Notice and agenda for March 2024 public meeting

TIREE COMMUNITY COUNCIL (TCC)

MARCH PUBLIC MEETING

7 pm on 13 March 2024

In person at the Trust office, Island Centre, Crossapol, also via Zoom and streamed on the TCC Facebook page

Join Zoom Meeting:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89256857995?pwd=SFk1SWFBNUY0VThZbXluR3AzVWtIUT09

Dial-in by phone: +44 131 460 1196

Meeting ID: 892 5685 7995

Passcode: 782864

  1. Welcome
  2. Apologies
  3. Declarations of interest
  4. Approval of minutes of last meeting
  5. Matters arising: phone boxes; King’s portrait; Scottish Islands Federation membership; Scottish Water
  6. Correspondence: lack of a BT engineer; cut to Gaelic Development Officer post; Forum of Argyll and Bute community councils
  7. Meetings reports
  8. Reports from district councillors
  9. Approval of John MacAskill as a Skills and Knowledge member
  10. Notice of Resignations of Phyl Meyer and Jacqui Bennett (as of by-elections)
  11. Community Council by-elections in May
  12. Resilience of Glasgow flights
  13. Ferries
  14. Roads: overlay programme; passing place Hynish
  15. Scarinish fence update
  16. Place Plans
  17. Planning applications
  18. AOCB
  19. Date and place of next meeting

Minutes of the last meeting: Minutes TCC Feb 2024

As ever if you have questions or if there is anything we can do to help you take part in the meeting accessibly, please let us know by emailing phyl@tireecommunitycouncil.co.uk

By-elections for Tiree Community Council

By-elections for Tiree Community Council

There will be a by-election for Tiree Community Council on 2 May.

There are four seats up for grabs. Candidates have to live on Tiree, be in the electoral register and be 16 and over in age.

Please consider putting your name forwards. I’ve got the forms and can help with all the paperwork. You can phone if you want to talk it through.

Nominations have to be in Lochgilphead on 21 March.

Dr John Holliday, secretary | 07786 496 275 | doc.holliday@tireecommunitycouncil.co.uk

Cuts to Gaelic Development – joint letter

News broke yesterday that due to budget decisions affecting Bòrd na Gàidhlig, Scotland’s agency intended to support retention and growth of the use of the language in Scotland, a crucial fund which has provided grants to community organisations for staff capacity – the Gaelic Development Officers fund – has now ceased.

This will have a huige impact on the ability of communities like Tiree to take action to prevent the loss of Gaelic as a living community language – with Tiree being a community identified as one where we are very much on the brink of that loss right now, despite previous efforts.

Urras Thiriodh, the Tiree Community Dvelopment Trust, recently began work on an ambitious Gaelic Plan, and had even just this week been awarded funding to hold a series of events – but that grant proposal was based on the existing staff capacity continuing to be there – which is now in doubt.

We have agreed to co-sign the joint letter below with the Trust and are calling on all our elected representatives, Scottish Government and Bòrd na Gàidhlig to reconsider this decision and move funding for crucial community capacity on Gaelic in the correct direction.

Gaelic Development cuts Feb 2024 TCDT + TCC joint letter

Agenda for February Tiree Community Council public meeting

TIREE COMMUNITY COUNCIL (TCC)

FEBRUARY PUBLIC MEETING

7 pm on 21 February 2024

Due to double booking of the Conference Room at the Tiree Trust, this meeting has now moved to online only. Apologies. JH

On Zoom and streamed on the TCC Facebook page

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82281921522?pwd=N1h6S0ZkQ002RzhIZUVpUmwzYWlmUT09

Meeting ID: 822 8192 1522

Passcode: 923203

  1. Welcome
  2. Apologies
  3. Declarations of interest
  4. Minutes of last meeting
  5. Matters arising: Winter timetable 2024; request for a new bus shelter at Pier View; rats; community garden; gritter; phone boxes; Scarinish fence; community bus service
  6. Correspondence: Ferry consultation, National Climate Adaptation Plan consultation; Jenni Minto on island 15 March
  7. Meeting reports: Ferry contract; Mull Community Council; Coll Community Council; Tiree Trust climate change initiatives
  8. Argyll and Bute Councillors’ reports
  9. A&BC budget proposals
  10. Democracy Matters consultation
  11. Ferries: possible changes to RET; timetables for winter 2024/5 and summer 2025; update on reserved deck space pilot
  12. Scottish Water: will the island have enough water in future?
  13. Balevullin Beach sand loss
  14. Planning applications for the last month
  15. AOCB
  16. Date and location of March public meeting

 

Consultation on a new contract Clyde and Hebrides Ferry Service 3

There is a consultation on a new ferry contract. Details can be found here:

https://www.transport.gov.scot/public-transport/ferries/clyde-and-hebrides-ferry-service-3/#overview

Transport Scotland is coming to Tiree to talk about this on 14 February. Individuals can make their own submissions at:

https://consult.gov.scot/transport-scotland/clyde-and-hebrides-ferry-services-and-islands/

Submissions have to be in by 8 March

Democracy Matter consultation from the Scottish Government

‘Democracy Matters’: phase 2 consultation from the Minister for Community Wealth and Public Finance

Contributions have to be submitted by 28 February 2024.

The fundamental question being asked is: do those of us wo live on Tiree want more control over our own lives?

In general, Tiree Community Council thinks that the answer is yes.

Tiree has made great progress in building community capacity over the last twenty years:

  • There is a community-owned livestock mart and cafe
  • There is a community-owned hall
  • There is a community development trust owning a wind turbine, community broadband, a harbour and two piers, a community shop, fuel station, business units, and employing a ranger (operating a croft camping scheme), Gaelic development workers and a youth worker
  • There is a community business running the Crossapol business centre and the Scarinish public toilets
  • There is a community trust running the Hynish lighthouse shore station

However, there are challenges:

  • Recruiting enough directors and councillors is not easy. The island’s population is only 650, and there is a small-community reticence to stick one’s head above the parapet
  • There is always a fear that a few people with sharp elbows will take over
  • We know it costs more to deliver services on an island than on the mainland. If we were given our own budgets, we would need to make sure there was enough money in the kitty

So, any changes in the way we are governed:

  • Should allow communities to opt-in. Not every community will be ready at the same time
  • Should be slow and evolutionary, so the community has time to adjust and build capacity
  • Will be more expensive, so funding will need to go up
  • Will need support, possibly involving mentors from places where this sort of thing works
  • While we try to keep up-to-date with our neighbouring islands, Tiree is a stand-alone community. We want to keep it that way, rather than be amalgamated with other areas.

 The full consultation is at:

https://www.gov.scot/publications/democracy-matters-phase-2-consultation-local-governance-review/

You are encouraged to engage with this individually.

John Holliday

17 January 2024 public meeting

TIREE COMMUNITY COUNCIL

JANUARY 2024 PUBLIC MEETING

17 January 2024 7pm

by Zoom and on TCC Facebook

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89113075106?pwd=ZkZYQk1FUmswM212M29CVlRXdUV4UT09

If you need to join by dialling in:

• +44 131 460 1196 United Kingdom

Meeting ID: 891 1307 5106
Passcode: 713150

AGENDA:

  1. Welcome
  2. Apologies
  3. Declarations of interest
  4. Minutes of last meeting
  5. Matters arising: including steps at the Soroby graveyard; Community Emergency Plan; Scottish Water request for report; re-instatement of a bin at the pier
  6. Correspondence: police report; Forum of A&BC community councils; Oban Harbour Revision Order; local recruitment to help the housing shortage
  7. Meeting reports: Ring n Ride meeting with Argyll and Bute Council (A&BC); Mull CC; Coll CC; Government review of the Community Empowerment Act and Participation Requests
  8. A&BC Councillor reports
  9. Recycling: to bag or not to bag?
  10. Estate shooting parties
  11. Airport Consultative meeting regarding the Oban air link
  12. Tiree phone boxes: should we remove the boxes that have not been claimed?
  13. Scarinish retail park fence: do we need to find another way to rebuild this?
  14. Planning applications for the month
  15. AOCB
  16. Date and location of February public meeting

Minutes of the previous meeting: Minutes of TCC November 2023

Guidance on joining the meeting by Zoom:

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You can “raise your hand” to ask to speak if phoning in by using the code: *9

As ever if you have questions or if there is anything we can do to help you take part in the meeting accessibly, please let us know by e-mailing phyl@tireecommunitycouncil.co.uk