Minutes:
At the commencement of Public and Councillor Question time a petition was submitted on behalf of Mull Community Council regarding the Mull Off-Street Traffic Regulation Order. The Chair accepted the petition advising that as it had been received after the closure of the public consultation the petition would not be referred to at the meeting and would be filed for future reference.
1.
Moray Finch asked the Area
Committee if they would consider referring the Mull Off-Street Traffic
Regulation Order for consideration via hearing.
The Area Committee Manager reminded the Area Committee that it would not
be prudent to respond to questions on this matter but advised the Committee
that referring the matter to a discretionary hearing was within their powers.
2.
Mhairi Killin,
Iona Business Forum, raised concerns around the reducing number of tourists
over the past two years and identified that there had been a shift in the type
of traveller with most now being independent travellers. Ms Killin
further asked what support Argyll and Bute Council would provide to mitigate
against the reduction in tourists.
The Area Committee noted the concerns raised.
3.
Shiona Ruheman,
Iona Community Council, sought clarification on whether any matter affecting
islands, should involve a statutory body consultation.
The Chair confirmed that Argyll and Bute Council do and will continue to
consult with communities and any failure to do so would be addressed.
4.
Iain Nicoll asked the Committee
whether the Mull Rally would be able to take place as normal.
The Chair responded that she couldn’t think of a reason why Mull Rally would
not continue to operate as normal.
5.
Brian Swinbanks asked the Area
Committee to confirm that access would be permitted on an ongoing basis to the
harbours on Mull.
The Chair informed the meeting that there was no suggestion to impeding
access to the harbours and further information on this would be presented at
item 7, Craignure Pier – STAG Report, of the agenda.
6.
Richard Payne asked the Area
Committee when the electric car charging point at Ledaig
Car Park would be fixed.
The Area Committee Manager informed Mr Payne that he would request a
response from the responsible officer and respond back to Mr Payne if he
provided his contact details at the end of the meeting.
7.
Elizabeth Ferguson asked each
Member of the Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee
what they would do differently in order to sustain island life.
Councillor Robertson noted the importance of recognising the uniqueness
of island life and that members regularly visit islands.
Councillor Devon responded that she hoped that everyone attending would
be able to see first-hand how the committee process works and that Elected
Members do take on board what communities say and use this to challenge
officers.
Councillor McGrigor noted the importance of change and that more account
should be taken of local bio-diversity and improving things for future
generations. He highlighted the importance of treating the needs of each island
on an individual basis.
Councillor McKenzie noted the strength of feeling that had been shown at
the meeting on local matters and that island communities would turn out in
force to address matters that affect them. She felt the current level of
consultation and engagement by the Council, in its widest sense, was inadequate
and that local communities should be listened to more. She also noted the
importance of the Community Empowerment Act and that no one should be
disadvantaged due to living on an island.
Councillor Lynch acknowledged that there was currently a lack of trust
by the community and that this requires to be addressed through better levels
of communication and improved engagement.
Councillor Green acknowledged that every island is different and
although he doesn’t have a deep understanding of island life he appreciated the
issues being faced by island communities within Argyll and Bute.
Councillor Vennard stated that new ways of communication need to be
looked at and that this is something he would like to be involved in.
Councillor McKenzie believed that the Council was overly prescriptive
and would like to look at how to tip the balance, adding that the Area
Committees was a good place to start addressing this.
The Chair concluded this item by thanking Ms Ferguson for her question
and noted the importance of building trust and the challenges faced by island
living.
8.
Neil MacIntyre expressed concerns
over the lack of a paper being submitted to the Area Committee for
consideration in regards to item 12. Oban Strategic Framework.
The Chair informed Mr MacIntyre that a verbal progress update would be
heard at the aforementioned agenda item.
9.
Mr Kirkwood addressed the Committee
and asked them to consider and reflect on the following in regards to policy
delivery on Mull before making decisions:
10.
Neil McKay, Oban Tourism Alliance,
asked the Area Committee if they could guarantee improvements at Mossfield Park
would go ahead in the next 12 months and noted that work undertaken to date had
been routine maintenance and not the improvement works promised.
The Chair informed Mr McKay that whilst no guarantees could be given at
this precise moment the question would be put to an appropriate officers and a
full response given in due course. Mr McKay was invited to attend the next
Business Day of the Oban, Lorne and the Isles Area Committee to discuss the
issue further on 14 August 2019
Councillor McKenzie congratulated Mr McKay and Oban Live on another
successful event and highlighted the importance of the event to the local
economy, this sentiment was echoed by all Members of the Area Committee.
11.
Billy McClymont ask the Area
Committee to clarify what they considered to be a life line service.
Councillor Devon responded that she was not sure her colleagues totally
understood the challenges of island life and having to pay more for the same service.
Councillor Lynch responded that it was important to engage with people
who live on islands as they know how best to address the challenges of island
life.
Councillor Green responded that the classification of a life line
service would depend on the specific community needs and referenced the bridge
to the Island of Seil as one such example.
12.
Shiona Ruhemann raised concerns
around the lack of consultation in matters that affect communities and asked
whether the Area Committee would look into the legal position regarding
consultation processes.
The Chair acknowledged this request and that it would be investigated.
13.
Mhairi Killin
asked whether the Area Committee were aware that every time the Iona retained
fire service were called out a full team and engine were also mobilised from Tobermory and it was vital that these services were
supported.
The Chair responded that as far as she was aware the Council had a
statutory obligation to ensure free and clear passage for blue light services
and asked the Head of Roads and Amenities Services to confirm this. Mr Smith confirmed
that blue light services have the continued support of the Council and that the
Council works with them to ensure ease of passage.
14.
A member of the public asked how
many Area Committee meetings in the last 12 months had been held on Islands.
The Chair responded that the Oban, Lorn and
the Isles Area Committee met on Mull in September 2018. She acknowledged that
today’s meeting had not been held in Mull to allow for officer attendance and a
subsequent meeting that Elected Members had to attend.
Councillor McKenzie informed the Area Committee that she had always championed
the case for live streaming of Council meetings to make them more accessible
for remote communities.
15.
Mr Brian Swinbanks asked if the
Committee recognised the binary benefit that Tobermoray
Harbour Association brings to Mull, specifically its £300-£400k annual spend
and the associated £3m spend by visitors.
Councillor
Robertson thanked Mr Swinbanks for his question.