Agenda and minutes

The Chairman welcomed those present to the meeting.

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. 

DECISION

NOTED.

URGENT BUSINESS

Under Section 50B(4)(b) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, the Chairman was of the opinion that the item dealt with in the following paragraph should be considered at the meeting as a matter of urgency, in view of the need to make an early decision.

There had been circulated copies of the Minute of 15 January 2018.  The Chairman explained that as Members were aware, Minutes that included Audit items were currently considered at the earliest meeting when Audit business was next being discussed (when the External Auditors and external Members of the Committee would be present).  Due to the need for Minutes to be approved within an appropriate timescale, Members were advised that all Minutes would now be presented to the earliest Audit and Scrutiny Committee.  A mechanism would also be developed to ensure that, should the External Auditors and/or external Members of the Committee not be present at every meeting, they would be able contribute to discussions as appropriate to their role.

DECISION

APPROVED the Minutes for signature by the Chairman. 

Presentation by Service Director Assets and Infrastructure giving an update on 2G and 3G artificial pitch provision in the Scottish Borders from the previous Scrutiny review carried out in February 2017.

4.1       There had been circulated copies of a Briefing Note by the Service Director Assets and Infrastructure providing an update on the use of 2G and 3G artificial pitch provision in the Scottish Borders.  This item had been scrutinised in February 2017 and was being brought forward to this Committee for review as part of the Scrutiny Work Programme.  Mr Martin Joyce - Service Director Assets and Infrastructure, Mr Ewan Doyle - Project Management Team Leader, and Mr Ewan Jackson – Chief Executive of Live Borders, were in attendance.  Mr Joyce and Mr Doyle provided some background information and explained that the Briefing Note before Members was wide-ranging to include updates on the delivery of Selkirk and Hawick facilities; and maintenance works undertaken during 2017/18.  Construction of the 2G and 3G pitches was funded by Scottish Borders Council and Sportscotland with Live Borders assuming operating responsibility with commensurate management fee.  The report advised that the Galashiels 3G pitch did not receive management fee support from SBC.  Currently, Live Borders operated four 2G and two 3G artificial pitches and the report detailed the differences both in the construction and usage of each.  Whilst 2G pitches were predominantly sand-dressed or sand-filled and were certified by the Federation of International Hockey, 3G facilities comprised a longer pile with rubber infill and were certified by FIFA and World Rugby.  Both types of pitch were certified for competitive play respectively.  There were a number of benefits from using artificial pitches, such as the availability of good quality, affordable training facilities; and the opportunity to play all year round under floodlights on consistent quality playing surfaces.  These benefits contributed to increased participation by a broad spectrum of clubs, schools, development programmes and individuals across age groups and localities.  Artificial pitches also relieved pressure on existing grass pitches under the responsibility of Scottish Borders Council, allowing the ground to recover and therefore reduce the maintenance costs for SBC.  The report detailed usage figures for 2015/16 and 2016/17 across pitches under Live Borders management.  The statistics for the 3G pitch in Hawick took account that the facility had only been operational for part of 2016/17 and that during those first four months, over 9,000 visits had been recorded.  The figures also reflected that the Peebles and Selkirk 2G pitches were located within the school estate and only operated by Live Borders outwith school hours.  User feedback was positive by football, rugby and hockey clubs/users and each reported an increase in the number of users.  Pitch safety was a major consideration and less than 1 reported accident per 10,000 visits had been recorded for the 2016/17 reporting period.  There were further synthetic pitches within the school estate as detailed in the report and these had been subject to safety inspections and maintenance repairs during 2016/17, with a future maintenance and replacement fund being established in the Council’s Capital and Revenue planning process.  In conclusion, Mr Doyle suggested that the increased usage figures demonstrated that improved playing surfaces helped the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.