Balintore & Hilton Community Council
Minutes of Meeting – Wednesday 20th March 2024, 7pm
Held at the Seaboard Memorial Hall, Balintore
Present: Kevin Kirk, (KK) Chairperson/Secretary, Brian Gallagher, (BG) Treasurer, David Smith, (DS), John Friel (JF), Alastair Gill (AG), Lyndsay Watt, (LW)
Apologies: None
Invited: Cllr Maureen Ross, Cllr Alasdair Rhind, Liam Clancy Community Support Officer Highland Council, Support for Community Councils.
Declaration of Interest: No Declaration of Interest
(If any of the items of business to be considered and you are aware that you have a personal interest in the matter which does not amount to a DPI, you must make verbal declaration of the existence and nature of that interest at or before the consideration of the item of business or as soon as………)
Welcome: KK, Chairperson, introduced himself and welcomed all to the meeting. KK advised that the meeting was being recorded and asked if anyone objected – No objections documented.
Police Report: Chair to update if Police Officer not present. – No Police present – No Report Available.
Minutes of Previous Meeting
KK requested approval for the minutes of the previous meeting.
Action – Minutes approved by JFl and seconded by BG.
KK noted a correction to be made to the minutes re the C.C. bank – it should read the Bank of Scotland and not the Royal Bank as stated on the draft minute.
Action – Corrected.
Matters Outstanding from previous CC at time of Abeyance 2022 – 2023
Finance
BG requested approval for the C.C accounts for year 2022 – 2023
Action – Approval given by committee.
Mr Clancy will communicate with KK re the accounts.
Matters Arising from Previous Meeting
Finances
BG, Treasurer – All forms relating to Bank of Scotland have been amended and all previous signatories no longer required have been removed. Only signatories required on Bank Account are Chairperson and Treasurer.
Website
KK advised that the Website requires to be reinstated, at an annual cost £84. This is for standard package and should be sufficient – if not it will be reviewed. Approval for Treasurer to submit payment was requested.
Action – Approval given by committee.
n.b. (nota bene) This was actioned on the 9th April and payment made. Nicky Stainke to look at the site and set up a connecting Facebook page – NCB spoke to NS and passed new password to her to look at the WordPress site.
Interruption to meeting – A Member of the public requested that the members speak up as hearing was very difficult.
n.b. (nota bene) – this was later raised with the Seaboard Hall, and it was noted that the room had to be changed at short notice due to the large numbers attending. There was not sufficient time to supply a sound system.
Action – This will be rectified for the next meeting held at the Seaboard Hall.
Facebook Page
All admin rights to be revoked and given to Chairperson and one other C.C. member. AG retained the rights for this page and access to the BHCC email until last week. Making it impossible for the Chair to conduct the business required.
Action – Chair will deal with and will be updated at next meeting.
Defibrillators
BG met with Mrs Balfour, (Director of the Seaboard Memorial Hall) (SMH). The directors of the Seaboard Memorial Hall are happy to take over the stewardship and the running of the defibrillator currently situated outside the hall. BG requested approval from the committee that the C.C. pass full responsibility over to the SMH.
Action – Approval given by committee.
BG asked that all funds relating to this defibrillator raised by the C.C should be passed over to SMH for the maintenance of same.
Action – Approval was given – bar one member. AG requested that he wished to speak to Morrison Construction in connection with £500 of funding that they had donated towards the maintenance of the defibrillator being transferred. BG questioned AG on this matter, but it was agreed that AG could approach Morrisons Construction. AG asked for this to be recorded in the minutes.
Police Report
KK has been in touch with Northern Constabulary and has been advised to get in touch with the Liaison Officer at Alness Station.
Fire Service
KK advised that he had received a request from local Councillor Mrs Maureen Ross to provide a quote for the local Ross-shire Journal in connection with the Local Fire Station. Mr Hector Mackenzie, reporter, was in touch with KK this week and he gave a report.
Planning Application
Ref 24/00798/Ful (Highland Council Planning Application site) – Urgent – Application for 4 Industrial Units believed to be re-cycling waste for Batteries. Clarification is required on this. We have until 28th March to reply/object. KK has been in touch with planning – Councillors could not comment as they both sit on Planning. Cllr Ross stated that they would ask Planning to get in touch.
Bio Digester
Information has been passed from the Highland Council to the Scottish Reporter in Edinburgh, he has asked for a Non-Environmental Impact Assessment study. KK stated that he was not clear who was doing the study, was it the Contractor or the Scottish Government. He has addressed the reporter through the Portal and asked him to clarify the situation.
BG understanding is that it is up to the Appellant, which is Acorn energy, to produce the study. Councillor Rhind stated that the Reporters decision will be final and that there is no return from that, there is no appeals process. His/Her decision will be final.
Communication re Whatsapp.
KK advised that he was not happy using WhatsApp within the Community Council. We as a Community Council should be accountable, transparent, and able to stand up to scrutiny. KK also stated that he wished all communication to be documented and that email would be the preferred choice for communication. Various questions were asked, and KK advised that anything concerned with the Community Council will go through the Chair in the first instance and the Chair will decide who is copied in or who is involved. This guaranteed a more streamlined and efficient service. AG raised objections to the chair’s decision. Councillor Rhind advised that recent procedures within the C.C. had not been in line with Community Council regulations and the use of ‘WhatsApp’ had caused many ill feelings and it must stop. The Chair has the authority to deal with questions privately or put out to the members when necessary. The Chair does not have the authority to make decisions themself, but it can be brought to the next meeting and raised on the agenda.
Councillor Ross advised on how the politics of the C.C. works and that all should go through the Chair in the first instance. She advised that Highland Council used email, not WhatsApp.
Communication re Advertising
KK addressed AG in connection with an announcement made re the Community Council Meeting for that night. AG had advised all C.C. members that the meeting was advertised in a Christian Publication and stated that he was cancelling the meeting. KK advised all, that the ‘Seaboard Newsletter’ is not a Religious Newsletter/ Christian Publication and even if it had been there is nothing to stop an advert going out. Councillor Rhind spoke and gave his support to the Chair.
Mrs N Balfour stated that the advert went out in the Seaboard Newsletter at the request of KK.
KK came and advised of the accusation made – Mrs Balfour stated, Helen Ross, Local Authority Senior Communities Development Manager for Highland Council, was contacted by KK and she advised that it makes no difference where the advert goes, providing it is advertised/ to the public and as long as no other breaches in procedures had occurred the meeting should be re-instated, immediately.
The Seaboard Newsletter has been printed for over 30 years and has never been known as a Christian Publication.
Councillors Report
Cllr Ross: Highland Local Development Plan is underway and there will be a consultation/study. Suggested that all should visit the Highland Council website and have a look at the plan.
Cllr Ross: re the housing scheme at Balintore – the back fence along various properties requires to be repaired. Cllr Ross suggested that there may be other routes to get finance for repairing fencing and opened it up to the Community Council.
Funding has been looked at for repair to Council Houses and Balintore is on that list.
Cllr Ross advised that she had also approached the local Fire Service and visited the local station. The tender is an old LD Van and is totally sub-standard for any Fire work. Cllr Ross has spoken to Mr Humphries and there is a new vehicle on its way to Balintore, but it is not for firefighting household fires within the community. Cllr Rhind stated that we need to get Balintore re-instated to a Retained status group, like Tain. Officers require training and proper equipment supplied to them. Various public comments showed that we seriously need to upgrade all Fire Services in this area. Mr Watt/ suggested a letter to go from C.C. to Sam Freewick, Station Commander, Dornoch and/or Jamie Thrower Group Commander Inverness/ Invergordon.
Cllr Ross: re Costal Erosion – would it be possible for several communities to join forces and arrange funding to address this situation. Coastal Communities Fund should be approached.
AOCB
1 – Camper Vans
Discussion ensued. Designated Campervan site – there is none in the Villages. Highland Council carpark facilities within the community do not specify exactly what the facilities are for. Signs from Highland Council restricting overnight parking to be sought.
2 – Toilets at Balintore Harbour
LW – N Balfour, Director of Seaboard Hall, we are the current owners of the toilets at the harbour. We are currently in discussion with the (BDRG) Balintore District Residents Group, and a letter is going out to them in connection with this.
3 – Date of Next Meeting
21st May 2024 – Meeting at the Scout Hut/ Seaboard Hall – to be arranged.
-Minutes approved by John Friel and seconded by Brian Gallacher, 22nd May 2024-
Balintore & Hilton Community Council 