Agendas, reports and minutes

In relation to the agenda and papers circulated for the above Meeting of the Highland Council, please find attached the undernoted:-

AGENDA ITEM 13

Membership of Committees, etc

Members are asked to agree the following:- 

Corporate Resources Committee - Mr B Boyd to replace Mrs G Campbell-Sinclair

AGENDA ITEM 14                                                                                               

Question Time 

The following Questions have been received by the Head of Corporate Governance – 

Public

(i)    Ms J Alexander

“In relation to the £7.5m extension that is due at Culloden Academy, this was approved in March 2018 in a 5-year Capital Programme as per the School Estate Management page on your website. 

The school was built for 900 and the role is now 1110 and growing to 1243 pupils in 2022, with houses still going up.

I am a parent of 2 pupils in Culloden and 1 pupil in Balloch Primary. I would like to know where is the £7.5m for the refurbishment for my children’s school?   

When do you intend to start the extension? At the last parent council meeting of Culloden Academy, which I am a member of, it was suggested that some sort of temporary units could be put in place to fill the gap before the extension work. Would this come out of the £7.5m budget and would this slow down the extension? Where would they be built? Culloden is a great place to live however I honestly believe we are letting the young people, teachers and the community of Culloden down due to the poor school building and lack of facilities. I am not looking to blame anyone or for excuses, we just want to move forward and get some transparency. 
  
I look forward to your response.”  

Members 

(i)    Mrs I MacKenzie

To the Chair of the Communities & Places Committee

“Can you provide a timeframe for Service Centres to re-open?”

The response is circulated 

Mrs MacKenzie will be entitled to ask a supplementary question which will be answered by the Chair of the Communities & Places Committee. 

(ii)    Mr R MacWilliam

To the Leader of the Council:

“Can I have a breakdown of the number of meetings of the various Highland local community partnerships which have taken place since March 2020?”

The response is circulated 

Mr MacWilliam will be entitled to ask a supplementary question which will be answered by the Leader.

(iii)    Mr A Jarvie

To the Leader of the Council

“As this Council enters its fourth budget, can you name four localism programmes this Council has approved and successfully rolled out to communities?”

The response is circulated 

Mr Jarvie will be entitled to ask a supplementary question which will be answered by the Leader. 

(iv)    Mr A Jarvie 

To the Chair of the Corporate Resources Committee/Budget Leader

“At the last budget, when I only saw the budget details a fortnight in advance, when we met I asked for an assurance that my Group would be involved in budget discussions in October/November this year as had been the case previously. Despite this promise, your response to me at the Resources Sub-Group on 26 November was that it was my responsibility to guess when the budget process was underway and that I had to ask for a meeting to discuss it. When did it become the Opposition’s responsibility to ask the Administration about the budget they want Opposition Groups to support and should it not be your role as Budget Leader to engage with all Groups as soon as the budget process is underway?”

The response is circulated 
 
Mr Jarvie will be entitled to ask a supplementary question which will be answered by the Chair of the Corporate Resources Committee/Budget Leader.

(v)    Mr A Jarvie

To the Leader of the Council

“With the ever increasing number of responses to Members of this Council at Committees being to discuss the matter they have raised “offline”, is it your intention to establish an Offline Committee where the responses to these questions can be heard by all in an open and transparent manner?”

The response is circulated 

Mr Jarvie will be entitled to ask a supplementary question which will be answered by the Leader.

(vi)    Mr A Jarvie 

To the Chair of the Corporate Resources Committee/Budget Leader,

“How many posts, and at what total cost, were funded by the Change Fund and other time limited or earmarked posts in the previous and current financial year and can you confirm that all that these posts have ceased or plan to be and are not a cost pressure on the general funds?”

The response is circulated 

Mr Jarvie will be entitled to ask a supplementary question which will be answered by the Chair of the Corporate Resources Committee/Budget Leader.

(vii)    Mr K Gowans

To the Chair of the Corporate Resources Committee

“Culloden Academy is experiencing chronic overcrowding which has been well documented over many years on the school roll projections. The school is currently on track to be over capacity by 300 pupils by 2022 which the school will not be able to accommodate. 

In 2018, this Council agreed an allocation of £7.5m from the Capital Budget to fund a new extension to be completed by 2022. There is now no prospect of this being delivered. Lack of activity has delayed this project and the Council is now in a position where demountables, or portakabins as they are more commonly known as, will need to be deployed.

To reassure pupils, staff and parents, will you confirm the extension will be completed by August 2023, the provision of demountables will be not funded from the £7.5m allocation and that the scale of the extension will not be compromised to “fit” the budget?”

The response is circulated 

Mr Gowans will be entitled to ask a supplementary question which will be answered by the Chair of the Corporate Resources Committee. 

(viii)    Mr S Mackie

To the Chair of the Corporate Resources Committee

“Can you break down the number of staff on long term sick who were off for 6 – 12 months, 12-18 months, 18-24 months and 24 months during this current or last financial year and whether that is broken or unbroken absence for that period of time?”

The response is circulated 

Mr Mackie will be entitled to ask a supplementary question which will be answered by the Chair of the Corporate Resources Committee.

(ix)    Mr S Mackie

To the Leader of the Council

“During a motion on ‘Nuclear Free Highlands’, this Council re-affirmed its’ support for the Caithness and North Sutherland nuclear sector. Council agreed:

•    To make representations to the Scottish Government to withdraw their outright opposition to new nuclear development.
•    To make those in the nuclear supply chain aware that the Highlands have the skills, public support and proactive partnerships to embrace the next generation of nuclear energy.  
•    Publicly state the Local Authorities willingness to support the future of the sector.

In response to a question on this matter at a subsequent Full Council meeting, you responded that “no such activity has been undertaken”.

Will you commit to honouring the successful motion by making representations on behalf of the Highland Council to nuclear sector supply chain and the Scottish Government before the end of this Parliamentary Session?”

The response is circulated 

Mr Mackie will be entitled to ask a supplementary question which will be answered by the Leader.

(x)    Ms E Knox  

To the Leader of The Council

“After the Full Council of 10 September 2020, you wrote to Kevin Stewart, Minister for Local Government and Planning, indicating he Highland Council “does not accept that the number of Highland Councillors should reduce at all and indeed in some Wards there was a very strong case to increase the numbers”.

You wrote to Community Councils on 16 November and 2 December expressing concern about the proposed boundary changes and urging them to make representations to the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland.

Can you explain why, despite the Highland Council voting unanimously to reject the proposals, you did not make such representations to the Boundary Commission during their 11 week consultation with Councils?”

The response is circulated 

Ms Knox will be entitled to ask a supplementary question which will be answered by the Leader.

(xi)    Mrs I MacKenzie

To the Leader of the Council

“What is Highland Council doing to help alleviate and prevent loneliness during Covid19?”

The response is circulated 

Mrs MacKenzie will be entitled to ask a supplementary question which will be answered by the Leader. 

(xii)    Mr D Macpherson

To the Chair of the Economy & Infrastructure Committee
 
“In March 2020, Elected Members were asked to agree to this year’s Revenue Budget, (including a Council Tax rise to the highest possible level permitted in Scotland by the Scottish Government). 

It was with the agreement of Members and the express terms that the extra percentage increase in Council Tax being paid by Highland taxpayers was to be ring-fenced and used solely to fund essential road repairs, to carry out surface dressing and road resurfacing, plus carrying out other requirements relating to road improvements across the Highland and Island communities within the Highland Council area. 

How much of the agreed budget for roads set out for this financial year 2020-21 has actually been allocated for road projects and spent so far on road repairs and improvements in Highland?”

The response is circulated 

Mr Macpherson will be entitled to ask a supplementary question which will be answered by the Chair of the Economy & Infrastructure Committee.

(xiii)    Mr D Macpherson

To the Chair of Corporate Resources Committee 

“As the Highland Council sets out its Budget proposals and begins its discussions and deliberations for the Budget for the next financial year 2021-22, what assurance can you give to Highland constituents to demonstrate to them and convince them that the level of service won’t keep dropping year by year as the price that they pay for their reduced services via their Council Tax keeps increasing?”

The response is circulated 

Mr Macpherson will be entitled to ask a supplementary question which will be answered by the Chair of the Corporate Resources Committee. 

(xiv)    Mr A Jarvie

To the Leader of the Council,

“You have increasingly accused my efforts of scrutinising this Council at such a critical time, when Councillors feel they have less and less of a say about how this Council operates, as being “political statements”. Most recently, without any hint of irony, at the Audit and Scrutiny Committee.

You stated this after I highlighted a report last month which showed 50% of Members of the Audit and Scrutiny Committee did not fully believe that the Council was open to scrutiny and only 40% believed that scrutiny is actively encouraged. 

Is your dismissal of these concerning statistics from our own Audit and Scrutiny Committee as a “political statement” not symptomatic of the issue that this Council is not open to scrutiny?”

The response is circulated 

Mr Jarvie will be entitled to ask a supplementary question which will be answered by the Leader.

(xv)    Mr D Macpherson

To the Chair of Corporate Resources Committee 

“The levels of staff employed by Highland Council in 2011 was stated as being 9,477 employees.

From the figures that you have provided to me at Full Council on 10/09/2020, it shows that, from 2017 to the present day, the staff levels have averaged at 10,114 per annum, peaking at 10,300 in 2018-19.
 
To what do you attribute this continual increase in staff at Highland Council while other organisations are working smarter not harder and reducing staff numbers while improving their efficiencies and outcomes and do you have a breakdown of staff numbers by ECO Department?”

The response is circulated

Mr Macpherson will be entitled to ask a supplementary question which will be answered by the Chair of the Corporate Resources Committee.  

AGENDA ITEM 17                                                                                                     

Highland Council Capital Plan 2018/19 to 2022/23 – Update Report 

There is circulated Report No. HC/43/20 dated 9 December 2020 by the Executive Chief Officer, Resources and Finance. 

The Council is asked to note:- 

i.    the reprofiled capital programme and associated loans fund debt charges;
ii.    the provision made for the North Care Facility - subject to Members’
decision on the confidential report later on the Council agenda; and
iii.    the ongoing work to develop the Council’s capital strategy.
 
AGENDA ITEM 27

North Coast Care Facility                                                                                         

There is circulated to Members only Report No. HC/50/20 dated 3 December 2020 by the Executive Chief Officer, Health and Social Care.

The Council is asked to agree the recommendations as circulated.