January 27th 2011 Minutes
Johnstone Community Council
Minutes of the ordinary meeting of Johnstone Community Council held on Thursday 27th January 2011 at 7.00pm in Johnstone Town Hall.
Present
Robert Campbell, Stewart Clark, Elizabeth Cosgrove, Wilma Dean, Chris Gilmour, David Higginson, Pamela Higginson, George Kennedy, Dennis Lavery, Gladys Marchbank, Valerie Reilly and Isabella Wishart.
Also in attendance:-
Councillors (Ward 7) –John Hood, Iain McMillan.
Seven members of the public.
1. Apologies
Rosalyn Gilmour and Councillors John Caldwell, Tracie McGee and Bruce McFee. Cllr Iain McMillan sent notice of a late arrival.
2. Minutes
The minutes of the previous meeting were approved.
Proposed by David Higginson
Seconded by Wilma Dean
Chris Gilmour opened the meeting by welcoming everyone and introducing the first guest Strathclyde Community Policeman Sergeant Andrew Barclay.
3. Presentation on behalf of Strathclyde Community Police
Sgt Barclay began by apologising on behalf of his colleague Inspector William Paterson who had hoped to be present but was instead covering the Response squad on call to deal with emergencies in Johnstone that evening. Sgt B introduced himself saying that he had been one of Johnstone’s Community Sergeants since October and explained that in addition to the emergency response, less urgent calls would be deferred to the Community Police Officers. He then asked if there were any issues the Cc wanted to raise.
Elizabeth Cosgrove mentioned the problem of scammers currently operating in Cochrane Castle. Sgt B answered that generally legitimate tradesmen don’t need to cold call and that ID’s should always be checked. Any concerns should be referred to the police.
Margaret Lavery, from the floor, enquired whether Johnstone really had the scariest town centre in the area as we had recently been hearing?
Sgt B replied that the Kilo Bravo division (which includes Johnstone) currently has the lowest recorded incidents of violence as a result of being actively targeted. He spoke about the difference between actual crime and the fear of crime.
Gladys Marchbank pointed out that there was not as much visible police presence. Patrol cars come around the scheme and then offenders realise that they will be safe for a period before the next patrol.
Dennis Lavery stated that just before Christmas late pub licences caused a problem.
Sgt B replied that those areas had been targeted but that he realised that sometimes that merely moved the problem elsewhere.
GM asked if there was a dedicated drugs officer in Johnstone, as when she had recently tried to report a potential offence happening she had been fobbed off.
Sgt B answered that any police officer could have dealt with it and that no member of the public should be put off reporting an incident.
CG concluded the session by commenting that it was good to make contact with the Community Police, who had recently helped the CC with a funding bid, and that their time and assistance was much appreciated.
At this point Sgt B left the meeting.
CG then introduced the second guest of the evening, Scott Allan, Head of Roads for Renfrewshire Council, who had come to give an overview of the recent work of his department particularly in relation to the bad weather of the early winter.
4. Presentation by Head of Roads Scott Allan.
SA began by submitting plans of the primary and secondary gritting routes for the area and noted that there needs to be more and better information on the Council website.
He informed the meeting that Nov. 2010 has been the coldest since 1985 and that December the coldest for over 100 years – the second coldest ever recorded. The last comparable snowfall had been in 1981. All theses factor led to problems as the salt doesn’t work at very low temperatures. He referred to the situation in Finland where vehicles run on hard pack on winter tyres but that lorries halt their journeys during actual snowfall to avoid jack-knifing and clogging the roads.
During the worst of the December weather the main roads in Renfrewshire were kept open and salted twice daily, however the residential streets and footways were more difficult. 150km of footways had been treated but this was only of limited success once the ice formed. Crews were sent out hand-casting sand but they could only cover 10% of the network and it was a very expensive way of working. Dialogue will be needed over spring and summer 2011 to check whether the correct footway routes had been targeted. Statistics showed a year on year increase in salt usage meant that the question of a change in operating plan needs to be addressed if this was going to be a new pattern.
As regards the many potholes – these couldn’t be tackled until the ground thawed out, but that there were now three contractors as well as the Council’s own crews out and that new products were being tested in an attempt to improve the rate of permanent repairs.
EC asked what was the procedure for an area to apply for a grit bin.
SA replied that there had been an increase of 300 in the number since the previous winter, but that the request were assessed according to criteria set out in a policy formulated in 1998. The recent changes in winter weather patterns meant that he would need to ask the Council to update the policy.
GM commented that SA had noted the dangerous state of roads in Ness Avenue last June but that promised action had not yet materialised.
SA replied that the Castle schemes had been prioritised over and above the regular maintenance programmes, but that he hoped for more funding in the 2011-12 financial year.
Cllr McMillan said that he had sympathy with SA but that the budgetary restraints meant that RC was prioritising Education and Social Work. However, he was heartened to hear that Corseford was a priority.
CG commented that we have seen a marked improvement since SA has been in post.
SA asked that CC members should report pot holes so that they could be dealt with.
George Kennedy noted that JCC has a procedure to report pot holes directly.
GM asked why the builders in Corseford had not been pursued over the state they had left the roads in?
SA said he would need to check, but that there had probably been no condition in their planning permission compelling them to sort the roads.
Robert Campbell asked whether Ludovic Square was included in the footpath gritting schedule, because it had not been treated and elderly people had been forced to walk on the roads to reach the health centre.
SA replied that Ludovic Square certainly should be included and that this emphasised the need to communicate through the LAC to ensure that the network is correctly identified.
DL raised the problem of whether householders should be forced to clear the footpaths outside their own homes.
Cllr McM said that he should raise it as an issue for candidates at this year’s Holyrood elections.
CG thanked SA for attending and left him with the thought that he should be considering this new liquid de-icer that was being tested in some areas.
At this point SA left the meeting.
5. Matters Arising
5.1 Review of Community Council Scheme
CG noted that under the new scheme the funding of the CC is raised by £100 but that we would now have to pay for hall lets which had previously been provided free. This in effect means a cut in available money of about £300. GK was therefore tabling a proposal.
GK outlined the idea that we should meet six times a year (instead of ten) on or near the first Thursday of the month, beginning with an October meeting to allow for holding the AGM at the correct time. In practise for 2011 this would mean holding the February and March meetings on the dates already arranged with dates for the rest of the year being:-
April 28th, June 2nd, August 4th, October 6th and December 8th, with a further date of February 2nd in 2012.
This scheme still avoids the busy Christmas period and the holiday month of July.
Cllr McM commented that it would be disappointing to cut the number of meetings and had we looked at holding meetings in alternate venues as a way of reducing costs?
CG commented that many possible alternate venues are themselves raising costs or even shutting down.
GK added that we knew the August date was a possible clash with Paisley Fair, but that was not seen as such a problem these days when people take more staggered holidays, and that if we move out of the town centre there may be increased transport problems in attending.
CG asked if the CC members were happy with the proposal to move to a six-meeting schedule. This was agreed nem con.
DL added that the number of meetings and the venues for them can be kept under review. However, he pointed out that we need to produce better publicity for the meetings we do hold with, for example a standard notice at the entrance to Johnstone Library.
WD offered to act as ‘Press Officer’.
6. Treasurer’s Report
DH noted that the administrative grant for the year, amounting to £908, had now been received but not yet lodged at the bank.
The account currently stands at £6909.20 but that payments are due to be made shortly.
7. Planning Report
DL reported that he had received a letter stating that WRC Recycling had never actually applied for formal planning permission to move out into the countryside.
Contact with SEPA revealed that they considered the site to be low-risk from a pollution point of view.
Other agencies would need to be approached to address other problems such as the Fire Brigade to assess the risk of fire at the site and the Roads Dept to tackle the problem of the large lorries still clogging the roads outwith the yard. Another meeting is required with the WRC management and that if there is no improvement we need to approach the other regulatory bodies.
From the floor there was a comment that an approach to the police had brought the response that they couldn’t do anything unless they actually witness offences so we should report any offences we see such as traffic offences connected with obstruction or idling engines.
8. Secretary’s Report
GK reported that he and RC had had an on-site meeting with Andy Summers and Hugh Boyd (a horticulturalist) of Environmental Services. Plans were being drawn up to change the planting scheme for Ludovic Square to include more shrubs and perennial plants which will be easier to maintain. GK had asked that this work should take place before the birds’ nesting season began
Gk stated that money for the youth clubs runs out on 31st March. Two separate funding bids had been submitted – one to Cashback for Communities to fund the older section, and the other to BAA for the younger division.
GK noted a communication from the ‘Good Community Relations Project’ – a government initiative on integration which wants minorities to become more community involved
GK reported on a meeting with Gary McEwan of the Renfrewshire Wardens Service which had led to an article in the Gazette. Gary McEwan can supply home graffiti removal kits free of charge. He has been invited to our February meeting.
GK noted that all current CCs had received nomination forms for election under the new scheme. He has extra forms if we know of anyone interested in joining as well as six laminates that we can use locally to publicise the fact that the election is taking place
9. AOCB
CG took the opportunity to inform the meeting that – due to increased pressure of his employment – he would not be able to stand for the new CC. He thanked all the members and office bearers for their fantastic efforts over the past two years, and the Renfrewshire Councillors for attending as regularly as they do. He also thanked the members of the public for attending and providing both healthy debate and further points of view. He stated that the February meeting will be his last officiating in the chair.
Cllr McM referred to a point in the previous minutes noting that there were no lights on the path at the back of Johnstone High School. Due to a misunderstanding Joyce McKellar did not highlight this on the planning application. However, this has been pointed out to the officers involved who will ensure that they happen as they do not actually need planning permission.
Cllr McM apologised that he had been late arriving but reported that he had been at a meeting about the proposed cuts to teaching time in Renfrewshire’s primary schools.
Pamela Higginson added that she had been at an EIS meeting a week previously – attended by 400 angry teachers. As a Council Tax payer she expressed her concern for education in Renfrewshire. It appeared that teaching time was to be replaced by a ‘band of travelling entertainers’. This new policy will mean that elements of the Curriculum for Excellence will have to be dropped and that if we let this happen Scotland will drop down the league tables of education standards. From the floor came the comment that there had been no consultation and that this proposal had come out of the blue as a money-saving exercise.
PH added that the EIS was going to ballot on the issue and that there was a possibility that they might ask for strike action. A march to protest will be held in Paisley on February 19th.
CG asked how much training these ‘enrichment staff’ would get to take over in the schools.
PH replied that she had been told they would get two or three days training.
DL stated that he felt that the council was cheating the children and parents of Renfrewshire and that this was an attack on the future of the children of the area.
At this point the debate had to be terminated due to the time having reached the time at which we have to vacate the hall.
There being no further business the meeting closed at 9.00pm.
The next meeting will be held at Johnstone Town Hall on Thursday 24th February 2011 at 7pm.