz MacDonald.

In this regard, a further nomination was received at the meeting for Mr L Fraser.

On a vote being taken between the two candidates, Mrs L MacDonald received 42 votes and Mr L Fraser received 32 votes, the votes having been cast as follows:-

Votes for Mrs L MacDonald:

Alston, D; Brown, I; Caddick, C; Christie, A; Clark, B; Cockburn, I; Duffy, A; Fallows, D; Farlow, G; Ford, J; Fraser, C; Gormley, B; Gowans, K; Graham, A; Gray, J; Hendry, D; Kerr, D; Laird, R; Lobban, B; Macaulay, C; MacDonald, L; MacDonald, N; Mackay, D (W5); MacKenzie, G; MacLean, A; MacLeod, A; MacLeod, K; McAllister, E; Millar, D; Munro, L; Murphy, B; Parr, F; Phillips, G; Prag, T; Rattray, M; Renwick, I; Saxon, R; Sinclair, G; Slater, J; Smith, M; Stephen, K; Stone, J.

Votes for Mr L Fraser:

Balfour, R; Barclay, B; Baxter, A; Campbell, I; Campbell, J; Carmichael, H; Coghill, R; Crawford, ,J; Davidson, M; Donald, N; Douglas, J; Fernie, B; Fraser, H; Fraser, L; Gordon, J; Green, M; Greene, R; Henderson, A; Hunter, E; Mackay, D (W2); MacKay, W; MacLennan, T; McCallum, I; McGillivray, J; Morrison, H; Paterson, M; Rhind, A; Robertson, F; Rosie, J; Ross, G (W14); Sinclair, A; Wilson, C.

Abstention:

Mr D Bremner.

The Council therefore AGREED to appoint Mrs L MacDonald to the Highland Licensing Committee.

It was further AGREED that Mrs L MacDonald should also be appointed to the Highland Licensing Board.

(ii) There had been tabled Minutes of Meeting of the Adult & Children's Services Committee which had been held on 21 June 2012.

The Minutes, having been moved and seconded, were, except as undernoted, APPROVED - matters arising having been dealt with as follows:-

*Starred Item* Item 7: 16+ - Towards a Strategic Approach

AGREED that the Members of the Adult and Children’s Services Committee should be invited to attend Youth Voice events.

Also AGREED that comments made during the meeting by Mrs M Davidson in relation to self-directed support and the fact that the report had made no mention of the NHS involvement in the family firm and apprenticeships should be included in the minute.

*Starred Item* Item 8: Integration of Health and Social Care

AGREED that the Chair of the Finance, Housing and Resources Committee should be a member of the Joint Strategic Commissioning Group.

*Starred Item* Item 12: Appointment of Representatives to Outside Bodies

AGREED the following appointments -

Inter-Authority Standing Group on Gaelic Education - Mr A MacLeod
Poolewe Swimming Pool Association - Mr R Greene
Raddery Trust - Ms M Smith
Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme – Highland Award Partnership - Mr D Millar and Mr M Green

5. Membership of Strategic Committees, etc
Ballrachd air Comataidhean Ro-innleachdail, is eile

It was NOTED that Mr Bill Clark had joined the SNP Group and the political make-up of the Council was now as follows:-

Independent: 35
SNP: 23
Liberal Democrat: 14
Labour: 8

It was further NOTED that the formula in respect of the number of places on Strategic Committees was unaffected at 10/6/4/2.

The Council also AGREED the following changes as submitted by the SNP Group:

Audit & Scrutiny Committee – Mr B Clark to replace Mr B Lobban
Highland & Western Isles Valuation Board – Mr K Gowans to replace Mrs G Sinclair.

6. Question Time
Àm Ceiste

The following Questions had been received by the Assistant Chief Executive in terms of Standing Order 42:-

(i) Mr E Hunter (15kb pdf)

To the Leader of the Council

“When can we expect the details of timescales and remit for the newly proposed Area Committees?”

The response had been circulated.

In terms of a supplementary question, Mr Hunter queried as to whether the Leader of the Council would agree that, as Planning and Licensing had been the last two functions to be decentralised, they should be the first functions to be returned to the areas, bearing in mind that the vast majority of determinations were made by Officials under delegated powers and, at the recent Planning training session, it had been indicated that only about 5% of Planning applications came before Committees.

In response, the Leader of the Council confirmed that the Council was running two very important and extensive pilots in Caithness & Sutherland and Inverness and positive engagement would be undertaken locally to ensure that the best possible decisions were taken by local people for local areas.

(ii) Mrs I Campbell (33kb pdf)

To the Chair of the Adult and Children’s Services Committee

“I would like to know how this Administration are going to address the over spend in the Education budget?”

The response had been circulated.

There was no supplementary Question.

(iii) Mrs J Douglas (16kb pdf)

To the Chair of the Adult and Children’s Services Committee

“Can we have an update on the progress of the Family Firm approach, including how many young people are involved, and also when will further reports come back on this important project and which Committee will they go to?”

The response had been circulated.

In terms of a supplementary question, Ms Douglas queried as to whether assurances could be given that training for Members would be given in relation to Corporate Parenting in early course and before the end of the year so that all Members could gain a real understanding and commitment to this important area of work.

In response, the Chair of the Adult and Children’s Services Committee confirmed that the Administration was committed to ensuring that all Members of the Council became good Corporate Parents and this was referred to in the Programme for the Council. Members were able to access training on a number of issues and it was intended that there would be a training element included in future meetings of the Adult and Children’s Services Committee.

Decision

The Council NOTED the position.

7. Notices of Motion
Brathan Gluasaid

The Council AGREED TO WITHDRAW the following Notices of Motion on the request of the proposers and seconders in light of information which had been received by them prior to the meeting:-

(i) “Bower Primary School is in the Wick High School catchment area. At the moment, around 50% of pupils in the Bower area go to Thurso High School as a school placing request.

As of the new term in August, these pupils attending Thurso High School will have to pay for their own school transport.

We propose that, as Bower Primary School lies an equal distance between Wick High School and Thurso High School, Bower Primary School should have dual zoning between Wick and Thurso High Schools”.

Signed: Mr R Coghill, Mr W MacKay

(ii) ”The Independent Group has deep concerns regarding the parlous state of our roads.

We propose a substantial increase in the Transport, Environmental and Community Services budget over a 10 year period”.

Signed: Mrs I McCallum, Mr B Barclay

(iii) ”Highland Council calls on the Scottish Government to end the freeze on Council Tax to allow Elected Members the autonomy to set a local Council Tax which will help maintain and protect local services”.

Signed: Mrs C Wilson, Mrs M Davidson

8. Programme for the Council
Prògram airson na Comhairle

Declarations of Interest

Ms J Douglas, Mr D Fallows and Mr G Rimell declared financial interests in this item as Board Members of Cairngorms National Park Authority but, in terms of the dispensation granted by the Standards Commission, remained to participate in the discussion.

Mr D Kerr, Mr G Farlow and Mr A Duffy declared financial interests in this item as Council House tenants but, in terms of the dispensation granted by the Standards Commission, remained to participate in the discussion.

Mr G Farlow declared a non-financial interest in this item on the grounds of being a Director of North West Highlands Geopark Ltd but, having applied the test outlined in Paragraphs 5.2 and 5.3 of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct, concluded that his interest did not preclude his involvement in the discussion and voting.

There had been circulated separately the Programme for the Council (46kb pdf) which set out the Administration’s priorities which would form the basis of the Council’s Corporate and Service Plans.

Introducing the Programme, the Leader of the Council confirmed that one of the key strands in the development of the Programme had been a willingness and openness in terms of engagement, both within and outwith the Council, including both the UK and Scottish Governments and other outside bodies. This underpinned and assisted with the work to be taken forward by the Council in order to stimulate the Highland economy and provide jobs in the area and in this regard a number of recent announcements were very warmly welcomed, including the development of the UHI Inverness Campus and specifically additional capital funding of £6m for Highlands & Islands Enterprise to assist with infrastructure, the additional funding of £1m for the Vacant Derelict Land Fund, increased support for rail transport, support for the dualling of the A9, infrastructure improvements at the Berriedale Braes and, after a long running campaign, the UK Government’s decision to reinstate one of the Emergency Towing Vessels for the Minches and the Northern Isles.

In this latter regard, it was confirmed that the intention was now to write to the Secretary of State for Scotland to request that Local Authorities be consulted on the detail of the new contract, to press for the same level of protection as had been previously provided by the two Emergency Towing Vessels and to urge the UK Government to successfully conclude its discussions with the UK Oil and Gas industry so as to provide a commercial option to supplement the Coastguard operated tug.

In conclusion, and in highlighting a further range of key measures, it was confirmed that the Programme brought decision making closer to home for the people of the Highlands and presented a clear vision for jobs and fairness for communities.

During discussion, Members raised the following issues:-

many of the initiatives contained within the Programme had been started in the term of the previous Council and in this regard thanks were conveyed to the Members and Officers involved for the work undertaken to date;
welfare reform was a huge issue for people within the Highlands and measures had to be taken by the Council as a matter of priority in order to ensure that income was protected wherever possible;
initiatives such as the introduction of a living wage and the recovery development plan were warmly welcomed;
a flourishing economy was vital for the Highlands and the area was fortunate in terms of the natural resources which were available and the opportunities which were developing;
a key factor in the document was the commitment to preventative spending which was about putting things right before they went wrong and this message had to be clearly conveyed to people within the area from the outset;
the fact that at least £3m of the Council’s budget each year would be spent on preventative spend to improve the quality of life for young people, older adults and those struggling with deprivation was welcomed;
a lot more could be achieved within the budget by spending on early years and children and young people and the confirmation that £1m of the preventative spend figure would be directed towards this area of work was highlighted;
there was a need to work even more closely with communities across the Highlands in the future in order to deliver services more efficiently at a local level;
training and apprenticeships had to be given a high priority in terms of the future prosperity of the Highlands;
there was a need to pursue the provision of decent broadband to every home in the Highlands;
there was a need to include within the Programme a commitment to support the retention of the two rural General Hospitals in Fort William and Wick;
there was also a need to campaign for the upgrading of the whole route taken by the A82 from Glasgow to Inverness, including the Fort William/Caol Relief Road;
in terms of the commitment to improve the roads maintenance allocation system and specifically the need to spend preventatively on roads according to need, it was important that this was carried out in accordance with asset management principles;
there should be a specific commitment within the Programme to work with partners to deliver a Fort William Relief Road or A830 Extension in terms of the expected future development of the area;
there was a need to seriously address the recurring issue of the write off of debt, including rates, incurred by the business community within the Highlands;
in relation to fairness and efficiency in the settling of bills, steps should be taken by the Council wherever possible to ensure the prompt payment of bills to small local businesses;
there was a need to campaign for a fairer pricing structure on the Highland rail network;
in terms of the proposed ‘zero tolerance’ approach to litter, this should include dog fouling which was a significant problem across the area;
in relation to the provision of allotments, this should also include community growing schemes; and
it was important that the Programme was monitored over time in order to ensure that progress was being made with the various initiatives contained within it.

Decision

Members AGREED the Programme for the Council as circulated.

It was also AGREED, in relation to the reinstatement of one of the Emergency Towing Vessels for the Minches and the Northern Isles, to unanimously endorse the Leader of the Council’s commitment to write to the Secretary of State for Scotland to request that Local Authorities be consulted on the detail of the new contract, to press for the same level of protection as had been previously provided by the two Emergency Towing Vessels and to urge the UK Government to successfully conclude its discussions with the UK Oil and Gas industry so as to provide a commercial option to supplement the Coastguard operated tug.

9. Community Safety, Public Engagement and Equalities Committee
Comataidh Sàbhailteachd Choimhearsnachd, Com-pàirteachaidh Phoblaich agus Co-ionannachd

There had been circulated Report No. HC-3-12 (56kb pdf) dated 20 June 2012 by the Assistant Chief Executive which requested agreement of the remit and Scheme of Delegation for the Community Safety, Public Engagement and Equalities Committee which included the pathfinder arrangements for Member scrutiny and engagement for the new single Police Service and Fire and Rescue Service when they came into effect on 1 April 2013.

During a summary of the report, it was confirmed that the three strands of the Committee, namely Community Safety, Public Engagement and Equalities, all had in common an interest in how the Council could improve its engagement with partners and with Highland Communities to achieve the best possible outcomes for the area. This meant ensuring that engagement was meaningful and undertaken at the right time and for the Council to show what difference had been made by listening to communities and partners.

The context for the Committee had been affected by recent and current legislative changes and a national policy review and these had been detailed within the report.

During discussion, Members raised the following issues:-

an important part of the work of the Committee would be to scrutinise and monitor the move towards the new single Police and Fire and Rescue Service in order to assess the impact on local communities;
in terms of community safety, it was very important that the Scottish Ambulance Service should be invited to participate in future discussions;
preventative spending would also be important in terms of community safety as there were examples across Scotland which showed that such spending had a huge influence on anti-social behaviour;
in terms of equality issues, assurance was given that equal weight would be given to such issues on future agendas and cognisance would be taken of the work which had already been undertaken by the previous Equalities Working Group;
a report would be presented to the first meeting of the Committee on community participation and specifically on how people across the Highlands could be encouraged to take part in future elections;
any public consultation to be undertaken had to be effective and needed to be given priority;
there should be some mention of the Council’s marketing and public relations role in the draft remit;
consideration should be given to perhaps changing the name of the Committee if possible;
thanks should be conveyed to the previous Chair of the Equalities Working Group who had undertaken a significant amount of ground breaking work over a range of issues in the last term of the Council;
the Council had a moral duty to ensure that the equalities agenda was taken forward in order to encourage an inclusive and equal society; and
it was imperative that all Members really understood the meaning of community engagement, particularly in view of the fact that the Council had already signed up to the National Standards of Community Engagement.

Decision

The Council AGREED the remit and scope of the Community Safety, Public Engagement and Equalities Committee and the Scheme of Delegation as circulated.

10. Scheme of Delegation to City/Area Committees
Comataidhean Cathair-bhaile/Sgìre – Raon-ùghdarrais air a Mholadh

There had been circulated Report No. HC-4-12 (49kb pdf) dated 19 June 2012 by the Chief Executive in relation to the Scheme of Delegation for City/Area Committees.

During a summary of the report, it was confirmed that the Scheme made a distinction between strategic planning, policy formulation and budget setting delivered by the Council and its Strategic Committees and functions delegated to City/Area Committees. As such, Strategic Committees retained responsibility for monitoring overall Service budgets, approving Service strategy and policy, setting minimum levels of service and setting uniform levels of charges. In contrast, City/Area Committees were well placed to take on responsibility for approving local service delivery (within approved strategy/resources), monitoring/scrutinising service delivery against approved delivery plans, approving delegated local functions, making recommendations where appropriate to Strategic Committees and/or full Council and taking decisions over budgets delegated to them e.g. Community Challenge Fund and Deprived Area Funding.

In this regard, it was advised that the new structure would be reviewed after the first year and lessons learned from the pilots in Inverness and Caithness and Sutherland would be applied to the rollout of the remaining Area Committees as part of a continuous review process.

In terms of the forward planning schedule, the Inverness City Committee was due to meet on 13 August and the first Caithness and Sutherland Area Committee meeting would be held on 20 August with the minutes of both meetings being reported to the full Council in September.

It was confirmed that the Inverness City Committee currently met in the Town House Chamber which did not have webcasting facilities or sufficient or fully accessible space for members of the press and public and in addition there were difficulties in terms of parking. It was suggested that all of this could be remedied at no additional cost by moving the meeting to the Council Chamber at Headquarters.

In terms of the other Area Committees, research was continuing into suitable venues and webcasting facilities (including mobile facilities).

Finally, in regard to cost, it was confirmed that the City/Area Committees could be delivered on a cost neutral basis to the Council.

During discussion, Members raised the following issues:-

this represented an early start in delivering on the commitment to local engagement across the Highlands and, in addition to the considerable work which had already been undertaken in relation to the proposed Scheme of Delegation, work would be on going to ensure that any issues raised by Members and the public across the Highlands were taken account of in terms of future improvement in this regard;
once the Area Committees were operational, it would be important that they took account of issues raised by communities as part of improved engagement at a local level, including matters such as the venues for future meetings, etc;
webcasting of these meetings would be extremely important, not just in terms of being able to view them from remote locations as they happened but also in regard to being able to access them from the archive to view at a later date if necessary;
there was a need to take account of the history and tradition of Inverness and preserve a ‘sense of place’ in terms of meetings and in that regard future meetings of the Inverness City Committee should continue to be held in the Town House Chamber – and not in the Council Chamber at Headquarters as proposed within the report;
there was a need for reassurance that there would be engagement locally within Wards as the remaining Area Committees were progressed;
the Area Committees represented a real opportunity for the Council to engage with local communities in terms of highlighting issues of local importance, such as economic development, transport, deprivation, etc;
the proposals to engage young people in particular in the Area Committees was welcomed;
there was a need for clarification on the long term future of Ward Business Meetings following the introduction of Area Committees; and
consideration should be given to the installation of webcasting and videoconferencing facilities in the Inverness Town House Chamber and Town Hall as soon as possible in order to enable meetings of the Inverness City Committee to continue to be held there in future.

Thereafter, Mr D Hendry, seconded by Dr D Alston, MOVED approval of the recommendations as detailed in the report.

As an AMENDMENT, Miss J Campbell, seconded by Mr R Balfour, MOVED that, whilst endorsing the use of webcasting of meetings, there should be an alteration in the last recommendation within the report to allow the Inverness City Committee meetings to continue to take place in the Town House Chamber rather than the Council Chamber at Headquarters.

At this point, clarification was provided on the wording of the recommendations within the report and it was confirmed that, in regard to the final recommendation, it was proposed that the next meeting of the Inverness City Committee should be held in the Council Chamber at Headquarters but at that meeting discussion could be undertaken in relation to the location of future meetings.

On a vote being taken, the MOTION received 40 votes and the AMENDMENT received 27 votes and the MOTION was therefore CARRIED, the votes having been cast as follows:

For the Motion:

Alston, D; Baxter, A; Brown, I; Caddick, C, Christie, A; Clark, B; Cockburn, I; Duffy, A; Fallows, D; Farlow, G; Ford, J; Gormley, B; Gowan, K; Graham, A; Gray, J; Hendry, D; Lobban, B; Macaulay, C; MacDonald, L; MacDonald, N; Mackay, D (WS); MacKenzie, G; MacLean, A; MacLeod, A; MacLeod, K; McAllister, E; Millar, D; Munro, L; Murphy, B; Parr, F; Phillip, G; Prag, T; Rattray, M; Renwick, I; Saxon, R; Sinclair, G; Slater, J; Smith, M; Stephen, K; Stone, J.

For the Amendment:

Balfour, R; Barclay, B; Campbell, I; Campbell J, Carmichael, H; Coghill, R; Crawford ,J; Davidson, M; Douglas, J, Fraser, H, Fraser, L; Gordon, J; Green, M; Greene, R; Mackay, D (W2); MacKay, W; MacLennan, T; McCallum, I, McGillivray, J; Morrison, H; Paterson, M; Rhind, A, Robertson, F; Rosie, J; Ross, G (Wl4); Sinclair, A; Wilson, C.

Abstentions:

Bremner, D; Fernie, B; Fraser, C; Laird, R; Rimell, G.

Decision

The Council AGREED the Scheme of Delegation for City/Area Committees as circulated and that:-

(i) City/Area Committees should be delivered on a cost neutral basis to the
     Council;
(ii) the first Inverness City Committee meeting should take place on 13
     August;
(iii) the first Caithness and Sutherland Area Committee should take place on
     20 August;
(iv) the Area Committee structure should be reviewed after the first year
     following the two pilot Committees in Inverness and Caithness &
     Sutherland;
(v) the minutes of City Committee/Area Committee meetings should be
     reported to the full Council;
(vi) the City Committee and Area Committees should be webcast at venues
     suitable for this method of communication; and
(vii) the Inverness City Committee should take place in the Council Chamber at
     Headquarters.

The Council adjourned for lunch at 1.15pm and resumed at 2.00pm.

11. Appointments to Sub-Committees
Cur an Dreuchd gu Fo-Chomataidhean

The Assistant Chief Executive had advised of the need to set up the undernoted Sub Committees and, in light of the fact that the parent Committees would not meet until after the Summer Recess, the Council was asked to deal with these appointments as follows:-

(a) Appeals Committee

It was proposed that membership of the Appeals Committee should comprise the Chair and Vice Chair of the Finance, Housing & Resources Committee, the Chair and Vice Chair of the relevant Service Committee plus 5 other Members of the Finance, Housing & Resources Committee – 9 Members in total.

The Groups had been asked to so nominate and the nominations had been tabled.

Decision

The Council APPROVED the membership of the Appeals Committee as follows:

Chair and Vice Chair of the Finance, Housing & Resources (FHR) Committee
Chair and Vice Chair of the relevant Service Committee
Miss J Campbell
Mr N Donald
Mr D MacKay
Mr H Morrison
Mr F Parr

(b) Early Retirement Sub Committee

It was proposed that the membership of the Early Retirement Sub Committee should comprise the Chair and Vice Chair of the Finance, Housing & Resources Committee, the Chair and Vice Chair of the relevant Service Committee plus 3 other Members of the Finance, Housing & Resources Committee – 7 Members in total.

The Groups had been asked to so nominate and the nominations had been tabled.

Decision

The Council APPROVED the membership of the Early Retirement Sub Committee as follows:-

Chair and Vice Chair of the FHR Committee
Chair and Vice Chair of the relevant Service Committee
Miss J Campbell
Mr A MacKinnon
Mr N Donald

(c) Investment Sub Committee

It was proposed that the membership of the Investment Sub Committee should comprise 7 Members in total - drawn from representation on the Pensions Committee - with a representative from Comhairle nan Eilean Siar and a representative for the other employers.

The Groups had been asked to so nominate and the nominations had been tabled.

Decision

The Council APPROVED the membership of the Investment Sub Committee as follows:-

Mrs H Carmichael
Mr A MacKinnon
Mrs C Wilson
Mr D Kerr
Mr C Macaulay
Mrs C Caddick
Mr J Ford

(d) Local Negotiating Committee for Teaching Staff (LNCT)

It was proposed that the membership of the LNCT should comprise the Chair and Vice Chair of the Adult and Children’s Services Committee, the Chair and Vice Chair of the Finance, Housing & Resources Committee plus 3 other Members of the Adult and Children’s Services Committee – 7 Members in total. The Groups had been asked to so nominate and the nominations had been tabled.

Decision

The Council APPROVED the membership of the LNCT as follows:-

Chair and Vice Chair of the Adult & Children's Services Committee
Chair and Vice Chair of the Finance, Housing & Resources Committee
Mr G Ross
Mr W MacKay
Ms J Douglas

(e) Duncraig Trust Scheme Sub Committee

It was proposed that membership of the Duncraig Trust Scheme Sub Committee should comprise the Chair and Vice Chair of the Adult and Children’s Services Committee, the Chair and Vice Chair of the Finance, Housing & Resources Committee and the 4 Members of the Wester Ross, Strathpeffer and Lochalsh Ward – 8 Members in total.

Decision

The Council AGREED the proposed membership of the Duncraig Trust Scheme Sub Committee as detailed.

(f) Head of Service Recruitment Panel

It was proposed that membership of the Head of Service Recruitment Panel should comprise the Chair and Vice Chair of the Finance, Housing & Resources Committee, the Chair and Vice Chair of the relevant Service Committee (or the Leader and Depute Leader of the Council where the Chief Executive’s Office or Finance Service is involved) plus 3 other Members of the Finance, Housing and Resources Committee – 7 Members in total.

The Groups had been asked to so nominate and the nominations had been tabled.

Decision

The Council APPROVED the membership of the Head of Service Recruitment Panel as follows:

Chair and Vice Chair of the Finance, Housing & Resources Committee
Chair and Vice Chair of the relevant Service Committee (or Leader and Depute Leader of the Council where the Chief Executive's Office or Finance Service was involved)
Mrs I McCallum
Mrs C Wilson
Mrs H Carmichael

(g) Joint Consultation Group (Administrative etc, Manual and Crafts Staffing)

It was proposed that membership of the Joint Consultation Group should comprise the Chair and Vice Chair of the Finance, Housing & Resources Committee plus 7 other Members of the Finance, Housing & Resources Committee – 9 Members in total.

The Groups had been asked to so nominate and the nominations had been tabled.

Decision

The Council APPROVED the membership of the Joint Consultative Group as follows:-

Chair and Vice Chair of the Finance, Housing & Resources Committee
Mr A MacKinnon
Mr D MacKay,
Miss J Campbell
Mr H Morrison
Mr R Laird
Dr I Cockburn
Mr F Parr

(h) Appeals Committees

Members were advised that they were required to sit on Appeals Committees from time to time to deal with appeals against the refusal of placing requests or the exclusion of pupils from school in accordance with S28D (1) of the Education (Scotland) Act 1981. Membership was drawn from all Members of the Council, would include persons who were not Members of the Council and would vary according to the nature and location of the appeal. The Appeals Committee could not be chaired by a Member of the Adult and Children’s Services Committee.

Decision

The Council NOTED the position as detailed.

12. Revenue Budget 2013/14 – 2014/15 and Budget Consultation
Ro-innleachd Buidseit

Declaration of Interest

Mrs J Douglas declared a financial interest in this item on the grounds that her children were in receipt of music tuition and confirmed that she would leave the room should there be any discussion on this particular aspect of the item.

There had been circulated Report No. HC-5-12 (147kb pdf) dated 20 June 2012 by the Director of Finance which confirmed that, on 9 February 2012, the Council had agreed the Revenue Budget for 2012/13 as the last year of a three year budget process. The initial budget outlook for 2013/14 to 2014/15 and proposed arrangements to progress budget planning for those years had also been noted and the report therefore set out the proposed approach to the revenue budget for 2013/14 to 2014/15 and the budget consultation process.

In this regard, it was proposed that the Council should develop a two year Revenue Budget covering 2013/14 and 2014/15 with a budget consultation being undertaken during August and September 2012. Analysis of consultation responses would then take place in October/November with decisions on budget proposals being taken in December 2012 and February 2013. The report therefore set out an updated financial outlook relating to that two year period as well as initial savings proposals and questions which would form the basis of the budget consultation.

It was confirmed that a longer term financial planning process offered a number of advantages to the Council in terms of allowing the forward planning of the budget and any savings required and allowing improved links between the Revenue Budget, Capital Programme and the Council Programme of priorities. It was therefore proposed that, following the agreement of the two year budget in February 2013, work should commence on developing a longer term plan covering a 5 year period up and including 2017/18.

In terms of the financial outlook, ‘flat’ settlements had been confirmed in the grant settlements for 2013/14 and 2014/15 with an expectation of further years of real-terms decline in public sector budgets as a result of the Chancellor’s economic and budget forecasts. Based upon initial budget forecasts, it had been estimated that the Council could be facing budget gaps of £19.3m and £20.1m in 2013/14 and 2014/15 respectively. However, through a review of budget assumptions, these forecasts had improved with a lower budget gap now estimated.

In this regard, the report provided specific details of Efficiencies and Budget Savings and the Budget Consultation Approach.

At this point, the Chair of the Finance, Housing and Resources Committee welcomed the significantly reduced budget gap for 2013/14 and 14/15 which reflected the substantial effort made by Officers across all Services to identify savings. In this regard, consideration of savings options would continue and on that basis the figures were subject to review and represented a starting point for consultation which would largely follow the pattern of the Council’s budget consultation carried out in 2010 but would include engagement with minority groups not previously consulted.

During discussion, Members requested clarification on whether there would be any opportunity for feedback to communities during the consultation process as this was an important issue and should be incorporated into the consultation process.

In relation to savings proposals for homeless services and homelessness prevention, Members cautioned that the introduction of welfare reform could significantly increase the numbers of homeless and vulnerable people across the Highlands and therefore this particular budget heading had to be scrutinised carefully as it represented a major issue for the Council. In this regard, it was acknowledged that this particular issue had been addressed well by the previous Administration and the redesign of the Service was now intended to build upon the previous work which had been undertaken in order to facilitate further improvements.

Decision

The Council NOTED the updated financial outlook and forecast and AGREED the budget consultation process and timetable as set out within the report.

13. Annual Efficiency Statement 2011/12
Aithris Èifeachdais Bhliadhnail

There had been circulated Report No. HC-6-12 (62kb pdf) dated 15 June 2012 by the Director of Finance which set out the Council’s Annual Efficiency Statement (AES) for 2011/12.

During a summary of the report, it was confirmed that the 2011/12 efficiency target across the whole Scottish public sector was 3% and although the Scottish Government had not issued an overall target for Local Government, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (CoSLA) had advised that they were working towards a figure of £270m which was based on 3% of Local Government expenditure limits within the 2010/11 Scottish Budget. The Council’s assumed share of this target was approximately £12.6m.

In this regard, it was confirmed that the Council had exceeded this target, achieving 2011/12 efficiency savings of £13.162m.

At this point, the Chair of the Finance, Housing and Resources Committee welcomed the delivery of the efficiency savings target and commended the work undertaken by staff in this respect.

During discussion, Members welcomed the efficiency statement and raised the following issues:-

with particular reference to the Finance, Housing and Resources Committee, there appeared to be high expectations in relation to the Asset Management and Housing and Property Team in terms of efficiencies;
in regard to the Audit and Scrutiny Committee, the Scrutiny Working Group had previously considered the Council’s efficiency agenda and had concluded that it had been successful in achieving efficiencies but slow to deliver them and there had been a recommendation for a risk assessment to be undertaken which it was hoped could now take place; and
whilst there had been management of slippage through vacancy monitoring, there was a need to consider the risks associated with this approach.

In response, it was confirmed that it was now part of the Council’s governance procedures that Audit reports were submitted to Service Committees and the full Council. It had always been a priority to consider efficiency proposals in terms of risk management and the Corporate and Service Risk Registers aimed to address this requirement. In terms of vacancy management, 54% of the Council’s budget related to staffing and when considering efficiency proposals, steps were taken to ensure that there no unnecessary risks through holding posts vacant.

Decision

The Council AGREED the Annual Efficiency Statement as circulated.

14. Statement of Accounts for the Year to 31 March 2012 and Budget Monitoring for 2012/13
Aithris Chunntasan Chomhairle na Gàidhealtachd – Ceann-na-bliadhna 31 Màrt 2012

There had been circulated Report No. HC-7-12 (36kb pdf) dated 15 June 2012 by the Director of Finance which introduced the Statement of Accounts for the year to 31 March 2012 for the Highland Council and the Highland Council Pension Fund and provided an update on the financial monitoring position in the financial year 2012/13.

In this regard, it was noted that the Statement of Accounts (unaudited) for 2011/12 would be presented to Audit Scotland by the prescribed date of 30 June 2012 and was available in the Members’ Library and on the Council website for information.

It was also confirmed that the current draft showed an underspend on the General Fund revenue budget of £5.5m (0.9%), mainly due to reduced requisitions from the Joint Boards of £1.4m and lower than anticipated finance charges of £4.1m. Detailed reports on service budget performance in 2011/12 would be presented to future Strategic Committees with overall Council summary reports presented to the Finance, Housing & Resources Committee.

There had been one area of overspend in Transport, Environmental and Community Services in relation to Stromeferry for which there would be further associated costs but at this early stage in the year it was not possible to quantify the whole year impact. In the meantime, management would continue to closely consider this issue and report in more depth when detailed costs were known.

In terms of budget monitoring for 2012/13, it was confirmed that most Services expected to deliver within the agreed budget, with some exceptions which had been detailed in the report.

Decision

The Council NOTED the unaudited accounts for the Highland Council and the Highland Council Pension Fund for the year ended 31 March 2012 and that they would be presented to Audit Scotland by the prescribed date of 30 June 2012.

The Council also NOTED the Revenue Budget outlook position for the financial year 2012/13.

It was AGREED that thanks should be extended to Officers for the work undertaken to produce the accounts.

15. The Future Management of the Averon Leisure, Alness
Ionad-spòrs Abharain

Declarations of Interest

Mrs C Wilson and Mr M Rattray declared non-financial interests in relation to this item on the grounds of being Members of the Averon Centre Board but, having applied the test outlined in Paragraphs 5.2 and 5.3 of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct, concluded that their interests did not preclude their involvement in the discussion.

Ms J Douglas, Mr K Gowans, Mr D Millar, Mr A Duffy and Mr F Parr declared non-

financial interests in relation to this item on the grounds of being Directors of High Life Highland Ltd but, having applied the test outlined in Paragraphs 5.2 and 5.3 of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct, concluded that their interests did not preclude their involvement in the discussion.

Mr K Gowans declared a financial interest in this item on the grounds that his wife was an employee of High Life Highland and left the room.

There had been circulated Joint Report No. HC-8-12 (28kb pdf) dated 20 June 2012 by the Depute Chief Executive/Director of Housing & Property, Director of Finance, Director of Education, Culture and Sport and Head of Legal & Democratic Services which confirmed that a request had been received from the Board of Averon Leisure Management Ltd for the management of the Averon Leisure Centre to be transferred to High Life Highland and outlined the outcome of the due diligence process.

In this regard, it was confirmed that the due diligence exercise had considered a number of issues regarding the transfer of the management of the Averon Centre and Officers believed that, whilst further work was required to complete a comprehensive due diligence process, there were no obvious impediments to prevent the Council agreeing to the transfer, subject to delegating powers to the Officers named as signatories to the report to enable them to conclude any outstanding issues over the summer recess.

It was considered that the transfer of management responsibility to High Life Highland should generate efficiency savings over time and that whilst additional financing would be required in the short-term, this should be restricted to a maximum period of 18 months to allow efficiency savings to be generated. The short-term cost would require to be met from within existing budget resources within the Education, Culture & Sport budget, with the financial contribution being capped at a maximum of £44,000 and borrowing costs to be met from revenue. In this respect, it was confirmed that, since the issue of the report, a request had been received from High Life Highland that this period be extended from 18 months to 2 years.

In speaking to the report, the Chair of the Adult and Children’s Services Committee confirmed that this represented a response to a local request to protect the Council’s assets whilst ensuring the future of the facility. It was felt that the company should be able to achieve economies of scale on expenditure such as insurance costs, website charges, human resources input and audit costs and, on these grounds, it was considered appropriate that the financial contribution of £44,000 should be restricted to a maximum period of 18 months. However, it would be important for there to be regular dialogue with High Life Highland so as to monitor progress with efficiencies and to ensure that corrective action could be taken if necessary. The Adult and Children’s Services Committee had a Sub-Committee specifically established to monitor the performance of High Life Highland and this would be the appropriate forum for such dialogue to take place.

During discussion, Members commented that the Averon Centre was not a small facility but had approximately 170,000 users per annum and it was therefore appropriate that it should be given the best opportunity to find the necessary savings. If after 18 months additional time was needed, it was hoped that the Council would be sympathetic and amenable to such a request. However, with proper monitoring, it was expected that the efficiencies could be achieved in the 18 month timeframe with the necessary support and monitoring being provide by the Averon Centre Board.

In response, the Chair of the Adult and Children’s Services Committee confirmed that, whilst anticipating that the efficiencies would be made, he would be amenable to offering additional flexibility and would monitor the situation well in advance of the 18 month deadline.

Decision

The Council AGREED:-

(i) the transfer of the management of the Averon Centre to High Life
     Highland on the basis of the report but subject to final confirmation on the
     condition of the building;
(ii) to delegate the final decision on the transfer to the Officers named as
     signatories to the report once the condition survey and audited accounts
     for 2012 had been received;
(iii) that the lease of the Averon Centre be terminated and a new lease of the
     Centre arranged with High Life Highland with the property maintained
     under the Property Agreement for the prescribed period in line with other
     High Life Highland facilities but subject to (ii) above;
(iv) that the financial contribution of the Highland Council be capped at a
     maximum of £44,000 over an 18 month period with borrowing costs met
     from revenue – subject to frequent early dialogue with High Life Highland
     to monitor progress in identifying savings on the basis that if corrective
     action was required it could be considered at that point;
(v) that any future transfers of a similar nature should be judged on a case by
     case basis with each judged on their own merits; and
(vi) to note that the actions and conditions above were subject to the
     agreement of the Boards of Averon Leisure Management and High Life
     Highland.

16. Proposed Transition Funding for Golspie Recycling Environmental Action Network (GREAN)
Maoineachadh do GREAN

Declaration of Interest

Mr G Philips declared a non-financial interest in this item on the grounds of having previously held shares in the Golspie Recycling Environmental Action Network but, having applied the test outlined in Paragraphs 5.2 and 5.3 of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct, concluded that his interest did not preclude his involvement in the discussion.

There had been circulated Report No. HC-9-12 (32kb pdf) dated 15 June 2012 by the Director of Transport, Environmental and Community Services which requested approval of ‘one off’ transition funding for the Golspie Recycling Environmental Action Network (GREAN) which currently carried out recycling services in East Sutherland and were moving to a new business model, which included sourcing and growing vegetables for home delivery through a vegetable box delivery scheme.

It was confirmed that GREAN was a social enterprise group based in Golspie which had provided recycling services in East Sutherland for many years and had become the largest local employer. They had indicated that, due to the Council’s planned introduction of a uniform alternate Weekly Waste Collection service, they wished to move away from household recycling and find a more sustainable business model albeit that they would continue to provide household recycling services to the end of June 2012. On the basis that they had produced a sustainable business model and had obtained a significant level of funding from other sources, it was recommended that the balance of Council funding (estimated at £160k) be passed to GREAN as a “one off” transition payment to support employment, training and marketing costs for the new Green Growers Project.

During discussion, the Chair of the Transport, Environmental and Community Services Committee welcomed the proposal and paid tribute to the excellent work which had been carried out by GREAN and their contribution to the local economy.

Decision

The Council AGREED that the balance of Council funding for the recycling services for 2012/13, currently provided by GREAN and estimated at £160k, should be passed to GREAN as a ‘one off’ transition payment to support employment, training and marketing costs in their new GREANGrowers and GREANGrocers projects.

17. Proposed Funding Package for the Design of Improvements to the Berriedale Braes
Maoineachadh Dealbhachaidh Bhearghdail

There had been circulated Report No. HC-10-12 (40kb pdf) dated 14 June 2012 by the Director of Transport, Environmental and Community Services which requested approval of a contribution of £10,000 towards the detailed design work in relation to the realignment of the A9 trunk road at Berriedale as part of an overall funding package involving Transport Scotland, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) and HITRANS.

During a summary of the report, it was confirmed that the Council had been working with Transport Scotland and other key partners to identify an alternative road alignment to improve the current difficulties encountered by larger vehicles on the A9 trunk road at Berriedale. In this regard, a feasibility study had concluded that the ground conditions were reasonably favourable and the next stage was to carry out a detailed ground investigation and topographic survey and complete the detailed design and statutory processes. Thereafter, the project could be put out to tender and could take advantage of funding available through slippage from other projects. The cost of completing the work had been estimated at £220k and it was proposed that it be provided through a number of key partners as follows:-

Transport Scotland - already committed to providing £100k
The NDA – consideration being given to a contribution of £100k
HITRANS - already committed to providing £10k

In addition, the re-alignment of the north hairpin at Berriedale would improve road alignment for the strategic road serving Caithness and help to promote economic development within the area and it was therefore recommended that the Council should provide the balance of funding (£10k), subject to confirmation of match funding from the other partners as detailed. It was also confirmed that the overall total construction cost of the road re-alignment had been estimated at £2.3m.

During discussion, Members welcomed the proposals within the report and commented as follows:-

the proposal would increase opportunities for access to the Pentland Firth renewable energy industries and ensure higher employment levels in Caithness and North Sutherland with lasting economic opportunity;
good transport links would open up access to Thurso College in the wider Caithness and Sutherland areas and boost access to apprenticeships with a consequential economic benefit to the area;
the positive approach taken by the landowners, Wellbeck Estates, in proposing a road realignment and offering land free of charge was particularly welcome;
it was hoped that the overall cost of constructing the road re-alignment, estimated at £2.3m, would not escalate;
the proposal would enable many local young people to be employed in the area and represented very positive news on one of the most challenging roads in Scotland. It also linked to the announcement that the dualling of the A9 had been advanced by 2 years and would make a substantial impact on the area; and
NDA Board were due to make their decision on the funding request in August. The Council’s agreement to fund £10k would mean that the NDA Board were the final organisation to commit monies and this would add further impetus and pressure to complete the funding package.

At this point, Members also paid tribute to former Elected Members Mr W Mowat, Mr David Flear and Mr J Laing for their tireless work to realise infrastructure improvements at Berridale Braes.

Decision

The Council AGREED to make a contribution of £10,000 towards the detailed design work in relation to the realignment of the A9 trunk road at Berriedale provided that the match funding from the other partners was confirmed.

18. Contribution towards the Proposed Re-opening of Conon Bridge Railway Station
Tabhartas gu ruige Ath-fhosgladh Stèisean Rèile Dhrochaid Sguideil, a thathar a’ Moladh

There had been circulated Report No. HC-11-12 (109kb pdf) dated 19 June 2012 by the Director of Transport, Environmental and Community Services which requested approval of a request from Transport Scotland for the Council to make a fixed contribution of £100k towards the proposed re-opening of the Conon Bridge Railway Station.

During a summary of the report, it was confirmed that, in addition to the benefits for normal commuting, the re-opening of Conon Bridge Railway Station would bring significant benefits during the periods from February to June 2013 and February to June 2014 when works to resurface the Kessock Bridge were due to take place. In this regard, Network Rail had currently estimated the design and build costs to be up to £850k and were working towards re-opening the station before the start of the works in February 2013.

During discussion, Members welcomed the proposal in terms of both the timing and the wider significant benefits which would be derived and made reference to the funding which had previously been agreed for parking, cycling, storage and paths at the Station and which would now require to be undertaken in tandem with the re-opening of the platform. Also, the Council’s contribution would be capped and would have no additional impact on the Capital Programme and this was also welcomed.

In addition, Members expressed their appreciation for the assistance and hard work undertaken by Network Rail, Transport Scotland, Friends of the Far North Line, HITRANS and Council Officials in bringing the proposal to fruition.

Decision

The Council AGREED the request from Transport Scotland as detailed, subject to the works going ahead and with the funding to be met from the increase in the Council’s General Reserve following the underspend in 2011/12.

19. Appointments
Cur an Dreuchd

(a) HITRANS

HITRANS was the statutory Regional Transport Partnership for the Highlands and Islands and its membership included representatives from the five Councils – Highland, Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar, Orkney, Moray and Argyll and Bute. HITRANS worked with Councils, the Scottish Government, Highlands & Islands Enterprise, transport operators and other stakeholders to improve transport services in the Highlands and Islands. In addition to the Council appointments, there were three non-Council members who were appointed by the Scottish Government following an open advertisement and selection process.

The Council had been invited to appoint 1 Member (with substitute) to HITRANS.

In this regard, the Administration MOVED that the Chair of the Transport, Environmental and Community Services Committee should be appointed – with the Vice Chair of the Committee as substitute.

The Council so AGREED.

(b) Caithness & North Sutherland Fund

The Caithness & North Sutherland Fund had been established by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and Dounreay Site Restoration Ltd to distribute funding to community organisations for projects that would increase the attractiveness of Caithness and North Sutherland as a place to live, work and invest with particular emphasis on achieving environment, social, culture and infrastructure improvements.

The Fund required 3 Members to be appointed by Highland Council – 2 Members from the Caithness Wards and 1 Member from the North West & Central Sutherland Ward.

The Council AGREED to appoint Mr J Rosie and Ms G Ross from the Caithness Wards and Ms L Munro from North West & Central Sutherland Ward.

(c) Highland Housing Alliance

The Highland Housing Alliance had been formed to help address the need for affordable housing in the Highlands with the objectives of operating a revolving landbanking fund to facilitate the construction of affordable housing, carrying out infrastructure works to enable sites to become available as feasible building sites, developing projects to provide housing (for sale and rent) at market or near market levels, organising, packaging and managing joint developments with housing associations and others and undertaking research, development and other work to improve the housing procurement process in the Highlands with specific reference to the sustainable use of locally sourced products.

The Council had been asked to appoint 1 Member to the Highland Housing Alliance.

In this regard, the Administration MOVED that the Chair of the Finance, Housing and Resources Committee should be appointed.

The Council so AGREED.

(d) Comunn na Gaidhlig Ltd

Comunn na Gaidhlig Ltd had been established as a co-ordinating Gaelic Development Agency, operating at a local, regional and national level, and the Board of Directors included representatives from Highland Council, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, An Comunn Gaidhealach and Highlands & Islands Enterprise.

Following discussion, the Council DEFERRED making an appointment to the Board of Directors to permit further discussion with Bord na Gaidhlig and Comunn na Gaidhlig Ltd.

(e) Veterans Champion

The purpose of the Veterans Champion was to create links to proactively make contact with veterans organisations and maintain contact with the Cross Party Group on Armed Forces Veterans within the Scottish Parliament, promote interests to advance veterans interests at a local authority level through assessing the impact that Council initiatives had on veterans and to be a public advocate for veterans in the local authority area.

Nominations for the position of Veterans Champion were put forward at the meeting as follows:-

Mrs C Caddick/Mr A Duffy - on a shared basis
Mrs M Paterson

On a vote being taken, the proposal that Mrs Caddick and Mr Duffy should undertake the role on a shared basis received 39 votes and Mrs Paterson received 24 votes, the votes having been cast as follows:-

For Mrs Caddick and Mr Duffy on a shared basis:-

Alston, D; Brown, I; Caddick, C; Christie, A; Cockburn, I; Fallows, D; Farlow, G; Ford, J; Fraser, C; Gormley, B; Gowans, K; Graham, A; Gray, J; Hendry, D; Laird, R; Lobban, B; Macaulay, C; MacDonald, L; MacDonald, N; Mackay, D (W5); MacKenzie, G; MacLean, A; MacLeod, A; MacLeod, K; McAllister, B; Millar, D; Munro, L; Murphy, B; Parr, F; Phillips, G; Prag, T; Renwick, I; Rimell, G; Saxon, R; Sinclair, G; Slater, J; Smith, M; Stephen, K; Stone, J.

For Mrs Paterson:-

Baxter, A; Campbell, I; Coghill, R; Davidson, M; Fernie, B; Fraser, H; Fraser, L; Gordon, J; Green, M; Greene, R; Henderson, A; Hunter, E; Mackay, D (W2); MacKay, W; MacLennan, T; McCallum, I; McGillivray, J; Morrison, H; Paterson, M; Robertson, F; Rosie, J; Ross, G (W 14); Sinclair, A; Wilson, C.

The Council therefore AGREED that Mrs C Caddick and Mr A Duffy should undertake the role of Veterans Champion on a shared basis.

20. Timetable of Meetings for the remainder of 2012
Clàr-ama Choinneamhan airson na tha air fhàgail de 2012

The Council APPROVED the Timetable of Meetings (72kb pdf) for the remainder of 2012 for approval.

It was also NOTED that a Timetable for Meetings in 2013 would be circulated for consideration at the next meeting.

21. Recess Powers
Cumhachdan Fosaidh

The Council AGREED that, during the recess period, powers should be granted to the Chief Executive, Depute Chief Executive/Director of Housing & Property, Assistant Chief Executive, Directors and Corporate Manager, in consultation with the Convener, Leader of the Council, Depute Leader of the Council, relevant Chair and Leader of the Opposition, to deal with issues arising during that time and that a report should be prepared for the first meeting of the Council or relevant Committee following the period where these powers had been exercised.

22. Deeds Executed
Sgrìobhainnean Lagha a Bhuilicheadh

It was NOTED that a list of deeds (38kb pdf) and other documents executed on behalf of the Council since the meeting held on 17 May 2012 was available in the Members’ Library and on the Council’s Website

The meeting ended at 3.05 p.m.