LMM10140 ITEM 1 Outer Hebrides Community Planning Partnership Meeting Minute of meeting held in Council Chamber, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis Thursday 3 March 2011 at 7pm PRESENT Mr Angus Campbell, CnES (Chairman) Mr Archie K Campbell, CnES Ms Seonag Campbell, SDS Mr David Green, LCC/UHI Mr Scott Hay, HIFRS Mr Gordon Jamieson, NHS WI Mr Angus Lamont, HHP Ms Anne Macaulay, HIE Mr Alex A MacDonald, CnES Mr David Maclennan, SNH Chief Inspector Gordon Macleod, Northern Constabulary Mrs Katie Macleod, HVS Mrs Jessie MacNeil, VABV Mr Alasdair Nicolson, Third Sector Hebrides Mr Charlie Nicolson, CnES APOLOGIES Mr Malcolm Burr, CnES Dr Neil Galbraith, NHS WI Mr Ken Kennedy, LCC/UHI Mr Donald Manford, CnES Mr Morag Munro, CnES Mr Anthony Standing, SDS Item Action The Chairman advised that he intended to raise two additional maters under any other business. The first was in relation to the Change Fund and the second in relation to the MCA consultation on the future of the Coastguard Service. He stated that the Coastguard Review had commenced since the last meeting of the Community Planning Partnership in December 2010. Given the time sensitive nature of the responses, the issue had been discussed at the Executive Group. It was noted that a Task Group had been established locally to lobby for the retention of the local Coastguard Service and the group was working on an alternative proposal as a response to the consultation. The review proposed that either Stornoway or Shetland be reduced to a daylight operation and the other discontinued. The Chairman advised that initial discussions with the Minister had suggested that alternative models would be considered. It was recommended that the OHCPP submit a response in support of the task group submission, that a draft of this response would be brought to the next meeting of the Executive Group and that the response would be circulated to the whole membership of the Partnership prior to submission. 1 LMM10140 ITEM 1 It was agreed that: a) a draft response to the consultation, in support of the submission of the task group would be written; b) the draft response would be submitted to the next meeting of the Executive Group for consideration prior to submission; and c) the draft response would be circulated to the Partnership for consideration and comments prior to submission. Minute of Meeting of 2 1 The Minute of the meeting of Thursday 2 December 2010 was December 2010 approved as accurate. Action Points 2 The Chairman stated that in regard to Item 10 of the previous minute the submission on the Community Support Service Review had been compiled by the Communities Outcome Group and had been submitted with all of the requested representations. These submissions had been taken into consideration by the Comhairle‟s Sustainable Development Committee in December 2010. It had been agreed by the Committee to recommend to the Comhairle that the Director of Development implement the recommendations arising from the Review of the Service. These recommendations were to take steps to centralise the Comhairle‟s community economic development service as far as practicable in order to provide a more flexible and equitable distribution of resources to the communities of the Outer Hebrides; to define the future role of the Community Co-ordinators more clearly, and designate new job-titles accordingly; to continue to identify potential budgetary savings and efficiencies arising from a new way of delivering community economic development across the Outer Hebrides; and to initiate a marketing campaign, emphasizing the benefits of the „one-stop-shop‟ approach. The Comhairle had further agreed to seek a report on the practical implications of delivery to be submitted to the June 2011 meeting of the Sustainable Development Committee. The decision of the Comhairle in this regard was noted. Matters Arising 3 Ms Katie Macleod asked the Chairman to clarify the list of future dates for the Partnership, in particular that no meeting date in Harris was included on the list. The Chairman responded that the location of meetings was on a rota basis as previously agreed by the OHCPP; the last meeting outwith Stornoway having taken place in Tarbert, the next meeting in Harris would take place in early 2012. Revision of the SOA 4 Following on from Item 4 of the minute dated 2 December 2010, the Chief Executive, CnES submitted a Report informing the Partnership of the progress made in revising the Single Outcome Agreement (SOA). Ms Gayle Findlay, CnES, advised the meeting that the five Outcome Groups had been taking part in a series of meetings and workshops in order to identify Activities; short-term Outcomes; Intermediate Outcomes and Long Term Outcomes which would contribute towards the seven new priorities chosen by the Partnership in December 2010. This work had been used to populate Logic Models and Outcome Triangles which were attached as Appendices to the 2 LMM10140 ITEM 1 Report, and which would comprise part of the revised SOA document. It was noted that the Outcome Groups would now spend some time prioritising the selected Activities and Outcomes and identifying high level SMART indicators by which to measure progress with a view to submitting a draft SOA to Scottish Government for feedback at the beginning of April 2011. Partners also considered a suggested format template for use in monitoring progress with the new document, attached at Appendix 3. It was recommended that Partners authorise the Executive Group, Community Planning Information Group and the Community Partnerships‟ Unit to continue with the development of the SOA and approve the suggested format for Report monitoring to Scottish Government. The Partnership noted the Report and agreed to: a) authorise the Executive Group, Community Planning Information Group and the Community Partnerships’ Unit to continue with the development of the SOA; and b) approve the suggested format for Report monitoring to Scottish Government. Public Sector Reform 5 Following on from Item 11 of the minute of the meeting of 2 December 2010, in regards to the Comhairle‟s Budget Choices, the Partnership considered a Report updating it on the latest position in relation to Public Sector Reform and the work being carried out by the Centre for Scottish Public Policy (CSPP) relating to the potential for a Single Public Authority. The Chairman stated that the CPP had received a draft Report and Recommendations from the CSPP which was appended to the Report at Appendix 2. Appendix 1 was Comhairle nan Eilean Siar‟s initial submission to the Christie Commission. Partners noted that the Comhairle would be discussing its submission at the Highlands and Islands Convention on 14 March 2011 ahead of considering its final submission at its meeting of 31 March 2011. Mr Alex MacDonald stated that he had met with the Conservative Party, the Liberal Democrat Party and the lead agencies on Public Sector Reform from Shetland and Orkney to discuss the issue. It was noted that both political parties had indicated the issue would be included in their manifestos. A meeting was due to take place with the Scottish National Party and the Labour Party to discern whether Public Sector Reform would also be included in their manifestos. It was further noted that in Orkney the Health Board had been leading the project and that feedback to date from national politicians indicated that the Single Public Authority model was the best reform option for the island areas. The Chairman stated that the establishment of the Christie Commission ensured that there would be reform of the Public Sector after the Scottish Government elections in May 2011. He added that this provided an opportunity as a Partnership to influence the reform process and to propose a model of mutual benefit for the service providers and users of the Outer Hebrides. In addition, he recommended that the Partnership give consideration to a more suitable name as the term Single Public Authority had developed negative connotations and was perceived as a Local Authority 3 LMM10140 ITEM 1 takeover, and that consultation on the proposals take place with communities. Mr Gordon Jamieson stated that NHS Western Isles would continue to support integrated working and there were a number of areas in which agencies should be working together. He added that the role of the Health Board is to promote and safeguard the health and wellbeing of the population. If the Board was looking to do that differently through an alternative model, all options would have to be considered as part of a full appraisal. Options may include a Single Public Authority and merger with a mainland Board(s). The Chairman said that the Public Sector Reform model would not be looking at delivering services within agencies, but at securing local jobs and retaining policy decisions within the Outer Hebrides. He emphasised that the issue could not be ignored and that he was keen to discuss a sustainable answer. Chief Inspector Gordon Macleod stated that he had met with Fergus Ewing MSP who had been visiting the Outer Hebrides with regard to the Single Police Force. Chief Inspector Macleod reported that Mr Ewing had been informed that there was a commitment to defending the levels of policing and the rank structure in the Outer Hebrides. Chief Inspector Macleod advised Partners that the islands could be shown as best practice for Public Sector Agencies working together to retain services. Mr Charlie Nicolson said that there was a need to safeguard the Outer Hebrides and the Highlands and Islands and added that, in relation to the retention of local Police and Fire Service provision, national consideration should be given to a four area model with the Highlands and Islands growing to incorporate Argyll and Bute.