Strachur Community Council
Minutes of Ordinary Meeting
Held 19:30 on Wednesday 17th August 2022
Strathlachlan Community Centre
Members present: Archie Reid (Convener), Isabel McGladdery, Iain Wilkie (Secretary), Kirstie Reid and Laura Walker.
Also in attendance: Councillor William Sinclair and two members of the public.
1. Convener’s opening remarks:
Archie welcomed everyone to the meeting.
2. Apologies and declarations of interest:
Drew Stewart apologised for non-attendance. There were no declarations of interest.
3. Minutes.
Minutes for the Ordinary Meeting held on 15th June 2022 were agreed as accurate.
4. Matters arising.
a. Blocked drains: parking area in front of ‘Ashbank’ etc., Creggans.
Correspondence from Argyll & Bute Council had suggested that the parking area was private land and therefore that these drains were not the Council’s responsibility. This had been disputed and Cllr Sinclair reported that a Council solicitor was trying to establish ownership.
ACTION: Cllr Sinclair
b. Blocked drains: A886 from building site to start of raised pavement.
Iain had been informed by a resident that no work had been done. Cllr Sinclair offered to pursue this and asked Iain to send him details of the location of these drains.
ACTION: Iain and Cllr Sinclair
c. Recycling site: relocation of dog-poo bin.
Iain had submitted an online enquiry on 3.8.22 and was phoned by Fraser Smith (Argyll & Bute Council) on 4.8.22. Mr Smith indicated that the Council was amenable to installing bins at the entrances to Heron Park near the A815 and near the clachan.
d. Faded white-lining on A815 near Filling Station.
Iain had submitted an online enquiry on 3.8.22 and received an e-mail reply the same day stating that this was on the Programme of Works with a completion date of 28.9.22.
e. Maintenance of Memorial Garden and grass around Memorial Hall.
Iain had e-mailed the Hall Committee Executive on 28.6.22 and was informed that someone had been hired to cut the grass on a regular basis and that a resident had expressed an interest in looking after the garden. Attendees at the meeting acknowledged that the planters were being kept tidy but noted that the area around the Platinum Jubilee commemoration tree had been neglected and was choked with weeds again.
f. Curtain in front of War Memorial.
Iain had also mentioned this in his e-mail to the Hall Committee Executive sent on 28.6.22. The Executive had been sympathetic and had included a reminder that the curtain should not be left closed in a notice sent to all Hall user groups.
Note: Other Hall matters are dealt with under A.O.B. below.
g. HSCP response vis-à-vis carers accessing clients during closure of the A815 at Sandbank due to RTA.
Kirstie had spoken to the HSPC after the last CC meeting and had been assured that ALL clients that were due a visit had received one, as the Care Providers had sent in staff from their Helensburgh Office to cover for the staff from Dunoon who were stuck on the Dunoon side of the RTA. Having been informed subsequently by a resident that two clients she knew had NOT had a visit from their Care Provider, Kirstie went back to the HSPC who asked if the clients would either provide their name or complain as individuals themselves. They were, however, reluctant to do this. Kirstie had then spoken with Argyll & Bute Council to check who activates the Emergency Plans as this might have helped in this case. She was informed that it was the decision of Police Scotland whether or not to activate Emergency Plans and on this occasion they had deemed it unnecessary, one factor being that West Coast Motors had taken children on the school bus back to Dunoon Grammar School where they had been fed and watered.
h. A886 speed limit.
Jenni Minto MSP had forwarded responses she had received from Transport Scotland and Argyll & Bute Council on 1.6.22 and 30.6.22 respectively regarding the A886 speed limit. The former had noted that “It is not for Scottish Ministers to intervene in a local authority’s day-to-day performance of these particular duties [i.e. the promotion of road safety and setting appropriate speed limits].” Argyll & Bute Council had stated:
“Before any action [is] taken the results of a speed/volume survey required to ascertain if there is a speeding issue at this location. We are currently awaiting replacement battery for our equipment, once this has been delivered the survey will be carried out.
The DIS Road Speed Limit Policy Framework is used to set the appropriate speed limit in the Road Network managed by Argyll & Bute Council. The SID will be considered after results from survey have been reviewed and a suitable mounting location located.”
Iain had e-mailed Paul Farrell (Argyll & Bute Council) on 3.8.22 and 15.8.22 asking for an update on the speed/volume survey but had received no reply.
Iain drew attention to a letter from an anonymous Strachur resident that had been published in the Dunoon Observer of 22.7.22 and supported the case for speed reductions across Argyll.
i. Friendship bench at Medical Practice.
The friendship bench had been delivered but was too big for the existing concrete plinth. Archie undertook to ask a local tradesman to extend the plinth.
ACTION: Archie
5. Police Report.
No report had been received.
6. Health Report.
National Care Service.
Kirstie gave a brief introduction to the NCS (Scotland) Bill. Together with many organisations representing Carers, she had been involved in several meetings on the introduction of the National Care Service (Scotland) Bill that was being proposed by the Scottish Government. The biggest concern coming out of this was that there is already a great shortage of Carers in both the public and private sectors, and so where were they are going to get Carers from? Also, moving things away from Local Authorities to Central Government could have a detrimental effect on the rural areas.
7. Secretary’s Report.
Articles for Newsletter and/or Facebook.
Since the last meeting three articles had been submitted. These were on: Argyll Rally 2022 information update; Scottish Biodiversity Strategy 2022; and Community Council elections.
All correspondence is covered elsewhere in the minutes.
Surveys and consultations.
No responses had been submitted.
Other activities.
a. Attended Argyll Rally 2022 debrief meeting on 8.8.22.
There seems to have been little negative feedback about the rally this year from any of the affected CC areas. The secretary had received one complaint, which came from a Lochgair resident who had been disturbed by the noise of the rally on the Friday evening and complained about the lack of notice given to West Lochfyneside residents. The rally organisers agreed that, in future, West Lochfyneside CC should be invited to the liaison meetings. The Friday evening regroup at the Memorial Hall had been well attended by local residents.
b. Updated Emergency Plan.
Information about the Memorial Hall defibrillator had been added and other corrections had been made. In the absence of suggestions from the Hall Committee Executive on how they should be contacted in the event of an emergency, their e-mail addresses had been included.
8. Treasurer’s report.
The bank balance stood at £2,200.64.
9. Transport update.
Archies complained about further changes to West Coast Motors’ timetable. Cllr Sinclair offered to pursue this.
ACTION: Cllr Sinclair
10. National Park Update.
Iain reported that Bob Darracott had not stood for re-election to the National Park Authority Board. Our ward (Cowal and North Loch Lomond) was now represented by Iain Shonny Paterson.
11. ‘Joint Efforts’ Update.
Laura told the meeting that, due to several factors, she had had to change direction and was now organising a ‘Pop Up Community Café’. She had built a website and created an Instagram account. Six Pop Up sessions would be provided over six months, starting on 28.8.22. Deliveries would also be made to vulnerable adults. It was pointed out that there was scope to tie in the Pop Up sessions with Halloween, Bonfire Night and the switching on of the Christmas lights.
12. AOB.
a. Hall Committee request for donation.
Iain reported that the Hall Committee Executive had asked if the CC would be willing to make a financial contribution towards the Memorial Garden’s upkeep and development, especially in view of 2023 being the Hall’s centenary. This was discussed and it was agreed that, while the CC’s Administration Grant could not be used to make recurrent donations on an annual basis, it would be appropriate to make a one-off donation for the centenary year. Iain would inform the Hall Committee Executive. Cllr Sinclair suggested that applications for financial support could be made to local wind farm funds.
ACTION: Iain
b. Hall Committee meetings.
A member of the public expressed unease at the discontinuation of the Hall Committee quarterly meetings. Did this mean that important changes could be made between AGMs, i.e. without the agreement of the full committee? Whilst acknowledging that this was a matter that should be brought up with the Hall Committee Executive, Iain agreed to check if there was anything relevant in the Hall’s constitution.
ACTION: Iain
c. Hall defibrillator.
Kirstie summarised events associated with a fatal RTA in June at the A83/A815 junction during which problems arose due to lack of information on how to access the Hall defibrillator. Since then, instructions had been added to the Community Emergency Plan (see: https://strachur.org.uk/ccouncil/comm-emergency-plan.html). For the record, these are:
1. Lift the keypad cover
2. Turn the handle on the box to the right
3. Alarm will sound
4. Remove defibrillator
5. Close the box door
6. Alarm will stop
7. Repeat process to return defibrillator.
To reduce the risk of theft, the Hall Committee Executive had decided not to post these instructions beside the defibrillator.
d. Manse Gardens.
Iain had received an e-mail from a Strachur resident who was concerned about the future of Manse Gardens. Eleven of the properties were empty and no new tenants were being accepted. Neither she nor the tenants had been able to get anything more than non-committal responses from the owner - Trust Housing Association – when inquiring about the future of the development. This was discussed and it was agreed that Iain should write to THA to request information on their plans for Manse Gardens.
ACTION: Iain
e. Meeting Place and Addictions Recovery Café.
Kirstie reported that, following the building fire in Argyll Street, the Meeting Place had new premises at 53 Hillfoot Street, Dunoon.
Also, an Addictions Recovery Café had opened at 217 Argyll Street, Dunoon. This would provide a completely confidential service.
f. ‘Come On In’ project.
Fiona Campbell informed the meeting that ‘Here We Are’, Cairndow, had obtained funding for a 6-month pilot project - ‘Come On In’ - that would run for 6 months from October. Volunteers would visit cared-for persons to allow family carers to have a break. The project would run in Cairndow and Strachur.
g. Strathlachlan graveyard.
Iain referred to an article in the Dunoon Observer of 8.7.22, which publicised inadequate grass cutting at Strathlachlan graveyard. Iain confirmed that Strachur CC had received no complaints about grass cutting at this graveyard.
h. Community Council elections.
Iain reminded the meeting that CC elections would be held on 20.10.22. He distributed Nomination Packs and noted that nominations had to be received by 4 p.m. on 8.9.22.
14. Date and location of next meeting.
The next meeting would be at 19:30, Wednesday 12th October 2022 in Strachur Memorial Hall.
Iain Wilkie
Secretary, Strachur Community Council