Agenda
West Dunbartonshire Council · 29 March 2023
Back to West Dunbartonshire Council — 29 March 2023 and its agenda
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Agenda West Dunbartonshire Council Date: Wednesday, 29 March 2023 ___________________________________________________________________ Time: 16:00 ___________________________________________________________________ Format: Hybrid meeting ___________________________________________________________________ Contact: Carol-Ann Burns, Senior Democratic Services Officer Email: carol-ann.burns@west-dunbarton.gov.uk Dear Member Please attend a meeting of West Dunbartonshire Council as detailed above. Members will have the option to attend the meeting remotely or in person at the Civic Space, 16 Church Street, Dumbarton. The business is shown on the attached agenda. Yours faithfully PETER HESSETT Chief Executive
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Distribution:- Provost Douglas McAllister Councillor Michelle McGinty Councillor James Bollan Councillor June McKay Councillor Karen Conaghan Councillor John Millar Councillor Ian Dickson Councillor Lawrence O’Neill Councillor Diane Docherty Councillor Lauren Oxley Councillor Craig Edward Councillor Chris Pollock Councillor Gurpreet Singh Johal Councillor Martin Rooney Councillor Daniel Lennie Councillor Gordon Scanlan Councillor David McBride Councillor Hazel Sorrell Councillor Jonathan McColl Councillor Clare Steel Councillor James McElhill Councillor Sophie Traynor Chief Executive Chief Officers Date of issue: 16 March 2023 Audio Streaming Audio recordings of the meeting (including the attendance or contribution of any party participating or making a contribution) will be published on the Council’s website and the Council’s host’s webcast/audio stream platform. You should be aware that the Council is a Data Controller under the General Data Protection Regulation. Data collected during this audio stream will be retained in accordance with the Council’s Privacy Notice* and Retention Schedules including, but not limited to, for the purpose of keeping historical records and making those records available via the Council’s internet site.
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL WEDNESDAY, 29 MARCH 2023 AGENDA 1 STATEMENT BY CHAIR – AUDIO STREAMING 2 APOLOGIES 3 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST Members are invited to declare if they have an interest in any of the items of business on the agenda and the reasons for such declarations. 4 RECORDING OF VOTES The Council is asked to agree that all votes taken during the meeting will be done by roll call vote to ensure an accurate record. 5 MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETINGS Submit, for approval as correct records, the undernoted Minutes of Meetings of West Dunbartonshire Council:- (a) Ordinary meeting – 21 December 2022; and 11 – 27 (b) Budget meeting – 1 March 2023 29 – 64 6 MINUTES OF MEETING OF AUDIT COMMITTEE 65 – 68 Submit for information, and where necessary ratification, the Minutes of Meeting of the Audit Committee held on 9 November 2022. 7 OPEN FORUM The following Open Forum questions have been submitted:- (a) Question from Jay Haston To ask the leader of the Council, following the decision that was unanimously taken by the Council at the August 26th 2021 meeting in respect of the WAVE Trust, can the leader of the Council provide an update into what work has subsequently been undertaken to progress this?
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(b) Question from Susan Dick I currently own land which will be bulldozed as part of the exxon development. I have one request in light of this Councils drive towards net zero and any climate change policies they may have. Within this field there is large and beautiful 200 year old tree. It is on a prominent site within the field near the private road also belonging to myself and which is a right of way, it is a healthy tree which grows straight with no known issues or health concerns. There is also a large wildlife pond near the Arnold Clark end of the site. I don’t think either of them are in the path of the intended roads. When the site is cleared I ask that serious attempts are made to save this tree and the pond from destruction. I ask this due to the tree’s great age and the fact that a tree of this age and size will be an asset in carbon capturing, something that should be important to us all. The pond will also be doing its bit for wildlife in the area and carbon capture as well. It is not good enough to simply destroy such a valuable tree and replace it with tiny saplings as is the norm. The hundreds of trees that will be lost on this site mean that the drive towards net zero will be damaged extensively but the saving of this tree and pond could help offset some of the damage done to the environment when this field is destroyed. Could I have any kind of assurances that when decisions are being made the saving of the tree and pond could be considered as essential. To be truthful after all that has gone on over my field it is the very least you can do. 8 CONTINGENCY ARRANGEMENTS (NUCLEAR INCIDENT) – 69 – 75 MOTION FROM COUNCIL 21 DECEMBER 2022 Submit report by the Chief Officer – People and Technology providing an update on the local resilience structures should there be a nuclear incident at Faslane. 9 GLASGOW CITY REGION CITY DEAL – UPDATE 77 – 81 Submit report by the Chief Officer – Regulatory and Regeneration noting the progress with the implementation of the Glasgow City Region City Deal. 10/
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10 NON-DOMESTIC RATES EMPTY PROPERTY RELIEF POLICY 83 – 94 Submit report by the Chief Officer – Resources seeking approval of the introduction of West Dunbartonshire Council’s locally agreed Non-Domestic Rates (NDR) Empty Property Relief (EPR). 11 SCALE OF CHARGES – CLYDEBANK TOWN HALL – 95 – 99 MOTION FROM COUNCIL 31 AUGUST 2022 Submit report by the Chief Officer – Citizen, Culture & Facilities requesting consideration of a review of all hire costs associated with Clydebank Town Hall events and what level of charitable discount or reduction is appropriate. 12 TREASURY MANAGEMENT STRATEGY AND ANNUAL 101 – 133 INVESTMENT STRATEGY Submit report by the Chief Officer – Resources seeking Council approval of the proposed Treasury Management Strategy Statement and Annual Investment Strategy and the indicators contained within. 13 GENERAL SERVICES BUDGETARY CONTROL REPORT TO 135 – 212 31 JANUARY 2023 (PERIOD 10) Submit report by the Chief Officer – Resources providing an update on the General Services revenue budget and the approved capital programme to 31 January 2023. 14 HOUSING REVENUE ACCOUNT BUDGETARY CONTROL 213 – 233 REPORT TO 31 JANUARY 2023 (PERIOD 10) Submit report by Chief Officer – Resources providing an update on the financial performance to 31 January 2023 (Period 10) of the HRA revenue and capital budgets for 2022/23. 15 NOTICE OF MOTIONS (a) Motion by Councillor Jim Bollan – Naloxone Intervention Kits Council recognises the huge number of deaths due to opiate overdose in Scotland. West Dunbartonshire, at the end of 2022, had six such deaths within the space of a month. People who overdose on opiates can be saved by Naloxone being administered, which temporarily reverses the effects of opiate overdose to allow medical intervention.
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Last year in Scotland 1,300 lives were saved by Naloxone. Council agrees to locate a Naloxone Intervention Kit in all Council premises, Offices, Libraries, Leisure Centres, Residential Units and other locations, where it is felt they could be of emergency assistance. Free training for staff locally (45mins) is available, the Naloxone Kit and a free supply of the Naloxone is available locally from the NHS for all accredited/trained users. (b) Motion by Councillor Clare Steel – Scottish Water Inadequate Infrastructure and Local Flooding in Linnvale This Council is concerned about the annual flooding events which affect Linnvale in Clydebank. The Council notes that an Open Forum Question from John Mooney was considered at the December Council and that Councillor David McBride responded on behalf of West Dunbartonshire Council. A copy of the question and response is appended to this motion. The access to Linnvale is limited and the only way in and out of the area by vehicle is through Livingston Street which is highly prone to localised flooding. As a result, when we have heavy rain, the road into Linnvale becomes unusable and means that local residents, emergency services and businesses are affected. As well as the temporary isolation this causes, there is an inherent risk of flooding to homes which is a major concern for local residents. Council is concerned that although the flooding is captured in the Clyde & Loch Lomond Local Flood Risk Management Plan, funding for the Scottish works to bring its infrastructure up to an adequate standard has not yet been identified. The Council has made commitment to support Tenants & residents with flood preventions to their property. Council has also committed to working with Scottish Water to accelerate key areas that experience flooding due to capacity issues in the Scottish water draining system. Funding has been allocated by West Dunbartonshire Council to progress those studies. Given the above, the Council asks the Chief Executive to write to the appropriate Cabinet Secretary highlighting the impact of the flooding on the residents of Linnvale and calls on the Scottish Government and Scottish Water to prioritise the replacement of the inadequate Scottish Water infrastructure.
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Appendix Open Forum Question John Mooney: The following Open Forum question has been submitted:- Question from John Mooney – Flooding in Linnvale, Clydebank The Linnvale community is very concerned about the recurrent flooding of their streets. It is disappointing and demoralising to read the recriminations between the Council and Scottish Water about this in the local press. Can the Council provide an assurance today that it will do its utmost to work in partnership with Scottish Water and the Linnvale community to sort this out for good? Council Response by Councillor David McBride: The Clyde & Loch Lomond Local Flood Risk Management Plan sets out the actions that West Dunbartonshire Council has agreed to take forward to reduce the overall flood risk within the area. These actions have been discussed and agreed by the WDC, SEPA, Scottish Water and all other responsible authorities & Public bodies involved in reducing Flood Risk. West Dunbartonshire Council will be the Lead on the action for a Surface Water Management Plan for the Clydebank Area, this is a cycle 3 action under the Clyde & Loch Lomond Local Flood Risk Management Plan for West Dunbartonshire Council & Scottish Water due to the ongoing actions. At this time there is no confirmation of when the funding will be made available from the Scottish Government to fund this piece of work as the flooding budget is currently oversubscribed. The flood study has identified a number of locations at high risk to the impact of surface water and the need for a detailed Surface Water Management plan to be developed to address current capacity issue of the existing drainage system. Whilst the responsibility for surface water lies with the local authority, the majority of drainage systems are owned and maintained by Scottish Water and as such any plans need to be developed in conjunction with them. Although the Council will be looking at methods to best manage the Surface Water within the area, there will still be a Flood Risk from the combined sewer systems where the capacity is not sufficient.
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Scottish Water have confirmed that there is a capacity issue within the existing systems at Linnvale which results in flooding experienced at street level. A budget allocation of £500k was made in the 2022/23 budget to accelerate flood prevention works. The 2nd Nov 2022 IRED Committee approved that £375k would be allocated to accelerate feasibility studies for a number of priority locations that are identified within the Surface Water Management Study. Linnvale has been identified as a priority location. As part of this investment the Council will liaise with Scottish Water to undertake a focused study to develop plans for water alleviation and system upgrades to reduce the impact of surface water within the area. (c) Motion by Councillor Craig Edward – Additional Dwelling Supplement Tax Increase Council notes the Scottish Budget announced on the 15th of December 2022, resulted in the Additional Dwelling Supplement (ADS) increased from 4% to 6% with immediate effect. This tax is payable on the total price of purchasing additional residential properties in Scotland, when a property purchase price exceeds £40,000. Local Authorities are still obliged to pay the ADS rate. To put this into context, if the Housing Department purchased an ‘off the shelf’ buy back property on the open market at £100,000, then the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) would be paying an additional £2000 in ADS. Housing policy must not solely rely on building new homes, when it is possible to purchase private housing to meet the needs of our citizens on the housing waiting list. Each property purchased becomes council housing stock. This Council has ambitious plans to purchase more homes for council ownership. Based on our 2023/24 projections, the HRA would be paying £300,000 in ADS, which is £100,000 more than was the case prior to the Scottish Government increasing this tax at the Scottish Budget announcement. This will have a real impact on Council’s plans because if it did purchase a home at £100,000 for example, the unjustness of the ADS tax will result in either council tenants suffering with a £300,000 surcharge, or council purchasing three less properties each year. This is not an acceptable situation for our tenants or for our citizens on housing waiting lists. Council commends the hard work and diligence of our housing staff who have already been lobbying strongly and repeatedly for this obstructive tax increase
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to be reversed, to enable more homes to be purchased for council housing use. Council supports the work of our staff highlighting this tax injustice. Therefore, the Convenor of Housing, Employability & Communities, and the Leader of the Council, will make respective representations to the relevant Cabinet Secretaries, and via COSLA. The representation will highlight the absurdity of this situation, call for this tax increase to be reversed immediately, and highlight the negative impact the ADS increase has on the Scottish Government’s own priorities in terms of increasing supply and housing by 2040. Council will also liaise directly with the WDTRO on raising these concerns and report back to council on the outcome of the representations made, as above. (d) Motion by Councillor Sophie Traynor – Growing Up Grieving Council recognises the differing levels of bereavement services for children and young people within schools across West Dunbartonshire. The current support that is in place varies significantly across schools in the area and is not holistic enough to fully support grieving children and young people throughout their school careers. The motion is based on the National Childhood Bereavement Project's “Growing Up Grieving” report which was delivered by Includem which looks at this issue on a national level. Council requests the Chief Education Officer to address the lack of universality of bereavement support provided in schools across West Dunbartonshire through a bereavement policy that takes at a whole school approach to death, dying and bereavement to support all children and young people who are experiencing grief. (e) Motion by Councillor Craig Edward – Welcoming HM Coastguard to Clydebank Council warmly welcomes news that His Majesty’s Coastguard will soon be creating a new Coastguard Rescue Team based in Clydebank. Coastguard Rescue Teams (CRTs) are made up of fully trained volunteers from all walks of life that will attend emergencies on the Clyde and can be mobilised to support partner agencies inland with any qualifying incident. This is fantastic news for all of West Dunbartonshire and beyond. CRT’s expertise ranging from persons in water incidents, flooding incidents, trapped persons, concern for persons, missing persons, vessels in distress, and helicopter operations to name but a few. Council looks forward to working constructively with HM Coastguard.
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(f) Motion by Councillor Craig Edward – Clyde Green Freeport Bid Disappointment Council is deeply disappointed that the Clyde Green Freeport bid has lost out in the race to win freeport status. This is a major investment opportunity which has been awarded concentrating out-with the Clyde estuary, with the Cromarty Firth and Firth of Forth benefitting from freeport status instead. The special economic zone would have resulted in tens of thousands of new jobs across the Clyde and beyond, benefiting citizens of West Dunbartonshire with new opportunities. This decision bypasses the beating heart of Scotland’s economy, and importantly the communities at greatest need to benefit from the Levelling Up agenda. Both UK and Scottish Governments need to address the further disadvantage this decision creates affecting the Glasgow City Region including West Dunbartonshire, which has a proud and proven track record in delivering projects with real economic, infrastructure, social, and regeneration outcomes. The Leader of the Council will write to both governments outlining Council’s disappointment, particularly as it has been revealed that this application scored higher in the bid submission criteria than all but one of the other bids. The Leader will also request further opportunities for both governments to work with Council and attract investment and job opportunities for West Dunbartonshire.