Community Council Forums
Annual General Meeting of the West Dunbartonshire Community Council Forum
Wednesday 4th June 2025 @ 19:00 in Dalmonach Community Centre
1) Welcome
Present:
Alexandria: Apologies from Tilda McCrimmon and Barbara, Barnes
Balloch and Haldane: No rep
Bonhill and Dalmonach: Jack Fordy, Apologies from Fiona Jenkins
Bowling and Milton: No working CC
Clydebank East: Alistair Conarty
Dumbarton East and Central: No working CC
Faifley: No working CC
Kilmaronock: Andrew Sinnott (AS) (Forum Secretary), Apologies from Gavin MacLellan
Linnvale and Drumry: John Hainey, Mary McAleer
Old Kilpatrick: Isobel Plunkett (IP) (Forum Chair)
Parkhall, North Kilbowie & Central: Drummond McNair, Apologies from Anne MacDougall
Silverton and Overtoun: Rona Wilkinson (RW) (Forum Vice-chair), Linda McCowat, Andrew Muir
WDC Your Community Team No rep
2) Office Bearers’ Report
The Forum Office bearers for this term were :-
Chair : Isobel Plunkett
Vice chair : Rona Wilkinson
Treasurer : Alistair Conarty
Secretary : Andrew Sinnott
General Committee: Linda McCowat, Drummond McNair and Anne MacDougall
Most of the active CC’s have sent representatives to each meeting. As always, it is appreciated that
Forum members give up their time for the benefit of their communities. All meetings have been well
attended.
Thanks to Alan Karas for his support on behalf of WDC Communities Team and we very much hope
that WDC retain some interest in the Forum and the individual CC’s.
This year we have focused on the following themes :Rationalisation of the CC Handbook. Thanks to Linda McCowat of SOCC for pulling it all together. It will remain a live document for the Forum to review and maintain.
Formation of a SCIO to enable the coordination and distribution of any Community Benefit Funds
arising in the future e.g. should the Vale of Leven Windfarm be consented and become operational.
Pursuing communication issues between WDC chief officers and CC’s General support for individual CC issues including workshops on Local Place Planning.
Sadly, during this period, Dumbarton East & Central were dissolved, SOCC are on hiatus and
Kilmaronock is on minimum membership with some of the existing members wishing to step down.
Previous members of the Forum, Gilbert Howatson and Murdoch Cameron MBE passed away since
the last AGM.
Accounts
The financial year is from 1st April to 31st March
Balance at end of year : £5634.84
Annual grant in : £2000.00
WDC contribution to promotional video in : £1000
Expenditure out : £567.30
3) Appointment of Officer Bearers
No new nominations were made so the previous office bearers were re-elected as follows:
Chair – Isobel Plunkett (OKCC)
Vice-chair – Rona Wilkinson (SOCC)
Secretary – Andrew Sinnott (KCC)
Treasurer – Alistair Conaty (CECC)
Plus general committee members :
Linda McCowat (SOCC)
Anne McDougall (PNKCCC)
Drummond McNair (PNKCCC)
4) Date of Next AGM
3rd June 2026 @ 7.00pm
Quarterly meeting of the West Dunbartonshire Community Council Forum
Wednesday 5th March 2025 @ 19:00 in Dalmonach Community Centre, Dalmonach
1) Welcome
The Forum were saddened to hear of the recent passing of Murdoch Cameron MBE. For many years
Murdoch represented Balloch & Haldane CC and was very involved with the CC Forum.
Present:
Alexandria: Tilda McCrimmon, Barbara Barnes
Balloch and Haldane: No rep
Bonhill and Dalmonach: Jack Fordy, Fiona Jenkins
Bowling and Milton: No rep
Clydebank East: Alistair Conarty
Dumbarton East and Central: No rep
Faifley: No rep, Kilmaronock Apologies from Gavin MacLellan, Andrew Sinnott (Forum Secretary)
Linnvale and Drumry: John Hainey, Mary McAleer
Old Kilpatrick: Isobel Plunkett (Forum Chair) Rena Mackenzie
Parkhall, North Kilbowie & Central: Drummond McNair, Apologies from Anne MacDougall
Silverton and Overtoun: Rona Wilkinson (Forum Vice-chair) Linda McCowat Andrew Muir
WDC Your Community Team Alan Karas
Guests James Baird and Sam McMillan from Coriolis
Energy
2) Vale of Leven Windfarm Update
James Baird and Sam McMillan from Coriolis Energy presented an update on the VoL Windfarm
project and discussed the options for distribution of the Community Benefit Fund (CBF) that would
be available once the project is consented.
Additional documents were submitted to the Energy Consents Unit March 2025 with proposals to remove or water down the formal objections raised. The headline change is the reduction of the blade tip height from 250m to 220m to alleviate some visual impacts that had been part of the objections.
The current timeline for consent decision is Q2 2027 and if consented then construction would commence 2028 and operation in 2030.Ripple Energy have been brought onboard to provide an option to offset electricity bills for selected consumers, this would be paid for from the CBF.
The windfarm operators (ESB) would provide the CBF to a recognised community organisation to manage the onward distribution.
There would be an option for the community to purchase shares and receive income from the windfarm.
There could be a blend of all 3 options rather than having to pick just one. That would be for the community organisation to decide.
Local Energy Scotland are the main brokers for CBFs and have grants available to set up community bodies to handle CBFs’
Action : Issy to invite a Local Energy Scotland representative and a Ripple Energy representative to the next forum meeting or have special meeting if necessary.
3) Treasurer’s report
The WDC annual grant was received in full and the next one will be applied for after the end of year accounts are signed off.
Current balance : £4665.97
Anyone with outgoings are to send a copy of the receipt(s) and their bank details to Alastair for prompt payment.
The £500 for the video was paid for by OKCC and Issy will forward the details shortly.
4) Creation of a Community Benefit SCIO
Issy reported that the sub-group had met and were currently planning to use the 9CCG constitution as a basis for creation of a new WD version.
5) WDC Matters
Working Relationship
It has been discussed many times at the Forum that the responses from Chief Officers to community councillors is at best slow but mostly non-existent, despite there being a statutory response time.
Anne & Drummond wrote to WDC on behalf of their CC which Issy asked them to share around all CC’s.
Issy read out the list of support that would normally be given to CC’s by their local authority, in comparison, all we receive from WDC is an annual admin grant which is currently under threat.
We discussed the relevance of CC’s to WDC if they do not acknowledge our role as a voice in and for the communities we represent and see it as an option to remove all funding. None of us are paid to do what we do.
Action : Drummond to send PNKCCC letter to Andy for distribution to all CC’s
Action : Issy to invite a Scottish Minister to the next Forum meeting.6)
CC Handbook Review
The new handbook is near completion, the draft was circulated after the last meeting and no changes were proposed.
7) Mediation training
After discussion, the preference was to have an in-person training session rather than online. It is slightly more expensive but there are benefits to being in the same room.
Action : Andy to follow up with Alan to get a date and a venue then book it.
8) Youth Engagement
Linda has been following up with the Youth Parliament (via Lucy McGovern) to see how CC’s can engage with the youth voice. For now it is a challenge to have members of the YP attend evening meetings with CC’s but it was suggested by Lucy that we could go to them…
“I would really like for community council to have a meet and greet day with CC - for you all to come and see their work and how they represent their communities, their structure and for them to learn from you all too. We could even have some food and plan to have it during the summer hols! They can also let you know about their latest campaigns and consultations which may compliment your current work or something you could support, and vice versa.”
Action : Linda to accept the invitation and work towards a meeting as expressed above.
9) CC’s dissolving due to lack of volunteers to stand for election
Following a proposal / suggestion from Bonhill Community Council representatives and a short discussion, it was agreed that we should explore the option that the Forum become a district wide single Community Council.
The pros and cons of which we would discuss at a later stage.
Action : All representatives were requested to think about this suggestion and prepare ideas for discussion at the next meeting.
10) Date of Next Meeting
The next meeting will include the AGM on Wednesday 4th June 2025 @ 7.00pm, in Dalmonach Community Centre.
Notices will be sent out with confirmation in good time but please send in any items for discussion as early as possible. The executive will meet as needed before then.
Quarterly meeting of the West Dunbartonshire Community Council Forum
Wednesday 4th December 2024 @ 19:00 in Dalmonach Community Centre, Dalmonach
Present:
Alexandria: Tilda McCrimmon, Barbara Barnes
Balloch and Haldane: No rep
Bonhill and Dalmonach: Jack Fordy, Fiona Jenkins
Bowling and Milton: No rep
Clydebank East: Alistair Conarty
Dumbarton East and Central: No rep
Faifley: No rep
Kilmaronock: Gavin MacLellan, Andrew Sinnott (Forum Secretary)
Linnvale and Drumry: John Hainey, Mary McAleer
Old Kilpatrick: Isobel Plunkett (Forum Chair)
Parkhall, North Kilbowie & Central: Drummond McNair, Anne MacDougall
Silverton and Overtoun: Rona Wilkinson (Forum Vice-chair), Linda McCowat, Claire Muir, Apologies from Andrew Muir
WDC Your Community Team Alan Karas
2) Creation of a Community Benefit SCIO
Issy recapped the recent proposal to set up a SCIO to represent the CC’s of West Dunbartonshire in
the handling and distribution of any Community Benefit Funds arising from renewable energy
projects within WD. It is important to now act on this and broadcast that action is taking place.
Members of the Forum attended the meeting set up by Friends of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs
who tried to set up a similar SCIO but not for the benefit of WD communities. They were
unsuccessful in getting support but intend to continue to pursue the matter regardless.
It is formally proposed that we follow up with the 9CC Group from East Ayrshire who came to our
meeting in June and see if we can transpose their operational model and constitution to fit the
needs of a West Dunbartonshire SCIO.
All were in favour.A sub-group was formed composed of Issy, Rona, Jack, Drummond, Anne and Tilda to get this in motion.
3) Minutes from last meeting on 5th June 2024 and Matters Arising
▪ CC Handbook Review
Linda circulated the final draft. The section regarding the WDC Communities Team is incomplete as the team has been disbanded, with no word yet on how the new structure will provide the statutory community support.
Alan Karas described how the former Communities Team members will be reposted in 4
areas :
1. Education services
2. Economic & Development
3. Democratic services and
4. Asset management
Linda will mail a copy to all CC’s and anyone interested to review it. Responses will be
needed by mid-February so the final version can be presented to the Forum in March.
▪ 50 yr anniversary
Alan & Issy met with the Provost’s secretary. Due to budget restrictions, the event to
recognise the 50 yr history of community councils will be low key. Each CC are
• invited to nominate 2 participants for attendance
• requested to send in any good news stories showing the positive effects CC’s have in
their communities
• nominate any CC members for recognition of their contribution e.g. long service,
outstanding effort
The date has yet to be confirmed but it will be a Wednesday evening early next year.
Send names for attendance and recognition plus any good news stories to
secretary@kilmaronockcc.org
▪ Promotional Video
The video has also been completed. The full cost was £1,500 of which Issy agreed that the
Forum would pay £500.
▪ Logo
There may be a design ready for the next meeting.
4) Treasurer’s Report
Alistair presented the latest account statement
Balance : £2682.14
Outgoings this financial period were for two meetings at OKFP (July & September)
The grant application was submitted in April but has not been paid – Alan Karas to follow up and
resubmit if necessary.
5) Date of Next Meeting
It was agreed to rotate meeting venues throughout the WD area. This gives a chance to visit each CC
area and make use of their local venue.
The next meeting will be hosted by Linnvale & Drumry CC on Wednesday 5th March 2025 @
7.00pm, in The Double ‘L’ Centre, Linnvale Primary School, Linnvale.
Notices will be sent out with confirmation in good time but please send in any items for discussion as
early as possible. The executive will meet as needed before then.
Future meeting dates:
Wednesday 4th June – AGM
Quarterly meeting of the West Dunbartonshire Community Council Forum
Wednesday 4th September 2024 @ 19:00 in Napier Hall, Old Kilpatrick
Present:
Alexandria: Tilda McCrimmon, Barbara Barnes
Balloch and Haldane: No rep
Bonhill and Dalmonach: Jack Fordy, Fiona Jenkins
Bowling and Milton: No rep
Clydebank East: No rep
Dumbarton East and Central: Dorothy Heron
Faifley: No rep
Kilmaronock: Andrew Sinnott (AS) (Forum Secretary)
Linnvale and Drumry: John Hainey, Mary McAleer
Old Kilpatrick: Isobel Plunkett (IP) (Forum Chair), Rena Mackenzie
Parkhall, North Kilbowie & Central: Drummond McNair
Silverton and Overtoun: Rona Wilkinson (RW) (Forum Vice-chair), Linda McCowat, Andrew Muir
WDC Your Community Team Alan Karas
Guests Matthew Spurway WDC Planning Dept
2) Local Development Plan with Matthew Spurway, WDC Development Planning
Matthew gave a presentation on the production of the next Local Development Plan (LDP). A copy will be sent with the minutes.
The presentation detailed the schedule, the process and the inputs needed to create the next LDP.
There was a follow up discussion.
Community consultation is ongoing via two surveys which close at the end of the month.
Community Councils have all been sent the surveys and they are open to all residents but so far, there has been a very low response, approximately 70 from the whole of West Dunbartonshire. There are alternate versions of the survey for children of different ages.
Some communities are already in the process of creating a Local Place Plan (LPP) which will then be used as an input to the Local Development Plan.
Grants of up to £500 are available to local communities to assist with cost in producing a LPP
The Place Standard Tool is a good starter for community discussions. Download the posters or see if WDC have any already available as they are useful for round table type events.
Maps of WDC owned land and assets within each CC area should be made available to CC’s for their place planning.
All of the key information about the consultation can be found on our website at:
And if anyone is interested in Local Place Plans please see the following page:
If anyone has questions or queries I’m happy for people to contact me directly or at ldp@west-dunbarton.gov.uk (the LDP inbox would be best for consultation responses)
3) Minutes from last meeting on 5th June 2024 and Matters Arising
▪ CC Handbook Review
Linda circulated a list of documents needed to complete a few more sections. If anyone has the information then send to Linda.
▪ 50 yr anniversary - Due to change of Provost and team, the planned civic reception has been cancelled pending a re-arrangement via a new invitation from the new Provost.
▪ Promotional Video - The video has also been delayed in production but is still in the planning.
▪ Logo - A modified design is in hand
4) Community Council Round Table Discussion
Common themes are CC’s on minimum numbers and struggling to gain more to join.
CC meeting attendance is usually low until a contentious issue comes up – people only coming out
for negative reasons.
Further cuts at WDC are only going to make services worse.
There is a lack of common knowledge of the contents of the constitution or the meanings of some of the definitions within it. This leads to different interpretations of the constitution often due to the level of detail being aimed at standard circumstances leaving unusual ones to figure out on your own. Hopefully, the work on the new handbook will lead to making it easier to understand and
operate within the constitution for all.
5) Date of Next Meeting
The next meeting will be on 4th December @ 7.00pm, in Napier Hall. Notices will be sent out with confirmation in good time but please send in any items for discussion as early as possible. The executive will meet as needed before then.
Future meeting dates :
Wednesday 5th March
Wednesday 4th June – AGM
Quarterly meeting of the West Dunbartonshire Community Council Forum
Wednesday 5th June 2024 @ 19:00 in Napier Hall, Old Kilpatrick
Present:
Alexandria:Tilda McCrimmon, Barbara Barnes
Balloch and Haldane: No rep
Bonhill and Dalmonach: Jack Fordy, Fiona Jenkins
Bowling and Milton: No rep
Clydebank East: Alistair Conarty
Dumbarton East and Central: Dorothy Heron, Apologies from Jim Crosthwaite
Faifley: No rep
Kilmaronock: Andrew Sinnott (AS) (Forum Secretary)
Linnvale and Drumry: John Hainey, Mary McAleer
Old Kilpatrick: Isobel Plunkett (IP) (Forum Chair), Apologies from Rhona Young
Parkhall, North Kilbowie & Central: Drummond McNair, Apologies from Anne MacDougall
Silverton and Overtoun: Rona Wilkinson (RW) (Forum Vice-chair), Linda McCowat, Apologies from Andrew Muir
WDC Your Community Team Alan Karas, Stephen Burns
Guests Amanda Kean – WDC LHEES Officer
Stephen McCarron – 9CC Group COO
Calum Watkins – Glasgow Community Energy
2) Minutes of previous meeting and matters arising
Minutes proposed as accurate by IP & AS
• CC Handbook Review – Ongoing. Estimated 75% complete. Further input is needed and AS
will liaise with AK to get the info for Linda. Drummond agreed to review the new document
as it nears completion. Aiming for September completion to tie in with the 50th anniversary
reception.
• 50 year anniversary – plans proceeding for the reception event on 7th September
• Promotional video – IP has secured funding to make the video. The idea is to interview the
oldest and youngest community councillors and add in some other experienced parties.Some research is needed to check which CC was the first in WD – Silverton & Overtoun
maybe? The newest is Alexandria, so members of those will be invited to participate. CC’s
such as Alexandria & Old Kilpatrick celebrate diversity in their community councillors which
should also be highlighted.
• Logo – IP brought some examples of a new logo for the Forum and invited feedback to take
back to the designer.
• Conflict Resolution training – AK confirmed that WDC have funding for such training and
there are 3 providers being assessed. The training will consist of online and face-to-face
sessions.
3) Amanda Kean:
WDC Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategy (LHEES) Officer
Amanda talked about her role and the LHEE Strategy. The slides from her presentation were not
shown but will be forwarded with these minutes.
4) Stephen McCarron:
9CC Group
Stephen gave a presentation on the formation of the 9CC Group in response to the Community
Benefit Fund that comes with production of green energy specifically wind farms.
The presentation will be forwarded with these minutes.
5) AOCB
Insurance has been renewed under the same policy requirements as usual. Details of the insurance
broker are appended to these minutes and individual CC’s are encouraged to liaise with the brokers
in case of any additional cover needed for their bespoke events.
6) Date of Next Meeting
The next meeting will be on 4th September @ 7.00pm, in Napier Hall. Notices will be sent out with
confirmation in good time but please send in any items for discussion as early as possible. The
executive will meet as needed before then.
Future meeting dates:
Wednesday 4th December
Wednesday 12th March
Wednesday 4th June – AGM
Annual General Meeting of the West Dunbartonshire Community Council Forum
Wednesday 5th June 2024 @ 19:00 in Napier Hall, Old Kilpatrick
Present:
Alexandria: Tilda McCrimmon, Barbara Barnes
Balloch and Haldane: No rep
Bonhill and Dalmonach: Jack Fordy, Fiona Jenkins
Bowling and Milton: No rep
Clydebank East: Alistair Conarty
Dumbarton East and Central: Dorothy Heron, Apologies from Jim Crosthwaite
Faifley: No rep
Kilmaronock: Andrew Sinnott (AS) (Forum Secretary)
Linnvale and Drumry: John Hainey, Mary McAleer
Old Kilpatrick: Isobel Plunkett (IP) (Forum Chair), Apologies from Rhona Young
Parkhall, North Kilbowie & Central: Drummond McNair, Apologies from Anne MacDougall
Silverton and Overtoun: Rona Wilkinson (RW) (Forum Vice-chair), Linda McCowat, Apologies from Andrew Muir
WDC Your Community Team Alan Karas, Stephen Burns
Guests Amanda Kean – WDC LHEES Officer
Stephen McCarron – 9CC Group COO
Calum Watkins – Glasgow Community Energy
2) Office Bearers’ Reports
The CC Forum was reformed post-COVID with an updated constitution. The inaugural meeting was
held on 3rd December 2022. Subsequently ordinary business meetings have been held quarterly and
this is the 1st AGM since reformation.
All active CC’s have sent representatives to each meeting. Thanks to them as they give up their time
for the benefit of their communities. Coming to these extra meetings is much appreciated
collectively. If nothing else, the Forum is just that, a Forum to exchange experiences.
Thanks to Maureen and her team at OKFP for their hosting of the meetings despite all the work
involved in relocating from Station Rd to Napier Hall.
Thanks to Alan for his support on behalf of WDC Communities Team despite having workload
increased due to trimming of the team as a result of the LA budget cuts.
Thanks to Issy for driving things forward not forgetting her sub-teams.
At the heart of the reboot of the Forum are the following 3 themes :First, code of conduct has been a recurring theme, poor conduct whatever the cause is inexcusable.
It is a shame that some people (a minority, it must be said) don’t respect others who are trying to
help, especially considering that we are all volunteers. This has a clear impact on our psychological
wellbeing/mental health. As community councillors, we ought to set examples of behaviour, so it is
important to get our house in order before we can address the attitude and behaviour of those who
attend our meetings. The public are often unaware of what lies within the competencies of CC’s but
it should not lead to conflict. Hence a review of the CC Handbook to clarify expectations.
Second, training is a part of the above, improving the knowledge and skills within CC’s goes a long
way to harmonisation of what CC’s do and improving their effectiveness, leading to improving
community confidence and support.
Thirdly and most importantly, recruitment is often hampered by all of the above – who wants to join
an ineffective or quarrelsome CC?
The Forum (albeit slowly) will work on actions to help improve conduct & provide access to training
thus making CC’s more effective and therefore more attractive to join or support, hopefully solving
the recruitment issue as a result.
Accounts
The financial year is from 1st April to 31st March
Balance at end of year : £3202.14
Annual grant in : £2000.00
Expenditure out : £797.86
3) Appointment of Officer Bearers
Incumbent office bearers stood down and the chair was passed to by Alan Karas (WDC) to invite
nominations for the posts of Chair, Vice-chair, Secretary & Treasurer.
No new nominations were made so the previous office bearers were re-elected as follows:
Chair – Isobel Plunkett (OKCC)
Vice-chair – Rona Wilkinson (SOCC)
Secretary – Andrew Sinnott (KCC)
Treasurer – Alistair Conaty (CECC)
Isobel then called for other committee members to be nominated and the following were elected :
Linda McCowat (SOCC)
Anne McDougall (PNKCCC)
Drummond McNair (PNKCCC)
4) Date of Next AGM
4th June 2025 @ 7.00pm
Quarterly meeting of the West Dunbartonshire Community Council Forum
Wednesday 13th March 2024 @ 19:00 in Napier Hall, Old Kilpatrick
Present :
Alexandria: Tilda McCrimmon, Barbara Barnes
Balloch and Haldane: Pamela Scott, Kenny Gibson, Apologies from Lynne Somerville
Bonhill and Dalmonach: No rep, Apologies from Jack Fordy
Bowling and Milton: No rep
Clydebank East: Alistair Conaty
Dumbarton East and Central: Dorothy Heron, Apologies from Jim Crosthwaite
Faifley: No rep
Kilmaronock: Andrew Sinnott (AS) (Forum Secretary)
Linnvale and Drumry: John Hainey, Stuart Gray
Old Kilpatrick: Isobel Plunkett (IP) (Forum Chair), Rena Mackenzie
Parkhall, North Kilbowie & Central: Drummond McNair, Anne MacDougall
Silverton and Overtoun: Rona Wilkinson (RW) (Forum Vice-chair), Linda McCowat, Andrew Muir, Apologies from Rose Harvie
WDC Your Community Team Alan Karas (via Teams)
Rose is retiring from CC duties this year and we as a Forum ought to recognise her contributions to
not only SOCC but also the Forum itself and the many other community activities that Rose has
championed. IP, RW & AS will action this.
2) Minutes of previous meeting and matters arising
Minutes proposed as accurate by Drummond & seconded by Anne. No matters were raised at, or prior to, the meeting.
3) CC Handbook Review
A sub-team headed by Linda have re-organised the handbook to a more readable format making it
easier to reference and have added a page for signatures of community councillors to say they have
read and will adopt the contents.
The draft will now be sent to all CC’s for their feedback with the intention to formally ratify it at the
CC Forum AGM in June.
The forum thanked Linda for doing the bulk of the work.
4) 50 year anniversary planning update
Anne took the lead on this and has been in contact with the Lord Provost who has in principle agreed to hosting a civic reception with the exact format still to be agreed. Due to the cuts, the budget is necessarily restricted but we all agreed that catering and entertainment is not so important as honouring the long serving community councillors and marking the 50th anniversary of CC’s in Scotland. The event is set for 5pm on 7th September in Clydebank Town Hall.
The newly formed Youth Parliament have been set the task of working out for themselves how
youth could participate in the event.
IP has had discussions with Darren at WDCVS towards making a promotional video or presentation
including helping with a new logo for the CC Forum. This could be incorporated in other promotional
material such as pop-up banners.
IP has also talked to Charlie at Clydesiders magazine about an article.
We discussed the idea of having an interview with the youngest member of a CC in WD with the
oldest to compare views of being a community councillor.
5) Community Councillors Discussions
Recruitment
We discussed the need for more community councillors and ideally more youth involvement.
AK met with Lucy McGovern from Youth Development who reported that through her engagements
with young people there was no appetite for them to become members of community councils. We
need to work with them to understand what level of engagement young people want to have in local
politics, if any. We also need to explain better what the function of CC’s are and do.
Regarding SOCC in particular who do not have enough members to operate, a door to door leaflet
campaign is being coordinated by the communities team. It will be up to the current SOCC members
to follow up on that however Rona pointed out that they do not have the capacity to do that.
We discussed whether schools should be approached directly by CC members but it was thought
best to involve youth development workers.
We suggested creating local networks of community bodies for example, School Parent Councils or
leaders of other youth groups to meet and see how they can help the CC rather than the CC do all
the work themselves.
Young people respond to different types of social media so we should aim to use that to send
positive messages about CC work.
Rather than just asking for people to join a CC – show them why it would be a good idea. If the CC
has a list of ambitions or projects that are going unfulfilled due to lack of participation then advertise
that fact and maybe people would see that as a reason to join up for the benefit of everyone.
Quarterly meeting of the West Dunbartonshire Community Council Forum
Wednesday 6th December 2023 @ 19:00 in Old Kilpatrick Food Parcels Hub
Present
Alexandria - Tilda McCrimmon, Barbara Barnes
Balloch and Haldane - David Keown, Lynne Somerville
Bonhill and Dalmonach - Jack Fordy, Fiona Jenkins
Clydebank East - Alistair Conaty
Dumbarton East and Central - Dorothy Heron
Kilmaronock - Andrew Sinnott (AS) (Forum Secretary)
Linnvale and Drumry - John Hainey, Mary McAleer
Old Kilpatrick - Isobel Plunkett (IP) (Forum Chair), Rena Mackenzie
Parkhall, North Kilbowie & Central - Drummond McNair
Silverton and Overtoun - Rona Wilkinson (RW) (Forum Vice-chair), Linda McCowat, Rose Harvie, Andrew Muir
Apologies
Anne MacDougall (Parkhall, North Kilbowie & Central)
Rhona Young (Old Kilpatrick )
Jim Crosthwaite (Dumbarton East and Central)
Alan Karas (WDC Your Community Team)
Minutes of previous meeting and matters arising
No matters were raised at, or prior to, the meeting.
The Election of Office Bearers
Prior to the meeting there was an unanswered call for any interest in standing as a committee member. As there had been no response the current team agreed to stay in post until the next meeting.
IP proposed that we hold this item over until the next meeting and all were in favour.
Guest Q&A
Elaine Troup followed up her remote presentation given at the previous meeting. Elaine is manager of the Communities Team whose responsibilities are currently being restructured to include Youth Learning and Community Planning.
IP asked about Community Empowerment and the status of the Action plans particularly the Communications plan as there are numerous instances of chief officers’ lack of response to enquiries. Apart from the lack of respect shown to CC’s this had a knock on effect of making CC’s impotent and therefore worthless to the communities they serve.
RW reported that her CC was on a hiatus due to lack of community councillors, they have tried to recruit new members many times and would like some help from Elaine’s team to implement them e.g. school visits. RW would like the communities team to create an Action Plan for recruitment of new members.
Alistair Conaty brought up the issue of funding and not knowing who to contact.
Drummond McNair expanded on the lack of response from WDC chief officers with examples.
David Keown asked if the Email system could use a flagging system to highlight mails from CC’s in particular. Also gave an example with a HSE consequence that ought to have been prioritised and noted that the elected members for his area do not engage effectively.
John Hainey made the point that lack of communication creates more work in repeat reporting of same fault without any feedback.
IP queried interdepartmental cross charging inflating costs of jobs and materials over that obtained privately.
Elaine addressed the above with the caveats that a lot of it was out with her Communities Teams responsibilities but she had taken note of it all.
There was a discussion regarding Youth Engagement as that is seen as a key theme in getting the views and participation of the next generation.
Once the work being done to support the Youth Parliament elections is over, the team will be able to focus more on the engagement methods needed to get young people involved.
West Dunbartonshire Community Transport
John Hainey gave an overview of the Health Appointment Transport Scheme (HATS) being run by a group of volunteers and supported by WDC.
Volunteers use their own vehicle to transport eligible patients to health care appointments. The scheme has been running for 18 months with between 2-6 volunteer drives and 1-2 helpers. Currently about 25 appointments per month are delivered with the limitation being the availability of volunteers.
John or one of the team would be happy to attend any CC meeting to explain more about the service and tout for more volunteers.
A leaflet will be sent out to each CC with these minutes.
Volunteers are remunerated at the government approved mileage allowance rates with a daily allowance for a snack and a drink in addition.
More info can be requested from wdctag@gmail.com
Community Councillors Discussions
Code of conduct
No progress. IP will convene a sub-group meeting.
Sex Education in Scottish Schools
Lynne Sommerville gave an overview of concerns around the curriculum and will circulate a summary document after the meeting.
Flooding in Dumbarton
Dorothy Heron shared her experience from the most recent severe flooding events. Residents are entitled to flood defence equipment. The equipment is to be relocated from the Fire Station to a container to be installed in the car park at Morrison’s in Dumbarton.
Lack of Response from WDC chief officers
Drummond McNair among others, notably Jack Fordy, raised this issue (also in many meetings previously). The Citizens’ Charter requires queries to be responded to within 10 working days. Not only is this not achieved but, more often than not, there is zero response – some emails remaining unopened. The lack of respect that this shows for CC’s and the public in general, is indicative of a poor culture within WDC for which the leadership from the top down is responsible.
This was mostly discussed when Elaine was present so although out with her department remit, she was made aware of the issue all CC’s have in trying to get replies from chief officers.
Complaints Procedure
IP was told by a WDC chief officer to take her CC’s complaints to the Ombudsman but the ombudsman does not deal with CC complaints.
IP recommended that all issues raised regarding chief officers’ responses should be lodged via the official complaints system in order to generate publicly available statistics.
In discussion, it was noted that the elected councillors vary in their engagement with CC’s with some never attending any meetings.
Vale of Leven Wind Farm
Jack Fordy informed us that a planning application for an onshore wind farm has been lodged with the Scottish ministers. Currently planned for 10 large turbines, originally 19 smaller ones were proposed. The newly proposed turbines are 250m tall (sited on top of a 250m hill). These will the largest turbines ever used onshore. For reference, existing turbines visible round here have been about half that height. The location was not chosen for its suitability i.e. windiness but rather its availability to the developer. The project is designed to generate 70 MW.
If approved there will be a Community Benefit fund available to the communities affected. The community councils for those areas are due to have a collective meeting with the developers which is being organised by the Communities Team.
Project information can be found here : https://valeoflevenwindfarm.com/
Auchencarroch Landfill Site
Jack Fordy also updated us on the increasing problems with noxious releases from the gas plants at the landfill site that borders his CC area. SEPA have been contacted by the CC and Kilmaronock CC are trying to raise this issue with WDC but so far no response.
50th Anniversary of CC’s in Scotland
No progress. IP will convene a sub-group meeting.
Date of Next Meeting
The next business meeting will be 13th March @ 7.00pm, notices will be sent out with venue location in good time but please send in any items for discussion as early as possible. The executive will meet as needed before then.
Quarterly meeting of the West Dunbartonshire Community Council Forum
Wednesday 6th September 2023 @ 19:30 in Old Kilpatrick Food Parcels Hub
1) Welcome
Present:
Alexandria: Tilda McCrimmon, Apologies from Barbara Barnes
Balloch and Haldane: David Keown, Lynne Somerville
Bonhill and Dalmonach: Jack Fordy, Apologies from Fiona Jenkins
Bowling and Milton: No rep
Clydebank East: Alistair Conaty
Dumbarton East and Central: Dorothy Heron, Jim Crosthwaite
Faifley: No rep
Kilmaronock: Andrew Sinnott (Forum Secretary)
Linnvale and Drumry: John Hainey
Old Kilpatrick: Rhona Young, Rena Mackenzie, Isobel Plunkett (Forum Chair)
Parkhall, North Kilbowie & Central: Drummond McNair, Anne MacDougall
Silverton and Overtoun: Apologies from Rona Wilkinson (Forum Vice-chair), Linda McCowat, Rose Harvie
WDC Your Community Team: Alan Karas
Isobel commenced with sending good wishes to Rona who could not be with us tonight.
2) Minutes of previous meeting and matters arising.
Alistair Conaty provided the following correction to the previous minutes which were then adopted.
“I have had ongoing health problems for the last 12 years and have carried out my role within the Community Council during it and this was not the reason for resigning.
There was a difference of opinion within the group and I decided it was best to leave and concentrate on my role as Treasurer for the Clydebank East Community Council.”
Rhona Young (OKCC) requested a hard copy of the agenda as she has no access to email or a computer to print her own. It is the responsibility of each CC secretary to ensure all CC members have the info sent by the Forum.
CC liability insurance
If CC’s want to hold an event that is not covered then they should contact the insurance company direct to arrange any additional cover as necessary.
The contact information for the insurer is appended to these minutes.
3) Treasurer Report
Current balance is £3,982.14
Outgoings : £17.86 to WD Leisure Trust on 14th June
4) Guest speaker
Elaine Troup joined via Zoom to run through a presentation on the recent changes to the Communities Team and some programmes for the future. The presentation will be mailed along with these minutes.
5) Community Councillors Discussions
Code of conduct
After discussion it was agreed that the Forum should proceed with updating the handbook to clarify how to deselect Community Councillors who are found to be in breach of the Code of Conduct. The Forum executive will propose amendments and follow up with WDC to get them implemented.
50th Anniversary of CC’s in Scotland
It was agreed to plan a commemorative event for WDC community councils.
Several suggestions put forward to consider :
- Civic reception
- Formal dinner
- Link up with CC’s across Scotland
- Encourage youth to attend
- Entertainment from boy band “Just The Brave”
Anne MacDougall and Lynne Somerville both volunteered to assist in the planning.
6) AOB
During above discussions, it was mentioned that WDC will not be doing a Christmas Lights switch on and that perhaps Community Councils could do this instead to raise their profile.
There was no time to discuss other topics so they need to be sent in for the next meeting agenda. One was Sex Education and the other was Parking & Traffic in Dumbarton.
7) Date of Next Meeting
The next business meeting will be 6th December @ 7.30pm, notices will be sent out with venue location in good time but please send in any items for discussion as early as possible. The executive will meet as needed before then.
Quarterly meeting of the West Dunbartonshire Community Council Forum
Wednesday 7th 2023 @ 19:00 in Napier Hall, Old Kilpatrick
1) Welcome
Present:
Alexandria: Tilda McCrimmon, Barbara Barnes
Balloch and Haldane: David Keown, Lynne Somerville
Bonhill and Dalmonach: Jack Fordy, Fiona Jenkins
Bowling and Milton: No rep
Clydebank East: Alistair Conaty (CCF Treasurer)
Dumbarton East and Central: Dorothy Heron
Faifley: Tricia Lorimer
Kilmaronock: Andrew Sinnott (CCF Secretary)
Linnvale and Drumry: John Hainey, Mary McAleer, Gavin Lawson Apologies from Lorraine Hamilton
Old Kilpatrick: Rhona Young, Rena Mackenzie Apologies from Isobel Plunkett (CCF Chair)
Parkhall, North Kilbowie & Central: Drummond McNair Apologies from Anne MacDougall
Silverton and Overtoun: Rona Wilkinson (CCF Vice-chair), Linda McCowat Apologies from Rose Harvie
WDC Your Community Team: Alan Karas, Rona as vice-chair chaired the meeting.
Andy apologised for the confusion about the start time in the invitation. Future meetings will
start at 7.30pm. Each CC provided their latest contact details.
2) Minutes of previous meeting and matters arising.
Rona provided a correction to the previous minutes which were then adopted .
Rhona Young (OKCC) requested a hard copy of the minutes as she has no computer. Maybe others have a
similar issue. There is a need to be inclusive.
Forum secretary to ask each CC contact person to create and distribute hard copies as needed by
their CC members.
The constitution was signed by vice-chair and secretary.
A scanned copy will be made available for anyone who wants one.
The CC liability insurance has been renewed by WDC. The forum was asked if they could take over the responsibility for this going forward.
After discussion it was agreed that we do not have the capacity to do this so the responsibility
will remain with WDC.
The forum agreed that the existing cover was adequate and that if CC’s want to hold an event that
is not covered then they should contact the insurance company direct to arrange any additional
cover as necessary.
The contact information for the insurer will be provided to all CC’s by the forum secretary.
WDC had proposed that the Forum assist in the allocation of any surplus CC admin grant money each
year by helping identify worthy proposals from CC’s that wish to apply.
The Forum agreed to do this and will discuss the mechanism with WDC.
3) Executive Reports
The treasurer presented a hard copy of the bank statement. Current balance is £4000
The balance is from WDC grant for this year and the last (both £2000).
It was noted that the Treasurer has tendered his resignation and therefore there is a call for a
volunteer to take over.
Forum secretary to ask for volunteers when sending out the minutes.
4) Guest speaker
Elaine Troup was to give an update on the structure of the Communities Team post budget cuts. Alan
Karas explained that so far there has been no final decision on the make up of the teams going
forward hence the Forum exec agreed to postponed her address.
The Forum expressed appreciation and gratitude for the support of the communities team workers
especially those in the front line like Alan Karas and Megyn Tyrell.
The following were suggested as future attendees :
Peter Hessett to address slow response times (no response sometime) of WDC chief officers
Andy Devine/Ian Bain – Greenspace to talk about ground rent and community growing spaces, grass and
hedge-cutting scheduling etc.
Rose Harvie (SOCC community councillor) to talk about food growing
Scottish Water to talk about roadworks and reinstatement of roads and verges post-work and waste
treatment.
SEPA to talk about pollution of watercourses.
Exec to discuss and send out invitations.
Rona promoted a Community Green Energy meeting to be hosted by SOCC and asked all CC’s to
come along.
In discussion it was asked whether the Forum itself was a Statutory Consultee on any matters. It
was thought not, just the individual CC’s.
The exec will follow up to confirm.
5) Community Councillors Discussions
Andy (Forum exec) presented the findings and suggestions from a review of the Handbook in relation
to meeting minutes, IT policies, Email address consistency and provision of IT equipment and
consumables for CC’s and ideas for a website and formal email address for the Forum itself. The
Forum needs an official Email address and will set up a domain for this. There was a discussion on
the option to use subdomains for CC’s to give consistency.
CC’s will continue to use their own email/online resources but it is noted that this could change
in the future should they wish.
Same for websites, the forum will wait until the uses for a Forum website is more clearly defined
and needed.
Exec will ask WDC if we can load Forum minutes & agendas on the WDC Community Council part of their
website.
Temporarily the minutes and some other documents are being hosted on the Kilmaronock Community
Council website (https://kilmaronockcc.org/cc-forum-info) In discussion, some representatives proposed a WhatsApp group for those interested.
David Keown (BHCC) will follow up (Exec to send latest CC contacts to David)
Rona (Forum exec) presented some legal advice given on following up on breaches of the Code of
Conduct. Several other CC’s have had issues within their committee which have been handled in
different ways with different outcomes. The forum noted that there is no provision for de-selection
of a committee member (other than removal of an office bearing position). The forum agreed that
there ought to be a mechanism in the Scheme of Establishment and wonder why there is not, it was
suggested during the recent review but was not included. It is 4 years until the next review but we
can look start looking into it now.
The Exec will follow up to see if this is an oversight or legal reason for not having a dismissal
clause.
Drummond (PNKCCC) spoke on WDC response times. There is a stated 10 working day limit to respond to
any query which is never adhered to. In fact, multiple requests sometimes never responded to.
In discussion it was found that most if not all CC’s have experienced the same issue. Sometimes
appealing to an elected member helps as they often prompt the officers to reply. It was noted that
some elected members are more helpful than others. Some CC’s have elected members attend all their
meetings, some have none at any. At least one elected member cannot do Mondays due to a clash with
a political party meeting.
It was discussed whether elected members are duty bound to attend CC meetings.
The Forum executive will look into this and kindly remind them if so. Peter Hessett is top of the
list for an invitation to the next Forum.
6) AOB / Positive News Stories
Both Balloch & Haldane and Linnvale & Drumry CC’s have been revitalised and are represented
tonight. Well done to the volunteers stepping up to stand for election in sufficient numbers.
Bonhill & Dalmonach CC will be holding a Dr.Bike event at the Lomond Church Eco-
Fair on Saturday 10ᵗʰ June. Also, a project to upgrade the Dalmonach steps to include an accessible
ramp has started.
After the meeting closed, David Keown (BHCC) discussed the idea of providing ID cards for community
councillors.
Exec will check if any other CC’s wish to have ID cards.
7) Date of Next Meeting
The next business meeting will be 6ᵗʰ September @ 7.30pm, notices will be sent out in good time but
please send in any items for discussion as early as possible. The executive will meet as needed
before then.
Quarterly meeting of the West Dunbartonshire Community Council Forum
Wednesday 1st Mar 2023 @ 19:00 in Napier Hall, Old Kilpatrick
1) Welcome
Present:
Alexandria: Apologies from Harry McCormack
Bonhill and Dalmonach: Jack Fordy, Fiona Jenkins
Bowling and Milton: Shona Brown
Clydebank East: Alistair Conaty (CCF Treasurer)
Dumbarton East and Central: Dorothy Heron
Faifley: Apologies from Tricia Lorimer
Kilmaronock: Andrew Sinnott (CCF Secretary)
Old Kilpatrick: Isobel Plunkett (CCF Chair)
Parkhall, North Kilbowie & Central: Drummond McNair, Anne MacDougall
Silverton and Overtoun: Rona Wilkinson (CCF Vice-chair), Rose Harvie, Linda McCowat
WDC Your Community Team: Alan Karas, Apologies from Clare English
Issy welcomed everyone to the meeting and expressed thanks to former Chair Drummond McNair and Secretary Jack Fordy for keeping the Forum going prior to the pandemic shutdown.
Alan handed out copies of the latest Community Councils Handbook. The contents will be for the Forum to review and revise on a regular basis e.g. annually.
2) Minutes of previous meeting and matters arising.
Issy went over the role of the CCF as outlined in the inaugural meeting in December and introduced the office bearers/executive committee. The office bearers were appointed for 6 months to get the Forum up and running, after 6 months the Forum will have the option to elect office bearers as per constitution.
Alistair has set up the bank account and Alan is in discussion with WDC Finance to get grant money transferred to the new account. At the moment, WDC cannot find details of the old account which they need for their internal processing.
Drummond agreed to look for any documents he may still have copies of but confirmed that all such original material was passed over to WDC at a meeting in Church Street, prior to the pandemic shutdown.
Funding was briefly discussed, should the Forum seek funding for its own projects or just support individual CC’s in their projects? No conclusion reached, as it is unclear if our constitution allows for fund raising.
The status of the constitution was discussed – a new one was written but not signed off prior to the pandemic shutdown. The final version should sit with Brian McQuillan’s old files. Alan has a copy of those. Otherwise, we have to go back to the 2015 version and rewrite it all again.
Rose brought up the issue of office space for the use of the Forum, this led to a discussion on access to computers and printers etc. Most CC’s use their own resources for CC business, some back charge for consumables some don’t. Some standardisation of what other consumables such as software licences, internet access and more should be reimbursed and how is needed so that WDC don’t just take community councillors for granted. It was agreed that this would be explored further along with IT training on best practice for handling and storing documents and email. Issy suggested a sub-group be formed to look at this and report back.
Other discussion topics were difficulty in recruiting new CC members, grant application delays due to admin requirements, inconsistent treatment of similar issues across different CC’s by WDC.
It was highlighted that not all the details on WDC Community Councils web page are correct – Contact name, details of meetings and listed Agendas and minutes. It was suggested that each CC take responsibility for checking their own page and informing WDC of any changes needed.
CC Forum logo – Shona volunteered to design a new one, Jack happy with the existing one.
Actions
Alan will liaise with Drummond on account info
Alan to check through old files from Brian for the existing constitution document.
Andy to form a sub-group with Dorothy & Linda to investigate IT support for the Forum and all the individual CC’s.
Shona to design a new logo for the Forum
Each CC secretary to check their details on the relevant WDC web page and that their Agendas and Minutes are posted up to date. Andy to circulate a note to that effect.
3) Guest speaker
Unfortunately, Clare English had to pull out at the last minute in order to attend the WDC meeting on the budget cuts.
Alan covered the work that the Communities Team do as well as his own remit.
Of course, it was noted that the funding cuts being discussed at WDC may well have an impact on that work going forward.
4) Budget cuts
WDC were meeting today to finalise the balancing of the budget by agreeing to cuts and/or reorganisation.
It was noted that restructuring often gives the chief officers a chance to duck issues as they deny responsibility of what went before. It also usually leads to a reduction of experience levels.
For the Community Team, 2 options were presented – one a straight cut of 50% across the board and two a restructuring of the team with resulting cuts.
By the end of the Forum meeting, it had been announced that option 2 had been chosen.
5) Positive News Stories
Parkhall and Old Kilpatrick CC’s worked together to host a Christmas Sing a long for staff and patients at the new Clydebank Health Centre financially supported by the Provost.
Clydebank East CC has an annual Gala Day
Bonhill & Dalmonach CC organised a Winter Warmer event to provide a warm space with refreshments. Jack also noted that Y-Sort-it were doing well in his area with jumble sales etc, and the Community Garden at Bonhill is a success.
Silverton & Overtoun CC had a meeting with Just the Brave and are looking at having a Mental Health Awareness event with all Mental Health Associations but with Just the Brave as Headliners to attract the young! Details to be finalised but in late Autumn.
Rona recommended using EventBrite in a Reservation capacity as it does not involve selling tickets or a cost but gives advance notice of interest in an event.
6) Diary Dates for Forum 2023
Forum meetings will be the first Wednesday of every 3rd month commencing March 2023, afternoons in winter months, evenings otherwise.
Wed 1st March @ 7.00pm
Wed 7th June @ 7.00pm
Wed 6th September @ 7.00pm
Wed 6th December @ 3.00pm
So far, all we have found available is the Napier Hall, if anyone has alternative suggestions then let the committee know.
7) Date of Next Meeting
The next business meeting will be 7th June, notices will be sent out in good time. The executive will meet as needed before then.
Inaugural meeting of the West Dunbartonshire Community Council Forum
Wednesday 9th December @ 19:30 in Napier Hall, Old Kilpatrick
1) Welcome
Present:
Alan Karas (WDC), Isobel Plunkett & Rena McKenzie (OKCC), Rona Wilkinson & Rose Harvie (SOCC), Dorothy, Heron & Jim Crosthwaite (DECC), Alistair Conarty (CECC), Andrew Sinnott (KCC), Tilda McCrimmon & Barbara Barnes (ACC).
Apologies:
Jack Fordy (BDCC) & Anne McDougall (PNKCCC)
2) Inaugural AGM & election of office bearers:
The following were elected to the Executive committee:
- Chair : Isobel Plunkett (IP)
- Vice-chair : Rona Wilkinson (RW)
- Secretary : Andrew Sinnott (AS)
- Treasurer : Alistair Conarty (AC)
The first order of business was to agree the following items:
CC forum business meetings will take place once a quarter with interim meetings of the executive committee once monthly. Executive meetings either online or, in the nicer weather, in person.
- A new Logo will be created
- A social media presence e.g. Facebook will be set up.
- A website will be created
- A new bank account will be opened
Actions
AC will set up the bank account with Bank of Scotland.
The executive committee will allocate the actions for the other items at their next meeting.
3) Community Council Forum Role
a) Training/Development - Coordinate training and development of community councils.
Suggested topics :
- Planning (Development management) via Planning Aid Scotland & WDC workshop event
- Finance via WD Finance dept [Adrian Gray happy for a member of his team to speak to Forum]
- Upskilling new community councillors via a potential training manual
- Open university courses
b) Dialogue with WDC – arrange audiences with key Heads of service
Suggested services :
- Roads
- Greenspace
- Planning
- Finance
c) Supporting community councils
Suggested topics:
- Code of conduct issues
- Leadership development
- Minute taking tips
- Sharing case studies for common issues
Training sessions could be short form prior to business meetings or longer form workshops with no business meeting.
Heads of services to be invited to business meetings.
Actions
Executive committee to collect training topic suggestions from active CC’s
Executive committee to schedule and invite key heads of service to business meetings
Executive committee to liaise with WDC Communities Team to arrange training sessions.
The group discussed attendance at CCF meetings/training sessions
a) Travel expenses - AC noted that attendees will be entitled to claim Travel Expenses
- AC will create a suitable claim form for attendees to use.
b) Meeting times will be decided by executive committee.
- RW works office hours so is unavailable for daytime meetings.
c) Meeting locations will be varied to cover all of WD and not necessarily restricted to church halls and community centres.
d) Meetings need to be attractive to members as everyone is a volunteer and attendance is to be valued.
- Refreshments will be available.
4) New Community Council Handbook
The CC handbook will sent to all CC’s. A hardcopy will also be given to each CC. The CC Forum will coordinate any necessary updates (as a minimum) every 12 months.
5) AOB
The following points were raised :
• Alexandria Community Council set up in the summer 2022
• Good pieces of local community empowerment for training video
• External funding for CCF and local CCs
• Exploring employing a minute secretary for CCs
• WDCT looking for links with CCs to support the HATS project.
• CCF rep on the Access Panel Forum? Rose Harvie
6) Diary Dates for Forum 2023
To be decided and published in January 2023.
7) Date of Next Meeting
The next business meeting will be at the end of Feb 2023, notices will be sent out in good time. The executive will meet to catch up in January.