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MINUTE of MEETING of the LINLITHGOW LOCAL AREA COMMITTEE of WEST LOTHIAN COUNCIL held within COUNCIL CHAMBERS, WEST LOTHIAN CIVIC CENTRE, LIVINGSTON, EH54 6QG, on 18 AUGUST 2015.
Present – Councillors Tom Conn (Chair) and Tom Kerr
In Attendance –
Graeme Struthers, Lead Officer, West Lothian Council Dougie Grierson, Community Regeneration Officer, West Lothian Council Inspector John McEwan, Police Scotland Alison Smith, Housing Manager, West Lothian Council Alex Hume, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Mark Landels, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Thirza Hockaday, Burgh Halls Manager, West Lothian Council
1. ORDER OF BUSINESS
The Clerk advised the committee that in terms of the council’s Scheme of Administration, the meeting was inquorate. Nevertheless, the meeting could proceed with only two ward members present but any resolutions made would require to be reported to the Council Executive for ratification before they became effective.
2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
No declarations of interest were made.
3. MINUTES
(a) The committee approved the Minute of its Meeting held on 19th May 2015. The Minute was thereafter signed by the Chair.
4. POLICE WARD REPORT
The committee considered a report (copies of which had been circulated) by Inspector McEwan, Police Scotland, which summarised police activity in the ward for the period to 31st July 2015. Comparator figures for the year to date and previous 5 years were provided.
The report provided information on national police priorities, West Lothian priorities and the specific community engagement priorities for the ward. It went on to outline issues of note for the ward including violence and anti-social behaviour, road safety, dishonesty and drug dealing and misuse. The report concluded with information on forthcoming events and contact details for the community police.
The committee was invited to note the contents of the report.
Decision DATA LABEL: Public 102
To note the contents of the report.
5. LINLITHGOW MULTI-MEMBER WARD QUARTERLY PERFORMANCE REPORT
The committee considered a report (copies of which had been circulated) by Scottish Fire and Rescue Service providing an update on Fire and Rescue Service activity within the Linlithgow Multi-Member Ward for the period to 30th June 2015.
The quarterly reports were being produced to ensure delivery of the Local Fire and Rescue Service Plan for West Lothian 2014-2017 which was a requirement of the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012, Section 41E. A list of the seven key priorities for the ward, against which performance had been monitored, was listed within the report.
Attached to the report, at Appendix 1, was a summary report that provided a series of graphs showing details of accidental dwellings fires, deliberate fires, fires in non-domestic properties, non-fatal non-fire emergencies and unwanted fire alarm signals for Scotland, West Lothian and the ward.
It was recommended that the local area committee note and provide comment on the Linlithgow Multi-member Ward Quarterly Performance Report, noting the minor amendments reported at the meeting.
Decision
To note the contents of the report
6. HOUSING, CONSTRUCTION AND BUILDING SERVICES
The committee considered a report (copies of which had been circulated) by the Head of Housing, Construction and Building Services providing an overview of housing performance for the period April to June 2015.
The performance figures for property void and let for mainstream and temporary tenancies were detailed in the report and committee noted that for the period April to June 2015 there was a total let of 13 properties for mainstream tenancies and a total let of 6 properties for temporary tenancies.
The report recalled the background to the Arrears Task Group being established in October 2013 and outlined its current work on the new Rent Strategy for 2015/16 which entailed a continuation of actions to reduce rent arrears as well as introducing the following new initiatives:-
Increase direct debit take up by participating in a national BACs campaign
Expansion of Corporate Approach to Debt DATA LABEL: Public 103
System developments to streamline processes and provide customers with up to date information on their rent account
Assist tenants to change their behaviour to ensure paying rent was a priority
The strategy would also put measures in place to mitigate further rent arrears increases, particularly in preparation for the introduction of Universal Credit.
A table within the report demonstrated the level of arrears and number of tenants in arrears within the ward from March to June 2015. The task group would continue to meet during the financial year to address the many challenges to come in the management of rental income due to the ongoing phasing in of Welfare Reform, increasing fuel costs, reducing household income and the negative impact those changes had on tenants.
Further information was also contained in the report on the following :-
Linlithgow Area Team Activity;
Capital Programme and New Build Council Housing;
Tenant Participation Update; and
Safer Neighbourhood Council Officer Ward Information.
It was recommended that the committee note the content of the Housing, Construction and Building Services activity report.
Decision
To note the contents of the report
7. LINLITHGOW BURGH HALLS UPDATE
The committee considered a report (copies of which had been circulated) by the Head of Area Services providing an update on progress with capital works at Linlithgow Burgh Halls.
The report explained that following submission of a Strategic Outline Business Case to develop and enhance facilities at Linlithgow Burgh Halls, £80,000 had been allocated from the General Services Capital Programme 2015/16-2017/18 for the installation of air conditioning in the two function halls, an extraction and ventilation system in the Education Room and improvements to external security measures.
The committee was asked to note the progress made with capital works at Linlithgow Burgh Halls.
In response to a question, the Lead Officer undertook to establish when DATA LABEL: Public 104
the external security works would be completed in order that the Town Management Group could make arrangements for the wooden fence to be removed and installed at Burgh Beautiful at Clarendon without compromising the security of the Burgh Halls.
Decision
To note the terms of the report.
8. WEST LOTHIAN VILLAGES IMPROVEMENT FUND – APPLICATION
The committee considered a report (copies of which had been circulated) by the Head of Planning and Economic Development detailing an application that had been received for funding from the West Lothian Villages Improvement Fund.
The report recalled that in 2012 the Council Executive agreed the eligibility criteria for a West Lothian Villages Improvement Fund. Funding of £1.65m was available to support eligible schemes with funding phased over five years.
Three villages in the Linlithgow ward were eligible under the scheme as follows:-
Bridgend - £50,000
Philpstoun - £20,000
Newton - £20,000
The report provided the committee with full details on the following application which had been received:-
Philpstoun Community Education Association: Fit for Fun – Provision of outdoor play and fitness equipment in the park adjacent to the community centre - £20,000.
The applicant was eligible to apply to the Village Improvement Fund and met the criteria for funding. The committee was invited to support the funding application.
Decision
To note the terms of the report and recommend that the Head of Planning and Economic Development should make an offer of funding to the group as set out in the report.
9. UPDATE FROM NETS, COUNTRYSIDE AND LAND SERVICES – 1 MAY 2015 – 31 JULY 2015
The committee considered a report (copies of which had been circulated) by the Head of Operational Services providing information on the DATA LABEL: Public 105
activities of the NETS and Land Services Team from 1 May 2015 to 31 July 2015.
The report provided the committee with detailed information on grounds maintenance and street cleansing routine operations, capital projects and the activities of the Environmental Wardens during the reporting period.
The committee was invited to note the content of the report.
Decision
To note the contents of the report.
10. COMMUNITY REGENERATION REPORT – WARD ACTION PLAN
The committee considered a report (copies of which had been circulated) by the Head of Area Services informing of progress against the targets set in the Linlithgow Ward Action Plan for 2015-16 to the committee.
A list of the main activities that had taken place since the last meeting of the committee were listed within the report.
Members noted that progress reports on the plan would be presented to the committee in December 2015 and June 2016.
The committee was invited to note the progress made.
Decision
To note the terms of the report.
11. PENSIONERS’ GROUPS CHRISTMAS FUND PROVISIONAL ALLOCATIONS 2015
The committee considered a report (copies of which had been circulated) by the Head of Area Services advising of the provisional allocations made from the Pensioners’ Groups Christmas Fund 2015 to groups in the Linlithgow Ward, Livingston-wide groups and West Lothian-wide groups.
In 2015 the total amount available was £28,765 with the fund being divided by the total number of beneficiaries which for 2015, was 4014. In the Linlithgow Ward there were 201 beneficiaries with an allocation of £1441.71.
To date six applications had been issued across the Linlithgow Ward with three having been returned. It was intended that these three groups would be supported. Appendix 1 attached to the report demonstrated those organisations that would be supported with a provisional allocation to each. For those applications not yet returned officers were following up on these and until such time the figures provided were to be considered provisional. DATA LABEL: Public 106
One application had also been sent to a Livingston-wide group and two applications had been sent to West Lothian-wide groups. Appendix 2 attached to the report provided further details on these applications.
Later in the year a full report on final allocations would be presented to the Voluntary Organisations Policy Development and Scrutiny Panel with letters being issued to organisations in late October advising them of the amount of funding they would receive.
It was recommended that the local area committee note that to date three groups within the Linlithgow Ward had applied to the fund and would be supported.
Decision
1. To note the contents of the report.
2. To note that St. Michael’s Day Care Centre had recently been reconstituted and was now known as Linlithgow & District Community Day Care Centre.
12. LINLITHGOW LOCAL AREA COMMITTEE WORK PLAN
The committee noted its work plan for the period to November 2015 ( copies of which had been circulated).
Decision
To note the terms of the workplan.
(b) The committee noted the record of Inquorate Meeting scheduled to be held on 11 August 2015.