Dunblane Community Council

 

 

 

 

Minutes of the Dunblane Community Council held on Wednesday, 9 October, 2024, at 7 p.m. in the Library, Dunblane.  This is a “blended” meeting, with some attendees joining by Zoom.

 

Present: Anna Jarchow-MacDonald (Chair), Calum Thomson (Secretary), Terence O’Byrne, Jonathan Failes, Alan Booth, Rachel Nelson, Annelise Bakri Peter Swindon.  Karen Jenkins and Anthony Delleur joined by Zoom briefly before the connection was lost.

 

In attendance:  Councillors Robin Kleinman and David Wilson, Liz-Anne Richards, Margaret Bragg (Minutes Secretary).  Councillor Thomas Heald, Mairi Santolini (Parent Council, High School) and Andrew Ross, a High School pupil, joined by Zoom briefly before the connection was lost.

 

1. Apologies   

Apologies have been received from Stewart Corbett, Fiona Plumtree, Councillor Alasdair Tollemache, the Police and Rachel Muir.

 

2. Chair’s remarks and Conflicts of Interest

Community councillors joined the Chair in thanking Graham Mowat, who has decided to step down from the council, for his contribution to its work, especially at the recent meeting in the Victoria Hall. 

 

There were no expressions of conflicts of interest.

 

3. Co-option of new members

As Anthony Delleur is attending this meeting, by Zoom, he has fulfilled the qualification of attending three meetings as a co-opted member in order to become a full member.  At the next meeting of the community council, another co-opted member can be nominated.  The opening for another co-opted member will be publicised and the Chair agreed to inform Stephen Bly (Community Council Enquiry Co-ordinator, Stirling Council).  Action: The Chair.

 

 

4. Approval of minutes of 11 September 2024

These were approved, proposed by Jonathan Failes and seconded by Calum Thomson.

 

5. Agenda structure

The Chair commented on a recent meeting she had at the High School and suggested that it would be useful if the topics being dealt with by groups at the school and in the community were more closely reflected in agenda headings at the council’s meetings, e.g. sustainability or community events. Different community groups could be invited to community council meetings to input into discussions and the community council would be able to pick out common themes.  She noted that events were not always well advertised. 

 

The Secretary has worked on the action tracker on the community council page on the Dunblane.info website and led a discussion on tweaking the agenda items with reference to the action tracker.  This would give an overview of the key initiatives the community council is focusing on and councillors would be able to divide up responsibility for actions appropriately.  Priorities can be dropped or added as necessary. Alan Booth noted the necessity of communicating to the rest of the community what is important to the community council.  The Chair noted that the community council would then be looking at wider topics, such as parks or planning, instead of just reacting to issues as they arise. The Secretary agreed to draw up a draft for the next meeting with a view to providing a clear overview. Action: The Secretary.

 

6. Police Report: See attached.

The Chair reported that at a recent meeting of Chairs of community councils, a representative of the Police had spoken about the difficulties of picking out relevant data and that officers did this in their own time.  She suggested it would be useful if data for larger areas and not just one community council area were provided to give a better overview.  For example, data on shoplifting, e.g. which goods are being stolen and by whom, would provide more in-depth information.  She thought this would be a good topic for discussion at the next AGM.  Terence O’Byrne noted that the Police has difficulty in separating the data for Dunblane from that of Bridge of Allan, and Jonathan Failes agreed to try to extract more information relating to Dunblane from previous Police Reports and to try to identify further relevant statistics potentially including raw data. Action: Jonathan Failes.  The Chair noted how important the twoway communication between the community and the Police is, and expressed the community council’s gratitude for the monthly report.

 

Councillor David Wilson reported that the Police have tools to prevent businesses being victims of cybercrime and the Chair agreed to circulate this information. Action: The Chair. Liz-Anne Richards, a trader in the High Street, commented that it is obligatory for all businesses to adhere to the rules otherwise their insurance would not cover them for cybercrime.

 

7. Local Place Plan (LPP)

Jonathan Failes updated the meeting on the applications for funding to which he has not yet had a reply.  Without funding, it will be difficult to produce a good LPP.

 

Jonathan Failes reported that for the LPP he is making links with other groups, such as young people at the High School or the High Street traders. The Chair suggested that the primary schools should be included. Identifying why  footfall in the High Street is falling or the dangers of cybercrime could also be included in the LPP. In response to a comment from Rachel Nelson about the need for greater links between the traders and the community council, the Chair agreed to pursue this.  Action: The Chair. It is important to focus on things that have real benefit and finding out from the community what is needed.

 

8. Planning Report: See attached.

It was noted that the application for a new sub-station at Millrow has been withdrawn, there is no decision yet about the extension to Randolph Hill Nursing Home, and the developer for Park of Keir has said they will not be proceeding with the development.

 

9. Operational Report: See attached.

Terence O’Byrne has circulated a 17-point report and highlighted that many issues remain unresolved.  

 

Gullies and road surface between the QV and the Fourways roundabout 

Terence O’Byrne asked the elected members to request immediate action and Councillors Robin Kleinman and David Wilson will discuss this further with him. Action: Councillors Kleinman and Wilson.

 

Ramoyle traffic proposals  A meeting has been organised for the following week and it was noted that the funding for this has not been lost.

 

Skatepark drainage  No time-scale has been given for the work to start on reinstating the surrounding areas of the skatepark after the work on drainage was completed in January 2024.

 

Zebra crossing replacements for lollipop school crossings  Peter Swindon suggested that another crossing be put on Doune Road between the drive into the Primary School and Wallace Road.  Peter Swindon asked elected members, the community council and the school’s Parent Council to act together to support this request and Councillor Robin Kleinman agreed to take this forward.  Action: Councillor Kleinman.

 

Councillor David Wilson has concerns that the Council is not maintaining the road signage on Old Doune Road, making it difficult for drivers to see them.  This is a Health and Safety issue and he has submitted a complaint to the Council.  

 

Revised routes for winter road and footpath gritting   Terence O’Byrne is going

to have another meeting with the Roads Manager on 11 October.  Unfortunately, as Councillor Kleinman pointed out, with Council resources being so limited, to add new routes would mean cutting budgets elsewhere. The Council has also initiated its Winter Volunteer scheme for local residents to clear footpaths.

 

 

 

10. Windfarm Grants Committee

The Chair notified the meeting that the community council needs to nominate two new committee members and it was agreed to carry this forward to the next meeting. The Chair for the Agenda.

 

11. Communication Report

Alan Booth noted the lack of a monthly correspondence list which he said was a useful list of incoming communications, necessary for future reference.  However, the Secretary keeps all communications in folders, circulating them as they come in.  The Chair asked that he allocates headings to them before circulating, allocating them to the main themes on the agenda. 

 

Liz-Anne Richards had received information about a fund available for traders for improving their shop fronts but highlighted how difficult it is to ensure this is passed on to all the traders. The difficulty of exchanging information throughout the community is acknowledged as an issue.

 

12. Schools 

Unfortunately, Mairi Santolini from the Parent Council and a pupil from the High School have been unable to join by Zoom. 

 

Jonathan Failes is organising a session between himself, the Chair, Mairi Santolini, Rachel Nelson and Annelise Bakri to focus on improving links with the schools and the community council.  Mairi Santolini has reported that  Leadership Academy groups from each year meet every week, and the Parent Council meets every month; one representative from the latter is allocated to each pupil group.  Jonathan Failes indicated he intends attending Parent Council meetings and Leadership group meetings to promote links with the community and the community council, and encourage attendance at council meetings.  Liz-Anne Richard suggested that High School pupils could help at the Christmas Extravaganza and would also like to get primary school children involved. Jonathan Failes agreed to raise this with Mairi Santolini. Action: Jonathan Failes. Rachel Nelson suggested that High School pupils could get involved in helping with Primary School activities. 

 

The Chair reported on a meeting she had with the Headteacher and Deputy Headteacher of the High School. Concerns about budget restrictions were discussed. She highlighted the need to create opportunities for volunteering.  With regards to pupils participating in the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme, more opportunities would, hopefully, encourage boys from S3 onwards, whose numbers have dropped, to engage more in the community. Attempts need to be made to facilitate more links, especially with people in the town who have a wealth of useful expertise.

 

13. Potential exchanges with Vaison-La-Romaine

The previous Chair, Ailsa Grey, had signed an agreement with the Mayor of Vaison to acknowledge a joint interest in developing a special relationship between Dunblane and Vaison. The community council welcomed this agreement and expressed its support for it.  It is noted that this is not a twinning agreement, but a way of promoting exchanges of a cultural or sporting nature, such as a proposed choral exchange next summer.   However, an overall coordinator of the various projects is needed.  It was agreed that both the agreement and the post of volunteer coordinator be publicised.

 

14. Treasurer’s Report: See attached.

 

15. Report on other meetings

The Chair has already mentioned a meeting she attended of the Chairs of community councils and members of the Council, including the Chief Executive, where she felt the Council were interested in working together with community councils.  She commented that it was a good opportunity for community councils to link with each other and identify common themes, such as the need for support from the Council to identify more funding sources for the community. The issue of the Common Good Fund was raised, and Alan Booth said that more details were needed from the Council. 

 

The Chair and Peter Swindon have met to look at the Braemar playpark. It was noted that the Council have committed money to spend on it.

 

16. Any matters arising

A scoping meeting was held on the possibility of an Andy Murray memorial and attend by Jonathan Failes.

 

Terence O’Byrne has raised a complaint about the wording of a flyer about the changes to protocol to attend the Minor Injuries Unit at Forth Valley Royal Hospital.

 

Councillor David Wilson commended the work of Dementia Friendly Dunblane which is being used as a model elsewhere.

 

17. Date, time and place of next meeting

The next meeting of the Dunblane community council will take place at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, 6 November, 2024, in the Library, Dunblane.

 

The meeting ended at 9.05 p.m.

 

This is a true representation of the meeting.

 

Anna Jarchow-MacDonald   ……………………………………….  Date 24.10.24 Chair

 

Calum Thomson  ………………………………………………… 

Date  ………24/10/24………

Secretary