Agenda and minutes

WELCOME

1.1    The Chairman welcomed Mr David Mallin, Lead Localities Officer to his meeting of the Jedburgh Area Forum.

Minuteof the meeting of Cheviot Area Committee of 1 April  2015 to be noted. (Copy attached.)

          MINUTE

2.1     There had been circulated copies of the Minute of Meeting of the Cheviot Area Forum of

          1 April 2015.

2.2    With reference to paragraph 30 of the Minute of 1 April 2015, in order to clarify – the Minute to be amended to read:-

         In response to questions, it was further explained that there was no policy at present and the guidance stated that 1 in 25 parking bays should be for Disabled Drivers.  The Bays referred to in the report were within residential areas as opposed to on-street parking.

          DECISION

          AGREED to approve the Minute, subject to the amendment detailed above.

2.3    It was requested by a member of the public that the name of a person in a particular role be included in the minute along with their title.

          DECISION

          NOTED.

2.4     With reference to paragraph 26 of the Minute of 1 April 2015, Members enquired about the update from Amey and were advised that no update had been received.

          DECISION

          AGREED that the Clerk contact Amey for an update and once received, it be circulated by e-mail.

Update report by Police Inspector detailing ongoing work and initiatives in the Cheviot area. 

          POLICE FORCE OF SCOTLAND – UPDATE FOR ‘J’ DIVISION

3.1     Inspector Carol Wood was present at the meeting to update the Cheviot Area Forum on performance, activities and issues across the Ward for the period up to 31 May 2015.  The Ward Plan Priorities for Kelso and District had been reviewed and amended and were highlighted as Dishonesty, Road Safety, Antisocial Behaviour and Drug Dealing and Misuse of Drugs.    The Ward Plan Priorities for Jedburgh and District had also been amended and were highlighted as Drug Dealing and Misuse, Road Safety, Anti-Social Behaviour and Rural Crime.   It was reported that there had been a slight decrease in recorded crimes in the Kelso & District ward compared to last year with a slight increase in solvency over the same timescale.  In terms of the Jedburgh Ward there was a slight decline in recorded crime and a slight increase in solvency.  It was highlighted that the figures fluctuated on a daily basis and should only be used as a guide.  In relation to the planned priorities for Kelso and District it was reported that work continued on monitoring and engaging with young drivers within the ward area, 21 tickets were issued for various offences including 10 x speeding, 2 x use of hand held device, 1 x no MOT, 1 x failing to wear a seatbelt and 1 driver arrested for driving whilst under the influence of alcohol, 7 of these tickets were issued for vehicle defects improving the safety of their vehicles and other road users and for drivers to produce documentation.  Regular road checks were carried out during this reporting period, which would continue with the summer drink / drive campaign.  Now that the majority of roadworks had now been completed in Kelso town centre, which had included the re-instatement of line markings, the local Community Beat Officer PC Howgego would carry out additional patrols and deal with any parking infringements as necessary. During April PC Howgego had carried out 9 parking patrols of Kelso town centre, this has resulted in 30 warnings and 10 FPT tickets being issued for parking offences, the May statistics had not been collated but would be documented in the next report.  In relation to anti-social behaviour 44 street searches were carried out during the reporting period, which were in relation to drugs alcohol and stolen property searches. It should be borne in mind that the figure was for the ECPA which included Berwickshire.  Six Fixed Penalty Tickets were issued within Kelso and District Ward, 4 x BOP and 1 x urinating in public and 1 x drunk and incapable.  Engagement with those responsible for any youth antisocial behaviour in the ward area continued.  The Community Beat Officer and Locality Integration Officer regularly discussed youth issues and worked with partners including education to proactively tackle such issues.  There had been 6 stop and search with 2 positive searches relating to possession of cannabis, reports had been submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.  Other matters of note  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

          ENGAGEMENT WITH NHS BORDERS

4.1     An update on current activity was given by NHS Head of Delivery Support, Estates and Facilities, Warwick Shaw.  He referred to the media interest in the ongoing review of in-patient services and that NHS Borders would develop a full and robust engagement process.  There was no hidden agenda and there were no proposals to close Community Hospitals. 

          A&E Waiting Times

4.2     Mr Shaw reminded members of the Forum that Accident and Emergency figures were available on the NHS Borders website and were presented on a weekly basis.  The most recent figures demonstrated that out of 513 patients who had attended the A&E Department 10 waited longer than 4 hrs, with 7 hrs being the longest anyone had to wait.

          Out of Hours

4.3     The outcome of a consultation with Community Councils on the Out Of Hours service in NHS Borders had been shared with the Scottish Health Council and was awaiting their feedback. This would result in the business continuity plan approach being put in place permanently.  In the meantime a national Review of Out Of Hours service provision was being carried out.

          Norovirus

4.4     It was reported that there had been a recent outbreak of Norovirus at the BGH, but on the whole it had been kept under control.  Staff and Visitors were thanked for their diligence about using hand wash provided when moving around the hospital.

          Jedburgh Patients using Community Hospitals

4.5.    With reference to paragraph 19 of the Minute of 1 April 2015, Councillors Brown and Stewart raised grave concerns with regard to older people within Jedburgh and surrounding area being discharged from the BGH to Duns instead of the Community Hospital in Hawick.  They stated that when Jedburgh Community Hospital was closed they were promised that care would be provided through the Community Hospital in Hawick and that this was not the case.  Councillor Brown was appalled that GP’s could be allowed to decide who they would treat.  Mr Shaw explained that there was a shortage of GP’s and that a report on the Acute Services Review would be presented to the Board in October 2015.  Mr Shaw explained that Jedburgh had received a new extended Health Centre, following the closure of the Jedburgh Community Hospital. The Community Council also expressed concerns for the Elderly People within Jedburgh as there were few public transport links between Jedburgh and Duns.  The Elected members were disappointed to note that following a number of meetings there appeared to be little progress.  Mr Shaw together with the Depute Chief Executive  - People agreed to look into the matter and report directly back to Councillor Brown . 

DECISION

NOTED the report.

HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE PARTNERSHIP

5.1     The Depute Chief Executive – People was welcomed to the Forum to present information on the Integration of Health and Social Care and the consultation currently taking place.  It was explained that in accordance with the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014 the 14 Health  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

Update report detailing ongoing work and initiatives in the Cheviot Area.

(Copy attached.)

FIRE AND RESCUE

Developing the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service – Strategic Plan 2016 /19

6.1    Station Manager Scott Forbes gave a presentation on the development of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service - Strategic Plan 2016-2019.  It was explained that the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) came into effect on 1 April 2013 and the 2015/16 resource budget was £259.221m, approximately an 11% cash reduction on the initial 2013/14 budget.  The 2015/16 capital budget was £25.3m.  The SFRS employed 8315 people -  3875 Whole time Operational; 2952 Retained Duty System; 229 Control; 864 Support Staff and 395 Volunteers who operated from 357 stations across Scotland.  The operating context was explained together with the development of the SFRS Strategic Plan 2016/19.  The National Fire and Rescue Framework set Scottish Government priorities and targets for SFRS and the Strategic Plan direction was set and agreed by the SFRS Board and Minister for Community Safety and Legal Affairs.  The Police and Fire Reform Act required a 3 year Strategic Plan and a new Plan was required from April 2016 – March 2019.  Local Fire and Rescue Plans would be reviewed and revised in 2016 following publication of Strategic Plan 2016/19.  The presentation outlined the key timelines and the emerging direction of travel for SFRS.  Elected Members raised concerns with regard to the proposed £43m savings over 3 years and sought information on which services would be affected.  The Station Manager advised that front line services would be protected and different methods of improving the service and serving the Community should be found.  Councillors sought a guarantee that frontline services would be protected.  The Depute Chief Executive – People advised that a report had been presented to CMT and there would be a report submitted to the Community Planning partnership.

DECISION

NOTED.

Fire Service Update

6.2     Mr Scott Forbes, Station Manager explained that the purpose of the report circulated was to inform the Cheviot Area Forum on Scottish Fire and Rescue Service activity since the last meeting on 1^st April 2015.  The report detailed that during the period of the report there had been 7 House Fires (House Alight x 2, Building Alight x 3, Chimney 6 Occurrences of Fire – Open,  occurrence of Special Services resulting in 1 casualty and 14 unwanted Fire Alarm Signals.  The report explained that within the Local Fire and Rescue Plan 2014-2017 for the Scottish Borders, 5 priorities had been identified: Reduction of Dwelling Fires; Reduction of Fire Casualties and Fatalities; Reduction of Deliberate Fire Setting (Not including Dwellings); Reduction of Unwanted Fire Alarm Signals; and the Reduction in Road Traffic Collisions.  In relation to partnership working, The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS), Community Action Team (CAT) within the Scottish Borders core work centred on the on-going delivery of the SFRS Home Fire Safety Visit (HFSV) policy.  The team continued to expand its partnership working with key the Key agencies including Police Scotland, Health, Social care and Housing in order to focus on members of local communities at High Risk from fire and achieve outcomes in helping to reduce overall numbers of accidental dwelling fires.  Fire raising awareness sessions presented by the team to partner agency practitioners had been and continued to be successful in promoting HFSVs and encouraging agencies to make referrals using the SFRS CSET online booking system.

6.3     Fire prevention andprotection activity over recent years had been key to reducing the number of fires, casualties and losses in Scotland thus minimising the economic and social impact of fire on communities.  The seasonal community safety calendar provided the catalyst for a number of initiatives and schemes throughout the calendar year.

6.4     Activity, which was ongoing now within the Cheviot Ward area included Scottish Fire and Rescue Service staffs in all local stations provide Home Fire Safety Visits all year round.  The visits provided the householder with a home visit, focussing on identifying and reducing the risks of fire in the home. Smoke detectors with a 10-year battery life were provided as part of this free service; Firesharp was an initiative for Primary 6 pupils, providing face-to-face education within local Primary schools on matters of fire risk and prevention; Fire Safety Audits provided a targeted examination of business premises and their relevant documents to ascertain how the premises were being managed regarding fire safety. The enforcement officer also engaged with members of staff to confirm their level of fire safety awareness;  Unwanted Fire Signals were being addressed by phased intervention actions which identified premises which were producing ‘false alarms’, provided guidance on how to reduce a reoccurrence, and could also evoke legislation if occurrences failed to reduce in number;  the SFRS Safeguarding Policy and Procedure for Protection of Children and Adults at Risk of Harm was implemented to link into adult  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

by Ewan Jackson (CEO) and Emily McGowan (Marketing & Business Development Manager).

Consider update on the progress of the planned programme of revenue and capital works, the work undertaken by the SB Local Squad and the proposed SB Local Small Schemes for the current financial year in the Cheviot area.  (Copy attached)

NEIGHBOURHOOD SMALL SCHEMES UPDATE

7.1    With reference to paragraph 10 of the Minute of 1 April 2015, there were circulated at the meeting updates on the Quality of Life Scheme and Neighbourhood Small Schemes.  The Area Neighbourhood Manager advised that the allocated budget (£34,702) for small schemes was available through Neighbourhood Services for the Cheviot Area in 2015/16.  The report detailed those schemes which had been approved, completed and due for completing prior to 31 March 2015. The remaining budget of £7,361 was available for Neighbourhood Small Schemes.  In addition, a budget of £20,000 was available for Quality of Life schemes in the Cheviot Area Forum Area in 2014/15.  It had previously been agreed that this budget would be split equally between Kelso and District and Jedburgh and District Wards.  There remained £8,820 for Kelso and District and £6,790 for Jedburgh and District.

DECISION

(a)  AGREED the following new Neighbourhood Small Schemes for implementation :-

(i)        Install additional bench and concrete bases at Junction

     Headrig/A68 Jedburgh                                                                           £450

(ii)       Supply and install one seat and two picnic benches within St Boswells Village                                                                                                £650

(b)     NOTED:-

(i)        the update on previously approved Neighbourhood Small Schemes as detailed in Appendix A;

(ii)       the updates on previously approved Quality of Life Schemes as detailed in Appendix B; and

7.2     A request for the seat situated next to the Interpretation Board at the Junction Pool on the river Tweed, Kelso to be replaced had been received.  The Area Neighbourhood Manager advised that he would look into the matter and ascertain whose land the seat was situated on. 

Opportunity for members of the public to raise any issues not included on the agenda.

OPEN QUESTIONS

8.1     The member of the public asked what plans there were to go beyond that contained in the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Bill.  The Depute Chief Executive – People advised that the final Act and implementation dates were awaited, after which, action plans would be developed.

DECISION

NOTED.

Consider updates and matters of interest to Community Councils.

(a)  Oxnam Road, Jedburgh

(b)  Skiprunningburn Flood Protection

COMMUNITY COUNCIL SPOTLIGHT

9.1     Oxnam Road Wall, Jedburgh – With reference to paragraphs 21 to 23 of the Minute of 1 April 2015,  the Area Neighbourhood Manager reported that Officers of the Council’s Infrastructure section met with Ward Members during early May to view the proposed design to permanently widen the existing carriageway at Oxnam Road, Jedburgh, between Blair Avenue and The Boundaries junction. The proposal was to effectively widen the carriageway by an average of 600mm on the south-east side of the road and would include the installation of bollards in the footway on the opposite side which was adjacent to the houses. This section of carriageway would also be resurfaced to just below The Boundaries junction. These works would require the diversion of an existing gas main which was located within the area of ground of the proposed carriageway widening.  Since the meeting with Members, officers had met with Scottish Gas Network (SGN) to discuss the timings of the diversion of the existing gas main and written confirmation had been received that the lead in time for SGN would be a minimum of 16 weeks. This meant that it would be late September at least before these final works could commence.

9.2     As a result of the lead in timescale intimated by SGN, and after discussion with ward members, it had been agreed that the large stones/rubble situated on the grass area adjacent to Oxnam Road, would be removed off site. It had also been agreed that the bollards to be located within the footway ex adverso to the properties occupied by Mr & Mrs Scott and Mr & Mrs Foggon, would be installed as soon as possible following receipt of them.

DECISION

NOTED the report.

9.3.    Skiprunning Burn, Jedburgh – With reference to paragraph 24 of the Minute of 1 April 2015, the Area Neighbourhood Manager advised that following the previous update, the scheme remained on programme with a likely construction start date in late summer 2015, which was to accommodate the Larkhall B&B busy summer period. The work to extend planters at Market Square/Canongate had been completed.  Advance accommodation works at Larkhall B&B were currently being undertaken.

DECISION

NOTED.

Wednesday, 16 September 2015 in Jedburgh (Venue to be confirmed)

DATE OF NEXT MEETING               

10.1   The Chairman confirmed that the next meeting of the Cheviot Area Forum was scheduled for Wednesday, 16 September 2015 in Jedburgh.

DECISION

NOTED the date of the next meeting of the Cheviot Area Forum and that the venue was to be confirmed.

The meeting concluded at 8.15 p.m.