Minutes of the Council Meeting 30th March 2021 (2nd Draft

Sederunt:- Aileen McMann (Chairperson); Gordon McAllan (Vice Chair); Les  

      Hoggan (Secretary); Sheila Tulloch (Treasurer); Morag Arnot; Linda Brown;  

      Alister Hendry; Margot McDonald; Douglas Scott and Aileen Stewart. 

      Councillors:- I. Dorman. 

      Minute Secretary:- John Graham. 

      Visitors:- Alastair Brown; Kathryn Cain; Lynsey Clark and Robert Murray. 

• Apologies:- Councillor G. Campbell and Councillor M. Cooper. 
• Minutes of Previous Meeting (23/02/2021). 

The Minutes were approved without change. Proposed: Les Hoggan.        Seconded: Alister Hendry. 

• Community Action Plan (CAP). 
  • L. Hoggan had sent out a copy of the CAP to Members prior to the Meeting highlighting what had been done for discussion. 
  • The CAP was agreed for publication to the community. This will be             publicised in ‘The Echoes’ and on the CC Website by the end of April, 2021.   It is hoped that the CAP will be completed by October, 2021.
• Social Media in Strathaven. 
  • Some items have been sent from the CC for inclusion on the Strathaven Facebook Page and they have been posted in a satisfactory manner. 

• A post has been put on the Strathaven Facebook Book saying that the             Minutes of the February CC Meeting have not been made available for             inclusion on the Page. L. Hoggan to clarify with the Administrator that the  Minutes cannot be made available until they have been approved by CC             Members at the next Meeting. 

• Allotments and Community Garden. 

The football fields at the back of Kirklandpark Primary School are being        considered for this purpose. Ownership of the land is being investigated and a        Group has been formed within the community to take this forward. 

• CC Membership. 
  • It was reported that Russell Paterson and Stephen Thompson had resigned as Members of the CC. 
  • Linda McCorrison (Associate Member) has been contacted regarding her position on the CC but no reply has been received to date. L. Hoggan agreed to telephone her. 
• Plans for Incinerator at Overwood. 

      As little information was available to CC Members it was agreed that the matter be carried forward to the Agenda for the April Meeting. 

• Lanarkshire Tourism Report (LTR). 
  • The Report of the Clydesdale Tourism Group (CTG) was circulated to CC  

Members prior to the Meeting. The Report covers the Parliamentary             Constituency of Clydesdale and incorporates Avondale. L. Hoggan has             attended CTG meetings on behalf of the CC. 

• The CC felt that the Report was clear and concise and that the proposals             were acceptable for the Avondale area. 
  • Tourist Trails, as well as business and events information for Avondale will be included in Tourism promotions. This should help attract more people to Avondale and provide economic benefit for the area. 

• The Report has been presented to SLC and they have funding available for             the promotion of Tourism. The Report will be considered in the next Scottish Parliament. 
• Working Together for Avondale (WTA). 
  1. A Report by L. Hoggan and S. Tulloch was circulated to CC Members prior to the Meeting. This gives a Summary of all activities undertaken to date along with a full Financial Summary. The Report will be sent as an             attachment with the Minutes.  
  2. A series of Mindfulness Sessions, provided by Mind Marvels, will be held             during April, 2021. 
  3. Eighty free meals will be distributed over the Easter Weekend by the  Outreach Community Church (OCC). Each meal will include an Easter Egg.   
  4. Peer Support Group Sessions are also scheduled to take place run by the OCC and funded by WTA.  
  5. WTA are linking with the Lanarkshire Medical Group and Strathaven Taxis to fund trips to the Vaccination Centre in East Kilbride for people who need help getting there. 
  6. WTA is working with Councillor Cooper on plans with Creative Strathaven to prepare Craft Kits for distribution across Avondale. Funding has been obtained from Bancon Homes for this initiative. 
  7. At present £6,000 is earmarked for future Projects and £10,000 remains             uncommitted. 
• CARS. 
  • Work has been completed on No. 40, Common Green and work is being              carried out on the former McGuire’s Fruit Shop building. 
  • Work is due to start on the Barber Shop and the Weavers with Projects              imminent at The Taal and Craig’s Newsagents. 
  • Other Projects are in the pipeline including Roasted, Cafe Q and The Green Room. Sorbie Hayes have also approached CARS regarding renovation work. 
  • M. Arnot asked if the building on the path down to ‘The Smiddy’ was being  considered for CARS funding. In reply, it was said that it had been              considered but no agreement had been reached with the owners to date.        
  •  G. McAllan asked if buildings on the lower part of Kirk Street were being   considered for funding. The situation is that efforts were made to include these buildings as part of CARS but agreement could not be reached with the owners to enable any progress on Projects to be made, therefore they are not being considered at present. 
• 12.  Kypemuir Community Fund. 
  • At a Meeting of the Kype Muir Community Fund on 24th February, 2021 the representation of Blackwood, Kirkmuirhill and Boghead was discussed.  They do not have a CC and therefore do not meet the standards set for Community Councils. The group are committed and are working hard towards attaining these standards. They have been given observation status for the next year. 
  • A Kypemuir Community Fund website was discussed at the Meeting on the 24th February and it was decided that a standard page would be created which could be added to each CC website. 
  • Discussions are taking place regarding possible changes to the Group. 
  • The Kypemuir Fund is open and there is still £30,000 available in the Fund. 
  • Avondale Church have applied to the REF for funding and not the Kypemuir Community Fund. 
• Micro Grants. 
  • Following the approval in February, 2021 of the award of Micro Grants to a number of local organisations, the Funds were distributed at the end of  February by BACS as previously agreed. 
  • Friends of Strathaven Park declined the Grant of £300 and the monies              were redistributed to the other organisations where it had been agreed to provide less than the amount initially requested. 
  • Since the last Meeting and the issuing of Funds a number of Projects have  been completed and are now closed off. These include:- 

            Lightburn Elderly Association Project (LEAP) – £500. 

            Glassford Primary School Parents Council – £500. 

            Strathaven Miniature Railway – £500. 

             Strathaven Airfield – £462. 

             Glassford Community Group – £230. 

             Strathaven Dynamos – £500.

Ongoing Grants still to be completed for the current year include:- 

             Creative Strathaven – £250.73. 

             Strathaven Camera Club – £100. 

             Strathaven in Bloom – £500. 

             Strathaven Business Association – £500. 

             Kirklandpark Parent Council – £487.28. 

             Strathaven Town Mill – £469.99 

• There are still two awards made in 2019 – 2020 which have not been               completed due to COVID-19. These are:- 

             Strathaven Festivals – £100. 

             Bethany Club – £450. 

Strathaven Festivals Group are expected to complete their Project and               provide paperwork by early May, 2021 and the Bethany Group are hoping              to have their long awaited trip during 2021 (COVID restrictions permitting).         (f)  Following the distribution of funds all end of year paperwork has been               submitted to SLC in respect of the Micro Grants. 

• Secretary’s Report. 
• A meeting took place with SLC regarding the latest awards from the Town Centre Fund. Money will come into the CC Account and then to the   Accounts of the organisations involved. The Town Mill have already had 5  Invoices approved and the Strathaven John Hastie Museum Trust have               until 2022 to produce two new Local Trails. 
• Tourist Information Centre in Barn Street Mews is planned to open by the               end of May. 
• An Area Events Calendar has been suggested in the LTR and could be               helpful in promoting local Events.
• Treasurer’s Report. 
  • The Financial Report was circulated to Members prior to the Meeting.          
  • As agreed at the previous Meeting a purchase of Printer Ink at a cost of £29.99 was made from the CC Account leaving a Balance of £115.03 in the current year. 
  • A reimbursement of funds was made to the Treasurer for the sum of  

             £4,210.87. This comprised:- 

             £29.99 for Printer Ink. 

             £3,500.00 paid out for Micro Grants. 

             £680.80 in respect of Working Together for Avondale (WTA). 

 A further reimbursement was made to the Treasurer for £706.00 all of               which related to WTA. 

The Financial Report was accepted by Members. 

1. Reports from SLC Councillors. 

         Councillor I. Dorman. 

• One positive COVID-19 case has been reported at Wester Overton  

              Primary School. 

• Strathaven Library will reopen on 26th April. 
  • Swimming Pool and Leisure Centre to reopen on 10th May. Other facilities to open on 17th May. 
  • Councillor Dorman was asked about the situation regarding the Active                Age Card for 2021 – 2022 as it will not have been used in the current                year due to COVID-19 restrictions. She said that she would check on this                and report back. (Since the Meeting Councillor Dorman has E-Mailed                Members to say that when SLLC closed their Centres on 18th March,                2020, all Memberships, including the Active Age Card, were frozen. When a Member decides to start using a Centre again call 01698 476262 and the Membership will be reactivated). 
  • Two million pounds has been allocated for the Participatory Budget. This                funding is for footpaths and the Road Improvement Fund. 
  • Flooding was reported again outside the Town Mill during periods of                heavy rainfall and Councillor Dorman was asked if this was being                addressed. She agreed to investigate the situation. (Since the Meeting                Councillor Dorman has reported that a cleaning operation of the gullies                indicated a partial blockage which could not be cleared by high pressure                jetting. A CCTV survey of the gully outlets will be carried out to confirm                the exact location/nature of the blockage and this will be followed up with appropriate repair work. The work has not yet been programmed,                however it will be carried out as soon as possible). 
  • It was reported that a tree had come down below the Castle and had                damaged the wooden Walkway. Councillor Dorman agreed to check when this would be cleared and the Walkway repaired. Since the Meeting Councillor Dorman has reported that the fallen tree has been cleared from the Walkway and work will be finished in a few weeks).  
  • It was reported that many street lights were out in the town. Councillor                Dorman agreed to investigate this. (Since the Meeting Councillor Dorman has reported that the faulty lights on Commercial Road, Hamilton Road and Glassford Road will be repaired as soon as possible). 
  • M. Arnot said that the Transport Group had not met for some time and                could a Meeting of the Group be held on-line fairly soon? Councillor                Dorman agreed to see if she could facilitate such a Meeting. (Since the                Meeting Councillor Dorman has reported that Michael McGlynn is happy                to resume the Strathaven Transport Group. He has asked if issues to be            discussed/considered to be set out for the Agenda prior to the Meeting.           Councillor Campbell and Councillor Cooper to be invited to the Meeting).          Councillor M. Cooper. 

Although Councillor Cooper could not attend the Meeting she had submitted           a Report to the Secretary. L. Hoggan to send this out to Members. 

1. AOCB.
   1. M. Arnot raised the point that the mural on the wall of the former Public                Toilet building had been removed and wondered if anything was going to                replace it. L. Hoggan said that 5 new murals were going to be put in place in the town and one would be on the aforementioned building. Creative  

              Strathaven have commissioned the artists to do this work. 

• L. Hoggan reported that CC representatives had met with SLC regarding                renovation work on the Castle. An agreement was reached on putting up                fencing to allow remedial work to be done. 
  • M. McDonald said that the Strathaven John Hastie Museum Trust                (SJHMT) were running a Project looking at the experiences of people in                 the community during COVID-19. They are looking for contributions from                the community and CC Members were encouraged to submit their                experiences to the SJHMT. The Project is being promoted on Facebook                and articles and a full page colour advert have been published in ‘The  

              Echoes’. 

• G. McAllan reported that the South Lanarkshire Cycling Partnership                Meeting heard reports about the ‘Make Your Way’ Initiative in Coalburn                and the several SLC Active Travel studies. It is anticipated that the                Surveys will be completed on further communities, including Strathaven.          (e) G. McAllan and L. Hoggan reported that work is going on at the Hallhill                site in Glassford. An Archaeological Dig had been recommended but it                looks as if the site is actually being cleared. This has been reported to the                South Lanarkshire Heritage Forum and Councillor Dorman was asked if                she could check out the situation. She agreed to do this. (Since the                Meeting Councillor Dorman has reported that the owner was required to                update the previous Ecology Report which he has done. On Monday 29th                March, 2021 the owner commenced a pre-application archaeology                undertaking on the site by a reputable company. They will now produce a                Report of any findings from their investigation. The site will be secured                once the Archaeology Company are finished and no other invasive work                will be done on the site until detailed Planning Permission for the                proposed house plots is received). 
  • D. Scott said that there is now a Take Away Van doing food located at                Lethame Farm and there is only one litter bin in the area which is                overflowing. He asked if more litter bins could be placed in the area.                Councillor Dorman agreed to investigate the possibility for the provision of more bins. 
  • Mention was made of an incident in Strathaven Park regarding a member                of the publics attitude towards an employee of SLC. A CC Member                agreed to assist should help be required. 
  • G. McAllan reported the amount of litter on rural roads around Strathaven and also the increase in fly-tipping. Councillor Dorman agreed to look in to the matter. (Since the Meeting Councillor Dorman has said that an instruction had been raised to clear fly-tipping). 
• Date of Next Meeting. 

         Tuesday 27th April, 2021 at 7.00pm on-line via Zoom. 

Members of the Public are most welcome to all our Meetings. All correspondence to:- strathavencommcouncil@gmail.com