Action Note - Ward Forum (Wick)
Agenda
Meeting held on Tuesday 13th May 2008 at 7.00pm
Forum Members attending
Cllr Bill Fernie (Chair)
Cllr Graeme Smith
Cllr Katrina MacNab
David Dunnet – Pulteneytown Peoples Project
Coreen Campbell – Royal Burgh of Wick Community Council
Catherine Patterson – Tannach & District Community Council
Acting Inspector Steve Raeburn – Northern Constabulary
Alister Traill – Rector, Wick High School
Tina Luxton – Housing & Property Area Manager, Highland Council
John McHardy – Housing Development Manager, Highland Council
Cllr Willie Mackay – Caithness Landward Ward Member
David Sutherland – Caithness Wards Manager, Highland Council
Robbie Mackintosh – Ward Manager’s Team, Highland Council
Alex Macmanus – Ward Manager’s Team, Highland Council
12 Members of general public along with Noel Donaldson, Reporter JOG Journal
Previous Action Notes update – 11.3.08
CCTV – Delays being experienced from suppliers Scotshield and being pursued by Glenurquhart Road. Commissioning works are still due to be carried out at police station. CCTV sub group are due to meet on 14th May to arrange training for operators.
WHS All Weather Pitch – Awaiting for services to be connected to portacabins
Staxigoe and Papigoe School Transport - Meeting with Rapsons now held and Community Council fully briefed. Full review of buses, routes and timetables to be undertaken by Rapsons.
Tina Luxton – Housing & Property Area Manager, C.S. & E.R.
Housing and Property remit includes Landlord function, homelessness, Gypsies, ASBO’s, etc. Also responsible for a Capital Investment Programme
New Highland Housing Register (HHR) recently set up including Pentland, Albyn, Cairn, Council, etc. Applications done on a needs basis accessed on a points system. Also look at individuals leaving care who need there daily living managed by carers. This care support is offered but is not enforceable but staff will try to persuade.
There were 14,000 on the Council register in Highlands prior to 1st April 2008 but since new HHR only 7,000 are registered. Housing is endeavouring to get the missing 50% onto the new register
Figures for Wick Ward applicants are Milton 1, Papigoe 3, Staxigoe 3, Wick North 119 & Wick Pulteneytown 60.These are mostly for 1 bedroom properties
Voids are managed for carrying out repairs so there should be no reason for refusals. Voids average out at around between 5 to 9 weeks.
There are low demand areas but housing are attempting to identify applicants who want to live in these areas
Sit on ASBO forum along with police, Criminal Justice Services, Social Work, Youth Development. Persistent offender’s cases discussed to allow intervention to stop further cases.
Any anti social behaviour should be reported to housing services to allow early intervention. Some successes have been identified.
Community Warden Scheme is in final year. Review is to be carried out in 6 to 9 months time. Looking at broadening role to cover environmental issues. Presently only operating in Pulteneytown area but may extend to other parts of town.
Q – How many houses do people not want?
A – In Wick Ward there is 27
Q – How do you deal with issues such as fly tipping over garden walls?
A – We have various actions open to us that we can take however it is essential that we have hard evidence to identify perpetrators.
Q – With the influx of foreign workers to the area is this causing a problem to the housing service?
A – No problems have been identified. An open waiting list is maintained and a points system operates.
John McHardy – Housing Development Manager
Parts of job remit deals with improvement grants and work at Pulteneytown.
Recent projects include Robertson’s Tractor Unit NOSWA Depot Yard and Saltoun Street
Next developments include Larnach’s Shop in Williamson Street being redeveloped. Telecom building being redeveloped.
Any ideas on any other sites in Pulteneytown John McHardy or Mike Broad would be interested in hearing about.
Land at South Head now has agreement in principle to build 86 units with 6 being built first. This is owned by Pentland Housing. A road will be built between Coastguard Houses road and Battery Road to allow access for building.
Looking at repackaging void properties to see if that will turn them over.
Highland Housing Alliance (HHA) is a separate legal entity social housing group comprising Cairn, Albyn, Pentland, Council, etc. It has no shareholders but any surpluses made are reinvested in their properties. Without the HHA the Robertson’s project would not have happened. HHA complements the private sector and at times gives first time buyers their first step onto the housing ladder.
Q – What is happening to the Wick Memorial Gardens?
A – Lottery has just agreed to sell part of ground to Pentland Housing. Work should be starting here soon.
Q – Who will be developing the first 6 plots at South Head?
A – Sites will be sold to individuals, not developers, who will have to meet certain criteria and at a market discount. The plots sold will have clearly defined conditions attached to them e.g. quick resale for a profit.
Q – As a builder I can sell fully service sites at £32k. Are these sites now going to be in competition with me by offering subsidised costs?
A – I would be happy to enter into any discussion with any builders over this issue.
Q – How did Pentland Housing get the land at South Head?
A – Following an assessment process they were the preferred bidder.
Acting Inspector Steve Raeburn – Community Safety
New Chief Inspector for Caithness Sutherland & Easter Ross, Andy Brown, had issued a lengthy statement of his intent through the John O’Groats journal a few days ago.
He has identified a new proactive team who will be intelligence led and comprise of 4 or 5 officers but if circumstances dictate numbers can be boosted.
He believes in high visibility policing in the right balance but also will be using plain clothes officers through out the County. Hot spots will be identified and targeted
Inspector Liz Goskirk is in charge of operational policing and she will be contact for Wards and Community Councils.
Police are at present having a recruitment drive and are looking to take on between 70/80 new officers boosting total police in Highlands to over 800. Special constables will continue to be used to complement servicing officers.
Q – I run the local caravan site and I am losing business due to youths drinking at the rifle range, making a lot of noise and throwing bottles into my site. Despite contacting the police on several occasions the problem still exists. What measurers will the police take now to have this sorted as I feel that I may have to close?
A – I am disappointed to hear what you say and will ensure that this issue is dealt with as a matter of urgency. I would remind the forum that the Crimestoppers line (0800 555111) is available if there is any fear of reporting crime direct to the local station.
Discretionary Budget
£2,400 awarded to Wick Academy Football Club for assistance in funding security gates at top end of Harmsworth Park. Budget figure remaining now as £53,009.
Date of next meeting
Tuesday 9th September 2008. 7.00pm to 9.oopm, Mowat Room, Assembly Rooms.
Any other business
Ward Budget – Cllr Smith advised the Forum that due to the tenacity of Cllr MacNab the sum of £10,00 had been returned to the Ward following a spend incurred by TEC Services.
Charing of Forum – As Members were elected to serve on the Highland Council for a 4 to 5 year term it was agreed that each member would chair the forum on a yearly basis. Next Chair of Wick Forum would be decided by Members at a business meeting.
Wick High School – Director of Education has agreed to a feasibility study being carried out on School. This should take 6 months to complete and will be financed by the Service. As far as is known this is the only School to have feasibility study agreed at this time.
Wick Swimming Pool – Issues have arisen over the last few days regarding changing facilities and child protection. In response to a letter of complaint just received immediate steps were taken by Cllr Fernie and Cllr MacNab to have the issues raised in the complaint satisfied. This has been achieved. Questions have now been raised over whether this is a public or school pool. Cafeteria facilities have been drastically reduced and now disadvantage general public who would wish to have a drink and something to eat. Cllr Fernie would investigate this issue as it is reported that circa £60 per week is now lost in food and drink sales.
It has been noted that staff from the Swimming Pool were now working at the Rosebank Playing fields. The Forum understood that this was agreed with the Facilities Manager that if there were times when work was scarce at one facility staff would be able to move onto another so as to maximise time. Responses from the audience indicated that this was not the case and that these staff were in fact working overtime on Saturdays and Sundays. Also that there would be students in the summertime looking for work Forum agreed to look into this issue.
The Haven – It was reported by a representative from the Haven that following the closure of Wick High School Swimming Pool they have managed to secure swimming facilities at the pool in Lybster along with transport.
Question and Answers
Q. As you know I am a regular user of the gym and when I turned up this last week I was presented with the closure schedule. This indicates times when the changing rooms will be closed. Although there is no explanation, I understand that these times coincide with those when schoolchildren are present in the changing rooms. The only explanation the staff can give me is that this is a child safety issue. I do not think that this is an appropriate way for a local authority to proceed and I wonder if you might consider giving me information in the following areas: --
1. On what basis has a public facility been closed to suit the requirements of schools? This is a public pool not a school pool.
2. There is a suggestion that the closures as a result of a "safety policy" but your staff have not been able to provide me with this policy and I suspect that it is a school safety policy, not a pool safety policy. As indicated, this is a public facility not a school facility.
3. What threat/benefit analysis has been carried out? For those who cry out that that child safety is paramount, I would say that we live in the real world and that child safety is a very important factor but that there are other considerations that have to be applied in a balancing exercise. Has such a balancing exercise been carried out? What instances of attempted sex with children in changing rooms is the Council concerned about?
4. Has a cost/benefit analysis been carried out? This decision will have financial implications for the council. I pay a standing order each month for my wife and myself. I will not be able to attend the gym at lunchtime, any more. I cannot imagine why I would want to continue to pay. I imagine that it has already had some financial results. Are the takings are down?
As a council tax payer, I suspect that I will be asked to put my hand in more deeply into my pocket to pay for this change.
5. Have the health costs been considered? The government regularly harangues us to the effect that we should exercise more. The local authority has the same "aim". It is somewhat odd to suggest that the Council is offering this facility but at the same time making it impossible to use it, from a practical point of view.
When people go in and exercise, sometimes they feel enthusiastic and stay for a long time and that other times, they don't. Sometimes you are late and sometimes you are early. One cannot say that it is possible to squeeze the showering and changing within the limited times available.
This sweeping reduction in the times when adult users can have access is bound to have an affect. It will affect me since I will not have my regular two sessions of exercise each week. At the moment, that is pretty much all I do.
It is not a joke when I say that this is likely to result in my putting on weight, becoming less healthy and likely to die younger.
5. What implication will the children take from the fact that adults have been excluded? Is it healthy that they do not see adults except in terms of being threatening sexual beings?
6. What alternatives have been explored? For instance, if the schools wish to use the facility and they consider the threat to be so high, why do they not provide supervision for the children? If this is truly a threat, what about parental assistance?
7. How do other facilities manage this issue in Highland and other areas?
8. Other facilities have changing villages and I cannot imagine that it would be possible to close those.
9. Why has there been no public announcement or discussion about this? Have the politicians been given an opportunity to consider it. At what level was this decision made?
On the personal level, I have to say that the implication that I am potentially a paedophile is grossly insulting. I have been using public facilities like this all my life and I've never seen an instance of unusual or sexual behaviour.
It is not healthy for children to consider all nakedness to have sexual connotations. What will they grow up to expect, if they are led to believe that if they see a naked adult, that adult has ulterior motives upon them? I do hope that you will be able to respond to me or if this decision was not made by you, to pass it to the person concerned. If you do that, please let me know so that I am aware of who is going to respond to me.
A – Since this question was received in the morning of the Forum, the Ward Manager and two of the Ward Members have been working behind the scenes to find a resolution. This they have achieved and a copy of a press release is detailed below –
Wick Swimming Pool - Press Release
‘The Highland Council’s Education, Culture and Sport Service recently received complaints and concerns from parents and teachers about shared use of changing rooms with the public after local Primary schools had attended their weekly swimming lessons. The changing areas can potentially be used both by primary schools whilst changing for their swimming lesson, and members of the public changing to use the fitness room or access the pool immediately after school use.
In a bid to resolve the issue, members of the public who arrived to use the changing room at the same time as a primary school would be asked to wait for five or ten minutes until the changing area was clear. However, this procedure has caused difficulty to some of our customers with limited time available during their lunch time break.
To resolve the issue and alleviate further disruption to either group of customers, the following actions will be taken:
In the short term Pool staff will increase supervision of the changing areas during school use to alleviate any concerns, while enabling all users to have access when required.
At the same time we will take steps to convert two unused rooms into dedicated Fitness Room changing areas, which will improve the situation for all users. We will also, as soon as possible, re-programme school use of the pool so that both the pool and fitness rooms are routinely available for public use over the lunchtime period.’
Q- Why are planning issues not decided at a local level rather than having to go to Inverness or Edinburgh?
A – Planning Officers have delegated powers to approve and refuse applications. Each week a list of delegated refusals is provided to ward members. If all the ward members agree without consultation then this can be referred to the PARC for determination. How ever this is not confined to Caithness members and includes members from Sutherland & Easter Ross. It is up to each member after weighing up the pros and cons whether he/she should refer this to the local PARC. If any of the members agree with the delegated decision of the Planning Officer then that decision stands. The applicant can then appeal to the Scottish Ministers who will determine the application.