Thurso Ward Forum Meeting
Action Note - 18th March 2008
Present:
Cllr John Rosie (Chair)
Cllr Donnie Mackay
Cllr The Lady Thurso
Chief Inspector Liz Goskirk, Northern Constabulary
Mrs Jean Lipa, Thurso Community Council
Bob Earnshaw, Thurso Community Council
Bill Brown, Caithness West Community Council (Scrabster representative)
David Sutherland, Caithness Wards Manager
Robbie Mackintosh, Ward Managers Team
Alex Macmanus, Ward Managers Team
Apologies:
Lorna Simpson, Ormlie Community Association Ltd.
Previous meeting notes 22.1.08
Litter at Millbank Road and playing fields – Robbie Mackintosh had been monitoring this since last forum. He has spoken to the Head at High School and also Tescos. Tescos had noted a problem around their store but their policy is to issue all customers with plastic bags.
Robbie had noted a lack of rubbish bins and has now liaised with TECS to have these placed at strategic points along route to see if this will alleviate the perceived problem. He will continue to monitor.
Thurso Town Hall – update
There have been a number of visits around the Town Hall including Community Councillors and various funders. General comments are that the work is of a very high standard. The work is on budget, on time and to date has encountered no snags.
Caithness Horizons, who will run the Town Hall, have a dedicated website. The building will have a public meeting room which is earmarked for public use. The works are schedule to be completed by the end of 2008.
Community Safety
From 1st April 2008 there will be a new Command Area for the police. The North Division (Shetland, Orkney, Caithness, Sutherland & Easter Ross) will be under the control of Divisional Superintendent Ian Arnot who will be based at Wick. Chief Inspector in charge of Caithness & Sutherland will be Andy Brown who will also be based at Wick. Caithness Inspector will be Liz Goskirk who will be based at Thurso and be in charge of operations. An additional Inspector is also expected to be appointed in either Thurso or Wick.
Monthly statistics for the town included 9 breaches of the peace, 13 vandalism issues, 5 assaults, 6 thefts,4 house break-ins (with 2 people charged) 15 youth related issues. There were 16 fixed penalty motoring offences, 2 drink driving cases and 19 other offences.
There has been an increase in foot patrols in the Town with particular areas, days and times being targeted. Cllr Mackay noted that he had noticed a difference in the high visibility of police officers and wondered if this was the ‘in thing’. C.I. Goskirk advised that this was the permanent thing and that whenever possible she would have her officers out on the beat. She also reported that crime levels had fallen since last year but had no figures with her to vouch this claim.
Present initiatives being undertaken are use of DWP staff to check on ‘working’ drivers and also examining HGV’s
Traffic Warden is now issuing fixed penalty notices with his duties having increased with the completion of matching the road signs and road markings in the town.
To aid parking new car parking directional information signs will be erected in the town, the parking at riverside will be lined up and new parking at Couper Square will be available soon.
CCTV will be looked at with a view to having them upgraded to a digital quality such as the system in Wick. This is being priced at this moment and hopefully either this financial year of next they will be brought up to a modern standard.
Cllr The Lady Thurso advised the Forum that she had attended an initial meeting in early February of a group to look at Young Drivers in Caithness & Sutherland. The Group comprised members of Police, Fire, Ambulance, Schools, Local Councillors, Ward Managers and Youth Officers from Highland Council.
Aims of the group are to install road safety issues at an early age through school initiatives with the ultimate aim of reducing the number of road accidents and deaths in the Caithness and Sutherland Area.
Ward Discretionary Budget
All the budget for this year ending 31st March 2008 had been spent apart from £260 The handrails at Sinclair Street had ban financed through this budget and have received favourable reports from public. Budget figure was £56,818 and the total of projects this has supported amounted to £107,852
Local Action Fund
This has now all been spent and was reported at last Forum meeting. It is anticipated that a further budget for next financial year will be allocated from Fairer Scotland but this has not yet been confirmed.
Date of next meeting
Tuesday 20th May 2008 – 7.00pm to 9.00pm Royal Hotel, Thurso.
A.O.B.
Future Forums – Cllr Rosie has requested that Highland Council Officials be invited to attend in the future e.g. Education, Housing, Social Work and TEC Services. This would allow greater degree of transparency and these Officials along with local service officers could be questioned by the people directly affected by their actions. We could set up panels from each service and have questions put to them which will hopefully bring out matters of interest to the local community.
Derelict Building at corner of St Johns Square & Princes Street – A public meeting is now being called by Highlands Buildings Preservation Trust for Tuesday 1st April 2008 at 7.30pm in Pentland Hotel to hear the views of the people of Thurso over the future of this building. This will be advertised in local papers.
Ward Forum Reviews - There is a review due to be held shortly of the Forums and to assist a questionnaire has been drawn up. These would be handed out to the general public at the end of the Forum for their completion.
Question and Answer Session (20 minutes)
Q. We have never had a satisfactory response to the issues over the railings at the War Memorial. Why?
A. The specifications for the railings meet with the required regulations. This information was passed to the Community Council as requested at last Forum. The Community Council and the Local Members are happy with the work as is the Royal British Legion. As far as this Forum is concerned the work is completed. It was noted that a new lock had now been fitted to the gates.
Q. Why have the wooden coverings discussed at a previous Forum never been fitted yet to the seats at the War Memorial?
A. It was decided by the locally elected Community Council that these covers were not necessary and this was confirmed in writing to the Ward Manager on 22nd January 2008.
Q. I am constantly being approached by members of the public wishing to know what is the latest position regarding replacing the cemetery bridge?
A. Design work is ongoing at this time with the contract for this being awarded to a local business. There will not be a minute lost on installing the new bridge.
Q. What is the present position regarding the provision of a community room/building for the Oldfield Court sheltered housing complex?
A. Local Members are progressing this with the Director of Housing and have already met with him.
Q. At the meeting that discussed the precinct proposals it was advised that the road budget would be hit if a shortfall in funding was experienced. I have a source in the Council who has advised me that the roads budget would be plundered quite heavily to meet the costs of this development. Is this correct?
A. Efforts are being made to get as much as possible of the £300,000 cost from other sources. That however is not to say that no money will come out of the roads budget. Some will have too but we will get as much as we can from out with. Wish us luck because we will need it.
Q. Why don’t the Council use the money from the sale of the Tourist Office at the Riverside to help finance the precinct?
A. The Highland Council does not own the Tourist Office.
Q. There would appear to be a lack of work being carried out at the bridge end at Janet Street. Transco have the road dug up and have a compound sited in Janet Street. Can the Council enquire why no work is getting done?
A. Ward Manager will make contact with Transco and Scotland Transerv to establish the time frames for the work and why there is an apparent lack of movement. The Thurso Community Council will also contact Transco for information.