Agenda and minutes

Minute of the meeting of 26 January 2017 to be approved and signed by the Chairman. (Copy attached).

Minute

There had been circulated copies of the Minute of 26 January 2017.

DECISION

AGREED the Minute.

Briefing paper Head of Operations, Live Borders on Existing Artificial Pitches in the Scottish Borders.  (Copy attached.)

With reference to paragraph 4 of the Minute of 26 January 2017, there had been circulated copies of a briefing note on artificial sports pitches.  The Chairman welcomed Ben Lamb, Head of Operations with Live Borders who was present to provide Members with additional detail regarding usage, costs and benefits of artificial pitches and to answer questions on issues relating to any such pitches already installed in the Scottish Borders.  The report explained that during 2014, SBC had progressed a programme for the construction of a network of full sized artificial pitches across the Scottish Borders to complement those already in use.   Live Borders assumed operational responsibility for these new pitches and received a commensurate management fee for doing so.  Mr Lamb advised that Live Borders currently operated four 2G pitches and two 3G pitches.  He went on to advise that the former were basically sand dressed or sand filled and were certified by the Federation of International Hockey as being suitable for competitive hockey fixtures whilst 3G pitches comprised a longer pile length with rubber infill and were certified by FIFA and World Rugby as suitable for competitive football and rugby matches to be played.  Members noted that there were a number of existing 2G pitches which remained in the school estate and were not managed by Live Borders and were not included in the figures provided in the report.

2.2       Mr Lamb acknowledged that debate had been ongoing for some time as to whether natural grass or artificial surface was better for highest level competitive football and rugby.  He advised that the briefing note presented to Members could not answer that question, however, it did highlight some of the key benefits that artificial pitches brought to the area.  Table 2 in the report detailed the number of visits per pitch during 2015/16 (not including school usage) and showed that 101,422 visits had been recorded, 83,045 of these were by clubs and 18,377 by communities which included pre-school, over 65 and disability groups.  The 3G pitch at Hawick was not included in the statistics as it had only been open since November 2016.  In terms of 3G pitches, these provided clubs with affordable, secure and reliable all-weather surfaces; reduced the likelihood of cancelled matches and training sessions; and decreased the amount of cleaning and maintenance required.  With regard to concerns about the the safety of artificial pitches and potential environmental risks associated with them, Mr Lamb advised that there was no evidence to reinforce such concerns.  Levels of injury recorded at the 3G pitch in Galashiels were extremely low with less than 1 accident per 210,000 visits being recorded during 2015/16.  Further detail was included in the briefing note.

2.3       During the discussion which followed, Members asked for clarification about conversion of 2G into 3G pitches and Mr Lamb confirmed that this could be possible but the cost was likely to be prohibitive and there could be problems as 3G pitches were larger than 2G sites.  With regard to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.

A general update by Senior Policy Advisor and Chairman of Scottish Borders Council Police, Fire & Rescue and Safer Communities Board on the Board’s Business Programmes and key decisions to date.

POLICE, FIRE & RESCUE AND SAFER COMMUNITIES BOARD

3.1       With reference to paragraph 4 of the Minute of 26 January 2017, Mr Douglas Scott, Senior Policy Adviser was in attendance to give a presentation on the work of the Scottish Borders Police, Fire and Rescue, and Safer Communities Board.  Councillor Moffat, Chairman of the Board, was also present.  Mr Scott explained that the Scottish Borders was a relatively low crime area and a safe place to live.  According to Scottish Borders Household Surveys, community safety was regarded as a very high priority by the public and Mr Scott emphasised that everyone had a responsibility to contribute to the successful delivery of community safety outcomes.  Mr Scott provided some background to the establishment of the Board and advised that since the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012, Local Authorities were given the opportunity to influence Police and Fire and Rescue Local Plans.  The act was due to take effect in April 2013 and during the lead up to this, Scottish Borders participated in a Pathfinder Board which was recognised nationally for its partnership and consensus-based approach to scrutiny.  The presentation provided information about the role of the local Board and listed the membership partners, namely Elected Members from both SBC’s Administration and Opposition; the voluntary and business sectors within the community; housing associations; NHS Borders; and Lothian and Borders Community Justice Authority.  In addition, attendance at Board meetings included representation by the Scottish Police Authority, Scottish Fire and Rescue Board, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland (HMICS), and Her Majesty’s Fire Service Inspectorate (HMFSI).  The presentation explained the approach to governance within the Scottish Borders and noted that key decisions were referred to Council.  The Board received a variety of presentations ranging from wildlife crime to tackling domestic abuse.  Mr Scott explained how the Board carried out its scrutiny role both in terms of Local Plan priorities and in operational matters.  A number of community safety initiatives had been championed within SBC; further details of these initiatives and how they were linked to Community Planning were included in the presentation.  The presentation listed the national and local successes of the Board and acknowledged the work and commitment required to ensure positive outcomes for these initiatives.

3.2       Discussion followed and Members acknowledged the work of the Board and the impact of the community initiatives within localities.  Members were aware that within some communities, there was a perception of diminished police service and asked Mr Scott to suggest examples that could be used to demonstrate that this was not the case.   In addition to the successful submission made by the Board during the national enquiry into armed policing, there were regular meetings of Board Chairs facilitated by COSLA on a local and national level; and visits by Members to Bilston Glen in 2015 and 2017 had increased confidence in how 101 and 999 calls were dealt with.  Members could also request to go out on a patrol to experience the challenges faced  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

Update on subjects included in the future Scrutiny Review Programme. (Copy

attached).

With reference to paragraph 4 of the Minute of 26 January 2017, there had been circulated copies of the updated list of subjects which Scrutiny Committee had been asked to review and which included the source of the request, the stage the process had reached and the date, if identified, of the Scrutiny meeting at which the information would be presented.  In addition, Members were also asked to consider further subjects for inclusion on this list for presentation at future meetings of the Committee.  When deciding whether subjects would be reviewed by the Scrutiny Committee, Members required a clear indication from the initiator of the request as to which aspects of the subject they wished to be reviewed.  This would enable the Committee to determine whether the subject was appropriate for consideration.  Members noted that there were two items scheduled for the meeting in March 2017 and that this would complete all reviews requested by the current Scrutiny Committee.

DECISION

AGREED the list of subject for review by Scrutiny Committee as amended and appended to this Minute at Appendix 1.    

The next meeting is scheduled to take place on 23 March 2017.

Date of Next Meeting

The next meeting of the Scrutiny Committee would take place on Thursday, 23 March 2017.

            DECISION

            NOTED.

Before proceeding with the private business, the following motion should be approved:-

“That under Section 50A(4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 6 of Part 1 of Schedule 7A to the aforementioned Act.”

AGREED under Section 50A(4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 to exclude the public from the meeting during consideration of the business detailed in the Appendix to this Minute on the grounds that it involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 6 of Part I of Schedule 7A to the Act.

SUMMARY OF PRIVATE BUSINESS

Presentation by Service Director Children and Young People updating Members on Home Schooling.

HOME SCHOOLING

The Committee considered the presentation on home schooling in the Scottish Borders.