Agenda and minutes

The Chair ruled, and the Committee agreed, to a variation in the order of business to allow officer attendance. The minute reflects the order in which items were discussed.

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.

There were no apologies for absence intimated.

Councillor Douglas Philand declared a non-financial interest at Agenda item 6 (Supporting Communities Fund 2021/22) with specific reference to the application from the Multiple Sclerosis Centre, Mid Argyll, as he is a Board member of this group. Councillor Philand advised that he would leave the room if the Committee agreed to take the applications individually.

Councillor Robin Currie declared a non-financial interest at Agenda item 6 (Supporting Communities Fund 2021/22) with specific reference to the application from Argyll, Lomond and the Islands Energy Agency (ALIEnergy) as he is a Council-appointed Board member of this group.  Councillor Currie advised that he would leave the room if the Committee agreed to take the applications individually.

The Minute of the Meeting of the Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Committee, held on Wednesday, 3 March 2021, was approved as a correct record.

Councillor Redman requested assistance around an ongoing issue with recycling bins at Port Charlotte, which had been removed by Roads and Infrastructure Services due to littering and fly tipping concerns but had not since been returned. The Head of Roads and Infrastructure Services agreed to provide a response to Members by e-mail following the meeting around concerns raised.  

Councillor Redman raised concerns around vandalism and littering on Islay, particularly highlighting an incidence of vandalism which had resulted in a hand sanitiser station at a bus shelter in Port Charlotte being smashed. Councillor Redman confirmed that he had previously discussed the issue with the Head Teacher of Islay High School. Councillor Redman requested that contact was made with Police Scotland to request that a more proactive response be taken to tackle the issue and the Committee Manager agreed to contact Police Scotland and circulate any response to Members by e-mail following the meeting.

Councillor Kelly requested confirmation that a number of issues raised at the last meeting of the Committee had been progressed, particularly in relation to a disabled access to pavements survey and report; a response to concerns around Kintyre Care Centre and delayed discharges at Campbeltown Hospital; and a further report on traffic management in the Davaar and Meadows housing schemes. The Committee Manager confirmed that a response had been circulated to Members on 23^rd March 2021 from a Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) representative in relation to Kintyre Care Centre and delayed discharges at Campbeltown Hospital. The Committee Manager confirmed that reports in relation to a disabled access to pavements survey and traffic management in the Davaar and Meadows Housing Schemes were included on the MAKI Area Committee workplan for the September 2021 meeting.

Councillor Horn advised that part of the road at Garvel Road, Tarbert, between the entrance and the car park was in very poor condition. Councillor Horn noted that she felt any underspend in money for the regeneration scheme works in the area should have been reallocated to improve the road conditions and this undermined the good work which had been done in the area as it was now a popular walking route and the road surface was becoming increasingly dangerous. The Committee Manager agreed to raise concerns with the appropriate officers and circulate any response to Members by e-mail following the meeting.  

Councillor Horn raised concerns on behalf of a constituent around non-completion of commercial glass uplifts by Roads and Infrastructure Services, advising that this had been a frequent occurrence and companies paying for this service were then required to make enquiries or claim for the undelivered service. Councillor Horn advised that she felt that notification of non-completion and issuing of refunds should be the responsibility of Roads and Infrastructure Services rather than the customer.  The Head of Roads and Infrastructure Services agreed to provide a response to Members by e-mail following the meeting around concerns raised.

Councillor Horn noted that a noticeboard previously in place in Skipness on the wall of the old church had been removed by the owners of the building due to Covid restrictions and had not since been replaced. Councillor Horn requested that enquiries were made on behalf of the community as to whether the noticeboard could be put in place at the crossroads without the need to apply for planning permission. The Committee Manager agreed to make enquiries with the appropriate officers and circulate any response to Members by e-mail following the meeting.   

Councillor Horn advised that she had previously discussed the issue of littering on Islay with Chief Inspector Marlene Baillie, Police Scotland. Councillor Horn advised that Police Scotland had been in communication with the Head Teacher at Islay High School and a plan was being put in place to combat the situation.

Councillor Philand requested that contact was made with the Lead Councillor for the HSCP, following recent reports in local and national newspapers around difficulties within Children Services and the potential for future strike action. Councillor Philand expressed concern that no information had been provided to Councillors around this and advised that he had previously contacted the Lead Councillor for the HSCP on 20^th May 2021 but had received no response to date. The Committee Manager agreed to contact the Lead Councillor for the HSCP and circulate any response to Members by e-mail following the meeting.   

Councillor Armour requested that an update was provided on reasons behind a reported substantial increase in closures of the amenity site at The Roading, Campbeltown. Councillor Armour expressed concerns around the availability of parking in the area for those wishing to access the site, particularly during site closures when waiting for the site to reopen, advising that this could have an impact on the nearby Ambulance station. Councillor Kelly noted that he felt that the MACC base at Machrihanish would be a more appropriate destination for Campbeltown’s amenity site. The Chair confirmed that plans for the amenity site in Campbeltown would be looked at in future, with cognisance being given to the planned changes to waste management regulations coming into force by 2025. The Head of Roads and Infrastructure Services agreed to provide a response to Members by e-mail following the meeting around concerns raised.

Report by Executive Director with Responsibility for Education

The Committee gave consideration to a progress and statistical update report on the Primary Schools in the Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands area for the 2020/2021 session.

The Education Officer noted that information contained within the report around achievement of levels was information from 2019 as no information uplift had taken place in 2020 due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Education Officer confirmed that an information uplift around achievement of levels was expected in June 2021.

Decision

The Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Committee considered the contents of the report and thanked staff for their work throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

(Reference: Report by Executive Director with Responsibility for Education, dated 7 May 2021, submitted)

Report by Executive Director with Responsibility for Roads and Infrastructure Services

The Committee gave consideration to a report which provided an update on the progress of the Traffic Regulation Orders (TRO) process, background on the current backlog of TROs and the impact of statutory Temporary Traffic Regulation Orders (TTRO) and Traffic Notices on the progression of permanent TROs.

The Head of Roads and Infrastructure Services provided assurance to the Committee that any TROs would be brought to the attention of Area Committee Members prior to being put in place, regardless of whether any objections were received during the consultation process.

The Head of Roads and Infrastructure Services clarified that reference to car parking charges at paragraph 3.8. of the report being imposed on an all year basis referred only to car parks in Inveraray where there were existing seasonal charging procedures in place, noting that car parks currently free to use would remain so.

Decision

The Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Committee considered and noted the update on Traffic Regulation Order progress.

(Reference: Report by Executive Director with Responsibility for Development and Infrastructure Services dated May 2021, submitted)

Report by Executive Director with Responsibility for Roads and Infrastructure Services

The Committee gave consideration to a report which provided an update on the recent activities of Roads and Infrastructure Services and highlighted works being undertaken in the Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area. 

Decision

The Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Committee considered and noted the contents of the report.

(Reference: Report by Executive Director with Responsibility for Roads and Infrastructure Services, dated May 2021, submitted)

Report by Chief Executive

The Committee gave consideration to a report recommending the distribution of awards for the Council’s Supporting Communities Fund (SCF) 2021/2022 for the Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands area.

Decision

The Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Committee agreed to award funding from the Council’s Supporting Communities Fund budget for the Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands area as follows:

(Reference: Report by Chief Executive, dated 12 May 2021, submitted)

Councillor Sandy Taylor left the meeting during consideration of the foregoing item.

Report by Head of Strategic Planning and Performance, Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership

The Committee gave consideration to a report which provided an update from the Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership on the service performance impact resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic and the progress made with regard to remobilising health and social care services.

It was agreed that the Committee Manager would contact the Health and Social Care Partnership to express the Committee’s wish for a more brief report to be provided to future meetings, with more up to date information available for Member’s attention and consideration, as the format of the report provided was considered to be impractical for the needs of the Committee.

Decision

The Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Committee;

1.    noted the HSCP performance progress regarding remobilisation of activity in line with NHS Highland performance targets for 2020/21 agreed with the Scottish Government to 70%-80% of 2019/20 activity; and

2.    noted the extension to the reporting timescales for the Annual Performance Report and review guidance with regards to the Strategic Commissioning Plan and Integration Scheme.

(Reference: Report by Head of Strategic Planning & Performance, Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership, dated March 2021, submitted)

Report by Executive Director with Responsibility for Development and Economic Growth

The Committee gave consideration to a report providing Members with a review of the Campbeltown Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS) Round 6, the project having ended on the 31^st of March 2021, and providing a final report on the overall programme of heritage led regeneration in Campbeltown town centre from 2007-2021 that led to Campbeltown being named as the Most Improved Place in Scotland at the 2020 SURF Awards.  

The Project Officer highlighted an error in the report at paragraph 4.13, clarifying that there were 182 grants awarded totalling £3.25 million.

Decision

The Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Committee:

1. considered the contents of the report and agreed that Campbeltown CARS Round 6 had been successfully delivered as detailed in section 4 of the report;
2. noted the additional building projects that had been delivered in addition to the original CARS projects as detailed in paragraph 4.4. of the report;
3. noted the critical funding role that Historic Environment Scotland had played in supporting the regeneration of Campbeltown;
4. noted the critical role that the Campbeltown CARS priority building owners associations had in the successful delivery of Campbeltown CARS Round 6;
5. noted the critical role that all stakeholders had who had been involved in the heritage led regeneration of Campbeltown town centre since 2007; and
6. noted that Campbeltown had been named as Scotland’s Most Improved Place at the 2020 SURF Awards.

(Reference: Report by Executive Director with Responsibility for Development and Economic Growth, dated April 2021, submitted)

Report by Executive Director with Responsibility for Development and Economic Growth

The Committee gave consideration to a report asking Members to agree the governance arrangements for the Lochgilphead Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS) (Round 8 2020-2026).

Decision

The Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Committee agreed:

1.    to note and approve the governance arrangements as outlined within the report; and

2.    to delegate authority to the Executive Director with responsibility for Development and Economic Growth, in consultation with the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Committee, should an urgent decision on a small repair or shopfront repair grant in excess of £10,000 be required.

(Reference: Report by Executive Director with Responsibility for Development and Economic Growth, dated 19^th April 2021, submitted)

Report by Executive Director with Responsibility for Development and Economic Growth

The Committee gave consideration to a report which provided an update on the six projects approved to proceed to full business case as part of the Tarbert and Lochgilphead Regeneration Fund.

Decision

The Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Committee noted and considered the progress made with the projects as detailed within the report. 

(Reference: Report by Executive Director with Responsibility for Development and Economic Growth, dated 4^th May 2021, submitted)

Report by Executive Director with Responsibility for Commercial Services

The Committee gave consideration to a report which provided an update on property related projects, both concluded and ongoing, within the Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands area.

Decision

The Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Committee noted and considered the contents of the update report on property related projects in the Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands area.

(Reference: Report by Executive Director with Responsibility for Commercial Services, dated 6^th May 2021, submitted)

Report by Executive Director with Responsibility for Customer Support Services

The Committee gave consideration to a report presenting the Area Report and Scorecard for Financial Quarter 4 2020/21 (January-March 2021), which illustrated the agreed performance measures.

Decision

The Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Committee agreed:

1. to note the performance presented on the Scorecard and supporting commentary;
2. that upon receipt of the Quarterly Performance Report the Area Committee contact either the Responsible Named Officer or Sonya Thomas with any queries; and
3. to note that work is ongoing and to respond to Sonya Thomas with requests or comments regarding the layout and format of the Report and Scorecard.

(Reference: Report by Executive Director with Responsibility for Performance and Improvement, dated 2 June 2021, submitted)

The Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Committee Workplan as at June 2021 was before the Committee for noting.

Decision

The Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Committee noted the contents of the Workplan.

(Reference: Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Committee Workplan, submitted)