Westhill & Elrick Community Council



Community Council NamePositionPresentChika Edeh ChairpersonStuart BewsVice ChairpersonXDavid RitchieSecretary XDaniel HayMinutes SecretaryDawn Anderson TreasurerHeather CoullMemberXRaymond SwaffieldMemberBill LoudonMemberXJohn ThorntonMemberAlan EastellMemberXDiane PriestleyMember Ken StewartMemberKate LumsdenMemberXMandy DugganMemberBrian ColvinMemberCllr David AitchisonWard 13 CouncillorXCllr Iris WalkerWard 13 CouncillorXCllr Ron McKailWard 13 CouncillorXCllr Alistair McKelvieWard 13 CouncillorMembers of Public/Invited GuestsJohn M ImrieAileen SwaffieldMike ForbesFreda ImrieLinda LawsonJohn ReidPC Steve Middleton 1Chairperson’s welcome and opening remarksThe Chair opened the meeting and welcomed everybody in attendance. He mentioned the new subgroups and welcomed any thoughts from both members and members of the public regarding them. Brian Colvin asked to bring forward agenda item 8 Planning Watch as he could not stay for the whole meeting due to other commitments. 2ApologiesAlan Eastell, Bill Loudon, David Ritchie, Heather Coull, Kate Lumsden, Stuart Bews, Cllr Iris Walker, Cllr Ron McKail 3Review and Approval of the draft Minutes of 8th November MeetingRaymond Swaffield asked for an update regarding his query about work being done at the Kingsford Stadium development; a letter has been sent to Aberdeen City Council regarding this however there has been no response yet. Proposer of the minutes- Raymond Swaffield, Seconder- Ken Stewart 4Additional SubgroupsThe Chair mentioned that four new subgroups have been established since the sub-groups concept was rolled out at the October 2018 meeting. These are Community Liaison, Finance, Development and Governance. He hoped that the new groups will help to improve openness and transparency amongst the Community Council. He confirmed that the finance group (which consists of the secretary, the treasurer and two members) will look at donation requests twice per year and decide how much will be donated to each community group that applied. He stated that this is not an internal audit, however it is to increase openness and ensure that there is transparency when dealing with these requests. John Thornton expressed his concerns that there is not enough internal financial scrutiny The Chair responded stating that there needs to be greater transparency, not just one person doing the job, he feels that this will improve things. The Chair welcomed any thoughts and opinions on how WECC can improve. He stated that subgroups are there to open up minds, also to reach out to individuals. 5Planning WatchPlanning Applications for Cafes in Kingshill Commercial Park-APP/2018/2869- StarbucksApp/2018/2800- MacDonald’s Diane Priestley stated that we require more feedback from residents to gather their opinions of the proposed developments. The Applications have had some objections posted on the AC planning website. Brian Colvin stated that he thinks that it is a good place for the development, there is nothing there and it would be good to transform the empty space into something which would benefit the community. Cllr McKelvie stated that when discussing the proposal, it should be considered with the whole community in mind and that the decisions should be based on how it will affect them. The Chair read out a statement from the vice-chair and urged that decisions should be made on their own merit as it can have a big economic impact. There is general recognition that if these Applications are not approved then the site is likely to remain undeveloped for many years. They should not be linked with the Kingsford development when being discussed. Concerns were raised by members regarding the diversion of existing business from Westhill Shopping Centre, but other members disagreed with that. If people like a certain brand, they will continue going to it. There is not currently a Starbucks or McDonalds in Westhill. The chair stated that the closing date for comments to Planning Dept. is 3rd January so it might be difficult to gather responses from the public in that short time. However a member of the public informed the Chair that the Community Council could write to the Planning Dept. requesting an extension. Diane Priestley thanked him for this and it was agreed that she should send a letter requesting an extension. (post-meeting note- extension to 13th January for WECC comments has been granted).A member of the public suggested that we could use online methods such as Facebook and the website to reach members of the public and allow them to have a say regarding the proposed developments. Concerns were raised that not everyone uses Facebook and about speed of response from it. We expect that the Facebook responses would come in quickly. Brain Colvin will put this in the Community Council noticeboard. The Chair will arrange for it to go onto the website. 6Police Report The Police Report is attached as an appendix to the minutes. Raymond Swaffield asked PC Middleton about the vandalism to the toilets at the Westhill Shops, PC Middleton will keep an eye on this.Members asked about whether it would be possible to have CCTV at the Football Pitches at Carnie Avenue in Elrick after a car was vandalised there. In addition it was reported that there has been vandalism to the pitches and concerns raised on child safety. Others also raised potential child safety concerns around the play park and the pitches at Carnie. PC Middleton said that he will visit the area and monitor the situation. PC Middleton was asked if there had been any noticeable improvement in traffic since the AWPR had opened yesterday. He advised there has been improvements however there had been some traffic congestion between the Crematorium and Westhill. 7Residents Items from the FloorA member of the public expressed concern at the lack of things to do for the young residents of Westhill, more activities for the young people would perhaps reduce the amount of people gathering at the shopping centre.Daniel Hay mentioned that Andy Keay had emailed the secretary about setting up a youth group which could have many activities for young people; for example car valeting, sport activities etc. Daniel will ask the secretary if he could invite Andy to the next meeting to explain his project in further detail. 8Update on Kingsford Stadium DevelopmentThe Judicial Review hearings will take place on 29-31st January 2019.9Ward 13 Councillors Reports/UpdatesCllr Walker (not present but submitted this report)Woodhill HouseAs reported recently in the press, NHS Grampian is pursuing a plan to relocate some of its office staff to Woodhill House. A study carried out in September focusing on the health board’s existing administrative offices in the city revealed that just 40% of Summerfield House is occupied on average, along with 35% of Ashgrove House on the ARI site and 54% for Westholme, Woodend. Woodhill House would remain the council’s main centre.School rollsWe recently received an update on current school rolls, capacities and forecasts for the Westhill cluster as follows:SCHOOL CURRENT CAPACITY CURRENT ROLL ROLL IN 2023Westhill Academy 1000 748 838Crombie 342 309 299Elrick 442 417 398Skene 100 72 68Westhill Primary 342 287 332Main Issues Report (LDP)There are a number of actions proposed in order to facilitate engagement on the Main Issues Report. These were recently agreed by Garioch Area Committee and noted below – the “we” in the narrative being council officers. Please note the LDP process continues beyond 2019 and I have only noted the actions up until August 2019 at this point.January 2019We will introduce clear and distinctive branding on the LDP documents to make it distinctiveWe will public statutory notices in the P&J newspaper and place other notices in local newspapers, giving 12 weeks for comments to be madeCopies of the MIR and a draft LDP will be published on our website and made available through all public libraries in Aberdeenshire. Copies of supporting information will be made available on our websiteA response pro-forma will be placed on the websiteWe will write to all community councils with a copy of the formal notice and a copy of the MIR along with a response form. Attention will be drawn to a copy of the draft proposed LDP published on the website. Each community council will be offered a second visit from a Planning Officer to answer questions and provide advice on the preparation of any submissions.We will write to all other stakeholders advising them that the MIR and a draft proposed LDP have been published.We will publish a short film to assist consultation on the MIR. This will be available to view on our website.We will develop the website to provide information on the LDP and the process that we are using to consult upon it. The website will be developed to promote the MIR and encourage online submission of representations.January, February and March 2019The January, February and March issues of the newsletter will be published which will each focus on key elements of the MIR.We will host drop in events across the major towns in Aberdeenshire to give developers an opportunity to present their development visions to communities. We will visit at least 16 venues across the LDP area to invite participation in submitting comments on the MIR.We will write to all stakeholders advising them of dates, times and venues for each of the drop-in sessions and publicise them via the newsletter and the website.By August 2019All representations received will have been catalogues and reviewed. An “Issues and Actions” Report will be produced to identify all comments made and published on the website.The Monitoring Report will be updated.Reporting onlineRe-filling and requests for grit bins can be reported online at: REPORTSEnvironment Subgroup?The group is keen to bring forward another push against dog fouling, following up on Cllr. Walkers initiative of 3 years ago and trying to address Cllr McKail's concerns in the winter Bulletin.There is a good offer on glow in the dark signs and bin stickers from Keep Britain Tidy; we delayed purchasing as we had to get permission to attach to lamp posts, this was denied. The plan is now that through the Bulletin, Facebook and website we invite residents to contact us with the problem areas. We would then ask house-owner’s permission to attach the signs to their garden fences and trees. If WECC are seen to be helping residents with their problems that is a win- win situation. We are allowed to attach the bin stickers. Raymond is keen to incorporate litter stickers as well as it is all litter, work in progress!? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? The signs are glow in the dark eyes "we are watching you", there is a national campaign and the results figures are promising.Ken, Raymond, BillThe Chair mentioned a proposed scientific project involving schools which would be done down at Arnhall Moss, it is therefore important that it is a safe place for the children when they are undertaking the project. Ken Stewart mentioned putting up signs for the public stating that if there are any issues about the environment down at Arnhall Moss, they could contact WECC. These signs could be put up on the walls or trees around the area. The Chair asked if we need permission to put signs up on trees; it is not known for sure however this can be looked into. Litter (part of Environment Subgroup)Our Litter Pick in November was carried out as planned. Our Kit Locker is still inaccessible behind a security fence and it seems that this will possibly be continuing until April, when work at the Academy is likely to be completed. I was able to gain access during the week after speaking to site workmen and extracted kit prior to the weekend litter pick. Although this is inconvenient it will allow us to continue with our Litter Picks. The November Pick was the last for 2018 but some of our regular volunteers took some extra bags home, to do some individual picking over the holiday period. We carried out a clean up after the WECC Christmas event and were pleased to find that there was only a small amount of dropped litter. In fact, there seemed to be as many cigarette ends collected as the litter derived from our event!We plan to re-start the Litter Picks in February and will contact the volunteers with dates early in the new year.Raymond SwaffieldProjects Subgroup - Gateway Art ProjectThere have been some issues trying to coordinate the various factions for the landscaping. With Bert Macintosh, FES, Aberdeenshire Council landscaping and contractors for the wall, we are still not quite there for an actual starting date. We are still in the process of trying to get things finalised, which we are hoping to do before Christmas!Kate Lumsden, team leader.Events SubgroupChristmas Lights FES Ltd helped us to put up the street festive lights on Friday 16th November. Five lights on Westhill Drive were not working, but AC sorted the issue within a few days. FES also helped us to put lights on the Christmas tree on Friday 30th November 8th December EventThe switch-on event went well. It was dry and not too cold. John Glascodine was the MC and William Cozens did the switch on. William won the youth Coping with Adversity award as part of the YoYP project run by Skene Church David RitchieDiane Priestley stated that the event was a success and a really good munity Liaison SubgroupInitial discussion resulted in us identifying 3 areas to focus on:Forging links with ‘obvious’ local groups – SensationALL, Westdyke Leisure Centre, CAB, Library etc.Looking for ‘less obvious’ groups to forge a link with – e.g. Taste of Syria Group (looking for potential support for driving lessons). Identify all groups and what their needs are What can WECC do to support them? Approach local employers regarding their Corporate Social Responsibility/Sustainability (CSR) - what can they do for the community they operate in? This could be helping with litter picks, supporting Men’s Shed projects, fundraising etc. We could propose the following: Allow us to put a paragraph in their staff magazine detailing what WECC is doing and how this employer or their employees can assist. We could also provide a link to WECC website. Once we have employee volunteers, could the employer provide Hi-Viz clothing with their company branding alongside the WECC logo?Would they consider giving their employee volunteers additional paid leave for community work? Discussion Required: What do WECC members feel about this approach – are we on the right track?Are there any other volunteers willing to help us? Mandy DugganThe Chair advised that there is no time limit to complete anything, therefore the Community Liaison group should take their time and look at different ways to get involved with the community. John Thornton addressed concerns of company contacts, should the contact leave the company, there is suddenly a barrier between the company and the group.A member of the public stated that companies care more about corporate social responsibility and that they will be more likely to attempt to stay in contact these days. John Thornton advised that he has contacts with a local company and would put them in touch with Mandy Duggan to help out with the group in any way possible. A member of the public suggested that the Community Liaison group should hold meetings with residents of Westhill to find out the main issues which people have and what they can do to help with them. It was also suggested that they meet up with Community Centre ernance SubgroupAn initial review of our governing documents has been undertaken, including the scheme of establishment, constitution, standing orders, code of conduct and handbook, with a view to establishing what the work-scope of the governance group should be. Recommended scope of work is provisionally as follows:Identify any parts of the constitution that conflict with the Scheme of Establishment and consult with council Area Officer to review WECC solutions to resolve any conflicts.Redraft the constitution and standing orders to:Amend the text to improve clarity.Clarify roles and responsibilities of members, office bearers and council officers.Remove superfluous content and make additions where appropriate.Upload all governing documents to a 'governance' section on the website.Over the course of the next 12 months, the governance group should aim to develop a set of policies that project the values we believe are important to our community, for example, policies on equality and diversity, local environment.Brian Colvin John Thornton asked if there would be a deadline for it to be completed, Brian Colvin responded saying that there are no deadlines for this, they were aiming to get it completed by the end of the year however it is better that it is done correctly and late rather than on time and rushed. Communications SubgroupBulletinThe invoices to the advertisers who have signed up for the pre-pay option for all four 2019 issues will be issued next week. Of the 82 advertisers who prepaid for 2018, 73 have agreed to carry on, and 7 other advertisers who didn’t prepay in 2018 have agreed to do so for 2019.David RitchieNew WebsiteThe Chair introduced John Reid. John is a resident of Westhill and has been invited to propose and possibly create a new website. The process will require a vetting and approval by members.?The aim is to make the website more community based and increase traffic so that WECCl will become better known to residents. John Reid introduced himself and showed an example of what the new website could look like. The main purpose of the website is to increase engagement from the public and be well signposted. John is part of a small media company which is made up of 4 members including John. John is keen to help Westhill Community Council in any way which he can, and the Website is something that he can improve significantly. John Thornton agreed that the website needs updated. There are some items on the website that are dated and these need to be looked at. He stated that a strong website is what we need, we also need more editing and control over the website to ensure that everything is up to date. John Reid is aware of the importance of funds, there is a potential opportunity which is not being utilised. He is aware of how strong the Westhill Bulletin is and that there is so many advertisers included in it. This could be a good opportunity to have advertisers also advertising on the website as well as the Bulletin. The Chair added that the revenue from Bulletin advertising is good, however not sufficient for what we want to do as a Community Council, the proposed website advertising section would really help boost revenue and available funds for WECC. John Thornton raised a concern that if WECC use the website for advertising opportunities, this might take some business away from the Westhill Bulletin. He suggested that there could be an online version of the Bulletin instead of a printed version. This would still generate advertising revenue but there would be no printing costs.John Reid explained about the news section in the website, it can be updated, and the best news can be put on the front page. WECC minutes will be included in the website (as at present). John also highlighted that there could be forums for each subgroup so that the public can list any queries they may have onto the website; this will have to be monitored to ensure that questions are being answered and that everything is appropriate.The Chair suggested that there is a picture competition section where people can post their pictures of Westhill and the best one will be put on the front page of the website. John Reid stated that he is happy to gift the website to WECC but as they are a business, paying clients will have to be prioritised, therefore the website may take a bit longer to be completed.Concerns were raised regarding the significant upkeep of the website required by members however tasks can be delegated, and John Reid will be happy to help. Finance SubgroupThe annual admin grant from Aberdeenshire Council was received in November- amount ?1507.90David RitchieDevelopment Plans SubgroupLocal Development Plan Main Issues ReportDiane Priestley expressed the importance of not allowing coalescence between Westhill and Kirkton of Skene separate in terms of buildings. There will be a drop-in event on 21st February at Westhill Holiday Inn to look at the report, it would be good if WECC members could attend, time is yet to be confirmed. (see Cllr Walkers report for more details of the LDP MIR)11CORRESPONDENCENothing significant received that isn’t included elsewhere in minutes12AOCBDaniel Hay informed those in attendance that the lampposts in the Hilltop area of Westhill have now been painted.John Thornton requested that the issue of Bulletin profitability is discussed in the near future.The Chair drew the meeting to a close at 9:45pm Date of Next Meeting: Thursday 10 January 7pm at Holiday Inn Westhill. Daniel HayMinutes SecretaryTREASURER FINANCIAL REPORT ( Receipts & Payments between the November & December meetings)GENERAL FUNDSADVERTISING PRE-PAID FOR 2018 LITTER CAMPAIGN FUNDTOTAL?????FUNDS IN BANK AT 8/11/1820389.034822.00727.3025938.33?????Receipts in period 12/11/18 to 13/12/18????Annual Admin grant from Aberdeenshire Council 1507.90?1507.90Bulletin advertisers-Winter issue1888.48?1888.48Transfer of winter issue pre-paid adverts to General Funds4822.00-4822.00?0.00?????Payments in period 12/11/18 to 13/12/18????XIC- Bulletin winter issue printing-6077.50??-6077.50Winter Bulletin honorarium-450.00?-450.00Xmas Lights & Tree sundries-50.00??-50.00Christmas event 8th Dec- Granite City Brass-150.00??-150.00FUNDS IN BANK AT 13/12/1821879.910.00727.3022607.21COMMUNITY COUNCIL REPORTThis report covers progress we have made in dealing with your priorities for the Westhill Community Council area during the period 01 November to 30 November 2018 The report aims to highlight emerging issues in your area, and to provide crime prevention advice and guidance to Community Council members and residents you represent.?Our focus is to reduce crime and disorder, help create safer communities and respond effectively to local munity Policing PrioritiesAntisocial behaviour, Violence and Disorder:? There have been 3 incidents of vandalism in this reporting period in Westhill.There have been 4 assaults in this reporting period in Westhill.There has been 1 incident of Culpable and Reckless behaviour in this resting period in Westhill. There have been 4 incidents of Breach of the Peace in this resting period Westhill.Police have received numerous calls of youth offending in the Westhill area. Out of the 17 reported incidents, 5 of those involved suspects under the age of 18 years old.We would encourage members of the public to report any antisocial behaviour to Police on 101 at the time to report incidents in order for us to take positive action.Acquisitive Crime:In regards to acquisitive crime throughout November there were 3 reports of theft in the Westhill area. One incident included a report of theft by shoplifting and a report of theft by housebreaking.Road Safety & Road Crime:During this reporting period, there were 4 reports of road traffic offences which included; no MOT, driving without in accordance of a driving licence, careless driving and fail to stop or report a road traffic collision.During this reporting period 2 people were charged to road offences.The Festive Safety Campaign is now under away and will run until 2 January 2018. This will include Police across the country conducting a series of high visibility road checks and mobile patrols to deter and detect drink and/or drug driving. We would encourage drivers not to drink and drive as there is no safe limit. Residents in the areas affected by antisocial driving are encouraged to contact Police on 101 at the time to report incidents in order for us to take positive munity Engagement & ReassuranceA direct result of pro-active work carried out by officers this month has resulted in 5 people being charged with drug related charges. We continue to encourage members of the community to report any suspicious activity.It has been brought to Police attention that there have been parking issues at Westhill Schools particularly at Erick Primary School. In this reporting period Police attended at Elrick Primary School and monitored and educated drivers in their manner of parking. CPT Officers will be carrying out speed checks in “speeding hotspots” in the Westhill area, in the aim to prevent and detect road traffic offences.BreakdownIn November 2018 there have been 17 reported incidents to the Police. That is an increase of reported incidents to Police from October 2018 where there were 12 reported incidents.9 of those incidents are detected crimes in the Westhill area, and will either will be reported to the Procurator Fiscal, warned or have been dealt with means of a Conditional Offer or Fixed Penalty. Contact UsPlease also remember you can communicate with us using any of the following:? 101 – Non emergency; ? Twitter - @NorthEPolice? Facebook – NorthEastPoliceDivision? Web – scotland.police.uk? 999 – Emergency; ? 0800 555 111 - Crimestoppers;Darren BruceInspectorInverurie Community Policing Team ................
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