Agendas, reports and minutes

A meeting of the Community Services Committee will take place in the Council Chamber, Council Headquarters, Glenurquhart Road, Inverness on Thursday 15 May 2014 at 10.30 am.

All items relating to this meeting.

Webcast Notice: This meeting will be filmed and broadcast over the Internet on the Highland Council website and will be archived and available for viewing for 12 months thereafter.

You are invited to attend the meeting and a note of the business to be considered is attached.

Yours faithfully

Michelle Morris
Depute Chief Executive/
Director of Corporate Development

Business

1. Apologies for Absence
Leisgeulan

2. Declarations of Interest
Foillseachaidhean Com-pàirt

Members are asked to consider whether they have an interest to declare in relation to any item on the agenda for this meeting. Any Member making a declaration of interest should indicate whether it is a financial or non-financial interest and include some information on the nature of the interest. Advice may be sought from Officers prior to the meeting taking place.

3. Good News
Naidheachd Mhath

4. Community Services – New Structure, New Approach  
Seirbheisean Coimhearsnachd – Structar Ùr, Dòigh-obrach Ùr

There is circulated Report No COM-01-14 (81kb pdf) dated 1 May 2014 by the Director of Community Services informing and updating Members on progress with the new Service structure for Community Services which aims to deliver a fresh, customer-centric approach to service delivery. The report also invites Members to agree to hold a seminar on how the Service can better engage with communities (including Community Councils) and help build and sustain confidence in this fresh approach.

The Committee is invited to:-

i. note progress with the new Service structure for Community Services which
    aims to deliver a fresh, customer-centric approach to service delivery and
    that a further report on progress with the restructure of Service Teams
    will be reported to the next Community Services Committee; and
ii. agree to hold a seminar on how the Service can better engage with
    communities (including Community Councils) and help build and sustain
    confidence in this fresh approach.

5. Food Safety Team Plan
Plana Sgioba Sàbhailteachd Bìdh

There is circulated Report No COM-02-14 (67kb pdf) dated 6 May 2014 by the Director of Community Services inviting Members to approve the Food Safety Service Plan for 2014/15.

The Committee is invited to approve the Food Safety Team Plan for 2014/15 as detailed in Appendix 1 of the report.

6. Landfill Community Fund
Maoin Coimhearsnachd Làraich Sgudail

There is circulated a Report No COM-03-14 (14kb pdf) dated 6 May 2014 by the Director of Community Services advising Members of the Landfill Community Fund and inviting approval of the governance arrangements in relation to the allocation of funding.

The Committee is invited to:-

i. approve distribution of Landfill Community Fund as set out in Section 3 of
    the report; and
ii. note the devolution of landfill tax in 2015.

7. Revenue Budget 2014/15 – Monitoring
Buidseat Teachd-a-steach 2014/15 –Sgrùdadh

There is circulated Report No COM-04-14 (31kb pdf) dated 7 May 2014 by the Director of Community Services inviting Members to note the revenue budget position for the 2014/2015 financial year, and approve the actions to manage the budget.

The Committee is invited to note the revenue budget position for the 2014/2015 financial year, and approve the actions to manage the budget.

8. Roads Maintenance
Gleidheadh Rathaidean

(i) Allocation of Road Maintenance Budget - 2014/15

There is circulated Report No COM-05-14 (23kb pdf) dated 10 April 2014 by the Director of Community Services inviting Members to approve the distribution of the Roads Maintenance Budget for 2014/15 between the four new Operational Areas.

The Committee is invited to approve the distribution of the Road Maintenance Budgets for 2014/15 between the four Operational Areas on the basis of need, as detailed in Appendix A of the report.

(ii) Roads Asset Management Plan Version 3 and the Scottish Road Maintenance Condition Survey Results

There is circulated Report No COM-06-14 (29kb pdf) dated 29 April 2014 by the Director of Community Services presenting the third version of the Council’s Road Asset Management Plan for approval and updating Members on the Society of Chief Officers of Transportation in Scotland (SCOTS) joint project with Scottish Local Authorities and Welsh Unitary Authorities to implement a common asset management framework for the road and bridge infrastructure in Scotland and Wales.  The report also updates Members on the Scottish Road Maintenance Condition Survey (SRMCS) and compares results of recent surveys which indicate ongoing deterioration. The funding situation is also explained.

The Committee is invited to:-

i. approve the third version of The Highland Council’s Road Asset Management
    Plan 2013-15;
ii. note the introduction of the new contract for the SCOTS Road Asset
    Management Project which now includes partnership working with CSS
    Wales; and
iii. note the results of the 2012-14 Scottish Road Maintenance Condition
    Survey.

(iii) Additional Road Maintenance Funding 2014/15 – “Roads Innovation Fund”

There is circulated Report No COM-07-14 (26kb pdf) dated 27 April 2014 by the Director of Community Services introducing the Roads Innovation Fund whose objective it is to explore ways to make more effective use of road maintenance budgets.  The report recommends approval of the associated Roads Innovation Fund Action Plan and progress reports will be provided for the scrutiny of Members at each Community Services Committee during 2014/15.

The Committee is invited to:-

i. agree to welcome the funding of a Roads Innovation Fund while
    acknowledging the objective to drive down unit costs;
ii. agree the Action Plan as presented in Appendix A of the report;
iii. agree to delegate changes to the Action Plan required between
    Community Services Committee meetings to the Director of Community
    services, in consultation with the Chairman and Vice Chairman of
    the Committee; and
iv. note that Action Plan progress reports will be brought to every Community
    Services Committee during 2014/15 for scrutiny.

9. Corran Ferry – Review of Ferry Fares
Aiseag a’ Chorrain - Ath-sgrùdadh air Faraidhean

It will be recall that at the Transport, Environmental and Community Services Committee on 6 February 2014, Members agreed to defer any decision on ferry fare levels until a socio-economic study was carried out and the local community were consulted on the contents of that study.  In this connection, there is circulated Report No. COM-08-14 (57kb pdf) dated 2 May 2014 by the Director of Community Services explaining that feedback on the study has not been received by 2 May 2014 and therefore the reporting of any feedback will be provided to Members at the 6 November 2014 Community Services Committee. It is also recommended that consideration of any proposals for fare increases be deferred to the meeting on 6 November, when the full effect of current fare levels on ferry income and potential savings in revenue expenditure will be known.

The Committee is invited to:-

i. note that the 4% annual inflationary increases in fare levels were applied on
    1 April 2013 and 1 April 2014. A 30p increase was also applied in fares per
    trip in 1 November 2013 and that the full impact of these fare levels on
    income are still to be realised;
ii. agree to defer consideration of further increase in fares until the
    Community Services Committee on 6 November 2014 when the full effect
    of current fare levels on ferry income and potential savings in revenue
    expenditure will be known;
iii. note that a review of all operational costs and income will be undertaken
    and that the outcome of the review will be presented to the Lochaber
    Area Committee, with a further report being taken to the Community
    Services Committee on 6 November;
iv. note that the report on 6 November will make recommendations on
    whether or not above inflation fare increases will be required; and
v. note that feedback from Community Councils on the socio-economic study
    will also be provided to Members at the Community Services Committees
    on 6 November.

10. Housing and Property Services Performance Report – 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014
Aithisg Dèanadais Seirbheis an Taigheadais is na Seilbhe – 1 Giblean 2013 gu 31 Màrt 2014   

There is circulated joint Report No. COM-09-14 (207kb pdf) dated 15 April 2014 by the Directors of Community Services and Development and Infrastructure providing information on how the Housing and Property Service performed in relation to Scottish Social Housing Charter and other performance indicators during the fourth quarter of 2013/14.

The Committee is invited to note the information provided on housing performance from 1 April 2013 to 31 March 2014.

11. Homelessness Appeals
Tagraidhean Dìth Dachaigh

There is circulated Report No COM-10-14 (66kb pdf) dated 6 May 2014 by the Director of Community Services advising Members of the current process for dealing with appeals against decisions on homelessness cases and seeking agreement on future arrangements for Member involvement in final stage appeals.

The Committee is invited to:-

i. agree to continue with the current appeals process, with final stage appeals
    chaired by a Member of the Community Services Committee;
ii. agree that any Member of the Committee who has undertaken training in
    homelessness appeals will be able to chair an Appeal hearing;
iii. note that training sessions have been arranged following the Community
    Services Committee meeting on 15 May 2014 to which all Members of the
    Committee are invited; and
iv. note  that a further training session will be arranged if required.

12. Allocations Policy Update
Fios Às Ùr mun Phoileasaidh Riarachaidh

There is circulated Report No COM-11-14 (32kb pdf) dated 29 April 2014 by the Director of Community Services providing an update on the allocation of social rented housing in Highland, including the legal and regulatory framework involved, and summarising the key points arising from the recent Members workshop which will inform future consideration of policy changes.

The Committee is invited to:-

i. note the summary from the Member Workshop;
ii. agree that work continues with the Highland Housing Register Partners on
    policy options relating to prioritisation of applications and a wider housing
    options approach;
iii. agree that further policy changes be considered arising from the Housing
    (Scotland) Act 2013;
iv. agree that these issues be considered further when the annual Housing
    Allocations Monitoring Report is presented to the Community Services
    Committee on 21 August 2014; and
v. agree that a further Member briefing session be held prior to the August
    Committee.

13. Minutes
 Geàrr-chunntas

The following Minutes are circulated:-

i. for approval, minutes of the Harbour Management Board (34kb pdf) of 10 April 2014;
    and
ii. for noting, Minutes of the  Education Transport Entitlement Review Sub Committee (23kb pdf) of 6 May 2014.