Scottish Borders Council

Agenda and minutes

Venue: via MS Teams

Contact: Declan Hall Tel: 01835 826556  Email:  Declan.Hall@scotborders.gov.uk

Link: link to live stream

Items
No. Item

1.

Welcome and Meeting Protocols

Minutes:

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting of the Tweeddale Area Partnership being held via Microsoft Teams and outlined how the meeting would be conducted and how those both in the meeting and watching via the Live Stream could take part.

2.

Additional Information Document pdf icon PDF 694 KB

Minutes:

The Chairman explained that the information document that had been circulated with agenda contained information on a range of Scottish Borders Council consultations that were taking place.  The Chairman also drew attention to a Money Worries app that had been developed by NHS Borders, which included a range of useful links and information.

3.

Feedback from Meeting on 18 January 2022 pdf icon PDF 212 KB

Minutes:

The Minutes of the meeting of the Tweeddale Area Partnership meeting held on 18 January 2022 were noted.  The Chairman explained that it was hoped that the Peebles High School Parliament would attend a future meeting of the Area Partnership to provide feedback on their project.

4.

Dementia Friendly Tweeddale, update on progress - Christine Drummond

Minutes:

Christine Drummond of Dementia Friendly Tweeddale joined the meeting to provide an update on progress they had made in the locality.  Ms Drummond explained that their focus had been on helping people living with dementia live their lives comfortably.  Marion, who herself has dementia was present, and provided an insight into how her life had changed following her diagnosis at age 55. Dementia Friendly Tweeddale had helped her, and others, feel understood and supported.  Work was ongoing to try and ensure that small measures, such as labelling light switches, were happening to help people living with dementia manage situations that had the potential to be challenging.  Conversations were ongoing with various other groups to work together to assist people living with dementia live full and rewarding lives, with the ability to undertake and enjoy a range of leisure and social activities in the place that they live.  The Chairman thanked Christine and Marion for their insightful presentation and explained that regarding an indoor space to meet within Peebles, work was ongoing to try and ensure that a suitable venue could be provided.

5.

Eshiels Cycle Tunnel - Denise Brydon SBC Access and Transport Officer pdf icon PDF 839 KB

Minutes:

Denise Brydon, Access and Transport Officer with Scottish Borders Council, was present in the meeting to provide an update on potential works at the Eshiels Tunnel. Ms Brydon explained that the issue had been ongoing for a considerable time, and that a review of the tunnel had been conducted with Neill Malone, Network Development Coordinator and the Ecologist.  The solution proposed had been to slow cyclists travelling through the tunnel by way of a chicane using small gates to allow cyclist’s eyes time to adjust to the lighting of the tunnel.  The further measures under review included the repainting of SLOW signage, the replacement of warning signs, increased warning signage, and solar studs to be added to the existing white path edges.  Following considerable debate, Councillor Haslam, seconded by Councillor Anderson, proposed that all of the types of works listed in the document circulated with the agenda pack, excluding the barriers, or chicanes, were approved. In addition, funding/ costs should be reviewed and if required brought back to the Area Partnership.  This proposal was unanimously approved.

6.

Place Making update

SBC Community Place Planning & Regeneration Officer Sharon Renwick to give an update on the progress of Place Making and to open discussion around feedback from the Place Making Workshop held on the 22nd March.

Minutes:

Sharon Renwick, Community Place Planning and Regeneration Officer gave an update on Place Making workshop that had taken place since the previous meeting of the Area Partnership.  The workshop had been facilitated by Planning Aid Scotland. 28 people had attended, with three items for discussion. Namely, what is Place Making, what were the high level principles and the role of Area Partnerships in Place Making.  The discussions had been hugely extensive on a wide range of issues, in particular recognising that there was a cultural change required in the context of community empowerment and planning.  At the Place Making workshop a key conclusion had been evident was that there were too many high level principles, with a consistent desire expressed to lower that number expressed.  With regards to identifying initial communities, no initial communities were developed.  Councillor Anderson expressed a desire that the principles would be cut down and her hope that place making would be a success.

7.

Place Making Working Group Proposal - Crick Carleton pdf icon PDF 100 KB

Minutes:

Crick Carleton, who had been heading up the development of the Peebles Town Action Plan, was present in the meeting to outline proposals that had been circulated with the agenda to set up a Place Making Working Group.  The proposals would strengthen the role of the Tweeddale Area Partnership by setting up mechanisms whereby community views could be fed into Place Making discussions in an effective way.  Those in attendance praised the goal of the proposals and expressed their hope that any future Working Group would be a success.  Members unanimously agreed in principle to form a Working Group, with proposals to be developed and presented at the next meeting of the Area Partnership.

 

MEMBER

Councillor Bell joined the meeting during the discussion of the item above.

 

8.

Funding Table Overview pdf icon PDF 291 KB

Minutes:

An overview of the Community Fund and the Build Back a Better Borders fund in Tweeddale had been circulated with the agenda. Mr Harrow provided a summary, and explained that £18,156.60 remained, with applications totalling £36,622 pending. The fund was therefore oversubscribed.

 

9.

Community Fund - consider funding recommendations from the Tweeddale Assessment Panel pdf icon PDF 209 KB

Minutes:

Mr Harrow clarified that an error was present in the Tweeddale Community Fund Assessment Panel Recommendations with the application listed as “Schools Out” in fact being “Our Space Youthy”, an organisation separate from Schools Out. Esther Daborn, of the Tweeddale Assessment panel provided an overview of each of the applications.  Mrs Daborn clarified that the Assessment Panel had carefully considered each application, consulting with each applicant to try and ensure that the remaining funds would be

 

9.1       Peebles CAN

The application was being considered for a second time. The application was for £4,500 for a community garden project. The recommendation from the Panel was to award £2,500.

 

9.2       Survivors Unite

The application from Survivors Unite was for £5,500. The Panel acknowledged that the application had been extremely difficult to access and make a recommendation for. The Panel felt that the project was deserving of community funding and national efforts to help ensure that their cause successful. The project was Borders-Wide, but had confirmed that clients and people on the waiting list lived in the Tweeddale Locality. Part of the application was for money for IT resources – the Panel recommended that the Group contact the Tweeddale Renew Crew and for £4,500 to be awarded.

 

9.3       Peebles Old Parish

The application from Peebles Old Parish Church Of Scotland was well thought out. The Assessment Panel recommended granting £4,320 for materials instead of the requested £5,000.

 

9.4       Our Space Youthy

The application was initially for £7,500 but had been revised to £5,000. The Panel felt that the group had provided good evidence of success, and demonstrated a desire to reach 11-14 year olds from outside Peebles. The Panel, however, felt that the group needed to develop a stronger business plan and a desire to work with Tweeddale Youth Action and Peeblesshire Youth Trust, and recommended to award £1,000.

 

9.5       West Linton Early Learners

The application was for £5,000 as part of a post pandemic recovery project. The Panel noted that the business plan of the group had not been well presented, with places given free on an ad hoc basis. The Panel therefore recommended granting the Group £1,000.

 

9.6       Leithen Rovers

The application from Leithen Rovers was a small part of an overall £10k project. The majority of the funding required for the project had been obtained from other sources. The Panel recommended providing the £1,820 required to complete the project, subject to Leithen Rovers obtaining at least two quotations for the reinstatement of the roof.

 

9.7       Community Trust 

The Community trust had applied for £7,500, of which the Panel recommended £3,000 to be awarded. The Panel felt that “Tweeddale Library of Things” was a large, worthwhile project and sought to provide evidence of support for the main funding application.

 

9.8       Mr Harrow confirmed that all of the applications considered had met the criteria required to apply for, and receive community funding, and acknowledged that difficult decisions had been made by the Assessment Panel to reach a decision with the Community  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

10.

Outside the Box, Community Fund Evaluation

Minutes:

Ruth Noble was present at the meeting to provide an evaluation of the Outside The Box project, which had evolved from the Digital Buddies Model. The project aimed to connect people, especially those suffering from poor health, following the pandemic. The project had been set up to creative and flexible.

11.

Assessment Panel Summary and Feedback pdf icon PDF 253 KB

Minutes:

The Tweeddale Assessment Panel’s Summary and Comments on the current Community Fund 2022/23 had been circulated with the agenda. The document proposed to amend the operation of the Panel by introducing deadline dates for applications to be received throughout the year. The Panel also felt that clearer guidance on Borders-wide projects, in order to deliver proportional funding and consider the locality specific benefits of an application would be a useful addition when considering future funding applications for the Community Fund.  Mr Harrow highlighted that the application system was being altered to an online system, whereby no application would be considered unless it was fully completed.  Members unanimously agreed to amend the Tweeddale Assessment Panel’s operation to introduce deadline dates for applications throughout the year.

 

12.

Tweeddale Area Partnership - thoughts and comments

Minutes:

Those in attendance shared their thoughts regarding the operation of the Tweeddale Area Partnership, in particular highlighting that the Area Partnership was able to engage with the Community in a more direct and successful manner, and that the local area had more of a say on how money was being spent.

13.

Peebles Parking Sub Group Update

Minutes:

The Chairman explained that the Peebles Parking Sub Group had reached the point where a questionnaire and consultation would be taking place over the summer months to determine how, or whether, changed would be made to off street car parks.

14.

Next Area Partnership - 21 June 2022

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

Please contact your local councillor or the Communities & Partnership Team

 

Minutes:

The next full meeting of the Area Partnership was scheduled for 21 June March 2022 and the Chairman asked for agenda item suggestions to be submitted.

 

 

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