East Sutherland and Edderton Ward Forum
Minute of East Sutherland and Edderton Ward Forum Meeting on 18th February 2008 in Rogart Hall
Present
Sandy Park, Highland Council
Jean Urquhart, Highland Council
Alistair Dodds, Highland Council
Ian Ross, Highland Council
Jim McGillivray, Highland Council
Deirdre Mackay, Highland Council
Sandy Mackintosh, Brora Community Council
Iain Miller, Golspie Community Council
Alistair Maciver, Rogart Community Council
Evelyn Mackenzie, Helmsdale Community Council
Paul Hoggarth, Edderton Community Council
Gordon Clunie, Dornoch Community Council
Ann Keatinge, VGES
Ian Hargrave, Highland Council
Phil Tomalin, Highland Council
Gordon Fyfe, Highland Council
Neil Mackinnon, Northern Constabulary
13 Members of the Public
1. Introductions and apologies
No apologies
2. Action Points
(1) Rubbish left by contractor at Strath Steven
Iain Miller to supply contact details.
(2) Transerv to Rogart CC re Mound Sluice Gates
Jim McGillivray plans to invite Sam McNaughton of HC in first instance
to next CC (He was not available to attend previous CC meetings).
(3) Flooding reports.
These are currently being finalised and conclusions will be made available.
(4) Helmsdale lorry parking
Difficult to identify who lorries belong to, as it is often only the trailers
left behind. Helmsdale CC to liaise with Cllr Deirdre Mackay.
3. Ward Discretionary Budget
List of awards was circulated.
Discussion points
• Projects not granted funding will be contacted to discuss other possibilities,
however there is a backlog of outstanding replies.
• Ward Discretionary budget is being used to match fund projects applying to
the CVS Small Grants Scheme.
4. Guest Speakers
Cllr Sandy Park, Convener Highland Council
Jean Urquhart, Vice Convener Highland Council
Alistair Dodds, Chief Executive Highland Council
Opening remarks
Sandy Park
Changes in Highland Council:
• Voting System
• Multi Member Wards
• Council has an administration and opposition
• Councillors work together very well at Ward level
Ward Forum:
• Positive feedback from Members and local people.
• Need time to bed in.
• Have a role in ensuring that service delivery is good.
• Address worry that loss of Area Committees means Councillors lose touch
with officials and communities.
• No clamour for return to Area Committee structure.
Jean Urquhart
• Great change in Highland Council
• Need to ensure equity of service delivery.
Ward Forums have a future if they prove worthwhile for Councillors and Community. Ward Forums work when people engage and where requested information is given and agreed actions are implemented.
Work of Council is delivery of services, but also has a role to determine ambitions of people, and to make the Highlands interesting for young people to stay/come back to. Council also has a role to stimulate active communities, and to support and encourage less dynamic communities
The new budget is a good budget, that sought efficiencies, but delivers increases in education, TECS budgets
Alistair Dodds
Change in the Council :
• Real political leadership; gives clear leadership through Programme for
Administration.
• Wide range of activities: housing, street scene, capital projects like
Drummuie;
• Need for democratic agreement with public.
Service Information
• Ward Forums and Ward Business Meetings, need relevant information.
• Currently consulting all Councillors and members of the public on what
information is required e.g. money spent on grounds maintenance etc.
• Highland Council needs to be open and ready to answer your questions.
• Service Information for all wards expected in a couple of months.
Good projects in East Sutherland – Drummuie will bring jobs to East Sutherland
Budget
• HC revenue budget is more than £500m
• Members have showed they can listen to the public.
• Scottish Govt dictated 2% budget cuts.
• HC and Cllrs trying hard given these circumstances.
Discussion points and questions
Engagement with the press
Press at Ward Forums. In Nairn Press are invited every few weeks to Ward Business Meeting to discuss upcoming issues and how the Highland Council is to promote these. Could be considered in East Sutherland.
Purpose of Ward Forum? Most issues covered are Community Council issues. It’s just a talking shop. Need to move up a gear.
• “Talking shop” is ok, for gauging community views.
• Sharing of information e.g. Sam McNaughton being invited to attend
• An opportunity to discuss issues and have keynote speakers.
• Ward Forum not about Community Council issues e.g. Sutherland local plan
covered at last Ward Forum Community Council deal with local plan land
allocation. Ward Forum offers an opportunity to discuss wider points -
• Helpful if Community Councils suggest the issues that are raised.
• Community Planning – local impact of strategic decisions also need to be
discussed at Ward level.
• Ward Forum gives an opportunity for people to address Chief Executive face
to face.
• Different issues that can be discussed with the Police.
• Ward Forum needs a year to see if it works or not.
How much power does a Ward Forum have?
Power of Ward Forum reliant on information. Information allows opportunity to scrutinise and compare between communities. Then Councillors and officials have to take this forward.
Once monitoring information is available, then there will be an opportunity to start influencing budget. Area Discretionary Budget has been a success in all areas.
With the loss of the Area Committees the feeling locally is that local decision making power has been lost.
• Area Committees made very few decisions – many items were for noting.
Most decisions were planning decisions.
• How many members of the public attended Area Committees? Better
attendance at Ward Forum than at Sutherland County Committee.
• Power over budgets. These were always determined at strategic level not
at Area Committee, however local allocation of strategic budgets was
decided at Area Committees, e.g. ECS capital project, TECS roads
maintenance budget
• Whilst there is recognition of need to move on from 8 Area Committees,
there is a democratic gap between strategic committees and local decisions
• The monitoring information will give members the opportunity to influence
these local decisions. That information will be available to all (public etc.).
• Also, priorities need to be identified for schools, roads, buses, but the
information to do that locally will exist.
Increased amount of work for CC Chairs and secretaries– meetings, e-mails, letters etc., but Community Councils are volunteers, not paid.
Not universally agreed by all CCs. Others, notably Helmsdale, felt that the workload had reduced under the new system as there were three Councillors who could help with issues. Also the three Councillors are discussing issues at Ward Business Meetings so have a reasonable grasp of issues across the Ward.
How are Sutherland constituents represented at Housing and Social Work when there is no councillor of HSW Committee?
• Every Councillor has a right to go to a meeting.
• There is political equity on Committees.
• Councillors can fight your case without being a member of a Committee.
Drummuie
• Almost ready for occupation.
• Drummuie construction has gone well,
• Plan to invite members of the public into the building. .
• Will allow increased efficiency at the Highland Council; bring together services
across Sutherland and Easter Ross.
• Many buildings across Highland are not fit for purpose. Too many buildings,
need for rationalisation and improvement of buildings.
• Uses a building that would otherwise have gone to waste
Drummuie should have been retained as UHI facility – it was gifted for education. Now Brora and Dornoch are losing offices. Former hostel on Fountain Rd could have been used, but was sold and demolished.
• UHI elected to go to Dingwall.
• Feasibility study for training centre also proved unfeasible.
• Alternative was a building that would otherwise have decayed.
• Offices in Dornoch and Brora would have closed in a few years anyway.
Golspie Pool
• £1.2 million investment will lead to state of the art facility
• 2 year closure during refurbishment.
• Pool Contract has gone well, but poor /delayed letting of the contract.
• Part of delays due to unknown extras and the funding has been found.
• Recognise frustration over delays.
Service Points have undermined PO network.
Service Points regularly 2nd most popular service provided by HC, after waste collection (results Highland Residents Survey).
Post Offices
Only PO changing is Edderton. No proposals in Golspie, but issues with Sub Postmaster. Councillors looking at ways of ensuring full-time in Golspie.
Ward Discretionary Budget. Same amount of money regardless of size of Ward.
• Permutations were endless population vs. distance.
• All budgets same in first year to see how it would work essentially a pilot this
year.
• Review of Ward Managers, Ward forum, Ward Budget.
• Total for Ward Budgets will increase by 5%, but no decision on how that will
be allocated by individual ward
• Important not to do the same thing year in year out with the Ward budget
Holiday homes/2nd homes. Should this be a planning issue? We want to keep people in Highland.
• Shortage of housing is the real problem. The problem is not stopping 2nd
homes, but ensuring that everyone has a first home.
• Free market – Forest Crofts project to bypass market forces
• 50% Council tax rebate has gone, currently 90%. Highland Council pushing
for 100+%
• Need to encourage more house building in the Highlands.
• Survey in Ullapool showed that 50% of holiday homes are owned by people
who live in the village.
• Distinction to be made between 2nd home (empty) and holiday home (a
business proposition)
• Review of housing in the Countryside Policy.
• 2nd homes attract people to the area. It’s easy to be over simplistic
5. Community Council Issues
Rogart:
• Flooding:
Noted letter from SNH – John Thurso; suggesting that growth on riverbanks
was mitigating flooding. CC disagrees
• Local Plan:
Housing on good agricultural land. Raised at 1st consultation, but not
removed when came back for consultation. Are they going to stay in the
plan? Houses should be on the poorer land. Jim McGillivray also submitted this
point to local plan team.
Helmsdale:
• Closure of filling station.
Golspie:
• Seating arrangements at Ward Forum improved.
• Dornoch Firth Rail Link:
- Golspie community Council does not support (Train is too expensive)
• Public Transport:
- Difficult to travel North from Dornoch
- 958 as well. Connection to Bonar
Action Phil Tomalin
1. Investigate Dial-a-Bus operation north from Dornoch to Golspie and to Bonar
2. Raise points with HC Public transport Unit
3. Investigate reported £60 for Thurso from Kinbrace rail fare for family of 1
adult, 4 children
4. Investigate difficulties in travelling north in general
5. Liaise with Sutherland Partnership Transport Group,
Brora:
• Relieved that Brora Learning Centre will not close
Edderton:
• Scottish Water seem immune to pressure.
- Strategic level, planning issues, but agree that response is poor
- Take-up issues local member. Scottish Water are improving
Dornoch:
• Drainage work on Poles Rd by TECS completed well.
• Problems with the call centre: - Alness → Wick → Brora
The call centre is generally more responsive. Before 58% calls picked up, now
90% via service centre so calls better answered. There are training issues,
but generally service is better.
• Development of Burghfield Hotel as College
6. Issues raised by Councillors
Young drivers initiative:
• Deirdre Mackay working to co-ordinate improving opportunities such as
PassPlus in the North area and would be delighted to hear views from the
public.
7. Police Community Safety Issues
• Letters to parents of youths found with alcohol have received several
supportive responses, which is encouraging.
• Drink driving an issue for younger drivers. New protocol, if driver is over 2x
limit, they will be detained in custody until court (Friday might be Monday).
8. Voluntary Sector
Community Care Forum Local Network
• 10 Local CCFs proposed for a cut.
• In East Sutherland Shirley McHardy has worked hard for 9 years.
• Works for VGES who have levered in additional funding.
• Works collaboratively with NWSCCF.
• £11.5k cost for East Sutherland CCF
• Separation from the Highland Council is important to allow effective lobbying.
The Highland Council gets a lot for its public pound.
• Council fully supports work of local CCF’s and HUG.
• While grant not proposed for withdrawal; there is a need with Highland CCF
Board to find a way forward. Highland Council services are constantly asked to
be more efficient. The same has not happened with Highland CCF.
• Monitoring arrangements are needed and will be put in place. CCF services
better at arms length, Highland Council agrees,
Voluntary Sector/Highland Council Compact
Voluntary Sector currently developing compact with Highland Council, outlining shared values and principles for working together.
Compact launch event is Friday 7th March 2008 to develop Memorandum of Understanding.
9. Date of Next Meeting
The next East Sutherland and Edderton Ward Forum meeting, will take place on 21st April 2008 in Golspie.