Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Donald Kelly.

There were no declarations of interest intimated.

Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee held on 3 June 2021

The Minutes of the meeting of the Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee held on 3 June 2021 were approved as a correct record.

Councillors Anne Horn and Andrew Vennard joined the meeting during consideration of the following item of business.

Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Customer Support Services

The Committee gave consideration to a report presenting the FQ1 2021/22 Performance Reports for Development and Economic Growth and Roads and Infrastructure Services in a revised simplified format commensurate with the Covid-19 situation.

Decision

The Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee noted the FQ1 2021/22 Performance Reports as presented.

(Reference:  Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Customer Support Services dated 19 July 2021, submitted)

Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Customer Support Services

The Committee gave consideration to a report presenting the Service Annual Performance Reviews 2020/21 and Scorecards for the Development and Economic Growth and Roads and Infrastructure Services.

Decision

The Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee approved the Service Annual Performance Reviews and Scorecards as presented prior to publishing on the Council website.

(Reference:  Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Customer Support Services dated 25 June 2021, submitted)

Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Roads and Infrastructure

The Committee gave consideration to a report providing an update on the progress of the delivery of road resurfacing and reconstruction works.

Decision

The Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee –

1.    Endorsed the progress made on delivering the programme of capital works for 2021/22.

2.    Noted that the council had been successful in securing an additional £1.249M  through the Scottish Timber Transport fund.

3.    Noted that progress updates were provided regularly on the Council website.

4.    Noted and endorsed the allocation of funding for footway schemes.

(Reference:  Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Roads and Infrastructure dated July 2021, submitted)

Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Roads and Infrastructure

The Committee gave consideration to a report presenting the Winter Service Policy 2021/22 which remained in a similar format and covered a similar network to that approved by the Committee in previous years while taking into consideration Covid-19.

Decision

The Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee –

1.    Agreed that the £50k funding allocation for community resilience is used as part of the general winter budget.

2.    Noted the weather summary from 2020/21 at Appendix 1 to the submitted report.

3.    Approved the 2021/22 Winter Maintenance Policy at Appendix 2 to the submitted report.

4.    Endorsed the advisory signing, routes unsuitable in severe conditions at Appendix 3 to the submitted report.

5.    Approved the Salt Use Reduction and Preservation of Stocks Protocol at Appendix 4 to the submitted report.

(Reference:  Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Roads and Infrastructure dated August 2021, submitted)

Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Roads and Infrastructure

The Committee gave consideration to a report providing an update on progress with flood risk management activities across Argyll and Bute including news actions which are in development.  The report detailed work complete on the Local Flood Risk Management Plans, flood monitoring network, flood risk management WDM system, flood studies and schemes in development, coastal adaption plans and watercourse inspections.

Decision

The Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee endorsed the content of the submitted report.

(Reference:  Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Roads and Infrastructure dated 2 September 2021, submitted)

Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Roads and Infrastructure

The Committee gave consideration to a report providing an update on the progress with the Campbeltown Flood Protection Scheme including work completed, key dates and risks going forward.

Decision

The Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee –

1.    Endorsed the content of the submitted report.

2.    Noted that the full Business Case would be brought back to the Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee in December 2021.

3.    Noted that construction of the final scheme would be subject to approval of Full Business Case prior to tender award.

(Reference:  Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Roads and Infrastructure dated 2 September 2021, submitted)

Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Development and Economic Growth

The Committee gave consideration to a report presenting a set of options and criteria for the £250k Tackling Digital Exclusion Fund that had been approved by the Council at its budget meeting in February 2021.  The options were described in detail with the advantages and disadvantages of each option identified.

Decision

The Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee –

1.    Approved that £10k of the £250k fund be used to start a marketing campaign to target low take-up areas for Superfast Broadband.

2.    Approved that the remaining £240k be distributed as outlined in Option 2 at paragraph 4.5 of the submitted report.

(Reference:  Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Development and Economic Growth dated 22 July 2021, submitted)

Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Development and Economic Growth

The Committee gave consideration to a report providing an update on the delivery progress of the larger-scale, externally funded project work of the Transformational Projects and Regeneration Team.

Decision

The Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee –

1.    Noted the current progress contained within the submitted report.

2.    Approved that £80,000 Place Based Investment Funding for Lochgilphead Front Green be swapped with £80,000 Town Centre Funding for Bowmore Public Realm to ensure that the delayed Bowmore project could still go ahead and to remove the risk of having to pay back any unspent Town Centre Funding.

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

Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Development and Economic Growth

The Committee gave consideration to a report outlining works undertaken using the Private Sector Housing Grant in 2020/21.  The Private Sector Housing Grant supports adaptations to allow people to stay in their own homes and also supports common repair works to properties in Argyll and Bute with a budget of £1.033M for 2020/21.

Decision

The Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee –

1.   Noted the statutory nature of the work carried out by the Private Sector Housing Grant budget.

2.   Noted the role of the Private Sector Housing Grant in addressing common repairs enabling significant additional funding from other external sources helping maintain and improve existing housing stock in the local authority area.

(Reference:  Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Development and Economic Growth dated 7 July 2021, submitted)

Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Development and Economic Growth

The Committee gave consideration to a report providing an annual update on Argyll and Bute Council’s Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan.

Decision

The Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee noted the progress in Argyll and Bute of the Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan within the complex environment of the Covid-19 lockdown in 2020/21.

(Reference:  Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Development and Economic Growth dated 7 July 2021, submitted)

Councillor Sir Jamie McGrigor joined the meeting during consideration of the following item of business.

Recommendation from the Audit and Scrutiny Committee held on 15 June 2021

The Committee gave consideration to a recommendation from the Audit and Scrutiny Committee in respect of the Strategic Housing Fund Scrutiny Review which had been undertaken as per the 2019/20 Scrutiny Plan.

Decision

The Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee considered and noted the content of the Strategic Housing Fund Scrutiny Report.

(Reference:  Recommendation from Audit and Scrutiny Committee held on 15 June 2021 and report by Chair of Strategic Housing Fund Scrutiny Panel dated 15 June 2021, submitted)

Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Development and Infrastructure

A report providing an update on Roads and Infrastructure Services activities which had been outsourced to external contractors and works provided to external bodies over previous three financial years was before the Committee for noting, as per a request at the last meeting of the Committee.

Decision

The Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee noted the content of the report.

(Reference:  Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Roads and Infrastructure dated August 2021, submitted)

The Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee work plan was before the Committee for noting.

Decision

The Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee noted the content of the work plan.

(Reference: Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee Workplan dated September 2021, submitted)