Item 5(b) - COUNCIL 28 06 23 M
West Dunbartonshire Council · 30 August 2023
Back to West Dunbartonshire Council — 30 August 2023 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
Some pages contain no extractable text. They may be blank, graphics or scanned pages. OCR has not been applied.
Page 1
WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL At a Hybrid Meeting of West Dunbartonshire Council held in the Civic Space, 16 Church Street, Dumbarton on Wednesday, 28 June 2023 at 4.00 p.m. Present: Depute Provost John Millar and Councillors Karen Conaghan, Diane Docherty, Ian Dickson, Craig Edward*, Gurpreet Singh Johal, Daniel Lennie, David McBride, Jonathan McColl, Michelle McGinty, June McKay, John Millar, Lawrence O’Neill, Lauren Oxley, Chris Pollock, Martin Rooney, Gordon Scanlan, Hazel Sorrell, Clare Steel and Sophie Traynor. *Arrived later in the meeting. Attending: Peter Hessett, Chief Executive; Alan Douglas, Chief Officer – Regulatory and Regeneration (Legal Officer); Laurence Slavin, Chief Officer – Resources and Section 95 Officer; Peter Barry, Chief Officer – Housing and Employability; Lesley James, Head of Service and Chief Social Work Officer – West Dunbartonshire Health and Social Care Partnership; Amanda Graham, Chief Officer – Citizen, Culture and Facilities; Gail Macfarlane, Chief Officer – Roads and Neighbourhood; Laura Mason, Chief Education Officer; Victoria Rogers, Chief Officer – People and Technology; Angela Wilson, Chief Officer – Supply, Distribution and Property; Gillian McNamara, Economic Development Manager; Michelle Lynn, Assets Co-ordinator; George Hawthorn, Manager – Democratic and Registration Services; and Carol-Ann Burns, Senior Democratic Services Officer. Apologies: Apologies for absence were intimated on behalf of Provost Douglas McAllister and Councillor Jim Bollan. Depute Provost John Millar in the Chair STATEMENT BY CHAIR Depute Provost Millar advised that the meeting was being audio streamed and broadcast live to the internet and would be available for playback. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST It was noted that there were no declarations of interest in any of the items of business on the agenda. ITEM 5(b)
Page 2
RECORDING OF VOTES The Council agreed that all votes taken during the meeting would be done by roll call vote to ensure an accurate record. URGENT ITEM OF BUSINESS EMERGENCY MOTION BY COUNCILLOR MICHELLE MCGINTY – FAMILY FUN DAYS The Depute Provost advised that he had received a request from Councillor McGinty for the Council to consider an urgent item of business on Family Fun Days. Councillor McGinty relayed the terms of her motion to the Council, and the Depute Provost advised that it would be considered after the final item of business on the agenda. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING The Minutes of Meeting of West Dunbartonshire Council held on 26 April 2023 were submitted and approved as a correct record. MINUTES OF MEETING OF AUDIT COMMITTEE The Minutes of Meeting of the Audit Committee held on 15 February 2023 were submitted, noted and all decisions contained therein were approved. OPEN FORUM The Council noted that no open forum questions had been submitted by members of the public. GLASGOW CITY REGION CITY DEAL UPDATE A report was submitted by the Chief Officer – Regulatory and Regeneration providing information on the progress with the implementation of the Glasgow City Region City Deal. After discussion and having heard the Chief Officer – Regulatory and Regeneration in further explanation and in answer to Members’ questions, the Council agreed to note the progress of the Glasgow City Region programme.
Page 3
FINANCIAL UPDATE A report was submitted by the Chief Officer – Resources providing an update on the financial challenges facing the Council and the estimated 2024/25 – 2028/29 revenue budget gaps. Having heard from the Chief Officer – Resources clarification of paragraph 4.21 of the report, it was noted that £0.320m is the amount of revenue would be generated by an annual increase of 4% in fees and charges and that every 1% increase beyond 4% would generate an estimated £80k. After discussion and having heard the Chief Officer – Resources in further explanation and in answer to Members’ questions, the Council agreed to note the updated position regarding projections for the Council’s estimated revenue budget gaps in 2024/25-2028/29, in particular the updated mid-range 2024/25 budget gap of £11.8m as summarised in paragraph 4.17 of the report. Note: Councillor Edward entered the meeting during consideration of this item. INTRODUCTION OF ONLINE SURGERIES FOR ELECTED MEMBERS A report was submitted by the Chief Officer – Regulatory and Regeneration requesting consideration of a proposal to introduce online surgeries for Elected Members and to identify what technology and training support, if any, is required. After discussion and having heard the Chief Officer – Regulatory and Regeneration in further explanation and in answer to Members’ questions, the Council agreed:- (1) to make available online surgeries using Microsoft Teams with immediate effect; (2) that, where possible, broadband Wi-Fi should be used to optimize performance and reduce the risk of disconnection; (3) to note that the traditional method of holding surgeries in venues will continue to be available to all Elected Members; and (4) that online surgeries will be advertised on the Council’s website and social media outlets, similar to traditional surgeries. CONSULTATION ON THE SECOND REVIEW OF SCOTTISH PARLIAMENTARY BOUNDARIES A report was submitted by the Chief Officer – Regulatory and Regeneration requesting consideration of the implications of the Second Review of Scottish Parliamentary Boundaries and in particular the impact on the two existing Scottish Parliamentary Constituencies administered by West Dunbartonshire Council, namely Dumbarton, and Clydebank and Milngavie.
Page 4
After discussion and having heard the Chief Officer – Regulatory and Regeneration in further explanation and in answer to Members’ questions, the Council agreed to inform Boundaries Scotland that it supports the position detailed in paragraphs 4.5 and 4.6 of the report: that the status quo is maintained i.e. both existing constituencies remain intact, subject to a minor adjustment to the Scottish parliamentary boundary line as described in paragraph 4.4 of the report. NOTICE OF MOTION (a) Motion by Councillor Gordon Scanlan – Sun Safe accreditation programme Councillor Scanlan moved:- Council calls on schools to raise awareness of the dangers of overexposure to UV light in our children, the dangers of not wearing sunscreen, and encourages schools to sign up for the free Sun Safe accreditation programme. Overexposure to UV is a serious health risk and the primary cause of skin cancer, there are on average 16,700 cases in the UK every year. Sun Safe provide free resources for schools and nurseries to help educate children about the hazards of not wearing sunscreen and provide a free accreditation programme. Council recognises that this month has seen a period of extreme hot weather and that it’s more important than ever for children to recognise the potential dangers posed by the sunlight, and that schools and nurseries taking part in the sunlife campaign would benefit from it. Council further recognises that over exposure to UV light is a danger for individuals of all ages and endeavours to raise awareness of these dangers through it’s media channels. The motion was agreed by the Council. URGENT ITEM OF BUSINESS EMERGENCY MOTION BY COUNCILLOR MICHELLE MCGINTY – FAMILY FUN DAYS Councillor McGinty moved:- Council understand that many families have been impacted by the cost-of- living crisis and have been struggling with daily living expense such as energy and food costs. After paying for their necessities, many local families just don’t have enough left to pay for their children to take part in local activities and have been left unable to even consider a family holiday.
Page 5
The Cost-of-Living fund has already committed to supporting the free swim, gym, and sports camp initiative to help local families for the next four years. The Council has also committed £100,000 to fund the summer holiday programme for not only this this year but the following three years as well. The council has an opportunity to help families even further by funding a programme of Families Fun Days across the Council area which are focussed on free activities for children to take part in such as games, rides, and face painting. The cost of each event is around £2,000 and if agreed today, then the Council could run at least 8 events over the summer. The events would be held in different locations across the authority to ensure that we reach as many families as possible. Similar events have previously been held in Levengrove and Dalmuir Park. They have attracted a large number of children and their families who have really appreciated the opportunity to take their children to a free event in their local area. This will have a big impact on children and families who have been unable to take their children on holiday this year. Council notes that there are already two major events taking place over the summer, Loch Lomond Highland Games will take place in Balloch on 15th July: and the Scottish Pipe Band Championships taking place at Levengrove Park in Dumbarton on 29th July. Given the above, the Council agrees to support the additional local events each year for the next four years. The cost of this over the period would be £64,000 with the funding being taken from the cost-of-living fund. Council requests the Chief Officer of Roads & Neighbourhood Services to confirm and advertise the programme of events for this year’s events at the earliest opportunity. The motion was agreed by the Council. The meeting closed at 4.33 p.m.
Page 6
No embedded text on this page.