“Unfair criticism”
Care Commission boss speaks out on Dunoon hostel
A senior figure at the Care Commission (CC) has spoken to the Observer this week in an attempt to clarify the organisation’s position in the long-running Dunoon Grammar School Hostel saga.
Hoping to address what the commission says it feels is ‘unfair criticism’ over its role in the hostel situation, Ronnie Hill, Director of Children’s Services, outlined the CC’s involvement.
Legal requirement
Mr Hill advised that although the hostel has been in use for many years, it first became a legal requirement for it to be CC-registered in September 2006. At that point, recommendations were made for improvements in four areas - staffing, and three other matters relating to the condition of the building.
The staffing issue was made good but, said Mr Hill, the other issues were not dealt with. An improvement notice was issued on December 4 last year.
“The notice was not an order to close,” said Mr Hill. “It gave the council a specified time period to resolve various issues. The council took the decision to close the hostel on December 21.”
Fast-track
Mr Hill continued: “We met with the council on January 8 and provided application forms for the registration of alternative services.
“We offered to fast-track any application that the council submitted.”
Four or five weeks later, the CC received completed application forms from the council.
In January, a group of senior pupils was accommodated on a temporary basis in local premises, but the CC says it was not made aware of this situation until some time later.
When asked how the CC was first informed of this temporary arrangement, Mr Hill said: “The CC found out about this during a visit to the hostel on February 14, where hostel staff advised CC officers that some students had been placed in the premises in question.”
Report
Mr Hill also referred to a health and safety report on the temporary premises, believed to have been prepared by a council officer. He said: “The council’s own report said that pupils should not be placed there as it did not meet the required standards for school care accommodation services.
“When we heard of this arrangement, we had to point out to the council that use of an unregistered service is an offence and asked what it intended to do in the context of its own health and safety report.
“We understand that it subsequently wrote to parents advising that the arrangement would terminate, but believe that the letter mentions nothing of the report.”
He added: “We have been working with the council on the issue of the hostel since September 2006. Our job is to ensure that young people receive adequate care and we will be happy to register a service that is safe and appropriate.
“It is up to Argyll and Bute Council to identify such a service and to bring the premises up to the required standard.”
Meeting
Mr Hill also referred to the February meeting between council officers and parents, where it was suggested that applications for alternative accommodation were perhaps “bogged down” at the CC, saying: “That’s nonsense”.
The meeting also heard that a “relaxation of standards” was being explored with the CC. Mr Hill again refuted this: “These are basic standards that cannot be relaxed - it is the law.”
He concluded: “I fully appreciate the frustration and disruption to family life that the hostel situation has caused and sympathise with the concerns of parents. However, the health and safety of the children must come first.”
Council response
Following the discussion with Mr Hill, the Observer put a number of questions to Argyll and Bute Council. These included a request for specific details about the process for identifying alternative accommodation and the council’s response to the CC’s fast-track offer.
Details about the origins of the temporary arrangement were also requested, in addition to information about the health and safety report referred to above.
The council issued the following statement: “After the closure of the hostel, we have worked with the CC to try to identify alternative premises.
“To assist in this, we met with the CC and have provided the necessary reports and assessments to allow the alternatives to be considered.
“In seeking to identify potential premises we considered properties across the Dunoon area.
“As a temporary measure we supported the placement by parents of seven senior pupils within accommodation in Dunoon, in premises that were closest to matching the numbers of pupils involved. Following legal advice we formally notified the CC of this arrangement in February.
“Inspections of these premises were carried out in January and February and these indicated that for this arrangement to continue in the long term, further work would have to be carried out. Following further discussion with the CC in March we decided that we could no longer support the arrangement.”
Oban
Parents have contacted the Observer about the situation with Oban’s Glencruitten Hostel. It is believed that similar works to that needed at Dunoon were also required there, but the hostel has not closed and students remain in situ during the refurbishment programme. However, requests to the council for fuller details such as timescale, the nature of the works at Oban and the reason why it could remain open while Dunoon closed, elicited the response: “Glencruitten is different because part of the work at the hostel has already been completed. The reason that children did not have to vacate the premises was due to the work being carried out during the summer holidays. Phasing of future work is still being considered.”


Prohibition order served on Argyll care home
Elderly residents of a care home in North Connel have had to be relocated after Strathclyde Fire Services served a prohibition order on the premises.
Last Thursday, March 27, the Ossian Care Home was given seven days notice of the enforced closure on safety grounds.
The shortage of available space in the Oban area has resulted in the residents being re-homed throughout Argyll.
A spokesperson for Argyll and Bute Council, which was responsible for finding accommodation for 18 of the residents said: “The closure of Ossian Care Home in North Connel means that the council is responsible for finding suitable, safe accommodation for 18 vulnerable people.
“The council and the NHS are working together to provide a viable solution to what is a distressing situation. Although the closure of the home is regrettable, our first concern has to be for the residents.
“By tonight (Wednesday) everyone will be in alternative accommodation. Some residents have decided to move to the central belt and the Borders to be closer to their family. NHS Highland and ambulance transport have helped greatly in this and ABC staff are to be congratulated for their efforts. Anyone with any concerns, however, can contact 01631 567 800.”
The Observer understands that the home had recently been inspected by the Care Commission, in January, and among the findings were: evidence of care staff undertaking nursing tasks; residents’ care plans being incomplete; staff being employed without disclosure and low staff morale. It is also believed that a male employee is currently suspended pending investigations into allegations of misconduct.


SOME FERRY GOOD NEWS
Local campaigners were heartened to read some good news on the Gourock-Dunoon ferry service in Monday’s Greenock Telegraph.
The paper reported how a delegation from Inverclyde Council had met with Transport Minister Stewart Stevenson at Holyrood, and had received assurances from him that his preferred option was a vehicle service between the two town centres.
Following concerns at rumours circulating in the Gourock area that the CalMac service was to cease, local MSP Stuart McMillan set up talks between the councillors and Mr Stevenson.
The councillors reported “positive debate” on both the ferry issue and the Gourock interchange, and welcomed the fact that the minister had, for the first time, made such a statement on the vehicle service aspect.
Cllr George White - chair of the Clyde Ferry Users Group - said: “Mr Stevenson said for the first time the words we all want to hear.
“I also asked him about when an order for a new vessel would be placed. There was no answer, but I intend to keep asking the question - it’s what the people of Cowal deserve.”
Cllr Ronnie Ahlfeld told the Observer: “We asked specifically whether problems with the CalMac contract would affect the Gourock interchange, and Mr Stevenson’s response was “definitely not”.
“He indicated his preference for a car ferry between the two centres, and said also that he would like to see a better link-up with train services.”
Cllr Ahlfeld continued: “Mr Stevenson also advised that the EC Commissioner is due to visit Scotland soon, and the transport link will be discussed in full.”
The success of the councillors’ visit was a welcome boost for locals on this side of the river - but has led to some questions about exactly how Argyll and Bute Council is dealing with the issue.
Professor Neil Kay said: “This is excellent news.
“However, Inverclyde gets a delegation to Holyrood and secures progress from the minister on the town centre car ferry - what we get is Councillor Bruce Marshall, speaking to the public meeting, and writing to this paper in his capacity as chairman of the area committee, making statements and indicating actions that will at best reduce the service to passenger-only and help create a Western car ferry monopoly.
“I think the voters and taxpayers of Cowal deserve an explanation of how the council sees all this as acting on their behalf, and why it is taking the actions it is taking - or apparently failing to take the actions it should take.”
Ronnie Smith of Pier Pressure told the Observer: “This indicates that the political will exists - a crucial factor.
“Inverclyde’s approach is in sharp contrast to the apparently passive attitude of Argyll and Bute Council.”
The matter appears monthly on Bute and Cowal area committee agendas. April’s meeting took place on Tuesday, at which a mechanism for a wider public consultation on the ferry issue, to be carried out by the council, was discussed. As councillors questioned the merits of this - saying that the public view had been made perfectly clear over the years - it was decided that this would not proceed.
Council leader Dick Walsh said: “We have for some time been working jointly with Inverclyde Council on this issue, and the two councils are in complete agreement that the future of the service must continue to be a town centre to town centre vehicle and passenger operation. A number of joint meetings and submissions to the Scottish Government have been made.
“Unfortunately Argyll and Bute Council was not part of the arrangements for the recent visit made by Inverclyde councillors to the Scottish Government, but it does welcome the clarification provided through them from the minister supporting the continuation of a vehicle and passenger service.”
Commenting on the Inverclyde news, Cllr Marshall said: “We have met with our colleagues from Inverclyde on several occasions and are unified in our demand that the government takes early action to address the shocking situation in that we have had a brand new linkspan in Dunoon costing £6m lying unused for the past two years. “We met the Transport Minister on January 14 this year in Dunoon, when we made our demands known.”


MEMORIAL TO WARTIME HEROES UNVEILED
The weather at the beginning of last week would have been familiar to them. To the thousands of servicemen and women of many nationalities who spent time at the Combined Operations’ HMS Quebec training camp during the Second World War, rain, wind and sleet, with a sprinkling of snow thrown in for good measure was part and parcel of life on Loch Fyne.
The morning of last Thursday, however, dawned clear and bright - as if in recognition of the importance of the day.
Ex-servicemen, serving soldiers and marines and a senior Royal Navy representative made the journey to Argyll Caravan Park, on the site of the Combined Operations Camp, to join His Grace the Duke of Argyll, the Lord Lieutenant of Argyll and Bute and other dignitaries as a permanent memorial was unveiled to those who passed through the training camp between 1940 and final clearing of the site in 1946.
A gathering of around 50 people looked on as Jim Jepson of Furnace welcomed everyone to the unveiling ceremony, including guests of honour, before he gave an outline of the history of the Combined Operations training facility.
He went on to acknowledge the assistance of Bonnar Quarries for supplying the stone and Argyll Estates in erecting the memorial, before thanking the military personnel who had taken the trouble to attend the ceremony. Mr Jepson reserved a special mention for representatives of the sole surviving Army (as opposed to Marine) Commando unit - 29 Commando Royal Artillery. This regiment still carries the Combined Operations Insignia, and was present at the camp during the war years.
Lance Bombadier Clem Leedham of 148 Battery, 29 Commando had the honour of formally raising a Combined Operations flag which was donated for the new memorial by 29 Commando, in an initiative led by Regimental Sergeant Major David Thatcher.
The Duke of Argyll then formally unveiled the memorial, saying: “I am delighted to officially open this memorial, and it is a great honour to those we are here to remember that so many people have turned out today.
“The role that Inveraray played in the last war was immeasurable. For many years we had the Combined Operations museum at Cherry Park, but this has now gone. That is why I think it is really appropriate that we have such a marvellous permanent memorial.”
The Reverend Dr Roddy MacLeod in dedicating the memorial paid tribute to the many people who passed through the Loch Fyne training centre, many of whom later made the ultimate sacrifice in defending the cause of freedom.
A poignant two minutes silence was observed, before local piper Graham Renton played a moving selection of tunes.
The Lord Lieutenant for Argyll and Bute, Kenneth MacKinnon, thanked the Duke of Argyll and Dr MacLeod for their presence and contribution to the event, before going on to pay tribute to the work done by Jim and Pat Jepson in organising such a fitting memorial to the Combined Operations base at Inveraray.
Speaking afterwards, Captain Mark Beverstock of HMS Neptune, Faslane said: “This was a very moving and fitting tribute to all those who came through the camp. The training which took place here was vital to the war effort, with obvious importance to the preparations for the D-Day landings, one of the most audacious operations conducted by the Allies.”
The day was rounded off by a special fly-past by a tornado fighter, piloted by Flight Lieutenant Peter Ward of 56 Squadron based at RAF Leuchars.
A dramatic end to a poignant, special day, in which a short period in Argyll’s history was given the recognition its importance deserves. The true significance of the training provided at Inveraray can never be fully quantified, but there is no doubt that we all owe the brave men and women who spent time there a great debt of gratitude.