Matters Arising From Area Community Planning Groups (Stuart McLean)
Argyll and Bute Council · 12 January 2024
Back to Argyll and Bute Community Planning Partnership - Management Committee — 12 January 2024 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Management Committee Date: 20 December 2023 Agenda Item: Area Community Planning Groups – October/November 2023 Meetings 1. Purpose This paper presents key matters arising during the Area Community Planning Group meetings that were held in October and November 2023. 2. Recommendations The Management Committee is asked to: a) note the highlights detailed at section 4 of the report. b) note that Colin Buchanan (Luing Community Council) was appointed to the position of Vice-Chair of the Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Community Planning Group. c) note that the Bute and Cowal and Helensburgh and Lomond Area Community Planning Groups will seek to appoint Chairs during the meetings scheduled for February 2024. 3. Background There are four Area Community Planning Groups, one in each of the Council’s administrative areas (Bute and Cowal; Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands; Helensburgh and Lomond; and Oban, Lorn and the Isles). Meetings were held on a variety of platforms, including purely virtual and on a hybrid basis using Microsoft Teams. Prior to the meetings discussion took place with the Area Chairs and Vice Chairs and a standard agenda template was agreed. All 4 meetings were well attended by a variety of partners. 4. Highlights All Groups considered:
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• Police Scotland Police Scotland presented an update which included information on the ongoing work of the Service and provided information on fraud prevention and awareness, specifically Sextortion; bereavement support and road safety initiatives. • Scottish Fire and Rescue Service The Groups gave consideration to a report from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) concerning FQ2 review of local performance across each locality. The report included information on the local firefighter training plan; incidents during this time period; unwanted fire alarm signals; road and water safety campaigns; community engagement activities; East and West Dunbartonshire and Argyll and Bute Local Senior Officer Activities and home fire safety. • Live Argyll Live Argyll provided information relating to adult literacy and numeracy provision and management changes including a new Services and Support Manager; Commercial Operations Manager and an Active Schools and Sports Manager. • Argyll and Bute TSI Update Argyll and Bute TSI provided information on the work in response to the cost of living crisis; local strategic partnerships; the recruitment of new NHS Highland Board members and the work on the application to receive funding for the Climate Action Network. The update also provided information on new products to help deliver social change more efficiently; year 3 funding for the Community Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund; Staffing changes; events held during the last quarter and social media presence. • Progress on Argyll and Bute Climate Hub Angela Anderson advised that the consortium of Argyll and the Isles Coast and Countryside Trust (ACT), Third Sector Interface (TSI) and Time for Change (TfC) had submitted an application for the Climate Hub to the Scotgov Advisory Board on Friday 27th October. Angela added that they expect to hear of the outcome of the bid during the latter half of November and that they had also applied for funding for four part-time posts, one for each of the four administrative areas and that ACT will supply day to day support, TSI will provide ICT and secretariat assistance and TfC will assist as needed.
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• Climate Change Working Group Update Angela Anderson highlighted that across Argyll and Bute, Climate Change has been on everyone’s mind since the heavy rain fall during Octobers and highlighted an article written by Councillor Currie and the Chief Executive of the Council on what needs to be done and how much help is required to mitigate action clime change. Angela advised that the new CPP Climate Change Project Manager, Andy MacPherson, would be in position by 30th November and that he lives in area and has an excellent professional background in environmental and sustainable development projects in various authorities and public bodies. Angela added that Andy’s focus will be on mitigation and adaptation at a strategic level for the CPP. • UHI Argyll UHI Argyll highlighted that staff and students have settled into the new academic year and that all further education and higher national students are now required to attend classes from their local centres as opposed to logging in from home. The update also provided information on the 2023 graduation which was held in September; courses that are available and a planned open day in November with provisional open days also scheduled for January, March and June 2024. • Citizens Advice Bureau Argyll and Bute Citizen’s Advice Bureau provided statistical information on the number of clients who had contacted the Bureau between January and September 2023; the recruitment campaign for volunteer advisors; the annual programme of energy efficiency advice sessions and services that the Bureau provide. • Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership - Public Health Team – Local Adult Health Area Profile Consideration was given to a public health update from Rory Munro, Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership on the ongoing wellbeing and prevention activities overseen and delivered by the HSCP Public Health Team in Argyll and Bute. The update provided information on the alcohol and drug partnership with it being highlighted that the Scottish Government consultation on Minimum Unit Pricing is now live. Information was also provided on the alcohol and drug partnership grant funding to support the delivery of alcohol and drug prevention work in local communities; the coproduction training which was undertaken by two members of the public health team; the support given on the provision of good conversations training; the adult health profiles produced by the Health Intelligence Team and child health profiles which are due to be published in November. The Groups also gave consideration to a report and presentation on the adult health and wellbeing profile for each locality.
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• Community Development (Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands, Helensburgh and Lomond and Bute and Cowal) The Council’s Community Development Officer for the Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands locality advised that online training sessions were being offered on 30 November 2023 and 6 December 2023 to assist local communities in drafting Community Action Plans and Local Place Plans. David Hagerty the Community Development Officer for the Helensburgh and Lomond locality advised of the recruitment of a new Engagement and Communities Lead, Suzanne Mason whose role will involve managing the Community Development team, working with other services in the Council and managing the Supporting Communities Fund; the delivery of Community Funding Training to community groups; the Helensburgh and Lomond Disability Access Forum and the Princess Louise Hall Committee who had completed a number of community consultation events in October regarding future hall use. The Council’s Community Development Officer for Bute and Cowal locality advised Partners of a housing emergency survey which could be found on Basecamp in relation to the emergency declared by the Council in June. Ailie added that there would be a new temporary Community Development Officer for Bute and Cowal joining the team next month who will be job sharing with her. Bute & Cowal (Meeting Papers - LINK) Consideration was given to an update by the Programme Manager, Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership on the GP relocation project. Naomi Swann highlighted that the project would see the Church Street Surgery and Cowal & Bute Medical Practices (Argyll Street site) move to a new, fit for purpose, shared and disability compliant building within the Cowal Community Hospital site. Naomi advised that a community engagement event would be held in the Burgh Hall in Dunoon on the 14th November. John Parker from Sandbank Community Development Trust highlighted that a recent consultation exercise regarding the Community Action Plan had received a 20% response rate with interesting outcomes resulting from this. Mr Parker advised that the Trust would present their findings at a meeting in November and that the next stage would be to invite local businesses to provide feedback. Mr Parker added that there was an appetite for the Community Council to be re-established and that should this materialise would prove helpful to the Trust. Ann Campbell, on behalf of Dunoon Community Development Trust, highlighted that their 3rd Annual General Meeting was scheduled for Monday 6th November at 7pm in the Queen’s Hall. Ann also advised that the Trust are soon to start work on the Active Travel Network looking at small scale interventions that can help improve everyday walking, cycling and wheeling.
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Consideration was given to a written update from Alex Wilde, Project Lead at Shaping Places for Wellbeing Dunoon. The update provided information on how they share their learning, with it being highlighted that they now have a designated webpage for Dunoon on the Shaping Places for Wellbeing website; a knowledge hub page and a blog series. The update also provided information on the active travel plan for Dunoon; place and wellbeing assessments and training opportunities to better understand available data about inequalities for Dunoon. The Committee Manager highlighted that road safety concerns in Sandbank had been raised at the Bute and Cowal Area Committee in September under the Roads and Infrastructure item where it was agreed to bring the matter to the Community Planning Group for discussion. Stuart McLean advised that the matter had previously been raised at the Area Committee in December 2023 by a local resident, Liz Neilson, who highlighted that the Community were concerned with traffic speeding through Sandbank and the general lack of road safety measures along the entirety of the road. Councillor Sinclair highlighted that within the last 12 months, there had been four serious accidents within the stretch of the 30mph road in Sandbank with one incident resulting in loss of life. Sergeant Eddie McGunnigal advised that the four recorded accidents were not attributed to speed and advised that the speed survey carried out by Argyll and Bute Council didn’t show a high percentage of speeding. Sergeant McGunnigal further advised that Police Scotland continue to undertake speed checks and have provided communities with new speed limit wheelie bin stickers to encourage drivers to stick to the limit and that they were currently working on a community speed watch team in the area. Sergeant McGunnigal added that the Police are happy to support any speed calming initiatives. Tony McGloin advised that the Fire Service did attend the mentioned incidents and that they are very active highlighting road safety with Road Safety Scotland material. Mr McGloin highlighted that the Service will soon have virtual reality headsets to train young drivers. Discussion took place in relation to children walking alongside the road, with partners raising concerns for their safety. Partners agreed to request that the Roads and Infrastructure Services consider what appropriate road safety measures could be introduced within the locality and that these be presented to a future meeting for discussion. The Community Focus Item was delivered by Angela McNeill from Heartstart. The presentation included information on the aims of Heartstart; who they are; why emergency life support is taught; what you should do if you are in the position where someone needs CPR and general information on Heartstart Cowal. Helensburgh & Lomond (Meeting Papers - LINK) The Group gave consideration to a written update by PC Drew Omand, Ministry of Defence Police. The update highlighted that the Police Scotland Young Volunteers are still looking for opportunities to support the local community at events and asked
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if any partners knew of any to get in touch. The update also provided information on His Majesty's Naval Base (HMNB), Clyde highlighting that it is a ‘No Drone Zone’ and that any sightings should be reported; the roadworks continue on the A814 at HMNB Clyde until the end of December 2023 with the road under traffic control and the provision of the annual internet safety campaign delivered in collaboration with Police Scotland targeting p5-p7 children from 11 primary schools. Sarah Davies, Helensburgh Community Council, informed the Group of the sad passing of Norman Muir, who was the Convener over the last eight years, highlighting her thanks to Norman on behalf of Helensburgh for everything he did to make it a better place for residents and visitors. Sarah advised that the Community Council had been chosen as one of the preferred bidders for the Waterfront and that they are continuing to be involved in planning applications and regular beach cleans and scrub bed tidying’s. Consideration was given to a written update by Gill Simpson from Helensburgh Community Hub. The update provided information on the expansion of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library programme; a successful open day held in September which aimed at getting feedback from the community regarding the first two years of the Hub’s operation as well as ideas and suggestions for future activities and the Reading Minds Book Festival which is to be held on the 22-24 March 2024 in collaboration with Jean’s Bothy and Helensburgh and Lomond Carers Centre. Consideration was given to an update by Angela Anderson, Plastic Free Helensburgh. The update highlighted that in the last quarter, in partnership with Helensburgh Community Council, they had cleared 150kg of litter from the beaches and that with the grant received from the Supporting Communities Fund they had ordered four litter picking stations. Angela advised that Plastic Free Helensburgh had attended the Scottish Waters Stakeholders Annual Conference and have organised two events following this and highlighted the Scottish Waters “Bin the Wipes” campaign. Angela Robertson from We Are With You highlighted that they provide support to adults over the age of 16 who are experiencing issues with alcohol, drugs or mental health as well as supporting the person’s family and friends. Angela added that this support can be on a one-to-one basis or on a group basis within their own homes, in the offices or in a community setting. Angela advised that the referral pathway is simple and only requires the person’s name, phone number and permission from the person to share this with the associated organisations. The Chair on behalf of the Group commended Angela and her team for all the hard work they do. Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands (Meeting Papers - LINK) The Group considered a report provided by Scottish Canals on the planned winter works for 2023/24 at the Crinan Canal. The Head of Customer Experience and
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Delivery, Mr Piper, advised that they were at year 3 of a 5 year investment programme at the Crinan Canal. He outlined the work programme which included extensive refurbishment of large bits of steel and infrastructure and advised that the works were necessary to keep the canal fit for purpose. Mr Piper further advised of the continued engagement with local businesses and communities and outlined the efforts made to ensure the canal will be open by mid-April rather than the previously anticipated timescale of end of May 2024. The Group gave consideration to a presentation by members of the Kintyre Link Club. The presentation outlined the background and aims of the mental health club run by members for members, which are to reduce isolation and increase opportunities for local people suffering from poor mental health. It also provided information on the funding required and the support provided by other partner organisations within the area. The Chair, Councillor Armour, took the opportunity to advise that the council declared a Housing Emergency within Argyll and Bute in June due to a rise in homelessness post pandemic and an increasing lack of housing choice in the area. He advised that in order to build the strategy to tackle Argyll & Bute's housing emergency, a Summit event had been scheduled to bring together delivery partners, community stakeholders, funders, business leaders, public sector bodies and housing organisations to debate, prioritise and programme solutions to increase housing supply. He advised that together, partners would be asked to forge commitments aimed at tackling housing shortage by maximising resources, pursuing innovation, coordinating planning and targeting delivery capacity. Consideration was given to a performance report from Fyne Homes which provided information on housing services, including welfare and benefits support, housing allocations, lettings, voids and tenant welfare; capital improvements; cyclical maintenance; a number of on-site developments and financial highlights. Further information on the governance of the association; investing in communities and the view from subsidiary company Fyne Futures was also provided. Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust (IGHT) Business Development Manager spoke to the background of the trust together with its main objectives and achievements to date. Information relating to the work being carried out in respect of affordable housing; an update on the progress of the new housing development and an insight to the long- term aspirations for housing on Gigha was also provided. Tarbert and Skipness Community Trust advised on housing issues in the area; the recent White Shore Path and Cycle Stand beach clean; the re-location of Tarbert Life to the “Purple Door” on the quayside; the new Community Plan, with it being noted that the full version could be made available by request; the dispersal of community
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benefit funding and the re-development of Skipness Hall and the Tarbert Heritage and Regeneration Scheme. Poppy Lynn Englefied and Chloe Reed provided a verbal update on the Kintyre Youth Action Group’s recent and ongoing activities. They advised of the ongoing work to set up a youth LGBT Forum in the community; their work with the Women’s Aid charity to help find ways to reach young victims of domestic violence; the installation of a clean box at Campbeltown Skate Park and a number of fundraising initiatives. Oban, Lorn and the Isles (Meeting Papers - LINK) Consideration was given to a report which provided information which related to the appointment of a Vice-Chair for the Community Planning Group. The report outlined the expected time commitment and provided information on the roles, with the Group subsequently appointing Colin Buchanan, Luing Community Council, to the role. A verbal update from Jim Tolmie of the Oban District Access Panel advised that the Panels petition to the Scottish Parliament Petitions Committee, to make it a statutory requirement for Braille to be put on all food packaging, would likely be considered during November 2023 where he hopes it will find support. Laura Corbe of Oban Community Council spoke to a presentation regarding the Oban Place Plan and Community Action Plan project. Miss Corbe advised that the Community Council are undertaking a consultation exercise regarding what the public would like to see locally in respect of housing, new or retained local employment, new tourism/community facilities, open space, climate change adaption, local initiatives promoting active travel and community food growing, conservation environment and improvements to the town centre. Miss Corbe further advised that funding had been sought to raise the £35,000 required to put the plan in place. Luing Community Council shared a report on Flooding Risks on the Island, in particular following the recent floods in October, where 3 houses within the Conservation Area were affected. Mary Braithwaite advised that the Community Council are in the process of setting up advice and assistance on flooding within the Island, but lack the technical knowledge when navigating ownership of the different parts of the island. Councillor Kain offered to facilitate contact between Roads and Infrastructure and the Community Council to discuss and offer technical advice. 4.1 Further Actions It is requested that the Management Committee note the report and the successful meetings held in October and November 2023.
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5.0 Implications Strategic Implications Meetings of the Area Community Planning Group held in May covered various Outcomes. Consultations No prior circulation of this report. Resources No direct resource implications however consideration of the issues raised and following courses of action may have a knock on effect on finance and/or staff resource Prevention Contributes to the prevention agenda Equalities Contributes toward reducing inequalities For More Information: Stuart McLean, Committee Manager, stuart.mclean@argyll-bute.gov.uk