October 2011
MINUTES OF SPECIAL MEETING ON TUESDAY 4TH OCTOBER 2011
EDDERTON COMMUNITY COUNCIL
Edderton Village Hall
Present: Councillors Robin Ashby, Donald Clarke (Chair), Michael Brown, Albert Fraser, Sharyn Griffin, George Ross, Graham Ross, Ewen Simpson, Cameron Warren: Jim McGillivray (Highland Councillor) [except item 7c], 8 residents
Apologies: Campbell Smith, Alister Sutherland
1. Welcome: the Chairman welcomed everybody.
2. Visitors:
a) Wim Chalmet of East Sutherland Wheelers presented the club’s application for a Community Benefit grant (see also item 7a). The club was founded in November 2010 and has already attracted several members from Edderton who are doing well. In order to give its junior members suitable training, it intends buying specialist bikes which will be handed down to new members in time. They requested £1800, about 29% of the total cost of the project. Sharyn Griffin advised them that the National Lottery was looking for suitable sporting projects to support.
b) Phil Gurr of the Friends of Migdale Hospital presented the plans they have for a Japanese style garden to the rear of the new hospital. Their initial work is scheduled for March and budgeted at around £3,000. In due course they will be submitting a Community Benefit application for £500 each from Ardgay, Creich and Edderton CCs.
c) Fiona Mackenzie, the new development officer of Sutherland Partnership, presented the organisation’s action plan which is organised in 11 themes and 5 key stages. She left some copies of the plan and the Sutherland Partnership annual report for perusal. The Partnership is preparing monitoring procedures and a website. It anticipates community support and has started a group on Facebook.
Jim McGillivray, with his SP Chair hat on, announced an SP event on November 1, a seminar in Dornoch for estates in Sutherland.
3. The minutes of the meeting on 6th September 2011 were approved (proposed by Sharyn Griffin, seconded by George Ross).
4. Matters arising from the minutes
a) Infrastructure:
i. Roads: the Secretary is to thank John Paul McKay for cutting back the trees. He is also to state the Council’s belief that the cattle grids on the B9176 – one of which had been regulated by traffic lights for 11 weeks despite no work being done – no longer fill any function and should be filled in. Sharyn Griffin wished one grit bin relocated from School Brae to Bogrow. She was advised to contact Graham Mackenzie.
An email from JPM has informed the Council that he was still aware of the Council’s earlier concerns and would be tackling them when resources were available.
ii. Footpath network: Nothing to report.
b) Ball screen: the Secretary had had further contact with Jonathan Wotherspoon and Colin Mackenzie about the kick-pitch but they had not been able to supply the firm proposal requested in time for this meeting as JW was on annual leave. The Council thought that the developers’ plans were unnecessarily refined; rolling and mowing would provide a good enough surface, something the residents of Edderton could manage. The Secretary is to convey this opinion to the developers. It was further decided to postpone a final decision on the erection of the ball screen until next meeting.
c) Trees behind War Memorial: Nothing to report. (See item 7d below)
d) Railing in front of Heather Hut: Nothing to report. Jim McGillivray to pursue.
e) Broadband Speed survey: Nothing to report.
f) Community website – update: Robin Ashby could now access and examine the website. Only half the site map was completed and Bryon Gibson did not wish anyone else to amend anything until he had completed the framework. The Council was not pleased that there had been little progress.
g) HC Employees Award: the Council decided to propose Graham Ross as their nomination. Only Graham’s modesty prevented the decision from being unanimous.
5. Financial report
Edderton Community Council – current account: The Treasurer supplied an expenditure and income report for the latest month showing there was a balance of £3,861.57.
6. Highland Council Member’s Report
7 September: Meeting about Dornoch Sport Hall. Highland Council to push for funding.
8th: Full Council.
13th: Planning Committee – wind turbine in Fearn
14th: GREAN funding discussion
19th: Stagecoach users’ group in Sutherland with the Inverness manger in attendance.
20th: Ward Forum
22nd: TECS – bus contracts
24th: Local Access Forum – core paths
The full HC at the end of October will bring the first budget sting.
1st November: Seminar with Jane Glass in Dornoch about boosting income for Sutherland estates.
13th: Ward Forum in Edderton – HIE and small businesses (possibly Nigg)
20th December: John Thurso to talk on A Timetable to Prosperity
Albert Fraser asked how the chief legal officer of Highland Council could be on sick leave on full pay for over 12 months. Jim replied that there were several other similar cases. He agreed with AF that it was not right of HC to refuse to reveal the salaries of managerial contracts, but that recent requests under the Freedom of Information Act should supply better transparency. He expected HC to be less protective of salary information in future contracts.
7. New items
a) Community Benefit application – East Sutherland Wheelers: The application was for the purchase of bicycles for £1,800. The Council approved the grant.
b) Community Benefit report – Bridge Project summer activities: the Council had received a report of the activities together with accounts. BP asked permission to use the surplus accrued to help start similar activities during the winter. However the Secretary had heard informally that the religious content of the summer activities had been more than anticipated and had asked BP for further information. BP had admitted that there had been more religious content than expected and offered to refund the £255 grant it had received. After the Secretary had detailed the actual religious content of the activities, the Council decided to ask for the grant to be refunded.
c) Forestry Application Consultation – C Brooke: Circa 75 ha native woodland south of B9176. The Council supported the application but voiced a concern that in time the trees immediately south of the viewpoint could cast shadows on the lay-by.
d) Trees and bulbs: The Council agreed to accept the kind offer of Reay Clarke to plant lime trees to replace the poplars behind the War Memorial, to repair the hedge behind the Heather Hut with holly and lime plants and to plant daffodils along the south side of the A836 from Bridge Cottage to the Edderton Farm Road. The Council agreed to pay for the saplings and bulbs.
e) New Constitution: Highland Council had yet to approve the constitution adopted on 6 September. In particular HC voiced concerns about Clauses 14.1d and 14.1e and had asked the Council to delete 14.1e which allows the Treasurer to operate accounts under a single signature if the transactions had previously been approved. The Council decided unanimously to retain clause 14.1e as it stands.
8. Correspondence
Health and Safety
1. NHS – evaluation of NHS Highland News – Health Check by questionnaire.
Planning
2. Scottish Government – update on Highland Wide Local Development Plan Issue 36 (two updates)
Environment
3. Association of Scottish Community Councils – last ever newsletter
4. The Highlands Small Communities Housing Trust – nominations in advance of AGM
Other: Copies of the latest month’s electronic correspondence files can be ordered from the Secretary.
9. Any Other Business
a) Community Garden: Debbie McLeod observed that many people felt the state of the community garden was not satisfactory despite the Council supplying some maintenance through Cameron Warren. She suggested a community effort, advertised in the newsletter, to get the garden ready for winter. The Council supported the idea and asked her to discuss the proposal with the School and the garden association.
10. Next Scheduled Meeting
Business meeting in Village Hall on 8 November 2011 at 7.30 pm.
(rescheduled to accommodate seminar in Dornoch on 1 November)
10 October 2011 Robin Ashby