Eilean a’ Cheo (Ward 11) – Forum Meeting
Action Note of Meeting held in Portree Community Centre, Portree - 5th October 2009
Attendees:
Councillor John Laing (Chair)
Councillor Ian Renwick
Councillor Drew Millar
Roddy Murray, Sleat Community Council
Jim Rennie, Skeabost and District Community Council
David Ashford, Skye and Lochalsh Environmental Forum
Julian Toms, Portree Community Company
Connor Henderson
Omar Khalisa
Jim Towers, Minginish Community Council and Community Care Forum
Elaine Robertson Waternish Community Council
David Cameron Skyesat
Judith Wallace Sconser Community council & PACC
John Gordon PACC
Alan MacRae
Una MacLeod
William Wallace Sconser Community Council
Ian MacLean L&S Housing Association
Alistair Matheson & 13 pupils from Portree High School
Michael Russell, WHFP
David Taylor Uig Community Council
Officials in Attendance:
Jan Laing, Ward Manager, CEO, The Highland Council
Mark Crowe, Community Works Manager, TECS, The Highland Council
Fay MacRae, CEO, The Highland Council
Apologies:
Councillor Hamish Fraser
Ruaraigh MacNeil, Waternish Community Council
Joan Turkington, Skye and Lochalsh Access Panel, CAB
Moira MacDonald Skeabost Community Council
Lachie MacDonald - Lochalsh & Skye Housing Association
Chrisanne MacDonald, Skye & Lochalsh CVO
Sylvia Porter, Staffin Community Council
Listed below is the action required and the outcomes resulting from discussion at the Eilean a’ Cheò Ward Forum meeting held on the 5th October 2009 at Portree Community Centre.
1. Welcome and Introduction
Councillor Laing welcomed everyone to the Ward Forum Meeting and introduced the Councilors and speakers.
2. Action Note
The action note from the meeting of 24th August 2009 was approved with corrections to the Community Care Forum and Mrs M MacDonald Skeabost Community Council as attending the meeting.
3. Presentation on Digital Switch Over from John McNeil
John McNeil is running information sessions about the digital switch over through out the island both today and tomorrow.
He explained how every television & video in the Skye and Lochalsh area will need to be converted from analogue to digital by summer 2010 This would mean more choice of channels for the consumer from four channels at present to twenty channels including radio stations and interactive television. This will mean consumers either having to purchase a digi box, satellite or free view system.
Sgriaig is due to change from analogue to digital on the 14th of July 2010 with the Sleat peninsula scheduled for the 14th of October 2010.
The public can check the exact dates by using the postcode checker website.
Marketing by means of TV, radio, leaflets, road shows and retailers is taking place at present and will increase as the dates for switch over draw closer.
The BBC are running a help scheme for anyone who falls in the following categories:
- Claiming any benefits eg Income Support, Jobseekers Allowance, Pension credit
- Anyone who has been in a care home at any point for up to 6 months
- Anyone aged 75 or over
- Everyone who is eligible will be contacted directly by the scheme which costs £40.00 this enables a qualified engineer to install the digi box, renew any cables or aerials and spend time demonstrating how the system works.
The contact details for the scheme are telephone number 0800 40859000 or on their website.
4. Winter Maintenance - Mark Crowe TEC Services
Mark Crowe is the Community Works Manager based in Portree. He is responsible for road maintenance, street sweeping, toilets, burials and winter maintenance.
The Highland Council has 6,711km of adopted road in the highlands with 120 routes and gritters. Skye has 760km of road with 13 routes and gritters the HC are not responsible for the main trunk road the A87
The attached document shows the gritting routes and the priority levels of the routes which are gritted between 1st of October and the 30th of April.
MC also advised that Bernisdale township should be a priority 2 on the attached chart.
The HC has 3 pavement gritters but can only carry out work on the pavements next to the trunk road if requested by Transerve.
MC advised that if the HC were having to grit over prolonged periods of snow that grit would be mixed with the salt to help with the traction and reduce costs.
MC advised that they are fully resourced for this year as the budget has not been reduced and that most of the griting staff live along a route so are able to start gritting straight away at 6am when they start work.
5. Community Council Matters
The Community Council forum has been rearranged for the 3rd of November in Tigh na Sgire at 1pm.
6. Ward Discretionary Budget Update
A paper with details of Discretionary Fund awards made to date was circulated with the action note for information.
7. Questions and Answers
Notified Question from Dr Toms requesting the Councillors view on the proposed cycle path from Kyleakin to Uig along the A87.
Councillors agreed that although they would like the money spent on the roads & pavements rather than a cycle path the funding is only available for cycle paths and would therefore support the scheme as pedestrians, walkers etc could also benefit from the scheme as they are well used in other areas and feel they would be an asset to the community.
Dr Toms also asked about the single manning of ambulances and advised that an incident had taken place over the weekend involving single manning where the driver could only administer oxygen until another ambulance had arrived from Dunvegan he feels that the public should be made aware that this situation is still going on.
Dr Toms is to pass the details on to JL and she will contact the SAS and invite them to the next ward forum meeting.
The issue of Patient transport was also raised after a recently reported incident in the press involving a member of the public from Sleat who had to find his own way home from Raigmore after a knee replacement operation JL will also contact the Patient Transport Service for clarification on this.
8. AOB
None
9. Date of Next Meeting
Monday 16th November 2009 Tigh na Sgire Portree 3pm
Topics - the Recession and Economic Recovery with HIE and The Scottish Ambulance Service