Apologies for absence were intimated on behalf of Mr R Saxon, Mr A M M Beaton, Mr P Corbett, Mrs S Slimon and Mr G MacFarlane.

The Chairman reported that Rev M Mackinnon, representative of the Free Church of Scotland, had resigned from membership of the Committee on the grounds of ill health and had now been replaced by Rev C MacLeod. Mr G MacFarlane, the Roman Catholic representative, had also now submitted his resignation on the grounds of ill health.

The Committee NOTED the following and AGREED that congratulations be conveyed to those concerned:-

- Fortrose Academy had been runners-up in a national competition entitled "Our World" organised by the World Wildlife Fund;

- Portree Primary School Enterprise Company "Got Your Number" had been voted the best mini-enterprise company in Scotland, winning both the Highlands and Islands and the national prize in their first year of competition;

- Caol Youth Centre junior football team had won the National Champions Cup at the Association of Youth Clubs National Finals;

- Tore Primary School had won an award in the current year’s prestigious Artworks: Young Artists of the Year Awards;

- Inverness Royal Academy had been awarded £5,000 by BT as a school that used information communication technology to promote learning;

- Pauline McFadyen, Leisure Assistant at Nairn Swimming Pool, had come sixth in the solo synchronised swimming event at the Commonwealth Games.

The Committee also NOTED that initial indications were that Highland schools had done well in the current year’s SQA examinations. The Director would submit a report giving more details of the results to a future meeting.

There was circulated Report No. ECS52/02 dated 5th August, 2002 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which set out the Revenue Expenditure monitoring position for the year to 30th June, 2002 and the projected year end position.

The Committee NOTED the projected overspend of £271,000 and the corrective actions outlined in the report.

The Chairman referred to discussions which had been held with parents who were concerned about a situation which had arisen in Fort William primary schools as a result of falling school rolls, which had led to an increase in the number of composite classes. A petition had been presented to him that day and a way forward had been agreed.

In discussion it was pointed out that composite classes were common in the Highlands but it was suggested that the costs to the Council of allowing some flexibility in staffing levels be identified and guidelines issued on how composite classes worked and on placing requests and the appeals mechanism.

The Committee considered reports on Capital Expenditure, copies of which had been circulated, as follows:-

(a) Capital Programme 2001/02 and 2002/03 - Monitoring

There was circulated Report No. ECS53/02 dated 5th August, 2002 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport on the final outturn for the Education and Culture and Sport Capital Programmes for 2001/02 and on expenditure on the Education, Culture and Sport Service Capital Programme for the period 1st April to 30th June, 2002.

Mrs M C Davidson, the Local Member, indicated that she would be asking the Chief Executive to investigate how it had come about that the demountable unit provided at Glenurquhart Primary School to cater for an increasing school roll had not been passed by Building Control and pupils would be required to use demountable units at the recently vacated Glen Urquhart High School at the beginning of term.

The Local Member for Mallaig High School, Mr C King, also expressed concern at delays in repair works to the all weather pitch at the school, pointing out that Lottery funding of £98,000 which had been secured had to be used by September/October. The Director of Education, Culture and Sport advised on the outcome of discussions with Sportscotland who had undertaken to work with the Council in ensuring that the funding allocated was safeguarded and any further applications for funding were processed. The Director of Property and Architectural Services also reported on site investigations which had been carried out, leading to a detailed report from geo-technical engineers. Recommended solutions and indicative costs had now been submitted to Sportscotland.

After some further discussion, it was AGREED that the report received from the geo-technical engineers be passed immediately to the Local Member, who would be kept fully informed of progress and the timetable for completion of the works.

The Committee NOTED:-

(i) the overspend of £589,000 on the Education Capital Programme for the year to 31st March, 2002 and the underspend of £338,000 on the Culture and Sport Capital Programme giving a total overspend of £251,000 which had been carried forward into 2002/03; and

(ii) expenditure on the Education, Culture and Sport Service Capital Programme for the period to 30th June, 2002.

(b) Education, Culture and Sport Capital Programme

There was circulated Report No. ECS54/02 dated 7th August, 2002 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport on a draft capital programme for the Education element of the Education, Culture and Sport Service. The draft programme identified the projects to be addressed through the programme and devolved a degree of funding to Area level. It had been revised to take account of the Second Education Public Private Partnership project (PPP2) and dealt specifically with the period from the present until April 2005. The report covered issues arising from the First and Second Public Private Partnerships, including the appointment of a PPP Client Team, Special Educational Needs and the Disability Discrimination Act, the Nursery Programme, Essential School Rolls, School Security, Catering and Cleaning and Major Maintenance and Refurbishment Projects.

The Director of Education, Culture and Sport updated Members on the funding available for the second Public Private Partnership Project. In discussions with the Scottish Executive it had been clarified that Level Playing Field Support would be capped at £7.16m over 30 years but the overall capital value of the project was for the Council to decide in terms of affordability. Therefore, while it would not be possible to undertake the full £120m worth of capital expenditure contained in the Council's original bid, it was suggested that the Council should maximise what could be achieved with the Level Playing Field Support and look at other ways of funding the 21st century school improvement programme. A revised Outline Business Case would now be prepared for submission to a future meeting of the Council.

In discussion, points raised included the following:-

- Members were advised that confirmation had been received from the Scottish Executive that the Gaelic medium school in Inverness would receive the same level of support as other schools, namely 75%;

- it was confirmed that liaison with communities on PPP2 projects would be undertaken in-house and the suggestion that contractors should also be required to appoint a person to liaise with communities had been noted;

- while one member expressed some concern that the standard set for new schools was too high in light of the backlog of repairs required to buildings, other Members felt that it was important to set a high standard and the Chairman gave an assurance that all schools would be built to a high standard;

- there was a need for a more sophisticated matrix to be prepared for PPP2 taking into account identified priorities, projects where sites had already been acquired, where matched funding had been sought or where the project would have an impact on other schools. Consideration should also be given to packages which might be attractive to contractors.

- It was suggested that a list be prepared of projects which required substantial funding but which could not be undertaken under PPP2 or the normal capital programme. In this connection it was confirmed that the Scottish Executive had stressed that PPP2 was not the only solution, that a capital building programme would still be maintained and that a 21st century school improvement programme remained a top priority;

- it was pointed out that a significant number of projects had been completed over the last few years and the additional finance allocated to Area Committees for maintenance was welcomed;

- the Chairman gave an assurance that consideration of sustainable development issues would be built into the PPP2 contract;

- in relation to the Disability Discrimination Act it was confirmed that, where works were being carried out to buildings, improving access would be included in the contract. The proposed sum of £50,000 allocated to works on other schools reflected what it was felt could be afforded but was not a substantial sum in relation to the likely needs;

- in reply to a question it was confirmed that officials of Property and Architectural Services and the Education, Culture and Sport Service had agreed to pursue the possible appointment of suitably qualified personnel to carry out minor maintenance and repairs to schools on a cluster basis;

- it was suggested that the opening of new schools might be having an adverse affect on other schools through the number of placing requests and that the impact should be assessed;

- assurance was sought that the high costs of proposed school security measures at Dingwall Academy were justified. The Director of Education, Culture and Sport reported that the cost of vandalism was significant because of the nature of the site and the Director of Property and Architectural Services reported on the reasons for the increased costs. An assurance was given that the fencing to be provided at the school was designed to be re-used in relation to the PPP2 project or transferred, if appropriate;

- the Director of Education, Culture and Sport undertook to facilitate a meeting concerning nursery provision in the Drakies area of Inverness;

- it was confirmed that the Cleaning and Catering Manager would shortly provide an up-to- date report on the improvements required to the kitchen/dining facility at Plockton High School .

The Committee AGREED:-

(i) the strategy for the 21st Century School Improvement Programme – Second Public Private Partnership - as outlined in paragraph 3.3(a) of the report;

(ii) to approve the draft Capital Plan as per Appendix 2 and as outlined in the report;

(iii) that before the end of the current term of office of the Council a report be prepared giving a full list of projects to be undertaken through PPP2, those which would be funded through other means and works which were required but for which no funding had been identified; and

(iv) that reports be submitted to Area Committees on the knock-on effects on other schools arising from the number of placing requests submitted for new schools.

There was circulated Report No. ECS55/02 dated 6th August, 2002 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport on a draft strategy for promoting physical activity in Scotland produced by the National Physical Activity Task Force (PATF). An executive summary of the strategy was attached to the report. The Director summarised the benefits of, and the goals and strategy for, increasing physical activity, and outlined a proposed Highland Council response prepared following consultation with a small group of Members and Officers.

Dr D Alston suggested that the Council's response should also refer to:-

(i) the need for a strategy to encourage girls between the ages of 10-14 to be more active;

(ii) the importance of play and the need to ensure that school playgrounds were exciting, safe and challenging and that younger children had easy access to safe outdoor play; and

(iii) links with other initiatives.

It was also suggested that the views of young people should be taken into account in any revision of relevant strategies for the Highlands, that existing volunteers within the community should be used to help in promoting physical activity and there should be more cross service use of countryside rangers employed by the Council or by other organisations.

There was circulated Report No. ECS56/02 dated 5th August, 2002 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which introduced a proposed Integrated Library and Information Service Policy. The report also summarised Highland Council’s progress towards meeting the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) Standards for School Libraries and for Public Libraries and identified priority areas for action to achieve compliance. The full table detailing progress had been deposited in the Members’ Library.

In discussion, points raised included that there was a need to explain the benefits of an integrated library service to Area Committees and communities; that the current focus on integrated libraries should not be to the disadvantage of libraries where integration was not at present possible; and the opportunity should be taken to make Gaelic medium books and materials more widely available and seek suggestions for increasing the stock of Gaelic books. The Chairman undertook to facilitate visits to integrated libraries where requested and confirmed that the proposed review would include all library provision.

The Committee AGREED:-

(i) to endorse the statement of Highland Council’s Library and Information Service policy attached as Appendix A to the report;

(ii) to note current progress towards meeting the COSLA Standards and call for a further report following a review of current needs and provision; and

(iii) that a report be submitted to the Gaelic Working Group on the issue of making Gaelic medium books more widely available.

There was circulated Report No. ECS57/02 dated 30th July, 2002 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which gave details of the current School Transport Appeals Mechanism and made recommendations regarding future arrangements. The report set out the statutory requirements and detailed the current arrangements for dealing with Transport Appeals. Proposals were put forward which should ensure a consistent approach to the processing of appeals.

In discussion, Members welcomed the attempt to clarify the position and to standardise the system. It was suggested that it might be helpful to circulate information on the legal position and the Council's policy on transport provision and appeals to parents of new pupils and to Members and also to advise parents that they could seek the support of their local Councillor in relation to any appeal. Some concern was expressed that it might be difficult to produce standardised reports on road safety and at the possible financial implications if a greater number of appeals were allowed.

In relation to whether or not the Local Member should be invited to be present at relevant meetings of the Transport Appeals Committee, Mr N Clark, seconded by Mr A M Millar, MOVED that Local Members be invited to submit their views in writing.

Mrs M E Paterson, seconded by Mr B M S Dunlop, moved as an AMENDMENT that Local Members be formally invited to attend meetings of the Appeals Committee or to submit written representations.

On a division, the AMENDMENT was CARRIED by 14 votes to 8.

The Committee thereafter AGREED:-

(i) the current arrangements for consideration of provision of home to school transport on exceptional grounds continue;

(ii) all documentation and material submitted by appellants should be made available to members of the Transport Appeals Committee in non-summarised format;

(iii) staff of the Education, Culture and Sport Service should liaise with appropriate colleagues from the Transport, Environment and Community Service to produce standardised safety criteria for inclusion in reports to members of the Transport Appeals Committee and the report template be altered to include consistent information on this matter;

(iv) Local Members be formally invited to attend relevant meetings of the Transport Appeals Committee or submit written representations;

(v) Local Members, even if they were Members of the Appeals Committee, should withdraw while the Appeals Committee was reaching a decision on an appeal; and

(vi) relevant information be issued to parents and Members as suggested.

There was circulated Report No. ECS58/02 dated 5th August, 2002 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which set out the current position in implementing the McCrone Agreement on Teachers’ Pay and Conditions of Service and identified some issues which required further action. It was pointed out that the shortfall of £6.6m in funding to Highland for full implementation of the Agreement remained. The report gave details, however, of progress with the 35 hour week, the Local Negotiating Committee for Teachers, job sizing, the winding down scheme, probationers, class contact time, continuing professional development and the chartered teacher programme.

A report was presented on behalf of the Convener confirming that the shortfall in funding for McCrone was at the heart of current discussions of the Comprehensive Spending Review and there was now some recognition of the fact that the current way of allocating local government finance was wrong as it did not take account of diseconomies of scale and sparsity factors.

The Committee NOTED:-

(i) the content of the report;

(ii) that a report would be submitted to the September meeting on the formation of the Local Negotiating Committee for Teachers (LNCT); and

(iii) that further updates would be presented to the Committee.

The Committee NOTED and where necessary APPROVED the Minutes of the following Meetings:-

(i) Minutes of Meetings of Inverness Highland 2008 held on 19th and 28th March , 23rd April, 29th May, and 14th June, 2002;

(ii) Minutes of Meetings of the Education Transport Appeals Committee held on 27th June, 2002 and 31st July, 2002; and

(iii) Minutes of a Meeting of the Duncraig Castle Working Group held on 23rd May, 2002.

There was circulated to Members only Report No. ECS59/02 dated 6th August, 2002 by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which proposed a revised management structure for the existing Community Services elements of the Education, Culture and Sport Service. The report referred to former structures and functions, the principles developed for the proposed new structure, and issues influencing the work of the Service which it was proposed should now be renamed "Community and Leisure Development". The proposed structures for Headquarters and in each Area could be funded from within existing resources. The Director set out actions to be taken immediately and in the medium term to implement the proposals and develop the principles involved.

The Director spoke to his report referring to a proposed change to the structure recommended for the Skye and Lochalsh Area and views expressed by Caithness and Sutherland Area Committees.

During a full discussion of the proposals, various options were put forward for the title of the new service which would deliver the community services functions of the Council. In relation to the proposed management structure, Members for Caithness and for Sutherland, whilst supporting the principles outlined in the report, suggested that the current structure whereby there was a joint Manager for Caithness and Sutherland was not working, largely because of the distances involved, was inequitable, did not recognise current communities and did not represent Best Value. They, therefore, made a plea that the overall structure be accepted but on the understanding that the position with regard to Caithness and Sutherland would be reserved to allow the two Area Committees to consider alternatives which would better meet their needs and to identify the necessary funding. In relation to other points raised, it was confirmed that any savings made through the change to the proposed structure for Skye and Lochalsh could be used in Skye and Lochalsh; it was suggested that Area Committees could deal with local issues such as the detailed management arrangements for Inverness and for the development of youth and community centres and it was suggested that, if additional staff were needed, a bid be submitted to the Budget Working Group.

The Committee:-

(i) APPROVED the change of name of the Community Services strand of the Service to "Community Learning and Leisure Services";

(ii) APPROVED for their interest, the new structure for Community Learning and Leisure Services, subject to the change to the Area structure for Skye and Lochalsh recommended by the Area Committee, and on the understanding that the Chairman and Director would meet with Members from Caithness and Sutherland to explore means of further enhancing capacity in these two areas with a view to attempting to ensure the establishment of a dedicated Manager for each Area; and

(iii) AGREED that the Resources Committee be asked to approve the structure and to determine all staff and personnel related issues.