Public reports pack
Argyll and Bute Council · 10 September 2025
Back to Oban Lorn & The Isles Area Committee — 10 September 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Argyll and Bute Council Comhairle Earra-Ghàidheal Agus Bhòid Executive Director: Douglas Hendry Kilmory, Lochgilphead, PA31 8RT Tel: 01546 602127 Fax: 01546 604435 DX 599700 LOCHGILPHEAD 3 September 2025 NOTICE OF MEETING A meeting of the OBAN LORN & THE ISLES AREA COMMITTEE will be held in the IN DALAVICH VILLAGE HALL, DALAVICH BY TAYNUILT AND BY MICROSOFT TEAMS on WEDNESDAY, 10 SEPTEMBER 2025 at 11:00 AM, which you are requested to attend. Douglas Hendry Executive Director BUSINESS 1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE 2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST 3. MINUTES (a) Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee -11 June 2025 (Pages 3 - 12) (b) Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Community Planning Group - 13 August 2025 (Pages 13 - 20) 4. PUBLIC QUESTION TIME 5. CULTURAL HERITAGE AND ARTS ASSEMBLY FOR ARGYLL AND ISLES (CHARTS) (Pages 21 - 30) Presentation by Chair of Cultural Heritage and Arts Assembly for Argyll and Isles. 6. AREA PERFORMANCE REPORT - FQ1 2025/26 (Pages 31 - 66) Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Customer Support Services 7. ROADS AND INFRASTRUCTURE UPDATE (Pages 67 - 70) Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Roads and Infrastructure Services 8. RECYCLING AND RECOVERY PERFORMANCE REPORT (Pages 71 - 78) Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Roads and Infrastructure Services 9. DISTRIBUTION OF FUNDS - AGNES ANGUS BEQUEST (TO FOLLOW) Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Roads and Infrastructure Services Public Document Pack
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10. APPOINTMENT TO OBAN AND LORN COMMUNITY ENTERPRISE - ATLANTIS LEISURE (Pages 79 - 82) Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Legal and Regulatory Support. 11. SUPPORTING COMMUNITIES FUND 2025/26 (Pages 83 - 96) Report by Chief Executive REPORTS FOR NOTING 12. SUPPORTING COMMUNITIES FUND - MONITORING OF PROJECTS FUNDED 2023/24 (Pages 97 - 104) Report by Executive Director 13. CHARITABLE TRUST AND BEQUEST FUNDS REPORT Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Legal and Regulatory Support (a) John of Lorn Bequest Fund (Pages 105 - 108) Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Legal and Regulatory Support E1 (b) Exempt Appendix for John of Lorn Bequest Fund (Pages 109 - 110) 14. DRAFT OBAN, LORN AND THE ISLES AREA COMMITTEE WORKPLAN (Pages 111 - 116) The Committee will be asked to pass a resolution in terms of Section 50(A)(4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 to exclude the public for items of business with an “E” on the grounds that it is likely to involve the disclosure of exempt information as defined in the appropriate paragraph of Part I of Schedule 7a to the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. The appropriate paragraph is:- Paragraph 6 Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (other than the authority). Oban Lorn & The Isles Area Committee Councillor Kieron Green Councillor Amanda Hampsey Councillor Willie Hume Councillor Andrew Kain (Vice-Chair) Councillor Jim Lynch Councillor Luna Martin Councillor Julie McKenzie (Chair) Councillor Andrew Vennard Contact: Karen Campbell, Senior Committee Assistant - 01631 567855
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MINUTES of MEETING of OBAN LORN & THE ISLES AREA COMMITTEE held ON A HYBRID BASIS ON MICROSOFT TEAMS AND IN AN ROTH, CRAIGNURE, ISLE OF MULL on WEDNESDAY, 11 JUNE 2025 Present: Councillor Andrew Kain (Chair) Councillor Kieron Green Councillor Amanda Hampsey Councillor Willie Hume Councillor Luna Martin Councillor Andrew Vennard Attending: Douglas Hendry, Executive Director David Logan, Head of Legal and Regulatory Support Melissa Stewart, Democratic Services Manager Tom Murphy, Operations Manager Brendan Docherty, Education Manager Peter Bain, Head Teacher, Oban and Tiree High School(s) Shelley Carmichael, Head Teacher, Tobermory High School 1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting. Apologies for absence were intimated on behalf of Councillors Jim Lynch and Julie McKenzie. 2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST There were no declarations of interest intimated. 3. MINUTES (a) Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee - 12 March 2025 The Minute of the meeting of the Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee, held on 13 March 2025, was approved as a correct record subject to the following amendment:- Item 4 – Public Question Time (Question 4 – Ross Wilson) To amend the spelling of Councillor Kain’s name at the second last paragraph on page 3 of the Minute from Kane to Kain. (b) Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Community Planning Group - 14 May 2025 The Minute of the meeting of the Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Community Planning Group, held on 14 May 2025 was noted. Page 3 Agenda Item 3a
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(c) Oban Common Good Fund - 17 March 2025 The Minute of the meeting of the Oban Common Good Fund, held on 17 March 2025 was noted. Councillors Amanda Hampsey and Luna Martin joined the meeting during discussions of the following item of business. . 4. PUBLIC QUESTION TIME The Chair advised that a number of public questions had been submitted in advance of the meeting. He also noted that there were a number of members of the public in attendance who had intimated that they wished to ask a question. He advised that his intention was to take the questions submitted in advance first and then open the floor to those in attendance. The questions were submitted in the following order:- Question 1 – Jennifer Evans Evans Funfair submitted an application to hold their annual Fun Fair at Blaze Pitch Mossfield in February 2025 to Amenity Services, they have not received an acknowledgement or any confirmation. They have heard that the Waterboard are working on the site and do not know how long that is going to go on for, therefore is there an alternative site available for September or can they have confirmation that the works will be complete and they are able to use the Blaze Pitch as normal? The Operations Manager advised that Scottish Water were carrying out works at the blaze pitch on Mossfield and that it was anticipated that they would still be on-site in September. He advised that he was currently awaiting confirmation from the Network and Standards Manager as to whether Lochavullin Carpark would be available to use as an alternative to site the annual fun fair and he would confirm the position with Mrs Evans in due course. Question 2 – Frank Roberts On 24 January Storm Eowyn caused significant damage to the pontoon berths adjacent to the North Pier, particularly to sections of the floating breakwater. Consequently, the outer two sections of the breakwater are now closed “until further notice", and the inner section subject to restrictions for the time being of the number and size of vessels which may use them. (EDI Committee, March 2025: Notice to Mariners # 04/25, May 2nd 2025). The breakwater being out of commission is having severe adverse effects on both commercial and leisure users of it. At a recent meeting of the Oban Bay Management Group, it was stated that it was not possible to say when repairs might be completed and full use of the breakwater restored, but that it was not likely before an as yet indeterminate date in 2026. Page 4
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It is now four months since the storm, and surveys of the damage are reported to have been conducted. Therefore, can the Area Committee respond to the following questions, please: 1. Has the full extent of the damage and necessary repairs been determined? 2. Has an initial schedule of those repairs been developed? 3. Do either of the outer sections of breakwater require to be rebuilt and replaced? 4. What is the anticipated latest date for completion of repairs, and the breakwater to be fully re-opened for use? 5. Will the EDI Committee be given a full report on progress at its meeting later this month? The Democratic Services Manager confirmed that the question(s) had been forwarded to the Council’s Roads and Infrastructure Service and enquired as to whether the Operations Manager was able to provide an update in this regard. Mr Murphy confirmed that he was unaware of the position in relation to the questions. He undertook to take forward with the Council’s Marine Operations Manager following the meeting and ensure a response was provided to Mr Roberts directly. Question 3 – Terry Hegarty How exactly does Argyll and Bute Council reconcile the legal rights of children to enjoy the benefits of family life and equality of educational opportunity with continuing reliance upon mainland hostel arrangements for children resident in SW Mull attending High School in Oban? The Democratic Services Manager advised that as this question related to the Mull Campus Project, she had taken advice from the Council’s Legal Services. Mrs Stewart confirmed that a Judicial Review had been served on the Council, in regard to that project and as the matter is now subject to Court Proceedings it would not be appropriate to provide a response or have any discussion on the matter, or any other question that may arise at the meeting relating to the Mull Campus Project. Question 4 – Nigel Burgess 1. What was the procurement process for awarding the contract to build Iona Breakwater? 2. Why was the contract awarded to a dredging Company when the EIA report clearly stated that dredging would be required subsequent to the construction due to sedimentation? 3. Where is the £14.8 million budget coming from? This does not appear in the Transport Scotland infrastructure budget Page 5
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4. Why was the advice of the Planning Statutory Consultee Naturescot not followed to investigate and mitigate for seagrass? 5. What will be the addition cost of the seagrass investigation, subsequent to the contract preliminaries? 6. What will be the increase to the contract price as a consequence of these delays? The Democratic Services Manager confirmed that the questions raised by Mr Burgess were more aligned to a Freedom of Information request. She undertook to signpost Mr Burgess to the process for lodging a Freedom of Information request. Question 5 – Mary Braithwaite Why has there been a change to care at home provision on Luing, with the care provider no longer willing to work with family carers? This was introduced with no notice, and it has so far been impossible to obtain any information on this change in policy. It has already impacted care and the situation of families on Luing and is of significant concern to the community in terms of current and future care. The Chair confirmed that this was an issue which was felt across the Council area and was also a concern for Elected Members. Councillor Green, Chair of the Argyll and Bute HSCP Audit and Risk Committee advised that he was looking to progress this matter with the appropriate personnel within the HSCP and would work with Committee Services to avoid a duplication of questions. Question 6 – Tracy Mayo Ms Mayo sought clarification in relation to the platform the meeting was taking place on. She advised that she was aware of members of the public who were not in a position to attend the meeting but had anticipated watching the live stream via the Council’s Public-i portal. Councillor Green indicated that only meetings hosted from the Council Chamber were livestreamed but that officers would confirm the position. The Democratic Services Manager confirmed that meetings of the Area Committee are not webcast live due to a restriction of the mobile equipment utilised to facilitate meetings that are not held within the Council Chamber. She further clarified that the teams link provided in respect of the meeting would allow members of the public to participate in public questions or simply watch proceedings in the same way that a webcast would. Question 7 – Tracy Mayo Page 6
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Referring to an invite extended to the Council by Jenni Minto MSP to attend an online roundtable discussion on Mull Campus on Friday, 13 June 2025, Ms Mayo enquired as to why the Council had declined the invitation. The Chair referred to the earlier advice provided by the Democratic Services Manager in relation to any question on the Mull Campus Project and reiterated that, as there was a legal process in place, no discussion would be had in any regard to the Mull Campus Project. Question 8 – Roddy McCuish Mr McCuish advised that he was in attendance in his capacity as both Director of the Camanachd Association and as President of the Macaulay Association. Referring to the decision of the Committee at their meeting on 12 March 2025 to allocate funding available from the Agnes Angus Bequest for use at Mossfield Stadium, he took the opportunity to thank the Committee and sought clarity that the funding would be utilised for improvements at Mossfield Stadium and not the wider area. The Operations Manager referred to discussions that had taken place with the Rugby Club and others in the town as well as colleagues in Property Services around the possibility of linking amenity areas, such as reinstating the bridge and other possible uses. He advised that a further report would be brought to a future meeting of the Area Committee before the end of the year which would outline proposals that related specifically to Mossfield Stadium. Mr Murphy offered to meet with Mr McCuish in person to discuss further. Question 9 – Emily Greenhalgh Referring to the earlier question raised by Tracy Mayo on the roundtable discussion with Jenni Minto MSP, Ms Greenhalgh advised that the invitation had been extended to the Council on 5 June 2025 and the Council were not notified of legal action until 7 June 2025. She asked why the invite to the roundtable discussion was refused before the Council were aware of the legal action. The Executive Director outlined the nature of the invitation to the roundtable discussion on 13 June 2025. He advised that following consultation with the Political Leadership and the Chief Executive, he had been asked to write to the MSP confirming that the Council would not be attending. He advised that it was his understanding that the event had now been cancelled and at no point had he intimated that the invite had been declined as a consequence of the legal action having been notified. Question 10 – Frank Roberts on behalf of Alison Rennie Page 7
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Having noted an email exchange between Alison Rennie and the Council’s Roads and Infrastructure Services, Mr Roberts read out the most recent email from Ms Rennie to the Service and asked that answers be sought. “Dear Roads and Infrastructure Your recent e-mail raises a number of questions which require to be clarified, please. In December 2024 you informed me that you had identified Oban as a proposed Flood Protection Scheme. At that time the Council had not secured funding for this. In the meantime you were progressing temporary mitigations under the Flood Risk Management team’s available revenue funding and proposed to carry out a list of identified works and advised me regarding the proposed timescale for these works. Your latest email tells me that your in-house flood event modelling now shows that no works need to be done. This is contrary to what you said would happen in your December email and is not consistent with the advice given in the Enviro Centre 2019 report. This report even included a recommended list of specific priority maintenance actions. Can you clarify whether you intend to carry out the routine maintenance as listed in your December email? Can you specifically clarify whether work is to be carried out on the eradication of Japanese Knotweed in Q3? Can you tell me what steps have been taken to secure funding from the Scottish Government for the proposed Flood Protection Scheme, particularly in light of the commitment made at the ED&I Committee meeting in June 2024? Note that no screenshots were attached to your email to demonstrate the modelling of the flood water level difference within the Lochavullin area before and after dredging. Regards Alison Rennie” The Democratic Services Manager referred to the response that she had been copied into from the Service in relation to the email referred to. She undertook to forward this email to both Ms Rennie, Mr Roberts and the Operations Manager and sought further comments from the Operations Manager in relation to the Japanese Knotweed issue referred to. Mr Murphy advised that he would take forward the issues relating to the flood risk in Oban to his colleagues within the Design and Infrastructure team and advised that he had organised for additional training to be provided in relation to the management of Japanese Knotweed. Question 11 – Tracy Mayo Page 8
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Referring back to the invitation from Jenni Minto MSP for the Council to attend a roundtable discussion on the Mull Campus Project, Ms Mayo asked whether the decision to decline the invite was taken by all 36 Elected Members; the 4 Ward Councillors or simply by the Council’s Executive Leadership Team. The Chair reiterated that as this matter is now subject of a legal action, no discussion could take place in this regard. 5. AREA PERFORMANCE REPORT - FQ4 2024/25 The Committee gave consideration to the Area Performance Report for financial quarter 4 of 2024/25 (January to March 2025) which illustrated the agreed performance measures for this period. Decision The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee noted the performance and supporting commentary as presented. (Reference: Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Customer Support Services, dated 8 May 2025, submitted) 6. ROADS AND INFRASTRUCTURE UPDATE Consideration was given to a report which provided links to the recent activities of Roads and Infrastructure Services. Decision The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee noted the contents of the report. (Reference: Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Roads and Infrastructure Services, dated May 2025, submitted) 7. ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL SECONDARY SCHOOLS ATTAINMENT REPORTS (a) Oban High School The Committee gave consideration to a report relating to Oban High School which provided information on S3 ACEL attainment in literacy and numeracy; the pass rates of national qualifications; data from Insight Scotland; wider achievement qualifications; equity and attainment and Pupil Equity Funding. Decision Page 9
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The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee noted the information provided within the report. (Reference: Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Education, submitted) (b) Tiree High School Consideration was given to a report relating to Tiree High School which provided information on S3 ACEL attainment in literacy and numeracy; the pass rates of national qualifications; data from Insight Scotland; wider achievement qualifications; equity and attainment and Pupil Equity Funding. Decision The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee noted the information provided within the report. (Reference: Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Education, submitted) (c) Tobermory High School The Committee gave consideration to a report relating to Tobermory High School which provided information on S3 ACEL attainment in literacy and numeracy; the pass rates of national qualifications; data from Insight Scotland; wider achievement qualifications; equity and attainment and Pupil Equity Funding. Decision The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee noted the information provided within the report. (Reference: Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Education, submitted) 8. ARGYLL & BUTE HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE PARTNERSHIP PERFORMANCE REPORT The Committee gave consideration to the Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) Performance Report for financial quarter 3 of 2024/25 (October to December 2024). Decision The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee: 1. acknowledged the performance for FQ3 2024/25 (October – December); Page 10
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2. acknowledged the performance update on the National Health & Wellbeing Outcomes and Ministerial Steering Groups Integration Indicators, as at Appendix 1; and 3. noted Delayed Discharge Sitrep as of 6 January 2025, as at Appendix 2. (Reference: Report by Interim Head of Strategic Planning, Performance and Technology, Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership, dated 4 June 2025, submitted) 9. AREA COMMITTEE MEETINGS 2025-26 Consideration was given to a report which asked Members to agree to the suggested locations for meetings up until June 2026. Decision The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee agreed that the meetings until June 2026 would be held as follows:- 10 September 2025 – Dalavich 10 December 2025 – Oban 11 March 2026 – Taynuilt 10 June 2026 – Tiree (Reference: Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Legal and Regulatory Support, dated 1 May 2025, submitted) 10. CHARITABLE TRUSTS, BEQUEST AND TRUST FUNDS Consideration was given to a report which provided information regarding a number of applications that had been received for support from several funds. The report also reviewed the distribution arrangements of the MacKinnon Ledingham Bequest, the Archibald Dow Bequest and Coals for the Poor Oban, following the first 12 months of distribution arrangements for these funds. The Democratic Services Manager advised of an error contained within the recommendations at paragraph 2.1 of the report. She advised that there were three individual applications to the MacKinnon Ledingham Bequest, as outlined within the body of the report and not two as outlined within the recommendations. Decision The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee:- 1. noted the awards made from the John of Lorn Bequest since March 2025; 2. agreed to award £50 to the three individual applicants who meet the criteria of the MacKinnon Ledingham Bequest; 3. agreed to award £50 to the two individual applicants who meet the criteria of the Archibald Dow Bequest; Page 11
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4. agreed to award £50 to one individual applicant who meets the criteria of the Coals for the Poor Oban; and 5. noted that the charitable trusts, bequests and trust funds annual report will be considered in December 2025 and that further promotion of the availability of the funds will be undertaken. (Reference: Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Legal and Regulatory Support, dated May 2025, submitted) 11. DRAFT OBAN, LORN AND THE ISLES AREA COMMITTEE WORKPLAN The Committee gave consideration to the Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee workplan for future meetings. Decision The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee noted the contents of the workplan. (Reference: Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee Workplan, dated 11 June 2025, submitted) Page 12
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MINUTES of MEETING of OBAN LORN & THE ISLES COMMUNITY PLANNING GROUP held in the OBAN COMMUNITY FIRE STATION, SOROBA ROAD, OBAN, PA34 4JY AND MICROSOFT TEAMS on WEDNESDAY, 13 AUGUST 2025 Present: Colin Buchanan (Chair) Stuart McLean, Committee Manager, Argyll and Bute Council Councillor Kieron Green, Argyll and Bute Council Councillor Luna Martin, Argyll and Bute Council Kirsty McLuckie, CommunityPlanning, Argyll and Bute Council Gordon Curran, Scottish Fire and Rescue Robert MacKay, ACHA Jim Tolmie, Oban District Access Panel Theresa Bain, UHI Argyll (Oban) Duncan Martin, Oban Community Council Kirsten Johnston, Argyll and Bute Third Sector Interface Andy MacPherson, Argyll and Bute Climate Action Network Jane Metcalf, Coll Community Council Aideen Shields, Oban Communities Collective Judith Hawcroft, North Argyll Carers Joan Best, Crossroads Attending: Stuart Green, Corporate Manager, Argyll and Bute Council Lucy Dunbar, Area Plans, Argyll and Bute Council Rona Gold, Community Planning, Argyll and Bute Council John McLuckie, Community Planning Argyll and Bute Council Matt Mulderigg, Community and Housing Development Manager, Argyll and Bute Council Deirdre MacKenna, The Ardchattan Centre 1. WELCOME AND APOLOGIES The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.. Apologies for absence were intimated on behalf of: Councillor Julie McKenzie, Argyll and Bute Council Councillor Willie Hume, Argyll and Bute Council Inspector Matthew Shaw, Police Scotland Maureen Evans, Live Argyll Community Learning Petra Pearce, Argyll and Bute Third Sector Interface (TSI) 2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST There were no declarations of interest intimated. 3. MINUTES Page 13 Agenda Item 3b
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(a) Oban, Lorn and the Isles Community Planning Group 14 May 2025 The Minute of the Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Planning Group meeting held on 14 May 2025 was approved as a correct record. 4. ASPIRING PLACES: COMMUNITY PROJECTS IN ARGYLL AND BUTE - EVALUATION AND OPTIONS ON FUTURE RETENTION The Group gave consideration to a presentation by the Project Manager and Project Officer from Argyll and Bute Council, in relation to the Council’s Aspiring Places; Community Project in Argyll and Bute. The presentation provided background information in relation to the previous project approach; the Launch of the Argyll and Bute Voices & Aspiring Places Platform in March 2025; the Funding Connections Roadshow that was delivered during in various locations throughout April – May; the available funding streams; the number of expressions of interest and next steps. Decision The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Community Planning Group considered and noted the contents of the presentation. (Reference: Presentation by, Corporate Support Manager and Area Plans Officer, dated 13th August 2025, submitted) 5. COMMUNITY PLANNING PARTNERSHIP MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE MEETING HIGHLIGHTS The Group gave consideration to a report which outlined matters discussed during a meeting of the Community Planning Partnership (CPP) Management Committee held on 6 June 2025. The report also provided information on the CPP Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan; CPP Community Wealth Building (CWB) Charter; Community Planning’s Priorities Transport and Introduction to Housing; Scottish Fire and Rescue’s – Service Review and also an update on changes of office bearers of the Area Community Planning Groups. Decision The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Community Planning Group considered and noted the contents of the report. (Reference: Report by John McLuckie, Partnerships Lead, dated 13 August 2025, submitted) 6. COMMUNITY PLANNING PRIORITIES (a) Transport The Group gave consideration to a presentation from the Community Planning Team, Argyll and Bute Council which highlighted information on how the Argyll and Bute Community Planning Partnership will improve Page 14
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transport infrastructure. The presentation also highlighted the ABOIP agreed Objectives 2024-2034; the work by the CPP Management Committee and information on the actions of the Transport Integration Working Group and Community Active Travel Network. Decision The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Community Planning Group considered and noted the contents of the presentation. (Reference: Presentation by Rona Gold, Community Development Manager, dated 13 August 2025) (b) Introduction to Housing The Group gave consideration to a presentation from the Community Planning Team, Argyll and Bute Council which advised how the Argyll and Bute Community Planning Partnership will improve housing. The presentation also highlighted the ABOIP agreed Objectives 2024-2034. Following the presentation, there was a question and answer session with the following statements made: • Are you aware of any funding, training or opportunities locally for construction skills development? • What data is available for housing locally and what data is missing? • Do you know of any land and assets belonging to your organisation or group that could be used for housing? • What local information could be shared with those at risk of homelessness? • What information do you have about workforce needs for local accommodation? The Community Development Team thanked Partners for their comments, advising that this was the start of an ongoing conversation on housing at Area Community Planning Groups. Decision The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Community Planning Group noted the presentation. (Reference: Presentation by Rona Gold, Community Development Manager, dated 13 August 2025) (c) Housing Emergency Update Matt Mulderrig, Development Policy and Housing Manager, Argyll and Bute Council highlighted some of the recent activities within the housing system, following the emergency housing action plan put in place in June 2024; these activities included working with the Scottish Government; developing Strategic Development Frameworks to facilitate long-term Page 15
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delivery and securing national funding investment into housing projects in the area. Mr Mulderrig also advised of various developments within the locality including Tobermory Worker Housing; exploring the feasibility of a 4 unit re-development in Campbell Street and West Highland developing a planning application for 16 social rent units at Dalmally. Decision The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Community Planning Group considered and noted the contents of the update. (Reference: Report by Report by Housing Strategy Manager, Argyll and Bute Council, 13th August 2025) 7. CLIMATE CHANGE (a) Climate Change Resilience Group Update (Short Life Working Group) Colin Buchanan gave an update on progress made by the Short Life Working Group. The Chair confirmed that he was struggling to get Community Councils within the locality to engage. He advised that he would contact each Community Council again and invite them to a TEAMS meeting later in the month. Decision The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Community Planning Group considered and noted the contents of the update. (Reference: Verbal Update from Chair of the Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Community Planning Group, 13 August 2025) (b) Opportunity for Verbal Updates on Community Based Initiatives Andy MacPherson advised the group that his post, ACT Climate Project Manager, had been extended to July 2026 with the emphasis on working with Communities. Mr Macpherson confirmed that he is looking to build Community Resilience across Argyll and Bute and will be exploring options to establish pilot groups within each of the administrative areas. Mr MacPherson further advised that there will be a meeting of Tiree Integrated on 26th August; he will be meeting with the Oban Climate Café on 27th August to discuss flooding, where communities can help themselves. (Reference: Presentation by Andy Macpherson, ACT Climate Project Manager dated 12 August 2025, submitted) Page 16
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8. COMMUNITY FOCUS - ARDCHATTAN CENTRE The Group heard a presentation from Deirdre MacKenna, a Trustee of the Ardchattan Centre, who advised that the Centre was previously the local primary school that was bought out by the Community. The focus of the Trustees is developing community, social and cultural wealth; the programme of events organised by the Trustees and Community Groups are reinstating of the ferry to Taynuilt to reunite the communities; guided walks; seasonal events within the centre; courses in arts and crafts; playgroup, coffee/tea/cake mornings/afternoons; learning about the local flora and fauna; wellbeing; cinema nights, games nights and craft fayres. Trustees are currently working with the Council’s Development Officer on developing a Strategic plan; place partnership plan; capital plan; commercial income and a programme of funding. Decision The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Community Planning Group noted the presentation, which will be distributed to all the partners with the minutes. (Reference: Presentation by Deirdre MacKenna, The Ardchattan Centre, dated 13 August 2025) 9. PARTNERS UPDATE (a) Police Scotland Update There was no one in attendance from Police Scotland to speak to the report highlighting Police Scotland’s priorities for the Oban, Lorn and Isles area which covered serious and organised crime; crimes of theft and dishonesty; road safety and road crime; violent crime and public protection. Partners were encouraged to send questions pertaining to the update, to the Committee Manager who would forward them to the Police Scotland for a response. Decision The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Community Planning Group noted the report. (Reference: Report by Police Scotland, dated August 2025, submitted) (b) Scottish Fire and Rescue Update The Group gave consideration to a report highlighting the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s (SFRS) FQ1 review of local performance across Oban, Lorn and the Isles for the period April to June 2025. The report gave a breakdown of the 77 incidents within that period for fires and special incidents. Mr Curran also gave a presentation in respect of the Service Delivery Page 17
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advising that the public consultation runs until September. Following the closure of the public consultation the responses will be reviewed with a decision being made at the Scottish Fire and Rescue Board meeting in December. Partners are encouraged to share and respond to the consultation. There was a discussion surrounding the recruitment and training of volunteer fire fighters, and the need for them to be away from home and their main place of work for 4 days. Mr Curran advised that the Modular Task and Task Management had arranged training to take place at local stations, which was exclusive to Argyll and Bute. Decision The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Community Planning Group considered and noted the contents of the report. (Reference: Report by Scottish Fire and Rescue Service dated April to June 2025, submitted and Service Review Presentation, dated August 2025) (c) Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership Update Consideration was given to an update from Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership’s Public Health Team which included information on Community Link Workers; Community Link Working – remote and island evaluation; Suicide Prevention Training; Argyll and Bute Living Well – Art of Hosting at the Living Well Programme; launch of Population Health Framework and Working Well with Communities Update. Partners were encouraged to send questions pertaining to the update, to the Committee Manager who would forward them to the Health and Social Care Partnership for a response. Decision The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Community Planning Group noted the information provided. (Reference: Report by Health Improvement Lead, Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership, dated August 2025, submitted) (d) Argyll and Bute Third Sector Interface (TSI) Update Consideration was given to an update from Argyll and Bute TSI. The update provided information on the Scottish Government, TSI landscape and policy activity; public service reform and population health; work of the wellbeing development manager; ABTSI strategy review 2026-2031; and the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund; Decision The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Community Planning Group Page 18
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considered and noted the information provided. (Reference: Report by Argyll and Bute TSI, dated August 2025, submitted) (e) Health and Wellbeing Network Update An update was received from the Oban, Lorn and the Islands Health and Wellbeing Network which highlighted information on the next Health and Wellbeing Meeting which will be held on 4th September from 10.30am – 12.30pm; Funding has been applied for from the Supporting Communities Fund and if successful this will allow events to be organised for 2026 and face to face meetings in Oba and that there is a webinar scheduled for 21st August in respect of the digital switchover. Decision The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Community Planning Group noted the update. (Reference: report by the Health and Wellbeing Network, dated August 2025, submitted) (f) Opportunity for verbal updates by Community Planning Partners North Argyll Carers Judith Hawcroft advised the Group on the various groups available through the North Argyll Carers, including the bereavement group and primary and secondary after school groups; activities provided for adult carers and young carers; a consultation is open until the end of August in relation to Fair Access to Care and a public meeting is scheduled for 19th August at Fuiran Gaelic Centre in Corran Halls. Crossroads Joan Best advised there will be a lot of pressure on unpaid carers if care package support is to be reduced and that funding is becoming more difficult to obtain. Joan advised that Crossroads have 28 staff and are providing 350 hours respite care and there is a waiting list for Oban, Mull and Tiree for support. Connecting Communities Collective Aideen Shields gave an update on the Re-Store Shop in George Street, Oban which has been providing workshops, reusing upcycled materials and delivering food rescue provision. Aideen confirmed that a development trust has been established to organise a community buy out of the building and that the trust will be holding a meeting in Rockfield Centre on 28th August from 7pm-9pm to discuss the buyout. On 18th October there is a table top event of children’s toys and preparation is underway for next year’s fashion show in April 2026. Anyone wishing to contact or ask questions can do so on hello@obancollective.org Page 19
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10. DATE OF NEXT MEETING - WEDNESDAY 12 NOVEMBER 2025 The date of the next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, 12th November 2025 and will be held by Microsoft Teams. Page 20
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL OBAN, LORN AND THE ISLES AREA COMMITTEE CUSTOMER SUPPORT SERVICES 10 SEPTEMBER 2025 AREA COMMITTEE QUARTERLY PERFORMANCE REPORTS – FQ1 2025/26 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Performance data is recorded and reported quarterly for each Council department as well as for the Council as a whole. Each of the Council’s four administrative areas is represented by an Area Committee. The performance information presented to these committees is tailored to address topics of particular relevance and importance to the respective area. Area committee are requested to note and consider the performance and supporting commentary as presented. Page 31 Agenda Item 6
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL OBAN, LORN AND THE ISLES AREA COMMITTEE CUSTOMER SUPPORT SERVICES 10 SEPTEMBER 2025 AREA COMMITTEE QUARTERLY PERFORMANCE REPORTS – FQ1 2025-26 2.0 INTRODUCTION 2.1 This paper presents the Area Performance Report for Financial Quarter 1 2025/26 (April – June 2025) and illustrates the agreed performance measures. 3.0 RECOMMENDATIONS 3.1 It is recommended that the Area Committee – a) Notes and considers the performance and supporting commentary as presented. 4.0 DETAIL 4.1 This paper presents the Area Performance Report for Financial Quarter 1 2025/26 (April – June 2025) and illustrates the agreed performance measures. 4.2 The features of the Performance Report are as follows: - Indicators are grouped by Corporate Outcome. The data table for each indicator is colour coded to identify the level of reporting. o Area level measures are blue o Council level measures are grey o COI measures are white Each indicator details the o Target, Actual and Performance status (Green / Red / No Target) for the current and four previous financial quarters. o Commentary for the current financial quarter only. o Narrative explaining the performance trend e.g. This indicator is above Target and performance has improved since the last reporting period. Page 32
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o Where appropriate a Performance Trend Line has been added. o The name of the Responsible Officer. o Where possible performance is presented at both Area and Council level. 4.3 The commentary for each indicator helps ‘Tell Our Story’ and enables Elected Members to put the performance data into perspective and understand if an issue is local in nature or should be escalated up to a Strategic Committee. 4.4 As part of our improvements to performance reporting and making best use of the digital technology available to us, the information contained in this report is also available in your online scorecard which can be accessed via the Members area on The Hub. If support is required to navigate the online scorecard, please contact lorna.gillies@argyll-bute.gov.uk 4.5 To improve the response to performance queries, it is requested that should there be any queries that either the Responsible Person or Kay Owen are contacted. This should enable some queries being resolved or clarified prior to the Area Committee meeting and therefore being carried forward as Actions at a subsequent meeting 5.0 CONCLUSION 5.1 Area Committee are asked to note and consider the performance and supporting commentary as presented. 6.0 IMPLICATIONS 6.1 Policy All of the indicators in this report are based on agreed Council policy. 6.2 Financial All indicators with financial implications are actively managed through agreed budget monitoring processes. 6.3 Legal All appropriate legal implications are complied with. 6.4 HR All HR implications are actively managed through agreed Wellbeing and Management monitoring processes. 6.5 Customer Service All activities with customer feedback or insight are rigorously monitored for improvement. 6.6 Risk Without this information Elected Members are less informed of activities within their area Page 33
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6.7 Climate Change The Council is committed to working towards net zero. 6.8 Fairer Scotland Duty None arising directly from this report. An IIA is not required for performance reporting. 6.9 Equalities -protected characteristics None arising directly from this report. All activities monitored in this report comply with the council’s equality policies and obligations. An IIA is not required for performance reporting. 6.10 Consumer Duty None arising directly from this report. An IIA is not required for performance reporting. 6.11 Island Communities None arising directly from this report. An IIA is not required for performance reporting. 6.12 Children’s Rights and Wellbeing None arising directly from this report. An IIA is not required for performance reporting. This report highlights examples of how the Council is committed to and working towards reducing child poverty and improving outcomes for every child. Kirsty Flanagan Executive Director 12th August 2025 For further information contact: Jane Fowler Head of Customer Support Services APPENDICES Appendix 1 FQ1 2025/26 All Areas Performance Report Page 34
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# Indicator Responsible Person Reported Page COI - Maximise distribution of Scottish Welfare Fund Fergus Walker A&B only 3 COI - Percentage of clients satisfied that they are better able to deal with their financial problems following our support and intervention Lee Roberts A&B only 4 Number of parking penalty notices issued Hugh O'Neill Area 5 Car parking income to date (cumulative) Hugh O'Neill Area 6 - 7 Number of dog fouling complaints Tom Murphy Area 8 COI - Increase the percentage of our care experienced young people that have the recommended additional tracking and monitoring plans in place Louise Chisholm A&B only 9 COI - Provide quality meals within cost margins to all pupils Christine Boyle A&B only 10 Maximise the percentage of 16-19 year olds participating in education, training or employment Jennifer Crocket Area 11 2025/26 FQ1 Oban, Lorn and the Isles Performance Report The information presented is a summary of the agreed measures. Unless stated otherwise, performance is presented at both Area and Council-wide levels. The measure shows the performance against target for the current previous three reporting periods with an explanation of performance trend. Where appropriate a trend line has been added to illustrate movement in 'Actual' over the reporting period. Corporate Outcome: People live active, healthier and happier lives Corporate Outcome: People live in safer and stronger communities Corporate Outcome: Children and young people have the best possible start Corporate Outcome: Education, skills and training maximises opportunities for all Page 35
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# Indicator Responsible Person Reported Page Number of affordable social sector new builds completed per annum Kelly Ferns Area 12 Percentage of pre-planning application enquiries processed within 20 working days Peter Bain Area 13 - 14 Average number of weeks to determine householder planning applications Peter Bain Area 15 - 16 Number of empty properties Jonathan Welch Area 17 COI - Number of new homeless applicants who required temporary accommodation this period Morven Macintyre A&B only 18 COI - Maintain the percentage of local suppliers that benefit from the award of contracts via the procurement portal Anne MacColl-Smith A&B only 19 COI - Increase the number of community benefits that are delivered through contracts we award locally Anne MacColl-Smith A&B only 20 Percentage of street lighting faults repaired within 10 days Tom Murphy Area 21 Number of waste collection complaints Tom Murphy Area 22 - 23 COI (part) - Percentage of waste recycled, composted and recovered John Blake Area 24 - 25 COI - Number of tonnes of waste sent to landfill John Blake A&B only 26 COI - LEAMS (Local Environment Audit and Management System) Tom Murphy Area 27 - 28 COI - Teacher sickness absence Jennifer Crocket (B&C and MAKI) Wendy Brownlie (H&L and OLI) Area 29 COI - LGE staff (including non-Teacher) sickness absence Carolyn Cairns Area 30 COI - Increase the percentage of all self-service automated contacts Robert Miller A&B only 31 Corporate Outcome: We have an infrastructure that supports sustainable growth Corporate Outcome: Making it happen Corporate Outcome: Our economy is diverse and thriving Page 36
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Period Area Target Actual Variance Status FQ1 Commentary 2025/26 FQ1 A&B 95.3% 119.0% 23.7% Green - Actual exceeds Target In FQ1 2025/26, we received a total of 510 applications to the Scottish Welfare Fund, comprising 347 Crisis Grant applications and 163 Community Care Grant applications. We made 312 awards in total to the value of £135,819. 227 Crisis Grant awards and 85 Community Care Grant awards reflecting a 13% increase compared to the same period last year. Our allocated budget from the Scottish Government for 2025/26 is £458,284. Our expenditure of £135,819 at the end of FQ1 is £21,249 above the profiled budget for the quarter. This higher spend indicates the growing pressure on the fund and highlights the ongoing importance of the Scottish Welfare Fund in providing vital support to individuals and families facing financial hardship. The Council currently provides support for both medium and high priority cases under SWF and DHP. This is subject to ongoing review, and should circumstances require a recommendation will be made to restrict support to high-priority cases only. Period Actual FQ4 Commentary 2024/25 FQ1 94.0% 2024/25 FQ2 72.9% 2024/25 FQ3 79.7% 2024/25 FQ4 119.8% 2025/26 FQ1 119.0% Corporate Outcome - People live active, healthier and happier lives COI - Maximise distribution of Scottish Welfare Fund Responsible Person: Fergus Walker This indicator is a Corporate Outcome Indicator that is reported quarterly. The performance presented is Council-wide only. This indicator for FQ1 exceeds the target however performance has decreased since the last reporting period. Actual trend line The Scottish Welfare Fund has continued to provide vital support to vulnerable households across our community during 2024/25. Despite significant budgetary pressures, we maintained a strong focus on delivering high-quality, needs-based assistance through both Crisis Grants and Community Care Grants. A total of 1,134 households were supported, enabling individuals to remain safely in their communities and avoid crisis situations. Managing the fund within a constrained budget was a key challenge. While additional Council funding was required early in the year due to a projected overspend, prudent financial management and effective prioritisation reduced the actual draw on Council resources to £90,000. A one-off additional allocation from the Scottish Government in January 2025, although unused during the year, highlighted the inadequacy of the initial funding and has been carried forward to support demand in 2025/26. Overall, the service has performed strongly under pressure, maintaining a high standard of delivery and responsiveness. 3 Page 37
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Period Area Target Actual Variance Status FQ1 Commentary 2025/26 FQ1 A&B 100% 100% 0% Green - Actual meets Target This is a voluntary survey with no obligation for clients to respond either in full or in part. It is also common for incomplete returns to be received. In FQ1 2025/26, 7 survey forms were distributed to clients. 7 were returned. Of these 7 returns, 6 responded to the question relating to being better able to deal with their financial problems. Of these 6 respondents, 5 responded positively, whilst 0 responded negatively. Accordingly, 100% of clients that responded were positive about their experience i.e. no negative comments or responses were reported. Period Actual FQ4 Commentary 2024/25 FQ1 100% 2024/25 FQ2 100% 2024/25 FQ3 100% 2024/25 FQ4 100% 2025/26 FQ1 100% Actual trend line This is a voluntary survey with no obligation for clients to respond either in full or in part. It is also common for incomplete returns to be received. In FQ4 2024/25, 11 survey forms were distributed to clients. 10 were returned. Of these 10 returns, 7 responded to the question relating to being better able to deal with their financial problems. Of these 7 respondents, 7 responded positively, whilst 0 responded negatively. Accordingly, 100% of clients that responded were positive about their experience i.e. no negative comments or responses were reported. Corporate Outcome - People live active, healthier and happier lives COI - Percentage of clients satisfied that they are better able to deal with their financial problems following our support and intervention Responsible Person: Lee Roberts This indicator is a Corporate Outcome Indicator that is reported quarterly. The performance presented is Council-wide only. This indicator for FQ1 meets the target with no change in performance since the last reporting period. 4 Page 38
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Period Area Target Actual Variance Status FQ1 Commentary 2025/26 FQ1 OLI No Target 686 N/A N/A Slightly higher than previous FQ1. This is due to the periods of good weather which tend to encourage greater visitor numbers in and around Oban, longside the impact of the enforcement of the pavement parking prohibitions. Period Actual FQ4 Commentary 2024/25 FQ1 527 2024/25 FQ2 603 2024/25 FQ3 402 2024/25 FQ4 490 2025/26 FQ1 686 2025/26 FQ1 A&B No Target 2,536 N/A N/A Numbers tracking higher than previous FQ1. Impacted by both the period of good weather and the introduction of the pavement parking prohibitions. Period Actual FQ4 Commentary 2024/25 FQ1 1,763 2024/25 FQ2 2,302 2024/25 FQ3 968 2024/25 FQ4 1,253 2025/26 FQ1 2,536 This indicator for FQ1 shows the number of parking penalty notices has increased since the last reporting period. Actual trend line No particular issues in area although Oban town centre lining continues to deteriorate. Transport (Scotland) Act prohibitions (pavement parking, dropped kerb and double parking) enforcement began on March 3rd. Corporate Outcome - People live in safer and stronger communities Number of parking penalty notices issued Responsible Person: Hugh O'Neill This indicator is reported quarterly. The performance presented is at area level and Council-wide. This indicator for FQ1 shows the number of parking penalty notices has increased since the last reporting period. Actual trend line Recruitment and training of two new Amenity Wardens has resulted in them beginning enforcement through the quarter in MAKI and H&L, tempered by loss of Warden in H&L area. Transport (Scotland) Act prohibitions (pavement parking, dropped kerb and double parking) enforcement began on March 3rd. 5 Page 39
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Period Area Target Actual Variance Status FQ1 Commentary 2025/26 FQ1 OLI £190,631 £190,248 -£383 Red - Actual below Target Despite target being rasied compared to previous FQ1, target has been largely met (99.8% achieved). Period Target Actual FQ4 Commentary 2024/25 FQ1 £135,968 £170,527 2024/25 FQ2 £374,563 £418,913 2024/25 FQ3 £534,793 £582,699 2024/25 FQ4 £613,041 £661,959 2025/26 FQ1 £190,631 £190,248 £14,397 £27,883 £9,198 £3,310 £61,264 £9,612 £2,408 £7,300 £6,211 £7,998 £23,816 £3,482 £943 £1,022 £11,404 £190,248 Corporate Outcome - People live in safer and stronger communities Car parking income to date (cumulative) Responsible Person: Hugh O'Neill This indicator is reported quarterly. The performance presented is at area level and Council-wide. This indicator for FQ1 shows the cumulative amount of income is lower than the cumulative target. Actual trend line There is no trend as this data is cumulative as of FQ1 each financial year. Over-recovery over the full year. The success of OLI as a destination clearly having a significant impact on parking income. Albany Street, Oban Oban Tweedale Street, Oban Market Street, Oban Esplanade, Oban Craignure, Mull Income Collected During FQ1 Corran No.1, Oban North Pier, Oban Corran No.2 Oban Longsdale, Oban Non-trunk, Oban Lochavullin, Oban Ganavan, Oban Trunk, Oban Fionnphort, Mull Total 6 Page 40
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Period Area Target Actual Variance Status FQ1 Commentary 2025/26 FQ1 A&B £309,143 £309,660 £517 Green - Actual exceeds Target Despite target being rasied compared to previous FQ1, target has been met (over 100% achieved). Period Target Actual FQ4 Commentary 2024/25 FQ1 £220,210 £247,216 2024/25 FQ2 £594,132 £639,207 2024/25 FQ3 £832,042 £887,707 2024/25 FQ4 £963,049 £1,011,360 2025/26 FQ1 £309,143 £309,660 Car parking income to date (cumulative) Responsible Person: Hugh O'Neill This indicator is reported quarterly. The performance presented is at area level and Council-wide. This indicator for FQ1 shows the cumulative amount of income has exceeded the cumulative target. Actual trend line There is no trend as this data is cumulative as of FQ1 each financial year. Income has exceeded forecast. This may be due to focussed enforcement within the areas by the wardens, including the two new wardens, in combination of the new machines allowing multiple payment modes. Corporate Outcome - People live in safer and stronger communities 7 Page 41
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Period Area Target Actual Variance Status FQ1 Commentary 2025/26 FQ1 OLI No Target 10 N/A N/A 10 dog fouling complaints were received this quarter for the OLI area, there were no complaints received for the Isle of Mull. Period Actual FQ4 Commentary 2024/25 FQ1 8 2024/25 FQ2 4 2024/25 FQ3 9 2024/25 FQ4 14 2025/26 FQ1 10 2025/26 FQ1 A&B No Target 44 N/A N/A The number of dog fouling complaints have dropped significantly this quarter compared to last. The Warden service will continue to monitor and patrol when time allows. Period Actual FQ4 Commentary 2024/25 FQ1 57 2024/25 FQ2 33 2024/25 FQ3 65 2024/25 FQ4 75 2025/26 FQ1 44 This indicator for FQ1 shows the number of dog fouling complaints has decreased since the last reporting period. Corporate Outcome - People live in safer and stronger communities Number of dog fouling complaints Responsible Person: Tom Murphy This indicator is reported quarterly. The performance presented is at area level and Council-wide. Actual trend line A total of 14 dog fouling complaints were made this quarter for the OLI area, 13 being received for Lorn and 1 for Mull. This indicator for FQ1 shows the number of dog fouling complaints has decreased since the last reporting period. Actual trend line Unfortunately the number of dog fouling complaints has risen this quarter with 75 received in total. It is hoped that over the next quarter this number will fall. The Warden service will, when time allows. continue to monitor. 8 Page 42
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Period Area Target Actual Variance Status FQ1 Commentary 2025/26 FQ1 A&B 100% 100% 0% Green - Actual meets Target Each care experienced child and young person (CECYP) enrolled in an authority school has tracking and monitoring in place via our education management system, known as Seemis. Data collected includes attendance, exclusions, progress and attainment and wellbeing information. The Virtual School adds an additional layer of scrutiny to this process through a series of attainment meets and partnership working, helping to ensure our CECYP have the supports required. Our bespoke care experience application testing phase will begin in the new academic year. We continue to work with partner agencies and other local authorities to support our CECYP hosted out with Argyll and Bute. Period Actual FQ4 Commentary 2024/25 FQ1 100% 2024/25 FQ2 100% 2024/25 FQ3 100% 2024/25 FQ4 100% 2025/26 FQ1 100% Actual trend line Each care experienced child and young person (CECYP) enrolled in an authority school has tracking and monitoring in place via our education management system, known as Seemis. Data collected includes attendance, exclusions, progress and attainment and wellbeing information. We work alongside schools and partner agencies to ensure care experienced status is accurate, ensuring our CECYP have additional supports in place via the Virtual School and wider agencies as appropriate. Our bespoke care experience application which will further enhance our monitoring for our CECYP is currently in the final stage before testing phase begins. We continue to work with partner agencies and other local authorities to support CECYP hosted out with Argyll and Bute. Corporate Outcome - Children and young people have the best possible start COI - Increase the percentage of our care experienced young people that have the recommended additional tracking and monitoring plans in place Responsible Person: Louise Lawson This indicator is a Corporate Outcome Indicator that is reported quarterly. The performance presented is Council-wide only. This indicator for FQ1 meets the target with no change in performance since the last reporting period. 9 Page 43
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Period Area Target Actual Variance Status FQ1 Commentary 2025/26 FQ1 A&B +/-5.00% 3% 2% Green - Actual exceeds Target We will continue to monitor schools not achieving the +/-5% target. B&C 5.18%, H&L 3.04%, MAKI -1.67, OLI 7.57% Period Actual FQ4 Commentary 2024/25 FQ1 0.48% 2024/25 FQ2 -1.37% 2024/25 FQ3 0.14% 2024/25 FQ4 -2.25% 2025/26 FQ1 3.17% Corporate Outcome - Children and young people have the best possible start COI - Provide quality meals within cost margins to all pupils Responsible Person: Christine Boyle This indicator is a Corporate Outcome Indicator that is reported quarterly. The performance presented is Council-wide only. This indicator for FQ1 within the +/5.00% variance and performance has increased since the last reporting period. Actual trend line We will continue to monitor schools that are not achieving the +/- 5% target. B&C 3.93%, H&L -4.48%, MAKI -7.51%, OLI 1.09% 10 Page 44
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Period Area Target Actual Variance Status FQ1 Commentary 2025/26 FQ1 OLI 94.00% 95.28% 1.28% Green - Actual exceeds Target As of 2nd July 2025 the participation figure (16–19-year-olds in employment, training or education) in Oban, Lorn and the Isles was 1089 young people, which equates to 95.28%. This is 1.28% above the target and 0.98% above the annual Argyll and Bute participation figure of 94.3% which was released by Skills Development Scotland at the end of August 2024. The participation figure of 95.28% for FQ1 of 2025/26 is an increase of 1.88% on the participation figure for FQ4 of 2024/25, and represents an decrease of 0.29% on the equivalent FQ1 figure from 2024/25. Period Actual FQ4 Commentary 2024/25 FQ1 95.57% 2024/25 FQ2 96.14% 2024/25 FQ3 95.07% 2024/25 FQ4 93.40% 2025/26 FQ1 95.28% 2025/26 FQ1 A&B 94.00% 94.71% 0.71% Green - Actual exceeds Target As of 2nd July 2025 the participation figure (16–19-year-olds in employment, training or education) across the whole of Argyll and Bute was 4175 young people, which equates to 94.71%. This is 0.71% above the target and 0.41% above the annual Argyll and Bute participation figure of 94.3% which was released by Skills Development Scotland at the end of August 2024. The participation figure of 94.71% for FQ1 of 2025/26 is an increase of 1.21% on the participation figure for FQ4 of 2024/25, and represents an decrease of 0.28% on the equivalent FQ1 figure from 2024/25. Period Actual FQ4 Commentary 2024/25 FQ1 94.99% 2024/25 FQ2 95.80% 2024/25 FQ3 94.19% 2024/25 FQ4 93.50% 2025/26 FQ1 94.71% This indicator for FQ1 exceeds the target and performance has increased since the last reporting period. Corporate Outcome - Our economy is diverse and thriving Maximise the percentage of 16-19 year olds participating in education, training or employment Responsible Person: Jennifer Crocket This indicator is reported quarterly. The performance presented is at area level and Council-wide. Actual trend line As of 11th April 2025 the participation figure (16–19-year-olds in employment, training or education) across the whole of Argyll and Bute was 3408 young people, which equates to 93.50%. This is 0.5% below the target and 0.8% below the annual Argyll and Bute participation figure of 94.3% which was released by Skills Development Scotland at the end of August 2024. The participation figure of 93.50% for FQ4 of 2024/25 is a decrease of 0.69% on the participation figure for FQ3 of 2024/25. Actual trend line As of 11th April 2025 the participation figure (16–19-year-olds in employment, training or education) in Oban, Lorn and the Isles was 906 young people, which equates to 93.40%. This is 0.6% belowthe target and 0.9% below the annual Argyll and Bute participation figure of 94.3% which was released by Skills Development Scotland at the end of August 2024. The participation figure of 93.40% for FQ4 of 2024/25 is a decrease of 1.67% on the participation figure for FQ3 of 2024/25. This indicator for FQ1 exceeds the target and performance has increased since the last reporting period. 11 Page 45
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Period Area Target Actual Variance Status FQ1 Commentary 2025/26 FQ1 OLI 0 0 0 Green - Actual meets Target No completions FQ1. Period Actual FQ4 Commentary 2024/25 FQ1 0 2024/25 FQ2 6 2024/25 FQ3 0 2024/25 FQ4 1 2025/26 FQ1 0 2025/26 FQ1 A&B 0 0 0 Green - Actual meets Target No completions in FQ1. There are some projects on site to complete later in year. Period Actual FQ4 Commentary 2024/25 FQ1 12 2024/25 FQ2 26 2024/25 FQ3 6 2024/25 FQ4 9 2025/26 FQ1 0 Corporate Outcome - Our economy is diverse and thriving This indicator for FQ1 meets the target however performance has decreased since the last reporting period. Actual trend line West Highland Housing Assoication completed new supply open market purchase of property in Kilmelford. Number of affordable social sector new builds completed per annum Responsible Person: Kelly Ferns This indicator is reported quarterly. The performance presented is at area level and Council-wide. This indicator for FQ1 meets the target however performance has decreased since the last reporting period. Actual trend line There was no Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP) completions in FQ4, however West Highland Housing Association (WHHA) concluded on new supply open market purchase in Kilmelford which increases supply of affordable housing. There has been delays to West Highland Housing Association developments at Port Charlotte (phase 1) and Imerval (Phase 5) on Islay due to issues with bringing hot tar to the Island to complete roads, bad weather, ferry disruption and issues with Scottish Southern Energy Networks. 12 Page 46
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Period Area Target Actual Variance Status FQ1 Commentary 2025/26 FQ1 OLI 75.0% 100.0% 25.0% Green - Actual exceeds Target Performance across the Development Management Service is still being recovered and impacted upon by the management of a significant backlog of casework. Overall output and performance across the service is improving as staff resource issues have been resolved. However, timeliness measures continue to be adversely impacted through the prioritisation of older statutory 'legacy' casework for determination. The target for the handling of pre-application enquiries has been set to 30 days although this change has not yet been reflected in the format of corporate reporting. During FQ1 39 pre-applications were responded to within Oban, Lorn and the Isles. All were issued within 20 days. The performance of the OLI team in regularly exceeding the performance target is commendable. Period Actual FQ4 Commentary 2024/25 FQ1 87.5% 2024/25 FQ2 84.6% 2024/25 FQ3 84.2% 2024/25 FQ4 83.3% 2025/26 FQ1 100.0% This indicator for FQ1 exceeds the target and performance has increased since the last reporting period. Corporate Outcome - Our economy is diverse and thriving Percentage of pre-planning application enquiries processed within 20 working days Responsible Person: Peter Bain This indicator is reported quarterly. The performance presented is at area level and Council-wide. Actual trend line Performance across the Development Management Service is still being recovered and impacted upon by the management of a significant backlog of casework. Overall output and performance across the service is improving as staff resource issues have been resolved. However, timeliness measures continue to be adversely impacted through the prioritisation of older statutory 'legacy' casework for determination. The target for the handling of pre-application enquiries has been set to 30 days although this change has not yet been reflected in the format of corporate reporting. During FQ4 42 pre-applications were responded to within Oban, Lorn and the Isles. 35 responses (83.3%) were issued within 20 days; 41 responses (98%) were issued within the revised target of 30 days. The performance of the OLI team in regularly exceeding the performance target is commendable. 13 Page 47
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Period Area Target Actual Variance Status FQ1 Commentary 2025/26 FQ1 A&B 75.0% 63.5% -11.5% Red - Actual below Target Performance across the Development Management Service is still being recovered and impacted upon by the management of a significant backlog of casework. Overall output and performance across the service is improving as staff resource issues have been resolved. However, timeliness measures continue to be adversely impacted through the prioritisation of older statutory 'legacy' casework for determination. The target for the handling of pre-application enquiries has been set to 30 days although this change has not yet been reflected in the format of corporate reporting. During FQ1 137 pre-applications were responded to across Argyll and Bute. 87 responses (63.5%) were issued within 20 days; 93 responses (67.9%) were issued within the revised target of 30 days. Period Actual FQ4 Commentary 2024/25 FQ1 49.5% 2024/25 FQ2 49.2% 2024/25 FQ3 48.3% 2024/25 FQ4 58.5% 2025/26 FQ1 63.5% Actual trend line Performance across the Development Management Service is still being recovered and impacted upon by the management of a significant backlog of casework. Overall output and performance across the service is improving as staff resource issues have been resolved. However, timeliness measures continue to be adversely impacted through the prioritisation of older statutory 'legacy' casework for determination. The target for the handling of pre-application enquiries has been set to 30 days although this change has not yet been reflected in the format of corporate reporting. During FQ4 118 pre-applications were responded to across Argyll and Bute. 69 responses (58.5%) were issued within 20 days; 75 responses (64.1%) were issued within the revised target of 30 days. This indicator for FQ1 is lower than the target however performance has increased since the last reporting period. Corporate Outcome - Our economy is diverse and thriving Percentage of pre-planning application enquiries processed within 20 working days Responsible Person: Peter Bain This indicator is reported quarterly. The performance presented is at area level and Council-wide. 14 Page 48
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Period Area Target Actual Variance Status FQ1 Commentary 2025/26 FQ1 OLI 8.0 5.9 -2.1 Green - Actual below Target Performance across the Development Management Service has been impacted by a significant backlog of casework. Whilst issues relating to staff resource availability have been resolved and output has significantly improved it is highlighted that KPI's measuring average time taken remain adversely affected by the resolution of increasing volumes of 'legacy' casework. The Council's target for 'householder' applications has been revised to 10 weeks although this is not yet reflected in the format of corporate reports. During FQ1 only a handful of 'householder' 'legacy' items remained, this has resulted in a general improvement across this particular performance measure. During FQ1 15 'householder' applications were determined in Oban, Lorn and the Isles, none of which were 'legacy' items. This is reflected in the excellent performance reported for this period. Period Actual FQ4 Commentary 2024/25 FQ1 7.9 2024/25 FQ2 6.1 2024/25 FQ3 7.5 2024/25 FQ4 7.9 2025/26 FQ1 5.9 This indicator for FQ1 is lower than the target however performance has increased since the last reporting period. Actual trend line Performance across the Development Management Service has been impacted by a significant backlog of casework. Whilst issues relating to staff resource availability have been resolved and output has significantly improved it is highlighted that KPI's measuring average time taken remain adversely affected by the resolution of increasing volumes of 'legacy' casework. The Council's target for 'householder' applications has been revised to 10 weeks although this is not yet reflected in the format of corporate reports. During FQ4 only a handful of 'householder' 'legacy' items remained, this has resulted in a general improvement across this particular performance measure. During FQ4 19 'householder' applications were determined in Oban, Lorn and the Isles and did not include any 'legacy' items and is reflected in the excellent performance reported for this period. Corporate Outcome - Our economy is diverse and thriving Average number of weeks to determine householder planning applications Responsible Person: Peter Bain This indicator is reported quarterly. The performance presented is at area level and Council-wide. 15 Page 49
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Period Area Target Actual Variance Status FQ1 Commentary 2025/26 FQ1 A&B 8.0 10.4 2.4 Red - Actual exceeds Target Performance across the Development Management Service has been impacted by a significant backlog of casework. Whilst issues relating to staff resource availability have been resolved and output has significantly improved it is highlighted that KPI's measuring average time taken remain adversely affected by the resolution of increasing volumes of 'legacy' casework. The Council's target for 'householder' applications has been revised to 10 weeks although this is not yet reflected in the format of corporate reports. During FQ1 only a handful of 'householder' 'legacy' items remained, this has resulted in a general improvement across this particular performance measure. During FQ1 62 'householder' applications were determined across Argyll and Bute including 3 'legacy' items and is reflected in the significant improvement in performance reported for this period. Excluding 'legacy' items, the remaining 59 applications were determined within an average time of 8.1 weeks. Period Actual FQ4 Commentary 2024/25 FQ1 16.1 2024/25 FQ2 26.1 2024/25 FQ3 15.9 2024/25 FQ4 14.2 2025/26 FQ1 10.4 Corporate Outcome - Our economy is diverse and thriving Average number of weeks to determine householder planning applications Responsible Person: Peter Bain This indicator is reported quarterly. The performance presented is at area level and Council-wide. This indicator for FQ1 exceeds the target however performance has increased since the last reporting period. Actual trend line Performance across the Development Management Service has been impacted by a significant backlog of casework. Whilst issues relating to staff resource availability have been resolved and output has significantly improved it is highlighted that KPI's measuring average time taken remain adversely affected by the resolution of increasing volumes of 'legacy' casework. The Council's target for 'householder' applications has been revised to 10 weeks although this is not yet reflected in the format of corporate reports. During FQ4 only a handful of 'householder' 'legacy' items remained, this has resulted in a general improvement across this particular performance measure. During FQ4 68 'householder' applications were determined across Argyll and Bute including 8 'legacy' items and is reflected in the significant improvement in performance reported for this period. Excluding 'legacy' items, the remaining 60 applications were determined within an average time of 9.9 weeks. 16 Page 50
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Period Area Target Actual Variance Status FQ1 Commentary 2025/26 FQ1 OLI 59 60 1 Red - Actual exceeds Baseline OLI's 'empty' vacancy rate is 2.24%. Since the Empty Business Property Grant Scheme was approved in June 2025, no Empty Business Property Grants have been approved. However, Empty Property Officer has helped facilitate contacts or sign-post enquiries without further intervention. There are 2 x live enquiries/projects which involve proposals for properties to be converted to residential. This is a priority for the local area so grant applications are being supported. Work is ongoing to explore methods to monitor 'demand' in our town centres as that data is vital to regeneration and socio-economic development. Period Actual FQ4 Commentary 2024/25 FQ1 - 2024/25 FQ2 - 2024/25 FQ3 - 2024/25 FQ4 - 2025/26 FQ1 60 2025/26 FQ1 A&B 277 276 -1 Green - Actual below Baseline A&Bs 'empty' vacancy rate is currently 3.37%. Although the measure against baseline is positive, this % does represent a slightly higher figure (0.5%) versus historic analysis. The suite of empty business property policy changes implemented by the council are positive and the market is responding to the new extended property relief and the business grant scheme. The role of town centres is multi-faceted so they are impacted by many externalities. These can be an acute in rural economies already facing challenges with depopulation, declining workforce, accessibility and macro-economic factors. Ongoing work is required to diagnose the issues currently affecting each of our town centres, and provide a framework of approaches/interventions to support their revival. Period Actual FQ4 Commentary 2024/25 FQ1 - 2024/25 FQ2 - 2024/25 FQ3 - 2024/25 FQ4 - 2025/26 FQ1 276 Corporate Outcome - Our economy is diverse and thriving Reduction in number of empty properties Responsible Person: Jonathan Welch This indicator is reported quarterly. The performance presented is at area level and Council-wide. This indicator for FQ1 shows the cumulative number of empty properties has exceeded the baseline. Actual trend line - This indicator for FQ1 shows the cumulative number of empty properties is lower than the baseline. Actual trend line - 17 Page 51
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Period Area Target Actual Variance Status FQ1 Commentary 2025/26 FQ1 A&B No Target 27 N/A N/A During FQ1, the housing service took 110 homeless applications and provided temporary accommodation for 27 new homeless households. B&C: Out of 26 Homeless Applications, 8 new households went in to temporary accommodation (4 x Serviced Accommodation, 1 x Bed & Breakfast, 2 x Registered Social Landlord, 1 Private Sector Lease). H&L: Out of 36 Applications, 8 new households went in to temporary accommodation (3 x Serviced Accommodation, 4 x Bed & Breakfast, 1 x Private Sector Lease). MAKI: Out of 31 Homeless Applications, 5 new households went in to temporary accommodation (3 x Private Sector Lease, 1 x Serviced Accommodation 1 x Supported Accommodation). OLI: Out of 17 Homeless Applications, 6 new households went in to temporary accommodation (5 x Supported Accommodation, 1 x Serviced Accommodation). Period Actual FQ4 Commentary 2024/25 FQ1 26 2024/25 FQ2 40 2024/25 FQ3 27 2024/25 FQ4 30 2025/26 FQ1 27 Corporate Outcome - Our economy is diverse and thriving COI - Number of new homeless applicants who required temporary accommodation this period Responsible Person: Morven Macintyre This indicator is a Corporate Outcome Indicator that is reported quarterly. The performance presented is Council-wide only. This indicator for FQ1 shows the number of applicants has decreased since the last reporting period. Actual trend line During FQ4, the housing service took 108 homeless applications and provided temporary accommodation for 30 new homeless households. B&C: Out of 28 Homeless Applications, 10 new households went in to temporary accommodation (4 x Serviced Accommodation, 4 x Bed & Breakfast, 2 Private Sector Lease). H&L: Out of 30 Applications, 8 new households went in to temporary accommodation (1 x Serviced Accommodation, 7 x Bed & Breakfast). MAKI: Out of 31 Homeless Applications, 4 new households went in to temporary accommodation (4 x Private Sector Lease). OLI: Out of 19 Homeless Applications, 8 new households went in to temporary accommodation (3 x Supported Accommodation, 1 x Private Sector Lease, 1 x Registered Social Landlord, 3 x Bed & Breakfast). Please note: • The Registered Social Landlord and Private Rented Sector properties are leased by the Council and sub-let to homeless households as temporary accommodation. • Serviced Accommodation is available in Cowal and Helensburgh and is for single people providing an en-suite bedroom and shared kitchen facilities. • Supported accommodation is provided in Lorn by Blue Triangle Housing Association. • Emergency accommodation may on occasion be provided out with the location of the original presentation due to the pressure on the availability of temporary accommodation 18 Page 52
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Period Area Target Actual Variance Status FQ1 Commentary 2025/26 FQ1 A&B 20.0% 0.0% FQ1 data expected from Spikes Cavell (Scottish Government data base) in mid September. Period Actual FQ4 Commentary 2024/25 FQ1 36.0% 2024/25 FQ2 10.5% 2024/25 FQ3 23.6% 2024/25 FQ4 15.2% 2025/26 FQ1 COI - Maintain the percentage of local suppliers that benefit from the award of contracts via the procurement portal Responsible Person: Anne MacColl-Smith This indicator is a Corporate Outcome Indicator that is reported quarterly. The performance presented is Council-wide only. This indicator for... Actual trend line FQ4 - 15.2%. There were 66 tender/quick quote contract awards during FQ4. 10 were awarded to local suppliers, with a total estimated value of £78k. From the 66 awards, only 15 received local bids. The nature of the types of contracts awarded can impact on submission of local bidders. The % of tenders won by a local supplier, where a local supplier placed a bid during FQ4 was 66.7%. Corporate Outcome - Our economy is diverse and thriving 19 Page 53
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Period Area Target Actual Variance Status FQ1 Commentary 2025/26 FQ1 A&B No Target 0 N/A N/A The number of achieved community benefits during FQ1 was 37. Period Actual FQ4 Commentary 2024/25 FQ1 - 2024/25 FQ2 31 2024/25 FQ3 - 2024/25 FQ4 44 2025/26 FQ1 Actual trend line The number of achieved community benefits during FQ3 and FQ4 is 44. Showing an increase from the previous year. Corporate Outcome - Our economy is diverse and thriving COI - Increase the number of community benefits that are delivered through contracts we award locally Responsible Person: Anne MacColl-Smith This indicator is a Corporate Outcome Indicator that is reported in FQ2 and FQ4. The performance presented is Council-wide only. This indicator for... 20 Page 54
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Period Area Target Actual Variance Status FQ1 Commentary 2025/26 FQ1 OLI 75% 83% 8% Green - Actual exceeds Target Performance has been good as it is the lighter months and works can be inspected and fixed in a timely manner. Works can also be planned around contractual works which also helps with the timescales of attendance. Period Actual FQ4 Commentary 2024/25 FQ1 81% 2024/25 FQ2 96% 2024/25 FQ3 97% 2024/25 FQ4 98% 2025/26 FQ1 83% 2025/26 FQ1 A&B 75% 90% 15% Green - Actual exceeds Target Performace has improved, however we are still requiring some contractor assistance especially in the Helensburgh area, some requiring Scottish Powers attendance along with the support of civil contractors. We hope to have these works carried out prior to the clocks changing. Period Actual FQ4 Commentary 2024/25 FQ1 93% 2024/25 FQ2 97% 2024/25 FQ3 92% 2024/25 FQ4 92% 2025/26 FQ1 90% This indicator for FQ1 exceeds the target however performance has decreased since the last reporting period. Actual trend line Performance is good and exceeding the target. Corporate Outcome - We have an infrastructure that supports sustainable growth Percentage of street lighting faults repaired within 10 days Responsible Person: Tom Murphy This indicator is reported quarterly. The performance presented is at area level and Council-wide. This indicator for FQ1 exceeds the target however performance has decreased since the last reporting period. Actual trend line Performance has improved in 3 of the 4 geographical settings. A number of cable faults and works requiring contractor or power company assistance in Lomond is reflected in this quarter's figures. These works take time to program and deliver. All Areas appear to benefiting from the street lighting Capital Program Works which are improving reliability of lighting in areas that were previously experiencing a higher number of faults. 21 Page 55
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Period Area Target Actual Variance Status FQ1 Commentary 2025/26 FQ1 Lorn No Target 4 N/A N/A Lorn received 4 waste collection complaints this quarter. Period Actual FQ4 Commentary 2024/25 FQ1 7 2024/25 FQ2 4 2024/25 FQ3 3 2024/25 FQ4 6 2025/26 FQ1 4 2025/26 FQ1 Mull No Target 0 N/A N/A There were no waste collection complaints received on the Isle of Mull. Period Actual FQ4 Commentary 2024/25 FQ1 2 2024/25 FQ2 0 2024/25 FQ3 0 2024/25 FQ4 0 2025/26 FQ1 0 Corporate Outcome - We have an infrastructure that supports sustainable growth Number of waste collection complaints Responsible Person: Tom Murphy This indicator is reported quarterly. The performance presented is at area level and Council-wide. This indicator for FQ1 shows the number of waste collection complaints has remained the same since the last reporting period. Actual trend line There were no waste collection complaints received for the Isle of Mull this month, showing excellent service by our team on the Island. This indicator for FQ1 shows the number of waste collection complaints has decreased since the last reporting period. Actual trend line Lorn received 6 waste complaints for the months January, February, March. 22 Page 56
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Period Area Target Actual Variance Status FQ1 Commentary 2025/26 FQ1 A&B No Target 34 N/A N/A A total of 34 waste collection complaints were received this quarter for the whole of Argyll and Bute. The Isles of Mull and Bute received no waste collection complaints this quarter which shows the waste teams on the islands are delivering a high level of service. In the Helensburgh and Lomond area there are 12,437 properties from which refuse is collected, quarterly this equates to residual 49,748, recycling 74,622, food waste 149,244 and glass 37,311 giving a total of 310,925 bins collected per quarter. The number of complaints made as a percentage of the bins collected equates to 0.0067%. Period Actual FQ4 Commentary 2024/25 FQ1 38 2024/25 FQ2 26 2024/25 FQ3 36 2024/25 FQ4 31 2025/26 FQ1 34 Corporate Outcome - We have an infrastructure that supports sustainable growth Number of waste collection complaints Responsible Person: Tom Murphy This indicator is reported quarterly. The performance presented is at area level and Council-wide. This indicator for FQ1 shows the number of waste collection complaints has increased since the last reporting period. Actual trend line In total 31 waste collection complaints were received for the whole of Argyll and Bute. Again the majority of the complaints were received in Helensburgh, due to vehicle breakdowns and resources. The waste team continue to deliver a very high level of service across the whole area. 23 Page 57
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Period Area Target Actual Variance Status FQ1 Commentary 2025/26 FQ1 A&B 45.0% 66.6% 21.6% Green - Actual exceeds Target 66.6% recycling,composting and recovery (39.3% recycling and composting plus 27.3% recovery). Recovery percentage is high mainly due to Helensburgh and Lomond residual waste going for refuse derived fuel (RDF)/energy from waste (EFW). Recycling and composting are slighter higher than previous quarter mainly due to increased levels of green garden waste sent for composting. Period Actual FQ4 Commentary 2024/25 FQ1 68.4% 2024/25 FQ2 70.5% 2024/25 FQ3 65.4% 2024/25 FQ4 63.2% 2025/26 FQ1 66.6% 2025/26 FQ1 Renewi No Target 51.5% N/A N/A 51.5% recycling,composting and recovery (34.6% recycling and composting plus 16.9% recovery). Recycling and composting are slighter higher than previous quarter mainly due to the increased levels of green garden waste sent for composting . Period Actual FQ4 Commentary 2024/25 FQ1 56.2% 2024/25 FQ2 61.3% 2024/25 FQ3 52.4% 2024/25 FQ4 46.8% 2025/26 FQ1 51.5% Actual trend line 63.2% recycling, composting and recovery (35.9% recycling/composting plus 27.3% recovery). Recovery percentage high mainly due to Helensburgh and Lomond residual waste going for refuse derived fuel/energy from waste. Recycling/composting slightly lower as reduced garden waste tonnages sent for composting during winter months. 2024/25 financial year overall figures are 67.2% recycling, composting and recovery (40.3% recycling/composting plus 26.9% recovery) which is an improvement on previous f/year which was 58.2% . This indicator for FQ1 shows the percentage of waste recycled has increased since the last reporting period. Corporate Outcome - We have an infrastructure that supports sustainable growth COI - Percentage of waste recycled, composted and recovered Responsible Person: John Blake This indicator is reported quarterly. The performance presented is by Council-wide service provision. This indicator for FQ1 exceeds the target and performance has increased since the last reporting period. Actual trend line 46.8% recycling, composting and recovery (31.5% recycling/composting plus 15.3% recovery). Recycling/composting slightly lower as reduced garden waste tonnages sent for composting during winter months. 2024/25 financial year overall figures are 54.9% recycling, composting and recovery (38.5% recycling/composting plus 16.4% recovery). 24 Page 58
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Period Area Target Actual Variance Status FQ1 Commentary 2025/26 FQ1 Islands No Target 52.5% N/A N/A 52.5% recycling,composting and recovery (42.5% recycling and composting plus 10.0% recovery). Recycling and composting are slighter higher than previous quarter mainly due to the increased levels of green garden waste sent for composting . Period Actual FQ4 Commentary 2024/25 FQ1 45.8% 2024/25 FQ2 51.8% 2024/25 FQ3 44.2% 2024/25 FQ4 49.2% 2025/26 FQ1 52.5% 2025/26 FQ1 H&L No Target 100.0% N/A N/A 100% recycling,composting and recovery (46.9% recycling and composting plus 53.1% recovery). Recovery percentage is high mainly due to Helensburgh and Lomond residual waste going for refuse derived fuel (RDF)/energy from waste (EFW). Recycling and composting slighter higher than previous quarter mainly due to increased levels of green garden waste sent for composting. Period Actual FQ4 Commentary 2024/25 FQ1 100.0% 2024/25 FQ2 100.0% 2024/25 FQ3 100.0% 2024/25 FQ4 100.0% 2025/26 FQ1 100.0% This indicator for FQ1 shows the percentage of waste recycled has increased since the last reporting period. Corporate Outcome - We have an infrastructure that supports sustainable growth COI - Percentage of waste recycled, composted and recovered Responsible Person: John Blake This indicator is reported quarterly. The performance presented is by Council-wide service provision. Actual trend line 100% recycling, composting and recovery (43.7% recycling/composting plus 56.3% recovery). Recovery percentage high mainly due to Helensburgh and Lomond residual waste going for refuse derived fuel/energy from waste. Recycling/composting slightly lower than in spring/summer as reduced garden waste tonnages sent for composting during winter months. 24/25 financial year overall figures are 100% recycling, composting and recovery (45.1% recycling/composting plus 54.9% recovery). Actual trend line 49.2% recycling, composting and recovery (38.7% recycling/composting plus 10.5% recovery). 2024/25 financial year overall figures are 48.1% recycling, composting and recovery (37.3% recycling/composting plus 10.8% recovery). This indicator for FQ1 shows the percentage of waste recycled has remained the same since the last reporting period. 25 Page 59
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Period Area Target Actual Variance Status FQ1 Commentary 2025/26 FQ1 A&B 5,850 3,267 -2,583 Green - Actual below Target Well within landfill target mainly due to Helensburgh and Lomond residual general waste going for refuse derived fuel (RDF)/energy from waste (EFW). Period Target Actual FQ4 Commentary 2024/25 FQ1 5,850 3,200 2024/25 FQ2 5,550 3,225 2024/25 FQ3 5,100 2,846 2024/25 FQ4 5,000 3,103 2025/26 FQ1 5,850 3,267 Corporate Outcome - We have an infrastructure that supports sustainable growth COI - Number of tonnes of waste sent to landfill Responsible Person: John Blake This indicator is a Corporate Outcome Indicator that is reported quarterly. The performance presented is Council-wide only. This indicator for FQ1 is lower than the target (lowest is best). Actual trend line Well within landfill limit target mainly due to Helensburgh and Lomond residual waste going for refuse derived fuel/energy from waste. 26 Page 60
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Period Area Target Actual Variance Status FQ1 Commentary 2025/26 FQ1 Lorn 73 84 11 Green - Actual exceeds Target The Lorn area has been well maintained this quarter showing an overall figure of 84, which exceeds the actual target. Period Actual FQ4 Commentary 2024/25 FQ1 89 2024/25 FQ2 87 2024/25 FQ3 88 2024/25 FQ4 81 2025/26 FQ1 84 2025/26 FQ1 Mull 73 96 23 Green - Actual exceeds Target The Isle of Mull continues to deliver a high score of 96 for street cleanliness, which exceeds the actual target. Period Actual FQ4 Commentary 2024/25 FQ1 93 2024/25 FQ2 94 2024/25 FQ3 96 2024/25 FQ4 96 2025/26 FQ1 96 This indicator for FQ1 exceeds the target and performance has increased since the last reporting period. Corporate Outcome - We have an infrastructure that supports sustainable growth COI - LEAMS (Local Environment Audit and Management System) Responsible Person: Tom Murphy This indicator is reported quarterly. The performance presented is at area level and Council-wide. Actual trend line The LEAMS scores for the Isle of Mull for this quarter show, January 96, February 95 and March 96, this is excellent to see the high standards being kept. Actual trend line The teams again are proving that the Lorn area may only show small amounts of detritus, litter etc with a score of 81 for the months of January, February and March. This indicator for FQ1 exceeds the target with no change in performance since the last reporting period. 27 Page 61
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Period Area Target Actual Variance Status FQ1 Commentary 2025/26 FQ1 A&B 73 84 11 Green - Actual exceeds Target A street cleanliness score of 84 has been achieved for the whole of Argyll and Bute this quarter, which shows the street cleanliness remains high on both the mainland and Islands. These figures show very little litter visible on the streets and or open spaces checked. This high score reflects well on the teams who are providing a good service, by ensuring they work efficiently and effectively to keep the areas clean. Period Actual FQ4 Commentary 2024/25 FQ1 84 2024/25 FQ2 85 2024/25 FQ3 84 2024/25 FQ4 83 2025/26 FQ1 84 January, February and March figures show that again this quarter the street cleanliness across the whole of Argyll and Bute remains high. These figures show very little or no litter visible in the streets and or open spaces checked. This high score reflects well on the teams on the islands and mainland who are providing a good service by ensuring they work efficiently and effectively to keep the areas clean. This indicator is reported quarterly. The performance presented is at area level and Council-wide. This indicator for FQ1 exceeds the target and performance has increased since the last reporting period. Corporate Outcome - We have an infrastructure that supports sustainable growth COI - LEAMS (Local Environment Audit and Management System) Responsible Person: Tom Murphy Actual trend line 28 Page 62
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Period Area Target Actual Variance Status FQ1 Commentary 2025/26 FQ1 OLI No Target 1.92 N/A N/A Reduction in working days lost this quarter from previous, as well as a slight reduction from the data in the same quarter last year. Period Actual FQ4 Commentary 2024/25 FQ1 2.11 2024/25 FQ2 1.96 2024/25 FQ3 2.87 2024/25 FQ4 2.75 2025/26 FQ1 1.92 2025/26 FQ1 A&B No Target 2.49 N/A N/A Slight increase from last quarter and from the same quarter, last year. The HR&OD team continue to monitor absence, with targeted work aiming to improve this. They are also preparing to review the Supporting Attendance at Work procedures in the next 12 months. Period Actual FQ4 Commentary 2024/25 FQ1 2.14 2024/25 FQ2 1.77 2024/25 FQ3 2.89 2024/25 FQ4 3.23 2025/26 FQ1 2.49 Work days lost has increased by 0.41 of a day on the same quarter last year and has increased by 0.34 of a day from the previous quarter. This indicator for FQ1 shows the number of sickness absence days has decreased since the last reporting period. Actual trend line Work days lost has remained the same as a day on the same quarter last year and has decreased by 0.12 of a day from the previous quarter. Corporate Outcome - Making it happen COI - Teacher sickness absence Responsible Person: Jennifer Crocket (B&C and MAKI) / Wendy Brownlie (H&L and OLI) This indicator is reported quarterly. The performance presented is at area level and Council-wide. This indicator for FQ1 shows the number of sickness absence days has decreased since the last reporting period. Actual trend line 29 Page 63
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Period Area Target Actual Variance Status FQ1 Commentary 2025/26 FQ1 OLI No Target 3.70 N/A N/A Reduction in working days lost this quarter. The figure is further reduced from reporting figures from the same quarter, last year. Period Acutal FQ4 Commentary 2024/25 FQ1 4.19 2024/25 FQ2 3.85 2024/25 FQ3 4.53 2024/25 FQ4 4.31 2025/26 FQ1 3.70 2025/26 FQ1 A&B No Target 4.08 N/A N/A Slight reduction overall. However, there is still an increase from the same quarter last year. The HR&OD team continue to monitor absence, with targeted work aiming to improve this. They are also preparing to review the Supporting Attendance at Work procedures in the next 12 months. Period Actual FQ4 Commentary 2024/25 FQ1 3.85 2024/25 FQ2 3.43 2024/25 FQ3 4.40 2024/25 FQ4 4.66 2025/26 FQ1 4.08 Actual trend line Work days lost has increased by 0.54 of a day on the same quarter last year and has increased by 0.26 of a day from the previous quarter. Actual trend line Work days lost has decreased by 0.45 of a day on the same quarter last year and has decreasedby 0.22 of a day from the previous quarter. This indicator for FQ1 shows the number of sickness absence days has decreased since the last reporting period. This indicator for FQ1 shows the number of sickness absence days has decreased since the last reporting period. Corporate Outcome - Making it happen COI - LGE staff (including non-Teacher) sickness absence Responsible Person: Carolyn Cairns This indicator is reported quarterly. The performance presented is at area level and Council-wide. 30 Page 64
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Period Area Target Actual Variance Status FQ1 Commentary 2025/26 FQ1 A&B 70.0% 76.1% 6.1% Green - Actual exceeds Target In FQ1 2025/26 there were 40,513 customer transactions dealt with by Customer Service Agents (23.9%) and 129,292 were automated/self-service transactions (76.1%) so the 70.0% target was substantially bettered. This was also better than the same quarter of 2024/25, where 71.7% of transactions were handled through automation/self-service. Period Actual FQ4 Commentary 2024/25 FQ1 71.6% 2024/25 FQ2 72.7% 2024/25 FQ3 82.7% 2024/25 FQ4 74.8% 2025/26 FQ1 76.1% Actual trend line In FQ4 there were 39,517 customer transactions dealt with by Customer Service Agents (25.2%) and 117,568 were automated or self-service transactions (74.8%) so the 70.0% target was substantially bettered. Corporate Outcome - Making it happen COI - Increase the percentage of all self-service automated contacts Responsible Person: Robert Miller This indicator is a Corporate Outcome Indicator that is reported quarterly. The performance presented is Council-wide only. This indicator for FQ1 exceeds the target and performance has increased since the last reporting period. 31 Page 65
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL OBAN, LORN AND THE ISLES AREA COMMITTEE ROADS AND INFRASTRUCTURE 10 SEPTEMBER 2025 SERVICES ROADS AND INFRASTRUCTURE SERVICES UPDATE 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 A Roads and Infrastructure standing report was a fixture on Area Committee agendas throughout the life of the last Council. In the first two rounds of Area Committee meetings in the new Council feedback was sought on the value of these updates, and their format and frequency. Generally Members felt having a standard item was beneficial and it was acknowledged that the Roads and Infrastructure weekly briefings issued to all members each Friday afternoon provide for the main sources of live information on current activities. On top of these briefings there is a bank of resources on the new Member Zone system which include the weekly briefings, subject specific briefings, ad hoc short briefings on issues, relevant previous committee reports, operational service procedures, legislation and Council policies. 1.2 In the last Council the purpose of these reports was to provide an update on service activities but since weekly briefings these have largely superseded the original stated purpose of these reports. 1.3 On the basis of the above this new format has been agreed through the December 2022 round of area committees for this standing item. This format removes duplication for Officers and rather links to existing published information, with additional updates only in the body of the reports if these are specifically requested/noted from previous meetings. The report remains as a standing item and continues to provide the opportunity for Officer engagement at the committee meetings. 2.0 RECOMMENDATIONS It is recommended that the Area Committee: 2.1 Note and consider the contents of this report. 3.0 DETAIL 3.1 Roads and Infrastructure Services provides Members with weekly briefings on topical service activities which are all available here. Page 67 Agenda Item 7
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3.2 As part of the resources on the new Member Zone system there are various key documents available in an online library here. 3.3 There are also additional online resources covering the streetlighting, footway, surface dressing and roads reconstruction programmes available on the website here. 4.0 CONCLUSION 4.1 This report provides links to existing published information on service activities and provides for the opportunity for officer attendance and engagement at committee meetings. 5.0 IMPLICATIONS 5.1 Policy – Roads and Infrastructure work to a number of agreed policies across the range of service areas. 5.2 Financial – revenue and capital budgets are in place to deliver projects and cyclic work. 5.3 Legal – Roads and Infrastructure Services work to a number of different pieces of legislation such as the Roads Scotland Act 1984 and the Environmental Protection Act 1990. 5.4 HR – none known. 5.5 Customer Service – none known. 5.6. Risk – risk managed through toolbox talks, safety briefings and where appropriate risk registers – all of the above are monitored through the RIS leadership and management teams. 5.7 Climate Change - due regard will be given to climate change with a view to minimising any climate change impact and these are considered as and when they arise. 5.8 Fairer Scotland Duty – none known. 5.9 Equalities - protected characteristics – where appropriate EqSEIAs will be carried out to identify any implications. 5.10 Consumer Duty – where appropriate EqSEIAs will be carried out to identify any implications. 5.11 Islands – where appropriate Island impacts assessments will be carried out to identify any implications. Page 68
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5.12 Children’s Rights and Wellbeing – none known. Executive Director with responsibility for Roads and Infrastructure Services, Kirsty Flanagan Policy Lead for Roads, Transport and Amenity Services, Councillor John Armour 11 August 2025 For further information contact: Andy Summers, Head of Roads and Infrastructure Services andrew.summers@argyll-bute.gov.uk Mark Calder, Project Manager mark.calder@argyll-bute.gov.uk Page 69
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL OBAN, LORN AND THE ISLES AREA COMMITTEE ROADS AND INFRASTRUCTURE SERVICES 10 SEPTEMBER 2025 RECYCLING AND RECOVERY PERFORMANCE 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1.1 Argyll and Bute Council is both a waste collection and waste disposal authority. 1.2 Waste disposal is dealt with by 3 separate models across the council as follows: • Island sites e.g. on Mull and Islay where landfill sites are operated directly by the council; • Helensburgh and Lomond area where waste is disposed of at sites outside of Argyll and Bute; • A 25 year (2001 – 2026) Waste PPP contract which covers the rest of Argyll and Bute. 1.3 Waste figures for these 3 waste disposal areas have been summarised within this report. Due to the way the reporting is carried out it is not possible to accurately break down the information on an administrative area by area basis for all data. 1.4 National policy decisions, guidance and regulations e.g. relating to the Biodegradable Municipal Waste landfill ban will have a significant impact on future recycling, composting and recovery performance. 1.5 It is recommended that Members note and give consideration to the details as outlined in this report and the national policy drivers that will likely impact over the coming years. Page 71 Agenda Item 8
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL OBAN, LORN AND THE ISLES AREA COMMITTEE ROADS AND INFRASTRUCTURE SERVICES 10 SEPTEMBER 2025 RECYCLING AND RECOVERY PERFORMANCE 2.0 INTRODUCTION 2.1 Argyll and Bute Council is both a waste collection and waste disposal authority. Recycling, composting and recovery (i.e. other landfill diversion) statistics are reported quarterly within the council’s performance management system. Statutory returns to SEPA e.g. licensed site tonnage, landfill tax and waste data flow vary from quarterly to annual. 2.2 This report provides details on the council’s recycling and recovery landfill diversion performance along with national policy, targets and regulations which are likely to impact on future performance. 3.0 RECOMMENDATIONS 3.1 It is recommended that Members note and give consideration to the details as outlined in this report and the national policy drivers that will likely impact over the coming years. 4.0 DETAILS 4.1 The council’s waste strategy was approved by the Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee in September 2019. Whilst this strategy will emerge in line with government guidance, regulation, legislation, and contractual requirements, the Strategy is predicated on the model shown below in Figure 1. Page 72
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4.2 Argyll and Bute Council operates a performance management system. Quarterly recycling/composting, recovery and landfill percentages are included split between the Islands waste disposal sites, Waste Management PPP and Helensburgh/Lomond areas. These details include: • percentage of waste recycled and composted; • percentage of waste recovered e.g. other landfill diversion; • combined percentage of waste recycled, composted and recovered; • percentage of waste to landfill; • tonnes of biodegradable municipal waste to landfill. Percentages Summary of Landfill, Recycling, Composting and Recovery 2023 and 2024 2023 2024 Argyll & Bute wide % of waste recycled, composted and recovered 53.0% 69.8% % waste recycled and composted 43.3% 42.3% % waste recovered 9.7% 27.5% % waste landfilled 47.0% 30.2% Tonnes of municipal waste to landfill 30,872 18,791 Waste PPP % of waste recycled, composted and 61.2% 59.6% Page 73
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recovered % waste recycled and composted 46.0% 42.2% % waste recovered 15.2% 17.4% % waste landfilled 38.8% 40.4% Helensburgh & Lomond % of waste recycled, composted and recovered 39.5% 100% % waste recycled and composted 39.3% 44.1% % waste recovered 0.2% 55.9% % waste landfilled 60.5% 0% Islands % of waste recycled, composted and recovered 36.3% 48.5% % waste recycled and composted 36.3% 38.0% % waste recovered 0% 10.5 % % waste landfilled 63.7% 51.5% 4.3 Some points to note are as follows: • There was a slight overall reduction in recycling performance in 2024 which was mainly due to a significant amount of stockpiled soils and rubble tonnages being recycled by Biffa from the PPP area in 2023 compared to lower stockpiles of such materials in 2024. • There was a significant overall increase in recovery performance in 2024 compared to 2023. This was mainly due to the fact that all the general residual waste from the Helensburgh and Lomond area in 2024 went for refuse derived fuel (RDF) / energy from waste (EFW) whereas in 2023 this had all been sent to landfill. • The increase in recovery performance was also partly due to Tiree and Coll’s general residual waste going for refuse derived fuel (RDF) / energy from waste (EFW) using the same contractors as used for Helensburgh and Lomond. • The overall combined recycled, composted and recovery rate increased from 53% in 2023 to 69.8% in 2024. This is mainly due to the increased recovery in the Helensburgh and Lomond area described in the second bullet point above. Page 74
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• The recovery in the Waste PPP area is carried out by Biffa mainly through residual waste mechanical biological treatment plants based at their waste facilities near Oban, Dunoon and Lochgilphead. In 2024 Biffa sent some residual bulky waste items i.e. waste upholstered domestic seating (WUDS) to an energy from waste (EFW) plant as required by SEPA’s statutory guidance. Waste sent for energy from waste is also classed as recovery. • The recovery in the Helensburgh and Lomond area was carried out via new waste disposal contracts with waste contractors from the Renfrewshire area i.e. Enva (Linwood) and J&M Murdoch (Paisley) following the closure of the Barr Environmental Landfill at Auchencarroch, near Alexandria. Since January 2024, Helensburgh and Lomond’s general waste has been going for refuse derived fuel (RDF)/energy from waste instead of landfill which has seen a significant increase in recovery tonnages for 2024. • Cardboard is consistently the most prominent recycling material in the blue recycling bin (previously paper which was the highest proportion pre pandemic). The on-going significant cardboard proportion in recent years is likely due to significant levels of on-line purchasing while newspapers are not as widely purchased in hard copy compared to previous years. • The overall percentage of waste to landfill in 2024 (30.2%) was a significantly lower percentage than 2023 (40.7%) which was mainly due to the much increased recovery levels in the Helensburgh and Lomond area. • The tonnage of municipal waste to landfill, in 2024 decreased as a result from 30,872 tonnes in 2023 to 18,791 tonnes in 2024. • Recycling and composting is mainly from recycling collections to households and businesses, bring sites and segregated wastes from recycling/civic amenity sites. Recovery is predominantly moisture/process loss and compost like output from mixed waste treatment plants operated by Biffa and refuse derived fuel (RDF) / energy from waste (EFW) from Helensburgh and Lomond’s general waste. In addition there was also recovery from waste upholstered domestic seating (WUDS) items as they have to be sent for high temperature incineration in line with SEPA guidance, which was introduced in October 2023. • SEPA published annual recycling, recovery and landfill data for local authorities focuses mainly on recycling/composting from household waste and less on recovery in line with the waste hierarchy. Landfill Ban 4.4 The Waste (Scotland) Regulations were introduced by the Scottish Government in 2012 and included a landfill ban of biodegradable municipal waste initially from 2021. Page 75
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4.5 The landfill ban was subsequently delayed by The Scottish Government until the 1st of January 2026. An update report on the Landfill Ban was included in the June 2025 Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee. Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) 4.6 The UK Government have indicated a planned start date of October 2027 for a UK wide deposit return scheme, however the Welsh Government have indicated that they will not take part in the UK wide scheme as it does not include glass and they intend to introduce their own scheme. 4.7 A UK wide DRS scheme may result in an overall increase in recycling including other environmental benefits e.g. current non-recyclers may use the scheme plus there should be much less littering of such items. The scheme may however see a slight reduction in Council recycling performance if plastic drinks bottles and cans are no longer handled by Council recycling collections, albeit they should still be recycled in future via the UK wide DRS scheme. Scottish Government Circular Economy Bill 4.8 The Scottish Government in 2024 published details of its Circular Economy Bill which was subsequently passed by the Scottish Parliament. Further details on the Circular Economy Bill have been and will be reported at future ED&I Committees as they progress. Some of the main proposals which relate to local authorities recycling are as follows: • A Duty of Care on households regarding their waste and recycling with new powers given to local authorities for the issuing of fixed penalties to enforce this. • Local Authorities will be required to comply with a statutory code of practice on recycling. This co-design process involves Local Authorities and the statutory code of practice is expected to be published by The Scottish Government sometime during 2026. • The Scottish Government will have the powers to set mandatory recycling targets on Local Authorities from 2030 onwards. 5.0 CONCLUSION 5.1 Progress was made on overall recycling, composting and recovery performance during 2024. Recovery performance increased which resulted in significantly reduced tonnages to landfill in 2024. National Policy drivers such as the upcoming ban on municipal waste to landfill, the deposit return scheme and the circular economy bill will have significant implications for future recycling, composting and recovery performance. 6.0 IMPLICATIONS Page 76
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6.1 Policy National policies and regulations will likely impact on future recycling, composting and recovery performance. The council’s policy is to reduce landfill. 6.2 Financial Compliance with the landfill ban from end of 2025 has financial implications for the Council. An update report was included in the June 25 ED&I Committee. 6.3 Legal The landfill ban is a legal requirement under the Waste (Scotland) Regulations 2012. Other legal requirements may likely result following The Scottish Government Circular Economy Bill e.g. statutory code of practice for recycling. 6.4 HR None known 6.5 Customer Service None known. 6.6 Risk Risks to the council on the landfill ban and any other future statutory requirements are mainly financial. A future UK wide deposit return scheme for plastic drinks containers and cans will hopefully have an overall environmental benefit although it may impact on council recycling rates. 6.7 Climate Change The landfill ban will significantly reduce methane gas emissions from landfill sites in Argyll and Bute. Additional transport miles incurred taking waste to energy from waste markets will partly offset the carbon reductions achieved through not landfilling. 6.8 Fairer Scotland Duty None known. 6.9 Equalities: Protected Characteristics None known. 6.10 Customer Duty None known. 6.11 Island Communities The landfill ban will require increased transport of waste off the islands of Mull and Islay to the central belt. 6.12 Children’s Rights and Wellbeing None known. Page 77
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Executive Director with Responsibility for Roads and Infrastructure Services: Kirsty Flanagan Head of Roads and Infrastructure Services: Andy Summers Policy Lead for Roads, Transport and Amenity Services: Councillor John Armour For further information contact: John Blake – Fleet, Waste & Transport Manager John.Blake@argyll-bute.gov.uk Page 78
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL OBAN, LORN & THE ISLES AREA COMMITTEE LEGAL & REGULATORY SUPPORT 10 SEPTEMBER 2025 APPOINTMENT TO OBAN & LORN COMMUNITY ENTERPRISE LTD (ATLANTIS LEISURE) 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The lease arrangement with Oban & Lorn Community Enterprise Board Ltd (OLCEB) in respect of Atlantis Leisure Centre sets out provision for two elected member representatives to serve on the Board of Directors. Those appointments have previously been made by the Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee with Councillor Vennard being appointed on 13 September 2023 and Councillor Martin being appointed on 12 June 2024. Councillor Martin has tendered her resignation and this report invites the Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee to fill the vacancy which has arisen. In considering the report, the committee should bear in mind that an Internal Audit report concluded that a second elected member is required to be nominated to ensure the Council have sufficient oversight of the operational activity of OLCEB. Page 79 Agenda Item 10
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL OBAN, LORN & THE ISLES AREA COMMITTEE LEGAL & REGULATORY SUPPORT 10 SEPTEMBER 2025 APPOINTMENT TO OBAN & LORN COMMUNITY ENTERPRISE LTD (ATLANTIS LEISURE) 2.0 INTRODUCTION 2.1 The Area Committee previously appointed Councillor Vennard and Councillor Martin to be their representative on the Oban & Lorn Community Enterprise Board (OLCEB) on 13 September 2023 and 12 June 2024 respectively. Councillor Martin has since intimated her resignation and the Area Committee is invited to consider filling the vacancy on the board. 3.0 RECOMMENDATIONS 3.1 The Area Committee is invited to nominate an additional representative to serve on the Board of Oban & Lorn Community Enterprise Ltd. 4.0 DETAIL 4.1 The original lease arrangement with OLCEB states that “the Landlords shall be represented on the Board of Directors of the Tenants by no less than two elected members of the District Council”. While there are some modifications over the years, and the lease has been extended, this provision remains unchanged. The current lease is in place until 30 September 2037. 4.2 While the Board had indicated previously their preference to have one appointed representative when appointments were made to outside bodies following the last Local Government Elections in 2022 an Internal Audit report has concluded Page 80
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that a second elected member is required to be nominated to ensure the Council have sufficient oversight of the operational activity of OLCE. Councillor Vennard and subsequently Councillor Martin were appointed to fulfil this responsibility. 5.0 CONCLUSION 5.1 This report advises the Area Committee of the current arrangements in place regarding the lease agreement with OLCEB and invites the committee to consider nominating a second representative to serve on the Board, following the resignation of Councillor Martin. 6.0 IMPLICATIONS 6.1 Policy - None 6.2 Financial - None 6.3 Legal – The lease agreement in place requires a minimum of two elected members to serve on the Board of Directors 6.4 HR - None 6.5 Customer Service - None 6.6 Risk – Internal Audit have concluded that a second representative is required to have sufficient oversight of operational activities 6.7 Climate Change - None 6.8 Fairer Scotland Duty - None 6.9 Equalities - protected characteristics - None 6.10 Consumer Duty - None 6.11 Island Communities - None 6.12 Children’s Rights and Wellbeing - None Douglas Hendry Executive Director with responsibility for Legal and Regulatory Support Councillor Mark Irvine - Policy Lead for Community Planning and Corporate Services 7 July 2025 For further information contact: Melissa Stewart, Democratic Services Manager – Tel: 01546 604331 Page 81
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL OLI AREA COMMITTEE CHIEF EXECUTIVE UNIT 10 SEPTEMBER 2025 SUPPORTING COMMUNITIES FUND 2025/26 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1.1 The purpose of this report is to decide on the allocation of the Council’s Supporting Communities Fund (SCF) for Oban Lorn and the Isles. 1.2 The total Supporting Communities Fund budget made available by the Council for allocation in Oban Lorn and the Isles for distribution in 2025/26 is £22,500. 1.3 It is recommended that 16 applicants are awarded funding. 1.4 Applicants awarded funds from the Council’s SCF have 18 months in which to spend the funds. Page 83 Agenda Item 11
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL OLI AREA COMMITTEE CHIEF EXECUTIVE UNIT 10 SEPTEMBER 2025 SUPPORTING COMMUNITIES FUND 2025/26 2.0 INTRODUCTION 2.1 The report details recommendations for the award of the Council’s Supporting Communities Fund (SCF). The Supporting Communities Fund budget made available by Council in Oban Lorn and the Isles for 2025/26 is £22,500. 2.2 Organisations applying to the fund were able to request up to £1,500. The SCF is popular, and this year has attracted 25 applications from the Oban Lorn and the Isles area, requesting a total of over £35,000. 2.3 Applications have been scored by the Council’s Community Development Team against criteria set out in the SCF Application Guidance on the councils webpages. Projects are scored by officers, based on a scoring matrix which can be found here. The fund is oversubscribed each year and funds are distributed based on scores, with partial funding being awarded, where insufficient funding remains to fully fund, and no award when no further funding is available. 2.4 A summary of all applications is appended to this report. 16 are recommended to be funded. 3.0 RECOMMENDATIONS 3.1 Members are asked to agree that the 16 applications, marked as ‘Award’ or ‘Partial Award’ within Appendix 1 are awarded funding from the Supporting Communities Fund totalling £22,500. Detailed information about these projects is contained within Appendix 2. Page 84
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4.0 DETAIL 4.1 Changes to the SCF in 2025/26 include an online application form and a reduced maximum award per project. These were implemented following a review after last year’s round of SCF, which included feedback from community groups, officers and comments from area committees. 4.2 The SCF is assessed through a robust process which involves Community Development Team contact with the applicant to verify any information where required. All applicants need to provide satisfactory essential information on governance and finance to be eligible. Scoring is based on a set of criteria outlined in the guidance and made available on the council’s website: SCF Application Guidance. Applications to the fund must be for projects that come under one or more of these categories: • Fairer Communities – tackling poverty by sharing opportunities. • Resilient Communities – community capacity building/rebuilding and repairing from a pandemic • Greener, Cleaner Communities – environmental action to support addressing climate change • Creative Communities – creativity for health and wellbeing 4.3 Of the 25 applications received 1 was withdrawn or ineligible and of the 24 eligible applications, 20 are new applicants to the fund. 4.4 Of the eligible applications to the SCF, 16 are recommended to be awarded funding. 4 of these are for island based projects. The applications recommended for funding are labelled as ‘Award’ or ‘Partial award’ in the recommendation column in Appendix 1. The detail of the projects are in Appendix 2. 4.5 The projects recommended will deliver a wide range of activities from a program of craft skills workshops for island residents to badminton tournaments for young people. 4.6 Unsuccessful applications are marked as ‘No award’ in Appendix 1. These applicants will be offered support from the Community Development Team and provided with information on alternative sources of funding. 4.7 This year the total of £22,500 available for allocation is comprised of: • £22,500 from the Council’s Supporting Communities Fund. 4.8 Projects awarded funding complete a report at the end to evidence the impact of the funded project. The results of this are brought to Area Committee in Summer 2027, if not before depending on project duration. Page 86
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5.0 CONCLUSION 5.1 The Supporting Communities Fund application and assessment process has been completed as set out within its guidance SCF Application Guidance 5.2 The recommendations made fully allocate the funding available for financial year 2025/26. 5.3 The 16 projects being put forward for an award will help communities to deliver priority activities in their area in 2025/26. 5.4 All applicants to the fund are supported throughout the process and beyond by the Community Development Team. 6.0 IMPLICATIONS 6.1 Policy - none 6.2 Financial: Recommendations in the report are limited to the budget allocation available in 2024/25 for the Supporting Communities Fund in Oban Lorn and the Isles. 6.3 Legal: Applications are initially assessed to ensure that groups are constituted with managed accounts. 6.4 HR - none 6.5 Customer Service - none 6.6 Risk: risk to the public pound is managed through the assessment and scoring, and through end of project monitoring process. 6.7 Climate Change - none 6.8 Fairer Scotland Duty: The Supporting Communities Fund supports community groups in tackling poverty, reducing inequality, and building a fairer and more inclusive Scotland. 6.9 Equalities - protected characteristics: Applicants are given the options of receiving the application in large print and other languages and support with online applications. 6.10 Consumer Duty - none 6.11 Island Communities: 6 of the applicant projects are island based. 4 of these are being recommended funding. 6.12 Children’s Rights and Wellbeing - none Page 87
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Pippa Milne Chief Executive Policy Lead Cllr Mark Irvine 28 July 2025 For further information contact: Ailie Law – Community Development Officer Tel: 01546 604707 Email: Ailie.Law@argyll-bute.gov.uk Julie Fish – Community Development Officer Tel: 01369 708669 Email: Julie.Fish2@argyll-bute.gov.uk Suzanne Mason- Engagement and Communities Lead Tel. 01436 658933 Email. suzanne.mason@argyll-bute.gov.uk APPENDICES Appendix 1 – Assessment and Recommendations Appendix 2 – Project Summary Sheet Page 88
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Appendix 1 – Assessment Score and Recommendations Page 89
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Appendix 2 – Project Summary Sheet Applications Received (in order of scoring by Community Development Officer) For submission to Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee for final decision (maximum value £1,500). Ref: 1 Applicant: The Ardchatten Centre Project Summary: Application to cover venue operating costs, advertising costs and materials; to provide a core programme of monthly activities and events. Activities include popup tearoom, up-skill and exchange craft and repair classes, new knowledge classes, walking groups, reading groups and cinema nights. Recommendation: Award Ref: 2 Applicant: Oban Connecting Communities Collective/ Oban Youth Café Project Summary: Application to cover venue, travel, and accommodation costs to enable Oban Connecting Communities Collective in partnership with the Health and Wellbeing Network to hold 2 public events: 1 in Oban and 1 in Mull. The public events are free, aiming to bring the 57 members of the Health and Wellbeing Network together in one place to increase the health and wellbeing of people in the community. Recommendation: Award Ref: 3 Applicant: Isle of Lismore Art Group Project Summary: Funding is requested to support a program of craft skills workshops at a subsidised cost to island residents. This will provide opportunities to learn new craft skills associated with the island. Funding to support venue hire, tutors, materials, and refreshments. The activities will include: 3 x 6 session blocks, thematic focus, led by island artists/makers 1 x 4 session blocks, thematic focus, led by island artists/makers 2 sessions per block delivered by a guest tutor. 4 full days focused on crafts connected with the Lismore landscape. 1 showcase exhibition in the Island Hall Recommendation: Award Page 90
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Ref: 4 Applicant: Appin Community Development Trust Project Summary: The community transport scheme enables access to medical care, food shopping and transportation to social events enhancing mental wellbeing and reducing the impact of social isolation. Funding is requested to run a promotional campaign, including marketing materials and venue hire for a social event to showcase the community transport scheme and raise donations. Recommendation: Award Ref: 5 Applicant: Dalmally Community Company Project Summary: The community website needs updating and to be running smoothly. Local people will develop digital skills contributing to their community and for personal benefit. The training course will be delivered in person at the community center, enabling social interaction. Funding is requested for 12 training sessions with a professional website designer. Recommendation: Award Ref: 6 Applicant: Tiree Makery CIC Project Summary: Funding to support the project ‘Creative Connections: Art and Crafts for Wellbeing in Later Life.’ This is a visual arts and crafts project designed to engage elderly people living in rural remote areas. Funding is requested for, materials, tutor/course co-ordinator, venue hire, advertising costs, refreshments. The activities will include: 4 x half days workshops. Recommendation: Award Ref: 7 Applicant: Avich and Kilchrenan Community Heritables (AKCH) Project Summary: Website build and design to create a ‘What’s On’ calendar of events to improve inclusion within the community with a particular focus on local walking and cycling paths. The Project aims to increase the awareness of local events to help tackle social isolation, particularly in the older generations. It would provide information on walking and cycling paths in local area as highlighted in the Community Action Plan. Recommendation: Award Page 91
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Ref: 8 Applicant: An Iodhlann Project Summary: Tiree History Ceilidhs aim to create an impact, inviting presenters to perform a spinning demonstration, create a sheep and wool guidebook, hosting crofting conversations and archive talks, bringing the rich local Gaelic heritage to life and reinstating the museum at the heart of the community. Funding is requested towards the provision of 4 events with refreshments including the presenters' fee and transport. Recommendation: Award Ref: 9 Applicant: Dalmally Primary Parent Council Project Summary: Funding to support the launch of a Parent Council-led afterschool gardening club, initially for P5–P7 pupils. The club will offer weekly sessions during term time, giving children free access to hands-on, outdoor activities focused on growing food, learning about nature, and engaging in creative, practical tasks. Funding requested for plants, seeds, garden equipment, compost, craft materials and volunteer travel expenses. Recommendation: Award Ref: 10 Applicant: Oban Badminton Club Project Summary: The club would like to offer free badminton tournaments for young people, hosted across the local authority area, removing barriers and increasing participation and training volunteers to strengthen and sustain local clubs. Funding is requested towards the provision of venue hire, prizes, stationery and shuttlecocks for 6 badminton tournaments. Recommendation: Award Ref: 11 Applicant: Appin Agricultural Show Project Summary: This year the agricultural show’s focus is mental health and wellbeing within the farming community. Funding is requested towards the provision of running costs of the agricultural event, including marquee hire and purchase of tables to reduce future hire costs. Recommendation: Award Page 92
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Ref: 12 Applicant: Lismore Historical Society Project Summary: The wider archaeological project included a published book about the monastery and cathedral. The archaeological discoveries boost visitors to Lismore, improving the wellbeing of the community, raising their profile and helping secure the island’s economic future. Funding is requested towards hosting an open day celebration of the archaeological finds with an educational conference at the heritage centre to include venue hire, advertising, travel expenses, refreshments, and publicity. Recommendation: Award Ref: 13 Applicant: Oban Pride Project Summary: Funding is requested to support the Oban Pride festival event. Oban Pride provides a safe space for the LGBTQ+ community to come together to talk, feel supported, to celebrate and to promote equal rights. Funding is requested to support the venue hire, security, insurance costs, stage, light and sound technicians, march band, publicity, performers, and venue décor/signage. The festival will include, a stall village, karaoke, music, storytelling, evening events and Pride March. Recommendation: Award Ref: 14 Applicant: Kilmelford and Kilninver Community SCIO Project Summary: A Christmas concert will bring people together over a wide geographical rural area to have fun after the challenges of the pandemic, cost of living struggles and isolation in the rural community. It will be a chance to showcase what is on offer at the hall and opportunities to participate throughout the year. Funding is requested for musicians, festive food and transport to the event. Recommendation: Award Ref: 15 Applicant: Spotlight Musical Theatre Group Project Summary: Spotlight Musical Theatre Group is looking for funding towards rental of microphones for an upcoming production of Jack and the Beanstalk. Funding is requested for 1 week hire of 24 microphones and a sound technician hire for 1 week. Recommendation: Award Page 93
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Ref: 16 Applicant: Oban Bowling Club Project Summary: Bowling green maintenance by skilled volunteer members is needed to address the rising costs in the use of contractors, improving playing surface quality and attract more and diverse membership, increasing wider participation in the sport. Funding is requested towards the provision of 3 tons of top-dressing sand mixture; a levelling drag mat and dressing brush tool to improve the quality of the green playing surface. Recommendation: Partial award Ref: 17 Applicant: Police Scotland Youth Volunteers Project Summary: PSYV program aims to strengthen the relationship with the Police and young people, breaking down barriers and promoting positive role models. PSYV promotes a practical way for young people to understand policing by supporting the Police in their local area through volunteering. Funding is requested to support the running of the group and the costs of uniforms and boots. Recommendation: No award Ref: 18 Applicant: Lismore Community Trust Project Summary: A social media presence and improved website will raise the profile of the Trust's work including promoting opportunities to involve residents in local projects, promoting events and providing volunteer opportunities. Electronic surveys will gather community feedback and ideas for future projects. Funding is requested towards the provision of administrator time and volunteer expenses to develop and administer existing website and social media pages. Recommendation: No award Ref: 19 Applicant: Comunn Gàidhealach an Òbain (Mod Acadamaidh an Òbain) Project Summary: The project aims to support the development of the Gaelic language through the teaching of songs and conversations to children. Funding is requested to support, tutor fees, musical admin and travel costs. Recommendation: No award Page 94
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Ref: 20 Applicant: Isle of Seil Coastal Rowing Club Project Summary: Rowing skills, seamanship and navigation are taught in the 5-person skiff. Free or low-cost membership benefits include exercise and mental health. Funding is requested towards the provision of 5 automatic lightweight rowing lifejackets. Recommendation: No award Conditions: Ref: 21 Applicant: Oban Festival Lights Project Summary: Application to cover the storage of lights and insurance costs for the Oban Christmas lights festival. This a free event in the Oban community. Festival activities include entertainment, food, tree lighting, reindeer, and a Santa parade. Recommendation: No award Ref: 22 Applicant: Oban Camanachd Club Project Summary: Oban Camanachd Club is applying for funding to support the running costs of four community shinty teams (U14, U17, Junior, and Senior) from September 2025 to March 2027. Funding is requested to support the costs of training equipment, kit, travel costs for youth teams, hire of training facilities, Pitch hire and first aid supplies. Recommendation: No award Ref: 23 Applicant: Anamcara Fas Gadh Project Summary: Poppy’s Place is a sanctuary offering emotional respite and compassionate support to bereaved families, locally and from elsewhere, grieving the loss of a baby, child, or young person. Funding to help subsidise short restorative breaks for families across Argyll and Bute. These costs include cleaning, gas and electricity, Recommendation: No award Page 95
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Ref: 24 Applicant: Oban Youth Shinty Club Project Summary: Funding is requested towards a container to store shinty equipment in a central location to be accessed by all coaches on the days they train. Also, towards 6 x helmets and 5 x shinty sticks to enable those with no equipment of their own to participate. Recommendation: No award Page 96
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL OBAN, LORN AND THE ISLES COMMITTEE CHIEF EXECUTIVES UNIT 10 September 2025 SUPPORTING COMMUNITIES FUND - Monitoring of Projects Funded 2023/24 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1.1 The purpose of this report is to provide information on the impact and spend of funding awarded to community projects from the council’s Supporting Communities Fund in 2023/24. 1.2 18 constituted, not-for-profit community organisations were awarded funding in 2023/24 from the Supporting Communities Fund. Projects were required to spend their funds within 18 months and to submit an end of project report outlining the benefits of the fund to the project and providing information on any remaining funds at end of project. 1.3 Members are asked to consider the contents of this report which contains highlights of the information supplied by organisations. 1.4 Members are asked to note that no funds have been identified as remaining at end of projects. Page 97 Agenda Item 12
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL OBAN, LORN AND THE ISLES AREA COMMITTEE CHIEF EXECUTIVES UNIT 10 September 2023 SUPPORTING COMMUNITIES FUND - Monitoring of Projects Funded 2023/24 2.0 INTRODUCTION 2.1 This report highlights the positive outcomes for communities in Oban, Lorn and the Isles through the allocation of the Council’s Supporting Communities Fund in the 2023/24 round of funding. 2.2 A total of £28,343 (£35,843 including Levelling Up monies specifically for climate change focused projects) was awarded to 18 organisations in 2023/4. Organisations have 18 months to spend the funds and up to two months from the end of the project to complete and return a project monitoring report. 2.3 No funds were identified as remaining at the end of projects. 3.0 RECOMMENDATIONS It is recommended that the Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee note: 3.1 The positive contribution of the Supporting Communities Fund detailed in section 4 and within the attached table. 3.2 That no funds are due to be returned. 4.0 DETAIL 4.1 The funded projects supported a total of approximately 8,000 people within Oban, Lorn and the Isles area to participate in a varied range of of activities with many benefits including outdoor activities, sports, music and mental health. For example: • Mull and Iona Community Trust - delivered a new outdoor educational programme including reflection on emotional and practical responses to climate change. They worked with 6 Mull primary schools. A total of 94 school children attended both a workshop day and a performance. Page 98
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• Oban Pride – hosted a monthly film showing at Phoenix cinema providing a safe space for LGBTQ+ people and allies to come together. • Ross of Mull and Iona Community Transport Scheme (RoMICTS) - 499 Trips were undertaken, covering over 13,900 Miles. Trips included NHS appointments, prescription pick-ups, social trips, vet trips and taking people to work. It keeps the community connected, and supports the very old, the vulnerable and the very young. • Kilmore and Kilbride Public Hall Committee – improved groundworks and appearance of the hall including installation of an outdoor seating and garden area. Many of the projects supported noted increased community participation and increased numbers of volunteers. Feedback from projects showed the benefits experienced by particular groups in the community: • “…important in assisting elderly people or those with no computer access to get involved and capture their views.” • “…reduced the isolation and loneliness of mothers and provided stimulation and physical activity for children…”. • “…a breakfast club for our children at no additional cost to parents.” • “…generated a strong sense of community and newly found information about the history of our area and the people who lived here.” • “…able to run regular scheduled services… to travel for shopping, appointments and social events which [residents] may have been unable to do if the community bus was not there.” 4.2 The attached table provides more detail from individual projects funded. 4.3 18 grant recipients have submitted an End of Project Monitoring Report. 4.4 No funds have been identified as remaining from the projects spend. Page 99
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2022/23 SCF Round of Funding No Organisation Project Funded Award End of Project Achievements No. of people in communities benefitting 1 Argyll Wellbeing Hub 100 reduced cost CBT therapy sessions £2,500.00 We were able to provide 100 counselling and CBT sessions over the 6 months of our planned project. We provided 64 counselling appointments to 4 different people and 36 CBT appointments to 4 different people. 8 2 Isle of Luing Community Trust an independent housing survey for the island by Communities Housing Trust £2,500.00 This project expanded the number of people in the community who got involved in progressing new housing ideas. The key outcome has been a joint campaign with Luing Community Council under the banner ‘Homes For Luing’. This has continued to generate new ideas and links across the community to work on option to create affordable housing. We now have a core group of Trust members and Community Councillors who are continuing to work together on this project. 208 3 Kilmore and Kilbride Public Hall Committee Treasure away back end March groundworks and installation of an outdoor seating and garden area £2,200.00 The improvements to the grounds and appearance of the hall has been well appreciated by the community. 120 4 Lorn and Oban Healthy Options 30 free creative themed classes (art / singing / music based) £2,500.00 Our goal was to provide the community with health and wellbeing classes. During the grant term (Aug 2023 – Dec 2024) we held 1741 different classes, attended by 721 unique attendees a total of 23,571 times. Classes included movement classes, education, gym, staff-led rewild walks and singing classes. 1361 5 Lorn Toy Library a website with an online booking/hiring service for Lorn Toy Library £2,500.00 The website development required the creation of a digital inventory. The inventory has helped drive toy hires, the photographs, descriptions and the processes necessitated by the website aid the staff with making recommendations and providing toy bundles for other children’s groups. 405 6 Mull and Iona Community a 2 day outdoor arts £2,500.00 We delivered a new outdoor educational programme including 124 Page 100
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2022/23 SCF Round of Funding Trust performance delivered by Rowanbank Environmental Arts and Education (rowanbank.org.uk) reflection on our emotional and practical responses to climate change. We worked with 6 Mull primary schools. (Iona school intended to join in but unfortunately were prevented from attending by cancelled ferries). During the week beginning 25th September 2023, a total of 94 school children attended both a workshop day and a performance day (spread across 4 days to fit everyone in) and we held an additional performance day open to the public which attracted 30 participants. 7 Mull and Iona Community Trust 2 vehicle maintenance costs and driver / vehicle permit fees (funding is ring-fenced for this purpose) £2,500.00 The aim of Ulva Ferry Community Transport is to provide a bus service to the people living in the North West of Mull to allow them to access services such as medical care, work and being able to go shopping. We have been able to run regular scheduled services which allow holders of Transport Scotland travel cards to travel for shopping, appointments and social events which they may have been unable to do if the community bus was not there. 1472 8 Northwest Mull Community Woodland Company cleaning and maintenance costs of a new public toilet £610.96 Provide a disabled access toilet, a safe and convenient public amenity which is also a basic necessity. Greater access to public toilets means greater access to the community, something our Charity promotes. Thanks to this fund we have a donation box which helps with the running costs. Unknown 9 Oban Mod Academy (Comunn Gàidhealach an Òbain ) PVG registered tutors for reduced cost Gaelic language and singing sessions £2,000.00 The aims of the Project were met by tutoring over 100 children from both Gaelic and non gaelic speaking backgrounds. The aims of the Project are to tutor children to be able to enter both Provincial and National Mods and to encourage them to know about their Heritage and Culture. 104 10 Oban Pride a monthly film showing at Phoenix cinema, costs for venue and film licences and additional hire for partnership event at Corran Halls £2,500.00 Our project met the aims set out by Oban Pride of providing a safe space for LGBTQ+ people and allies to come together. We met our aims of our Film Club project by showing a series of LGBTQ+ films, which reflected LGBTQ+ people in a positive light as well as reflecting on the history of LGBTQ+ people and the issues faced by LGBTQ+ people. 850 Page 101
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2022/23 SCF Round of Funding 11 Ross of Mull and Iona Community Transport Scheme (RoMICTS) vehicle running costs, namely insurance costs and 8 weekly servicing of vehicles (funding is ring-fenced for this purpose) £2,500.00 499 Trips were undertaken, covering over 13,900 Miles. Trip included NHS appointments, prescription pick-ups, Social trips, vets trips, taking people to work etc. It keeps the community connects, and supports the very old, the vulnerable, the very young. It allows those without transport to keep their own independence, helps small business and works with local transport to take people to and from Iona. 861 12 SOROBA Community Enterprise Ltd an amplifier and projector for community activities, plus costs to refurbish 6 community centre laptops with increased memory and relevant software £1,030.00 We now have a very active youth club and children’s club, elderly bingo group. Zumba keep fit group restarting. 68 13 Soroba Young Family Group extra staff hours to facilitate the delivery of a breakfast club, ingredient costs and small appliances £1,343.14 Our project ensures that all our children start off their day with a full tummy in a relaxed environment. Children have been able to develop their independence, learn about healthy recipes and the benefits of healthy eating habits. We have continued to provide a breakfast club for our children at no additional cost to parents. Our children have daily access to a warm breakfast option (toast, sausages, beans, French toast, home-made pancakes, porridge) fruit and cereal. 55 14 The Ardchattan Centre venue hire, staff and materials £2,442.00 Our programme comprised 81 opportunities for 1,890 attenders who engaged in events including Pop Up Tearooms, exhibition- days, playgroup meet-ups, games clubs, fibre clubs (textile-crafts), creative workshops, home education group meetings, climate/enviro/place meetings/research, hire of premises, Hogmanay bashes, Craft fairs, green hub meetings, bonfire nights, cinema screenings, a wedding, a raffle, a community council meeting, a walk, a ferry crossing, and an AGM. 1890 15 The Victory Hall Benderloch new LED light fixtures and fittings by hire of cherry picker and competent electrician for installation £606.00 The replacement lighting is brighter, which has improved the conditions in the hall for all users. The lighting also uses a fraction of the electricity of the original lighting, so has much lower running costs. It all contributes to the larger plan to make improvements to the hall, for the benefit of users in the local community. Unknown Page 102
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2022/23 SCF Round of Funding 16 Tiree Community Business contractor costs to complete groundworks and installation (only) for picnic benches and a seating shelter in playpark £2,500.00 The impact of this project allowed both local and visiting families to enjoy a safer environment in which to spend time. 650 17 Tiree Tots a programme of 7 of free activity sessions for 0-5 age group on Tiree £2,500.00 The project reduced the isolation and loneliness of mothers on the Island and provided stimulation and physical activity for children on the Island. ‘Without the weekly coffee and chat meetings I wouldn’t leave the house most weeks’ Mother of a young child. ‘The stay and play sessions being incorporated with the Health Visiting Team meant I could access advice and support that otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to.’ 65 18 Wildcat Explorer Scouts Argyll activity costs during residential trip to Aberfeldy (white water rafting / mountain biking) £610.97 We cooked communally and prepared the Explorer Scouts each evening for the following days activities. The activities were provided by a Qualified mountain Guide who was assisted by a leader on the mountains. Using boots, ice axes and crampons hire from Ellis Brighams we used the Nevis Range Gondola on Saturday to access high level winter conditions where the Explorers were taught winter mountaineering skills. Sunday we used those newly acquired skills to ascent a munro top in Glencoe, quite an experience for all of the Explorer Scouts. 8 Page 103
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5.0 CONCLUSION 5.1 The project monitoring form has a section asking for comments on the grant process. Not all applicants have completed this section but of those received, the comments have largely been very positive. 6.0 IMPLICATIONS 6.1 Policy: None 6.2 Financial: The report sets out the expenditure from the Oban, Lorn and the Isles area 2023/24 budget for the allocation of Supporting Communities Fund 6.3 Legal: None 6.4 HR: None 6.5 Customer Service: None 6.6 Risk: None 6.7 Climate Change: None 6.8 Fairer Scotland Duty: Compliant with policy 6.9 Equalities - protected characteristics: 2 of the funded projects 6.10 Consumer Duty: None 6.11 Island Communities: 7 of the funded projects were on islands 6.12 Children’s Rights and Wellbeing: 5 of the projects were delivered for children and young people Chief Executive – Pippa Milne Policy Lead - Cllr Mark Irvine Communities and Partnership Manager – Rona Gold 10 September 2025 For further information contact: Community Development Officer Kirsty McLuckie on 01631572192 / Kirsty.McLuckie@argyll-bute.gov.uk. Page 104
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL OBAN, LORN AND THE ISLES AREA COMMITTEE LEGAL & REGULATORY SUPPORT 10 September 2025 XX MARCH 2021 JOHN OF LORN BEQUEST AWARD RECOMMENDATIONS 1.0 APPLICATIONS 1.1 This report gives Members information regarding a number of applications that have been received and processed for support from the John of Lorn Bequest. 2.0 RECOMMENDATIONS 2.1 The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee are asked to consider the number of awards made since June 2025. 3.0 DETAIL 3.1 The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee on 09 September 2020 agreed new distribution arrangements for the John of Lorn Bequest, which had been established to support ‘poor persons resident in the Burgh of Oban’. In order to be considered for an award applicants must: 3.1.1 be in receipt of a qualifying benefit (Jobseekers Allowance, Employment Support Allowance, Income Support, or Universal Credit) and for those people who are employed/self-employed, they must be in receipt of some amount of Universal Credit as well (a nil payment due to deductions for earned income would mean they do not qualify); 3.1.2 live within the Burgh of Oban; and 3.1.3 be over the age of 16. 3.2 Furthermore, it was agreed that successful individual applicants would receive £50 while those applying on behalf of their family would receive £100. 3.3 The Area Committee on 14 September 2022 agreed to delegate to the Executive Director with responsibility for Legal and Regulatory Support or officers nominated by him, in consultation with the Chair, the authority to make awards from the John of Lorn Bequest using the criteria agreed in September 2020 and that reports be submitted to subsequent Area Committees to update trustees on awards made under this delegation. 3.4 Prior to this delegation those in need of support could wait up to 14 weeks for payment. Applications are now processed on receipt with payments made once applicants submit their banking details. Page 105 Agenda Item 13a
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3.5 A total of 4 applications have been received since the June 2025 meeting of the Area Committee. Officers, in consultation with the Chair have confirmed awards for 3 family and a single individual application, with a total of £350 being awarded to individuals living within the Burgh. 3.6 The total funds available for distribution from the John of Lorn Bequest at the time of preparing this report is around £1k. It is anticipated that the funds from this Bequest will become exhausted before the end of 2025 at which point Trustees will be asked to place a moratorium on it. 4.0 CONCLUSION 4.1 Members are asked to consider the applications that have received support from the John of Lorn Bequest. 5.0 IMPLICATIONS 5.1 Policy None 5.2 Financial None, the Council acts as trustee for the Fund, it does not represent assets of the Council. However, there is a risk that the Council would have to repay the Trust if an objection was raised as to the use of the funds. 5.3 Legal Area Committees, as Trustees, must ensure that the distribution arrangements comply with the terms of the funds, failure to do so would result in the Council being liable. 5.4 HR None 5.5 Fairer Scotland Duty None 5.5.1 Equalities –protected characteristics None 5.5.2 Socio-economic Duty None 5.5.3 Islands None 5.6 Climate change None 5.7 Risk None 5.8 Customer Service None 5.9 The Rights of the Child (UNCRC) None Douglas Hendry - Executive Director with responsibility for Legal and Regulatory Support Policy Lead – Councillor Mark Irvine August 2025 For further information contact: Stuart McLean, Committee Manager Tel. No: 01436 658717 Page 106
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Email: Stuart.Mclean@argyll-bute.gov.uk APPENDICES: Appendix 1: Table of applications (exempt) Page 107
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Document is Restricted Page 109 Agenda Item 13bNOT FOR PUBLICATION by virtue of paragraph(s) 6 of Schedule 7A of the Local Government(Scotland) Act 1973
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Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee Workplan 2025-26 Committee Date Report Description Lead Service and contact officer Regularity of occurrence/consideration Date for Reports to Committee Services Additional Comment 10 September 2025 10 September 2025 Area Performance Report FQ1 25/26 HR & Organisation Development – Claire McAlister Quarterly Report 18 August 2025 10 September 2025 Roads and Infrastructure Service Update Roads & Infrastructure Services - Andy Summers Quarterly Report 18 August 2025 10 September 2025 End of Project Reporting - Supporting Communities Fund Applications 2024/25 Community Planning & Development - Rona Gold/Aileen Cameron Annual Report 18 August 2025 10 September 2025 Supporting Communities Fund Applications 2025/26 Community Planning & Development - Rona Gold/Julie Fish/Ailie Law/ Chief Executive Annual Report 18 August 2025 10 September 2025 Annual Recycling Performance Report Roads & Infrastructure Services – Andy Summers Annual Report 18 August 2025 10 September 2025 Charitable Trusts and Bequests Legal & Regulatory Support - Stuart McLean As required 18 August 2025 Cut off for applications 18 August 2025 10 September 2025 Vacancy on Oban & Lorn Community Enterprise Ltd Legal & Regulatory Support – Melissa Stewart One off 18 August 2025 Page 111 Agenda Item 14
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Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee Workplan 2025-26 Committee Date Report Description Lead Service and contact officer Regularity of occurrence/consideration Date for Reports to Committee Services Additional Comment 10 September 2025 Area Committee Workplan Legal & Regulatory Support- Melissa Stewart For updating 18 August 2025 10 September 2025 Distribution of Funds – Miss Agnes Angus Bequest Roads & Infrastructure - Tom Murphy 18 August 2025 Agreed to come back with proposals prior to the end of 2025 10 September 2025 CHARTS (Argyll and Isles) CHARTS - Seymour Adams Annual Report 18 August 2025 10 December 2025 10 December 2025 Area Performance Report FQ2 25/26 HR & Organisation Development – Claire McAlister Quarterly report 17 November 2025 10 December 2025 Roads and Infrastructure Service Update Roads & Infrastructure Services - Andy Summers Quarterly report 17 November 2025 10 December 2025 ACHA Annual Update ACHA - Chief Executive Annual Report 17 November 2025 10 December 2025 HSCP Performance Report FQ1 25/26 Apr-Jun Argyll and Bute HSCP - Charlotte Craig/Evan Beswick Annual 17 November 2025 10 December 2025 Charitable Trusts and Bequests Legal & Regulatory Support – Stuart McLean As required 17 November 2025 Cut off for applications 17 November 2025 Page 112
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Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee Workplan 2025-26 Committee Date Report Description Lead Service and contact officer Regularity of occurrence/consideration Date for Reports to Committee Services Additional Comment 10 December 2025 Area Committee Workplan Legal & Regulatory Support- Melissa Stewart For updating 17 November 2025 11 March 2026 11 March 2026 Primary School Update Learning & Education – Wendy Brownlie, Annual Report 16 February 2026 11 March 2026 Area Performance Report FQ3 25/26 HR & Organisation Development – Claire McAlister Quarterly Report 16 February 2026 11 March 2026 Roads and Infrastructure Service Update Roads & Infrastructure Services - Andy Summers Quarterly Report 16 February 2026 11 March 2026 Housing Services Activity Update- Strategic Housing investment plan Update (SHIP) Development & Economic Growth – Douglas Whyte Annual Report 16 February 2026 11 March 2026 Active Travel Progress Report 2025-26 Development & Economic Growth - Colin Young Annual Report 16 February 2026 11 March 2026 Charitable Trusts and Bequests Legal & Regulatory Support – Stuart McLean When required 16 February 2026 Cut off for applications 16 February 2026 11 March 2026 Area Committee Workplan Legal & Regulatory Support - Melissa Stewart For updating 16 February 2026 Page 113
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Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee Workplan 2025-26 Committee Date Report Description Lead Service and contact officer Regularity of occurrence/consideration Date for Reports to Committee Services Additional Comment 10 June 2026 10 June 2026 Area Performance Report FQ4 25/26 HR & Organisation Development – Claire McAlister Quarterly Report 18 May 2026 10 June 2026 Roads and Infrastructure Service Update Roads & Infrastructure Services - Andy Summers Quarterly Report 18 May 2026 10 June 2026 HSCP Bi-Annual Update Report Argyll and Bute HSCP - Charlotte Craig/Evan Beswick Bi-Annual Report 18 May 2026 10 June 2026 Secondary School Reports - Oban High School Head Teacher Peter Bain Annual Report 18 May 2026 10 June 2026 Secondary School Reports - Tiree High School Head Teacher Peter Bain Annual Report 18 May 2026 10 June 2026 Secondary School Reports - Tobermory High School Head Teacher Shelly Carmichael Annual Report 18 May 2026 10 June 2026 Charitable Trusts and Bequests Legal & Regulatory Support – Stuart McLean As required 18 May 2026 Cut off for applications 18 May 2026 10 June 2026 Charitable Trusts, Bequests & Trust Funds – Review of Distribution Arrangements Legal & Regulatory Support – Stuart McLean Review following initial 12 Months’ operation 18 May 2026 To be combined with above report Page 114
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Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee Workplan 2025-26 Committee Date Report Description Lead Service and contact officer Regularity of occurrence/consideration Date for Reports to Committee Services Additional Comment 10 June 2026 Area Committee Meeting Venues Legal & Regulatory Support – Melissa Stewart Annually 18 May 2026 10 June 2026 Area Committee Workplan Legal & Regulatory Support - Melissa Stewart For updating 18 May 2026 Page 115
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