Local Community Planning Group Note of Meeting 9th January 2019 – Longhaven Hall Present: Chris White (Chair) Area Manager (Buchan), Council Cllr Anne Allan Buchan Community Safety Group Rhona Davidson Development Officer, Aberdeenshire Voluntary Action Moyra Duncan Location Manager for Central Buchan, Aberdeenshire H&SCP Cllr Alan Fakley Ward 6, South & Cruden Aileen Grant CHiP Officer, Aberdeenshire Voluntary Action Annette Johnston Tackling Poverty & Inequalities Co-ordinator, Aberdeenshire Council Insp. Martin MacDougall Police Scotland Arran Marshall Admin Assistant, Aberdeenshire Council Lorna Sandison Development Officer, Aberdeenshire Voluntary Action Brian Shand Principal Landscapes Officer, Aberdeenshire Council Jill Smith Public Health Co-ordinator – North, NHS Grampian Lynn Smith Cruden Community Council Cllr Norman Smith MACBI and Ward 4, Central Buchan Maureen Stephen Community Planning Officer, Aberdeenshire Council Steph Swales Community Planning Officer, Aberdeenshire Council Sandra Ross Senior Community Learning Worker, Aberdeenshire Council Diane Tait Development Officer, Buchan Development Partnership

Apologies: Cllr Stephen Calder Ward 6, Peterhead South & Cruden Martin Danziger Creative Director, MODO Cllr Stephen Smith Ward 6, Peterhead South & Cruden

1. Welcome & Apologies Chris welcomed everyone, and apologies received are noted above. Cllr Calder advised that he was unable to attend as due to recent surgery he would require more supportive seating in order to attend meetings. He also requested this be considered when booking future meetings.

2. Minute of 21st November & Outstanding Actions The minute of 21st November was agreed. The following actions were highlighted:  Community Action Plans – if anyone knows of communities who would like to develop a community action plan, please refer them to Diane Tait or BDP.  Longhaven School – noted that the school is still currently mothballed due to staffing issues.  LCPG Organogram – the links between partners, plans and actions have been edited to be clearer. The Health Improvement Delivery Plan will be added to the diagram.  Volunteer Buchan – the Safeguarding, First Aid and Food Hygiene courses have been well received and Diane has been discussing with AVA about the possibility of delivering more.

Actions:  Arran to update Organogram to include Health Improvement Delivery Plan.  Partners to refer communities interested in developing a community action plan to BDP. Chris advised that due to the recently organised attendance of Annette Johnston at today’s meeting, he was adapting the agenda slightly to bring forward information from partners. He advised that he and Cllr Allan attended the Aberdeenshire Community Planning Board meeting on 8th January and he outlined that one of the LOIP priorities that the Board are working towards is Reducing Child Poverty in Aberdeenshire, with the lead group being the Tackling Poverty and Inequalities (TP&I) Group. In November 2017, Scotland became the only part of the UK with statutory targets to tackle child poverty after the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 was unanimously passed as a priority by the Scottish Parliament. The intention of the Child Poverty Action Plan for Aberdeenshire is to improve outcomes for all families living in poverty or at risk of living in poverty but the key emphasis will be on supporting families where the risk of children living in poverty is highest. Copies of the action plan were circulated at the meeting and will be e- mailed to partners also.

Annette outlined the definitions of the priority families i.e. lone parents, families where a member of the house is disabled, families with 3 or more children, minority ethnic families, families where the youngest child is under 1 and mothers aged under 25. Two documents related to the Buchan area statistics of low income families and children on free school meals were distributed. As these stats are already available, these could be priorities that the LCPG consider to target. Other key issues are around digital skills and access to broadband especially around the changes to welfare reform. Examples of past projects were given, such as LCPG groups funding breakfast clubs, joint projects with Citizen Advice Bureaus and Health Centres. In Peterhead, there is training for maternity midwifes in the health centre regarding the benefits system. Annette asked partners about the actions and priorities in the child poverty action plan which they feel could benefit from local input. Annette advised that while attending the Formartine LCPG meeting in August 2018, their group had chosen to prioritise digital skills in rural areas.

Free school meals were highlighted as the statistics lacked figures from and schools – this is due to being included in the Fraserburgh schools catchment area but they can be included with the Buchan statistics. Sandra advised that as a result of the Fraserburgh LLCP meeting on 31st October 2018 and CLD’s focus on child poverty, a pilot project has been agreed for all Academies in the North to receive a daily allowance of £1.20 for breakfast. A letter has been sent to all parents but it was requested that all partners take the opportunity to promote and encourage pupils to make use of the extra allowance. The uptake will be monitored closely and will determine if this will be rolled out to all schools in the future. Fraserburgh has a 37% uptake of free school meals – it would be good to compare the figures to Buchan, see the difference and what partners can do to improve them.

Annette advised that families on low income are being contacted, there is work to be done to make sure everyone is trained in customer service regarding entitlement to free school meals, and a poverty summit forum is being organised to discuss wider poverty issues.

It was noted that the £100 clothing grant is paid directly into the families bank accounts which is why the uptake is higher, whereas free school meals have to be applied for (if families are not in receipt of housing benefit/council tax reduction), and the money is put onto the pupil’s National Entitlement Card at the start of each day (with unused credit being removed at the end of the day). Partners discussed that the uptake for free school meals is lower for several reasons:  The steps to claim free school meals if not automatically entitled to them (though it was noted that applying is easier than ever due to being online).  Lack of knowledge surrounding the scheme.  Social stigma around using the scheme.  Pupils preferring to go into town for lunch with their friends. There were suggestions on what we could do as a group to target this - these included promoting the council leaflet, doing a campaign to raise awareness, or face to face information sessions with families. It was noted that the leaflet could be handed out to students though these may end up forgotten in their bags. Partners agreed that campaigning and making an impact or reaching out to the parents or families is the only way to get more to start applying for and using the money they are entitled to.

Chris asked for volunteers for a task group to devise a proposal for the next meeting. Annette, Jill, Aileen, Sandra and Diane volunteered to be part of the task group.

Actions:  Arran to e-mail Child Poverty Action Plan to partners.  Free school meals figures to be distributed.  Task group to develop proposal for 17th April LCPG meeting.

3. Peterhead South & Cruden Priorities – Partners & Elected Members Chris highlighted the benefit of the LCPG meetings enabling locally elected members to raise issues or concerns on behalf of their wards to partners.

Cruden Bay Beach Clean Up Lynn highlighted the above taking place on the 26th January from 10am to 12pm. The event is being hosted by the East Grampian Coastal Partnership through the “Turning the Plastic Tide” project with a safety briefing being given at 10am at the foot bridge off Harbour Street. Brian advised that the Waste Service provides support to similar events i.e. removing the collected rubbish and Lynn noted that the EGCP will have their own vehicles for removal.

Dog Fouling/Bins Cllr Fakley advised that there are a few issues with dog fouling and bins in at the moment. He had been informed that there is no budget left to replace dog bins so any damaged bins are removed and not replaced. In addition, there’s an issue around people not knowing that they can use regular bins for dog mess. An opportunity for partners to help resolve this issue was highlighted, specifically around promotion and encouraging dog owners to use regular bins if the dog bins are full. It was noted that the dog warden who provides dog training classes, local kennels and dog walking businesses could be contacted to try and promote the issue.

Slains Castle Cliffs Safety Cllr Fakley also highlighted the recent news article about the dog who fell off the cliffs at Slains Castle and raised the question as to whether partners could do anything to provide warnings about the dangers, or if the Council could erect a sign on the land. Brian advised that due to it being on private land and other policies that this wasn’t possible. It was suggested that the Coastguard could be contacted to raise awareness of the issue. It was also agreed that there was a degree of owner responsibility and keeping the dog on a leash when in close proximity to the cliffs.

Steph asked partners if actions within the Locality Plan can be sorted into short, medium and long- term actions and this was agreed.

4. Statutory Partner Working Group Proposal for future working of local Community Planning Arrangements A proposal has been developed by the statutory partner working group of the LCPG and outlines how the LCPG could work together in future including the development of the Community Planning network and the group’s role and remit. The proposal has been formed using feedback from the two joint meetings last year and input from the Statutory Partner Working Group sessions. Steph asked members of the LCPG to consider the proposal and to provide feedback. A key part of the proposal is to reduce the size of the group and the amount of meetings. One proposal would be to theme each meeting to enable more tactical focused approaches to projects. Item 4 under Role and Remit was highlighted and it was noted that it would be beneficial for the group to keep strong links with similar areas e.g. Banff and Buchan but to not lose sight of other neighbouring areas. After discussion partners agreed the proposal in principle and asked that it be developed further by the statutory partner working group and discussed at the joint meeting on 12th February. Inspector MacDougall advised partners of a proposal to develop a “Buchan Community Surgery” model which is expected to take place toward the end of January. These surgeries will provide an opportunity for members of the public or interested parties to attend and ask questions of professionals and partners in relation to local services. General information will also be available and this will also be an opportunity for partners to use the surgery for their purposes. This format would allow for a more informal way of engaging with the public. Insp MacDougall will forward details of the first event to partners to allow them time to plan their attendance. It was highlighted that some sort of incentive needed to be introduced to encourage people to attend. Partners noted that assisting with these surgeries will help improve joint up working as well as sharing best practice with other areas e.g. Banff & Buchan. This proposal was well received and partners welcomed the opportunity of getting involved.

Actions:  Future working arrangements proposal to be developed further by statutory partner working group and discussed at the joint meeting on 12th February.  Insp MacDougall to forward information re Buchan Community Surgery to partners.

5. Community Planning Updates Feedback on Connected & Cohesive Communities/ACPP Review Aberdeenshire Membership and Organisational Structure Steph and Maureen attended the Connected and Cohesive Communities Group on 19th November to highlight the Peterhead Locality Plan and some of the priorities within this. Steph also made partners aware that the extensive Community Planning Review had finally come to an end with a report to the Community Planning Board in September 2018. The Community Planning Board agreed to endorse a revised Terms of Reference for the CPP which had been proposed following the CPP Review which started in December 2017. Recommendations resulting from the review have still to be formally provided, however, the new structure under which Local Community Planning sits is directly under the Connected and Cohesive Communities. Building strong links with the Connected and Cohesive Communities theme group will help us to develop the locality plan and to access support where needed.

Maureen provided feedback from the Connected and Cohesive Communities Group meeting. It was noted that as Craig sits on this group, he has provided a link between this and the LCPG. He has also provided information that is helping the statutory partner working group to develop a new framework and ways of working for local partners. To date this has included looking at the various plans and policies that exist and how these could be aligned.

The Community Planning Partnership Membership and Organisational Structure which was passed by the CPP Board last year was flagged up to partners. Maureen and Steph have looked at this and raised some concerns regarding gaps which exist around the role and remit of the LCPG and how this links to the overall community planning structure.

Place based Assessment / Strategic Assessment Steph confirmed to partners that place based assessment / strategic assessments are to be compiled for each area including Buchan. To help plan for this, a workshop has been incorporated in the upcoming joint meeting in February to help partners pull together information required for this. What Works Scotland – Research on Community Planning Steph highlighted this recent report which has been circulated to partners and advised that this will be included in a future agenda.

6. Joint Meeting Session – 12th February 2019 The joint meeting will take place on 12th February at 9.30am in Hall and a draft agenda for the format was circulated and agreed by partners. The meeting will incorporate three workshops which will focus on: 1) Creating Effective Local Partnership Networks – Buchan Groups Diagram and Aberdeenshire Membership & Organisational Structure 2) Buchan Plans and Priorities – PESTELO, Buchan Community Plan 3) Data – Buchan Strategic Assessment

Action:  Joint meeting agenda to be forwarded to partners.

7. LCPG Budget – Steph Swales 2018/2019 Financial Statement The budget stands at £3,348.13 and two funding applications have been received:

Application – The Blue Toon All Stars The Blue Toon All Stars are applying for £470 towards costumes for their theatre production of Romeo and Juliet. The funding will be used to bring a quality theatre production to the wider community, raise awareness of the abilities of people with a disability, increase the skills and confidence of the performing group, broaden participation and make theatre performances more accessible. It was agreed that Buchan Day Opportunities do great work and that by providing this funding, it would help them to continue to provide opportunities for their client group as well as supporting the families and friends of the day service users. The group have developed links with the Arts and Culture Network which is developing in the area following events held during last year. Reference was also made to previous performances that had been enjoyed by many of those present. Partners agreed to award the full amount of £470 as per the application.

Application – The Brave Outdoors Steph left the meeting during discussion of the item having declared an interest. The Brave Outdoors is applying for £1,837 towards a woodland lease, insurance and different courses in connection with bringing outdoors opportunities to the local community (i.e. horticulture, bushcraft and related activities) in the Buchan Meadows Community Woodland area. Maureen advised that she had spoken to the group regarding the activities they were planning and provided further detail of what is being planned. Partners agreed to support the application and to approve £1,837 as per the application.

8. Communication – Arran Marshall E-Bulletin, Social Media and Website Update The e-bulletin is now being circulated to a much wider audience through Facebook. Partners are encouraged to continue sending materials to be promoted through the bulletin or social media to Arran. Chris asked that we promote and link into community based pages/groups (such as ones for the rural villages and settlements.) Partners agreed the introduction of the e-bulletin had been hugely beneficial and helped them share information very easily.

Actions:  Arran to link into the 19 community pages on FB through Buchan Live.

9. AOCB Partners provided updates and highlighted various upcoming events. Arran will prepare an A4 sheet with these dates and further details to be circulated after the meeting.  Vattenfall Fund Application Support Sessions – 14th, 15th, 17th, 21st and 22nd January.  Health Walk Leader Training – 22nd January.  Culture and Sport Business Unit Launch Events – 26th / 27th January.  Buchan Local Learning Community Partnership – 30th January.  Buchan Early Years Forum – 30th January.  “Helping One Another” Fire Starter Event – 7th February.  Peterhead Safety Day – 2nd March.

Diane noted that Justine Tough, the new Training and Development Worker for starts on 14th January.

Actions:  Arran to prepare a one page sheet with dates and details of the above events to partners after the meeting.

10. Date & time of next Meeting The next meeting will be the joint meeting between LCPG partners, elected members, members of the Buchan Area Management Team and the wider community planning network and is scheduled for 9.30am in St Fergus Hall on 12th February 2019.