Agenda Contents
North Ayrshire Council · 12 February 2025
Back to North Ayrshire Council — 12 February 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
Page 1
North Ayrshire Council, Cunninghame House, Irvine KA12 8EE North Ayrshire Council A Meeting of North Ayrshire Council will be held in the Council Chambers, Ground Floor, Cunninghame House, Irvine, KA12 8EE on Wednesday, 12 February 2025 at 14:00 to consider the undernoted business. Meeting Arrangements - Hybrid Meetings This meeting will be held on a predominantly physical basis but with provision, by prior notification, for remote attendance by Elected Members in accordance with the provisions of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 2003. Where possible, the meeting will be live-streamed and available to view at https://north-ayrshire.public- i.tv/core/portal/home. 1 Apologies 2 Declarations of Interest Members are requested to give notice of any declarations of interest in respect of items of business on the Agenda. 3 Previous Minutes The accuracy of the Minutes of the Meeting of the Council held on 18 December 2024 will be confirmed and the Minutes signed in accordance with Paragraph 7(1) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 (copy enclosed). 4 Provost's Report Submit report by the Provost for the period covering 9 December 2024 - 2 February 2025 (copy enclosed). 5 Leader's Report Submit report by the Leader of the Council for the period covering 9 December 2024 - 2 February 2025 (copy enclosed).
Page 2
North Ayrshire Council, Cunninghame House, Irvine KA12 8EE 6 Minute Volume (issued under separate cover) Submit, for noting and for approval of any recommendations contained therein, the Minutes of Meetings of committees of the Council held in the period 8 January - 23 January 2025. 7 North Ayrshire Community Planning Partnership (CPP) Board Submit report by the Executive Director (Communities and Housing) on the CPP Annual Report and overviews of the meetings of the North Ayrshire Community Planning Partnership Board held on 5 December 2024 (copy enclosed). 8 Appointments to Committee The Council is invited to: 1. to note that Councillor Gallacher is the Depute Leader of the Conservative and Unionist Group and is accordingly appointed to the Staffing and Recruitment and Appeals Committees; 2. in respect of the Police and Fire and Rescue Committee, to note (i) the resignation of Councillor Kerr effective from 5 February 2025 and (ii) the appointment of Councillor Currie to fill this vacancy in terms of Standing Order 8.5, effective from 12 February 2025; 3. in respect of the North Ayrshire Integration Joint Board, to note (i) the resignation of Councillor Sweeney as a named substitute effective from 18 November 2024 and (ii) the appointment of Councillor Foster to fill this vacancy in terms of Standing Order 8.5, effective from 12 February 2025; 4. in respect of the Staffing and Recruitment Committee and Appeals Committees, to note (i) the resignation of Councillor Foster as a named substitute effective from 5 February 2025 and (ii) the appointment of Councillor Hume to fill this vacancy in terms of Standing Order 8.5, effective from 12 February 2025; and 5. to consider a nomination, duly proposed by Councillor D Reid and seconded by Councillor Cullinane, for Councillor Hume to fill the vacancy on the Police and Fire and Rescue Committee and the Education Appeals Committee.
Page 3
North Ayrshire Council, Cunninghame House, Irvine KA12 8EE 9 Appointments to Outside Bodies The Council is invited to consider the following nominations : 1. a proposal by Councillor D Reid, seconded by Councillor Cullinane, that Councillors Currie and Hume be appointed to serve on the Ayrshire Valuation Joint Board; 2. a proposal by Councillor D Reid, seconded by Councillor Cullinane, that Councillor Currie be appointed to serve on the Clyde, Kintyre and Islands Ferry Stakeholder Group; 3. in respect of the North Ayrshire Fairtrade Zone Steering Group, to note that Councillor D. Reid will now serve as a substitute; and 4. a proposal by Councillor D Reid, seconded by Councillor Cullinane, that Councillors Currie and Hume be appointed to serve on the North Ayrshire Fairtrade Zone Steering Group. 10 North Ayrshire Ventures Trust Ltd Submit report by the Head of Service (Democratic Services) on the the resignation of a Director from North Ayrshire Ventures Trust Ltd and the appointment of a new Director to the Board of North Ayrshire Ventures Trust Ltd (copy enclosed). 11 Council Budget 2025-26 Engagement Findings Submit report by the Head of Service (Democratic Services) on the findings from recent Budget Engagement to inform decisions on the 2025-26 Council Budget (copy enclosed). 12 Council Tax on Second Homes 2025-26 Submit report by the Head of Service (Finance) on the the revision of the current policy on Council Tax charges for Second Homes within North Ayrshire from 1 April 2025 (copy enclosed). 13 Non-Domestic Rates Empty Property Relief Submit report by the Head of Service (Finance) on the the revised policy for the provision of Empty Property Relief in relation to Non-Domestic Rates (copy to enclosed). 14 Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Capital Investment Programme, Revenue Budget and Rent Levels for 2025/26 Submit a report by the Executive Director (Communities and Housing) on the proposed HRA capital investment programme and revenue budget for 2025/26 and the consequential rent levels (copy enclosed). 15 Questions In terms of Standing Order 14, submit:-
Page 4
North Ayrshire Council, Cunninghame House, Irvine KA12 8EE 1) a question by Councillor Currie to the Cabinet Member for Finance in the following terms: Residents and community groups on Arran have expressed disappointment that the Council is considering closing Arran Outdoor Centre for the second time in two years. Can the Cabinet Member give us an update on the future of the Outdoor Centre following the conclusion of the Council’s budget consultation and notice of next year’s Local Government settlement from the Scottish Government? 2) a question by Councillor Marshall to the Cabinet Member for Finance in the following terms: To ask the cabinet member for Finance, noting that some 600,000 persons ( circa 23% of the working population in Nationalist Scotland as opposed to 17% in England), are employed in the Public Sector, should the policy of North Ayrshire Council be to seek to reduce employment costs by either adopting a policy of compulsory redundancies or a pause on recruitment to enable the poor Council Tax payer some relief? 3) a question by Councillor Cullinane to the Cabinet Member for Finance in the following terms: Can the Cabinet Member list any new projects that were added to the Capital Programme in 2023/24 and 2024/25? 4) a question by Councillor Inglis to the Cabinet Member for Green Environment and Economy in the following terms: Can the cabinet member provide an update on what is going to happen at Auchenharvie Leisure centre since its roof was ripped off during storm Eowyn? 5) a question by Councillor Hume to the Cabinet Member for Communities, Housing and the Islands in the following terms: Can the Cabinet Member advise us what was the last contract awarded for a Council house development, how many houses will be built in the development and what the total cost of the contract was? 6) a question by Councillor Marshall to the Cabinet Member for Education in the following terms: To ask the cabinet member for Education, noting that the January Cabinet report records that 37.9% of pupils miss more than 10% of possible attendance in 2023-24 (that being the highest rate in Scotland) what practical steps are being taken to increase school attendance?
Page 5
North Ayrshire Council, Cunninghame House, Irvine KA12 8EE 7) a question by Councillor Foster to the Leader of the Council in the following terms: In 2023-24, the SNP administration cut the Council’s Cost of the School Day fund which provided £500,000 of funding annually to support families with costs associated with school education. A one-off fund of £1.2million replaced the COSD fund, representing a significant reduction in anti- poverty funding. Two years in and having recently made the decision to scrap the Leaders Child Poverty Board, can the Leader tell us how the £1.2million has been spent? 8) a question by Councillor Gallacher to the Cabinet Member for Communities, Housing and the Islands in the following terms: To ask the cabinet member for an update on the reopening of the Vineburgh Centre in Irvine? 9) a question by Councillor Marshall to the Cabinet Member for Education in the following terms: To ask the cabinet member for Education, noting that the Commission on School Reform using SQA national data recently stated that in 2024 40.1% of the S4 cohort of pupils achieved an Award A-C in Mathematics, what is the equivalent pass rate in North Ayrshire? 10) a question by Councillor T Ferguson to the Cabinet Member for Communities, Housing and the Islands in the following terms: To ask the portfolio holder for Communities and Housing to provide an update on the council's resilience response to Storm Eowyn on Cumbrae? 11) a question by Councillor T Ferguson to the Cabinet Member for Education in the following terms: To ask the portfolio holder for Education if the Scottish Government have provided any updated guidance on gender neutral toilets in Schools? 16 Urgent Items Any other items which the Chair considers to be urgent.
Page 6
North Ayrshire Council, Cunninghame House, Irvine KA12 8EE Webcasting Please note: this meeting may be filmed/recorded/live-streamed to the Council's internet site and available to view at https://north-ayrshire.public- i.tv/core/portal/home, where it will be capable of repeated viewing. At the start of the meeting, the Provost/Chair will confirm if all or part of the meeting is being filmed/recorded/live-streamed. You should be aware that the Council is a Data Controller under the Data Protection Act 2018. Data collected during the webcast will be retained in accordance with the Council’s published policy, including, but not limited to, for the purpose of keeping historical records and making those records available via the Council’s internet site. Generally, the press and public will not be filmed. However, by entering the Council Chambers and using the press or public seating area, you acknowledge that you may be filmed and that any information pertaining to you contained in the video and oral recording of the meeting will be used for webcasting or training purposes and for the purpose of keeping historical records and making those records available to the public. In making this use of your information the Council is processing data which is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest. If you have any queries regarding this and, in particular, if you believe that use and/or storage of any particular information would cause, or be likely to cause, substantial damage or distress to any individual, please contact dataprotectionofficer@north-ayrshire.gov.uk
Page 7
North Ayrshire Council, Cunninghame House, Irvine KA12 8EE North Ayrshire Council Sederunt Nairn Angus-McDonald John Bell Marie Burns Eleanor Collier Joe Cullinane Charles Currie Scott Davidson Anthea Dickson Stewart Ferguson Todd Ferguson Robert Foster Scott Gallacher Tony Gurney Alan Hill Mary Hume Cameron Inglis Margaret Johnson Amanda Kerr Christina Larsen Shaun Macaulay Jean McClung Matthew McLean Louise McLaughlan Davina McTiernan Tom Marshall Jim Montgomerie Ian Murdoch Donald Reid Donald L Reid Chloe Robertson Ronnie Stalker Angela Stephen John Sweeney Chair: Apologies: Attending: