TO: COMMUNITY COUNCIL SECRETARIES
22 June 2007
Dear Secretary
Community Council Joint Meeting
I enclose the minute from the community council joint meeting on 25 April which focused on neighbourhood partnerships. The meeting attracted a high level of interest from community councils and generated some lively discussion on the new arrangements for neighbourhood partnerships. A copy of the minute is also available on the community council site at www.edinburgh.gov.uk/communitycouncils.
Neighbourhood Partnership Membership
Thank you for submitting your nominations for the Neighbourhood Partnerships. In most cases it has been possible for preferences to be accommodated whilst meeting the constitutional requirement for community councillors and community representatives to be equal in number on a neighbourhood partnership.
In areas where community councils have sought membership of 2 neighbourhood partnerships this can be accommodated on an interim basis, provided there are sufficient places available. However this will be subject to review in the event of new community councils being established. Priority will always be given to community councils whose boundary sits fully within the Neighbourhood Partnership area.
I have enclosed a table showing the current position regarding community council representation on neighbourhood partnerships and the contact details of the 6 neighbourhood teams.
Edinburgh Association of Community Councils AGM – 30 June
The EACC AGM will take place on Saturday 30 June at 10 am in the City Chambers. There will be a presentation at the AGM from the Edinburgh University students who took part in a study of Edinburgh’s community councils.
Diary Inserts
I have enclosed diary inserts for the period September to December 2007.
Yours sincerely
Eileen Hewitt
Community Council Liaison Officer
Tel 469 3838
COMMUNITY COUNCIL REPRESENTATION ON NEIGHBOURHOOD PARTNERSHIPS
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| Neighbourhood Partnership | No of Cllrs | No of CCs | Watching brief |
| 1 | City Centre | 3 | 3 (Old Town, West End, New Town/Broughton) | 1 (Tollcross) |
| 2 | Craigentinny/Duddingston | 3 | 2 (Craigentinny/Meadowbank, Northfield/Willowbrae) |
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| 3 | Portobello/Craigmillar | 3 | 2 (Portobello, Craigmillar) |
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| 4 | Liberton/Gilmerton | 4 | 1 (Liberton) |
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| 5 | Southside/Newington | 8 | 5 (Marchmont & Sciennes, Merchiston, Tollcross, Morningside, Southside) |
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| 6 | Sighthill/Gorgie;Fountainbridge/Craiglockhart | 7 | 6 (Hutchison/Chesser, Stenhouse, Gorgie/Dalry, Craiglockhart, Longstone, Merchiston) Sighthill, Broomhouse & Parkhead tbc | 1 (Tollcross) |
| 7 | Pentland Hills; Colinton/Fairmilehead | 6 | 6 (Currie, Balerno, Fairmilehead, Longstone, Firrhill, Ratho) |
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| 8 | Drum Brae/Gyle; Corstorphine/Murrayfield (West) | 6 | 3 (Corstorphine, Drumbrae, Murrayfield) | 1 (West End) |
| 9 | Almond | 3 | To be confirmed | 1 (Corstorphine) |
| 10 | Forth | 4 | 4 (Royston/Wardieburn, Muirhhouse/Salvesen, West Pilton/West Granton, Trinity) | 1 (Drylaw Telford) |
| 11 | Inverleith | 4 | 2 (Stockbridge/Inverleith, Drylaw/Telford) | 2 (New Town/ Broughton & West End) |
| 12 | Leith; Leith Walk | 7 | 3 (Leith Harbour & Newhaven, Leith Central, Leith Links) | 1 (New Town /Broughton) |
Central Team
Jenni Brown – Neighbourhood Manager
1 Cockburn Street
Edinburgh EH1 1BJ
0131 529 7061
North Team
Pete Strong – Neighbourhood Manager
8 West Pilton Gardens
Edinburgh EH4 4DP
0131 529 5050
East Team
Susan Mooney – Neighbourhood Manager
86 Niddrie Mains Road
Edinburgh EH16 4DT
0131 529 3111
South Team
Susan Bruce – Neighbourhood Manager
40 Captain’s Road
Edinburgh EH17 8QF
0131 529 5151
South West Team
Graham Kitching – Neighbourhood Manager
10 Westside Plaza
Edinburgh EH14 2ET
0131 527 3800
southwestteam@edinburgh.gov.uk
West Team
Natalie Hoy – Neighbourhood Manager
Chesser House
500 Gorgie Road
Edinburgh EH11 3YJ
0131 529 7440
City of Edinburgh Council and Community Councils Joint Meeting
Edinburgh, 25 April 2007
Large Meeting Room, Waverley Court, Edinburgh
Those Present:
The City of Edinburgh Council: Councillor Ewan Aitken, Leader of the Council
Officers in Attendance from Services for Communties :
Angela Leitch (Head of Performance and Community Engagement); Gordon Greenhill (Head of Community Safety); Susan Mooney, (Neighbourhood Manager, East and South); Peter Strong (Neighbourhood Manager – North) Graham Kitching / Natalie Hoy (Neighbourhood Managers- West and South West); Michele Mulvaney (Community Engagement Manager) Mary Dunbar (Partnership and Information Manager – East) Beverley Burgess (West LDC Co-ordinator) Eileen Hewitt (Community Council Liaison & Development Officer) and Alasdair Fuller (Administrative Assistant, Services for Communities).
Community Council Representatives:
| Community Council | Delegates |
| Ken Shade | Balerno |
| Robert Dearness | Corstorphine |
| Sheila Ramsay | Corstorphine |
| Kenneth Swinney | Corstorphine |
| Giacomo Modica | Craigentinny/Meadowbank |
| Bob Ramsay | Craigentinny/Meadowbank |
| Angela Wright | Craigentinny/Meadowbank |
| Tom Crombie | Craiglockhart |
| Percy Fekety | Cramond |
| Ross Wilkinson | Cramond |
| Patricia Eason | Cramond |
| Dave Pickering | Drylaw/Telford |
| Norman Tinlin | Fairmilehead |
| Louise Maguire | Fairmilehead |
| Peggy Wright | Firrhill |
| Maureen Nisbet | Gorgie/Dalry |
| Fiona McLean | Gorgie/Dalry |
| Gerry Corbett | Gorgie/Dalry |
| Hugh Townsend | Gorgie/Dalry |
| Mary Donoghue | Hutchison/Chesser |
| Harry Sutherland | Hutchison/Chesser |
| Irene Mackay | Hutchison/Chesser |
| Alex Mitchell | Hutchison/Chesser |
| Steve Lee | Kirkliston |
| Joe Henderson | Kirkliston |
| Roland Reid | Leith Central |
| Roisin Farrington | Leith Central |
| Elaine Carnegie | Leith Harbour & Newhaven |
| Margaret Moffet | Leith Links |
| Bill McCrae | Leith Links |
| David Hurst | Liberton |
| Steuart Campbell | Longstone |
| Alex Paton | Longstone |
| Dorothy Ryle | Marchmont & Sciennes |
| John Simon | Marchmont & Sciennes |
| Hugh Leather | Marchmont & Sciennes |
| Bridget Stevens | Merchiston |
| Ann Royden | Merchiston |
| Robin Morris | Merchiston |
| Walter Spence | Murrayfield |
| Mr Morrison | Murrayfield |
| Susan Wong | Morningside |
| Jean Thompson | Morningside |
| Lindsay Walls | Morningside |
| John Knight | New Town & Broughton |
| Stewart Kerr | Northfield/Willowbrae |
| Ian Murray | Northfield/Willowbrae |
| Christine Kerr | Northfield/Willowbrae |
| Keith Giblett | Queensferry & District |
| Jimmy Brown | Queensferry & District |
| Martin Gallacher | Queensferry & District |
| Judy Wightman | Ratho |
| Jan Couper | Ratho |
| Marion Gunn | Royston/Wardieburn |
| Jo Scott | Southside |
| Robert Beaton | Southside |
| Colin Christison | Southside |
| Linda Hendry | Southside |
| Jack Blakey | Stenhouse |
| Mrs Blakey | Stenhouse |
| Edward Mulligan | Stenhouse |
| David Rintoul | Tollcross |
| Mary Neilson | Tollcross |
| Ann Wigglesworth | Tollcross |
| Alyson Cameron | Trinity |
| Leonora McAndrew | West End |
| John Gilmour | West End |
| 1 | Welcome and Introduction:
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| Councillor Aitken welcomed the community council delegates to the joint meeting, expressing gratitude for their efforts in their role as grass roots community representatives.
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| He explained that the arrangements for Neighbourhood Partnerships offer a different way of working. There was a need to ensure that the drive for local improvements was directed primarily from the community councils which had to represent a breadth of local views. No community is the same and the city contained a rich diversity of neighbourhoods which present a challenge in terms of representation.
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| Neighbourhood partnerships will bring a revolutionary change in the way decisions are made. People wanted to have a say in decisions which impact locally, and the Partnerships would bring about a sense of participation. Because we are entering a period of significant change, it may take some time for outcomes to become apparent. The process for improvement could be characterised by innovation and careful experimentation rather than following familiar paths. The range of areas across the city meant a need to react differently in contrasting circumstances. Neighbourhood structures would evolve in time to reflect local need, rather than follow a prescribed model. |
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| Councillor Aitken viewed this as an exciting time of change. In thanking the community council representatives for attending, he praised their efforts in bringing forth the neighbourhood partnerships to this stage.
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| 2 | Services for Communities: Update on Latest Community Planning Developments
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| | Angela Leitch thanked Councillor Aitken for his encouraging words and provided an update on the latest community planning developments.
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| 2.1 | Council Decision 8 March 2007
Council approval on 8 March means that arrangements for the neighbourhood partnerships can be introduced from June. This has also been referred to and agreed by the Edinburgh Partnership. Reference groups have been meeting with community council involvement. An induction programme is currently being developed to ensure that members of the Neighbourhood Partnership Board are familiar with the new neighbourhood partnership arrangements and how they will operate.
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| 2.2 | Constitution
A standard constitution for Neighbourhood Partnerships has been established after consultation and consideration of a number of options. Partnerships will have an equal number of community councillors and city councillors and serve as advisory committees of the Council. In practice, it is anticipated that a consensual approach will be pursued.
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| Current legislation restrictions on developing the options for setting representation on the neighbourhood partnerships is being explored with the Scottish Executive.
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| 2.3 | Protocol Framework
A protocol framework for achieving the constitutional aims has been developed which focuses on a partnership approach to working together to develop and improve local quality of life.
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| 2.4 | Neighbourhood Management
Angela introduced the following new Neighbourhood Managers, who were present at the meeting.
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| Two appointments are still to be made. Each of these senior managers will have have four managers overseeing multi-disciplinary local teams under the following headings:
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| Neighbourhood Managers would be instrumental in developing better ways for partners to work together.
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| 2.5 | Area Profiles
Area profiles have been produced, which will provide partnership members with evidence to support the identification of local priorities. While community councillors already have a good understanding of issues in their locality, neighbourhood partnerships will have a key role in consulting with the wider population to agree these priorities.
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| 2.6 | Frequently Asked Questions
In areas where there were no community councils, the neighbourhood partnerships could elect from other constituted community organisations. Moreover, the neighbourhood partnership could empower local people in unrepresented areas to work towards forming a community council.
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| The intention is to ensure that each community council has a place on a neighbourhood partnership. In an area where the number of community councils exceeds the available board membership there will always be avenues of input through the existing community councils on the Neighbourhood Partnership as they have a duty to engage with the wider community. It is important to bear in mind the optimal size of the board so that it does not become unmanageable.
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| Staff from the Council’s Services for Communities will support the partnerships but the remit of the neighbourhood partnerships will also be to look at priorities in other areas including education, health and crime.
Additional support for community councils is being explored eg the creation of a local base for community councils, with access to a full range of office facilities. Drop in sessions and surgeries were being considered within local area offices. An initial Community Engagement Fund providing £20k for community councils exclusively is being proposed.
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| 3.
| Questions
Delegates raised the following issues: |
| Q
| Why do Community Councils have to sign the Code of Conduct and does this also apply to the police, health and voluntary sector representatives? |
| A | Angela explained that the standards for conduct aimed to ensure that decisions were made in a transparent and open manner. The police, health and voluntary sector have standards of conduct within their respective orgnaisations which they will be expected to follow. |
| Q | Who will be entitled to vote within Neighbourhood Partnerships? |
| A | All members of the Neighbourhood Partnership will have the right to vote although it is hoped decisions will be reached by agreement. |
| Q | What are the interim arrangements for the LDC Community Grants Fund? |
| A | Angela confirmed that arrangements for the provision for imminent projects have been made and gave assurances that urgent applications would be considered as a priority.
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| 4. | Workshops and Feedback
The delegates were invited to participate in workshops according to area. Questions were considered as follows:
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Feedback from the groups is provided in the appendix to this minute.
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| 5. | Closing Discussion
Angela observed that there had been a lot of good discussion and important points made at the workshops.
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| Council officers would now consider the points and issues raised in the workshop sessions and feedback to the Neighbourhood Partnership Induction Programme.
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| Angela clarified that Neighbourhood Partnerships will be chaired by a Councillor. Work was currently underway to elect a local representative from the voluntary sector to sit on each neighbourhood partnership.
It is planned to carry out a 6 month review of Neighbourhood Partnerships.
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| Many community councillors felt that representations to the statutory planning and licensing committee were being ignored. It was suggested that Edinburgh Association of Community Councils could use its influence to increase community council input to the statutory planning and licensing procedures.
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| Community councils have been asked to nominate a member and substitute(s) to represent the community on a Neighbourhood Partnership. Guidance on the process has been issued by Eileen Hewitt, Community Council Liaison Officer and forms should be returned to her by the end of May. Nominees do not have to be CC office-bearers although the community council may opt to use this as a means of selection.
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| 6. | Closing Remarks
Angela thanked delegates for their contributions which would be addressed in detail and progress fed back to the community councils. |
Appendix
FEEDBACK FROM WORKSHOPS
WORKSHOP 1 – SOUTH/EAST
Facilitator - Susan Mooney, Neighbourhood Manager, East
Scribe - Mary Dunbar, Partnership & Information Manager, East
Some members of the group are still unclear about the differential /reasons for 12 NPs and 6 CPAs. A brief outline was provided to help clarify the arrangements.
What’s the role of Community Councils?
To tell it how it is
Like to focus on issues – e.g development of NPs
CC doing their best to engage communities – accept that it is a requirement
What are CC concerns?
Need a community capacity worker in NP areas to audit groups, to build links and provide support
Should come from within the CEC
CCs like the idea of local premises
Need CC websites and NP websites and other options
Public need information on NP – leaflets etc
Some people have not heard of community councils
Group felt that local Newsletters were a good and effective mechanism for spreading information
Questions about why anyone would go to NP rather than just the local Councillor? This was discussed and agreed that individual issues might be best managed via councillor, but that NP was a ‘problem solving approach’ for issues impacting on the wider community. NP will focus on the needs of the wider population
Need to fund appropriately
Concerns about greater use of computers for sharing information in terms of security
Questions about the opening hours for accessing resources – many community council members work during office hours
Marchmont/Sciennes - Time required to participate on NP? Need guesstimate
Questions about if nominees don’t agree to sign Code of Conduct? There was some general discussion about reasons for having code, but some concerns continue
Susan stressed that NP must focus on key elements to be effective
Developing expectation of the role of community councils - What does this mean for community council members and what is the shared responsibility with NP?
Question re: circulation of NP Papers – Will papers only be issued to NP rep or to all community council members within a timescale for the community council to discuss for rep on Board to input views etc?
Are NP meeting open to the public? – NP will decide, the NP reference groups are being asked for their views. The whole group from south and east at this joint community council meeting wanted open meetings
Question - Induction Are substitute members to undertake induction – Yes
The groups 3 main issues:
Major concerns from community council on the boundary and split between NPs – No real voice.
Group felt that during review period NPs should start with all community councils who wish to participate in each NP.
Group felt that there were no ‘more representative groups’ than the community councils.
WORKSHOP TWO – NORTH
Facilitator - Peter Strong, Neighbourhood Manager, North
Scribe - Michele Mulvaney, Community Engagement Manager
Boundary remains an issue, particularly in relation to the inclusion of Trinity within the Forth NP.
Acknowledge that each NP will have different priorities and starting points. Leith has well established priorities and there is a need to ensure these are taken into account (e.g. Communities that Care). Forth has well established structures. Inverleith is diverse, has a lack of existing structures and patchy CC coverage.
Role of CCs is to represent views of wider community.
Each NP takes in diverse communities resulting in issues about how to find common ground and ensuring needs of each are met.
CCs tend to be reactive rather than proactive due to existing pressures in terms of volume of activity. Key issue for CCs is having time and representatives to carry out work given members have other commitments.
Disappointment that Neighbourhood Manager will be responsible for more than one NP. Issue about how conflicting demands of NPs will be dealt with and who will decide the priorities across the CPA particularly given there are no new resources available.
WORKShOP THREE – WEST
Facilitator – Natalie Hoy, Neighbourhood Manager West & South West
Scribe – Beverely Burgess, West LDC Co-ordinator
General points raised
Neighbourhood Managers should provide more ‘clout’ for area
Neighbourhood Managers should attend community council meetings
Neighbourhood Managers and Area Managers should be well known, visible and accessible
Officials should be clear about whether or not they can deal with an issue
and explain the reasons behind their answer
Need to manage expectations
Need to be fair across the area
Not helpful to have a ‘bun fight’ over money
Need for transparency re where money is spent
CEC has poor knowledge of area in some cases – need for improved local knowledge
Need for open discussions
Cramond – walkabouts with officials had proved useful
Need to build relationships
Ratho CC requesting representation on both Neighbourhood Partnerships
Need to ensure that all areas of the community are represented
Much will need to be done outwith the NP – thematic/geographic working groups etc
Need for standard processes for service delivery
Consistency of performance reporting is vital
Need to agree what should be reported on and in what format
Council should advise on what is possible re reporting format and build up agreement on what is suitable
Relationship between NP and health is crucial
Workshop 4 South West
Facilitator Graham Kitching – Neighbourhood Manager West/South West
Scribe – Eileen Hewitt, Community Council Liaison & Development Officer
Graham Kitching explained that the key task for Neighbourhood Partnerships is to ensure organisations work together to:
improve the quality of life
provide effective and co-ordinated services
target service provision
Participants in the group expressed the view that community councils should be members of all Neighbourhood Partnerships covering their area. There was a request for clear maps showing how the CC boundaries relate to the neighbourhood partnership boundaries and concern that neighbourhood partnership areas are too big.
Gordon Greenhill, Head of Service for West/South West joined the group and outlined the following benefits that NPs can bring:
A fund for each neighbourhood
Staff team working to improve the local area
Community will help to set the agenda for the Neighbourhood Partnerships
Neighbourhood Partnerships will give community councils the opportunity to say how they want services to be delivered locally
It was noted that the Local Development Committees have been a useful source of contact for CCs and a list of contacts for the new NP arrangements would be helpful.
There was some concern that if NP meetings are not public meetings then this may lead to people feeling excluded. One member of the group suggested that at the first meeting of the NP, the community council rep as well as any substitutes should be invited to attend.
