View PDF in Full Window

DATA LABEL: Public 81 MINUTE of MEETING of the EAST LIVINGSTON AND EAST CALDER LOCAL AREA COMMITTEE of WEST LOTHIAN COUNCIL held within COUNCIL CHAMBERS, WEST LOTHIAN CIVIC CENTRE, on 4 DECEMBER 2014. Present – Councillors Frank Toner (Chair), Dave King, Frank Anderson and Carl John In Attendance Siobhan Mullen, Lead Officer, West Lothian Council George Scott, Community Regeneration Team Leader, West Lothian Council Kate Marshall, Health Champion, West Lothian Council Colin Bell, Operational Services, West Lothian Council Phyllis McFadyen, Housing, West Lothian Council PC Ricki McMurdo, Police Scotland Martin Brandrick, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Sandy Young, Almond Housing Association 1. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST Agenda Item 11 (Community Health Champion Update) – Councillor Toner declared a non-financial interest arising from his position as Chair of the CHCP and as a Lothian Health Board Member for which a dispensation from the Standards Commission applied. 2. MINUTE The committee approved the Minute of its meeting held on 11 September 2014. The minute was thereafter signed by the Chair. 3. WORKPLAN The committee considered the Work Plan (copies of which had been circulated) The Lead Officer then advised the committee that the Work Plan would be updated to reflect that St Margaret’s Academy would present to the next scheduled meeting of the Local Area Committee in March 2015. Decision Noted the contents of the Work Plan 4. ALMOND HOUSING ACTIVITY The committee considered a report (copies of which had been circulated) by Almond Housing Association providing information on maintenance activity in the Craigshill area of the ward. The report provided a summary of the work that was being undertaken in relation to door entry systems in all mixed tenure stairs with a view to DATA LABEL: Public 82 assessing their condition and compliance with SHQS. The report also provided information on work that would be carried out on a number of estates in the groves area of Craigshill area along with an update on digital inclusion and fuel poverty. The report also provided details of Almond Enterprising Ltd. Decision To note the terms of the report 5. POLICE WARD REPORT The committee considered a report (copies of which had been circulated) by Inspector Jocelyn O’Connor, Police Scotland, highlighting performance activities and police issues across the ward for the period up to 30 September 2014. Contained within the report was a table of information demonstrating recorded and solved crimes in Groups 1 to 5 for the whole of West Lothian and for the East Livingston and East Calder Ward comparing the year-to-date for both 2013 and 2014. The report also provided details of the recorded crimes in the ward for the period up to and including 30 September 2014, comparing the percentage change to the same period in 2013. The report continued to provide members with information on the activities on matters such as multi agency working, neighbourhood concerns and prevention and enforcement. Inspector O’Connor continued to advise on forthcoming events including Police community action days, planning for the festive season and Operation Break which would be working with vulnerable road users. Decision To note the terms of the report 6. SCOTTISH FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE RESOURCE BASED CREWING ARRANGEMENTS The committee considered a report (copies of which had been circulated) by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service advising of changes to the way the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) deployed its resources, through a Resource Based Crewing model, at Bathgate Fire Station. The report recalled how legacy arrangements from Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Services utilised dedicated whole-time fire fighters to crew all specialist appliances. Resource Based Crewing (RBC) was a different approach that had been in operation for a number of years in other local authority areas. DATA LABEL: Public 83 RBC used whole-time fire-fighters to combine crews to maintain fire appliance availability as opposed to having a dedicated crew for each appliance. In achieving the principles of Fire Reform, the SFRS was seeking to employ a consistent approach as to how specialist appliances were crewed across Scotland. The committee were further advised that there would be no reduction to frontline emergency service delivery in Bathgate and West Lothian areas, as the physical resource (appliances) would remain in place and unchanged. The change related to how SFRS provided crews for these appliances. Appendix 1 attached to the report provided an overview of the SFRS resources based crewing arrangements within West Lothian. Appendix 2 attached to the report provided an overview of how the frontline fire and rescue service tender and Incident Support Unit (ISU), based at Bathgate Fire Station, would be mobilised. Appendix 3 attached to the report provided some contextualisation in the form of scenarios of how frontline fire and rescue tender and ISU, based at Bathgate Fire Station, would be mobilised. Committee was invited to note the contents of the report. Decision To note the terms of the report 7. NETS AND LAND SERVICES UPDATE The committee considered a report (copies of which had been circulated) by the Head of Operational Services providing details of recent activity of NETS, Land and Countryside Services for the period 1 September to 31 October 2014. The report provided details of the work carried out by the Grounds Maintenance Team, Street Cleansing Team and the Garden Maintenance Team noting that with regards to the garden maintenance service this had now been completed for the year and would recommence in March 2015 A summary of the issues dealt with by Environmental Wardens were also detailed in the report. The Head of Operational Service then provided an update with regards to the development to the new East Calder Cemetery following concerns raised by the local ward members at their previous meeting. The Head of Operational Services undertook to ensure that members were kept appraised of the development as well as provide updates to the local area committee meeting. The committee was asked to :- DATA LABEL: Public 84 1. Note the work carried out by the service in the local area; 2. Note the update on the new cemetery in East Calder; and 3. Advise of any areas that required further investigation. Decision 1. To note the terms of the report; and 2. Agreed that a meeting be set up between local ward members and officers from Building Construction to further discuss the cemetery provision. 8. HOUSING WARD REPORT The committee considered a report (copies of which had been circulated) by the Head of Housing, Construction and Building Services providing an overview of the service activities within the East Livingston and East Calder Ward. The report provided information in relation to property void and let performance for mainstream and temporary tenancies from July 2014 to September 2014. Arrears Performance was also outlined in the report and it was noted that as at the end of September 2014 arrears caseload was 5,572 totalling £1,791,247. The current rent strategy had a year-end target of £1m and at the end of September the council was £4,000 under this target. Tenants continued to be offered support and advice in relation to Housing Benefit, Scottish Welfare Fund and referrals to the Corporate Advice Team and Advice Shop where they could get money, benefit and energy advice. The report went on to provide a summary of the activities including New Build, Scottish Social Housing Charter, Homelessness Housing Network, Annual Tenant Satisfaction Survey, Street Environmental Improvements, Safer Neighbourhood Team and the work of the WLC officer based in SNT Decision To note the contents of the report 9. COMMUNITY HEALTH CHAMPIONS The committee considered a report (copies of which had been circulated) by the Depute Chief Executive, Community Health and Care Partnership providing an update on the Community Health Champions approach. DATA LABEL: Public 85 The Depute Chief Executive advised that the Community Health Champions approach was continuing to evolve locally and across West Lothian. In accordance with agreed procedures the next stage in the process would be to deliver training to elected members and to identify interested groups who may already be active in local areas. With regards to elected member training this would be based on COSLA guidance – Reducing Health Inequalities and Improving Health – What Councillors could do to make a difference, issued in February 2013. The training would cover what health inequalities were, the social detriments of health and would include all aspects of the community leadership role, the partnership role, the constituency/representational role and policy and corporate role. The training had been adapted to a 45 minute bite size session and would be delivered by the Health Improvement Team. Training dates arranged so far were for 13 January 2015 and 24 February 2015. With regards to engagement with community groups, the Community Health Champions hoped to draw on the experience of community members trained in evidence based community health development methodology. Interested community groups would be offered the opportunity to be trained in a shortened version of the well-established, evidence based Health Issues in the Community course, which would be delivered by officers trained in Community Development in Health. Commencing in January 2015, training would be rolled out with a view to achieving active community involvement in all ward areas. It was recommended that the Local Area Committee note the contents of the report. Decision 1. To note the contents of the report; and 2. Noted that the training organised for the New Year would be extended to Lead Officers and Community Regeneration Officers. 10. COMMUNITY REGENERATION UPDATE The committee considered a report (copies of which had been circulated) providing an update on community regeneration activity in the East Livingston and East Calder Ward.

Load more