Tiree Community Council

Date

1st November 2017

Time

7.30pm

Venue

An Talla

Present

Councillors Present: John Holliday, Ian Gillies, Jessie Gray, John MacCaskill

A+BC Councillor: Jamie MacGregor

Trust Staff Present: Shari MacKinnon

Public - 7

1. Welcome and apologies.

• The Chair welcomed all present, apologies were received from RMO and AM.

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2. Previous Minutes and Matters Arising

• As yet, no update has been received from Caledonian Maritime Assets Ltd (CMAL) regarding planning permission for the works at the pier. It was noted that IG is continuing to follow this up.

• It was noted that Humza Youssef (MSP) and Gary Cox (Transport Scotland) are still awaiting feedback regarding the issue with SAAB deployment to Tiree. Discussions are ongoing with Loganair.

• Correspondence is ongoing with Mike Russell MSP regarding the Harbours project. As yet no feedback has been received from Humza Youssef.

• It was noted that the Argyll and Bute Councils’ Strategic Islands group meeting was held on Bute on 31st October. It was noted that the Islands Bill was discussed. It was agreed to write to Mike Russel and investigate as to how Tiree can feed into this group. IG to action.

• A letter was written to Brendan O’Hara MP in regards to the unorganised and costly manner in which his most recent visit was carried out. It was noted that there has been no response as yet. It was agreed to chase this up and to suggest that a simple advert in An Tirisdeach is used as a means of advertising by other visiting MP etc. A member of the public commented that they only received notification of this visit on the day prior.

• There being no other matters arising the minutes of the previous meeting were proposed by JG and seconded by IG.

3. Correspondence

• Scarinish Land

▪ A letter was written to Community Land Scotland regarding this matter. It was noted that new legislation came into place in January this year regarding transfer of assets to community bodies; this was after this issue arose.

▪ A letter was written to the Chairperson of Highlands & Islands Enterprise (HIE) and although he did not get back in touch directly a statement was received from the HIE Area Manager for Argyll & the Islands.

▪ It was agreed to respond to this statement and request that the Area Manager for Argyll and the Islands come to Tiree to discuss this further as suggested in her letter. IG to action.

• Other

▪ It was noted that no new members can be co-opted until May 2018. Advisors can be co-opted in the meantime however they will not have voting rights. At present there is 1 vacant space. It was noted that the Youth representative has now stepped down.

▪ A letter was sent to Cllr Currie regarding setting the date for a meeting in the future. A response has not yet been received.

4. Argyll and Bute Council Budget Proposals/Cuts

• It was noted that the Tiree Community are once again being asked which Services could be cut on the Island. Cllr. JMG commented that all services are protected with the exception of the Roads and Amenities department.

• It was noted that a saving of around £1.9m will be made; this is due to amalgamating some existing services within the council.

• TCC agreed that no cuts should be made to current services.

• A member of the public commented that there is a lot of money being spent on leisure services, street lights etc. at the moment. Things Tiree does not have initially.

5. Future of Scarinish Public Conveniences

• TCC have been in touch with Tom Murphy (Argyll & Bute council) and have expressed an interest in investigating the possibility of retaining the service within the community.

• It was noted that a new £6m Council fund will be available next year, and this could be a funding stream for public toilets.

• It was agreed to write to TCDT, TCB and other groups on the island to investigate if anyone will be willing to take on this asset. IG to action.

• It was also agreed to reply to the acknowledgment received by the council. IG to action.

• A number of comments were received by the public and are as follows:

▪ Need to speak to Trust, TCB before this can go any further, if they are not interested then there is no point in pursuing this.

▪ These facilities are needed to offer the same level of tourism.

6. Police Cover

• It was noted that there have been a total of 44 incidents reported since June.

• There has been no noted change in mobile phone usage whilst driving since the new legislation was introduced.

• It was noted that the medical staff on the island are concerned that there is no cover when PC Tanner is off island. A letter has been written to the police headquarters in Oban regarding this and Oban have agreed to talk to TCC regarding the concerns raised. It was agreed to clarify if this meeting is private or public. IG to action.

7. Ferry

  • The Audit Scotland report indicates a dramatic increase in Scottish ferry use and cost to the taxpayer, mainly subsequent to the introduction of RET
  • TCC felt that the Audit Scotland report may not be helpful to Tiree and other small islands, as it opens up the possibility of political questioning/intervention of the overall costs to the Scottish Government of running Scottish ferry services.
  • Robert Trythall as a member of the public indicated that he is closely involved with monitoring the effects of the Audit Scotland report and will revert to TCC in due course with a further update

8. Argyll and Bute Council, Refuse disposal in Tiree

• Cllr. JMG confirmed that the bin for residents at the dump end was removed due to abuse.

• It was also noted that holiday home refuse collection is being investigated over the next few months by ABC.

• It was suggested to press for the bin to be reinstated at the dump road end and other bins during the summer months.

• It was confirmed that three separate bags are now required for recycling.

9. Library

• A response has been received in apology for the delay in getting the service up and running. It has now been painted and is awaiting the installation of the shelving. It is hoped that it will be open at the beginning of November.

• It was agreed to visit the library for an update. IG to action.

10. War Memorial Railings

• Discussion is ongoing with contractors regarding the repair of the area. A repair will be carried out in early 2018 with a full replacement scheduled for shortly after. It was noted that this will not be carried out before the service.

11. AOCB

• Statistics in air travel have been received from Highlands & Islands Airports (HIAL). This shows a 20% increase in usage in the period Jul – Sept 17 compared to the same period in 2016.

• It was noted that the EE mast in Garaphail is scheduled to go live within the next three months.

• It was noted that there is a meeting scheduled to take place in Oban regarding the Local Development Plan for Community Councils in November.

• A member of the public suggested that TCDT could circulate an email to their members to advertise TCC meetings.

• It was noted that TCDT is now going to update the website and social media accounts.

There being no other business the meeting was closed at 9.45PM.