7pm, Monday 6th July 1998 in St Andrews Town Hall Burgh Chamber.
Chair Dr Goudie
Community Councillors: Mr Barrett, Mrs Cassells, Mr Crichton, Dr. Goudie, Mrs Lawrie, Ms Lesurf, Mr Lindsay, Mr M Macdonald, Mrs Murray, Dr Riddell, Mr Strachan, Mrs Tero, Mr Young.
Merchants Association representative: Mr Sproson.
Students representative: none
Fife Councillors: Mr Cassells, Mrs Hill, Ms Liston.
Dr Goudie drew this to the meeting's attention. Meeting expressed its sympathy for Cllr Nairn's partner Cllr Frances Melville.
Secretary to write.
Framed picture of former Community Councillor Yvonne Stewart-Meiklejohn's farewell reception (1/5/98) presented, with thanks for all her work for the Community Council and (especially) the Recreation Committee over the years. Accepted with pleasure. Mrs Stewart-Meiklejohn sadly leaving the St Andrews area soon to go to Edinburgh.
Mr Sangster, Mr Peterson, Mr D Macdonald, Mr Macgregor, Mr Fraser, Cllr Melville
Accepted
Circulated to meeting in Mr Macgregor's absence. Taken as read.
Circulated to meeting.
Mr M Macdonald commented as former and acting treasurer that the balance was reduced from last year due to spending of money received in sponsorship of last year's bandstand concerts. Nonetheless a healthy - possibly too healthy - surplus remained despite lack of income from the Coat-of-Arms licence. He feared possible clawback from Fife Council.
Mr Strachan hoped the treasurer would therefore be open to suggestions for innovative ways to spend the reported surplus.
The accounts were accepted.
Agreed: 1st Monday of the month, except August, and any postponements at the New Year holidays.
Secretary to write to members of the previous Community Council who retired at the last election and thank them for their contribution.
Secretary to write
This followed on immediately from the AGM.
As AGM
As AGM
Ms Adamson spoke on three main points:
Responses to the consultation to be considered in August. 'Internal Market' to be abolished. Front-line acute services (major hospitals - Kirkcaldy for example) to be taken over by Fife Primary Healthcare Trust. Introduction of Healthcare Co-operatives lead by GP practices grouped by 'natural community' (NB these are not the same as GP's out-of-hours co-operatives) responsible for managing local services, equivalent to the present Perth & Kinross Trust. GPs will lead but other primary groups (Social Work, Nursing, etc) to be closely involved. Fife Health Board will continue to hold the purse-strings. Commitment has been given that projects in progress will continue (St Andrews Hospital). Patients should not see a difference in day-to-day healthcare delivery.
Clinical safety a major concern - there will be no major surgery done in St Andrews. Some services will be centralised, such as acute care and surgery in Kirkcaldy. Day surgery will be distributed to the level that makes it cost-effective: need to service a lot of cases in a particular location to meet this. Distributed out services (x-ray, ultrasound scans) should be processed quicker locally as a result of the burden of other services being removed. Pre-operation assessments to be carried out locally where possible, saving a journey to major facilities.
The procurement process is running. Prefer green field but recognise problems with Largo Road due to greenbelt/planning/access (some of these points were expanded later in response to questions from Cllr Hill). This makes Memorial Hospital/St Leonard's Field site possible, as does the need to build within two years (projected opening 2000-1 given in response to Dr Riddell later). P&K don't actually have control over the location though, as this will be a Private Finance Initiative project, but will make developers aware of planning (etc) concerns. Mrs Tero asked about the effect if PFI bid fails: the project would have to queue an indeterminate period for limited public funds to the tune of £15-18 million.
Ms Adamson finished with an appeal for greater input from St Andrews community to consultation processes in Healthcare - previous forum seems to have fallen by the wayside. Community Council naturally supports this but initiative has to come from Healthcare industry. Ms Adamson to push for resuscitation of process.
(former CC golfing rep):
Problem of golf shuttle using footpaths on the links rather than its own specially prepared ways.
Letter from Mrs Sullivan already passed to current golf rep Mr M Macdonald, who will make inquiries. Cllr Cassells explained that the shuttle buggy's proper track is underlaid with a strengthening mesh so it shouldn't be damaged by traffic, hence reports that it is out of use for 'reseeding' seem a little odd. He will pass info to Cllrs Hill (on Links Management Committee) & Melville (Links Trust) and pursue his own investigations too.
Report(s) expected for September meeting.
to do with the Freedom of St Andrews renewal ceremony to be held on 9th July for RAF Leuchars. He linked this with the Burgess Roll which lists those granted the freedom of St Andrews. This starts with Earl Haig just after the Great War, includes amongst others Bobby Jones the famous American golfer whose connection with St Andrews still attracts interest from the USA. The Burgess Roll ends in 1960. Mr Christie hopes that the actual Roll will be on display at the reception for the RAF along with linked historical photographs of his own.
(As an aside he mentioned concerns with the state of the War Memorial name plates which he hoped would be cleaned in time for the RAF parade).
Reported that some of the troublesome elements in this situation have been removed. Only two calls have been made to the police in the last month. While he can't promise that the problem can be completely solved he hopes this improvement will continue.
He then went on to mention two Police initiatives commencing soon, Kingdom Crime and Shopwatch co-ordinated action against shoplifters, commences 21st July
Raised the problem of parking on pavements about town, with special reference to a incident on City Road which completely blocked the pavement forcing pedestrians into the road, where oncoming traffic's view was blocked by the offending tractor. Workmen claimed the police had given them permission.
PC Cumming explained that some such parking was occasionally necessary for works or loading/unloading. Some form of permit is issued by the police and should be on display on the vehicle. Even so if there is a problem with any parking on pavement, permitted or not, the police should be contacted immediately.
Ms Lesurf asked if anyone had been charged in relation to (persistent?) parking on pavements. PC Cumming didn't have that information and will report back, though he added that he has acted in such situations himself in other places.
Corrections:
Inaugural meeting, penultimate para: Paper on reorganisation from Mr Murdo Macdonald (rather than Dennis Macdonald).
June meeting proper: 6.1.2 Dr Goudie pointed out that a possible ambiguity: it is the Community Council that regrets the Fife Council's timing of the Strategic Study Workshop.
Minutes of the meeting of 1 June were accepted.
In the discussion of proposed reorganisation. Frank Riddell and Ken Crichton both made the point that committees can only do what their members have time and interest for, and that committees must decide their detailed remit rather than have work thrust upon them.
Archie Strachan & Frank Riddell suggested committees can be divided into the permanent, meeting regularly, and ad hoc, meeting as needed for a specific purpose. Archie Strachan suggested that more projects be treated as ad hoc, depending on the temper of the umbrella committee.
During the discussion several people made, in various ways, the point that the committees do much of the active work of the Community Council and that all members should take part in at least one active committee.
Secretary to circulate list of committees for people to sign up, or at least register interest. A preliminary list was made at the meeting but given the number of absent members at this time of year and the August recess a direct circulation will also be made.
Secretary to write
These committees have continued to work from last session. No one saw any pressing reason to change them.
As suggested in Mr M Macdonald's paper circulated in June the finance committee is established as a separate entity to the General Purposes committee (Prop Archie Strachan, 2nd Cynthia Tero. Agreed). It was agreed that in the first instance the membership be limited to 3: Murdo Macdonald (past/acting Treasurer), David Kinnen (incoming Treasurer) and Archie Strachan in view of his involvement with fundraising for the Bandstand and 200 Club.
Murdo Macdonald reported difficulty in contacting the necessary 2 signatories to cheques out of the current 3 authorised. Number of authorised signatories to be increased to 4 - Chair, Treasurer, Secretary and a vice-Chair/past Treasurer (MM). (Proposed Frank Riddell, 2nd Pete Lindsay. Agreed.)
MM to arrange.
Rather than put this under the umbrella of Leisure & Recreation an attempt is to be made to fill this as a separate committee. If this fails aspects of welfare (competitions etc) to go to Leisure, anything else to General Purposes or ad hoc committees.
Cynthia Tero raised question of the Senior Citizens Christmas party. The Welfare committee which handled this over the last two years hardly exists at the moment, but arrangements need to be started immediately. As it was a part of the Recreation committee's remit before that it was resolved to return it to them. (Prop Pete Lindsay, 2nd Cynthia Tero, Agreed).
decision on exact form of this committee held over until Mr Salter's proposals, which arrived immediately before the meeting, can be discussed.
Circulation for committees also to be used to address agenda point 4.1 - people to notify the Secretary where they represent the Community Council on other bodies.
Noted. No specific disposal arranged except to point out that the old Town Council crested paper could not legitimately be used, possibly the Preservation Trust Museum might be interested though.
Investigate costs, possibly place advert in the Citizen.
Cllr Liston reports that the council have not approached private landowners as had previously been reported.
Secretary to write to Fife Council
Cllr Cassells: meeting arranged between local councillors and the Assessor in Fife, Duncan Chisholm to discuss the concerns raised at Community Council.
Cllr Liston: for information gave some figures from the Ryden Retail Index of property values on which rates are based which puts St Andrews in the lower bands compared with nearby large towns (Kirkcaldy, Dundee, Glenrothes, Dunfermline)
Discussed writing to Agents handling empty shops to ask them to tidy rubbish/mount displays etc to counteract 'run-down' appearance perceived by some of the Community Council in parts of town centre (c.f. letter written to Merchants' Association (June)), but eventually agreed to wait on report of the Fife Councillors' meeting with the Assessor.
Dr Riddell (Vice-Chair) will attend.
Mr M Macdonald heard that not all Odd One Out competition shops have the necessary display?
Mr Crichton to ask Mr D Macdonald to check (again)
Mr Macdonald then asked about what sponsorship for photo comp? Mr Crichton said this is under review as there seem to be overlapping competitions at the moment.
Mr Strachan: Reel Service regrets no longer able to sponsor bandstand concerts any longer due to financial climate.
200 Club draw: Prize winners £50 Mrs Croal; £30 Dr Robinson; £20 Mrs Moran; £15 Mr Gray
Report circulated
Discussion of action to take on the inaccuracies in reporter's final judgement. Dr Riddell asked if it would be possible to seek Judicial Review as this report will affect decisions by Fife Council Planning Dept. Much discussion of these inaccuracies and possible responses. Dr Goudie has written to Fife to draw attention to them. Investigation of legal position to await developments of further applications for this site.
Mr Young and Mrs Murray attended an APRS Planning Workshop 23rd June - report by Mr Young circulated
Secretary renew APRS subscription if necessary.
The unhappy state of rubbish collection was generally discussed, and dissatisfaction expressed by both Fife and Community Councillors. Cllr Cassells reported that black bags etc dumped should be reported to Roddy Mann of Cleansing & Waste Management dept on 412727 so that an investigator can be sent to ferret in the bags and determine the owner. Apparently this 'service' to the community does not actually include collecting the offending rubbish. Cases where the refuse collectors themselves have dumped rubbish from overfull bins onto the pavement or doorsteps were reported. Unbelievably this is what the workers have been instructed to do by C&WM, though the public has not been informed of this policy. Fife Councillors are making representations on this farce.
Reported that the Arts Festival in connection with St Andrews week is progressing.
Court challenge by developers to the Licensing Board's decision to refuse a licence to amusement arcade in place of Cafe Carmine (Market St) delayed until September.
Mrs Tero asked why Madras College gates on Roundhill Rd now being padlocked inconveniencing residents seeking to their hedges, and more generally making access difficult to a Community Access facility.
Cllr Liston to investigate
Mrs Tero praised the recent work by on the hall's garden by Mr Maronski and Mr Rintoul the hall keeper. Her remarks agreed by the meeting.
passed to Publicity committee.
(off South Street). Mr Fraser's letter was read. He expressed concern on the naming of the Central Motors development. Developers have advertised Southgait Place. Southgait acceptable but Place more generally used as a through street or subsection in St Andrews. Mr Fraser proposed Southgait Court would be in keeping with local naming conventions. This was debated with a preference being expressed by the meeting for the use of Close rather than Court. Secretary to take further advice from Mr Fraser re Close/Court and write to Fife Council Environmental Health Dept (who deal with street naming) to inform them of our preference.
Secretary to write