Agenda and Minutes 13th September 2018
Agenda Johnstone Community Council
13th September Johnstone Town Hall 7 pm
1) Apologies
2) Minutes of meeting 9th August
3) Matters Arising
4) Police Crime Statistics
5) Presentation. Changes to Bin Collections
6) Chairperson s Report
7) Secretary s Report - Council Board Papers/Liaison Group
8) Treasurers Report
9) Elected Members Report Cllr Andy Steel
10) Events
11) AOCB
Johnstone Community Council
Minutes of the ordinary meeting of Johnstone Community Council held on Thursday 13th September 2018 at 7.00pm in Johnstone Town Hall.
Present
Members: Marie Corbett, Linda Flint, Elizabeth Forrest, Chris Gilmour, Daniel Graham, Catherine Johnstone, Dennis Lavery, Daniel McKay, Iain McMillan, Geraldine McNealey, Valerie Reilly, Arlene Scarff and Thomas Wallace.
Also in attendance:-
Councillors (Ward 8) – Jacqueline Cameron, John Hood and Alistair Mackay.
(Ward 9) – Bill Binks and Andy Doig.
Apologies
Cllr Derek Bibby.
2. Minutes
The minutes of the previous meeting were read and agreed.
Proposed by Dennis Lavery
Seconded by Chris Gilmour
3. Matters Arising
Nothing was raised.
4. Police Crime Statistics Report
Officer Armstrong presented the crime statistics for the previous month.
Johnstone Town Centre
A total of 71 crimes were reported including 1 serious and 6 common assaults, 25 thefts and attempted thefts, 5 drug offences, 19 anti-social offences and 6 road traffic offences. 31 of these crimes had been detected.
West Johnstone
A total of 21 crimes were reported including 7 thefts and attempted thefts, 2 common assaults, 6 anti-social offences and 3 road traffic offences. 3 of these crimes had been detected.
Spateston and Corseford
A total of 10 crimes were reported including 4 common assaults, 4 anti-social offences and 1 road traffic offence. 5 of these crimes had been detected.
Johnstone Castle
A total of 16 crimes were reported including 1 serious and 6 common assaults, 2 thefts or attempted thefts, 1 anti-social offence and 1 road traffic offence. 7 of these crimes had been detected.
Cllr Hood queried a shed break-in attempt which did not seem to figure in the statistics. Officer A agreed to check.
Cllr H asked if there was a perceived increase in break-ins. Officer Armstrong replied that his information only covered the Town Centre area.
Iain McMillan asked about a theft from an ATM. Officer A replied that this was an instance of a family member using a card without permission, not someone waiting beside a machine and threatening a user.
It was noted that the local media is currently highlighting attempted break-ins. Off A replied that the police are not permitted to trawl social media and therefore cannot investigate these.
Cllr Mackay asked about the 50% detection rate. Off A replied that it was probably slightly higher than that and that it didn’t take into account cases where charges were brought at a later date. Cllr Mackay queried what percentage of those detected are prosecuted. Off A replied that the question would need to be put to the Procurator Fiscal, as once a case is handed over the police are meant to have no further interest. Cllr Mackay asked that JCC should pose the question.
Off A noted that the police knew that certain individuals would be responsible for large numbers of crimes and that this month’s figures may just be a spike.
Catherine Johnstone asked what was the normal response time between phoning the police and officers appearing. Off A replied that it depended on the seriousness of the reported incident and what else was happening at the time and added that calls were categorised between 1 to 5 for their severity and 1 and 2 level incidents were resourced asap. Geraldine McNealey said that there had been a reported incident at a school and the police had dealt with it very well.
DL queried whether, if a crime was seen being committed, was it lawful to take a picture. Off A replied that yes, indeed it was.
CG wanted to extend thanks to the officers who attended the Gala Day which Thomas Wallace reiterated. The officers then left the meeting.
5. Presentation on Changes to Bin Collections
TW handed the meeting to Karen Anderson, the Renfrewshire Council Official in charge of waste strategy and operational matters. She explained that the Council is signed up to the Scottish Household Waste Charter of 2016 which requires us to change the way we collect waste. They had undertaken a waste analysis which found that 36% of the contents of grey bins currently should actually be in the brown bins, 26% should be in the blue bins and 7% should be going to the civic amenity site at Miller Street. This showed that there was a need to force lazy recyclers to do something about it although there was an awareness that those with a need to dispose of large amount of ‘clinical’ waste might need either a larger bin or a second bin.
For the Brown Bin there would be no change to frequency of collection, the Grey Bin would change to a three week cycle, the Blue Bin would now be used to collect card and paper of good quality and the new Green Bin would be for plastic glass and cans. The latter two would be collected alternately.
A calendar has been produced to prompt householders as to which bins were scheduled and there would also be an App. A collection of something would occur every week. For tenements most would be on two-weekly collection but some would be on three. It was recognised that Maisonettes and high flats would have limited space and these were being checked. Commercial premises were also being looked at.
KA went on to explain that teams would be going into schools to recruit children to encourage their parents, and that there had been a series of roadshows to describe the changes directly to members of the public. There had been one held in Johnstone Town Hall on 17th September and another was scheduled for Johnstone Castle for the 26th. Those already held had been well attended.
KA stated that pre-implementation a pack would be issued to households.
Currently the bin men were being trained on the complicated routes and shift patterns.
There will be a maximum uplift of two of any colour of bin per household.
The aim of the scheme is to improve the quality and quantity of recycled material so that RC can get better rates for the contracts it negotiates.
KA was asked whether packaging producers were being targeted, she replied that some are doing well others are not.
Elizabeth Forrest asked about the comparison in size between the normal and small size bins commenting that it wasn’t worth trailing out a big brown bin just for one or two small bags of food waste.
DL noted that there is a biomass plant in Dumfriesshire and asked if there was any prospect of local councils getting together to use such a facility. KA replied that we already have – five west of Scotland councils have a contract with the Viridor plant in Dunbar. The heat produced is recycled immediately probably going to nearby industrial concerns.
Arlene Scarff asked what would happen to people who don’t take their bins in after emptying and also what happens about rubbish dropped during the collection process. KA replied that the problem of bins left out seems to worst in the town centres and that the cl will remove the bins of persistent offenders.
IMcM noted that he supported the scheme but was worried about the practicalities, some people are lazy and many are not aware of the implications of not working the scheme correctly.
CJ said that she didn’t have a brown bin and so food was currently going into the grey bin.
Linda Flint asked why, if she employed someone to look after her garden they were not supposed to use her brown bin. KA replied that it was as a result of trade and therefore classed as commercial waste which should go elsewhere. A line has to be drawn somewhere.
LF asked who would be monitoring the problem of left-out bins – could the wardens do this or do the public have to report them?
GMcN commented that none of us want more bins taking up garden space and asked if there would be a charge for changing to the smaller size ones. KA replied that there would be a period of amnesty after the changeover during which no charges would apply.
Daniel Graham commented that he thought people shouldn’t be complaining about doing the recycling as we should be striving to improve the environment for future generations.
Cllr Doig said that he agreed with the principles of recycling but asked if, while all these changes were being brought in there could be any change to the bin collection days. KA replied that they would be changing.
Cllr Binks asked KA to clarify which bins dog waste should be put into. She replied the grey bin or any street litter bin.
Cllr Hood asked whether there was any change to assisted pull-outs. KA replied that there was no change but that there would be checks to ensure that recipients were still entitled.
TW thanked KA and her colleague for the presentation.
6. Chairman’s Report
TW commented on the victory of the parking charges policy being ‘binned’, and congratulated all those involved for their efforts in the campaign.
TW asked DL to report on the North Road bus shelter situation. He noted that there will be a vote on whether one is required at the next T&RA meeting and if the result is in favour RC will be approached.
TW noted that at the Corseford T&RA McGills representative spoke about the removal of the no. 20 bus which means that those with hospital appointments from the area now have no direct link. McGills said this was down to ‘overcongestion’ … but is this a loss making route? JCC will follow this up and hopes that the T&RA will support us.
Cllr D reported that he and Cllr H have tabled a motion at full council to support and subsidise the nos. 20 and 307 buses.
DL commented that this was typical of McGill operations – we have no control over a private company. Cllr Mackay commented that they should be able to supply statistical information on the numbers using the routes, and wondered about the possibility of a community bus. IMcM commented that we need regulation over bus services and hoped that the Scottish Parliament would address the problem. Cllr D intimated that the Infrastructure Board is looking at options.
DG commented that we need social responsibility, but that McGills are a private company making a profit.
CG noted that the bus companies need to remember that they are heavily subsidised and that therefore they too have a social responsibility. From the floor Margaret Lavery commented that many families struggle with transport costs and that perhaps it was time pensioners were asked to make a small contribution?
7. Secretary’s Report …Council Board Papers … Liaison Group
IMcM reported that he had already sent out all the relevant correspondence etc via email.
The next Liaison Group meeting was scheduled for 25th September at 1.30pm in Johnstone Town Hall.
JCC is now opted in to council information about processions and parades. He has had 10 notifications so far, but none of them related to Johnstone other than the annual Remembrance parade. Notifications will be passed on when they are relevant to Johnstone.
Planning – IMcM reported that there is a planning application in for 16 warehouses and 53 associated parking spaces at the site of the old Benstone Garage. It was noted that there was also an application for a car wash business at the Benstone, and Cllr H added that there were already a number of objections to the scheme.
On schools – St. Anthony’s had received a ‘very good’ report and Johnstone High School had received a ‘good’ report – an improving situation over that of 2-3 years ago.
There is to be a review of the housing situation in Renfrewshire which will be discussed at the next JCC meeting.
It transpires that there digging of test holes in green spaces in Spateston was because the site originally earmarked for a new Spateston nursery was not good and therefore alternatives are being tested.
A letter has been received from St. Vincent’s Hospice thanking JCC for letting them be involved in the Gala Day.
8. Treasurer’s Report
LF reported that the balance stood at £8362.86.
She added that she was still chasing up £400 outstanding for ads in the programme and that there were a couple of cheques, amounting to £51 to be cashed.
9. Elected Member’s Report
A report had been received from Cllr Steel covering diverse matters including the changes to waste collection, the ‘Team Up To Clean Up’ scheme, planning applications and working with T&RAs on matters particular to their areas.
TW commented on some of his report re the bin changes and the reaction of the union to suggestions made but said he would talk it through with Cllr S. The idea of getting the bin operatives to wheel out the bins would counteract the problem of them being left out. CG added that they would not be asked to pull heavy bins as they should now be lighter with the contents spread into a fourth bin. Cllr D suggested that perhaps JCC should ask the union representatives to come and speak to us. DL added that as the bins have wheels it should not be a hardship.
10. Event and Funding Sub Group Report
TW reported that the Gala Day had not been blessed with good weather but had been successful nonetheless. He added that LF was still chasing money, but that 350 programmes had been sold.
TW thanked the organising committee who had put in a lot of hard work in the run up to the Gala. On the day, Splash Production did an excellent presentation and the Zumba demonstration had been a good way to begin.
He added that Linstone and Splash were keen to be involved again next year.
The day had been aimed at young families and that had worked very well. The badge design competition had been well supported and that as the committee now knows the kind of time schedules required it should be easier to organise next year.
IMcM noted that a debrief meeting would be held in the next couple of weeks.
Cllr H commented that the Spateston Tombola stall had made nearly £500.
11. AOCB
CJ reported briefly on the RCCF meeting at which it had been suggested that each CC should have a recognised point of contact within the Council. JCC already have a named contact.
Other business included representatives on the LAC from CCs and a new complaints procedure relative to CCs. This proposal was voted against as a result of which Anne McNaughton required that CC comments on the matter should be sent to her by the end of September.
There being no further business the meeting closed at 9.00pm.
The AGM, and next ordinary meeting, will be held in the Marriage Suite of Johnstone Town Hall on Thursday 11th October 2018 at 7.00pm.
12) Date of Next Meeting & AGM 11th October 2018