General Meeting 7th October 2024
GOVAN COMMUNITY COUNCIL
2024 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
MONDAY 7 OCTOBER 2024
Held in the Board Room, Elderpark Workspace at 7 p.m.
Present: Esme Clark, Annie Morgan, Danny O’Neill, John Foster, Gordon Mackay, Robert Preston, Gina Preston, Marie Davidson, Willie Jones, Councillor Alam, Councillor Dornan, Councillor Hutchison
Apologies: Hannah Salome, Ruby Kelly, Betty Ross, Humza Yousaf MSP, Councillor Richard Bell, Andre Videla, Che Campbell
Minute taker: John Foster
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MINUTES OF THE 2023 ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
These were moved as correct by Esme Clarke and Reinhild Gorniak and approved. -
OFFICERS REPORTS
a) Chair: Daniel O’Neill
Danny reported that two public meetings had been held, advertised by the Royal Mail distribution of the Govan Letter to all residents, in November and March. The first had discussed policing with Insp Robert Anderson and heard a presentation on Maslows from Ruby Kelly. The second had focused on spending cuts locally and specifically those for housing with presentations from Karen Goodwin and Hannah Salome.
The Community Council had met monthly with good representation from City Councillors and our MP (through Alistair Shaw) though not out MSP. Key issues had been the closure of bank facilities, public ownership of buses, cleansing and council cuts.
b) Secretary: Esme Clark
Esme expressed the Community Council’s thanks to the late MP Chris Stephens and noted that contact had yet to be made to our new MP. She also thanked members of the Community Council who had been particularly active – such as Annie Morgan on Elder Park and the Library, Gordon Mackay on banking facilities, Hannah on housing and homelessness, Andre Videla for restoring the website and Reinhild as Treasurer. She also stressed the wider contribution of Paul MacAlinden in terms of music and culture.
c) Treasurer: Reinhild Gorniack
The balance in the account for September was £5,363.20. She was taking steps to secure the auditing of annual accounts as soon as possible.
These reports were approved.
- ELECTION OF OFFICERS FOR THE COMING YEAR
All were elected nem. con.
Chair: Daniel O’Neill: nom Esme Clark and sec Reinhild Gorniak
Vice Chair: Hannah Salome: Esme Clark and Reinhild Gorniak
Secretary: Esme Clark: John Foster and Robert Preston
Treasurer: Reinhild Gorniak: Annie Morgan and Esme Clark
Minute Secretary: John Foster: Esme Clark and Annie Morgan#
Media Secretary: Andre Videla: John Foster, Marie Davidson
Representative on the Area Committee: Esme Clark: John Foster and Reinhild Gorniak
Death of John Flanagan: Gordon Mackay reported a large attendance at the mass in St Anthony’s on 6 September.
a) Cleansing
The situation in Govan was patchy ahead of the introduction of ‘Bin Hubs’ over coming months – and remained particularly bad in parts of Elderpark and Central Govan. Councillors reported on the introduction so far in other parts of Glasgow as being effective in better off tenement areas – not so good elsewhere, especially for recycling and the avoidance of dumping. Councillor Alam stressed that it was important to have effective local liaison and for leaflets in appropriate languages to be distributed.
In terms of current problems of dumping in Govan, particularly in Crossloan Road and Elderpark Street, members raised the active use of the CCTV cameras installed some years ago to press charges against those responsible. Councillor Hutchison noted that the cameras were no longer monitored directly but that the recordings could be recalled for scrutiny and he would examine the possibility of a specific focus on these two streets.
It was AGREED to return to this issue at the November meeting and invite Jim Ellis and again the representatives of the two Housing Associations.
b) Banking Services
Gordon MacKay reported that our late MP Chris Stephens had now handed over relevant correspondence. This indicated a fairly immediate but negative response to Chris’s challenge to the proposed BoS closure – but little helpful in terms of reversing the bank’s decision
ii) Current situation with cash machines: the machine at 920 Govan Road had been out of action for up to two weeks since September but was currently functioning. The other at the Post Office was malfunctioning and failing to issue notes to the value of what requested or reported on the slip (the Community Council should raise with Morrisons/Post Office)
iii) legal powers to challenge bank closures under auspices of the Financial Conduct Authority came into force in September but unfortunately did not apply retrospectively.
iv) there did remain opportunities for appeal under the Link procedure and to the FCA. It was AGREED that Our Chair, with support from Councillors, and as CC chair would explore. In terms of supporting evidence Gordon noted that Cambuslang, with many less commercial premises and a smaller immediate population, had been granted a Link, that the Bank in Byres Road was now closed and that, in terms of a safe cash machine Councillor Dornan had secured the agreement of the SPE for one in the Govan subway.
c) Bus Services
Our Chair gave a further report from Better Buses for Strathclyde. Glasgow Council appeared to have given up the proposal for a Bus Service Improvement Partnership and was now considering franchising – although the Scottish government legislation of 2019 remained critically incomplete. The overall policy position was not good with rising fares, in response to the return of peak fares on the railways, and erratic services. McGills continued, quite illegally, to refuse to give change.
d) Further cuts in council spending
It was agreed to comeback to this at the November meeting by which time the UK Chancellor would have made her Autumn Statement.
e) Future of the Lyceum
Our Secretary reported that the collecting of signatures from the Central Govan area was going well but needed to be stepped for completion. This would be highlighted in the Govan Letter.
f) Opening of the Mary Barbour Bridge
This had been a great success and would be covered in more detail in the Govan Letter in the article by our Secretary. There was particular appreciation of the work by Paul MacAlinden and the Govan Barons in organising the musical sessions on the following day. A letter had been sent to the City Council asking for the bridge to be named the Mary Barbour Bridge. It was AGREED further to contact Partick Community Council for support and to start the formal process of application using the forms provided by Councillor Hutchison
g) Fire and Rescue Services
Consultation on the future of the service in Govan would take place early next year. It was noted that recent reports indicated very significant cuts overall.
h) Elderpark Library
Annie Morgan raised the continuing problems resulting from the early closure (5 pm on all days except Monday and full closure on Sunday) for school work and also for local organisations, such as the Friends of Elder Park, that had previously relied on access to toilets and social space which was no longer available at key times such as Sundays. The Chair would be taking up the issue as a violation of the terms on which the Library was gifted by Lady Elder in 1903. Access to toilets should also be raised as part of the Council’s more general consultation on access to public toilets.
i) Police Action at Thales
Our MSP Humza Yousaf had sent a holding response to our letter pending further discussions through the Scottish government with the Scottish Police Service. Annie Morgan proposed, and it was AGREED that a local member of the Glasgow Gaza Emergency Committee be invited to our November general meeting on 4 November to describe police actions and the resulting injuries.
4.OFFICERS’ REPORTS: ISSUES HAD ALREADY BEEN COVERED
5.COMMUNITY COUNCIL ORGANISATION
a) The new Community Council website
Andre was continuing work and asked for assistance to maintain the site. Willie Jones agreed to help. The site was now active at http://govancommunitycouncil.org.
b) Venue for Community Council meetings
The Café in the Pearce Institute had been booked for the November meeting on 4 November and for the public meeting on Thursday 14 November at 7 p.m.
c) The Autumn Govan Letter
Timetable:
We should aim for Royal Mail distribution from 20 October ahead of our 14 November public meeting. This required the draft being given outline approval at the 7 October monthly meeting for submission to the printer on 14 October.
Content:
Outline approval was given by the meeting after the distribution of a draft. Cllr Alam suggested that the boundaries of the CC be indicated.
d) The Autumn public meeting now been rescheduled to14 November
This would have two sections a) Cllr Bell talking in personal capacity on issues of Council funding in Scotland (check availability) b) Cleansing with representatives of the City Council (Jim Ellis) and the two Housing Associations.
6. COUNCILLORS’ REPORTS
Councillor Dornan
Cllr Dornan reported plans for the return of a local Saturday market to the Cross area – with the focus on affordable items. He also noted a planning application for the planting of four new trees at the Cross.
Councillor Alam
Cllr Alam addressed a general concern about reporting defects and issues to the City Council using electronic communication – a method which not all local residents found easy. He was investigating how far a phone based system could be introduced as a supplement.
Councillor Hutchison
Issues raised covered earlier in the meeting.
- DATE OF NEXT MEETING: MONTHLY MEETING MONDAY 4 NOVEMBER at 7 p.m. IN THE PEARCE INSTITUTE CAFE.