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Meeting Details

Local Partnership - The Villages
4 Feb 2021 - 18:00 to 20:00
Occurred
  • Documents
  • Attendance
  • Visitors
  • Declarations of Interests

Documents

Agenda

Agenda
Notification
Committee Members
Membership

John Anderson (Howwood Sports and Hobbies): Anne-Marie Balfour (Elderslie Community Council): Councillor Derek Bibby: Councillor Bill Binks: Councillor Jacqueline Cameron: Sandy Clark (Bridge of Weir Community Council): Brenda Whitelaw (Howwood Community Council):  Councillor Andy Doig: Councillor Audrey Doig: Councillor Alison Jean Dowling: Margaret Dundas (Brookfield Community Council): James Fletcher (Brookfield Bowling Club): representative (Lochwinnoch Community Council): Meg Gilzean (Bridge of Weir Tenants and Residents Association): Councillor John Hood: Councillor Scott Kerr: Councillor Alistair Mackay: Councillor Colin McCulloch: Nigel Hobbs (Houston Community Council): Stirling McGee (Renfrewshire Youth Voice): Councillor James MacLaren: Rev. Gary Noonan (Houston and Killellan Kirk): Linda O’Malley (Rays of Hope): Councillor Emma Rodden: Councillor James Sheridan: Councillor Andy Steel: Fiona Stewart (Kilbarchan Community Council): Neil Thomson (Brighter Bridge of Weir):

Councillor Natalie Don (Chair):  David Blair (Renfrewshire District Scouts) (Vice-chair)

 
Standard Items
Recording of Meeting

Prior to the commencement of the meeting, the Chair intimated that this meeting of the Local Partnership would be recorded and that the recording would be available to watch on the Council's website.

 

Items Of Business
Apologies
Apologies from members.

John Anderson (Howwood Sports and Hobbies); Sandy Clark (Bridge of Weir Community Council); Councillor Alison Jean Dowling; Councillor Emma Rodden; and Brenda Whitelaw (Howwood Community Council).

 

Declarations of Interest
Members are asked to declare an interest in any item(s) on the agenda and to provide a brief explanation of the nature of the interest.

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

 

1 Minute
Minute of meeting of this Local Partnership held on 17 September 2020.
1
There was submitted the Minute of the meeting of this Local Partnership held on 17 September 2020.

In relation to item 2 – Applications for The Villages Local Partnership Funding in 2020/21, recommendations (b) and (c), the Chair advised that she had received the following confirmation from the Council’s Head of Finance ‘In light of the circumstances surrounding the global pandemic and the ongoing revisions to the Scottish Government’s COVID route map, approval is given to carry forward, to financial year 2021/22 from the General Grant Fund 20/21 programme, any grants awarded for projects which were unable to be delivered in the financial year to 31 March 2021. Any balances arising from grant awards returned due to the inability to deliver the projects as expected or any residual balances currently unable to be awarded in this case be ring-fenced, for festive events specifically. The award of any residual sums must be considered as early as practicable in financial year 2021/22 to support communities over the period of recovery from COVID.’

The Strategic Partnership & Inequalities Manager intimated that she would contact all organisations awarded grant funding from the Local Partnership in 2020/21 to establish if the awards had been used for an alternative purpose so that this could be reported to the next meeting of the Local Partnership.

DECIDED

(a) That the Minute be approved;

(b) That the confirmation received from the Council’s Head of Finance that ‘In light of the circumstances surrounding the global pandemic and the ongoing revisions to the Scottish Government’s COVID route map, approval is given to carry forward to financial year 2021/22 from the General Grant Fund 20/21 programme any grants awarded for projects which were unable to be delivered in the financial year to 31 March 2021. Any balances arising from grant awards returned due to the inability to deliver the projects as expected or any residual balances currently unable to be awarded in this case be ring-fenced, for festive events specifically. The award of any residual sums must be considered as early as practicable in financial year 2021/22 to support communities over the period of recovery from COVID.’ be agreed; and

(c) That it be noted that the Strategic Partnership & Inequalities Manager would contact all organisations awarded grant funding from the Local Partnership in 2020/21 to establish if the awards had been used for an alternative purpose so that this could be reported to the next meeting of the Local Partnership.
Report by Chief Executive.
2
There was submitted a budget monitoring report by the Chief Executive for The Villages Local Partnership 2020/21.

The report intimated that the Local Partnership provided funding to community groups to undertake projects. This funding was allocated from the general grant fund and the youth challenge fund through the Celebrating Renfrewshire participatory budgeting exercise.

The report provided detail of the funds allocated by the Local Partnership at its meeting held on 17 September 2020 and also those requests received and approved to use the award for an alternative purpose from the original application.

The outcome of the Celebrating Renfrewshire exercise for the Local Partnership was appended to the report. It was noted that this exercise had been carried out in virtual format in 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic with 249 young people voting in the Villages area, casting three votes each for different projects, resulting in 747 votes in total. Engagement was taking place with young people to allocate the remaining sum to relevant projects.

DECIDED: That the budget monitoring report and allocation of the Celebrating Renfrewshire funding be noted.
Presentation.
3
The Strategic Partnership & Inequalities Manager gave a presentation to members which provided an update on the Community Impact Assessment work done to date; shared data from the Public Services Panel relevant to this Local Partnership; and requested Local Partnership discussion on members experiences on how COVID had impacted their community.

The presentation highlighted the key points arising from data and research undertaken in relation to COVID-19 cases; employment and support for business; neighbourhood hubs; the distribution of 1,250 digital devices/connectivity through the Connecting Scotland Programme; and health and wellbeing. 

The presentation also detailed responses on the questions: what has affected you most during the coronavirus pandemic?; which of the following things are major worries for you?; how is your household managing financially?; is there help that you feel you currently need but you are not receiving?; compared with how you felt on a typical day before the start of March, how would you say you felt? and compared responses received from residents from the Villages area and those received from residents from other areas of Renfrewshire. The results from the Public Services Panel consultation on the effects of the pandemic were also provided.

The Chief Executive, Engage Renfrewshire provided details on the programme of listening events held over winter 2020/21 facilitated by Engage Renfrewshire and the key points to date.

Discussion followed in the course of which the Strategic Partnership & Inequalities Manager was heard in answer to a number of issues raised by members on the presentation. As part of these discussions, it was proposed that if the information was available to the Council, that the Strategic Partnership & Inequalities Manager provide information to a future meeting of the Local Partnership in relation to fuel poverty in the Local Partnership area; that the Strategic Partnership & Inequalities Manager provide a link to the Community Impact Assessment to members of the Local Partnership; that the Strategic Partnership & Inequalities Manager make contact with members of the Local Partnership to establish if they were aware of any groups that required assistance to allow them to meet remotely and virtually; that in terms of applications for grant funding, applicants be requested to demonstrate either that members of groups were based in the Local Partnership area, that they would be able to spend any award in the local area, or directly contribute to the local area in some way. This weas agreed unanimously.

That Chair reminded members of the agreed priorities for the Local Partnership and requested that members advise the Strategic Partnership & Inequalities Manager of any other local priorities members wished to be included prior to consideration of applications for grant funding, which would be considered at the next meeting of the Local Partnership.

She further intimated that, if required, a further meeting of the Local Partnership could be held prior to the meeting which would decide on applications for grant funding to discuss and agree further priorities, if this could not be done by emailing members for agreement.

It was further proposed that the future of village bus provision and what could be done to stop the loss of villages services be considered at a future meeting of the Local Partnership.

DECIDED:

(a) That the presentation be noted;

(b) That, if the information was available to the Council, the Strategic Partnership & Inequalities Manager provide information to a future meeting of the Local Partnership in relation to fuel poverty in the Local Partnership area;

(c) That the Strategic Partnership & Inequalities Manager provide a link to the Community Impact Assessment to members of the Local Partnership; 

(d) That the Strategic Partnership & Inequalities Manager make contact with members of the Local Partnership to establish if they were aware of any groups that required assistance to allow them to meet remotely and virtually; 

(e) That in terms of applications for grant funding, it be agreed that applicants be requested to demonstrate either that members of groups were based in the Local Partnership area, that they would be able to spend any award in the local area, or directly contribute to the local area in some way;

(f) That members advise the Strategic Partnership & Inequalities Manager of any other local priorities members wished to be included prior to consideration of applications for grant funding, which would be considered at the next meeting of the Local Partnership; and

(h) That the future of village bus provision and what could be done to stop the loss of villages services be considered at a future meeting of the Local Partnership.
 

Declarations of Interests

Member NameItem Ref.DetailsNature of DeclarationAction
No declarations of interest have been entered for this meeting.

Visitors

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