Agenda and minutes

Councillor Donald McIntosh

Lesley McInnes, West Highland Housing Association

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The minute of the meeting held on 10^th March 2010 was approved subject to minor textual amendments.

Donna Milton, Arneil Johnston, gave a slide presentation and talk on housing need and demand in the Oban, Lorn and the Isles area, concluding that there is already a shortfall in affordable / market entry level housing  and this is projected to increase over the next ten years.  It was agreed that it is vital that this information is fed into the Local Development Plan process. Ms Milton advised that the Planning Service had been a close partner in the development of the study and that the close working  relationship  between housing and planning services will hopefully continue.

The Chairman expressed disappointment that the information could not have been made available to Community Councils prior to 31^st March, the deadline by which they were asked to submit comments on the Local Plan.

Ms Milton was asked whether the figures shown in respect of housing need included people already living in caravans and she advised that this would have depended on whether or not those people appeared in the Council Tax Register.

Iain Macdonald expressed the view that although nobody would dispute the need for more housing, it must be the appropriate type of housing to address the local need, and that innovative thinking is required.

The Chairman thanked Ms Milton for her attendance and presentation.

Maureen Evans advised that responses to the Forward Oban, Lorn and the Isles (FOLI) Group questionnaire had been received from all Community Councils. The information provided will be fed into the Community Seminar to be held in Oban High School on Saturday 15^th May, 2010.

Eleanor  MacKinnon advised that responses to the invitations to attend the event are slow at present but it is expected that a reasonable number will attend. Dr McNicol (FOLI Chairman) will give a short presentation at the start of the event, summarising the feedback from the questionnaire sent to Community Councils.

It was noted that the interim Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Community Plan, copies of which had been circulated, had been noted by the Community Planning Partnership Management Committee. It was further noted that feedback from the community event on 15^th May would inform meaningful development of this Plan, and that a revised version, to take account of the community views, would be presented to the next meeting of the Group in September.

Strathclyde Police:      Chief Inspector Bland referred to recent public concerns in regard to alleged targets for issue of fixed penalty tickets and stated that no individual police officers have been given any such targets. He advised that the focus is on high visibility of officers, crime prevention and crime reduction, nothing to do with number counting. He also advised that the proposed extension to the street drinking ban was being progressed.

Community Health      David Whiteoak, CHP Manager, advised that nursing cover on   Partnership:                      Lismore has been re-instated and will continue. He also

advised that work on site for the Progressive Care Centre on Mull is likely to commence in June.

Third Sector                Eleanor asked that any information on the Council (or any Partnership:                   other public body) restructuring  be communicated to the

Partnership. She advised that Argyll Voluntary Action has been awarded the contract for the Digital Switchover Community Outreach work to assist members of the community not included in the Digital Switchover Help Scheme for the over 75s. She asked that all partners help to allay public fears in regard to the forthcoming (October 2010) switchover to digital transmission.

There was circulated and noted guidelines on the principles of representation at Community Planning meetings.

There was circulated and noted copies of the Argyll and Bute Third Sector Partnership Agreement.

It was agreed to continue consideration of the adoption of a Mission Statement for the Area Community Planning Group to the next meeting.

Circulation of the agenda well in advance of the meeting was welcomed by partners and it was agreed that this should be the future practice.

To be notified to the Chair at least one week prior to the meeting.

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