Leader Report: 30 November 2004 – 07 January 2005 SPC 20 January 2005 1. SUPPORTING PEOPLE 1.1 The Communities Minister, Malcolm Chisholm MSP, announced the revised allocation of the £1.2 billion Supporting People Allocation Fund on 23rd December 2004. The revised allocations are based on the following formula allocation: 30% against the proportion of older people in area, 30% against the local rates of homelessness, 20% against the number of people claiming disability living allowance and 20% against deprivation. 1.2 The table below lists our Council’s allocation: 2003 - 2004 2004 - 2005 2005 - 2006 2006 - 2007 2007 - 08 Original 16.6 14.9 Margaret Curran 16.6 14.9 12.7 11.4 10.3 Malcolm Chisholm 16.6 14.9 13.8 13.3 11.9 Taskgroup 16.6 14.9 13.8 13.8 13.8 Leadership Board 16.6 14.9 13.8 13.3 12.2 23rd Dec 2004 16.6 14.9 13,782,000 13,261,000 12,222,00 1.3 This latest announcement limits the maximum reduction facing any council from 31% (as announced 1st October 2004) to 18% over 3 years. Argyll and Bute Council will face an 18% cut over this period. The cost of applying this maximum reduction threshold has been met through a £20million transitional reform fund which has been targeted at those authorities worst affected by the redistribution – this included Argyll and Bute. Whilst the cuts are substantial they have been forewarned and our staff have been working hard to identify efficiencies in current provision and to get maximum benefit from end of year flexibility arrangements to provide further transitional support. 2. MEETING WITH GEORGE LYON MSP AND ALLAN REID MP 2.1 As part of our regular schedule of meetings I met with George Lyon MSP and Alan Reid MP on 29th November 2004 to discuss a range of local matters including: Supersparsity, Supporting People, transportation matters and the NPDO. It proved again to be a useful opportunity to discuss the impact of national policy on local delivery and I undertook to provide further briefings to both on a number of matters e.g. the impact of legislation re Bed and Breakfast accommodation for homeless families and the impact of GAE allocations on our ability to deal with Access Code Legislation. 3. BUDGET MEETINGS, MSP’S, MP’S – 31ST JANUARY 2005 3.1 As in previous years I have invited all representative MP’s and MSP’s to Kilmory on the 31st January to have a presentation and discussion on our Corporate Plan, Services Plans, Budget and the choices emanating from that. 3.2 All members will be aware that the Council will set the 2005/06 budget at a Full Council meeting on 10 February 2005. 4. MEMBERS’ SEMINAR 4.1 I was pleased to see that a number of Councillors attended the Members’ Seminar held on 21st December 2004 to hear presentations from Josephine Stoyak, General Manager, LHCC on the Community Health Partnerships and Chief Inspector Robert Barbour and Inspector David Sutherland from Strathclyde Police on Road Policing Matters. Both presentations were very interesting and provided an invaluable opportunity for local members to ask questions directly of those attending. I have written with thanks to all parties involved and have asked that copies of the presentations be circulated to all members for their information. 5. COSLA CONVENTION 5.1 Along with the Depute Leader Robin Banks, Councillor Alison Hay and Chief Executive James McLellan I attended the COSLA Convention in Aberdeen on the 10th December 2004. The agenda items discussed included the COSLA budget, the COSLA Constitution and Union Settlements. 1 6 MEETING WITH FIREMASTER SWEENY, STRATHCLYDE FIRE BRIGADE 6.1 On 14th December I met with Firemaster Brian Sweeny of Strathclyde Fire Brigade. Depute Leader Robin Banks, Transportation Spokesperson Duncan Macintyre and Dave Duthie, Head of Transportation and Infrastructure, also attended. A variety of topics were discussed including the roll out to other isolated areas of the successful Island Community Safety Awareness campaigns that have been run on Islay. 6.2 Members will be interested to note that Strathclyde Fire Brigade will be restructured during 2005 and will change its name to Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service. Argyll and Bute, currently part of one of four command areas, will become one of ten individual Divisional Area’s with a dedicated Local Commander who will represent the Fire and Rescue Service on local partnerships. 6.3 As a result of this restructuring I was pleased to learn that twelve to fifteen staff would be relocated to Oban in October 2005 and will offer what help we can to assist with this move. Oban has of course a full time fire station. 7 MEETING WITH TRANSPORTATION MINISTER, NICOL STEPHEN MSP 7.1 Following concerns raised about the planned tender for Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Services Councillors Banks, Macintyre, Dave Duthie, Head of Transportation and Infrastructure and I travelled to Edinburgh on the 14th December to meet with Nicol Stephen MSP, Minister for Transport. The Minister confirmed that the guidance he continued to be given on the European Regulations was to the effect that a tender would be necessary. I urged the Minister to take the matter back to the Scottish Parliament as soon as possible to avoid a further lengthening of the period of uncertainty which local communities have had to face. 7.2 Following reports that the Scottish Executive would be consulting on the possibility of a new Mallaig / Lochboisdale route I was pleased to hear the Minister reaffirm the commitment that in delivering any service improvement that this would not be to the detriment of existing service levels. Given then that the provision of any such route must be based on the presumption of the additionality of vessels this potentially could have the knock on effect of creating capacity elsewhere and we drew the Minister’s attention to the fact that Tiree, Coll and Colonsay remain some of the poorest served islands in the Hebrides. 7.3 The Minister confirmed that the Dunoon /Gourock route would be advertised for interested parties early in 2005 with a view to a non subsidised operation beginning during the year. Should no suitable provider present themselves then the PSL will be reapplied to the route as flexibly as possible. 7.4 A number of other matters were discussed including: timescales for A82 study, Campbeltown / Ballycastle Ferry and Area Infrastructure improvements e.g. Dunoon Breakwater, Rothesay Linkspan. 8. DR ANDREW GOUDIE, COMMUNITY PLANNING PARTNERSHIP 8.1 I met with Dr Andrew Goudie, Head of Finance and Central Services, Scottish Executive on 8th December. The State of the Area Report was presented to Dr Goudie - the report was a key element of our 2003 – 2007 Corporate Plan and for the first time provides a statistical interpretation of the quality of life in Argyll and Bute. FORTHCOMING MEETINGS: Date Meeting Key Agenda Items 17 January J Lamont MSP Housing Stock Transfer Deputy Communities Minister 17 / 18 January Leadership Forum Cabinet Representation: Tom McCabe, Tavish Scott, Peter Peacock, Cathy Jamieson, Nicol Stephen, Rhona Brankin 27 January Highlands and Islands Tbc Convenors / Leaders 28 January COSLA Leaders Tbc 31 January George Lyon MSP Area Issues Alan Reid MP 31 January MP’s / MSP’s Budget Meetings Date: 07 January 2005 Councillor Allan Macaskill, Leader 2.