Strachur & District Community Council
Minutes of Ordinary Meeting
Held 19:30 on Wednesday 15th January 2025
Strachur Heron Hall (New Hall)
Members present: Archie Reid (Convener), Ian Lowe, Isabel McGladdery, Lizzie MacDonald, Steve Mclaughlin, Kirstie Reid and Iain Wilkie (Secretary).
Also in attendance: Barbara Watson (Chair, Hall Executive Committee) and one member of the public.
1. Convener’s opening remarks.
Archie welcomed everyone to the meeting and wished all a Happy New Year.
2. Apologies and declarations of interest.
Cllr Sinclair, Catherine MacDiarmid and William McGladdery apologised for non-attendance. There were no declarations of interest.
3. Minutes.
Minutes for the Ordinary Meeting held on 11th December 2024 were agreed as accurate.
4. Matters arising.
a. Reconfiguration of A815 school crossing.
Cllr Sinclair had undertaken to find out when work on the reconfiguration would begin. No information had been received from him.
b. Human fouling of bus shelter.
Cllr Sinclair had offered to pursue possible solutions with Roads and Infrastructure Services. No information had been received from him.
c. Flooding on A815 at Loch Eck.
As requested by Cllr Sinclair, on 13.12.24 Iain had sent him a letter of complaint about the flooding. No response had been received from Cllr Sinclair.
d. Bus shelter: further steps to deter antisocial behaviour.
Iain had not made any progress on this. Steve offered to assist.
ACTION: Steve
e. New flashing lights on C57 near school.
On 31.12.24 Iain had reported to Argyll & Bute Council that these were not working. He was informed by Roads and Amenity Services On 8.1.25 “that we have forwarded this onto our Street Lighting team for their attention/action.”
f. Walk-in clinics in 2025.
See Health Report (item 6).
g. Near Me appointment room at Hall.
Barbara Watson informed the meeting that the Near Me room was not being used: patients were not being referred for remote consultations. She had discussed the situation with the Strachur Medical Practice Manager. The facility would be publicised via posters, fliers for the surgery and patients, and an advertisement in the Newsletter.
5. Police Report (received from PC Alison Simpson by e-mail on 14.1.25).
Between 05/12/2024 and 14/1/2025, the number of Incidents and Crime Reports respectively are 17 and 9.
Many incidents raised for road traffic matters and planned shoots.
Six persons were issued with conditional offers for driving a motor vehicle over the speed limit.
Two persons were reported to the Procurator Fiscal for driving a motor vehicle - driving over the limit.
One report of vandalism – enquiry ongoing.
6. Health Report (from Kirstie).
a. COVID-19 & Flu Vaccination Clinic Drop-in.
This will run in Cowal Community Hospital on 22nd January at 09:30 – 12:20 and 13:00 – 16:00.
b. Scam Alert.
A number of medical practices had a computer upgrade that has led to scammers calling from a mobile phone to check that your details are correct and asking you for your full name, address and date of birth. This is NOT the NHS: personal details should not be given over the phone to someone you do not know. Giving them this information van have undesirable consequences.
Articles for Newsletter and/or Facebook.
Since the last meeting six articles had been submitted. These were on: Rest and Be Thankful Public exhibitions, Ian Findlay Path Fund, Consultation on EV Charging Network Plan, Supporting Local Communities Grants, National Lottery Community Action Fund, and Consultation on National Speed Management Review.
The main correspondence (in addition to any mentioned elsewhere) had been with:
a. Argyll & Bute Council re: Potential sites for new cemetery.
b. Trust Housing Association re: Disposal of items from Manse Gardens.
c. Non-resident members of the public re: i/ Information panel for Tinker’s Heart
ii/ Argyll Rally 2025.
Surveys and consultations.
No responses had been submitted.
Other activities.
None.
8. Treasurer’s report.
The bank balance stood at £2,354.50.
9. Transport update.
a. The Cowal Transport Forum.
Kirstie said that the meeting scheduled for 13th January had been postponed to the 29th to allow the group to meet and have discussions with Jim Fairlie MSP, Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity. This was part of the ongoing discussions aimed at having the Train, Boat and Bus timetables aligned with each other.
10. AOB.
a. Early morning appointments.
Barbara Watson informed the meeting that, during discussions about the Near Me room, residents had expressed concerns about the difficulty of attending early morning appointments at hospitals outwith Cowal. This had been brought up with Argyll & Bute HSCP (Health & Social Care Partnership). Health Records Service Management had subsequently confirmed that, when processing a referral, staff would check the patient’s post code and, if they were from Highlands/Islands, they would add a comment to the Out Patient Waiting List entry. The Waiting List Coordinators, where possible, would then book the appointment for after 10.30 a.m.
b. Buses.
A member of the public raised a complaint about the poor bus service on the A886. Every Class A road on the Cowal Peninsula was served by four buses per day, except the A886, and there was now no evening bus. Kirstie offered to look into this.
ACTION: Kirstie
c. Fly-tipping at Recycling Site.
Steve said that he had yet to receive a response from Argyll & Bute Council following his FOI request for the number of warning letters that had been issued to fly-tippers in Cowal.
11. Date and location of next meeting.
The next meeting would be at 19:30, 12th March 2025 in Strathlachlan Community Centre.
Iain Wilkie, Secretary, Strachur & District Community Council