Agendas, reports and minutes

Minutes of Meeting of the Communities and Place Committee held remotely on Wednesday 19 August 2020 at 11.30 am.

Present:

Mr G Adam, Mr R Bremner (Substitute), Mr J Bruce, Mr R Gale, Mr J Gordon, Mr A Henderson (Chair), Mr B Lobban, Mrs L MacDonald, Mr A MacInnes, Mr D MacLeod, Mr D Macpherson, Mr H Morrison (Vice Chair), Mrs M Paterson, Mr I Ramon, Mr A Rhind, Mrs T Robertson
    
Non-Members also present:

Mr A Baxter, Mr B Boyd, Mrs I Campbell, Mr A Christie, Mrs M Davidson, Mr D Mackay, Mr W MacKay, Mrs A MacLean, Mrs B McAllister, Mr J McGillivray, Mr C Munro, Ms N Sinclair, Ms M Smith, Mr B Thompson

In attendance:

Ms C McDiarmid, Executive Chief Officer Communities and Place

Also in attendance:

Ch Supt G Macdonald, Police Scotland
Mr D Wilson, Local Senior Officer, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service

An asterisk in the margin denotes a recommendation to the Council.  All decisions with no marking in the margin are delegated to the Committee.

Mr A Henderson in the Chair

Business

1.    Apologies for Absence
Leisgeulan

Apologies for absence were intimated on behalf of Mr C Fraser, Mr R MacWilliam and Ms P Munro.

2.    Declarations of Interest
Foillseachaidhean Com-pàirt

The Committee NOTED the following declarations of interest:-

Item 4i – Mr A Baxter (non-financial)
Item 8 – Mr D Macpherson (financial)

Mr A Henderson declared a non-financial interest as Chair of HITRANS.  However, it was not anticipated that there would be any discussion in that regard.

3.    Presentation: Burial Ground Maintenance
Taisbeanadh: Cumail Suas Chladhan

Local Members, Councillors Raymond Bremner and Willie MacKay, and John Mackay, Amenity Services Manager, gave a presentation describing the work of volunteers in maintaining burial grounds in Caithness, the difference it had made locally, the assistance from the Council and how else the Council could support this community action.

During discussion, the following issues were raised:-

• Members welcomed the presentation and commended all those involved in the initiative, which was a good news story;
• reference was made to volunteering work in other areas – eg Dingwall Men’s Shed, Dingwall in Bloom and Muir of Ord Cemetery.  However, the extent of the work in Caithness was truly outstanding and Members asked that their appreciation be passed on to the volunteers;
• there was a lot of work to be done in other cemeteries and it was suggested that the presentation be circulated to Members so they could share it with their local communities with a view to establishing similar initiatives throughout Highland.  It was confirmed that the presentation would be modified to a more suitable format and shared with Members;
• there had been a change in mindset over the past year, with the Council and community groups working much more closely together because resources were scarce, and officers enabling groups to do work in cemeteries that they had not been able to do before, which had made a huge difference;
• information was sought, and provided, regarding the provision and maintenance of equipment and whether community groups that carried out substantial works had to carry out risk assessments;
• reference was made to local landowners and businesses providing their services/equipment free of charge, not only in Caithness but in other areas, and the need to continue to work collaboratively was emphasised.  If local people saw that volunteers were carrying out the work they were more likely to come forward, rather than viewing it as the Council’s job, and see the community spirit and joy that the volunteers were getting from improving their community;
• the presentation should also be shared with every Community Council in Highland;
• the difference in the before and after photographs of the cemeteries in Caithness was transformational;
• the value of the third sector was emphasised, and it was also necessary to harness the voluntary sector and community volunteers;
• the initiative was localism in action, and it was necessary to find a mechanism to roll it out to other communities because they would embrace it; and
• grounds maintenance staff had a challenging role given the limitations in terms of both equipment and time resource, and the collaborative working in Caithness had allowed them to achieve what they had not been able to achieve in a long time.

The Chair having thanked those involved for the presentation, which highlighted the valuable work of volunteers and tied in with the work being undertaken by him, the Council Leader and the Executive Chief Officer Communities and Place to support more joint working, the Committee:-

i.    NOTED the presentation;
ii.    AGREED that the presentation be edited to enable further dissemination to Members and for local use; and
iii.    AGREED that the learning from the experience in Caithness would inform future approaches to supporting voluntary effort and joint working with the Council.

4.    Supporting Community Involvement
A’ Cur Taic ri Com-pàirteachas Coimhearsnachd

i.    Community Asset Transfer Requests and Annual Community Asset Transfer Reporting to the Scottish Government
Iarrtasan Gluasad So-mhaoin Coimhearsnachd agus Aithris Bhliadhnail Gluasad So-mhaoin Coimhearsnachd do Riaghaltas na h-Alba

Declaration of Interest: Mr A Baxter declared a non-financial interest in this item as a Trustee of Ardnamurchan Lighthouse Trust and confirmed that he would take no part in any specific discussion regarding Ardnamurchan Lighthouse.

Mr B Lobban explained that, whilst he was a Member of the Northern Lighthouse Trust, Ardnamurchan Lighthouse was no longer owned by the Trust.

There is circulated Report No CP/05/20 dated 21 July 2020 by the Executive Chief Officer Communities and Place.

In discussion, Members sought updates on specific projects, namely, the Cemetery Car Park Toilets at Gairloch, the tennis courts and pavilion at Kingussie and the Dingwall Men’s Shed.  In addition, in relation to whether or not the legal costs incurred were prohibitive, it was pointed out that Groups could often apply for support to cover this from sources such as the Scottish Land Fund.

The Committee AGREED:-

i.    the sale of Acharacle Community Centre to Acharacle Community Company for £30,000, subject to the terms of transfer set out in section 2.1 of the report;
ii.    the sale of land at the former Torvean Golf Course, Inverness to Inverness Rowing Club for £1, subject to the terms of transfer set out in section 2.2 of the report;
iii.    the sale of land and buildings at Rosebank Playing Fields and Pavilion to Wick Community Hub for £1, subject to the terms of transfer set out in section 3.3 of the report;
iv.    the variation of the terms of the economic development burden within the previously agreed asset transfer of Ardnamurchan Lighthouse to Ardnamurchan Lighthouse Trust limiting it to 5 years in length, reflecting the level of discount applied to this decision;
v.    that the Chair of the Committee write to the Scottish Government seeking clarity on the use of economic development burdens to safeguard the discounts given to communities in community asset transfers and how the duty on Local Authorities sat alongside the requirements of bodies such as the Scottish Land Fund; and
vi.    the annual report on Community Asset Transfer for the Scottish Government set out at Appendix 1 of the report.

ii.    Developing a Framework for Participation and Involvement
A’ Leasachadh Frèam airson Com-pàirteachas 

There had been circulated Report No CP/06/20 dated 3 August 2020 by the Executive Chief Officer Communities and Place.

The summary which was to be provided to the Scottish Government of the lessons learnt and local experiences during the Covid-19 period was welcomed.  However, it was important to recognise not only the impact the pandemic had had but the impact of lockdown.  If a second spike occurred there would quite likely be another lockdown but it would be of a very different nature and it was important to communicate what Highland’s perspective on that was.  The Black Isle Partnership was carrying out its own survey looking at what should be done next and what the priorities would be, and this too could be fed back as part of the process.  Turning to procurement for large projects that were pan-Highland, it was requested that a local delivery approach be considered, given that this encouraged local employment and individuals to take more pride in their local environment. 

The Committee:-

i.    NOTED the context and the aim to utilise the learning from the covid-19 period to develop an ongoing framework for participation and involvement with communities;
ii.    AGREED the engagement framework outlined at Appendix 1 of the report;
iii.    NOTED the learning gathered to date from early engagement with community bodies as set out in Appendix 2 of the report; and
iv.    NOTED the next steps and that an update report on outcomes from the various engagement strands would be presented to the next meeting of the Communities and Place Committee.
  
5.    Communities and Place Service Response to Covid-19
Freagairt Seirbheis nan Coimhearsnachdan is nan Àiteachan do Covid-19

There had been circulated Report No CP/07/20 dated 10 August 2020 by the Executive Chief Officer Communities and Place.

The Chairman praised staff on how they had changed and adapted to ensure services continued, and the experience they had gained would, should a second wave of Covid-19 hit Highland, stand them in good stead.  In response to the introduction provided by the Executive Chief Officer Communities and Place, it was questioned when the Gairloch Service Point would re-open, as the recruitment process had been stalled as a result of the pandemic.  The Executive Chief Officer undertook to provide an update to the Local Member concerned.

The Committee scrutinised and NOTED:-

i.    the covid projects led in the service on running helplines, humanitarian assistance, working with community bodies, additional deaths planning, advice and support to business on complying with coronavirus regulations, and the Test and Protect programme;
ii.    covid pressures experienced in the service relating to resources, logistical support and uncontrolled camping;
iii.    the service disruption and adjustments made so far affecting the registrar service, service points and the service centre, grounds maintenance, bereavement services, public conveniences, waste and street cleaning services, environmental health services, stores and logistics and fleet;
iv.    the positive and challenging aspects of our covid response fed back from staff and the learning points for service design and development;
v.    the service’s contribution to the Council’s Recovery Plan with two separate reports on the Committee agenda for the community engagement workstream. Work was underway on the workforce planning and service redesign workstreams and this would include the lessons so far from our covid response.

6.    Performance against the Highland Local Policing Plan 2017-20
Coileanadh mu Choinneamh Plana Poileasachd Ionadail na Gàidhealtachd 2017-20

Under the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012, the Local Authority has responsibility for monitoring and scrutinising performance of Police Scotland against the Local Policing Plan for their area.  Each Local Plan must be approved by the Local Authority and reviewed every three years.

There had been circulated Report No CP/08/20 dated 1 August 2020 by the Highland Local Policing Commander, Chief Superintendent George Macdonald.

Following a summary by Chief Superintendent Macdonald, the following issues were raised in relation to the local performance report for the period April 2019 to March 2020:-

• reckless driving appeared to have increased since lockdown, and it was queried whether Operation Cedar was having an impact and whether members of the public should report the car registration number when they witnessed an incident;
• in relation to Operation Close Pass, the number of cyclists had increased significantly and concern was expressed that motorists did not give them the space they needed.  In addition, it was queried whether there was some form of signage that could be used to encourage cyclists to use passing places to allow motorists to pass safely on single track roads;
• it was queried whether Police Scotland did anything to mark Missing Children’s Day.  In addition, reference was made to a presentation in 2017 when it had been reported that there had been 31 cases of missing persons in one weekend.  Discussion had taken place on the associated pressure on Police resources, and an update was sought in that regard;
• the need for ongoing patrols on the North Coast 500 route was emphasised, and it was questioned why there was no reference to this in the report;
• it having been confirmed that there was a police presence in Inverness Town House, it was suggested that this should be customer facing as the offices on Burnett Road were not in the city centre;
• the strides that had been made in relation to the licensed trade, the work that had taken place to improve safety in Inverness city centre, and the national crime work taking place were commended;
• information was sought on the estimated cost to the Police and the public purse of a road traffic fatality.  It was hoped that putting a figure on it would prompt the provision of resources from central government for measures such as speed cameras, better education and working with newly qualified drivers; and
• in relation to housebreaking, it was queried whether thieves were targeting specific items so that occupants knew what to be on guard for.

Chief Superintendent Macdonald responded in detail to the points raised, during which it was explained that Missing Children’s Day might not have been marked this year due to the pandemic.   However, he undertook to check the position and maximise opportunities for publicity going forward. 

He went on to summarise the Local Police Plan 2020-23 (the Plan), as set out in Appendix 2 of the report, highlighting that it was a live document that could be updated.  He referred to the issue of antisocial/irresponsible camping that had emerged in recent months due to circumstances linked to Covid and suggested this might be something that ought to feed into the Plan.  He emphasised the need for partners to support each other and implement work to prevent such behaviour by what was a disappointing minority.

The Chair welcomed Chief Superintendent Macdonald raising the issue and suggested that it be included under the heading of environmental crime.

During further discussion on the Local Police Plan 2020-23, the following issues were raised:-

• people felt secure knowing that there was a Police Station in their area even if it was not manned full-time, and it was hoped that the stations listed in the Plan would remain; and
• it was a great economic driver to have low crime and high detected crime, and thanks were expressed to Chief Superintendent Macdonald and his colleagues for making Highland a safe place.

Chief Superintendent thanked Members for their support and robust and fair scrutiny during his time as Divisional Commander.  He confirmed that the points raised would be captured and fed back to the new Divisional Commander, Conrad Trickett, and that an action plan would be put in place.

Thereafter, the Committee:-

i.    scrutinised and NOTED the local performance report against Highland Policing Plan Objectives April 2019 - March 2020; and
ii.    APPROVED the Highland 2020-2023 Policing Plan with the inclusion of local resilience planning with partners, including a continuing response to Covid-19 and, under the priority of antisocial behaviour, violence and disorder, action to deal with irresponsible camping and environmental protection.

7.    Local Fire and Rescue Update
Cunntas às Ùr mu Smàladh agus Teasairginn Ionadail

Under the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012, the Local Authority has responsibility for monitoring and scrutinising performance of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service against the Local Fire and Rescue Plan for their area.  Each Local Plan must be approved by the Local Authority and reviewed every three years.

i.    Performance against the Local Fire and Rescue Plan for Highland 2017-2020

On behalf of the Local Senior Officer for Highland, Derek Wilson, there had been circulated the Local Performance Report for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service for the period April 2019 to March 2020.

Following a summary by the Local Senior Officer, the following issues were raised:-

• the home fire safety visit scheme was commended.  However, concern was expressed that people might not ask for a home visit at present because of Covid;
• it was surprising that there had only been a reduction in false alarms in two areas, and it would be good to see a reduction in all areas;
• in relation to station availability, the figures of 96% (Dingwall 1st Appliance) and 74% (Dingwall 2nd Appliance) were welcomed;
• it having been noted that there were only 16 female firefighters in Ross and Cromarty as a whole and none in Dingwall, it was queried whether efforts were still being made to recruit females;
• reference having been made to the Grenfell Tower disaster, an assurance was sought that residents in multi-storey flats in Highland could feel safe and confident that the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service had the necessary equipment and resources to tackle a fire;
• in relation to deliberate fire setting, it was important to educate communities about the risks and the cost to the public purse, and the work being done in that regard was welcomed;
• reference was made to a recent fire in the Inverness South Ward, and the speed at which firefighters had been able to tackle it, thanks to their training, and prevent it spreading further;
• the immediate response to the major fire at Park Primary School in Invergordon and the fact that all teachers and pupils had been evacuated safely was commended;
• concern was expressed regarding fire and safety hazards in poor quality housing in some areas of Inverness – eg pre-war stairways made of flammable materials/dry wood, jammed doors, and cardboard boxes/old newspapers stored on stairways.  Reference was also made to more modern flats where residents had wedged open fire doors, and it was requested that these matters be looked into;
• in relation to station availability and staff levels in Sutherland, there had previously been a policy in place in Lochinver whereby applicants could live 15/20 minutes away, as opposed to the usual 5 minutes, as this was still quicker than an appliance coming from Scourie or Achiltibuie.  It was queried whether this policy was still in place as it would increase the chances of recruiting, staffing levels being low in both Lochinver and Tongue;
• Members paid their respects to former Station Commander, Derek Wilkie, and welcomed the tribute provided by his colleagues in the form of a guard of honour.

The Local Senior Officer having responded to the points raised, the Committee scrutinised and NOTED the Local Performance Report for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service for the period April 2019 to March 2020.

ii.    Review of the Local Fire and Rescue Plan
Ath-sgrùdadh air Plana Smàlaidh agus Teasairginn Ionadail

On behalf of the Local Senior Officer for Highland, Derek Wilson, there had been circulated the Local Fire and Rescue Plan Review 2020.

The Chair expressed his appreciation to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service for the work they did throughout the Highlands

The Local Senior Officer having confirmed that if Members had any comments following the meeting he would be happy to receive them by phone or email, the Committee NOTED the review of the Local Fire and Rescue Plan.

8.    Waste Disposal Strategy Update
Cunntas às Ùr mu Ro-innleachd Cuidhteachadh Sgudail

Declaration of Interest: Mr D Macpherson declared a financial interest in this item on the grounds that a relative owned one of the potential sites in Fort William, and confirmed that he would take no part in any discussion on that particular matter.

i.    Waste Projects Update
Cunntas às Ùr mu Phròiseactan Sgudail

There had been circulated Report No CP/09/20 dated 11 August 2020 by the Executive Chief Officer Communities and Place.

During discussion, the following issues were raised:-

• it was questioned, when the original deadline banning sending biodegradable waste to landfill had been January 2021, why a feasibility study on an Energy from Waste (EfW) was only now being undertaken. In response, it was pointed out that since March 2017, following a Redesign decision, a considerable amount of work had taken place in terms of identifying potential site, planning concerns etc;
• the EfW issue should be separated out from the matter of Waste Transfer Stations;
• it was queried if the tender for the Inverness Transfer Station incorporated a facility to feed directly into a EfW plant; and
• there was potential for an EfW plant to produce hydrogen and it was confirmed that all technologies, at this stage, were being considered.

The Committee NOTED:-

i.    the potential changes over the next five years arising from legislation and regulations as set out in Appendix 1;
ii.    that work had been tendered for the development of a new waste transfer station in Inverness and a further tender was expected to be issued this month for a new transfer station in Aviemore. A preferred site was being identified for the new transfer station in Fort William;
iii.    that the review of the capital programme priorities would consider waste infrastructure requirements alongside other capital projects;
iv.    that contract renewals or extensions were underway with three confirmed to date and within budget tolerance and provision;
v.    the feedback from consultants on the feasibility of an EfW plant in Inverness as summarised in Appendix 2 and as presented in Appendix 3;
vi.    that there were considerable preparatory works underway and required before the Council could take a decision on whether to proceed with an EfW facility, with current tasks to identify any wider socio-economic benefits and to understand grid connections and possibilities for the supply of energy generated; and
vii.    that updates would continue to be provided to future meetings of the Waste Strategy Working Group and to each meeting of this Committee.

ii.    Minutes of Waste Strategy Working Group
Geàrr-chunntas Buidheann-obrach Ro-innleachd Sgudail

The Committee APPROVED the Minutes of the Waste Strategy Working Group held on 7 August 2020.

9.    Bereavement services update and the approach to Burial Ground Extensions
Cunntas às Ùr mu sheirbheisean call neach-gaoil agus dòigh-obrach a thaobh Leudachadh Chladhan

There had been circulated Report No CP/10/20 dated 10 August 2020 by the Executive Chief Officer Communities and Place.

During discussion, the following issues were raised:-

• the responsibility for gravestones which were in poor condition was queried;
• the capacity of Kishorn Burial Ground was causing concern locally and, while calculations suggested that it had some time yet before it was full, the situation on the ground suggested otherwise;
• the cost of upkeep and maintenance of burial grounds relative to the income received was questioned, and whether or not it was possible for this to be broken down for each burial ground and the crematorium;
• a tightening up of burial ground management rules was called for, especially around ornamentation which quite often hindered maintenance, grass cutting etc;
• the local meetings held in Caithness and Sutherland where burial grounds had been given a RAG rating had been well received;
• in some grounds SEPA had placed a 10 burials per year limit and the reasons were sought, and provided;
• it was questioned if the Council had the option of Compulsory Purchase Order for burial ground extensions.  In response, it was confirmed that this option was available but only when other options had been exhausted;
• there was an increase in the number of home burials now taking place;
• it was queried if there were regional variations around the number of those attending funerals; and
• burial grounds played an important part in the Highland culture, particularly for the diaspora who were researching their genealogy, and it was therefore important they were well accessible and maintained.

The Committee:-

i.    NOTED the new infrastructure project established to reduce the risks around burial ground capacity, with 33 out of 268 burial grounds with an estimated capacity of less than 6 years;
ii.    NOTED the challenges with identifying and developing suitable land for burial ground development and the project mitigation in place;
iii.    AGREED that an annual report be presented for each Area Committee beginning in 2021 to allow monitoring of burial ground capacities and extensions proposed for each area;
iv.    NOTED the 5-year rolling programme of inspection planned for all memorials;
v.    NOTED the Lean review of burials administration would be reported to the Redesign Board on 1 September and the progress against all audit actions would be reported to the Audit and Scrutiny Committee on 24 September 2020;
vi.    NOTED the scope of the CMA investigation, that a provisional decision report was expected this month before the investigation concluded in March 2021 and that the implications of the provisional decision on the Council would be assessed and reported to Members; 
vii.    NOTED the additional deaths planning undertaken for the Council’s covid response; and
viii.    AGREED to bring back a report to the next meeting of the Committee on the review of Highland Council's cemetery (and crematorium) management rules.

10.    Communities and Place Revenue Monitoring Report to 30 June 2020
Sgrùdadh Teachd-a-steach

There had been circulated Report No CP/11/20 dated 10 August 2020 by the Executive Chief Officer Communities and Place.

An application for funding had been made to the Scottish Government to help meet the costs of dealing with tourism related waste and it was queried if there was scope to use this to provide incentives so the Highland Comfort Scheme could be expanded.  Unfortunately, to date, no response had been received as to the level of funding which would be provided but Members would be kept informed of any developments.   Whilst an expansion of the Comfort Scheme would be welcomed, this year, as a result of Covid-19, there was a reluctance by some existing operators to open. 

The Committee NOTED:-

i.    the more detailed reporting of gross income and gross expenditure to improve scrutiny of net budgets as set out in the appendices to the report; 
ii.    net spend at the end of quarter 1 totalled £9.389m;
iii.    based on the best available information to date, a service budget gap of £4.84m was forecast to end 2020/21;
iv.    almost every area of service relied on income to pay for services and this had been significantly disrupted this year because of covid impacts.  A loss of income was the key driver of the service’s budget gap;
v.    the budget gap might change positively or negatively depending on the application of expenditure and recruitment controls, adjusting services to meet budget savings agreed, in-year income recovery, identifying new income and procurement opportunities, drawing down any further Government grant support and any new recovery costs emerging; and
vi.    further adjustments would be made in future quarterly reporting to reflect the updated apportionment of costs and savings across the new Executive Chief Officer structure, improved monthly profiling of income and expenditure and any other resourcing issues emerging including Brexit impacts.

11.    Approach to developing and improving customer and citizen contact and relationships
Dòigh-obrach do bhith a’ leasachadh conaltradh is dàimhean le luchd-ceannaich is saoranaich

There had been circulated Report No CP/12/20 dated 11 August 2020 by the Executive Chief Officer Communities and Place.

During discussion, the following issues were raised:-

• in relation to the timescales within which Members could expect a response from officers, without the need to chase up, it was also queried if there was scope to consider the provision of casework software which could be used on tablets and smartphones, similar to that provided by other local authorities, to enable Members to report issues more expeditiously.  This could take the form of a stand-alone app as opposed to something integrated to the Members’ portal.   In this regard, Member involvement in the development team was requested to help guide the selection of software;
• constructive criticism was to be welcomed; 
• making information more easily accessible would cut down the number of Freedom of Information requests;
• the potential savings, improvement to services, increased customer satisfaction and management information which could be generated were considerable; and
• it was queried what criteria were used to determine if a Freedom of Information request was vexatious and/or unreasonable.

The Committee:-

i.    NOTED current volumes of customer contacts, enquiries, complaints and FOI requests.  The service centre handled over 240,000 calls annually and 2019/20 records showed services responded to 51,388 enquiries, 1725 complaints, 1840 FOI enquiries and subject access requests and 836 MSP/MP enquiries;
ii.    NOTED current under-performance in responding within timescales set, as shown in Table 2, and the need for improvement;
iii.    AGREED the approach to change and improvement as set out in section 6 of the report.  This included reviewing the resourcing, cultural, process and systems changes needed with a view to:
a.    making it easy for people to resolve enquires themselves using various internet and telephony methods;
b.    where staff support is needed we resolve issues at the first point of contact wherever possible;
c.    taking more care of people who need more support to access services;
d.    dealing with written complaints and enquiries on time and courteously;
e.    making it easier for Members to report constituent queries and track their progress;
f.    valuing all contact as vital business intelligence.  This will help us to understand how our operations need to respond and how we improve our communications and messaging.  This means analysing the volume and nature of contacts and whether there are any patterns by place.  This will help plan interventions; and
g.    supporting staff to comply with timescales, help remove blockages and provide appropriate training, processes and systems; and
iv.    NOTED the work underway to identify a suitable replacement for the current Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, with a business case in preparation and to be subject to normal governance arrangements. 

The meeting concluded at 5.10 pm