Minutes of meeting
Renfrewshire Council · 12 December 2024
Back to Council — 12 December 2024 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Minute of Special Meeting Council Date Time Venue Thursday, 12 December 2024 13:00 Council Chambers (Renfrewshire), Council Headquarters, Renfrewshire House, Cotton Street, Paisley, PA1 1AN Present: Councillor Jennifer Adam, Councillor Fiona Airlie-Nicolson, Councillor Alison Ann- Dowling, Councillor Jacqueline Cameron, Provost Lorraine Cameron, Councillor Michelle Campbell, Councillor Carolann Davidson, Councillor Eddie Devine, Councillor Andy Doig, Councillor Audrey Doig, Councillor Chris Gilmour, Councillor Edward Grady, Councillor Gillian Graham, Councillor Neill Graham, Councillor John Gray, Councillor Anne Hannigan, Councillor John Hood, Councillor Lisa-Marie Hughes, Councillor Robert Innes, Councillor Alec Leishman, Councillor Bruce MacFarlane, Councillor James MacLaren, Councillor Kenny MacLaren, Councillor Mags MacLaren, Councillor Colin McCulloch, Councillor Janis McDonald, Councillor Cathy McEwan, Councillor David McGonigle, Councillor Jamie McGuire, Councillor Marie McGurk, Councillor Iain McMillan, Councillor John McNaughtan, Councillor Kevin Montgomery, Councillor Sam Mullin, Councillor Will Mylet, Councillor Iain Nicolson, Councillor Jim Paterson, Councillor Emma Rodden, Councillor John Shaw, Councillor Ben Smith, Councillor Andy Steel Chair Provost L Cameron, Convener, presided. In Attendance A Russell, Chief Executive; J O’Neill, Director of Children’s Services; G McNeil, Director of Environment, Housing & Infrastructure; A MacArthur, Director of Finance & Resources; L McIntyre, Head of Policy & Partnerships, A Morrison, Head of Economy & Development, L Mahon, Head of Marketing & Communications, B Walker Programme Director (City Deal & Infrastructure) and L Adamson, Communications & Public Affairs Manager (all Chief Executive’s); E Henry, Head of Education, J Trainer, Head of Child Care & Criminal Justice and G McLaughlin, Head of Education (Strategy & Improvement) (all Children’s Services); C Dalrymple, Head of Facilities & Property Services, G Hannah, Head of Climate, Public Protection & Roads, G Hutton, Head of Operations & Service Development and L Feely, Head of Housing (all Environment, Housing & Infrastructure); C McCourt, Head of Finance & Procurement, R Cree, Head of People & Organisational Development, M Conaghan, Head of Corporate Governance, P Murray, Head of Digital, Transformation & Customer Services, A Black, Managing Solicitor, D Low, Democratic Services Manager and C MacDonald, Senior Committee Services Officer (all Finance & Resources).
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Apologies Councillors Burns and Clark. Declarations of Interest and Transparency Statements There were no declarations of interest or transparency statements intimated prior to the commencement of the meeting. 1 Review of the Scheme for the Establishment of Community Councils Under reference to item 1 of the Minute of the special meeting of Renfrewshire Council held on 26 June 2024 there was submitted a report by the Director of Finance & Resources relative to the review of the Scheme for the Establishment of Community Councils (the Scheme). Proposed amendments were set out in the Draft Scheme, which formed Appendix 1 to the report. The report advised that should these revisions be approved, it would be necessary, in terms of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, to undertake a second and final phase of statutory public consultation on the revisions proposed. It was noted that at the conclusion of the second and final phase of statutory public consultation, a report would be submitted to a future meeting of the Council called for that purpose. Councillor Andy Doig, seconded by Councillor Hood, moved that the recommendations in the report be approved with the following addition to the first recommendation: “That the options of making the position of Community Council Convenor a politically exempt post, and that Community Council members undergo a Disclosure Scotland check, be included in the second and final phase of public consultation.” Councillor Gilmour, seconded by Councillor Mullin moved as an amendment that the recommendations in the report be approved subject to the following: “Renfrewshire Council shall remove the proposed complaints procedure promulgated in “The Review of the Revised Scheme for the Establishment for Community Councils Appendix G” and shall revert to that procedure which was laid out in the previous Scheme of the Establishment for Community Councils. All complaints of a serious nature shall be dealt with by Renfrewshire Council Officers.” On the roll being called the following members voted for the amendment: Councillors Ann-Dowling, Davidson, Gilmour, Grady, G Graham, N Graham, Gray, Leishman, J MacLaren, McCulloch, McDonald, McGonigle, McGuire, McMillan, Montgomery, Mullin, and Smith. The following members voted for the motion: Councillors Adam, Airlie-Nicolson, J Cameron, Provost L Cameron, Councillors Campbell, Devine, Andy Doig, Audrey Doig,
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Hannigan, Hood, Hughes, Innes, MacFarlane, K MacLaren, M MacLaren, McEwan, McGurk, McNaughtan, Mylet, Nicolson, Paterson, Rodden, Shaw and Steel. 24 members having voted for the motion, and 17 members having voted for the amendment, the motion was accordingly declared carried. DECIDED: (a) That the revisions to the Draft Scheme, as set out in the amended Draft Scheme appended to this report, be approved with the addition that the options of making the position of Community Council Convenor a politically exempt post, and that Community Council members undergo a Disclosure Scotland check, be included in the second and final phase of public consultation; (b) That it be noted that a second and final phase of statutory public consultation would be carried out on the content and provisions of the amended Draft Scheme; and (c) That it be noted that at the end of the second and final phase of public consultation a report would be submitted to a special meeting of the Council called for that purpose, to consider the adoption of a duly revised Scheme for the Establishment of Community Councils (2025).