Councillor Marie McGurk, Chair, presided.

Provost Lorraine Cameron; Councillor Eddie Devine; Jim Duffy (West Region Scouts Association); Bill Martin (The Thursday Club) and Councillor Marie McGurk.

R McGrath, Head of Customer & Business Services (Lead Officer); S Graham, Partnership Manager; K Miller, Senior Planning & Policy Development Officer; D Houston, Community Planning Assistant and A McNaughton, Senior Committee Services Officer (all Renfrewshire Council); and for item 3 only, A Dougan and J Rae (Youth Steering Group).

Sergeant M Hart and Constable B Heron (Police Scotland); and S Miller (Engage Renfrewshire).

Councillors McCartin and Montgomery; and S McLean (Glenburn Community Tenants’ & Residents’ Association), D Polson (Foxbar Rivers Community Building) and Y Povah (Stronger Communities Glenburn).

There were no declarations of interest intimated prior to the commencement of the meeting.

There was submitted the Minute of the previous meeting held on 11 June 2019.

DECIDED:  That the Minute be approved.

In terms of Standing Order 2.1, it was noted that Foxbar & Brediland Community Council had not achieved the minimum number of candidates for membership and, therefore, had not been re-established following the recent community council elections. The membership place automatically taken by the Chair of that community council was now vacant.

However, it was further noted that if enough candidates were to come forward by March 2020 the community council could be re-established at that time and the vacancy filled.

DECIDED:  That the information be noted.

There was submitted a report by the Chief Executive relative to the Celebrating Renfrewshire Youth Participatory Budgeting Exercise.  An appendix to the report detailed the results of the exercise which had taken place in September 2019.

The report indicated that the Youth Challenge Fund component of the Gleniffer Local Partnership budget had been renamed “Celebrating Renfrewshire: By young people for young people” and explained that a pilot participatory budgeting exercise had been carried out to disburse grant funding of £19,861 available from Gleniffer Local Partnership.

A Dougan and J Rae (Youth Steering Group) delivered a presentation that highlighted the participatory budgeting process and the outcomes achieved.  It was noted that 634 young people from the Gleniffer area had voted to disburse all the available funds to eight local projects.

The pilot exercise had been co-produced by young people and was supported by Renfrewshire Council, Renfrewshire Youth Voice, Active Schools and Young Scot.  The outcome of this pilot exercise would inform the development of future participatory budgeting exercises carried out in Renfrewshire.

DECIDED:  That the outcome of the youth participatory budgeting exercise for the Gleniffer Local Partnership and the information provided in the presentation be noted.

Under reference to item 5 of the Minutes of the meeting of Gleniffer Local Partnership held on 20 March 2019, there was submitted a report by the Chief Executive relative to the undernoted five draft priority areas on which the Partnership had agreed as the focus of its activity.


1.  Community assets
2.  What’s on in Gleniffer
3.  Public safety and road safety
4.  Isolation and loneliness
5.  Play facilities

The report advised that consideration be given:

• to reflecting and refining the draft local priorities prior to the allocation of grant funding in 2020/21 in order to develop a clear focus and direction for financial support; 
• to identifying specific agenda items for the next 12 months; and 
• to identifying and inviting appropriate partners/agencies to provide information on each specific topic.

During the ensuing discussion, the following matters were noted and actions agreed:

(i) Public safety and road safety – was not a high priority and activities would be better centred around the dissemination of information to reassure residents about public safety and road safety matters; residents were concerned about the effects of parking on grass verges and the poor quality of new street lighting;

(ii) What’s on in Gleniffer – information sharing was a key priority and B Martin (the Thursday Club) undertook to examine if the Elderly Forum could develop a project, possibly in collaboration with local businesses, to site electronic notice boards in local shops.  The notice boards would promote the wide range of activities offered by local groups;

(iii) Isolation and loneliness - Engage Renfrewshire undertook to promote better use of A Local Information System for Scotland (ALISS) – a national online portal to help people find out about and share services and activities that were available in their local area; ALISS to be invited to deliver a presentation about their service;

(iv) Community Assets – relevant Council officers and Community Ownership Scotland be invited to future meetings to discuss/identify community assets such as buildings and land in the area.  This Partnership should be notified should expressions of interest in developing the area’s community assets be received; J Duffy (West Region Scouts Association) undertook to investigate progress by the Scouts to build a new hall on land at Morar Drive (behind Londis);

(v) Groups that received funding from the Partnership should be invited to give feedback at future meetings on how the funds were used and the impact on the local community; and

(vi) Community Police provided lonely/isolated residents with information about activities in the area to help reduce loneliness and isolation by encouraging participation.

DECIDED:  That the matters highlighted above be noted and the following actions be agreed:

(a) Community Police/Wardens examine how to tackle parking on grass verges and advise the next meeting of this Partnership of progress;

(b) B Martin advise the next meeting of this Partnership of progress to develop the project to site electronic notice boards in the area;

(c) Engage Renfrewshire advise the next meeting of this Partnership of progress to promote the use of ALISS and that a representative of ALISS be invited to attend a future meeting of this Partnership;

(d) Relevant Council officers with responsibility for assets and planning, and a representative of Community Ownership Scotland be invited to attend future meetings of this Partnership; and

(e) Groups that received funding from the Partnership be invited to future meetings to provide feedback.

Under reference to item 3 of the Minute of the meeting of Gleniffer Local Partnership held on 11 June 2019, there was submitted an update report by the Chief Executive relative to the award of £50,364 to 23 local projects and containing infographics that gave a flavour of how the projects related to the local priorities for Gleniffer.

It was proposed that a key person contact be identified to provide advice and assistance to grant applicants and to co-ordinate feedback from grant recipients and that a workshop be held early in the new year at which members could examine options and methods for allocating grant funding that were fair, equitable and focussed on the Partnership’s priorities.  This was agreed.

DECIDED:

(a) That a key person contact be identified to provide advice and assistance to grant applicants and to co-ordinate feedback from grant recipients; and

(b) That a workshop be held early in the new year at which members could examine options and methods for allocating grant funding that were fair, equitable and focussed on the Partnership’s priorities.

There was submitted a budget monitoring report by the Director of Finance & Resources detailing the funds allocated by this Local Partnership at its meeting on 11 June 2019 as set out in the appendix to the report.

DECIDED:  That the report be noted.

There was submitted a report by the Chief Executive relative to the review of Local Partnerships.

The report indicated that Local Partnerships had been established in September 2018 and it had been agreed that a review of arrangements would be carried out after a year of operation.  The inaugural meetings of the Local Partnerships had taken place in January 2019 and it was proposed that the review begin in January 2020.  The report sought views on the proposed scope and approach of the review.

The report proposed that the review examine: the function of Local Partnerships; membership; geographical boundaries; arrangements for meetings; and the grant process.  This was agreed.

The report also proposed that all correspondence and feedback received since the establishment of Local Partnerships be considered as part of the review; that all Local Partnership members be invited to participate and provide feedback; and that an opportunity also be provided for wider community members to make their views known either online or in writing.  This was agreed.

Members were invited to submit feedback to Community Planning as soon as possible and it was anticipated that progress to review the arrangements for Local Partnerships would be reported at the next meeting of this Local Partnership.

DECIDED:

(a) That it be agreed that the review should examine the function of Local Partnerships, membership, geographical boundaries, arrangements for meetings and the grant process;

(b) That it be agreed that all correspondence and feedback received since Local Partnerships had been established be considered as part of the review;

(c) That it be agreed that all members submit feedback to Community Planning as soon as possible;

(d) That it be agreed that the views of the wider community members be sought; and

(e) That progress to review the arrangements for Local Partnerships be reported to the next meeting.

There was submitted a report by the Chief Executive relative to future meeting dates and community engagement events for this Local Partnership.

The report proposed that meetings be held in April, August and November 2020 and, in addition, that the wider engagement events originally scheduled to be held in Autumn 2019 now be held early in 2020.  Members were invited to contribute to the content and design of these events to raise awareness of the Local Partnership locally; to build networks between the Local Partnership and the wider community; and to discuss and develop local priorities with the wider community.

DECIDED:

(a) That meetings of this Local Partnership would take place as follows:

Wednesday, 22 April 2020, at 6.00 pm in the Council Chamber, Renfrewshire House, Cotton Street, Paisley;

Wednesday, 19 August 2020, at 6.00 pm in Glenburn Community Centre, Fairway Avenue, Paisley; and

Wednesday, 18 November 2020, Foxbar Community Centre, Amochrie Road, Paisley; and

(b) That members contact Community Planning to contribute to the content and design of the wider community engagement events to be held early in 2020.