North Kelvin Community Council Minutes

Wednesday 19 August 2009 at 6.30pm

St. Charles School

Present: Mark Adams (MA) (Chair); Dave Beavan (DB) (Website & Library); Peter Blackshaw (PB) (Secretary); Liz Edgar (LE); Kevin Edgar (KE) (Treasurer); Dorothy Gow (DG); Susie Hallas (SH); Councillor Jim MacKechnie (JM); Kirsty Davidson (KD) (Minute Secretary)

In attendance: Gordon Anderson (GA), Glasgow Community & Safety Services (GCSS); Ken Andrew (KA); Gordon Barnes (GB); PC Gerard Christie (GC); Bev Hamilton (BH), Homelessness Partnership; Janice Hamilton (JH); Sheila Hanney (SH), Aspire; Alex Hewetson (AH), Community Councils Resource Centre (CCRC); Mary Kennedy (MK), Glasgow Community & Safety Services; Peter Miller (PM), Aspire; PC Jonathan Rowell (JR); Martin Venherm (MV); Graham White (GW)

Apologies: Janet Andrews (JA); Eddie Devlin (ED)

Welcome

MA thanked everyone for attending.

Boundary Changes

AH reported Glasgow City Council (GCC) is proposing boundary changes to the wards and a formal review will be carried out later in the year.

AH said GCC’s portal would be officially launched on 10 October. The portal will have links to various organisations, planning applications etc. There will also be a chat room function for community councils.

AH noted from previous minutes that we have been discussing getting a notice board. AH said GCC have funded a pilot scheme for 18 months, that will see four 37” electronic notice boards installed in various locations across Glasgow. One of these will be installed in Hillhead Library and can be used as a public notice board for local community councils.

Police Report

GC apologised that they have not been in attendance at recent meetings.

GC reported that in the last few months there has been an increase in break-ins/vandalism to cars and drinking offences such as breach of the peace. During the period 16 June – 20 July there were three break-ins to insecure houses on Wilton Street. CID was able to trace three people responsible for these break-ins.

GC said the car wash on Maryhill Road was running without a licence and seven people were arrested as a result.

Aspire Report

MA thanked the Aspire representatives for attending the meeting.

BH explained that Aspire was awarded a citywide contract in 2007 to provide emergency accommodation with onsite support in three locations in Glasgow.

PM said Aspire was established in 2002 and they want the individuals to be as independent as possible, so they hold them responsible for their actions and treat them as adults. PM said they recognise the need to work in partnership with others. As Aspire is now part of the local community, they are keen to continue to have ongoing dialogue with the Community Council.

SH explained there are 12 members of full-time staff at the Queen Margaret Drive location, which has a maximum capacity of 20 clients. There is always a minimum of two members of staff on duty. The Hamish Allan Centre refers residents of both sexes, though only single people at the moment. Couples and families may be accepted in the future.

BH said the service has been designed to provide short-term emergency accommodation, but individuals can end up staying for weeks. It is not intended that individuals stay longer than 28 days and the local authority monitors this.

PM confirmed ‘significant’ numbers of the clients have drink and drug problems amongst other issues such as mental health disorders.

GC said Aspire have proactively reported their clients to the police. It was noted that the increase in crime was not as a result of their clients and police evidence seems to support this view.

JM asked why there had been no consultation with the local community and specifically the Community Council. BH explained that the class of use was still the same, so GCC had taken the decision not to consult the local community.

The Community Council, with the support of JM, would like it noted that there should have been consultation with the local community and this should happen in future.

Councillor’s Report

JM reported there were problems with Scottish Water in relation to the school site on Oban Drive. Scottish Water wants £1m for the enhancement of the sewage system. JM said a site start at the end of September was now unlikely and there could be months of delay.

JM said a planning application had been lodged for three retail units and 33 residential units on the filling station site on Oban Drive. The Queen Margaret Drive traders have submitted a common letter of objection to GCC.

JM said he had been in discussion with Land Services, with regards to the lack of litter bins on Belmont Street and they have agreed to install them.

MV reported the lack of street cleaning on Lothian Gardens. JM said streets should be cleaned once a week, MV said he works from home and this is not happening.

Action: JM agreed to investigate and report back at the next meeting.

JM reported that unauthorised work is being carried out on the Clouston Street site such as the installation of bat boxes and planters. JM said the decision to sell the site had already been taken and will not be reversed. JM said the Chair and Treasurer of North Kelvin Meadow are being taken to court on Friday. JM reported the missives are in the process of being exchanged with New City Vision.

Treasurer’s Report

KE reported there has been no money in or out of the account, so we still have £770.

Information – website

DB reported the website figures continue to rise and said it was great that some of the visitors at the meeting had come along as a result of the website.

Communications and correspondence

PB said there had been a request for a representative of the Community Council to attend four meetings in October to try and have a better link between community councils and the West End Festival. PB agreed to attend.

Minutes of previous meeting and matters arising

The minutes of the July meeting were approved by MA and seconded by DB.

AOCB

LE reported that the bin men are still not closing close doors after uplifts.

Action: JM agreed to investigate again and report back at the next meeting.

MV and GW raised the issue of houses in multiple occupancy (HMO) and how there is no link between a HMO licence and planning. JM said there was a moratorium on new licences for Hillhead and Woodside and that he had tried, but failed, to get this extended to North Kelvin.

MV and GW are planning to create an online petition on the Scottish Parliament website. JM said GCC are aware of the situation but their hands are tied, as a legislative change is required. The Community Council fully endorses the proposal for better regulation of HMOs.

Action: DB to put a link to the petition on the website.

MA announced that September would be his last meeting as Chair, as he is moving out of the area.

Action: PB to add October elections to the agenda for September’s meeting. DB to obtain electronic copies of the Community Council constitution and the operational guidelines for community councils and add these to the website.

Next meeting – 16 September 2009 @ 6.30pm, St. Charles School