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Agenda and Minutes 13th July 2017

JOHNSTONE COMMUNITY COUNCIL

Agenda for the ordinary meeting in Johnstone Town Hall Marriage Suite Thursday 13th July 2017 at 7.00 p.m.

1. Apologies.

2. Minutes.

3. Matters arising

4. Police crime statistics for Johnstone

5. Chairman’s Report

6. Secretary

7. Treasurer

8. -

Sub Committee Reports

9. Friends of Thomas Shanks Park/Gala Day

10. Safety Committee

11. Planning

12. Environmental

13. Roads

14. Internet, Social Media, Suggestions

15. A.O.C.B.

Date and time of next meeting. 10Th August 2017 @ 7:00 p.m.

To be confirmed at meeting.

JOHNSTONE COMMUNITY COUNCIL

Minutes of the ordinary meeting of Johnstone Community Council held on Thursday 13th July 2017 at 7.00pm in Johnstone Town Hall.

Present

Members: Ronnie Carlin, Wilma Dean, Carol Ewing, Ron Ewing, Linda Flint, Daniel Graham, Malcolm Hill, Catherine Johnstone, Sheila King, Dennis Lavery, Christina Leon, Daniel McKay, Valerie Reilly, Mary Tennant and Thomas Wallace.

Also in attendance:-

Councillors (Ward 8) –

(Ward 9) – Bill Binks, Emma Rodden.

3 members of the public were also present.

Apologies

Councillors Jacqueline Cameron, John Hood, Andy Steel, Derek Bibby and Andy Doig.

2. Minutes

Appreciation was recorded for Sheila King having typed up the May minutes from an audio recording provided by Laura Forsyth.

It was noted that the councillors attending had been inadvertently recorded as representing Ward 7 instead of the new wards 8 and 9 as they have been since the May elections.

The minutes of the previous meeting were read and agreed.

Proposed by Elizabeth Forrest

Seconded by Malcolm Hill

3. Police Crime Statistics Report

PC Andy Taylor presented the monthly crime report.

Johnstone Town Centre

A total of 49 crimes were reported including 1 serious assault, 5 thefts and attempted thefts, 3 thefts from motor vehicles, 3 breaches of the peace, 3 drug offences, 8 road traffic offences, 4 drink-related offences, 6 breaches of bail and 5 instances of vandalism. 28 of these crimes had been detected.

West Johnstone

A total of 17 crimes were reported including 2 common assaults, 1 housebreaking, 3 breaches of the peace, 1 drug offence, 1 instances of vandalism, 3 RTAs, 1 fraud, 1 drink related offence and 2 breaches of bail. 13 of these crimes had been detected.

Johnstone Castle

A total of 19 crimes were reported including 1serious assault, 2 common assaults, 1 housebreaking, 4 thefts or attempted thefts, 1 breach of the peace, 6 road traffic offences and 2 instances of vandalism. 7 of these crimes had been detected.

Spateston and Corseford

A total of 11 crimes were reported including 1 attempted theft, 1 breach of the peace, 1 RTA, 3 instances of vandalism and 2 breaches of bail. 9 of these crimes had been detected.

The officer then left the meeting.

4. Chairman’s Report

Ron Ewing welcomed new councillor, Emma Rodden of Ward 9.

A member of the public present at the meeting asked if she could raise a point about a neighbour from hell. Police have been called to his door three times without managing to speak to him.

RE asked if it was a Council house and she replied in the affirmative, although it later emerged that the house was managed by Linstone.

EF commented that there is a department of the Council that can deal with anti-social behaviour.

Thomas Wallace provided the phone number for Linstone

Cllr Rodden agreed to check with the council.

RE welcomed Isaac Wilkie who wants to help with the Gala Day.

5. Secretary’s Report

Sheila King noted that she had passed on all emails as usual.

SK had received a letter from an engineer, Steve Kerrigan, regarding a ‘No Waiting’ area to be set up in Gas Street. Daniel Graham speculated that this might be related to work to be done on the old gas holders in the area.

SK noted that she had received a letter of resignation from Janine McKenna, as she is moving out of the area.

Dennis Lavery and RE discussed the process of the removal of Community Councillors. RE explained that the period is six months, but that it is not an automatic process and that a CC can give leeway in cases of need.

There had been a request from a PhD student doing research on public perceptions of youth crime and offending, as she is currently recruiting focus group members. Wilma Dean took the details.

Christina Leon reported that she had been trying to contact Cllr Doig, without any response. Cllrs Rodden and Binks offered to help out.

6. Treasurer’s Report

Carol Ewing noted that there had been little financial activity since her last report, apart from a payment for hall rent.

The current balance stood at £3,533.34.

7. Sub-Group Reports

Friends of Thomas Shanks Park

WD reported that a lease was in the final stage of development between the Council and Lord Rowallan.

£7,000 has been awarded for playpark equipment.

Gala Day

RE commented that there had been a lot of stress among some JCC members over arrangements for the Gala Day. A decision was needed as to whether the Gala would fall under the JCC umbrella as, for example, responsibility for safety will fall on JCC if it is in charge.

WD responded that this was not correct as money for Public Liability Insurance was included in the LAC funding.

CL added that this had been voted on moths ago so why was it still being discussed?

WD noted that JCC had agreed their involvement and that it was minuted at the March 2017 meeting.

CE mentioned that there was a potential problem of maintaining two separate balance sheets and ensuring that the monies were not muddled up.

RE said that there had been a degree of uncertainty about the Gala sub-committee and who was in charge of it.

Linda Flint replied that RE had never been to any of the Gala sub-ctee meetings, so couldn’t know about its workings.

CL said that the Gala sub-ctee members all have specific roles rather than there being a chair – and that she understood that the possible dog show and Smoky Paws stall had been pulled.

CE replied that the Smoky Paws stall was not pulled, but the dog show had been in question as they were running out of time – particularly to get all the licensing in place.

Isaac Wilkie (from the floor) commented that the licensing process is difficult, but that Catherine Johnstone was working hard at it, adding that it is very rewarding when the Gala Day happens.

WD noted that problems with the process had occurred when some of the sub-ctee had gone on holiday.

MH asked what were the plans, what was already in place and what was the time-scale?

CJ replied that it had to be sorted by the following week, and that the reason the Gala Day date had been put back to August 27th was to allow for sufficient notification periods.

MH asked again what were the actual plans?

CL replied stalls, music, a football tournament, tug-of-war, bouncy castles etc. etc., all of which were already in place.

After this discussion RE recapped that

  1. The Gala sub-ctee operates under the umbrella of JCC

  2. The grants will be paid into the JCC bank account

  3. Pay-outs will be from the JCC bank account.

At this point an initial cheque was passed from CE to CJ

CL emphasised that it was essential the application forms were signed by the end of the meeting.

RE asked if we know what all the events would be?

WD said that it was still a work in progress and that a date for a next meeting needed to be set.

Isaac Wilkie added that they were on the lookout for an elected member to perform the opening.

LF mentioned that she was scheduled to meet Mhari Black.

RE asked whether there was a map of the layout of the park on the day?

WD said that a limited map would be submitted with the application to the council, but that the only things required on that map were those that were part of the licensing process – basically the commercial side of the day. CL added that more detailed information maps would come later.

LF suggested that all further details should be discussed at the next sub-ctee meeting.

Safety Committee

DL asked whether there was currently anything happening with the safety committee.

RE replied that there was not much. The ‘out-goes’ along the High Street have been removed, but there was no sign of the promised road repairs or new signage.

Valerie Reilly commented that a new bus stop has appeared on McDowall Street and that it was bound to cause more congestion.

RE asked whether the Councillors present could chase up what is actually happening.

Mary Tennant commented on the disparity in numbers of bus stops and bus shelters along Houston Square. She added that the fact that the box junctions were so faded as to be ignored meant that pedestrians found difficulty crossing the roads due to cars sitting across the crossing points.

DL added that the traffic light sequence seemed to be set in favour of the motorist leaving too short a time to cross.

RE said that a letter should be sent pursuing when the roadworks would actually take place. He added that we should invite Drew McNab back to our next meeting to put these issues to him again!

Daniel McKay commented on illegal parking and suggested that there should be no parking at all on the High Street between Collier Street and George Street, or along Houston Square.

RE noted that there had been a letter from a High Street resident about the problems, but that Drew McNab claimed that no-one had complained!

CL commented that JCC had had the same problem over WRC, when the Council officers had said no-one was complaining, yet a Town Hall meeting about the problems was packed out.

RE agreed that perhaps we needed to go higher than Drew McNab and that we should contact the Chief Executive with a copy to Council Leader Iain Nicholson.

TW added that there was a bigger problem brewing at the Collier Street junction as traffic was going through the red light and someone was going to end up being killed.

RE reiterated that we need the yellow boxes repainted.

DL added that it was traffic light cameras that were required. RE commented that such cameras were under the auspices of the Scottish Government rather than the council.

DG commented on another parking situation occurring at the Saltire Boxing Gym where there is a wide pavement and cars were using it to park, when they could be using the area to the rear of the building – but that has been fenced off.

RE said that we need to get Drew McNab and the police to a JCC meeting at the same time to thrash the problems out.

Planning

TW asked about the latest on the Spateston/Midton Road situation.

RE replied that there was still no planning application – JCC will react as soon as we know what is happening.

DMcK commented that we hear so much about affordable housing and asked if Renfrewshire Council has any plans for this?

Cllr R replied that ‘social housing’ is what is needed, and that a development only has to have 10% ‘affordable housing’ to meet the planning criteria.

LF reported that people have been asking what Malcolm’s are doing at the back of Peockland – they have removed trees and scrap metal has appeared. She asked if the councillors could find out what is happening as the site is beginning to attract rats.

CL commented that there is a steel works down there – could it be part of that?

Environmental

DL asked the councillors present, to convey thanks to Cllrs Doig and Bibby, for facilitating the clearing of rubbish at the beginning of Collier Street.

Roads

This topic was deemed to have been dealt with under the Safety section.

Internet, Social Media, Suggestions

RE asked that the new date for the Gala Day be posted onto Facebook.

8. AOCB

DL reported that he had attended the Community Planning Partnership meeting. Unfortunately, time prevented any further discussion on this.

LF commented that schools should not still be being used as polling stations – those that are have lost six days over the last couple of years.

WD mentioned that the creation of a protocol for internal JCC complaints had been minuted at a previous meeting, but nothing had ever been presented to a meeting. RE said that he would attend to it.

There being no further business the meeting closed at 9.00pm.

The next meeting will be held in the Marriage Suite of Johnstone Town Hall on Thursday 10th August 2017 at 7.00pm.


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