REVIEW OF EDINBURGH COMMUNITY COUNCIL SCHEME

REVIEW OF EDINBURGH COMMUNITY COUNCIL SCHEME
The 1973 Local Government (Scotland) Act required all local authorities to prepare a Scheme for Community Councils. The Scheme provides a framework governing their creation and operation.
The next community council elections are due to be held in October 2009 and there is an opportunity prior to these elections to review the current Scheme to ensure that it is ‘fit for purpose’.
Community councils have a key role in representing the community’s view on the 12 Neighbourhood Partnerships. With these new responsibilities there is an increasing demand for community councils to demonstrate that they are accountable and transparent bodies. It will also be important to revise areas of the Scheme where there is insufficient clarity or guidance as part of this process.
The Review will require an extensive consultation process in line with statutory requirements. Throughout this period, community councils will be kept informed of issues that emerge from the engagement process.
Consultation is also underway on a national model scheme and code of conduct. Findings from the National Review will help to inform the Edinburgh Review of the Scheme.

Attached is the questionnaire, the Edinburgh Community Council Scheme and the draft Code of Conduct from the National Review. The community council could complete the enclosed questionnaire by 31 August 2008.



REVIEW OF COMMUNITY COUNCIL SCHEME QUESTIONNAIRE


Copies of the questionnaire are available from the secretary at SLacey1@aol.com
or by clicking on link below
Review of Community Councils
These should be returned by 31 AUGUST 2008 to
Eileen Hewitt
Community Council Liaison & Development Officer
Services for Communities
Waverley Court
Level C:4
4 East Market Street
EDINBURGH EH8 8BG
Tel: 0131 469 3838

Edinburgh Association of Community Councils AGM

The EACC AGM will be held on Saturday 21 June at 10 am in the European Room, City Chambers. If you wish to attend from MSCC please contact Jenny on jennybmackenzie@gmail.com.

Meadows Festival Association

The Meadows Festival Association is looking for volunteers to help with various activities at the forthcoming festival on Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th June 2008. Please access their site below to see if you would like to volunteer. Your help will be greatly appreciated.

Meadows Festival Association

COMMUNITY COUNCIL JOINT MEETING

THURSDAY 24 APRIL 2008

Here is the agenda for the above meeting which will be held in the Council Headquarters, Waverley Court, 4 East Market Street, Edinburgh.

The main focus of the evening will be partnership working and the developing role of community councils. Russell Bain will present the Scottish Government’s perspective on community councils and Angela Leitch will report back on the latest developments on partnership working in Edinburgh. There will be opportunities to raise questions at the meeting and share good practice in the workshop sessions.

If you would like to attend, it would assist greatly if you could respond to the secretary at slacey1@aol.com by 18th April.

I hope you will be able to come along to the Joint Meeting.

AGENDA
6.30 Reception and Coffee

7.00 Welcome and Introduction
Councillor Jenny Dawe, Leader of the Council, Chair of Edinburgh Partnership

7.15 Community Councils - the Scottish Government Perspective -
Russell Bain, Scottish Government

Update on Partnership Working in Edinburgh
Angela Leitch, Head of Performance and Community Engagement,
Services for Communities

7.45 Questions

8.00 Workshops

8.45 Feedback

9.00 Closing Remarks

COMMUNITY COUNCIL JOINT MEETING

THURSDAY 24 APRIL 2008

You are invited to the Community Council Joint Meeting on Thursday 24 April at 7.00 pm in the Council Headquarters, Waverley Court, 4 East Market Street, Edinburgh. Tea and coffee will be available from 6.30 pm.

The main focus of the evening will be partnership working and the developing role of community councils. Russell Bain who has responsibility for community planning with the Scottish Government will give a presentation on recent developments relating to community councils in Scotland.

Community councils have a key role in representing community interests on Neighbourhood Partnerships. There will be opportunities at the meeting to share good practice and consider if any changes are required to the Scheme for Community Councils to enable CCs to operate efficiently and transparently.

An agenda will be issued prior to the meeting and if you have any comments about the proposed topic, please do not hesitate to get back in touch.

It would assist greatly if you could reply to the secretary by 18th April.

EACC meeting with Councillors from the Green Party

The Edinburgh Association of Community Councillors is organising meetings with representatives from all the party groups and the next in the series is with Councillors from the Green Party on Saturday 8 March at 10 am in the City Chambers.

For more information about the EACC visit their blog at www.edinburghccs.blogspot.com or visit the website at www.eacc.btik.com.

Association of Scottish Community Councils

ASCC is hosting a Regional Meeting for all Community Councillors in your region.

Saturday 15th March 2008

The City Chambers, City of Edinburgh Council, Edinburgh

10am Arrive and Settle In
10.30 Meet representatives of the Executive Council of ASCC
Discuss its work and what it should do for you.

11.00 Open Forum- What can the ASCC do to strengthen Community Councils
The Scottish Executive review of Community Councils
Your issues and concerns
11.30 Scottish Govt. Proposals for Increased Public Involvement and
elections to local Health Boards
www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2008/01/08123610

12.20 Lunch

1pm Question Time An all party panel of Lothians MSP's answer YOUR questions

EACC Upcoming Events

Dear Colleague

EACC Chairman Norman Bonney has organised a series of meetings with each of the City Council’s political party groups over the coming months. These meetings are open to all community council members in Edinburgh and offer an opportunity to get your community’s questions answered. Dates are as follows:

• Saturday 6 October 10am City Chambers

Councillor Iain Whyte, Conservative Group leader and Convener of Lothian and Borders Police Board

• Saturday 10 November, 10am City Chambers

Councillor Jenny Dawe, Leader of the Council and Liberal Democrat Group Leader

• Saturday 12 January 2008, 10am City Chambers

Councillor Ewan Aitken, former Council Leader and Leader of the Labour Group

• Saturday 23 February 2008, 10am City Chambers

SNP Councillor Tom Buchanan, Convener of the Economic Development Committee

To Be Confirmed

Details of a meeting with the Green Part will follow

Another Date for your Diary:

The Association of Scottish Community Councils will be holding their Annual General Meeting and Conference at the Scottish Parliament on Saturday 3 November from 10.30am – 4pm with lunch provided. Further details are available on the website, www.ascc.org.uk

Dave Pickering, EACC Secretary Email: dave.pickering@btinternet.com

EACC Minutes

Minutes of last year's EACC Annual General Meeting. (Sorry about the formatting, but it's a bit too tedious to change :-( )

Minutes of Edinburgh Association of Community Councils (EACC)) Annual General Meeting, held on Saturday 27 October 2006 in the City Chambers

NOTE: In the absence of a secretary Linda Hendry (Southside CC) took the Minutes.

Present:

Norman Bonney (Chair), Louise M? (Fairmilehead), George Rosie (Leith Harbour and Newhaven) Linda Hendry (Southside), Mary Donoghue (Hutchison Chesser), David Rintoul (Tollcross) John Simon (Tollcross), Chris Richardson (New Town and Broughton), M V Park (Murrayfield), George Lightheart (Firrhill), Marion Gunn (Royston Wardieburn), Bridget Stevens (Merchiston), Patricia Eason (Cramond), Stan Eadie (Leith Central), Jo Scott (Southside), Ann Wigglesworth (Tollcross), Janny Mackenzie (Leith Harbour and Newhaven), George Gordon (Rosyton Wardieburn), Fred Marinello (Royston Wardieburn), Jimmy Brown (Queensferry), Tom Martin (Quuensferry), David Pickering (Drylaw Telford), George Taylor (West Pilton & West Granton), A Bennet (West Pilton & West Granton), David Salton (Corstorphine), Donald MacDonald (Royston Wardieburn), Catherine MacDonald (West Pilton West Granton), Frances and Lana Kelly (West Pilton West Granton), Valerie O’ Rourke (Craigmillar).

Apologies:

Stewart Fowlie

Minutes of 2005 Annual General Meeting

The Chair apologised that Minutes had not been circulated due to the notes having been mislaid and the lack of a secretary. No-one present at the meeting could recall anything contentious at the 2005 AGM. The Executive had met regularly over the year.

Matters Arising:

A secretary will be appointed. Community councils liaison officer Eileen Hewitt has been of great assistance but it is not her role to take our minutes. The Edinburgh Partnership is providing £400 to support secretarial renumeration.

Chair’s Report:

The Executive met at least four times on Thursday’s to plan and keep in touch with member CCs. There was a Spring meeting about neighbourhood partnerships and the Chair represents EACC on the Edinburgh Partnership. The Edinburgh Partnership has agreed to pay the affiliation fees of community councils so that all Edinburgh CCs are EACC members now.

CCs have been in existence for 25 years now and should be approached for opinions on local issues. 400 CC members were elected in May thus reinvigorating CCs – Aberdeen, half our size, has 200 CC members.

The EACC has taken no role over the Craigmillar CC issue but we may in future have to take a position on restricting indirectly elected CC member groups wholly funded by the local authority. The city council currently has this matter under legal review.

The Executive welcomes suggestions as to the frequency of meetings, etc, and thanked the city council for their help. The local elections next May with multi-member wards may mean that no party has a majority. CCs have shown that it is possible to work together across party lines. There is an interesting year ahead and the Chair concluded by thanking CC members for attending in such numbers – there are now 36 active CCs in Edinburgh.

Treasurer’s Report

The Treasurer’s Finance Report was circulated (see below). He also explained that £110 of subscriptions had been refunded to CCs. The grant for subscriptions was for a third of that year. The largest cost for the EACC was for holding meetings other than in the City Chambers. The 2005 balance was £838.79 and accounts were audited by Joe W Henderson CS. There is presently £1200 in bank.

EACC Abstract of Accounts

1 April 2005 – 31 March 2006

Income Expenditure

Balance B/Forward 561.92 EACC meeting expenses 26.80

Speaker 25.00

CEC grant 166.40 Royal Overseas League 147.00

EACC Exec members’ expenses 60.32

Subscriptions 110.00 Minute Fee 20.00

Auditor 25.00

Bank Interest 000.47 Postage 05.00

Refunds 110.00

Bank Balance, 31.03.06 419.67

838.79 838.79

Books audited, vouchers checked and all Accounts found to be in order.

Joe W Henderson C.S. (Auditor)

26 April 2006

Proposed Amendment to Constitution:

The following amendment to Clause 6A of the Constitution was put to the meeting.

‘The Executive of the Association shall be comprised of one representative from each of the existing or proposed local community planning partnership areas of the city. These individuals should be selected at the Annual Meeting by the community councillors from the relevant areas in attendance at the meeting (or who have otherwise indicated in writing to the Secretary their desire to be a representative’.

After discussion, the amendment to Clause 6A was passed unanimously. This change will take effect at 2007 AGM.

Election of Office Bearers

• Chairperson:

Norman Bonney: proposed by Mary Donoghue, seconder George Grozier (Rosie?). No other nominations – Norman Bonney re-elected. He would like someone else to take over next year.

• Vice-Chair:

David Salton: proposed Jimmy Brown, seconded Patricia Easson. No other nominations – David Salton re-elected.

• Secretary:

Dave Pickering: proposed Jimmy Brown, seconded George Taylor. No other nominations – Dave Pickering elected.

• Treasurer:

Jimmy Brown: proposed by Tom Martin, seconded Dave Pickering. No other nominations – Jimmy Brown re-elected.

• Press Officer:

Dave Pickering proposed by Jimmy Brown and seconded George Taylor. No other nominees – Dave Pickering re-elected.

Executive Members:

Up to two people from each of the Scottish Parliament constituencies to serve on the EACC Executive. Following nominations and an election process the following individuals were selected:

Central: Ann Wigglesworth

West: Patricia Eason and Tom Martin

North & Leith: Marion Gunn and Stan Eadie

Pentlands: George Lightheart

South: Bridget Stevens and Charles Bell

East: Valerie O’Rourke

Any Other Competent Business

• The Annual General Meeting should be held in June.

• Meetings need to be in a central location on bus routes. The Augustine Bristo Church or a Community Association could offer cheap or free venues if the City Chambers is not available.

• The Executive should meet every two months

• East CCs should be circulated asking for a second Executive member.

Date of Next Meeting:

The date of the next Executive meeting will be Thursday 9 November.

Future proposed dates are 1 February 2007, 21 June 2007 and 16 August 2007 (to be agreed at next Exec meeting).

The 2007 Annual General Meeting will be held in June.

DAVE PICKERING

EACC Secretary

EACC Upcoming Events

I received this about some events coming up from the EACC. The events are all added to the calendar.