SNP Councillor attempts to overturn his SNP motion

 

 

 

 

This is the original planning application submitted under the SNP administration in February 2012.

APPLICATIONS
Reports were submitted by the Executive Director of Housing, Environmental and Economic Development in respect of the following planning applications:-
New Applications:-
(a) DC10/310 – Demolition of secondary school and bowling club, and erection of replacement secondary school with associated works at Dumbarton Academy, Crosslet Road, Dumbarton by West Dunbartonshire Council.
Reference was made to the site visit which had been undertaken in respect of the above application.
The Planning and Building Standards Manager was heard in further explanation of the application and the background relating thereto.
A late representation was presented to Members. The Committee agreed to accept the late representation and a copy was circulated to all Members present.

The Chair, Councillor McColl, invited Mrs Anne McQuillan, local resident, and objector to the proposal, to address the Committee and she made her views on the application known and was heard in response to Members’ questions.
The Planning and Building Standards Manager and Corporate Asset Manager were then heard in further explanation of the report and in answer to Members’ questions.
The Chair then invited Mr Iain Ellis, representative of Dumbarton East & Central Community Council, to address the Committee. Mr Ellis declined to speak.
The Chair then invited Mr Brian Kirk, Chair of the Dumbarton Academy Parent Council, to address the Committee and he presented the Parent Council’s views in support of the application and was heard in response to Members’ questions.
Following discussion and having heard officers in elaboration of the report and in response to Members’ questions Councillor McColl, seconded by Councillor McAllister, moved:-

That the Committee agree to grant planning permission subject to the conditions specified within the report, details of which are contained in Appendix 1 hereto.
As an amendment Councillor W. McLaughlin moved:-
That the Committee agree to grant planning permission subject to the conditions specified within the report being amended to allow for the construction of grass pitches and not synthetic floodlit pitches.
Provost Agnew asked if Councillor W. McLaughlin would accept an addendum to his amendment in the following terms:-
That Condition 30 of the report be amended to allow for restricted community usage of sports pitches.
On Councillor W. McLaughlin agreeing, Provost Agnew seconded the amendment.
In response to a question from the Chair, Councillor McColl, and having heard the Legal Officer and the Planning and Building Standards Manager in clarification of certain matters, the Legal Officer advised the Committee that the amendment was not competent as it would result in a revised proposal which would be substantially different in planning terms to what was being presented within the report.
Councillor McNair, seconded by Provost Agnew, moved:-
That the Committee agree to grant planning permission subject to:
(1) the conditions specified within the report being amended to allow for the colour of bricks to be used in construction to be changed to white and grey; and
(2) that Condition 30 of the report be amended to read as follows:-
The sports pitches on site shall be available for use by Dumbarton Academy and not made available for hire. The pitches shall not be in use beyond 6 pm Monday to Friday and no weekend use. The use of the pitches for hire would require submission of a further application for planning permission.
On a vote being taken, 2 Members voted for the amendment, 1 abstained and
5 voted for the motion which was accordingly carried.

 

 

Council approves next stage of £12m new District Heating Network

 

 

 

 

 

Ambitious plans to use water from the River Clyde to heat homes and businesses in Clydebank have taken a step forward.

West Dunbartonshire Council has agreed the next step in securing funding for a £12million new high-tech heating system for the town’s Queens Quay area.

The development would see water extracted from the River Clyde through heat pumps and directed to businesses and homes via insulated pipes to be used for heating.

The heating system will also make a major contribution towards the Council’s climate change targets to reduce CO2 emissions by 15% over the next 7 years.

The Council will pay £6m, 50% of the cost of the District Heating Network (DHN) and apply for match funding via the Scottish Government’s Low Carbon Infrastructure Transition Programme.  In addition, the Council project will receive up to 20 years of financial support from the Energy Trust’s Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) Fund.

A new purpose built energy centre will be created at Queens Quay by February 2018 and the pipework for the heating network will be installed in 2017.

Up to 200 rented homes are being developed on the site by registered social landlords as well as 1,000 private homes, and all will benefit from the new system. A number of public buildings would also receive their heating supply via this method including West College Scotland, Clydebank’s new Leisure Centre, the new care home and health centre at the site, the Council’s offices at Aurora House, Titan Business Centre, the Town Hall and Clydebank Library.

Councillor Patrick McGlinchey, Convener of Infrastructure, Regeneration and Economic Development, said: “I am delighted this project has been approved as it is a significant step forward for the Council, residents and the environment.

“The Council will lead the Municipal Energy Supply Company which will support the project giving us the opportunity to not only generate an income, but to further expand the scheme throughout  Clydebank.  This is also great news for our residents as it will allow the Council to offer residents a reduced tariff for their heating supply and in return help residents who may be facing fuel poverty.”

Councillor McBride, Vice-Convener of Infrastructure, Regeneration and Economic Development added: “This is a major development for the Council and one that will benefit businesses and residents for generations to come.  The system has been designed to not only serve the developments at Queens Quay but has the potential to serve businesses and houses further afield. As a Council we are committed to delivering affordable housing to our residents and this district heating network will also help us provide affordable energy for residents in the heart of Clydebank and beyond. ”

The Council will find out in February next year if it has been successful in the next round of funding by the LCITP.

 

Councillors support greater club access to community facilities

 

Commenting on the Council decision to bring forward a planning application to allow the temporary use of the Bellsmyre School Campus pitches by Renton Craigandro and to bring a report to the December Council meeting, Council Leader Martin Rooney said:

 

“I’m very relaxed about the Council decision as all three motions were simply trying to do something to help local football clubs. There were merits in the original motion which called for the Bellsmyre pitches to be made available to local groups. There was also some merit in the SNP motion calling for a temporary arrangement to be put in place until the OLSP facilities become available next year. The Labour Motion recognised the millions of pounds that we had invested into community sports and play and the improved facilities already available and planned. We also recognised a need to consult local residents and to do what it takes to help local clubs get access to the school pitches. The biggest difference between the SNP motion and Labours motion was that we wanted all the facts so that we would be in a position to take an informed decision, that’s why we wanted a report in February the SNP wanted to get the report in time for the Council meeting on 21^stDecember but there were no guarantees that a planning application, including neighbourhood notification, could be completed before the Council meeting. Also, Renton Craigandro is keen to book the Bellsmyre schools pitches Monday to Friday, at least 2 hours per night for training but there are other clubs in our area that might also want access to sports pitches. So it makes sense to get a full review of the clubs, their needs and all of the potential facilities that could be used.”

 

Motion/Amendments/Debate

Jim Bollan presented a motion to Council.

The SNP presented an Amendment to Jims Motion.

The Labour Group had our own amendment as set out below.

The merits of all three were debated at Council meeting.

Voting:

When it came to voting, the first vote Labour Councillors supported the Labour amendment but the SNP one won the vote.

The second stage of voting was the SNP amendment against the Motion from Jim Bollan. All Opposition Councillors supported the SNP Amendment against the original motion.

The Labour Group did not take part in the second vote and instead abstained.

The SNP amendment was carried.

The only Councillors that voted against the original motion from Jim Bollan was all of the opposition councillors.(Including Jim himself).

This details of the Labour Amendment moved by Councillor Michelle McGinty is set out below:

 

AMENDMENT: SNP Amendment Jonathan McColl

Council agrees that until the OLSP pitches are completed, the Primary School pitches must be made available for community use.

Officers are instructed to find a way to allow a temporary use of the pitches without the need to spend half a million pounds for an acoustic fence. Local residents nearest the site should be consulted and a report brought to December Council to allow us to make any necessary decisions.

 

Should this require relaxation of the planning conditions on a temporary basis, Council delegates authority to officers to apply to vary the planning permission.  Council instructs that this application be made before the end of the week and that it be dealt with as a priority by our planning officers.

 

Once the OLSP facility is available for let, if the demand is there, officers will bring a report to Council to allow us to discuss making the Primary School pitches available on a permanent basis.

 

Officers are also instructed to bring forward a report to a future Council or IRED Committee with options and costings for providing changing facilities at the current OLSP site.

 

AMENDMENT: All Weather Football Pitch, Bellsmyre, Councillor Michelle McGinty

 

This Council notes that there are 25 football pitches available for use seven days a week across West Dunbartonshire including grass and all-weather facilities. There has been significant investment in providing additional sports facilities and in the last year state of the art all-weather pitches have been launched at East End Park, Dumbarton, and Argyll Park, Alexandria.

 

Council also notes that these floodlit facilities are in addition to those which currently exist at Vale of Leven Academy and the current Our Lady and St Patrick’s High School (which is undergoing repair and will be available from December). All current booking requests can be accommodated from existing facilities.

 

Further investment is planned to provide community accessible sports facilities at Mountblow, Whitecrook and Posties Park. In addition, the new OLSP currently under construction in Bellsmyre includes two full size all-weather sports pitches for football and hockey and outdoor games courts which will be floodlit and available for community use out with school hours all year round from October 2017.

 

The new Bellsmyre Campus which opened in August 2016 includes a seven-aside all-weather sports pitch, and greatly enhances the opportunities for pupils to get involved in sport as previously neither Aitkenbar nor St Peter’s primaries had any useable outdoor sports facilities. Given the extensive provision which exists, this pitch has been designated for school use only.

 

However, this Labour Administration has demonstrated beyond doubt its willingness to invest in community sports and play equipment. The Administration also recognises the importance of getting best value from our investments and has successfully attracted millions of pounds of external investment for our area.

 

Council reaffirms a cast iron guarantee commitment, that the two full size all weather floodlight football and hockey pitches opening at the new Bellsmyre OLSP site opening in October 2017 will be fully available for community use out with school hours.

 

Council encourages the community use of the Bellsmyre School facilities and agreed to begin consultation with Bellsmyre residents and community groups to :-

 

1.         To ascertain whether there is a desire by the council to submit a revised planning application so the 7 a side pitch can be used without the need for an acoustic fence.

2.         To work with local communities to maximise and manage reasonable community use out with school hours of the fantastic facilities opening in 2017.

 

In addition to the community use in Bellsmyre, and to further invest in our sports, and recognise the withdrawal of OLSP from Dumbarton West, the Council agrees to set aside £500k towards changing facilities at the existing OLSP site to maximise use of the refurbished 3 G all-weather pitch, increasing capacity, choice and opportunity for our young people across the area. 

 

The Chief Executive is requested to bring forward a report to the council meeting in February, outlining the potential benefits and options, including additional ideas and solutions from all elected member contributions tonight.

Notes of Meeting with Renton Craigandro

Councillor Martin Rooney and Councillor Michelle McGinty met with Renton Craigandro committee On Saturday 26^th November at their request.The committee members in attendance were: Chair Brian Gillies, Vice Chair Joe Mulvenna and Secretary Kevin McIntyre.

Renton Craigandro members explained that they took over the club a year ago when there were only 52 kids. However, it has since grown to 150 kids, aged between 4 and 14. They explained that they were running out if space.

They informed us that they have spent over £20k this year,  £12k on equipment and over £8k on facilities. Their funding comes from parents and a sponsor CPR. We understand that  they had two bids of £2k into the Your Community initiative, one for Tontine and another for the teams or a fun day.

There were two key issues discussed.

1. Renton Craigandro wants to take over tontine park football pitches and stadium through community ownership. 

2. Renton Craigandro is looking for access to football pitches in schools.

On the Tontine project.

They want to take over the facilities and invest in a 4g pitch and rebuild / replace the pavilion. They estimate that this would be circa £1m, roughly  £450k on 4g pitch, with the rest in roads/parking and upgrading or replacing the pavilion. This is very ambitious and would be a huge improvement to community sports in the area.  

We told them that we had been investing millions of pounds in sports and play. We also told them about our strategic community sports investments of £500k and how they have drawn in external funding.

Whitecrook Rugby £3.1m
Posties Park £1.65m
Clydebank FC £750k

We also mentioned that we had £500k set aside for Milburn Park but that it wasn’t progressing as planned  and subsequently the funding had been reallocated at IRED in the summer this year.

They asked a series of questions regarding an application that they are putting together for the community ownership bid. We told them that they should speak to Amanda Coulthard about this as she was the expert and could help them with their bid and perhaps access to funding as the community empowerment has some funding to help groups.

We also told them about the Your Community £1m of capital. That £450k was set aside for the participative budgeting and that the additional £550k was for the Your Community roll-out. We told the that not all funds were yet allocated.

My understanding was that there wad around £200k left over from the participative budget grants and that the majority of the £550k for your community roll-out had not been spent but officers may have allocated some funding towards existing action plans.

We also mentioned that there was £25k unallocated in the community capital fund and that there was an expectation that some of the community sports fund projects would draw in external funding and that there was potential that this would release more funds for further investment in community sports. 

 

We also mentioned the £2m Environmental Fund that included £450k for allotments but the rest was for community improvements. Most of this has been set against community projects including an all-weather sports pitch at Mountblow. We told them the Council was also upgrading the pavilion at Mountblow.  The Renton Craigandro committee said they weren’t aware of all of the other community funds but had submitted bids to the participative budgeting event.

We also referred to other public facilities that had been passed to community groups such as Duntocher hall and Renton Nursery. We also pointed out that we had other facilities that had been put up for potential transfer such as the Phoenix and Ladyton leisure centre but there wasn’t sufficient interest or willingness to take over the facilities. We suggested that they might want to meet with Ronnie Dinnie, Iain Bain, and Amanda Coulthard to discuss the various types of support that may be available. 

In relation to the access to the primary school facilities.

We told them a planning application will be put together but this may take some time. Also there were issues about things such as neighbourhood notification, which normally takes 28 days. Also, there could be a requirement for a fence subject to environmental health feedback, also there may be a possibility that it could be dealt with under delegated responsibility or it may have to come to planning for approval.

The committee were of the view that the council could ignore the planning regulations and just open the primary school facilities on Monday if we wanted to. I told them this was not the case. As a planning authority we have to abide by the same rules as all other applicants. Also the members of the planning committee are not mandated by political groups and as its a quasi judicial function it would be wrong for us to try to influence the decisions 

As well as planning issues and the related costs. We told them a report was coming in December to council or IRED Committee. We told them that the report is expected to look at all of the issues. The number of facilities, teams, charges, and so on.

They were interested in the timescales and we explained that the labour amendment stated February as we would definitely have all the information by the but the SNP amendment wanted a report in December even though neighbour notification may not be completed in time.Also any potential changes to budgets etc would normally be done in February as part of the budget.

The committee also suggested other practical aspects such as having a key to sports pitches so they could let themselves use them without needing a janitor or caretaker. As well as this they suggested that other schools sports pitches may be suitable for community use such as Bonhill and St. Ronans but there may be others. They also suggested that if they brought mobile Welfare facilities – essentially a trailer with toilet facilities then they would not even need access to the schools. They say the mobile welfare units cost £5k for a trailer. 

There were other issues raised but a lot of this was of little consequence as they seemed to be looking for someone to blame which seems a bit odd as they had stated at the start of the meeting and reiterated a number of times that they had no interest in politics and they only want to do the best for children in relation to activity in football. We gave a commitment to feed all of their ideas and initiatives into the process. 

Council helps thousands of local people to secure employment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

West Dunbartonshire Council’s Working4U team has won the COSLA Gold Award for Service Innovation and Improvement by helping thousands of local people find employment.

The details of the help and assistance provided is set out below. The figures have been separated out figures for jobs and apprenticeships, although under employment law Modern Apprentices are entitled to a contract of employment and treated as an employee and this is also the policy set out by Skills Development Scotland.  The Council does not include training places in this calculation.  However, we deliver many hundreds of additional training and learning places to residents.

1. Evidence for job outcomes:-

The information behind the statistic of 2,484 residents securing work is explicitly based on the monitoring and reporting requirements that are placed on us by external funding and compliance bodies including:

        European Structural Funds (ERDF, ESF);

        National Programmes – SDS Employability Fund and Modern Apprenticeships;

        DWP – Flexible Support Funds, City Deal;

To ensure full compliance the Working4U service maintains records with associated documentary evidence to clearly demonstrate progression towards employment through learning and development; starting work or Modern Apprenticeships and in some instances this includes the requirement to record the number remaining in employment up to 26 weeks.

There are rigorous definitions of what constitutes a job and all our activity is scrutinised by external auditors. At a minimum this includes annual verification visits by SDS and European Funding Programme Compliance Teams to ensure that we can provide evidence to substantiate the claims we make about job outcomes.

2. Breakdown of job outcomes:-

Table 1 provides a breakdown of the type of jobs.

Table 1: Types of Job: May 2012 to June 2016
Types of Job	Number	%
Full time	2,353	95%
part-time	131	5%
All Jobs	2,484
Overall Jobs	1,917	77%
Modern Apprenticeships	567	23%
Total Jobs	2,484
Source of Employment
Third sector	91	4%
Public sector	113	5%
Private sector	1,713	69%
Total jobs	1,917
Source for Modern Apprenticeships
Third sector	4	1%
Public Sector	418	74%
Private  Sector	145	26%
Total Apprenticeships	567

 

Of the 2,484 jobs, the Council have evidence that demonstrates that a minimum of 1,108 (45%) have remained in employment at 26 weeks. This figure is based on information provided by participants or their employers and is consistent with the evidence required by the appropriate funding agency.

Of the 418 public sector apprenticeships reported, 312 remained in employment for six months beyond their apprenticeship. This is a sustainment rate of 75% of the numbers employed and is a rate which exceeds the level achieved through general SDS Modern Apprenticeship contracts.

While not all programmes expect data on the industries where our customers secure employment, using statistics from those securing employment from April 2015 to date and supported through European funded programmes, we can illustrate the employment destination of our customers.

 

Table 2 illustrates the highest employing sectors.

 

Table 2: Type of jobs (Top 5, SIC codes) since April 2015
Banking finance, Real Estate, Lending and Business	18%
Health and Social Work	16%
Hotels and Restaurants	16%
Wholesale, Retail, Trades and Repairs	13%
Construction	8%

 

Table 2: Also demonstrates the importance of Banking Finance, Real Estate, Lending and Business as sources of employment. This includes jobs in Call Centres, working in IT and Business Administration. The importance, for our customer base, of health and social work employment (care sector and childcare) is also illustrated as is employment in hospitality.

The Council is about to undergo a full inspection of our CLD elements of Working4U by Education Scotland.  This inspection will last until mid-January and will include verification of outcomes.

 

Council approves ambitious bid for £12m District Heating System

 

 

 

 

 

 

At a Special meeting of West Dunbartonshire Council on Wednesday 24^th November, Councillors unanimously agreed to support a bid for £6m of funding to the Scottish Governments “Low Carbon Innovation Transition Programme.”

The Council agreed to submit a bid for match funding towards a £12m District Heating System at Queens Quay in Clydebank. If we are successful the Council will match the £6m with funding from the General Services Capital and the project would be included in the ten year capital plan update next year.

Phase one of the development would be the construction of a plant on Queens Quay that would provide energy for all of the public facilities on the development site such as the new leisure centres, the Councils new office block Auroa House, the new Clydebank Health Centre, the new Clydebank Residential Care Home and Day Care Centre. In addition the facility would be able to provide energy to Clydebank College, Clydebank Town Hall, Clydebank Library local businesses and around 1,200 homes planned for the Queens Quay site.

Phase two would see the potential extension to the Clyde Regional Shopping Centre and the planned development at the existing Playdrome site. The plans would also see an extension up to the Golden Jubilee Hospital and to housing beyond in Dalmuir, Mountblow and beyond.

As well as reducing the Councils carbon footprint, the business plan would result in income from surplus energy sales.

Subject to receiving funding support from the Scottish Government LCITP the Design & Build Phase is expected to be completed between February 2017 and February 2018 and the District Heating System could be fully operational before September 2018.

Presentation: dhn-presentation-v-23-nov-final

Martin Rooney Leaders Column – Lennox Herald November 2016

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Budget cuts and savings options have made headline news over recent weeks and I share the concerns which have been raised by our communities in relation to this.

We are facing an unprecedented challenge over the coming three years with an anticipated funding gap of over £10million.

The figures are based on the best estimates of our officers because we are still waiting on funding announcements from both the Scottish and UK Governments.

Given our high levels of deprivation, we need clarity on our funding as quickly as possible, I have repeatedly called for the Scottish Government to give this area what it deserves and needs, so that we can continue to deliver all of our services for our residents.

We are certain that the money we receive from the Scottish Government will be reduced as it has year on year. In addition, the Council Tax freeze has been removed and the Scottish Government has plans to increase Council Tax by up to 22.5% next year for Bands E, F, G and H. I have real concerns about the impact of this on our communities.

The savings options developed by officers for closing the anticipated gap, are just that and I want to make it clear that no decisions have been made. Many of these are unpalatable and I want to reiterate that we will not support officers options such as cuts to school meals, school milk, or elderly welfare grants.

Our priority remains to safeguard the frontline services our resident rely on and make the best possible use of the resources we have so that we continue to protect the vulnerable and improve the lives of all our residents.

We remain ambitious and have a clear vision to transform our area, generate growth and deliver enhanced economic prospects for our communities, and through our careful financial planning and management, we are delivering on that.

In recent weeks we’ve marked the official opening of a new state of the art education campus in Bellsmyre, started work on the new Balloch campus, committed to building 1000 new rented homes with our partners, and announced funding to redevelop Inler Park in Haldane for the benefit of the community.

We continue to do everything we can to promote West Dunbartonshire as the ideal location for business with its transport links and close proximity to airports and sea ports. The news that Chivas is set to relocate its operations to Dumbarton is fantastic for the area creating jobs and improving our economy.

We will face further challenges in the months ahead but I can reassure residents that as a Council we will continue to make lives better for our residents and improve West Dunbartonshire.

Finally, it’s heartening that one hundred years on from the Somme and the battle of Jutland, local people still turn out in their thousands to honour our servicemen and women who sacrificed their lives for our freedom.

Update on Bellsmyre Campus Pitch

 

 

 

 

 

Currently there are 25 football pitches available for use seven days a week across West Dunbartonshire including grass and all-weather facilities. There has been significant investment in providing additional sports facilities and in the last year state of the art all-weather pitches have been launched at East End Park, Dumbarton, and Argyll Park, Alexandria. These floodlit facilities are in addition to those which currently exist at Vale of Leven Academy and the current Our Lady and St Patrick’s High School (which is undergoing repair and will be available from December). All current booking requests can be accommodated. Further investment is planned to provide community accessible sports facilities at Mountblow, Whitecrook and Posties Park. In addition, the new OLSP currently under construction in Bellsmyre includes two full size all-weather sports pitches for football and hockey and outdoor games courts which will be floodlit and available for community use out with school hours all year round from October 2017. The new Bellsmyre Campus which opened in August 2016 includes a seven-aside all-weather sports pitch, and greatly enhances the opportunities for pupils to get involved in sport as previously neither Aitkenbar nor St Peter’s primaries had any useable outdoor sports facilities. Given the extensive provision which exists, this pitch has been designated for school use only.

During the initial design phase for the new Bellsmyre Campus community use of the pitch was considered however this was overtaken by the subsequent decision to locate the new OLSP High School in Bellsmyre. This development will see two full size floodlit all-weather pitches created which will be available for community use. The Bellsmyre Campus has a single seven-a-side pitch which can’t be used for full size football matches. The Bellsmyre pitch design was thereafter progressed on a school use only basis. If community use was to be considered then as outlined in the approved planning report, an acoustic fence would be required. The estimated cost of this is between £400,000 and £500,000. It should also be noted that there would also be an additional ongoing cost to the Council for the management of the facility at evenings, weekends and during the school holidays.

As highlighted above an additional investment of up to £500k would be required to install the fence and satisfy planning conditions to allow community use of the facilities at Bellsmyre Campus. There is sufficient existing provision of sports facilities to satisfy current demand without incurring this cost. There is no budgetary provision for the capital cost of the fence or any revenue budget to support the ongoing management of the pitch at the Primary Campus. The planning consent is quite clear in that community use would only be permitted once an acoustic fence is erected.

Cuts to councils mean cuts to the poorest people within communities

 

 

 

COSLA has today warned governments in both Westminster and Holyrood that cuts to councils mean cuts to communities and primarily the poorest people within communities.

Speaking in advance of the UK Chancellor’s budget statement on Wednesday COSLA’s Finance Spokesperson Councillor Kevin Keenan  said:

“The decisions taken by the UK Government later this week, and then by Scottish Government Ministers next month, will have a massive bearing on communities in terms of local services and local jobs.

“It would be a dereliction of my duty as COSLA’s Finance Spokesperson if I did not make the Chancellor in London and the Cabinet Secretary in Edinburgh fully aware of the consequences of their actions if yet again local government, local services and local jobs bear the brunt of their cuts.

“As recent reports from the Fraser of Allander Institute and the IFS have shown, Scottish local government is already under severe financial pressure due to the political choices taken by the centre.  For the sake of local services and local jobs within communities throughout Scotland, I can only hope that they recognise local government is at a defining moment and that the communities we represent can take no more pain.

“It is time for an honest debate – there is no more meat on the bone.  This time round there are no more soft targets  – we would be talking of severe cuts in vital services and job losses in communities and sadly these will impact on the poorest in our society.  In addition to this, over the last 5 years, 40,000 jobs have been shed in local government.

“That’s 40,000 people in an economy looking for alternative employment.   In areas where local government is the main employer, this is catastrophic and it is those areas that have suffered the most.  Communities and the economy are suffering alike. “

“No elected Councillor wants to see this happen, but sadly as more and more of our democratic decisions are taken by national politicians I can only make the appeal on behalf of the people that our message is not only heard by those who control the purse strings but is acted upon.

“Increased central direction of how we deliver education and health and social care means that any cuts from the centre fall disproportionally on the areas the council does have discretion.  It is as worrying as it is stark that a 5% cut to local government can mean a 55% cut to services such as economic development, employability and other key areas for tackling inequalities.”

Keeping hate crimes in perspective

 

 

 

 

West Dunbartonshire residents are being urged to be cautious over claims that: “Race hate attacks in Dumbarton have shot up by more than 10 per cent …” The claims are based on data from Dumbarton Procurator Fiscal Office which covers a wider geographical area than Dumbarton alone.

The Dumbarton Sheriff Court serves a wide geographical area including the main towns of Dumbarton, Clydebank, Bearsden, Milngavie and Helensburgh, so it’s completely wrong to claim that Dumbarton Town has experienced an increase in hate crime. As well as official crime statistics there will, of course, be many more instances of hate crime that go unreported, so the official statistics only tell a part of the story.

Commenting on hate crimes recorded against the Procurator Fiscal Office Dumbarton, Council Leader Martin Rooney said:

“Hate crime in all its forms is despicable and should rightly be condemned by all reasonable people. However, it’s wrong to sensationalise small fluctuations in data and draw inaccurate conclusions and present these as facts. To get a better understanding of hate crime we need to record it accurately, analyse it to establish any trends and anomalies. We then need to use the data to inform policy solutions and take appropriate actions to help change attitudes and behaviours.”

Councillor Rooney added:

 “Scotland is a fairly tolerant society and levels of hate crimes are relatively small. The evidence shows that there are incidences of hate crime but when compared to the population size the incidences are again very small. Incidences of most hate crimes are generally low, therefore a slight increase in the number of incidences can have a significant impact on the percentage of the crimes in any year. Racially aggravated hate crime increased by 6 in 2015/16 which showed a ten percent increase. An increase from 2 to 5 incidences of disability hate crime meant a 150% increase in 2015/16. A fall in religiously aggravated crimes from 19 to 11 meant a decrease of 42%. The statistics matter but there is a real need to analyse the data and to make comparisons over time.”

There is no evidence to suggest that any particular age group is responsible for the recorded incidences of hate crimes. There is also no evidence to suggest that any of the changes are related in any way to Brexit as the data covers 2015/16 but the Brexit debate and vote took place in 2016/17. We will see the Brexit data next year but whether any significant changes occur and the reasons for any changes will require further analysis to help establish whether this is because of better reporting, better targeting by Police Scotland, or whether it is actually a reflection of changes in behaviour that impacts on the number of incidences.

Councillor Rooney added:

“It’s simply wrong to suggest that young people are the source of race crimes and intolerance. One race hate crime is one too many and these incidents have no place in West Dunbartonshire. We are working hard to eradicate prejudice and discrimination in our communities. We run a Rights respecting School programme across West Dunbartonshire to educate our young people, have launched an Equality Forum, have increased the number of third party reporting centres for hate crimes and continue to work with our partners including police and community groups to prevent these incidents occurring.”

Notes:

1. The details of charges reported and recorded by the Dumbarton Procurator Fiscal Office Hate Crime statistics by category, are set out below:

 

13. 17. There were no offences prior to 2015/16.Racially aggravated crime
        

        Office	2010-11	2011-12	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16
        Dumbarton	53	72	69	58	59	65

        1. The six year trend shows an average of 62.67 racially aggravated crimes per year.
        2. The peak was in 2011/12 at 72 crimes.
        3. The year on year change from 2014 band 2015 represents an increase of 10.17%

         

        Religiously aggravated crime

        Office	2010-11	2011-12	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16
        Dumbarton	12	28	16	12	19	11

        4. The six year trend shows an average of 16.34 religiously aggravated crimes per year.
        5. The peak was in 2011/12 at 28 crimes.
        6. The year on year change from 2014 band 2015 represents a reduction of 42.11%

         

        Disability aggravated crime

        Office	2010-11	2011-12	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16
        Dumbarton	0	1	0	1	2	5

        7. The six year trend shows an average of 1.5 disability aggravated crimes per year.
        8. The peak was in 2015/16 at 5 crimes.
        9. The year on year change from 2014 and 2015 represents an increase of 150%

         

         

        Sexual Orientation aggravated crime

        Office	2010-11	2011-12	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16
        Dumbarton	5	4	12	28	13	23

        10. The six year trend shows an average of 14.17 racially aggravated crimes per year.
        11. The peak was in 2013/14 at 28 crimes.
        12. The year on year change from 2014 and 2015 represents an increase of 76.93%

         

         

        Transgender identity aggravated crime

        Office	2010-11	2011-12	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16
        Dumbarton	0	0	0	0	0	0

        13. There are no recorded incidences of Transgender identity aggravated crimes

         

         

        Offensive behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications

        (Scotland) Act 2012 – Section 1 (Football)

        Office	2011-12	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16
        Dumbarton	0	0	0	1	9

        14. The five year trend shows an average 2 Offensive behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications charges per year.
        15. The year on year change from 2014 and 2015 represents an increase of 800%

         

         

         

        Offensive behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications
        (Scotland) Act 2012 – Section 6 (Threatening Communications)
        Office	2011-12*	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16
        Dumbarton	0	0	0	0	5

        16. There were no offences prior to 2015/16.

         

         

        Offensive behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications
        (Scotland) Act 2012 – Section 6 (Threatening Communications)
        Office	2011-12*	2012-13	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16
        Dumbarton	0	0	0	0	5

 

The full data for all of Scotland’s Procurator Fiscal Offices is below:

 hate-crime-in-scotland-2010-11-to-2015-16-breakdown-by-procurator-fiscal-office

West Dunbartonshire Council Budget Plans 2017

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Council Officers are predicting a gap between the funding received from government and the costs of delivering our services, which means action has to be taken to balance our budget and protect Council jobs and services for the residents of West Dunbartonshire.

The anticipated funding gap for 2017/18 is £3.691m, although the final figure will not be known until December 15 when the Scottish Government will confirm funding allocations with local authorities.

The actions the Council is taking to close this gap are detailed within the report to Council. These actions range from redesigning services to increasing charges for Council services to the public and businesses and reducing budgets by prioritising the Council’s spending in the most important areas.

However, these options alone do not close the gap, so a list of savings options have also been put forward by officers for consideration. These savings would require Councillor approval to put into action. Nothing will happen with these options without a Council decision as part of the budget setting process for 2017/18. Discussions have also taken place with Joint Trades Unions, in line with our partnership working agreement.

While the report gave an indication of the change to the level of Council funding for the Health and Social Care Partnership, a report detailing the implications of that was submitted to the Integrated Joint Board meeting on 16 November.

The two Labour Councillors at the HSCP meeting put forward a Motion to reject Scottish Government cuts to public services which was defeated by 4 to 2 as the Leader of the Opposition and the Health Board Members supported the recommendations.

A copy of the Council Motion and a copy of the Motion to the HSCP meeting is below:

1. Council Motion Item 11 West Dunbartonshire Council, Wednesday 26^th October 2016 Long Term Financial Strategy Refresh & General Services and Housing Revenue Account Estimates Update 2017/18 to 2019/20

Council thanks officers for all the work in producing this report.

This Council notes the high degree of uncertainty relating to the budget process in that we will not know the detail of the UK revenue and capital allocations until 23 November 2016; therefore we will not know the detail of the Scottish Government resource allocation to Local Government and Health until 15 December 2016.

There are other uncertainties resulting from the fact that we have a minority government in the Scottish Parliament and all political opposition parties have expressed their opposition to the Scottish Government plans to use additional locally generated revenue to fund central government policy, which would see Council Tax payers in Band E, F, G, and H pay up to 22.5% more in Council Tax next year.

Council notes that 546 of these taxpayers will be in social rented housing, including 61 in new build properties. Opposition parties such as the Scottish Labour Party are opposed to the reduction of funding to Local Government Public Services and have publicly stated their opposition to planned cuts in funding.

Given the above the Council agrees to:

1. Note the level of uncertainty regarding the budget setting process and agree to re-schedule the 2017/18 budget-setting Council meeting to 22^nd February 2017;
2. Note the refreshed strategy has developed estimates of the Councils funding position to 2019/20 and identifies cumulative anticipated revenue funding gaps within General Services of £3.691m for 2017/18; £7.110m for 2018/19; and £10.969m for 2019/20 – after adjusting for the impact of management adjustments of £1.267m;
3. Note the position regarding the HRA projections to 2019/20;
4. Approve the long term financial strategy, noting its assumptions in relation to Council Tax and approving the inflationary assumptions described at 4.12 and 4.13 of the report;
5. Note the projected position for 2016/17 which shows a projected surplus of £1.077m after for adjusting for the in-year impact of the management adjustments.
6. Note the projected year-end position regarding reserves and provisions; the position regarding the capital plan; and that the projected provision is subject to amendment as assumptions continue to be clarified and revised between now and Council in February 2017;

Council notes the Corporate Management Team savings options presented for members consideration and, due to the uncertainty around the settlement position and the variables highlighted in the strategy document, calls on the CMT to explore additional options for consideration by elected members to close the budget gap. The Council will progress with consultation in line with the report.

This administration has been consistent in its approach to invest in public infrastructure to improve the quality of public service provision, to improve our local environment and reduce energy consumption and waste, to improve our communities and help to grow our economy.

In line with this approach, the Administration will make the following investments to improve our public infrastructure:

• To continue to support local communities, the Council will explore options to replace the Community Centre at Westbridgend in Dumbarton.

• To improve our parks and open spaces, a further £250k of capital investment will be allocated for community improvements in Inler Park in Haldane, in Balloch. The Community Capital Fund has already earmarked £70k for this and this additional funding means that the Council investment would be £320 The improvements would be led by the Environmental Trust and the expectation is that they would seek external match-funding to maximise the benefits to the local community.

• The Environmental Trust is on site delivering a £230k environmental improvement project in Dalmuir on behalf of the Council. However, the current project does not extend to the flats in the area of Dalmuir Square. To address this, the Council agrees to transfer the £150k unallocated funding in the Councils Environmental Fund towards this boosting the investment total to £380k for Dalmuir.

• The Your Community initiative has been very successful in engaging with communities and the process of developing of the Community Led Action Plans for the 17 Community Council areas has started. This was boosted with a £1m capital investment this year to deliver the community action plans priorities and contribute to the Scottish Government target of involving communities in participative budget setting. As a result of feedback from officers involved in the process, Council agrees to commit £60K of revenue towards the Your Community initiative for 2016/17 from reserves; and the Administration will commit to providing a recurring revenue budget of £60k from 2017/18 when setting the Administration’s budget for 2017/18 in February 2017.

The Chief Executive is therefore requested to update the ten-year capital plan to reflect the additional investments identified above.

 

2. HSCP MOTION – Item 6 Financial Report 2016/17

The Partnership notes that the Council has identified £2m to put into the social care budget but notes that the financial situation is still very challenging.

The Partnership further notes that the outstanding NHS savings for 2016/17 of £955k will now largely be covered by a one-off non-recurring allocation of £909k from NHSGGC.

This is simply a cut deferred, and there will be substantial cuts to services by the Health Board next year. This Partnership should not be starting life making cuts to services for some of the most vulnerable, including people with mental health problems, which the Scottish Government claim is a priority.

The Partnership does not accept any cuts to public services and we will not set a final budget until we know the scale of the Health Board’s cuts when they set their budget in June.

Therefore, the Partnership calls on the Scottish Government to fully fund public services such as West Dunbartonshire Council, the Health & Social Care Partnership, and NHSGG&C.

Given the above, the Partnership agrees the recommendations as amended below to:

Note that the revenue position is reporting an overspend of £160k as at 30 September.  However, the services are needs led and  the HSCP is concerned that the end of year overspend could be as much as £320k;

Note the management action on reducing cost pressures with the aim of bringing the revenue position back to financial balance;

Note that the Health Board has transferred £909k of non-recurring funds to offset against savings targets. However, as indicated above, this suggests that we will have larger savings to make in future;

Rejects the proposed savings options in Social Care for 2017/18 and rejects the cuts to public services and calls on the Scottish Government to fully fund West Dunbartonshire Council and NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde, rather than imposing draconian cuts year on year;

Agree that discussions continue with the Council regarding its contribution to the Partnership once the Scottish Government and Health Board have confirmed their public service cuts;

Welcomes the investment by the Partnership and the Council in implementing the Scottish Living Wage from October. However, the Partnership is concerned that not all social care workers will be entitled to the Living Wage;

The Partnership notes that the final set of savings options will come to the next HSCP meeting in March 2016 after the Council has set its budget, but considers that this should be delayed until June, after the Health Board has set its budget.

The Partnership notes that the NHS, Council and HSCP budgets are out of line with each other; and

As noted above, the Partnership is concerned that the Scottish Government allocations to Health are expected to be 7% lower than in 2016.

The Partnership notes with great concern that the proposed savings options will affect some of the most vulnerable in our society, for example, those with mental health problems, which the Scottish Government claims is a priority.

The Partnership notes that when HSCPs were first mooted by the Scottish Government, the Cabinet Secretary gave a commitment to fund them.

Therefore, the Partnership agrees to write to the Health Minister demanding that the Scottish Government honours its commitment to fund the HSCP.

Failing this commitment, the Partnership notes that the HSCP’s funding position is unsustainable going forward, especially in the light of our deprivation figures and our ageing population.