Councillor Mike Barnacle

Working hard for your community.

Mike’s Correspondence with Murray Lyle – Fossoway Crossing Patroller

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Email sent to Councillor Murray Lyle

Council Budget Debate 06/03/20

Dear Murray,

As you know from my email of Thursday 12 March re the Fossoway Crossing Patroller on the A977 (the somewhat academic exercise now given school closures), I was disappointed at the outcome of the debate and the absence of dialogue between your administration and the Independent Group of Councillors.

You would note that our budget featured resources for a Kinross-shire ‘pilot’ area committee, feasibility studies for a railway link to Kinross (PKC Policy), Regional Park initiatives (Ochil Hills and extension of Lomond Hills Park to Loch Leven) and a reassessment of the local landscape designations lost for the Cleish Hills and Devon Gorge (after a flawed consultants exercise).

What is disappointing is that I have raised these matters in correspondence and meetings with you recently but discussion is pointless if no resources are allocated, which they haven’t been by your administration. We may well, as a group, revisit some of this through the Capital Budget debate and I would sincerely hope for an improved dialogue when that eventually takes place.

Yours sincerely,

Councillor Michael Barnacle

Independent Member for Kinross-shire

PKC budget debate on 10/3/21

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At the Full Council meeting 24/2/21 we had received an update on the terms of the draft 2021/22 Scottish Government Budget, including funding for a Council Tax freeze. During the debate, when all political groups except the Liberal Democrats agreed to that freeze for 2021/22, I said I was not a fan of council tax freezes and hope that accepting this one was not a precursor to future freezes like a previous 10-year freeze period under the SNP Government. Freezes are usually caveated by significant ring-fencing of Government funds allocated to local authorities, who increasingly become mere agents of government policy. However, as we exit the COVID lockdown it is probably appropriate to support a freeze and it is of course electorally popular before an election because all but the most discerning of the public do not make the connection between cuts in services resulting from council tax freezes.

Subsequently, having agreed a freeze, PKC had to debate how to adjust our provisional Revenue budget which had been based on a council tax increase of 4.28% in March 2020.

So, on 10/3/21 the Independent Group produced a budget which, unlike the other party groups, did not involve taking any money from earmarked Reserves for Covid-19. In my speech to the debate, I highlighted 3 main themes to our budget proposals for additional expenditure:

1. Post Covid-19 lockdown we felt there was a need to support children, youth and older people so made proposals for Youth Community Golf & Tennis (£75,000), the Equalities Fund (£40,000), Supporting Activities for Older People (£75,000) and Mental Health Initiatives (£70,000).

2. We made capital provisions totalling £31.75 million to be funded from Revenue by covering the annual cost of borrowing at current ‘record’ low interest rates; so effectively providing, amongst other things, a Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund (£1m), a Town Centre Regeneration Fund (£3m), Local Roads (£3.5m + £40,000 from Revenue for unadopted roads that had been previously withdrawn, including provisions for pothole repairs & flood prevention i.e. ditch clearance and gully cleaning, the latter not mentioned by other groups), Loch Leven Heritage Trail (£250,000) and Active Travel Routes/Paths (£1m).

3. I also asked Members to note that most of our additional expenditure proposals were based on recurring expenditure, not just for one year, in a rolling programme for the future.

Finally, in relation to Kinross-shire Ward, we proposed 3 measures:

1. Funding to support administration costs (£40,000) for a ‘pilot’ Area Committee of PKC for Kinross-shire. I have been working for this since my first term of office began in 1999 and would like to see it come to fruition before I stand down in 2022. A scheme for devolving power to community level is particularly appropriate for the former county of Kinross-shire whose area population is so much greater than it was at re-organisation of local government in the 1970s. The concept is supported by the 4 local members and the Kinross-shire Forum of Community Councils, with Cllr Purves and myself having recently pursued a draft scheme with officers and happy to work further on an acceptable scheme that, initially, would not include quasi-judicial matters and would retain voting rights to local members only.

2. The Kinross Railway ‘Feasibility Study’ builds on a PKC unanimous decision of 4/10/17 made at our historic council meeting in Kinross and provides £50,000.

3. Regional Parks (£50,000) need feasibility work on the creation of an Ochil Hills Regional Park and the expansion of the Lomond Hills Park, which is also supported by Kinross-shire Forum & Local Members.

Unfortunately, our budget did not pass but the proposals from the minority Tory Administration did and that included money for Local Roads (£4m including restoring the withdrawn funding for unadopted roads), Loch Leven Heritage Trail (£160,000), the provision of a new permanent ranger service that we had suggested and crucially our ‘pilot’ local decision[1]making committee for Kinross-shire Ward (£40,000). Our budget lost to the SNP amendment, which was then set against the Administration’s budget and I voted for the latter because of the noted inclusions above.

If any reader wants further clarity on the budget debate and proposals, I am happy to provide it.

Councillor Michael Barnacle Independent Member for Kinross-shire

KINROSS-SHIRE COMMUNITY TRANSPORT GROUP – Notes from the April Meeting

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Attendees: Cllr Barnacle, PKC; Cllr Purves, PKC; Cllr Watters, PKC; Paul Appleby, Cleish CC; Michael Haigh, Fossoway CC; John Fallon, Local Resident Rumbling Bridge; Margaret Ponton, Glenfarg CC; David Aird, Kinross-shire Volunteer Group; David Colliar, Kinross CC; Carol Farquhar, Fossoway CC; Phillip Lord, Muckhart CC; Douglas Fraser, Glenfarg CC; Margaret Roy, PKC PTU.

Apologies: Cllr Robertson, Perth & Kinross Council; Andrew Warrington, ACBuG; Sarah Brown, Kinross High School; Doctor McCracken, Loch Leven Health Centre Matters Arising Cllr Barnacle advised group that Sarah Brown had issued transport survey to her pupils at KHS, all agreed that SB should be asked to re-issue survey when there was a full return of pupils to KHS after summer holidays. Cllr Barnacle will contact Sarah and request this.

Cllr Barnacle advised group that currently there are only four members of Portmoak Community Council so they have been unable as yet to assign anyone to represent them on this group at this meeting. Cllr Barnacle will write to Sue MacGregor to ask who would be able to attend this group in the future.

Update On Current Subsidised Local Bus Services In Kinross-Shire

Margaret Roy (MR) confirmed that further to the Service 55 trial up to and including 31 March, usage had been consistent, albeit lower than the potential due to CV19 restrictions, thus the decision had been taken to extend the contract up to and including 31 March 2023. Some tweaks to the timetable had been requested and MR will progress these. Once results from pupil survey already issued and further one after summer, any further requests to revise the timetable can be investigated. Future Planning For Public Transport Provision In Kinross-Shire

Paul Appleby confirmed that there is no demand for public transport provision in the Cleish and Blairadam area. Cllr Purves suggested the group should therefore focus on the areas where there is a demand. MR confirmed that PTU had drafted a suggested off peak timetable between Kinross and Powmill. MR can share this timetable with the group.

All members of the group in support of improved public transport links to Halbeath. MR advised that she had submitted John Fallon’s suggested timetable to this end to First but had not received a written response from their MD at this point but he had verbally explained to her that this was not a service First could look at operating commercially at this point.

MR explained issues regarding sourcing funding for this requested service but she would speak to colleagues in Fife and Stirling/Clacks PTU and seek their views on progressing this matter.

CF noted that the DRT provision fulfils an important role and Cllr Watters agreed and noted his support for this scheme. Cllr Barnacle added that he agreed DRT should be retained.

All agreed that due to current situation the Kinross-shire Community Transport Group would be maintained as a steering group. Once we started moving out of CV19 restrictions and future transport demand was established then the group could progress implementing/revising transport services.

Cllr Purves suggested inviting KMGO to future meetings of this group. All agreed. Cllr Purves will contact KMGO and ask if they would like to join this group and attend future meetings.

AOB And Date Of Next Meeting

All agreed to meet again in two months and Cllr Barnacle will confirm actual date nearer the time.

Councillor Michael Barnacle Independent Member for Kinross-shire