Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence intimated. 

Councillor Jim Lynch declared a non-financial interest in relation to agenda item 6 (Supporting Communities Fund 2022/23) by virtue of his position as a volunteer presenter on Oban FM Community Radio, who were an applicant to the fund. 

The Minute of the previous meeting of the Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee, which took place on 8 December 2022, was approved as a correct record. 

 

The Minute of the Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Community Planning Group, which took place on 16 February 2022, was noted. 

Question from Janice O Doherty

 

Recently my Mum had a bad fall whilst walking on a footpath in Dunbeg.  I want to give thanks to the people in Dunbeg who helped my Mum that day and also thank Councillor McKenzie for raising a case on behalf of my Mum and our family, following her fall and the unacceptable amount of time that she was made to wait for an emergency response.

 

I wish to ask if local councillors are aware of any issues within our local community, in relation to Scottish Ambulance Service emergency response time, staffing and emergency vehicle provision?

 

I also wish to raise the issue of continuity of emergency care being offered by medical practices in the local area, given the fact that the Taynuilt Medical Practice refused to get involved in assisting my Mum during her unacceptable wait for an ambulance to arrive.

 

Response from Committee

 

The Committee Manager confirmed that he had received the following response from the Scottish Ambulance Service:

 

“Oban ambulance station was given additional funding to end on call commitments which now means it has 2 x 24-hour vehicles, the service will always endeavour in covering all shifts but naturally throughout the pandemic has resulted in shifts being uncovered like all other organisations , in the event of there being no ambulance within the Oban area due to operational demand then Lochgilphead would be dispatched if available. 

 

On receipt of a 999 call the call is triage using the recognized "Manchester triage tool", this ensures the appropriate response is provided, on completion of the triage will determine the level of response which also activates the opportunity to use an alternative pathway which includes falls screening to prevent non requirement attendance to a hospital.

 

MTS is the abbreviation for the Manchester tool kit that gives a triage score, this was introduced by the Medical Director and is used across all services in Britain. 

 

All triaging is being carried out by telephone initially and then the use of video calling is used to allow eyes on the patient to gain a more in-depth history if the patient consents as well as signal coverage, the Advanced Paramedic who is embedded within the ambulance control room has the authority to upgrade the call if required.”

 

Members expressed their dissatisfaction to the response of the Scottish Ambulance Service and concern around the lack of correlation between the services involved. 

 

Councillor McKenzie advised that she had written to the Chief Officer of the Health and Social Care Partnership seeking an urgent review into the matter, and requested that the outcome be reported to Elected Members. 

 

The Chair asked that the outcome of the review be made available to the parties involved in the distressing incident.

 

Question from Alison Craig, Comann nam Pàrant an Òbain

 

Ms Craig spoke of her distress at finding a number of Gaelic educational resources in a skip outside the Education Centre in Oban and the subsequent publicity that followed this discovery.  Ms Craig read the apology she had received from the Council which included an undertaking to undertake a review of the situation.  Ms Craig sought assistance from the Area Committee in the distribution of the reclaimed resources and also enquired as to what they could do to change the views of the Council in regards to the importance of the Gaelic provision.

 

Response from the Committee

 

Having discussed the matter and expressing their concern over the manner in which the disposal of books and resources was handled by the Education Service, Members confirmed their support to Gaelic culture and agreed that Ms Craig and other interested parties be invited to attend a future Business Day meeting of the Area Committee to discuss the importance and future direction of the Gaelic education and provision in the Oban, Lorn and the Isles area. 

 

Question from Marri Malloy, Oban Community Council

 

Ms Malloy expressed her concern over the lack of contact from the Roads and Infrastructure Service following the question posed at the last meeting of the Area Committee regarding the Oban Traffic Regulation Order (TRO). 

 

Response from Committee

 

The Chair confirmed that she had actively pursued this matter and that Ms Malloy’s concerns would be passed to the appropriate officer with a request from the Area Committee that a response to the original question be provided within 7 days. 

 

Questions from Duncan Martin, Oban Community Council

 

1.    At the last meeting an undertaking was given that the process leading to a new TRO for Oban would be restarted and that we would receive a reply to the email we had sent a few weeks previously.  We have not been contacted in the subsequent three months.  Can the Area Committee insist that officers respond to emails and deliver on the undertakings they have given?

 

2.    The report to last week's Harbour Board is on the agenda. The Board realised that the information in this report fell far short of what had been promised at the December meeting, and therefore decided that an additional meeting had to be scheduled before the Council elections.  Has a date for this been established? Oban Community Council is keen that the process of creating a new harbour authority takes place as quickly as possible while maintaining the stakeholder engagement which the rules mandate.

 

3.    There seems to be an established policy that Roads do not comment on Planning Applications unless they are likely to generate a substantial increase in traffic, 10% I believe.  This allows repeated independent applications to be made along a road (eg the back road to Connel) without any consideration of the cumulative effect on traffic. Was this policy decided by the PPSL Committee or internally by Officers?

 

Response from Committee

 

The Chair confirmed that Mr Martin’s questions would be forwarded to the appropriate department and a response in writing would be issued to him. 

 

Due to IT issues, Councillor Devon joined the meeting at 10:58am, during agenda item 4 (Public Question Time).

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Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Customer Support Services

The Committee gave consideration to the Area Report and Scorecard for Financial Quarter 3 2021/22 (October to December 2021) which illustrated the agreed performance measures.

 

Decision

 

The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee:- 

 

1.    Noted the performance and supporting commentary as presented.

 

2.    Noted that upon receipt of the Quarterly Performance Report, the Area Committee could contact either the responsible named officer or the Performance and  Improvement Officer with any queries.

 

3.    Noted that work is ongoing and to respond to the Performance and Improvement Officer with requests or comments regarding the layout and format of the Performance Report and Scorecard. 

 

4.    Noted the requirement to amend the current report template and Scorecard.

 

5.    Agreed that an amended report template and Scorecard are electronically circulated to Members for information and approval to meet the FQ4 2021/22 reporting deadline.

 

6.    Agreed to end the production and circulation of the supplementary images of the Scorecard by Corporate Outcome images. 

 

(Reference:  Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Customer Support Services, dated 10 March 2022, submitted)

 

Report by Chief Executive

Consideration was given to a report recommending the distribution of awards for the Council’s Supporting Communities Fund (SCF) 2022/23 for the Oban, Lorn and the Isles area, the budget for which included the remaining funds from the Covid-19 Micro Grants Fund. 

 

Discussion was had around the criteria for the fund and the need to ensure that going forward the scoring mechanism is reviewed to ensure equitable distribution of the fund. 

 

Decision

 

The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee:-

 

1.    Agreed to award funding from the Supporting Communities Fund budget to 11 applicants, totalling £24,030.29, as follows:

 

 

2.    Requested that the scoring mechanism be reviewed to ensure that more and smaller awards are considered in future years. 

 

(Reference:  Report by Chief Executive, dated 9 March 2022, submitted)

Report by Head Teacher, Oban High School

The Committee gave consideration to a progress report providing information in relation to wider achievement; SQA performance; pupil and staff wellbeing; blended and home learning; contingency planning; school successes; the school roll; clothing and footwear grants; free school meals and attendance, absence and exclusions.

 

Decision

 

The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee noted the contents of the report and information provided.

 

(Reference:  Report by Head Teacher, Oban High School, dated March 2022, submitted) 

Report by Head Teacher, Tiree High School

The Committee gave consideration to a progress report providing information in relation to wider achievement; SQA performance; pupil and staff wellbeing; blended and home learning; contingency planning; school successes; the school roll; clothing and footwear grants; free school meals and attendance, absence and exclusions.

 

Decision

 

The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee noted the contents of the report and information provided.

 

(Reference:  Report by Head Teacher, Tiree High School, dated March 2022, submitted) 

 

Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Roads and Infrastructure Services

Consideration was given to a report which provided an update on the recent activities of Roads and Infrastructure Services and highlighted works being undertaken which were of relevance to the Oban, Lorn and the Isles area.

 

Decision

 

The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee considered and noted the contents of the report.

 

(Reference:  Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Roads and Infrastructure Services, dated February 2022, 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 made since the decision of the Special Harbour Board meeting in December 2021 in respect of Oban Bay. 

 

Decision

 

The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee agreed to note the update presented to, and the decision of, the Council’s Harbour Board on 3 March 2022.

 

(Reference:  Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Roads and Infrastructure Services, dated February 2022, submitted)

Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Development and Economic Growth

Consideration was given to a report which provided an update on the Lorn Arc Tax Incremental Finance Agreement (TIF) initiative following an update report being presented to the Councils Policy and Resources Committee on 17 February 2022.  The report also provided a detailed update on current live projects at Dunbeg and Oban Airport.

 

Discussion took place around the increased awareness and public interest surrounding the future plans for Oban Airport, with Members seeking the formation of a Stakeholders Meeting Group with membership to include the Community Council; local residents and the resident travelling community. 

 

Decision

 

The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee:-

 

1.          considered and noted the update provided within the report and the decisions made by the Policy and Resources Committee at its meeting on 17 February 2022; and

 

2.          agreed to request that the Head of Development and Economic Growth investigate the possibility of organising a Stakeholders Meeting Group to increase awareness and public interest in the future plans for Oban Airport. 

 

(Reference:  Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Development and Infrastructure, dated February 2022, submitted)

 

Report by Executive Director with responsibilities for Development and Economic Growth

The Committee gave consideration to a report which provided an update on the Housing Services activity and the delivery of the Local Housing Strategy within the Oban, Lorn and the Isles area. 

 

Decision

 

The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee considered and noted the contents of the report. 

 

(Reference:  Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Development and Economic Growth, dated 9 March 2022, submitted)

The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee Workplan as at March 2022 was before the Committee for noting.

 

Decision

 

The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee noted the contents of the Workplan.

 

(Reference:  Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee Workplan, submitted) 

The Committee gave consideration to a report which provided information regarding seven applications that had been received for support for the John of Lorne Bequest. 

 

Decision

 

The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee agreed to:

 

1.    award £100 to the five family applicants who meet the criteria;

 

2.    refuse the one family applicant who did not meet the criteria; and

 

3.    refuse the one individual applicant who did not meet the criteria.

 

(Reference:  Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Legal and Regulatory Support, dated February 2022, submitted)   

The Chair and Councillors Devon and McCuish took the opportunity to thank everyone for their support during their terms as Councillors for the Oban, Lorn and the Isles area.  Each outlined the achievements they were most proud of during their time in office.   They wished those who were standing for re-election good luck and thanked Committee Services for their efforts and hard work behind the scenes.  The sentiments were echoed by the other Councillors, who thanked Councillors Robertson, Devon and McCuish for their commitment and friendship over the years, and wished them well for the future.

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