Balintore Hilton Community Counil
Chairperson’s Report for 8th June 2021
Annual General Meeting (AGM)
This has been a good year for the BHCC and has involved an element of change which has hopefully stabilised the Community Council and protected it from abeyance for the future. After repeated periods of abeyance, I feel that the BHCC has reached an equilibrium upon which we can build.
There has been some change in terms of membership of BHCC as some longstanding members resigned due to other commitments before this AGM. However, new members joined the BHCC and have taken on responsibility for various roles within the Community Council.
Whilst membership levels do meet the recommended 1 representative per 1,000 population, we require more members in order to increase the effectiveness of our current activities and to take on new projects.
At present these goals can be challenging when only shared by a small number of members who themselves have limited time due to other commitments.
Despite these restrictions BHCC has carried out Community Council business during our bi-monthly meetings and have been actively involved in the following issues.
Christmas lights
The BHCC was instrumental in organising the Christmas lights and thanks must go to current and previous members of the committee and their partners/ friends for brightening up the village at a difficult time.
Website
A new website with more functionality has been created, as well as a linked mailing list which has almost 50 subscribers. There is also an active blog promoting help and advice from the Council as well as publishing community news.
Bottle Bank survey
Although the BHCC are not responsible for the Balintore bottle bank, we actively helped the Harbour Trust to run an online consultation on its re-siting.
Defibrilator
The BHCC has promoted the use of the Seaboard defibrillator by way of a explainer video on the website, as well as sourcing a new defibrillator for the Balintore chemist location.
Group Communication
The BHCC has appointed a Community Group Co-ordinator (Community Councillor May Ross) to engage with all local groups, Trusts and organisations and have been offered the new website to promote their activities. The BHCC is clear that we have an open door to community groups and offer to help and promote them in all possible ways.
Zoom funding
We have secured funding to allow us to hold virtual meetings for up to two years if necessary.
Going forward, it is vital that we continue to engage with individuals living within our boundaries, whether this is through community groups or on a personal level.
I believe that the efforts of the Community Council have had a positive impact on the local community and that further opportunities will arise through successful increased awareness.
Jennifer McCann
Chairperson