Agendas, reports and minutes

 

Present:

 

Mr I Brown, Mr A Graham, Mr R Balfour, Mrs C Caddick, Mrs H Carmichael, Mr A Christie, Mr J Crawford, Mrs M Davidson, Mr A Duffy, Mr J Ford, Mr K Gowans, Mr J Gray, Mr D Hendry, Mr D Kerr, Mr R Laird, Mrs B McAllister, Mr K MacLeod, Mr F Parr, Mr T Prag, Mr G Ross, Mrs G Sinclair, Ms K Stephen, Mr H Wood

 

Officials in Attendance:

 

Mr S Black, Director of Planning and Development 
Mr W Gilfillan, Corporate Manager
Mr D Haas, Inverness City Manager/Clerk
Mr D Goldie, Head of Housing
Mr S Dalgarno, Development Plans Manager, Planning and Development Service
Mr D McKechnie, Integrated Transport Manager, TEC Services
Mr A McCann, Economy and Regeneration Manager, Planning and Development Service
Mr B MacKinnon, Employability Team Manager, Planning and Development Service
Mr R Evans, Area Roads and Community Works Manager, TEC Services
Mr C Mackintosh, Area Education Manager – South, ECS Service
Miss J MacLennan, Democratic Services Manager, Chief Executive’s Office
Miss J Green, Administrative Assistant, Chief Executive’s Office
Mr G Smith, Assistant Civic Officer, Finance Service

 

Also in attendance:

 

Ms D Rawlinson, Principal of Inverness College/UHI

 

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

 

Mr I Brown in the Chair

 

Preliminaries

 

Prior to the commencement of the formal business, the City Leader confirmed that an email had been sent to all Members of the Committee to confirm the date, time and venue for the first meeting to consider the long term strategy for the Common Good Fund. In this regard, it was advised that any Member not able to attend could forward comments and suggestions to the City Manager. It was anticipated that a further follow-up meeting would be held in December. 

 

Business

 

1.  Apologies for Absence
Leisgeulan

 

Apologies for absence were intimated on behalf of Miss J Campbell, Mr N Donald and Mrs J Slater.

 

2.  Declarations of Interest
Foillseachaidhean Com-pàirt

 

The Committee NOTED the following declarations of interest:-

 

Item 3 – Mrs C Caddick, K Gowans and Mr H Wood (all non-financial)
Item 4 – Mr A Christie, Mr K Gowans and Mr H Wood (non-financial)
Item 5 – Mr A Christie (non-financial)
Item 6 – Mr A Christie, Mr R Laird, Mrs B McAllister, Mr K MacLeod (non-financial)
Item 7 – Mr K Gowans (non-financial)
Item 9 – Mr K Gowans (non-financial)
Item 10 – Mr A Christie (non-financial)
Item 11(b) – Mr A Graham and Mr J Gray (non-financial)
Item 12 – Mr A Christie (non-financial)

 

3.  Presentation – Inverness College/UHI
Taisbeanadh – Colaiste Inbhir Nis/UHI

 

Declarations of Interest –

 

Mrs C Caddick and Mr K Gowans declared non-financial interests in relation to this item on the grounds of being a Board Member and an employee respectively of Inverness College UHI but, having applied the test outlined in Paragraphs 5.2 and 5.3 of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct, concluded that their interests did not preclude their involvement in the discussion.

 

Mr H Wood declared a non-financial interest in this item on the grounds of being the Chairman of the Highland Cycling Campaign and a Board Member of the Inverness Civic Trust but, having applied the test outlined in Paragraphs 5.2 and 5.3 of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct, concluded that his interest did not preclude his involvement in the discussion.

 

A presentation was undertaken at the meeting by Ms Diane Rawlinson, Principal of Inverness College/UHI, during which Ms Rawlinson outlined the priorities for Inverness College and the significant new opportunities for the City as a result of the development of the UHI Campus site.

 

It was confirmed that the University of the Highlands and Islands comprised 13 Colleges, specialist and research centres which worked in partnership to provide access to tertiary education for the communities of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland and beyond.

 

Within Inverness College, there were 2 Faculties (Technology and Business, Life Science & Creative Industries) and 4 Campuses (Longman, Midmills, the School of Forestry and the Falcon Centre in Aviemore).  Courses provided included Construction, Health, Social and Early Years Care, Business, Engineering, Computing, Creative Industries, Sport, Social Science, Highers, Supportive Education, Hospitality and Professional Cookery. Specialist provision focused on Forestry, Renewables, Aquaculture, Rural Studies, Architectural Technology, Performing Arts, Rivers and Lochs, Enterprise and Teacher Education. In this regard, approximately 5750 students studied courses through face to face, blended and online delivery modes (with approximately 2150 studying full time and the remaining 3600 studying part time). The gender split was approximately 50/50 with the average age being 22 for a full time student and 29 for a part time student.

 

In terms of Commercial and Employer driven provision, it was noted that exemplar commercial training courses included Elementary Food Hygiene, Intermediate Food Hygiene, Chain Saw Operator, Principles of Customer Service – World Host, Introduction to Social Media and Plumbing and Gas Fitting. A number of bespoke business to business consultancy services were also currently offered.

 

Following a summary of the new Campus timeline, during which it was advised that commissioning works were expected to be complete by Spring 2015, specific and detailed information was provided in relation to the new Campus, the HIE/UHI new building project, development of a strategy for creating the University City of Inverness and future recruitment opportunities. In this regard, Industry Links and Short and Medium Term Priorities were also highlighted. 

 

During discussion, Members raised the following issues:-

• the developments which were coming forward as part of this project were extremely exciting and would be key to the attraction of young people to the City in future;
• the positive and on-going interaction with partners was warmly welcomed and it was hoped that this could be expanded on wherever possible;
• courses/qualifications which focused on the hospitality sector would be  particularly beneficial in view of the potential benefits from this sector for the Highlands;
• the inclusion of Carbon Clever initiatives would be instrumental in ensuring an extremely high quality development and environment for the future;
• the Campus site was very impressive and should be visited by all Members of the Committee if possible;
• it was important that the City was fully involved with this project in order to ensure that the benefits and potential were fully realised into the future;
• every effort should be made to attract international students to the area in terms of the value of establishing links with other countries wherever possible;
• there was a need to create both student traditions and heritage as part of the integration of the Campus with the City;
• it would be helpful if clarification could be provided in terms of the future uses of the current College buildings once vacated;
• health and social care issues needed to be strongly encouraged through the future remit of the College;
• the importance of tutors was paramount, particularly in terms of engaging with students and avoiding wherever possible drop-out statistics from courses;
• developing employability skills was key to the future success of the project and in this regard the importance of sustainable courses was emphasised;
• it would be important to try to reconcile the needs of all students, at all ages; 
• strong links with employers in the area were crucial, particularly in relation to health, social care and self-directed support, and training in these areas was crucial;
• workforce planning in terms of renewables was also required in conjunction with contractors and developers in the area;
• budgets were challenging however College staff were working hard to make best use of available resources;
• the plan was to develop an ‘Energy Hub’ for the Highlands through collaboration with North Highland College;
• the College took its social responsibilities very seriously and made every effort to recognise the need to provide education opportunities to people of all needs and abilities; and
• Performing Arts were catered for however it was recognised that Perth College UHI was best placed to provide specialist sound engineering courses.

Thereafter, and having thanked Ms Rawlinson for her presentation, the Committee NOTED the position.

 

4.  Land Use and Transport Priorities for Inverness
Cleachdadh Fearainn agus Prìomhachasan Còmhdhalach airson Inbhir Nis

 

Declarations of Interest –

 

Mr A Christie declared a non-financial interest in relation to this item on the grounds of being a General Manager of Inverness, Badenoch and Strathspey Citizens Advice Bureau but, having applied the test outlined in Paragraphs 5.2 and 5.3 of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct, concluded that his interest did not preclude his involvement in the discussion.

 

Mr K Gowans declared non-financial interest in relation to this item on the grounds of being an employee of Inverness College UHI but, having applied the test outlined in Paragraphs 5.2 and 5.3 of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct, concluded that his interest did not preclude his involvement in the discussion.

 

Mr H Wood declared a non-financial interest in this item on the grounds of being the Chairman of the Highland Cycling Campaign and a Board Member of the Inverness Civic Trust but, having applied the test outlined in Paragraphs 5.2 and 5.3 of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct, concluded that his interest did not preclude his involvement in the discussion.

 

There had been circulated Joint Report No. CIA-52-13 (37kb pdf) dated 8 October 2013 by the Directors of Planning and Development and Transport, Environmental and Community Services which recommended a procedure and process to identify land use and integrated transport priorities for improving the quality of the environment in Inverness City Centre and deliver a long term sustainable transport network.  Together these measures aimed to maximise the role of Inverness as a modern and carbon-clever City and its contribution to the Seven Cities initiative.

 

In this regard, a presentation was also undertaken at the meeting during which a process for consulting with key groups and organisations on achieving these outcomes was outlined, including proposals/actions identified in existing transport and land use strategies, and it was confirmed that the findings of the consultation meetings were intended to inform a review of the Inverness City Centre Development Brief, related transport strategies and the wider role of integrated transport throughout the Highlands.

 

An outline timetable for the consultation process had also been included as Table A within the report.

 

During discussion, Members raised the following issues:-

• in addition to the proposals within the report, there was also a need to consult with communities, perhaps through the Community Council Forum;
• as part of the full and detailed discussion on the proposals which would be undertaken in December, consideration should be given as to whether there was a need for a transport hub in Inverness and if so what form it should take;
• consultation on the proposals should also be extended through a City Forum;
• previous unplanned growth had created a pressure on the City and surrounding areas and the proposals represented the opportunity for discussion on how to take forward improvements in this regard;
• the proposal in relation to combining land use and transport provision in future was particularly welcomed in terms of movement within the City;
• cyclists and pedestrians were key to the future proposals and should be treated as a priority wherever possible;
• it was crucial that substantial work was undertaken in regard to Academy Street and through Local Action Zones, such as Union Street;
• carbon clever initiatives were particularly important in that they could aid development and businesses as well as promote healthier lifestyles;
• it should be remembered that Inverness reached all the way to Lochaber in terms of future consideration of transport issues (and in particular the needs of landward areas) and cognisance should be taken of work which had already been undertaken in other areas;
• there was also a need to take account of the proposals which had been highlighted in the Business Improvement District Business Plan;
• commercial considerations were vital in relation to future work, including the need for more competition within the bus network throughout the City and surrounding areas;
• it was important that an invitation to become involved in future discussions should be extended to the Federation of Small Businesses;
• parking arrangements within the City Centre, including parking arrangements for disabled motorists, needed to be given priority in any future proposals;
• consultation with members of the public should be highlighted as the main priority in any future discussions;
• there was a need to give careful consideration as to how motorists could be encouraged to use public transport in future and also as to how to engage with older people and young families in terms of attracting them to the City Centre;
• the retention of Council Offices within the City Centre wherever possible should be part of future discussions, along with consideration as to whether it was feasible to introduce electric buses and perhaps more pedestrian areas; and
• consideration should be given as to whether it was possible to build more housing for the elderly in the City Centre.

Thereafter, the Committee:-

 

(i)  AGREED to contribute to the scoping and content of an integrated land use
     and transport strategy for Inverness City Centre;
(ii) AGREED that Officers should consult with key partners and interested groups
    and organisations (as identified in Table A), and also including the Inverness
    Community Council Forum and the Federation of Small Businesses, to identify
    priorities and actions for transport and land use in the City Centre whilst taking
    account of the opportunities identified in the Inverness City Centre
    Development Brief; and
(iii) AGREED that Officers should take forward outputs from Members and
    consultation meetings to produce an Action Plan which could be reported
    back to the Committee in Spring 2014 and incorporated in a review of the
    Inverness City Centre Development Brief and other Transport Strategies.

 

5.  City Development Officers Working Group (CDOWG) – Update Report
Còmhlan-obrach Oifigearan Leasachaidh Cathair-bhaile

 

Declaration of Interest –

 

Mr A Christie declared a non-financial interest in relation to this item on the grounds of being a General Manager of Inverness, Badenoch and Strathspey Citizens Advice Bureau but, having applied the test outlined in Paragraphs 5.2 and 5.3 of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct, concluded that his interest did not preclude his involvement in the discussion.

 

There had been circulated Report No. CIA-53-13 (27kb pdf) dated 5 October 2013 by the Director of Planning and Development which provided an update on the projects being co-ordinated through the City Development Officers Working Group.

 

During a summary of the report, and with specific reference to the City Vision Priority Areas, information was provided on the five action areas where it had been agreed that co-ordinated action and more detailed masterplanning was required, namely the City Centre, Ness-side/Torvean, Longman, Muirtown/South Kessock and Inshes/Raigmore areas.

 

An update on progress was also provided on a series of projects which were currently underway or at inception stage, included the River Ness Flood Scheme (Tidal Phases 1 and 2), Streetscape 1 (Riverside Enhancements in Huntly Street and Douglas Row), Streetscape 2 (including Academy Street), the Academy Street Townscape Heritage Project (including the future opportunities for the Victorian Market), the Inverness Campus, the West Link, the Prison relocation, the Longman Road Corridor and Private Sector Development opportunities.

 

It was also noted that discussions had been undertaken with a local agent on current market opportunities for Inverness and these discussions were to be supplemented over the coming months with input from other local agents and organisations, such as the Scottish Futures Trust. 

 

During discussion, it was suggested that in future it would be helpful to have the information provided in a more structured format, including timelines, financial and match funding statistics, together with more clarity and substance on individual projects. It was also suggested that more detail and regular feedback should be provided to Central Ward Members if possible.   

 

Thereafter, the Committee NOTED progress by the City Development Officers Working Group on implementing the Inverness City Vision and the priority projects as outlined in the report.

 

6.  Deprived Area Fund and Employability Activity
Seirbheis Cosnaidh Maoin Sgìre Bhochd

 

Declarations of Interest –

 

Mr A Christie declared a non-interest in relation to this item on the grounds of being a General Manager of Inverness, Badenoch and Strathspey Citizens Advice Bureau but, having applied the test outlined in Paragraphs 5.2 and 5.3 of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct, concluded that his interest did not preclude his involvement in the discussion.

 

Mr R Laird, Mrs B McAllister and Mr K MacLeod declared non-financial interests in relation to this item on the grounds of being Board Members of Merkinch Enterprise and Merkinch Partnership but, having applied the test outlined in Paragraphs 5.2 and 5.3 of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct, concluded that their interests did not preclude their involvement in the discussion.

 

There had been circulated Report No. CIA/54/13 dated 9 October 2013 by the Director of Planning and Development which outlined the revised Deprived Area Fund criteria which had been approved by the Planning, Environment and Development Committee on 14 August 2013 for the application of the Fund in 2014/15, identified the implications of this in the City Area and asked Members to agree arrangements to develop a strategic approach to the use of the Fund over a three year period from 2014-17. In this regard, it was confirmed that the revised approach which had been agreed by the Planning, Environment and Development Committee had identified the 44 data zones which had been ranked in the 15% most deprived data zones in Highland. Using this revised approach, the City of Inverness Area had 16 data zones which had been detailed in Appendix 1 to the report and which included parts of Dalneigh, Central Inverness, Merkinch, Hilton, Raigmore and Ardersier as areas with relatively high concentrations of disadvantage.

 

In terms of developing a strategic approach in the City Area, the three year timeline allowed for a planned approach for use of the Fund and in managing change. However, there was still a need to promote it within the relevant communities and to enter into dialogue with those communities about this and other initiatives for 2014-15. Similarly, there was a need to engage with partners and to undertake a mapping of existing and proposed community initiatives. It was therefore proposed that initial applications/expressions of interest should be invited using the Council’s Single Grant process and a public notice placed with a closing date of 2 January 2014 for submissions to be received. Thereafter, the mapping, appraisal of existing community activity and consideration of applications (by the Inverness Common Good Fund Grants Sub Committee) would be undertaken in order to formulate a strategic approach to the use of the Fund prior to the submission of recommendations to the City of Inverness Area Committee in early 2014.

 

A correction to the report was highlighted at the meeting in relation to Appendix 1 and specifically the paragraph on Targeting whereby it was confirmed that spend would be focused on the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation zones although proposals had to demonstrate a clear fit with the criteria, outputs and outcomes.

 

During discussion, Members raised the following issues:-

• there was a need for further clarity on how proposals could be presented and which groups were involved in this regard;
• the criteria had changed from the previous heavy emphasis on employability and had now moved to employment and it was hoped that this would help people to get back into jobs and allow an increase in confidence, self reliance and community skills;
• there was a need for communities to take ownership of their problems, demonstrate leadership and support themselves out of poverty;
• it would be helpful if liaison could be undertaken with other public agencies to establish their plans and proposals for future involvement in addition to the work already being undertaken by the Council;
• the report represented an expanded list of communities but it should be noted that most communities did not have a comparable organisation to Merkinch Partnership in place and it was therefore imperative that communities were consulted on how they proposed to take forward action;
• a number of communities had been listed within the report and it was important to recognise, most particularly through the local media, that these were not bad communities and detrimental stories which appeared in the press had a negative impact and hampered progress;
• it was important that all Wards within the relevant Data Zones worked closely together in order to achieve maximum benefit for communities and that a further report on progress was submitted to an early meeting of the Committee in the New Year.

Thereafter, the Committee:-

 

i.  AGREED that the mapping, appraisal of existing community activity and the
    consideration of applications by the Common Good Fund Grants Sub-
    Committee should be undertaken in order to formulate a strategic approach to
    the use of the Fund with recommendations being submitted to the
    Committee for its first meeting in 2014; and
ii. NOTED the recent activities of the Inverness Employability Group as detailed in
    the report.

 

7.  Community Planning and Partnership Working in Inverness
Obrachadh Chom-pàirteach ann an Inbhir Nis

 

Declaration of Interest –

 

Mr K Gowans declared non-financial interest in relation to this item on the grounds of being an employee of Inverness College UHI but, having applied the test outlined in Paragraphs 5.2 and 5.3 of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct, concluded that his interest did not preclude his involvement in the discussion.

 

There had been circulated Report No. CIA-55-13 (29kb pdf) dated 22 September 2013 by the Corporate Manager which summarised the work of the Inverness Partnership and asked Members to consider its work in light of the current review of community planning arrangements taking place in Highland.

 

During a summary of the report, it was confirmed that a review of community planning arrangements was currently being undertaken and this incorporated an approach which met the public service reform agenda, built on current arrangements and linked to each partner’s governance and accountability arrangements. Progress on this review would be reported to the Highland Public Services Partnership Performance Board later in the year.

 

In this regard, the Board had proposed a strategic framework which would ensure strength of leadership and accountability whilst embedding the ability of partners to both challenge and support to ensure best practice and measurable progress. In line with this, each strategic lead partner would undertake work to map the local community planning arrangements at an operational level and this would include consideration of what was needed to deliver results.

 

Detailed information was also provided in the report in relation to current partnership working in Inverness, the synergies between partnerships, future developments and the Inverness City Vision and Development Briefs.

 

During discussion, clarification was provided on the composition of both the Highland Public Services Partnership Performance Board and the Inverness Partnership and it was confirmed that both were kept continually under review and updated as and when necessary.

 

Thereafter, the Committee:-

 

i.  NOTED the achievements of the Inverness Partnership and the key role that
    partnership working played in community planning in Inverness; and
ii. AGREED to recommend to the Inverness Partnership that partnership priorities
    be kept under review to reflect the emerging themes of the Highland Public
    Services Partnership.

 

8.  Winter Maintenance Plan for 2013/14
Plana Gleidheadh Geamhraidh 2012/13

 

There had been circulated Report No. CIA-56-13 (2018kb pdf) dated 3 October 2013 by the Director of Transport, Environmental and Community Services which invited Members to approve the Winter Maintenance Plan for Inverness City and Area for 2013/14.

 

During a summary of the report, it was confirmed that the Transport, Environmental and Community Services Committee had agreed a number of enhancements to the Winter Maintenance Service in May 2013, including engaging with communities well before the start of the next Winter to promote the community self-help scheme, providing three spare winter maintenance vehicles, continuing to use local contractors to provide additional resources to assist with snow clearing, formalising the arrangements for the treatment of footpaths in sheltered housing schemes, continuing to ensure that grit bins were kept full and reducing the number of priorities in the Winter Maintenance policy from four to three and carrying out a comprehensive review of routes to identify those which should be reclassified as Priority 1.

 

In this regard, the updated Winter Maintenance Policy has been contained in Appendix A to the report. In addition, the Priority Maps for Inverness City and Area had been reproduced as Appendix B and it was confirmed that these maps would be included on the Council Website following approval.

 

Detailed information was also provided within the report in relation to Forecast/Decision Making, Operatives, Vehicles and Plant, Treatments, Salt, Provision of Grit/Salt Bins, Co-ordination and Support for Other Services, Exceptional Conditions and Community Self-Help.

 

During discussion, Members raised the following issues:-

• there was a need for the Charleston School Shops area to be included in the secondary routes;
• the proposals for additional pre-gritting were welcomed;
• there was a need for agreements to be in place to ensure that Care Homes and Schools in particular were given priority in terms of snow clearing from access routes, paths, etc;
• there was a need to encourage community self-help schemes and to ensure that rules and regulations in this regard were not too prescriptive;
• if possible, it would be helpful if funding could be identified to allow payment to local farmers and contractors to clear access routes in remote communities which were currently classed as non-priority;
• consideration should be given to alternative ways of providing relevant information to communities who could not make use of electronic means at present;
• sand/grit deposits in local areas had been very successful in the past and should be extended to as many areas as possible in future; and
• local communities should be advised that application could be made through the Community Challenge Fund for measures to ensure self-sufficiency. 

Thereafter, the Committee APPROVED the Winter Maintenance Plan for Inverness City and Area for 2013/14, which included the priority road maps presented in Appendix B to the report.

 

The Committee also AGREED that, noting the importance of the report, hard copies should be sent to the Secretary of each Community Council within the City Wards.

 

9.  Millburn Academy Associated School Group Overview
Sealladh Coitcheann air Buidheann Sgoiltean Co-cheangailte Acadamaidh Allt a’ Mhuilinn

 

Declaration of Interest –

 

Mr K Gowans declared non-financial interest in relation to this item on the grounds of being a Director of High Life Highland but, having applied the test outlined in Paragraphs 5.2 and 5.3 of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct, concluded that his interest did not preclude his involvement in the discussion.

 

There had been circulated Report No. CIA-57-13 (82kb pdf) dated 9 October 2013 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which provided an update of key information in relation to the schools within the Millburn Academy Associated School Group (ASG) and useful links to further information in relation to these schools.

 

During a summary of the report, it was confirmed that the Primary Schools in the area served over 1750 pupils with the Secondary School serving 1156 young people. In respect of Millburn Academy, the school roll had shown a steady increase over the last four years with indications that this trend would continue for the foreseeable future. In addition, new Head Teachers had recently been appointed in Crown Primary, Daviot Primary, Inshes Primary and Strathdearn Primary and were being supported through the Quality Improvement Officer and the Area Office.

 

Detailed information was also provided within the report in relation to attainment and achievement in respect of Millburn Academy, Crown Primary School, Daviot Primary School, Drakies Primary School, Inshes Primary School, Milton of Leys Primary School, Raigmore Primary School and Strathdearn Primary School, together with statistics in regard to Funding, Buildings and High Life Highland facilities and services.

 

During discussion, it was requested that further information should be provided on the facilities management at Millburn Academy and specifically clarification on whether there had been any impact on community use of the school in the evenings as a result of changes in the Janitorial arrangements.

 

It was also requested that figures be provided on Library usage at Millburn Academy.

 

Thereafter, the Committee NOTED the terms of the report as circulated.

 

10.  Housing and Property Services Performance Report – 1 April 2013 to 30 June 2013
Aithisg Dèanadais a thaobh Taigheadais – 1 Giblean 2012 gu 30 Ògmhios 2013

 

Declaration of Interest –

 

Mr A Christie declared a non-financial interest in relation to this item on the grounds of being a General Manager of Inverness, Badenoch and Strathspey Citizens Advice Bureau but, having applied the test outlined in Paragraphs 5.2 and 5.3 of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct, concluded that his interest did not preclude his involvement in the discussion.

 

There had been circulated Report No. CIA-58-13 (295kb pdf) dated 8 October 2013 by the Interim Director of Housing and Property which provided information on housing performance indicators for the first quarter of 2013/2014.

 

During a summary of the report, detailed statistical information was provided in relation to Repairs, Anti-Social Behaviour, Tenancy Management, Rent Arrears and Homelessness/Homeless Prevention. 

 

During discussion, Members raised the following issues:-

• it would be helpful in future if the statistical information provided within the report could be in actual figures as well as percentages as the latter could be sometimes be confusing in terms of comparisons being made;
• there was concern about the discrepancies between the repair times in Inverness and throughout the wider Highlands as the latter appeared to be shorter;
• the average length of time taken to complete emergency repairs was concerning, most particularly in the Culloden & Ardersier area, and it was stressed that there would be implications for tenants as a result of any delays in this regard;
• it was noted that, in gathering the information for repairs indicators, instances where access to properties had been unable to be gained had not been included and it was suggested that this should perhaps be reconsidered in future reports;
• further clarification was required in terms of the percentage of tenancy offers refused during the year, most particularly in relation to the Aird and Loch Ness Ward which had been shown as 64%; and
• it would be helpful if future reports could contain information on the percentage of housing allocations which had been affected by new builds and also on the impact of the bedroom tax on rent arrears.

Thereafter, the Committee NOTED the information provided on housing performance in Quarter 1 which covered the period from 1 April to 30 June 2013.

 

11.  Inverness Common Good Fund
Maoin Math Coitcheann Inbhir Nis

 

a) Financial Monitoring to 30 September 2013

 

There had been circulated Report No. CIA-59-13 (29kb pdf) dated 8 October 2013 by the Inverness City Manager which presented the expenditure monitoring position for the Inverness Common Good Fund at the 30 September 2013 and the projected year end position.

 

It was confirmed that, further to the additional allocations made at the meeting on 12 August 2013, total budgeted expenditure for the year of £2.237m would be met by income of £2.321m (including a transfer from Reserves of £0.356m). Projects totalling £1.543m would be met from Reserves in 2013/14. At this stage in the financial year, the overall budget was projected to be on target. Although the Revenue Budget was showing an estimated overspend of £15k (attributable to the timing of expenditure), this was balanced by an under spend of £500k on projects.

 

In terms of variances, it was noted that there was nothing significant to highlight at this stage in the financial year. As the year progressed, explanations would be provided for all predicted year end variances over £5k.

 

At this point, a correction to the report was highlighted in relation to Appendix 1 and specifically ‘Other Income’ whereby it was confirmed that the Estimated Outturn figure should read £2.321m (and not £2.323m as had been detailed).

 

During discussion, the City Manager clarified that the Revenue Budget line showing the projected ‘overspend’ should be read in conjunction with the budget line under ‘Projects’ as this gave a total allocation for the year of £156k. Noting this, the overall budget for ICArts was not set to run at an overspend for 2013/14 and the Revenue  Monitoring Statement would be reviewed prior to the next report being presented to make this clear.

 

Thereafter, the Committee NOTED the financial monitoring report as circulated.

 

b) Grant and Capital Projects

 

Declarations of Interest –

 

Mr J Gray declared a non-financial interest in relation to this item on the grounds that a family member was a volunteer for the Blythswood Care Food Hamper Scheme but, having applied the test outlined in Paragraphs 5.2 and 5.3 of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct, concluded that his interest did not preclude his involvement in the discussion.

 

Mr A Graham declared a non-financial interest in relation to this item on the grounds that a family member was a volunteer for the Blythswood Care Food Hamper Scheme and left the room.

 

There had been circulated Report No. CIA-60-13 (92kb pdf) dated 8 October 2013 by the Inverness City Manager which set out the current applications for funding to be determined and the current status of capital projects.

 

In this connection, there had been circulated separately a copy of supporting documentation at Booklet A (829kb pdf).

 

At this point, corrections to the report were highlighted in regard to Appendix 2 – Refurbishment of 1-5 Church Street, Inverness – whereby it was confirmed that the additional add-on option to upgrade the existing front elevation at a cost of £120k would only be undertaken when a tenancy had been secured and the inclusive project cost should read £1.067m (and not £1.67m as had been detailed).

 

During discussion on the Capital Projects funded by the Inverness Common Good Fund, it was suggested that more realistic timeframes in terms of expenditure were required for future reports.

 

Also, in regard to the Replacement of High Level Windows within the Market Arcade, it was suggested that the feasibility of also including the Market Archways in the project should be considered as part of future proposals.

 

In relation to the Town House Car Park Barrier Alterations, it was agreed that further discussion on these proposals required with a further report to a future meeting.

 

Thereafter, the Committee APPROVED applications for funding as follows – Inverness Tennis and Squash Club Replacement of Tennis Courts (£14,000) and Blythswood Foodbank (£20,000)

 

The Committee also NOTED the current status of capital projects as detailed in the report and APPROVED the funding allocations as recommended within Appendix 2 with the exception of the Town House Car Park Barrier Alterations which would be the subject of a future report following further discussion.

 

At this point, Mr A Graham returned to the meeting.

 

c) River Ness District Fisheries Board

 

The Committee AGREED to nominate Mr K Gowans to sit as the representative on the River Ness District Fisheries Board for the interests of the Council (Inverness Common Good Fund) for a three year period.

 

12.  Inverness Common Good Fund Scheme for Winter Payments – Further Proposals for 2013/14
Molaidhean Sgeama Phàighidhean Geamhraidh Maoin Maith Choitchinn Inbhir Nis 2013/14

 

Declaration of Interest –

 

Mr A Christie declared a non-financial interest in relation to this item on the grounds of being a General Manager of Inverness, Badenoch and Strathspey Citizens Advice Bureau but, having applied the test outlined in Paragraphs 5.2 and 5.3 of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct, concluded that his interest did not preclude his involvement in the discussion.

 

There had been circulated Joint Report No. CIA-61-13 (24kb pdf) dated 12 October 2013 by the Director of Finance and the Inverness City Manager which followed on from the revision of the Winter Payment Scheme for 2013/14 and the outcomes from the City of Inverness Area Committee meeting on 12 August 2013 when Members had asked for more information on the implications of broadening the scope of qualification for citizens.

 

During a summary of the report, it was confirmed that there had been concern that the budget had been regularly underspent in previous years and consideration had been requested on various options for the current and future years, including widening the qualification criteria in respect of persons aged 80 or over and persons in work on low income, ensuring that the budget was not underspent, identifying a breakdown of expenditure from the Common Good Fund in comparison with other Funds, providing better energy advice for citizens and improved information on social tariffs, including Third Sector partners and the Customer Maximisation Team in future discussions and arranging specific information days through the Council Service Point Network to increase awareness of the Winter Payment Scheme and other benefits.

 

In this regard, it was noted that progress was being made on a number of options and Officers would implement improvements by the time that the Scheme opened for applications.

 

Specific and detailed information was also provided within the report on the options available in terms of widening the qualification criteria for persons aged 80 or over (ranging from persons aged 80 or over to persons aged 90 and over) and also for persons in work on low income. In this respect, the associated financial impact on the Fund for each of the listed options had also been highlighted.

 

Finally, in regard to the resources applied in 2012/13, it was advised that a further review of expenditure for the operation of the Scheme during that period had been undertaken and this had confirmed that the out-turn had been as follows – Common Good Fund (£34,799) and Benevolent Fund (£9,862) which represented a combined total of £44,661. As such, the Scheme had therefore been marginally more successful than had previously been reported.        

 

During discussion, it was suggested that there was an urgent need to consider how the Council would deal with poverty levels in the future and in this regard there was a need for further consideration of proposals in relation to the Winter Payment Scheme and other similar schemes early in the New Year.   

 

Thereafter, the Committee AGREED to widen the scope for the Winter Payment Scheme for the City of Inverness and Landward areas of the seven City Wards for the year 2013/14 on the following basis:-

 

i.  that the Scheme operated for Winter 2013/14 to include all people 90 years
    or over as at 28 February 2014 without any other qualification criteria being
    required;
ii. that the scheme also included people who had received a Scottish Welfare
    Fund Crisis Grant payment between 1 December 2013 and 28 February 2014
    inclusive; and
iii. that the sum set aside within the Inverness Common Good Fund Revenue
    Budget 2013/14 for the Winter Payment Scheme be increased by £49k to
    £106k.

 

It was also AGREED that a further report should be submitted to an early meeting in Spring 2014 to allow discussion of any further revisions which might be required at that time to the Winter Payment Scheme and other similar schemes.

 

13.  Minutes
Geàrr-chunntas

 

There had been circulated Minutes of Meetings as follows:-

 

i. City of Inverness Area Committee held on 12 August 2013 – NOTED;
ii. Inverness Partnership held on 16 August 2013 (21kb pdf) – APPROVED;
iii. Inverness City Art Working Group held on 7 August 2013 (28kb pdf) – APPROVED – on the basis that discussions would be undertaken at an early date with the new owners of the Mercure Hotel with regard to the potential resurrection of the joint project which had been initiated with the previous owners in relation to improving the façade of the Hotel and contributing to the Streetscape project. Also, that discussions should be undertaken with Creative Scotland in terms of recovery of a proportion of the grant figure which had been previously awarded in this respect;
iv. Inverness Common Good Fund Grants Sub-Committee held on 4 September (27kb pdf) and 30 September 2013 (95kb pdf) – APPROVED; and
v. Inverness Events and Festivals Working Group held on 5 July (19kb pdf) and 13 September 2013 (16kb pdf) – APPROVED.

 

The meeting ended at 2.30 pm.