East Sutherland and Edderton Ward Forum
20 August 2007, Helmsdale Community Centre
Agenda
Attendance:
Cllr Ian Ross (Chair)
Cllr Deirdre Mackay
Cllr Jim McGillivray
Ian Hargrave Corporate Manager Highland Council
Phil Tomalin Ward Manager, East Sutherland and Edderton, Highland Council
Insp. Neil Mackinnon Northern Constabulary
Evelyn Mackenzie Helmsdale CC
Paul Hoggarth Edderton CC
Sandy Mackintosh Brora CC
Gordon Clunie Dornoch CC
Alasdair MacIver Rogart CC
Iain Miller Golspie CC
16 Members of public
Apologies
Ann Keatinge, Voluntary Groups East Sutherland
Item 1. Introduction (Chair)
Multi Member Wards (MMW) – 3 Councillors
Operational changes to Highland Council.
Ward Forums:
• effective links to CC’s.
• address issues of concern
• facilitate consultation
• complement work of Community Councils
• opportunity to ask questions.
• Themes for future forums.
• Time limited to 2 hours
Item 2 Ward Forums (Ian Hargrave)
Political and operational changes of Highland Council:
• 3 new areas, roughly parliamentary constituencies.
• Merger of some services: Property & Architecture with Housing and Corporate Services with Chief Executive’s Service.
• Introduction of MMWs and Ward Managers.(NB MMWs introduced across Scotland)
• Politics: The council has 80 members in 22 MMW’s.
• MMW is basic building block of the Highland Council and where dialogue with communities takes place.
Ward forum
• Catching up exercise for backlog of issues
• Open council
• Flexible arrangement that changes from place to place.
• To meet at least six times per year.
• Partners involved esp Police but other issues that other partners may wish to discuss.
• Council services will respond to needs and complaints of local people.
• Time limited to two hours.
• If answers are not available immediately then will be followed up and answers given at subsequent meeting.
Item 3. Ward Budget (Phil Tomalin)
Ward Discretionary Budget explained:
• Equal allocation to all 22 wards
• 07/08 Budget is £56,800: 40% community projects; 20% partnership projects, 30% service improvement, 10% miscellaneous (inc Community Council top-up grant, Ward Forum costs)
• Procedures for application (form, audit trail)
• Forms from Phil Tomalin or Community Councils who have been given copies
• Grants to be reported to Ward Forum
ACTION
– Need for letters to clarify CC funding and process.
Item 4. Update from Councillors
Importance of cooperation between Councillors.
Regular (weekly / fortnightly) Ward business meetings.
Councillors and Committees
• Ian Ross Vice Convenor Police Board, TECS Cttee, Planning Environment and Development, Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross Planning Applications Review Committee (PARC). Locally Sutherland Partnership
• Deirdre Mackay Education Culture and Sport; Resources (i.e. budgets and payments).Police Board, Caithness Sutherland and Easter Ross Licensing Board. Locally, Sutherland Partnership, New Futures Sutherland, VGES, Clyne Heritage Society, Hopes to get involved with Women’s Aid.
• Jim McGillivray: TECS,. Gaelic, Valuation Board. Locally, Sutherland Partnership; Sutherland Sports Council, Highland Fresh Mussels.
Item 5. Changes in Northern Constabulary (Insp. Mackinnon)
Structure under review.
• Currently 8 area commands, Locally it is Caithness and Sutherland.
• Insp. Mackinnon manages Police Service in Sutherland
• This area will include Tain and Easter Ross from April next year
• Change in structure will not affect local policing.
Policing continues to evolve.
• In acknowledging a perception by the public that policing was moving away from communities (ie Helmsdale Police Station sale) an assurance was given that the 2 officers are retained in the area and now based in Brora.
Effectiveness of service emphasised
• The Northern Constabulary has the highest detection rate in the UK.
• Good support from communities, which the NC are keen to continue.
• Sutherland is a very safe place to be – low crime.
Sale of Police houses in Helmsdale
ACTION Ian Ross to follow up with Estates Manager.
Questions /Comments from the public included:
• Monitoring speeding on A9 between Helmsdale and Brora.
• Resources and staff for larger area
• Loss of local links as police staff move on.
Item 6. Community Council Issues (CC Representatives)
Helmsdale
Helmsdale are working on community transport system
Brora
Planning issues
ACTION – arrange meeting with planning and Brora CC.
Golspie
Police response unit, travel from Dingwall at high speed.
ACTION – Insp Mackinnon to pass message onto Traffic.
Rogart
Nothing to raise.
Dornoch
Car parking
ACTION – Insp. Mackinnon to follow up with Sgt. Goskirk.
Planning
Edderton
Q. When is the move to Golspie taking place?
A. Early in the new year. The building will be ready in January. Current property will be vacated
Item 7 Questions from Members of the Public
Written Questions
Q1. What measures are being undertaken by Highland Council to prevent imminent future flooding of the lower reaches of the Garbh Allt watercourse and to make good damage to property and degradation of adjacent land following devastation in October 2006? - Mrs J. Margot Macgregor, 71/10 Gartymore, Helmsdale
Principles
• TEC Services responsibility for flooding extends to surveying and monitoring all watercourses, and compiling a biennial flooding report to Scottish Executive.
• Responsibility for maintenance of watercourses lies with landowner.
• Responsibility for protection and repair of private property lies with the owner and their insurance company.
Garbh Allt
• Surveyed some years ago by TEC Services and assessed to be of low risk.
• Flooding in October 2006 was caused by a land slip and the resulting debris blocking the culvert under the A9
• A9 is a Trunk Road and the responsibility of Transerv who maintain the route on behalf of Transport Scotland
Since the flooding event:
• Transerv and Network Rail have mended the culverts under the A9 and the railway line
• Transerv have done extra work including reinforcing the bank at Mrs MacGregor’s house thus protecting her garden
• TEC Services as flooding authority, have inspected the watercourse and still regard it as low risk for flooding – the problem was not caused by the capacity of the watercourse but by the debris from a landslip blocking the culvert.
• dredging would be likely to be counterproductive as this would undermine the bank of the watercourse making it more vulnerable to flooding rather than less so.
Councillor comments
• Recognise personal distress of flooding.
• Referred to Peter Peacock; flooding is wider than Sutherland. Whole range of issues for Exec: watercourse management, tree planting flooding, climate change.
• Flooding in Dornoch also an issue Disappointment at inability to respond.
• Consequences of intensity of rain: perception of the norm is changing.
• Winter maintenance money should also be usable for flooding issue.
• Flood survey in Sutherland, but capital to follow up?
• Need to clarify responsibilities of various parties (HC to produce briefing note)
• Correspondence with Transerv to state that culvert is insufficient. Pressure is being applied.
Q2 Are the Scottish Executive’s new guidelines on Windfarms likely to allow Gordonbush windfarm traffic through Golspie and Brora, even if our Highland Council should oppose this? - Valerie Scott, Golspie CC Member
• Review of National Policy suggests relaxation of where Windfarms can be sited. HC strategy may need to change
• Probably no impact on traffic through Golspie and Brora. Route through Kilbraur is a real option.
• Scot Exec not yet responded to HC planning recommendations for Kilbraur
Questions from the floor.
Speeding Vehicles
Camera Partnership and Road Policing Unit active over whole of A9. In recent weeks speed limit has been enforced in Helmsdale and caught speeders.
Vibration caused by lorries in Golspie.
Vibration potentially caused by ground conditions in Golspie. Whilst weight of lorries may be an issue, weighbridges are not available at night when the problem appears at its worst.
Golspie Swimming Pool
Acceptable contract has been identified. Councillors accept there is frustration over the length of time taken to resolve this problem
Item 8 Future Meetings
usually 3rd Monday, every other month
22 October Edderton
17 December Dornoch
18 February Rogart
21 April Golspie
16 June Brora