Councillor Adam, Chair, presided.

Councillor McDonald and Cathie Cassie Forbes, ROAR Connections for Life.

There were no declarations of interest or transparency statements intimated.

There was submitted the Minute of the meeting of this Local Partnership held on 3 October 2023.

DECIDED: That the Minute be approved.

There was submitted a report by the Chief Executive relative to the 2023/24 budget allocated to this Local Partnership which detailed the distribution of funds and feedback received from projects funded.

The report advised that of the £64,087.33 budget allocation for 2023/24 for this Local Partnership, which comprised funding from the General Fund and the Paisley Common Good Fund, there was currently an unallocated balance of £9.67.  It was also highlighted that, £24,095.00 had been awarded to local youth groups, detailed in the appendix of the report, from the Celebrating Renfrewshire Fund.  

DECIDED: That the report be noted.

G Wallace (Western Desert Recce Group) made a presentation relative to the project being undertaken by Western Desert Recce Group to re-develop the site of Whitehaugh Barracks into a living history museum for military history in the area, a locus for supporting armed forces veterans and military associations and a community hub.  Reference was also made to the planned repair and restoration works, the anticipated footprint of the re-developed barracks, details of community engagement undertaken, the Vision of the project, the estimated timeline for undertaking various phases of the project works together with details of potential funding sources. 

DECIDED:      That the information provided be noted.

I Sinclair. Senior Development Officer, Communities & Housing Services made a presentation in connection with activities undertaken locally by Community Learning and Development. 

An overview was provided in respect of the local strands of the 16-days of action national campaign against gender based violence, together with updates in relation to streetstuff activity being undertaken with schoolsand adult learning opportunities in the local area. Mention was also made to the availability of limited Green Spaces funding and the unopposed election of local MYSPs. It was intimated that arrangements would be made to invite the local MSYP to attend the next meeting of the Local Partnership.

DECIDED: That the presentation be noted.

S Graham, Chief Executive’s, gave a presentation on the Winter Connections
Programme, a network of local places where people could connect to others in their community during the winter.

The presentation made reference to the previous success of the initiative in 2022/23, the evaluation undertaken following that initiative and highlighted the main aims of the Winter Connections Fund which would provide assistance to local groups to help cover the additional costs in making venues, activities and sessions available as part of the Winter Connection Programme. It was noted that approximately £20,000 of funding in this connection was available in respect of the Paisley East Local Partnership area. The requirement for organisations to agree to comply with specified principles to be eligible for funding was highlighted. The range and venues for activities, available as part of the Winter Connections Programme 2023/24 within or in the vicinity of the local Partnership area, was noted.

DECIDED: That the presentation be noted.

The Local Partnership noted that a report regarding the findings from a recent consultation exercise to support the further development of Local Partnerships in Renfrewshire was to be considered at the meeting of the Council’s Leadership Board to be held on 6 December 2023.  Details of arrangements for future meetings of Paisley East Local Partnership would be circulated thereafter.

DECIDED: That details of arrangements for future meetings of Paisley East Local Partnership be circulated to members as soon as possible.