Agenda and draft minutes

The Chairman varied the order of business as shown on the agenda and the Minute reflects the order in which the items were considered at the meeting.

The Chairman, Councillor Marshall welcomed everyone to the second meeting of the Teviot and Liddesdale Area Partnership and thanked the Community Councils, Partners and local organisations for their attendance.    Councillor Marshall advised that the Area Partnership would endeavour to work closely with community councils to ensure empowerment and inclusion.   He acknowledged the concerns with the Localities Bid Fund and advised that Scottish Borders Council were currently developing the next round of Localities Bid Fund with the feedback received on completion of the first round of funding.  Councillor Marshall then explained that the first theme for discussion was Our Economy, Skills and Learning and introduced Bryan McGrath, Chief Officer Economic Development who would provide background and further information about economy, skills and learning across the Teviot and Liddesdale area. 

Copy of Minute attached.

The Minute of the first meeting of the Teviot and Liddesdale Area Partnership held on 20  February 2018 had been circulated along with a summary of the discussion attached as an appendix to the Minute.  The Lead Officer for Localities referred to the general concerns, issues, challenges and opportunities raised at that meeting.  The theme identified as the first priority for more detailed discussion was Our Economy, Skills and Learning.  This theme would therefore be the focal point for discussion and debate at this evening’s meeting.

A facilitated discussion on the subject in order to put forward a set of initial outcome(s) for Teviot and Liddesdale – further information on local data and statistics

Chief Officer Economic Development, Bryan McGrath, provided an introduction to the theme for the evening and gave some background as to the challenges and opportunities businesses were identifying both currently and for the future.  These included: digital connectivity and mobile signal provision, particularly in rural areas; business premises and the availability of modern incubation units to encourage new business and ensuring young people were equipped with the required skills local businesses needed.  Local opportunities for economic development were recognised; many related to tourism and outdoor activities with Wilton Lodge Park being highlighted in particular.  Mr McGrath referring to the Hawick Action Plan, explained that this had been driven by local businesses and that a copy of the progress report was included with the information packs. 

4.2       Mr McGrath went on to refer to the different ways in which people could upskill and highlighted vocational routes that young people could follow for example, modern apprenticeships.  He explained that the main employment growth areas were in tourism, hospitality and the care sector. 

4.3       Mr McGrath, Elected Members, officers, partners and members of the public took forward a discussion of the key issues, challenges and opportunities relating to “Our Economy Skills and Learning” in the Teviot and Liddesdale area.  An information pack was available at each table to support these conversations and the issues were recorded on post-it notes.  Following this first discussion period and a short break, the Chairman asked each group to focus on the priorities from the issues raised in the first discussion and identify actions/ways in which these issues could be addressed in Teviot and Liddesdale.  The Appendix to this Minute contained a summary of the output of the discussions.

Opportunity to raise local matters.

In response to a question regarding the requirement for urgent road maintenance, it was noted that at the Executive Committee earlier that day, £1.38m had been allocated for maintenance works.   Concerns were also raised and noted regarding High School pupils transferring to Langholm High School, coordination across county boundaries with regard to road closures, and, the need to ensure Area Partnership meetings were more inclusive. 

19 June 2018

Discuss venue and time

The next meeting of the Teviot and Liddesdale Area Partnership was scheduled for Tuesday, 19 June and the theme for the meeting would be ‘Our Health, Care and Wellbeing’.    The Chairman thanked those present for their attendance and advised that arrangements for the next meeting would be confirmed.