PCC Logo

Community Council

of the Royal Burgh of Peebles & District

PCC Logo

Community Council

of the Royal Burgh of Peebles & District

PCC Logo

Who we are

Peebles and District Community Council (PCC) is governed by the Scottish Borders Council (SBC) Scheme for Community Councils (see boundary maps). Read our constitution and standing orders.

We are local people with an interest in our community. Our 18 members may serve for up to 3 years before standing for re-election. We regularly co-opt members for their skills and to fill vacancies.

The six elected Scottish Borders Councillors from East and West Tweeddale are `ex-officio' (non-voting) members who provide a valuable link to and from SBC.

What we do

Our main role is to:

SBC has a responsibility to

  • Consult with PCC about how local services are delivered
  • Inform us of changes to services & issues that may affect our area
  • More info in SBC's Community Council Training Handbook

When & where we meet

Ordinary Meetings of the Council are held on the Second Thursday of each month in the Burgh Hall, Peebles. These meetings normally start at 7:00pm and continue until approximately 9:00 pm.

Our meetings are publicised in the Peeblesshire News the week before the meeting with any changes to time and venue advertised.

Minutes and reports

Minutes and reports from the chair, planning convenor and police are available in Documents.

There is also a copy of the minutes and agenda displayed on the Community Council Noticeboard each month. The board is situated on the right of the archway leading to the Chambers Institution and Quadrangle. A further copy is located in the library. Please ask the librarian for the Community Council folder.

Next ordinary meeting

7pm Thursday 12th September 2024 – Agenda

Come along

All meetings are open to the public.

Each meeting allows 10 minutes for a Question and Answer session for members of the public to ask a question on any subject of relevance to the community council.

Citizen Space – Consultations

Contribute your views on open consultations and find out what changed in response to previous consultations for SBC Citizen Space and Scottish Government consultations. On each site you can scroll down to "see all open consultations".

Peebles Burgh Hall community conversation 6-8pm Wed 22 Oct Peebles Burgh Hall 6-8pm, 22 Oct

Community Conversations will offer you the opportunity to meet and speak with Council Leader Cllr Euan Jardine, Ward Members and Senior Officers from the Council.

Please join us, to help us understand what really matters to you and your community as we plan the budget for 2026/27.

Sarah Culverwell
Community Engagement Officer
Communities and Partnerships
Scottish Borders Council

Community Conversations across the Borders SBC Community Conversations

Our community police officer, PC Gary Beaumont, has created a Community Policing Questionnaire.

Please complete it to indicate which matters in the local area concern you and where you would like police to direct their time and resources. Your response will be anonymous. (This does not, of course, preclude you from contacting the police on 101 or by any other method).

The annual Peebles in Bloom Awards Ceremony was held in the Burgh Hall on Thursday 21st August. The project is run by Peebles Community Council. Our team walked all around the whole town and listed front gardens worthy of further inspection by judges. In addition, Secret Gardens – those which cannot be seen from the pavement – were nominated by residents.

The number of nominated gardens was whittled down and then visited by 5 teams of judges. Several factors are considered: variety, maintenance and colourfulness, as well as the presence of flowers and plants attractive to bees, butterflies and other insects.

The garden owners were welcomed to the event by Peter Maudsley, Chairman of Peebles Community Council. Peter acknowledged that 2025 has been a challenging summer for gardeners. The heat has been intense at times, it has also been very dry but when the rain has come it has often been quite torrential. Just a few weeks ago we had Storm Floris to contend with and yet despite it all the people in the hall had managed to create beautiful gardens. Peter also commended the wonderful dedication of the volunteer members of Bonnie Peebles and Floral Peebles. The tubs, flowerbeds and hanging baskets around the town are amazing.

He thanked Community Councillors Gill MacDonald, Anne Snoddy and Sheila Mackay for organising the project, and the people who supported the Peebles in Bloom project in so many other ways: the judges Carolyn Spray and Maggie Mowbray, Thomas Gifford and Grant Skillen, Jan Cameron and Helen Dewberry, Garry Rennie and Mark Bain, and John Falla and Drew Fraser; Garry Rennie for being Master of Ceremonies at the event, Chris Wood for managing the technical side of things, and Chris Mackie for organising the raffle to which the Community Councillors contributed gifts with a gardening theme.

During the evening there were interesting talks by Jane Davidson about the enjoyment experienced – and the benefits derived - by schoolchildren working in the Priorsford Primary School Garden, Carolyn Spray of Pentland Plants about the use of peat free compost, and Maggie Mowbray about pollinators.

The trophies were presented by local resident Brian Elliot. Brian has created a wonderful display of plants on the banking up at Kingsway and has gained many accolades and awards for it over the years.

The stage of the Burgh Hall was adorned with an array of colourful plants donated by Pentland Plants. Guests were invited to take the plants home at the end of the evening.

The OVERALL WINNER was Mrs Mandi Bain.

Mandi has a wonderful large garden at 22 Connor Ridge which often features in our Peebles in Bloom Awards. She has now developed a colourful plot in the communal area opposite her house which will give pleasure to all who pass by. As if that wasn’t enough she has also created a lovely display around the bench at the 4th tee on Peebles Golf Course which even features a chandelier hanging above the bench!

The other results are as follows:

All Year Round Gardens

Highly Commended: 1 Jubilee Park Bronze: 61 Edderston Road Silver: 10 Violet Bank Gold: Broomhill, 11 Venlaw Quarry Road

Courtyard Gardens

Highly Commended: 18 North Place Highly Commended: 19 Whitehaugh Avenue Bronze: 63A Old Town Silver: 14 Cademuir Drive Gold: 2 Haystoun Place

Very Small Gardens

Bronze: 3 Edderston Ridge Court Silver: 89 Whitehaugh Park Gold: 33 Kingsway

Small Gardens

Highly Commended: Ambleside, 31 Crossland Crescent Bronze: 24 Dukehaugh Silver: 50 Eliots Park Gold: Bisley, Damdale

Medium Size Gardens

Highly Commended: Easdale, The Mount Bronze: 54 Edderston Road Bronze: 16 Wemyss Place Bronze: 52 Eliots Park Silver: 33 Dukehaugh Gold: 88 Dalatho Crescent

Large Gardens

Bronze: Linen House, Tweed Green Silver: 15 Dukehaugh Gold: 9c Damdale

Street (a row of 3 or more attractive gardens)

Highly Commended: 15 – 21 March Street Bronze: 15 - 27 Connor Street Silver: 6-16 South Parks Gold: Rose Park

Secret Gardens

Highly Commended: 6 Provost Melrose Place Bronze: 4 Bonnington Road Silver: 33 Kingsway Gold: 5 The Loanings

Community Gardens

Bronze: The Glebe Community Garden, Innerleithen Road Silver: The Secret Garden, Deans Wynd Gold: Priorsford Primary School Garden

Business Displays

Bronze: Gustav’s Studio Silver: Peebles Nursing Home Gold: Central Bar

Finally just for fun there was a floral shirt competition. Mrs Helen Taylor picked out John Falla as the winner from a line-up of flowery shirted good sports!

The winners The winners

Danny Shaw of the Central Bar with the Alasdair Stewart Trophy for the best Business Display Danny Shaw of the Central Bar with the Alasdair Stewart Trophy for the best Business Display

Jackson Hall and Jane Davidson, Community Garden Award Jackson Hall and Jane Davidson, Community Garden Award

Mrs Jean McFarlane who won the Medium Garden trophy Mrs Jean McFarlane who won the Medium Garden trophy

Mrs Mandi Bain who was the Overall Winner Mrs Mandi Bain who was the Overall Winner

Rose Park Street Award Rose Park Street Award

A room full of gardeners A room full of gardeners

Download the PowerPoint garden slide show.

Peebles Community Council called for Live Borders funding to be restored to sustainable levels and an end to the threats to sporting and cultural services after considering a report into the "Joint Transformation" of Live Borders at its 12 June meeting.

A relentless series of escalating cost cutting saw SBC effectively halve payments in real terms to Live Borders since 2016, SBC data show (fig. 1).

The blue trend shows the shortfall between actual SBC payments to Live Borders (grey) vs payments needed to keep up with inflation (coloured) – with 2024 payments half that of 2016.

Live Borders Management Fee 2016–24 1. Live Borders funding 2016–24

However, funding from Scottish Government to the 32 local councils in Scotland remained flat (fig. 2), with average culture & leisure cuts less than half the level of SBC cuts to Live Borders.

In order to protect much needed services, Peebles Community Council calls for:

  • Funding to be restored to a sustainable level
  • A halt to threats to privatise, transfer or transform sporting and cultural venues
  • Scrapping of the current Live Borders consultation, which is attracting high levels of criticism
  • Meaningful engagement with the public on SBC's full transformation agenda.

Live Borders Management Fee 2016–24 2. Govt funding to councils stable

Live Borders was set up by SBC in order to ensure that they meet their obligations under the legislation to provide adequate facilities for recreational, sporting, cultural and social activities. That obligation rests with SBC and cannot be farmed out. Consequently, SBC have a duty of care for the oversight of Live Borders.

PCC's view is that our community should not be punished by cuts to much needed services, with any pain spread across SBC's entire £344m budget.

Read the full PCC Briefing.

Submit comments to SBC's consultation.

News archive