Approved Minutes of Meeting – AGM & Meeting 22nd May 2024

Balintore & Hilton Community Council

Minutes of Joint Meeting with AGM – Wednesday 22nd May 2024, 7pm

Held at the Seaboard Memorial Hall, Balintore

Present: Kevin Kirk (Chair/Secretary), Brian Gallagher (Treasurer), David Smith, and Lindsay Watt

Apologies: John Friel and Alastair Gill

Invited: Cllr. Maureen Ross, Cllr. Derek Louden,
Liam Clancy Community Support Officer Highland Council,
Support for Community Councils. Fiona Richardson Highland Council,
Tim Kirk Watch Commander, Balintore Fire Station.

Agenda: Approved – Chair

Declaration of Interest: None noted.
(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: Chair introduced himself and welcomed all to the meeting. Chair advised that the meeting was being recorded and asked if anyone objected – No objections documented.

Tribute paid to Cllr Alasdair Rhind by the Chair: Before we begin, I would like to (on behalf of the Community Council) pay tribute to Alasdair Rhind, whom we lost suddenly a few weeks ago. I for one felt extremely privileged to have known the man, and I mean that. He always had time for me, and anyone else for that matter who required his attention. Although I only knew him for a short time, I valued his warm words of advice. That was his temperament, warm unassuming and selfless to a fault. In fact, two or three days prior to his passing, I was sat in his office in Tain doing exactly that, listening intently to his advice and guidance, and then suddenly he was gone. This should serve as a stark reminder to us all, to pay attention and appreciate what we have and not what we don’t, because you never know what’s around the corner. Alasdair’s support for our community was unrelenting, and I know he will be sadly missed.
Anyone who aims to take over from him certainly will have big boots to fill. Rest in peace Friend.

Police Report: Chair, to update if Police Officer not present. – No Police present. Report is attached – No 1.
Unfortunately, Officer Boyd could not be in attendance tonight. Officer Boyd has confirmed that he is available to be contacted if required. Chair has his contact details should this be required.

Minutes of Previous Meeting

Chair requested approval for the minutes of previous meeting.
Action – Minutes approved by DS and seconded by BG.
Approval for Accounts for previous year 2022 -2023 – was requested.
Action – Accounts approved by DS and seconded by BG.

AGM

The Chair announced that the Annual General Meeting (AGM) was required to be held and that it would be relatively short because the current members had only been in place for 12 weeks. Despite this short tenure, the procedure had to be completed, and the Office Bearers were required to stand down and be re-elected. Since the Community Council had been in abeyance previously, there was no past information to offer.

Officers stepped down and Cllr. Ross took over the Chair. Cllr, Ross requested nominations for Chair. David Smith nominated Kevin Kirk, Brian Gallagher seconded this. Cllr. Ross requested any other nominations for chair. No further nominations put forward. Kevin Kirk accepted Chair and nominated Brian Gallagher treasurer this was seconded by David Smith. Kevin Kirk then asked Norma Balfour if she would take on the position of Minute Secretary. Norma accepted the position.

Matters Arising from Previous Meeting

Parking in the Village – Lindsay Watt addressed the issue of parking in the village, highlighting concerns about indiscriminate parking in the narrow streets around Ross Street, Hugh Street, and Bank Street. Mr. Watt requested that the public park considerately and ensure they are not blocking others’ entrances or exits from their properties. Special consideration should be given if taking ‘Works’ vehicles home. Mr Watt also inquired of Mrs. Balfour about parking in front of the Polytunnel area. Mrs. Balfour responded that several years ago, Highland Council had recommended the turning area at the harbour in front of the Polytunnel for overnight parking facilities for village residents’ works vehicles, thus alleviating congestion in the smaller streets. As far as she knew, this recommendation was still valid.
The Chair mentioned that the Community Council had sourced funding for signage but emphasized that Highland Council should still be approached for official ‘No Overnight Parking’ signs. The discussion continued extensively regarding parking and potholes in the Seaboard area, with suggestions from Councillors that specifying the areas suitable for parking in writing would help the Community Council and attending Councillors advocate more effectively to Highland Council.

Finance
AGM TREASURERS REPORT BHCC 23/24 ACCOUNTS
Very little financial activity during year due to BHCC being in obeyance for most of the period.
£107 expenditure but no income for period.
• Total funds carried forward to 24/25 at the end of the financial period – £2803
• Total funds available includes £1652 of restricted funds. This comprises donations for the Seaboard Hall defibrillator (£1157) and website maintenance (£495)
• Unrestricted funds available to BHCC carried forward to 24/25 is £1151.

FINANCIAL REPORT 01/04/24 to 22/05/24
• Total funds available to BHCC at 1/04/24 is £2803

Income received:
• £502 from Highland Council

Expenditure:
• Hall defibrillator battery £300
• Website subscriptions £100
• Transfer of defibrillator maintenance funds to Seaboard Hall – £857

Restricted funds:
• Website maintenance £394

Unrestricted funds available to BHCC at 22/05/24 is £1653

Planning Application
Ref 24/00798/Ful (Highland Council Planning Application site) Action – The Chair has been in touch with planning, and they have advised that whoever goes into these units will have to apply for further planning for the usage of. The Chair will keep a close eye on this

Fire Service
The Chair introduced Tim Kirk, Watch Commander at Balintore Fire Station. He provided an overview of the station’s status and its history. In 2005, Balintore Fire Station was downgraded to respond only to road traffic collisions and wildfires, a decision made by the Highland and Islands Fire Rescue Service. This decision has since been recognized as flawed because it did not consider the risk to the village and surrounding areas.
Consequently, we have been campaigning since 2005 to get back to what we did before and that was responding to all types of fire emergencies within the villages and across the Easter Ross Peninsula. The services have launched a Strategic Service Review Plan (SSRP) which seeks information from the public across Scotland. Commander Kirk emphasized that the number of incidents in recent years would have had different outcomes if the station had been able to respond fully. The station has a crew of 8 with good availability and no shortage of skills, which can be upskilled in a short time to restore their full response capabilities. The community is encouraged to complete the survey found at the attached link to support this campaign and provide valuable feedback. https://www.firescotland.gov.uk/get-involved/consultations/shaping-our-future-service-your-say/

Councillors Report Cllr. Ross reported on the morning’s Communities and Place Committee meeting held at the Council Headquarters in Inverness. During the meeting, the Fire Service presented its annual report titled ‘Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Highland Performance Report,’ which is available on the Highland Council website. Cllr. Ross highlighted the ongoing issues at Balintore Fire Station, explaining the 2005 downgrade and noting that Audit Scotland found ‘no’, Risk Assessment had been conducted for this decision. She requested that a Risk Assessment be carried out. She also mentioned that a new vehicle, the Ultra-Light Micro appliance – a Ford Ranger pickup that crews only four firefighters – was being considered for Balintore Fire Station. Cllr. Ross questioned the efficiency of a vehicle that can only accommodate half the crew, especially given the risk in the area compared to others. Cllr. Ross pointed out that claims of insufficient space for a larger unit were unfounded, stating that there is adequate space to house a larger fire vehicle. She emphasized the importance of completing the survey to address these issues. Additionally, a member of the public recounted a personal incident where their farm buildings and equipment in Nigg were severely damaged. The incident was exacerbated by the Inverness base’s lack of local knowledge, resulting in delays and difficulties in directing fire units to the correct location. The Inverness crew was also unaware of the local water supply, further hindering their response. The main takeaway was the critical need for community members to complete the survey to support improvements and better address the community’s needs. Action– Survey to be advertised on Facebook and Website to encourage public to complete. Also put pressure on Highland Council.

Website and Facebook Pages: The Chair expressed gratitude to Nicky Stainke and Norma Balfour for their efforts in restructuring the website and making it operational and accessible to the public. They are still working on the site and request that the public allow them some time to complete all updates. Additionally, the Chair announced that the Facebook page is now up and running. Patience from the community is appreciated as they work to update and correct all information where required.

Defibrillators: The Chair announced that the defibrillator at the Seaboard Memorial Hall has now been formally transferred from the Community Council, along with all associated funding. This transfer ensures the future use of the defibrillator even if the Community Council goes into abeyance. The defibrillator is registered on ‘The Circuit’.
What is The Circuit? The moment someone has a cardiac arrest, the clock starts ticking. Every minute without CPR and defibrillation reduces their chances of survival. Many defibrillators are never used because emergency services don’t know where they are or how to access them. This is where The Circuit comes in. ‘The Circuit’, is the national defibrillator network that provides NHS ambulance services with vital information about defibrillators across the UK. In those crucial moments after a cardiac arrest, The Circuit helps ensure that defibrillators can be accessed quickly to help save lives.

Bio Digester: No further information to date.

Toilets at Balintore Harbour: Lynda Durrand, the Seaboard Memorial Hall Manager, shared that the hall had a meeting with the Balintore District Residents Group (BDRG), where they decided to collaborate to open the toilets. Originally, they planned to open them from June 1st, but due to the increased activity in the villages and the harbour area, they have already opened them. Maureen, our Councillor, has been voluntarily opening and cleaning the toilets until someone can be employed for the task. The BDRG has successfully secured funding from N.H.I. (North Highland Initiative) for the toilets. In addition to this funding, Seaboard Hall has reached out to local groups, seeking help and donations to ensure the ongoing operation of the toilets both this year and in the future. Today, steps have been taken to place an advertisement for someone to clean the toilets regularly. The funds acquired from various sources, including donations and grants, will be utilised to pay for this cleaning service. The goal is to keep the toilets open throughout the year, providing a vital service to the community, and securing sufficient resources to ensure their maintenance in the following years as well. This proactive approach demonstrates their commitment to addressing the community’s needs and ensuring the availability of essential facilities. Coral Allan mentioned that although other groups were invited to the meeting, not many attended. She also mentioned that the BDRG had received a letter suggesting that they might want to take over the facilities, but they clarified in their response to the Seaboard Hall that they lacked the resources to do so. Norma Balfour expressed that despite the low turnout, the meeting had been productive and positive with those who did attend.

AOCB

1 – Antisocial Behaviour

Members of the public raised concerns about the current situation regarding antisocial behaviour within the Balintore housing scheme, affecting both themselves and other members of the community. Throughout the meeting, there were numerous discussions revolving around this matter, indicating its significance within the community. Brian Gallagher emphasised the importance of having Police representation at the next meeting, highlighting the urgency of the situation. It was unanimously agreed that the current situation had become untenable and required urgent resolution.

2 – Shandwick Beach Steps

Issue raised in relation to steps accessing the Shandwick Beach – these fall under the remit of the Nigg and Shandwick Community Council.

3 – Tennis Court

Issue raised in relation to the Tennis Court owned by Seaboard Hall. Due to volume of workload, the contractor has now commenced with the maintenance work and once this has been completed the netting will be replaced.