GULBERWICK, QUARFF & CUNNINGSBURGH COMMUNITY COUNCIL
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MEETING ON 6 DECEMBER 2016 IN THE CUNNINGSBURGH SCHOOL AT 7.30PM
AGENDA
1. Apologies
2. Approval of Minutes of Meetings - Tuesday 1 November 2016*
3. Matters Arising from Minutes
4. Police Report
5. Quarff Main Road Update
6. Finance
7. Grant Applications
8. Planning
9. Early Learning and Childcare Consultation*
10. Building Warrant Fees Consultation*
11. Community Broadband Letter*
12. Community Council Insurance
13. AOCB
14. Date of next meeting – Tuesday 17 January 2017
*denotes papers attached GULBERWICK, QUARFF & CUNNINGSBURGH COMMUNITY COUNCIL 2 MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON TUESDAY 1st NOVEMBER 2016 IN THE CUNNINGSBURGH SCHOOL AT 7.30PM
PRESENT Ms A Garrick-Wright Mr R MacGregor Mrs L Johnston Mr E MacPherson Mr D Shearer
EX OFFICIO Mr C Smith Mr B Fox
IN ATTENDANCE Mrs K Geddes Mrs P Christie Insp J McConachie Mr B Halcrow Mrs S Harmsworth
CHAIRPERSON Mr G Malcolmson
1. APOLOGIES Mr S Smith Ms A Westlake Mr G Smith Mr P Campbell Dr J Wills Mr G Manson
NOT PRESENT Mr A Duncan
2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES OF MEETING HELD ON TUESDAY 27 SEPTEMBER 2016
The minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday August 23 2016 were approved on the motion of Ms Garrick-Wright and seconded by Mr Malcolmson. One change is to be made – in the second paragraph of Item 4 – The Police Report, ’21 minor collisions’ should have been ‘two one-vehicle collisions’.
3. MATTERS ARISING
Community Defibrillator for Cunningsburgh
Three further community groups had added their support to the cause – the Cunningsburgh Football Club, The Cunningsburgh Show Committee and the Quarff Hall Committee. A meeting is to be held to start the fundraising process but no date has been set yet.
Quarff Kirk Road Thanks
An email from William Spence, SIC Executive Manager – Environmental Services expressing his appreciation for the quick work done to complete the netting of the roof was read and noted.
4 CO-OPTION OF NEW MEMBER
Members of the Community Council agreed that the co-option of Mr Brian Halcrow was appropriate and welcome and the decision was approved on the motion of Mr G Malcolmson and seconded by Mr E MacPherson.
The Clerk provided Mr Halcrow with a copy of the Constitution and directed him to the Community Council website for further documents. She will contact the SIC Governance and Law Department so Mr Halcrow’s Declaration of Acceptance of Office Forms can be issued. Members welcomed Mr Halcrow.
5. POLICE REPORT
Inspector McConachie introduced himself and gave further details on relevant parts of the Chief Inspectors Report for September. He spoke briefly about National Hate Crime Week, explaining that luckily hate crime is not a problem in Shetland. He also spoke about a new campaign which everyone will start to see details of soon – a locally targeted campaign for Special Constables. It is open to both those with some life experience as well as younger folk - anyone keen to find out what policing is all about and to help their community. The officer assigned to the Community Council – PC Lauren Smith – indicated in her last email to the clerk that she was a Special Constable prior to joining full time and would recommend it. She is also willing to speak to anyone who is interested and has questions.
Insp McConachie said the crime statistics for the area in the last month are relatively low, with 24 incidents in total. One person was cautioned and charged for possession of drugs, four drivers were cautioned and charged with speeding and one driver was cautioned and charged for dangerous driving. There were two road traffic collisions involving two vehicles in the area – there were no injuries.
The question raised last month regarding who is responsible for clearing debris on the road and verges following an accident was answered fully by the Inspector. Officers attending the scene have brooms in the back of their car for clearing small debris to the side of the road and they then have a specific number at the SIC Roads Department which they can phone to get someone to safely remove it. Members of the public can also ask the police to contact this number if there is debris following a collision which police are not required to attend. The SIC Roads department also deal with oil spillages and local garages will remove larger debris and vehicles unable to be removed from the scene by the driver.
Officers are continuing to carry out speeding enforcement in the area and have had some success in the last week. Insp McConachie explained a little behind the way that the times and areas are chosen and encouraged members to be pro-active in telling him and his colleagues where and when would be the best location and time to catch offenders.
The recent accidents in the area was discussed again, and Mr Malcolmson expressed his dismay that not only do the many ‘near misses’ not make the statistics but that accidents which to members of the public look to be ones in which someone is definitely to blame, seldom ever end up leading to that person being charged. He said that the community is in the awful position of waiting for a fatality before changes can be made to the safety of the road. Insp McConachie said that each incident is looked at on a case-by-case basis and are reviewed by several people in the station, not just the attending officer. He said he has always been a fan of intelligence led policing and again encouraged people to let them know specific times and places of offenders, as well as even specific vehicles. People can do this by telephoning 101, contacting Crimestoppers, or just dropping into the Lerwick Police Station.
----- Insp McConnachie left 7.50 ------
6. QUARFF WAR MEMORIAL
Mrs Christie reported that the Cunningsburgh History Group has agreed to ask Stephen Duncan of Widworx to go ahead with the work for the Cunningsburgh War Memorial. The quote they had been given from him means they have somewhere in the region of £300 left which can be used for the Quarff Memorial.
It was thought at the September meeting that The Shetland Amenity Trust may have taken over ownership of the Lerwick Memorial, so it was hoped that this could have been an option for the Quarff one. A representative replied to the clerk’s query to say the Trust has no responsibility for any of the war memorials in Shetland. They have been asked to quote for repair work for the Lerwick Memorial, so this may have been where the confusion came from.
Mrs Harmsworth in her role as chairman of the Quarff Public Hall had spent time phoning around Quarff residents and had managed to get several people who were willing to help in some capacity. Some of the Quarff members said they would also be willing to assist, so it was agreed that Mr Malcolmson would email around and start the process of getting a constituted group together. Mrs Christie is to help with setting up a bank account and with suggestions for sources of funding.
7. QUARFF MAIN ROAD UPDATE
Cllr Fox had spoken to the legal department of the SIC about presenting the residents petition to one of the SIC meetings but there is some confusion as to whether the document meets the legal requirements for a petition. Members thought this could work in the community’s favour as if it is not deemed to be a petition the Community Council could be offered a ten-minute slot to present their case, instead of just handing over the signed letters/petition. The SIC Councillors present agreed that this would be a better opportunity for expressing the residents’ views. Cllr Fox is to feedback any progress on this. Whichever option, the decision on any changes to the road will not be made before the new council in May.
8. FINANCE
The bank balance on 1 November 2016 is £6816.76. Since the last meeting update, the direct debit of £35 for the Information Commission has left the account, as has £24 for the grants advert in the Shetland Times. All other transactions were of a routine nature.
9. GRANT APPLICATIONS
There were four applications to consider and the remaining grant funds were divided up between three of these. The Cunningsburgh Under 5s was awarded £100 towards their Christmas Party, the Cunningsburgh Football Club was awarded £250 towards plans for pitchside advertising boards and the Cunningsburgh Village Club was awarded £250 towards trips and games and equipment. A second application from the Cunningsburgh Football Club for funds to buy a replacement lining machine was looked on favourably but a decision on it will be kept until there are funds available in the new financial year.
It was asked what is happening to the leftover money in the bank account of the Shetland Soft Play Centre and Community Café considering the project had to be abandoned. The Community Council awarded thousands of pounds towards architect fees and consultancy costs and though a lot of money was spent, members are aware that a significant sum is still in the account. The group had the intention of putting it towards local causes but the clerk is to contact them to find out what plans have been made.
10. PLANNING
There were only two planning applications since the last meeting, none of which the Community Council are required to comment on:
2016/358/PPF Demolish existing outbuildings and lean-to extension; construct new single story extension and double garage. Roseville, Easter Quarff, Shetland, ZE2 9EY.
2016/358/APN To erect agricultural shed, Aithsetter, Cunningsburgh, Shetland, ZE2 9HA
11. COMMUNITY COUNCIL INSURANCE
The clerk is to email the drafts around members when they are completed. She will also get Stanley Semple, SIC Insurance Officer, to check them over before they can be formally adopted at the next meeting. It was agreed to keep them as simple as possible.
12. AOCB
Kjurkhul Agricultural Track The agricultural track from Kjurkhul up to the hall is starting to degrade and flood. It is not a formally adopted road but it is a right of way. The clerk is to contact SIC Walks and Footpaths Officer Kevin Serginson to see if he can advise on where we stand and on steps which could be taken to improve or repair the road.
Police Involvement in Petition Mr Shearer asked whether it might be useful asking whether the police would have some input into the presentation of the ‘petition’ on the Quarff Road. He only thought about it after Insp McConachie left so did not ask the question at the time. Members agreed that it was worth asking, especially if it would strengthen the case. The clerk to email PC Smith to ask.
Fladdabister Bus Shelter The persplex in the bus shelter at the north junction of Fladdabister has been broken. The clerk to report it to SIC Transport.
South Mainland Decides The clerk reported that two of the four monitoring forms have been returned before the October deadline so she is to follow up the other ones. Mrs Christie reported that the other clerks are having to follow up a few of their ones also.
Planning Applications At one of the other South Mainland Community Council meetings it was mentioned that there were few, if any applications on the SIC website. Mrs Geddes said she had phoned the planning department herself last month to query it and had surmised that the unplanned office move had created a backlog. Cllr Fox said he is going to follow this up again and will report back to Gulberwick, Quarff and Cunningsburgh also.
Abbreviated Minutes It was decided to start producing an abbreviated set of minutes for displaying on local noticeboards. The clerk to do this and distribute as normal to the people who help display the minutes. Mrs Johnston said she will take over putting up the Cunningsburgh noticeboard minutes while Ms Garrick-Wright is on maternity leave.
13. DATE OF NEXT MEETING
The next meeting will be held on TUESDAY 6 DECEMBER 2016. The meeting will be held at 7.30pm in the Cunningsburgh School.
CHAIRMAN OUTSTANDING ITEMS
Bad Weather Contingency Plan – awaiting draft plan (January 2014) Speed Limit at North Gulberwick Junction – awaiting traffic count results (January 2014, May 2016)
FW: A Blueprint for 2020: The Expansion of Early Learning and Childcare in Scotland 9 [email protected]
Nov 7 to CommunityCounc.
Good Afternoon
I wanted to draw your attention to the following consultation that the Scottish Government is undertaking in relation to the expansion of Early Learning and Childcare in Scotland. https://consult.scotland.gov.uk/creating-positive-futures/expansion-of-early-learning-and- childcare/user_uploads/451371_blueprint-2020.pdf-1
As you might be aware, the Scottish Government is committed to taking forward the expansion of Early Learning and Childcare in Scotland from 600 hours to 1140 hours for all three and four year olds and eligible two year olds. This expansion will have a significant impact on the way Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) is delivered locally here in Shetland. Local communities will play a key role in helping to shape the provision.
I am therefore keen to encourage our community councils to respond to the consultation. This can be done online using the following link: https://consult.scotland.gov.uk/creating-positive-futures/expansion-of-early- learning-and-childcare.
Your views will help to shape government policy which I hope will help to better meet our needs locally.
With best wishes
Regards
Heather Summers
On behalf of
Samantha Flaws
Quality Improvement Officer for Early Learning and Childcare
Hayfield House
Hayfield Lane
Lerwick
01595 744093
Twitter - @szwishart
FW: Developers workshop - Scottish Government Consultation – Building Warrant Fees
Inbox 9 [email protected]
Nov 23 to a.robertson, admin, adrian, alan, Building.Contr., Development.Ma., AllDevelopment., anngarrick, asandison, malcolm.bell, bobby, bryan, mark.burgess, peter.campbell, clint, alastair.cooper, steven.coutts, crheunson, lerwick, david, dennis, enquiries, enquiries, enquiries, ewen.balfour
To All
Scottish Government Consultation – Building Warrant Fees
I am writing to advise you of the ‘Building Standards Fees’ consultation that recently went live on the Scottish Government website.
The purpose of this consultation is to seek views on increasing building warrant and other associated fees to make the building standards system achieve full cost recovery and place it on a sustainable footing for the future.
The Scottish Government is committed to ensuring that building standards is adequately funded to deliver a system that is accessible, affordable and which provides a high-quality service to those who use it.
The proposals are to increase income from building warrant and associated fees paid by users of the building standards system to achieve full cost recovery for the building standards system. This will provide additional resources for local authority Verification services to encourage recruitment and retention of professional staff and to support service and performance improvement. The proposals also introduced an alternative funding mechanism to cover the building standards related running costs of BSD.
A shorter consultation period of 8 weeks is required instead of the normal 12 weeks in order to meet an introductory date of 1 April 2017. The consultation is accessible at: https://consult.scotland.gov.uk/procedures-and-verification/building-warrant-fees
The consultation closes on Monday 9 January 2017
Thanks
FW: Broadband letter Inbox [email protected] Nov 25
Hi All,
Forwarding this on behalf of Gordon Thomson, Unst CC Chairman, for your respective CC’s consideration.
Kind regards, Charity
Dear Charity
Could I ask you, on behalf of Unst Community Council, to forward this to all Shetland Community Councils, in order that they can consider sending, slightly amended for their area, to their local SIC Councillors?
After yesterday's announcement of 5G Broadband in some parts of the country, it really is time that we sorted this out for the whole of Shetland. People all over the county are having to pay through the nose for a very poor quality service.
We feel that the SIC can have achieve more success than BT have so far.
Yours sincerely,
Gordon Thomson Chairman, Unst Community Council
Dear SIC Councillors North Isles
On behalf of Unst Community Council, I am writing to complain about the lack of progress with Community Broadband and the mobile phone coverage in our area. There seems to be little likelihood of BT delivering a decent service unless it is to a "centre of population". They receive large amounts of public funding to roll out Broadband and it has been a Scottish Government and UK Government assurance that high quality Broadband will be available throughout the country by 2021. That is a long time to wait. Meanwhile, rural areas are being restricted in their development. Businesses and home users are increasingly dependent on Broadband, like it or not, and it is one of the first enquiries now from those moving to, working in or visiting the North Isles.
We would urge the SIC to do whatever it can within its power to see if a better Broadband can be delivered to our most fragile communities - before they are left behind.
Gordon Thomson Chairman, Unst Community Council