AABCC AGM
MINUTES OF ANNUAL MEETING WITH ARGYLL & BUTE COUNCIL
AND THE AGM OF THE ASSOCIATION OF ARGYLL & BUTE COMMUNITY COUNCILS
held at Argyll & Bute Council Headquarters, Kilmory, Lochgilphead on Saturday 4th October 2008
Welcome: Members and guests of the Association were welcomed by the Association Chairperson, Anne Gabriel, and by the Council Leader, Dick Walsh. Anne thanked Mr Walsh for his attendance and for allowing the Council Chamber to be used for the AGM.
NATIONAL PARKS
Councillors were privileged to hear a presentation by Robert G. Maund, Chairman of the Scottish Council for National Parks on the sporadic history, the development of national parks and the efforts being made to ensure that inappropriate commercial enterprises do not threaten their intrinsic status. Councillorswere privileged to heara presentation by Robert G. Maund, Chairman of the Scottish Council for National Parks on the sporadic history, the development of national parks and the efforts being made to ensure that inappropriate commercial enterprises do not threaten their intrinsic status.
ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS PROVIDED BY COMMUNITY COUNCILS
Councillor Walsh apologised for the absence of Sally Reid, the new Chief Executive, who was travelling to Inverness to attend a conference. He then issued answers provided by his office and by Council officers to questions submitted by Ardchattan, Avich & Kilchrenan, Bute, Lochgoil, Taynuilt and Oban Community Councils. He opened a discussion on issues raised by attending councillors and answered questions on a range of other issues including yet another review of community council instigated by the Scottish Government to conform community councils to Council Wards. This issue came as a shock, in particular because of the review being undertaken and implemented before community council elections in April 2009. However he undertook to research the Scottish Government directive and to inform the AABCC Secretary within the following few days of its likely implications for rural community councils. He offered to co-operate in the formation of a small group of community councillors and Council officials to examine difficulties arising from misunderstandings over planning procedures and agreed that other councillor forums could help to identify common community needs. He answered criticisms on a number of Government funding withdrawals and changes, including the Seil link, the Easdale fixed link, the Oban by-pass & waterfront scheme and the cessation of ‘ring fencing’. Councillor Walsh also received a request for printed answers to be available well before the meeting so that subsidiary questions could be prepared.
COMMUNITY PLANNING PARTNERSHIP PRESENTATION
In taking up the challenge of ensuring the inclusion of community council participation at both levels of the CPP, Councillor Walsh was at pains to explain the pressures under which the Council operates as agents and co-providers with the Scottish Government of local finance. He explained the nature of the single outcome agreement but stressed that it was not a demand for conformity. Questions on his presentation established that few community councillors understand the likely implications of CPP involvement, apart from the opportunity to be involved in the delineation and implementation of a range of community initiatives. He was thanked for his presentation.
Lunch was provided by Argyll & Bute Council and was followed by -
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Although still not in any kind of membership with the Scottish Association, the Secretary was asked by some of those in membership to suggest issues which should be brought to ASCC meetings.
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Undoubtedly the issue which raised more than a few problems surrounded the Association’s membership of the Full and Management Committees of the Community Planning Partnership. Without the active involvement of Nic Welsh of Oban Community Council, David Price of Avich and Kilchrenan Community Council and Alan Livingstone of Taynuilt Community Council, the Association’s involvement might well have been greatly reduced. The doctrinaire issues from the Scottish Government, and the way they have been handed down to the Association, still rankle with a number of community councils. However a member of Helensburgh Community Council proved invaluable in offering a clear breakdown of traditional funding and the alternative route now implicit in CPP routing.
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Costs incurred in Executive Members travelling long distance to attend bimonthly meeting on the CPP and other matters, received no sympathetic treatment from the Council. Community councils with a minimum administrative grant were advised that if its members were involved in the Executive Committee, the travel costs should be taken from this grant. He quoted a theoretical case where a small community council situated at the furthest point of the County would have to use more than half its administrative grant if it sent a representative to executive meetings. The moral seemed to be that democratic involvement was in inverse proportion to the distance from Lochgilphead.
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Planning procedures in the north of the county had also been subjected to adverse comment. The issue concerned the level of statutory and discretionary community involvement in formal and informal site visits, and the extent to which local knowledge of the area and its services was being treated with little respect by Unitary Authority Councillors. Unsurprisingly with confusion over the definitions involved, confidence in the Council’s handling of planning matters is at its lowest ebb, and at a time when the Scottish Government is trying to widen the influence of community councils in local planning matters.
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Finally, he made a plea for those intending to stand at the self-run un-funded community council elections on Thursday 2 April 2008 to enter the fray with determination to restrict the moves made by local authorities to limit the involvement of local residents in affairs directly affecting their lives. He said that the Council should take up the Scottish Government’s challenge and encourage community councils to assist local authorities in their duties, to advise LAs on local needs and to keep residents informed of moves being made to ensure fair and equitable distribution of funding and services. The perception that community councils are seen as in irritant to local government persists among community councils; a view, if true, does nor presage well for future harmonious partnerships.
THE ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF THE ASSOCIATION
Present: Chairperson Anne Gabriel, Vice Chair Kate Murray, Treasurer Phil Risby, & Secretary Geoffrey Page. Executive Committee members – Leslie J. Cuthbertson, Lochgoil: Sandy Dunlop, Connel: Alan Livingstone & Tom McLellan, Taynuilt: Irene Pratt, South Cowal: David Price, Avich & Kilchrenan: Peter Wallace, Bute: Nicola Welsh, Oban and John White, Helensburgh.
Other Community Councillors attending: David Fiddes, Strachur: Kenneth MacIntyre, Oban: C. J. Maclean, Furnace: Nigel Millar, Helensburgh: Harry Powell, Connel: Anthony Proud, Mull: Stuart & Anne Reid, Seil & Easdale: & Mary Smyth, Craignish (Total 22 councillors representing 17 community councils)
Apologies from Edward & Jeanette Laughton, Ardrishaig and Shelagh Cameron, East Kintyre.
MINUTES OF THE LAST AGM Minutes of the last AGM held on Saturday 6th October 2007 were approved and signed, subject to the date of the 2007 balance being corrected from 2006 to 2007. Proposed by Sandy Dunlop, seconded by Harry Powell. THE CHAIRPERSON paid tribute to Katy Murray for acting as Chairperson following the resignation of Julian Hankinson; Julian is reported to be fit and well following his trip to Canada. THE SECRETARY GAVE A REPORT ON THE YEARS EVENTS He said that during the year the Secretary’s workload had increased, first with the addition of the Quarterly Bulletins and then with the responsibility for the Association’s Web-site. Neither the Bulletins or the web-site received negative comment, which might be construed as a compliment, but there was a distinct lack of journalistic input from members of the Executive and of the county’s community councils. The wish to include in the Bulletins selected items from approved minutes was well and regularly supported by 12 community councils, but the remaining 38 resisted the temptation to disclose the nature of their discussion and of the support they received through the attendance of residents at meetings. Throughout the year individual community councils contacted the Secretary for advice on a wide variety of matters ranging from how to deal with intransigent residents to advise on the procedures contractors were supposed to follow when planning major works.
FINANCIAL MATTERS & MEMBERSHIP The Treasurer reported a balance of £1563.16 in the accounts, mainly because of the savings associated with the AGM being held at Kilmory and because of economies over executive meetings. As Membership Secretary, Phil Risby reported that 36 of the 55 active community councils (65%) were members of the Association but asked everyone to encourage others to join. (Tiree was thought not to be active) ELECTION OF OFFICE BEARERS 2008-9 There were no nominations for office holders but the Secretary said that he preferred to stand down before the end of the current term. An extended discussion followed on means of sharing the Secretary’s workload but eventually a proposal was made by Leslie J. Cuthbertson that the Secretary be asked to continue. The majority of councillors supported it and the Secretary agreed to continue until the end of March 2009. ANY OTHER BUSINESS : None OPEN DISCUSSION There followed a lively discussion on the morning’s presentation and on other matters including concern over implications that major changes may be made to the number and catchment of existing councils. During these discussions the Secretary agreed to contact Charles Reppke to establish the exact nature of the threat to the status quo. Alan Livingstone continued to press strongly for Councillor Walsh’s proposal to set up a small representative group to consider problems arising from recent planning procedures, while others pressed for the establishment of area groups to co-ordinate and pursue common interests before presenting their views to councillors or council officers. On the issue of AABCC representation on specific ABC and other statutory bodies, several members spoke of the need for the Council, or the respective partnership, to provide adequate travelling expenses. Amongst other topics discussed was the nature and funding of voluntary groups and the extent of their involvement with the relatively new Third Sector Steering Group.
CONCLUSION The Chairperson, in commenting on the day’s events, hoped that the presentations and the question sessions had been productive. She thanked councillors for attending The meeting closed promptly at 3.00pm. The Secretary agreed to arrange a meeting of the Executive Committee on the last Saturday in November or the first in December, if the Hall was not available.