Action note of Landward Ward Forum held on 6th October 2009

Agenda

Present

Councillor Robert Coghill (Chair)
Councillor David Flear
Councillor David Bremner
Elizabeth Cameron – Berriedale and Dunbeath Community Council
Neil Buchanan – Berriedale and Dunbeath Community Council
Elizabeth Geddes – Castletown Community Council
Douglas Fraser – Castletown Community Council
Anne Alexander – Watten Community Council
James Macdonald – Watten Community Council
Alan Roberts – Bower Community Council
Billy Manson – Halkirk Community Council
Janet Mowat – Halkirk Community Council
Elizabeth Henderson – Tannach and District Community Council
Donald Henderson – Tannach and District Community Council
Irene Hendrie – Dunnet and Canisbay Community Council
Inspector Angus MacInnes – Northern Constabulary
David Sutherland – Caithness Wards Manager, Highland Council
Robbie Macintosh – Caithness Ward Managers Team, Highland Council
Alex Macmanus – Caithness Ward Managers Team, Highland Council.

Two members of the general public and no press attendance

1. Apologies

Councillor Willie Mackay
Bill Brown – Caithness West Community Council
John Green – Dunnet and Canisbay Community Council
Eddie Boyd – Principal Engineer Energy, Highland Council

2. Previous Forum action notes from 7th April 2009

No issues arising. Agreed by Neil Buchanan and Councillor David Bremner.

3. Renewable Energy and energy savings measures.

No speakers in attendance.

4. Community Safety – Inspector Angus MacInnes, Northern Constabulary.

Been in post for a month. Moved down from Shetland
New police management team in post. Julian Innes – Area Commander, Matthew Reiss – Chief Inspector and Angus MacInnes – Inspector
Background of Community policing and very keen on police presence (shift Sergeant) at all Community Councils and Ward meetings. If unable to sent a presence a briefing note will be forwarded. Important that the police are aware of all local issues so that nothing comes as a surprise.

Police liaison officers would now attend each primary school at least once a term and the High Schools at least once a month. All liaison reports would go to Inspector MacInnes. Reports that came from Community Councils in the past were all looked at.

Looking at Anti social driving in not only Wick and Thurso but also Castletown, Halkirk, etc. Operations on 11th & 12th September and 23rd & 24th September. In Landward parking in Castletown and boy racers in Halkirk will be targeted. Unmarked cars from out with the County will be used at times. Educate this theme during school visits.

Concerns raised which will be actioned are the parking issues outside Wick High School and the yellow lines in Castletown. Plans to have traffic warden checking up periodically on this.

On 23rd September 20 test purchases for alcohol were carried out in the County with one premises failing. This premise was tested again today and passed.

Inspector MacInnes was surprised to hear about the ‘taxi booze runs’ and would be making this own enquires about these allegations. If true laws were being breached which could result in the taxi firms loosing their licences.

Recent serious incidents at the Causewaymire Wind Farm and the Halkirk level crossing were both subject to continuing enquiries by the Northern Constabulary and British Transport Police. There are indications that Bob Cameron of the BT Police would wish to come to a Forum meeting perhaps in 6/12 months time.

Halkirk Community Council suggested that perhaps a public meeting could be held after all enquires had been completed to give some reassurance to the local community. Network Rail and the Scottish Government are in discussion and looking at all the incidents Highland wide.

Members felt that as there is a case presently going through the courts that any public meeting could be difficult to arrange without subjudicy being a factor

Q - Could the Police or Council please explain why nothing has yet been done to ban parking outside the shop in Castletown? According to the Highway Code it is against the law to cause an obstruction, which I would have thought this does as it forces cars onto the wrong side of the road. It also states

DO NOT stop or park opposite or within 10 metres (32 feet) of a junction, except in an authorised parking space

which is very strong advice and I understand from the relevant Govt. dept. that it is up to the local Council to take action on such issues. The shop is both opposite two junctions and on the corner of another. It is dangerous for traffic travelling along this main road forcing vehicles onto the wrong side with often imperfect visibility ahead; it is very dangerous approaching the main road from any of the three adjoining side roads as again it limits visibility; and it is dangerous for pedestrians trying to cross the road. Delivery vehicles could park down the side road and there is no need for customers to park outside the shop when there is a car park a few yards away on the opposite side.

I suggest the Council either paint double yellow lines or install a pedestrian crossing, either of which would make parking illegal and the road much safer. With traffic increasing it is only a matter of time before there is an accident here.

A. (from Highland Council TECS, Road Engineer) - Painting yellow lines on the road is neither as simply as it sounds nor will it resolve this issue.

In the recent years TECS have formed a gateway from the adjacent car park to the footway to make it easier for motorists to park in the car park & cross the road. I think this has had little effect.

Simply painting yellow lines on the road needs:
A traffic roads order
Enforcement

Traffic Order -The traffic roads order requires a consultation period & an objection period. If objections are received then this requires a further Public Inquiry to resolve any outstanding objections. From past experience it’s unlikely that objections will not be received.

Work has already begun on the traffic order however our previous traffic order is incomplete & needs to be withdrawn. Once the engineering is completed my legal colleagues need to promote the order. This takes at least 6 months.

This was discussed at the recent Caithness Community Safety Action Group (Roads Sub Group) and it was agreed that TECS will undertake this work.

Enforcement - Once the parking restriction is in place the Police can then enforce the traffic order. Neither TECS nor any other Highland Council Service has the power to book motorists illegally parked.

However the drivers who park outside the shop rather than in the car park are thinking to themselves ‘It’s only a minute, just a pint of milk & a paper.’ The short term nature of the shopping lends itself to parking outside the shop rather than walk across the road from the car park. Unless the Police target this site both heavily and constantly it’s unlikely to make any long term changes in drivers’ behaviour.

From past experience, when the Police target an area, all the illegally parked cars vanish. Once the Police leave to target some other site the cars start creeping back. So it’s likely to be an on going issue.

A. (from Northern Constabulary, Caithness Inspector) - From my previous experiences and as said above the police enforcement only works when we are there and when we go the problem returns. The majority of the parking is by locals and therein lies the issue. How do we, in conjunction with the local community council, change the views/actions of the people they represent?

I will arrange for an officer to visit the shop and we can place signage in the doorway advise shoppers of the issue. Some enforcement can be carried out however I have to be realistic and honest in stating that we cannot guarantee daily police attendance and as such this is likely to remain an ongoing issue.

Mrs Brenda Herrick, who submitted the question, confirmed to Ward Manager that she was happy with the reply but would be happier when action was taken.

Area Commander Julian Innes is keen on relaying a positive message on crime cases that are solved. There have been 57 vandalism cases in Caithness with 8 relating to Landward. Inspector MacInnes would be able to bring statistics after May 2010.

Bower Community Council had police presence at their meetings in the past and had reported speeding issues but nothing ever appeared to be done about it. Inspector MacInnes reminded the Forum that any information submitted would off course be confidential or make use of crime stoppers or even contact him direct on his mobile phone.

Litter is a big problem but is difficult to police. Community Safety Officer will be making mention of this during her visits to the local schools.

5. Ward Discretionary Budget

£40,600 still left in Budget. Members were handed spreadsheets. Ward Manager advised that any applications received were being closely looked at to ensure that matched funding was coming into the County.

There was a short debate on the sharing of budgets amongst the other two Wards. The message relayed that all applications were looked at from a Caithness perspective and not in isolation.

Ward Manager also advised meeting of funds that were still to be allocated from the Youth Budget amounting to £2,024. (Criteria for Youth Fund applications to be sent out to all Community Councils.)

6. Dates of future meetings/venues and topics

7. AOB

Community Council election dates have been set by the Scottish Government and to follow the correct timeframes means that the initial phase commences during the school holidays. This can not be avoided.

Various issues were brought up about Community Council boundaries and all suggestions should be forwarded to the Areas Corporate Manager.

The proposed General Election in 2010 will not affect the Boundary Commission.

8. Questions and Answers

Q1 - When a member of the public is in a public building and using their facilities they are able to use the toilets in the building. This applies to museums, schools and technical colleges, NHS surgeries, hospitals, police stations and so on.

I am astonished that this general rule is apparently not the case in the service centre in Thurso where the persons using the area provided for the use of the public are expected to leave what they are doing and make their way to the nearest “public toilet” elsewhere and then return to their task. Surely this cannot be reasonable

A1 – I can sympathise with your comments but the fact is that there is no toilet in that particular building that is accessible to the general public. We cannot allow members of the public to wander about unescorted behind locked doors as this would put our own internal security systems under undue pressure. Only a few months ago two lap tops were removed from our Head Quarters in Inverness.

I can only assume that the places you have mentioned have public toilets in their public areas.