Can you feel the love?
- Peace and harmony at budget meeting
Perhaps a frivolous headline for an important topic, but it’s certainly descriptive of the atmosphere in Kilmory’s council chamber on Valentine’s Day, as Argyll and Bute Council approved its budget for 2008/2009.
In its first budget since becoming an Independent/SNP coalition in May last year, opposition and coalition members united to agree the details and terms without political dissent or angry words, in a unique situation for Argyll, if not Scotland.
Members voted unanimously to allocate £26 million to Argyll and Bute’s roads, £17 million to the school estate, £1 million for elderly care and £1 million for street lighting.
In addition, council tax will be frozen at the current band D rate of £1,178.
In his leader’s speech, Cllr Dick Walsh touched on the achievements of the council so far and spoke of his aspirations for 2008 and beyond.
Citing the council’s Corporate Plan and Statement of Intent, published in September last year, which set out the council’s goals and objectives until 2011 and also link into the principles and priorities of the Scottish Government, he said:
“Our priorities are to be safer and stronger; healthier; smarter; wealthier and fairer; and greener.
“Looking back at our approach to our preparation for our corporate strategy, our Statement of Intent and our whole approach to our business, we are well placed to achieve both our aims and the objectives set by Government.”
Before moving on to the detail of the budget, he summed up by saying: “Our budget continues the investment in the people of Argyll and Bute, for the young – in terms of education, for the elderly and disadvantaged – in terms of services such as social work, for providing a range of leisure and recreational activities and for providing appropriate infrastructure and support to enable our economy to grow.”
Depute Leader and Argyll and Bute SNP group leader, Cllr Robert Macintyre, said: “At the first Independent/SNP coalition budget we have been able to set zero increase in council tax. This reflects the position we are now in where we get greater recognition for the council in the new Scottish Government.”
Cllr Ellen Morton, leader of the Argyll and Bute Liberal Democrat group, said: “I was delighted to be able to influence the budget process as we work towards this concise budget and I welcome the focus on core services like care of the elderly, roads and street lighting.
“There will be some difficult decisions to take in the next few years but I think this is a good start today.”
Cllr Gary Mulvaney, leader of the Argyll and Bute Conservative group, said: “I welcome the opportunity for the Conservatives to be involved and I feel that working together has given the people of Argyll and Bute a much better outcome.
“This budget has a real focus on service delivery and on the bread and butter issues - like care of the elderly, roads and transportation - that matter to people.”
Provost William Petrie thanked members and officers for their hard work in producing the budget, saying: “It’s good to have quality opposition - that makes for democracy.
“In my 41 years as a councillor I have never known a budget to go through unopposed.
“There is so often lots of squabbling about these things - but Argyll and Bute Council is, on behalf of the people it represents, just getting on with the work required.”


You WILL be caught
Major drugs operation in Dunoon
Dunoon Police Force has just successfully completed phase one of Operation Wynd - a major drug-busting initiative, which involved a specially-assembled Proactive Intelligence Unit searching houses, seizing drugs and ultimately arresting those allegedly involved in drug offences.
The unit was made up of a selection of uniformed constables and detectives and had the specific aim of targeting well-known drug dealers, areas and houses in and around Dunoon.
The results were exceptional.
Over the last four months, 14 houses have been searched, ten in Dunoon and four outwith the area, all as a direct result of intelligence gained from various sources including Crimestoppers, information from the public and existing police knowledge.
These searches resulted in a number of arrests including those found with drugs considered for personal use. More importantly, however, several people have now been reported to the procurator fiscal as they were found with what can only be deemed as ‘dealer quantities’.
Chief Inspector Andrew Mosley said: “The intelligence-led operation has been extremely successful. We have now dealt with all the known drug dealing areas in town and hope that the community will be reassured with this fact.
“I’m sure that there are still some drug dealers that we are not aware of at this stage but I want everyone to know that anyone dealing drugs in this town will be caught, we will get them. We will not tolerate any sort of drug dealing in this area.
“We do, however, need information from the public if we are to keep Cowal free from drugs. We need the good people of the town to keep their eyes and ears open and either contact us, by phone or by visiting the station, or by calling Crimestoppers.”
The relatively low-key operation involved houses being entered under the terms of warrants which had been granted although some of the entries had to be forced, with doors literally being smashed down to allow the officers to gain entry.
“Drug dealers have to understand that we have the power, not only to force entry into houses, but to seize assets through the judicial system, if the crime merits it,” said the Chief Inspector.
He added: “This has been an extremely worthwhile operation, but it’s only one battle. The war on drugs is ongoing and our intelligence unit will continue to be proactive; building up data on suspected criminals as well as plenty of spot checks on anyone who looks suspicious.”
Chief Inspector Mosley’s message is clear: “If you are dealing drugs in this town, we’ll get you.”
If you have any information on drug dealing, or any offence committed in this area please contact Dunoon police station on 01369 763000 or Crimestoppers, in confidence, on 0800 555 111.


No concrete answer over school hostel
Parents and children affected by the closure of Dunoon Grammar School hostel attended a meeting on Thursday February 7 to hear updates from Argyll and Bute Council and Strathclyde Fire and Rescue about the current situation.
Background
The hostel closed at the end of the school term in December last year due to the requirement for upgrading works, particularly in relation to fire safety regulations. At the time of the closure, parents were told that children from the Lochgoilhead and Kyles areas would have to travel daily until alternative accommodation was found. It was initially hoped that this would be for a couple of weeks only, but is still ongoing.
Meeting
The February meeting was attended by council officials including Douglas Hendry, Director of Community Services and Douglas Dunlop, Head of Children and Families. Strathclyde Fire and Rescue was represented by John Ironside, Area Commander and Neil Turnbull, Assistant Chief Officer for Community Safety.
The council handed out a statement of the current position, which advised that discussions were continuing with the Care Commission (CC) - the body which regulates all adult, child and independent health care services in Scotland - regarding the approval of alternative premises in Dunoon. Registration documents for these have been submitted and will be followed up with the fire risk assessment, health and safety, and environmental health assessments.
Dismay
Parents expressed dismay about the lack of representation from the Care Commission at the meeting, and urged the council to maintain pressure on the organisation to push through approval of the alternative premises under consideration, in order that the daily travelling could cease as soon as possible. Mr Dunlop reiterated that the council had emphasised these concerns to the commission.
The parents also made plain their frustration at the fact that some premises identified as potential accommodation for the students did not satisfy the standards set out by the various bodies. The question “has anyone carried out a risk assessment for travelling daily on the roads?” was of particular concern, especially given the wintery conditions and the lack of gritting at the time due to the now-resolved industrial action. Other queries included plans for emergency accommodation if conditions prohibited the students from returning home at night, the provision of transport to enable attendance at supported study or extra curricular activities and alternatives to using service buses for daily travelling.
Ill-feeling
The main issue discussed was the fact that a small number of students have been placed in local accommodation by parents, and Argyll and Bute Council stated that it was “supporting this as an interim measure.” This has caused considerable ill-feeling amongst both families and students, with parents of those children still travelling expressing their anger at what they perceive as “selective treatment” with a solution being found for some, but not all, affected students.
Parents at the meeting asked repeatedly why this arrangement could not be extended to include other children, if they sourced accommodation themselves. The frustration at the response received - “it’s not possible” - was clear, with Mr Dunlop stating: “I’m conscious that we are not giving you the answers you are looking for.”
The council subsequently confirmed to the Observer that this interim arrangement commenced in January, saying: “We are currently clarifying the legal position as to whether we can maintain this arrangement, and do not plan to expand it until this is resolved.
“The Care Commission is aware of the use of the accommodation but, as this is a parental arrangement that we are supporting, this has not been a formal notification.”
No further options
Regardless of this measure, the latest position is that it will not be possible to find accommodation for all of the pupils displaced by the hostel’s closure, with the best-case scenario being provision for 50 per cent of the pupils with the remainder continuing to travel daily by bus. A council spokesperson said that in these circumstances, selection of pupils to enter the new accommodation would be made on the basis of age, distance to travel, additional support requirements, academic requirements and parental views.
However, the council confirmed at the meeting that it was currently reviewing the last available alternative accommodation, and if these premises are not approved by the Care Commission, there are no further options to consider. Should this occur, daily transport arrangements would continue, and the council advised that it is currently looking at the provision of additional buses.
Strathclyde Fire and Rescue confirmed that it too had been working extremely hard on the issue, with Mr Ironside saying: “We have cancelled other matters in order to prioritise this.”
Working together
A spokeswoman for the Care Commission told the Observer that it had been invited to the meeting, which it understood was for the purpose of discussing Strathclyde Fire and Rescue’s improvement agenda. Following discussion with Argyll and Bute Council, it was agreed that it would not be appropriate for the Care Commission to attend.
She said: “For the past year and a half, we have been working closely with the local authority with the aim of ensuring Dunoon School Hostel reaches its required care standards. This would allow it to continue to operate while providing the children in its care with the safe and dignified environment to which they are entitled.
“We have granted the provider - on a number of occasions - extended time to make these improvements, but they have not been completed,” she continued. “We should stress that we have not taken action to formally close this service.
“However, we understand that the hostel has now closed and while we fully appreciate the urgency of the situation for families affected, our role is always to prioritise the welfare of people who use services, in this case school children.
“We are happy to continue to work with the relevant authorities with regard to the provision of future alternative accommodation.”
The official line from all parties involved in this situation is that they continue to work hard on resolution of the issue. Parents, however - and most importantly, the affected students - continue to be frustrated at the lack of visible results, and at what appears to be the increasingly bleak prospect of an end to the rigours and hazards of daily travelling.


LANDMARK HOTEL DESTROYED IN FIRE
The former Ramada Jarvis Hotel in Gourock - popularly known by its former name, “The Gantocks” - was gutted by fire last weekend.
Fire crews from both Gourock and Greenock fire stations attended at 3am on Saturday, having received several calls reporting a fire in the unocccupied building on Cloch Road.
They found heavy smoke coming from the second and third floors of the hotel and, having deployed teams to tackle the fire externally, additional resources were requested to deal with the blaze which quickly engulfed the top two storeys of the building.
45 firefighters using two aerial appliances and three ground monitors worked round the clock to bring the fire under control quickly and safely. Flames were still visible from the Dunoon side of the river on Saturday afternoon, with the site still smoking heavily into Sunday.
Strathclyde Police and Strathclyde Fire and Rescue are undertaking a joint investigation to determine the cause of the fire, and as the Observer went to press, a spokesman confirmed that enquiries continue and are likely to take some considerable time to complete.
The site has been the subject of some controversy in the Gourock area.
Major housing developer Kenmore Homes - now trading as Highmore Homes following its acquisition by Highcross Strategic Advisors in September last year - had applied for planning permission to build over 100 flats and houses at the Cloch Road location, including a 12-storey block.
This attracted considerable opposition locally and Gourock Community Council campaigned to have the planning application overturned.
Following Inverclyde Council’s refusal to grant outline planning permission, the case went to Scottish Government appeal and was allowed, subject to various conditions including surveys for badgers and bats, and careful managing of trees and planting in the scheme.
It is understood that Highmore Homes have suggested lowering the proposed apartment block to seven storeys, but this is still considered by the community council to be too high. The original outline plan submitted showed a four-storey structure.
Speaking to the Observer earlier this week, Paul Zarb, Land Director for Highmore Homes’ Glasgow office, said: “We were extremely surprised to hear about the fire, and more so relieved that no one was injured.
“Our discussions with the fire service are continuing.”
Mr Zarb confirmed that the company is a few weeks away from revising the application currently before Inverclyde Council’s planning department, and said that the fire should not cause any significant delay: “We are still hoping to be on site by autumn of this year - subject, of course, to consent. Our discussions with the council about what will happen on the site are ongoing”