Agenda and draft minutes

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting of the Teviot and Liddesdale Area Partnership.  The meeting was held via Microsoft Teams and Chairman outlined how the meeting would be conducted and how those both in the meeting and watching the live stream could take part.

Consider Minute of the Meeting held on 1 February 2022.  (Copy attached.)

Copies of the Minute of the Meeting held on 1 February 2022 had been circulated.  There were nine completed evaluations of the Meeting and three items suggested for future meetings which included a car scheme, impact of budget, and a resilience manager.  A summary of all grants available was made available by the Locality Development Coordinator in the meeting chat function of Microsoft Teams

DECISION

AGREED to approve the Minute of the Meeting held on 1 February 2022 for signature by the Chairman.

Councillor Richards introduced Jess Houghton, Community Place, Planning and Regeneration Officer, to give an update on Place Making.  Workshops were taking place for Place Making with the first in Tweeddale on 23 March 2022.  The Teviot and Liddesdale Place Making workshop was arranged to take place on 26 April 2022, led by Planning Advice Scotland.  The workshop would develop shared understanding of Place Making, how to be involved and participate and identify communities that wanted to be involved.  There were still places available in the workshop and attendees were encouraged to sign up to the workshop.

DECISION

NOTED the update.

Reducing our impact on the climate and transition to Net Zero.

1.1         Councillor Richards introduced Louise Cox, Environment Strategy Coordinator, and Michael Cook, Corporate Policy Advisor, to deliver a presentation on Climate Change and Net Zero which had been requested as an item on the agenda.  Scottish Borders Council had declared a climate emergency in September 2022 and had developed a Scottish Borders Climate Change Route Map for action in the Scottish Borders Council area and the organisation.  The Scottish Borders Climate Change Route Map (CCRM) set a strategic direction for the Council and its partners and communities to move to a net zero emissions Scottish Borders economy by 2045 in line with the national target set by the Scottish Government.  The CCRM was structured around five themes which were Building Resilience, Decarbonised our Transport Use, Lowering our Energy Consumption, Decarbonising our Waste Management, and Nature-based Solutions to Climate Change.  The CCRM was approved by Scottish Borders Council on 10 March 2022 and Place Making was identified as being key to take the CCRM forward with partners and communities.  The CCRM promoted a citizen’s assembly to see how people want to develop priorities and to engage societal effort.  There had been guidance from the Scottish Government that any transition had to be just, ensuring that benefits were fairly distributed and the brunt of paying for net zero wouldn’t rest on those least able to.  The Environment Strategy Coordinator advised that conversations had been developing through Place Making looking at domestic energy efficiency and bulk purchasing.  Price rises in energy had been concerning, and furthermore, the role of transport could be assessed as part of the Place Making Process.

1.2         Attendees discussed the CCRM and issues related to climate change and net zero,  Graham Marshall of a Greener Hawick suggested that there should be an energy plan for the community and that the Greener Hawick organisation were working on hydrogen production.  Mr Cook advised that energy ‘masterplanning’ was in development as part of the Borderlands inclusive growth deal to take a proactive approach to identifying energy need for the region.  Local authorities would come under statutory obligation to develop local heating and energy efficiency strategy as part of a wider strategy on demand planning.  Mr Cook advised that the Scottish Government were encouraged by district heating however there may be challenges in ensuring it was supported by an appropriate financial plan.  Councillor McAteer stated that the Area Partnership should consider how to be practically involved in shaping and delivering an energy plan for the region.  With regards to infrastructure for electric charging points for electric vehicles, the Corporate Policy Advisor advised that he had engaged previously in delivering strategic charging points and that half of charging points in the region were delivered by the local authority.  Currently, electric vehicle charging points had been free of charge, however this may not be sustainable in the future.  A quote received for an electric charging connection in Hawick was rated as £7,000 and the unit price of 25-30p per unit may need to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

Commitment to Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion.

Locality Development Coordinator, Ms Jardine, presented the item and summarised the work of Scottish Borders Council that addressed equalities and diversity, advising that it was a significant area of work and there was intention to start a discussion at the Area Partnership on the issue.  If there was a better understanding of diversities in the region and at Scottish Borders Council, and the inequalities that exist, this would give a better understanding to look at the services that were being provided and to propose services and projects in the future.  Scottish Borders Council could support communities to address diversity and inclusion needs.  Mr Kerr noted that there were few younger people involved in the Area Partnership and that involving diverse people had to be just to ensure they had power to enable them to participate and to make a difference.  Members discussed the suitability of meeting times for the Area Partnership and community councils potentially acting as barriers to participation, notably that in some instances there were few women as community council members.  Access to technology was highlighted as an unintended barrier to participation.  The Locality Development Coordinator thanked attendees for feedbacks and advised that multiple approaches may be needed to engage more people.

DECISION

NOTED the update

The Community Engagement Officer, Mr McKail, presented an update on issues discussed at the Community Assistance Hub.  Meetings had been taking place weekly as normal with a broad range of partners in attendance taking part in informal, open and constructive discussions.  Recent issues raised included rising energy costs and the 2022 census.  Paul Hyland, Engagement Officer for Scotland’s Census at the Scottish Government provided information at the Community Assistance Hub including that the 2011 response rate had been one of the highest, that the census form was digital for the first time with paper-based forms available by request.  The Low and Slow Project had seen great success and were assessing how to go into different localities.  There were also ongoing updates from Newcastleton District Community Trust on the opening of Buccleuch House.

DECISION

NOTED the update

Overview of funds available in Teviot and Liddesdale.  (Copy attached.)

The Locality Development Coordinator, Ms Jardine, presented the funding table for grant fund available in Teviot and Liddesdale.  Ms Jardine advised that there were two application for the Hawick Community Council Pot A Fund that, if successful, would leave £11,081.20.  The Build Back a Better Borders Recovery Fund was to be open until the end of May 2020 and had £378.90 remaining.  There was funding remaining in the SBC Enhancement Grant fund that was too late to have been spent by the end of the financial year.

DECISION

NOTED the update

Consider the funding recommendation of Hawick Community Council Assessment Panel for two applications:

-       Hawick Community Council,

-       Town of a Thousand Trails.

(Copy attached.)

1.1         Mr Cameron Knox of Hawick Community Council presented the summary of recommendations by the Hawick Community Council Fund Pot A Assessment Panel.  The panel met to consider an application of £1,915.45 from Hawick Community Council for the purchase of two gazebos, associated equipment and tables to add to the stock used by local community groups.  Hawick Community Council members withdrew during discussion leaving members of the panel from the public to consider the applications.  The Assessment Panel agreed to recommend the awarding of £1,915.45 to the applicant.  The panel considered an application of £1,434.83 from the Town of a Thousand Trails to hold community drop-in sessions.  The Assessment Panel agreed to recommend the awarding of £1,434.83 to Town of a Thousand Trails.

1.2         Copies of the summary of the Teviot and Liddesdale Community Fund Working Group were circulated that summarised recommendations for the operation of the fund.  The Working Group agreed that the Pot A and Pot B funds should continue and that there should be three application categories to access funding for Pot A.  Pot A was proposed to include a micro-grant process for applications up to £500, assessed by the assessment panel and a decision made by an SBC Director; a fast-track resilience fund of £1,500 that would be assessed by the assessment panel and approved by Members; and a further fund with no application limit where applications would be assessed by community council panels for recommendation to the Area Partnership.  No change was proposed to the Pot B fund.  It was proposed that community council with remaining funds could carry over their funding to 2022-23 to add to their share of their funding for that year.  Mr Douglas of Upper Teviotdale and Borthwick Water indicated they wished to add their allocation of Pot A funding to Hawick Community Council for 2022-23 as they had done for 2021-22.  Members agreed to this proposal.

DECISION

AGREED to:

(a)       Award Hawick Community Council a grant of £1,915.45;

(b)       Award Town of a Thousand Trails a grant of £1,434.83;

(c)       Approve the Teviot and Liddesdale Community Fund Working Group 2022-23 proposal for the Pot A and Pot B funds to create a micro-grant process for applications of a maximum of £500, a fast-track resilience-themed process for applications of a maximum of £1,500 and a process for applications without limit to be assessed according to community council panels; and,

(d)       Transfer the Upper Teviotdale and Borthwick Water Community Council share of Pot A funding to Hawick Community Council for 2022-23.

The Chairman advised that additional information was included in the agenda pack which contained information on current consultations and links to useful information.

Next meeting to be held on Tuesday 21 June 2022, agenda to be issued 7 June 2022.

Are there any items you would like to propose for the agenda? 

Please contact your local councillor or the Communities & Partnership Team.

It was noted that the next meeting of the Area Partnership was scheduled for 21 June 2022.

There had been circulated copies of a request for use of grant award underspend from Future Hawick.  Future Hawick were awarded grant funding of £14,471 from the Build Back a Better Borders Recovery Fund to support Hawick Cycling Festival.  Their evaluation detailed the impact of the cycling festival and plans to host a wellbeing festival centred on the 2022 Ken Laidlaw Sportif alongside an underspend of £1,401.50.  Future Hawick requested that the Area Partnership allow use of the underspend to cover costs associated with the staging of the Day of Wellbeing on August 2022.  Funding was proposed to be used to cover insurance costs, first aiders, kids play provided by G10Sport and for promotion.

DECISION

AGREED to approve the use of £1,401.50 grant award underspend by Future Hawick for the 2022 Day of Wellbeing.

Thanks were given to Councillor Richards for his chairmanship of the Teviot and Liddesdale Area Partnership.